Florida health officials are warning residents to be weary of floodwaters to prevent exposure to deadly bacteria.
The Florida Department of Health’s communications office said in an Oct. 8 press release that Hurricane Milton is likely to cause heavy flooding and rain, which are prerequisites for the bacteria Vibrio, which is usually found in warm coastal waters and is dangerous when ingested or in contact with open wounds.
“While floodwaters are present, there is an increased risk of Vibrio infections, such as Vibrio vulnificus, which can be life-threatening,” the department said.
Symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus can include vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, abdominal pain, fast or high heart rate, confusion, or disorientation, according to the health officials. It can also result in a flesh-eating infection.
People most at risk include those with compromised immune systems, live disease, or open wounds.
Officials recommend residents avoid swimming or wading in waters that could be contaminated, such as flood waters, standing water, sea water, and brackish water if possible. They also recommend covering any open wounds and washing wounds thoroughly with soap and clean water if contact is made.
Exposure to the bacteria can also come from eating raw fish or undercooked shellfish and oysters.
According to a fact sheet provided by Florida Health, Vibrio vulnificus can enter the blood stream and cause severe symptoms including decreased blood pressure (septic shock) and skin lesions. It cannot spread person to person.
Hurricane Milton was downgraded to a Category 3 storm Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm was once rated as high as Category 5.
As of 12:30 a.m. ET, the National Weather Service in Miami visually confirmed up to four tornadoes with unofficial reports of damage, they said in a post on X.
The service also advised residents against driving through saltwater as water levels continue to rise, with high tide still several hours away.
They said 98 Tornado Warnings were issued today by Northwest (NWS) Miami, NWS Tampa Bay, and NWS Melbourne, with nine confirmed tornadoes today in NWS Miami.
As Floridians prepare for the storm, gas is running out at many stations in impacted areas as residents prepare to lose power.
According to data from fuel markets tracker GasBuddy, as of 7:04 p.m. ET Wednesday, about 24.5 percent of gas stations Florida wide had run out fuel, an increase from 17.4 percent at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
In impacted areas the outage is more severe, with 62.8 percent of stations without fuel in Tampa and 43.68 percent in Sarasota, as of the latest update.