One of the most dangerous and deadliest aspects of a hurricane is inland flooding.

When hurricanes reach the coast, the pictures we always see are of the pounding waves, wind-whipped trees and homes and buildings being destroyed. While coastal damage can be terrible, the latest data suggests the deadliest effect could be from inland flooding.

Floyd isn't a friendly word at the El Rodeo restaurant. It's business as usual today but hanging on the wall are vivid reminders of two of its most unwanted customers.

"The water and the electrical, just so much water, even in the parking all the way down from here to Six Forks Road,” said El Rodeo Manager Eddie Torres.

Both Fran and Floyd stirred up quite a mess for the Raleigh restaurant. Each storm system raised the bar for damage from land falling hurricanes here in the Carolinas and caught many residents by surprise when their own backyards began to fill with water.

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Over a period from 1970 through 1999, the year that Hurricane Floyd reached North Carolina, a total of 67 people died in our state due to tropical weather systems making landfall. 57 deaths were due to inland flooding and 52 deaths were attributed to Hurricane Floyd alone.

Joel Cline works for the Raleigh National Weather Service and studies the effects of tropical weather systems.

“The problem is the water and if you can see the water, you're too close to the problem,” Cline said.

Freshwater floods accounted for more than half of the tropical cyclone deaths in the United States for the past 30 years.

“When the system moves slow, it's usually going to dump a whole lot of rain slowly over a larger area and create problems for a large portion of the state of North Carolina,” Cline continued.

Western North Carolina experiences flash flooding, while eastern North Carolina is more prone to river flooding.

“But everybody's got a threat to life,” Cline said.

So how do you stay safe from inland flooding caused by hurricanes? Find out if you and your home are in a flood zone. FEMA and the state of North Carolina all have online resources to help. You may need to buy flood insurance, which isn't covered in your homeowner's policy.

When officials say "evacuate" do so immediately. Don't wait for waters to rise even more.

And never, ever, cross a flooded roadway by foot or in your car.

It took a lot of elbow grease to get el rodeo back in shape after their bought of flooding and Torres says these two photos will remain hanging, as a reminder of how far they've come.