Thread: Texas floods are bringing snakes, alligators to the neighborhood

Texas floods are bringing snakes, alligators to the neighborhood

Jun 1st 2015 4:25PM
By Sean Breslin for Weather.com

Consider this a cautionary tale for why it's a bad idea to walk around in floodwaters.

Texans are getting a little too close with some harmful creatures because of the weeks-long flood that has gripped their state. As the water rose, snakes and alligators suddenly had a lot more room to move around, and some have come right into neighborhoods where they're not welcome.

(MORE: Floods Swamp Texas, Killing More Than Two Dozen)

Dallas resident Mary Weir was recently on the phone in her home when she noticed a 2-foot-long snake had come into the house, the Dallas Morning News reported. After barricading the snake in a linen closet, she was eventually able to scoop it up with a mop handle and carry it away.

"It's a perfect storm. We're getting hundreds of calls about snakes right now," Bonnie Bradshaw told the Dallas Morning News. Her company, 911 Wildlife, works with Dallas to respond to wildlife calls.

Authorities have also warned residents that there are other dangers lurking in floodwaters. This is mating season for alligators, which Yahoo! News says makes the reptiles even more hazardous to be around.

"Alligators travel great distances this time of year and having more water to do it in certainly facilitates it," Fort Bend County Sheriff's Department Maj. Chad Norvell said in the report.

Floodwaters can contain snakes, fire ants and alligators, but there are also more frequent risks like diseases and chemical hazards, according to the CDC. Unless it's an emergency, it's quite risky to go for that swim on a flooded road.

http://www.aol.com/article/2015/06/0...hood/21189783/

Texas woman dies of flesh-eating bacteria caused by Hurricane Harvey



KARMA ALLEN

Good Morning America September 27, 2017


Texas woman dies of flesh-eating bacteria caused by Hurricane Harvey More

A 77-year-old Houston woman died earlier this month from a flesh-eating bacteria, which she contracted after falling into Harvey floodwaters in her home, authorities said.

Nancy Reed, of the Kingwood area of northeast Houston, died on Sept. 15 of flood-related necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly referred to as flesh-eating bacteria, after she fell into contaminated flood water in her home, the Harris County medical examiner's office ruled.

The disease, which spreads rapidly through muscle tissue, is typically only seen in people with weak immune systems, according to the Harris County Public Health office.

A flood rescuer in Missouri City, Texas, located about 25 minutes southwest of Houston, also contracted a flesh-eating bacteria after the deadly hurricane struck, but he survived.

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Kingwood woman confirmed as Harvey death from flesh-eating bacteria https://trib.al/Dk7SHUp
2:40 PM - Sep 26, 2017


Kingwood woman confirmed as Harvey death from flesh-eating bacteria

A Kingwood woman who fell in her Harvey-flooded home and died from flesh-eating bacteria acquired through the injury was added Monday to Harris County's official list of storm fatalities. Nancy Reed,...
chron.com

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The Center for Disease Control says between 700 and 1,100 cases of necrotizing fasciitis are diagnosed in the United States each year, but it says that is likely an underestimate.

Much of the floodwater related to Harvey -- which made landfall in Texas as a Category 4 hurricane in late August -- has now receded, but medical experts say the bacteria can remain present on items that have come in contact with contaminated water.

“People think, 'Oh, I don't have water anymore, I'm not at risk,'" Dr. Umair Shah, executive director of Harris County Public Health, told ABC’s Houston affiliate KTRK. "I think that's the big misnomer."

Reed is the 36th death in Harris County to be linked to Hurricane Harvey, which killed 75 people statewide.

A family friend told the Houston Chronicle that she broke and cut her arm when she fell earlier this month.

After the injury became infected, she was treated at Memorial Hermann Hospital-The Woodlands and then taken to Memorial Hermann Hospital-Texas Medical Center, where she died, according to the Houston Chronicle.

https://www.yahoo.com/gma/texas-woma...opstories.html

Russia has a cure for these flesh-eating bacteria. They've had it for decades.