MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – The flooding in Middleburg near Black Creek may have left more than just a mess to clean up as health officials warn people about hidden safety hazards.
While most of the floodwaters along Lazy Acres Road have subsided, there are still areas of flooding on the road and in people’s yards.
“You can find gasoline which is floating on top of the water. You’ll find pesticides and herbicides washed off from the soil in the water. There’s also going to be micro-organisms, bacteria, viruses,” Dr. Sonya Rashid, poison control medical toxicologist said.
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One concern is the possibility of this standing water being chemically and biologically contaminated. Rashid said if you’re cleaning up your property after it’s been submerged under flood water, you need to protect your skin, especially if you have any cuts or sores.
“You want to wear long-sleeved clothing. Long pants. Boots. Gloves. Make sure you are completely protected; and that you don’t have any exposed skin when you’re cleaning up the debris,” Rashid said.
Rashid said when you’re done, make sure any clothing that got wet is placed in the washer and make sure the water is hot to help decontaminate the clothing.
Chemical and biological contamination is not the only concern with flood water. There is also a threat of encountering a snake that has been displaced.
“They can swim in the water so you may encounter them there. They can be under your branches so when you’re picking them up, you might disturb that snake and you’re increasing your risk of getting a snake bite,” Rashid said.
Rashid explained what to do if you were to get bitten.
“You want to make sure when you first get the bite, you don’t put ice on the area. You don’t try to suck out the venom. You don’t use a tourniquet because that can restrict blood flow and that can increase your risk of having the extremity fall off,” Rashid said.
Rashid said you want to call 911 or poison control for help then get to the hospital as fast as possible. Even if the snake is not venomous, its mouth and teeth can carry all kinds of dangerous bacteria that can get into your bloodstream.
But snakes are not the only critters that are known to bite during and after a flood -- Fire ants can also become displaced.
“If you’re wearing protective clothing that keeps your feet, hands, and arms covered, you should be okay,” Rashid said.
But if you do get bitten by a fire ant, it’s best to keep an eye on the wound to make sure it’s not getting infected. Rashid said she has seen several patients with ant bites that got infected and needed antibiotics.
Fire ants will likely climb onto your feet first, so you will want to keep your feet covered.
Pro-tip, if you’re wearing pants and combat boots, it’s a good idea to tuck the pants into the boots to keep the fire ants from crawling up your leg.
In addition to the threat of contamination, snakes, and fire ants, this stagnant water is also a breeding ground for mosquitos.
“With the water table already being high, and that stagnant water isn’t able to go anywhere, the mosquito populations will start to increase. You’ll have a mix of different species coming in. So, you’ll get those flood water mosquitos and then three weeks later, if those water bodies haven’t receded and been treated, we can have another population that carries the West Nile Virus,” said Whitney A. Qualls, assistant director of the Anastasia Mosquito Control District.