ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida wildlife experts are warning people in areas battered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton to avoid dark floodwaters for a hair-raising reason: alligators and snakes.
Residents who have returned home after fleeing the storms have discovered gators wandering their halls and snakes in their neighborhoods, pushed in by currents from Hurricane Milton, which struck Siesta Key, south of Tampa Bay, as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday.
“The water pretty much pushed them obviously out of their pond areas. They’re going with the flow,” Rene Walker of Tampa Bay Rescues, an animal rescue and conservation organization, told NBC News.
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wrote on X after Milton hit: “Some wildlife, such as alligators, snakes, and bears are more likely to be seen after a storm. Be aware, keep your distance, and give all wild animals space.”
Walker said: “I would absolutely be concerned about what’s out there. I would not go in dark water. I would be extremely cautious.” She warned that alligators don’t want to be near people but that if someone tries to grab them, they will snap at them.
Jen Messer, who lives in the Tampa area, found an alligator crawling around her home gym.
“He made a trip over the treadmill, got his cardio in for a second and then he meandered out underneath my truck,” she said.
Messer and her husband called 911, but they were ultimately able to shoo the gator to the pond near their home.
“We directed him, but he wasn’t that happy about it. He did take a big chomp out of our broom. It was a wild day,” Messer said.
Snakes have been another common sighting.
“A lot of the snakes that may be subterranean, underground, have been flooded out. Just like people have been flooded out,” Ron Magill of Zoo Miami said. “Don’t surprise them. That’s why I tell people to avoid the water if possible.”
In Pasco County, rescue team member Keith March said he had seen a couple of snakes in the floodwaters.
“You’ll pick ’em up. We’ve gotten a couple. You’ll see a water moccasin going down the road,” he said.
The best way for people to avoid dances with Florida's wildest creatures is to avoid walking through floodwater, be mindful in areas near wildlife reserves or ponds and keep dogs on leashes on walks, he said.
Walker advised that if people find a gator on their property, “your best bet is probably close them off, do not try to interact to get them in any way, shape or form, and call the authorities like Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission."
Also ahead of Milton, the Florida Health Department urged people to avoid floodwaters because of exposure to Vibrio, a flesh-eating bacterium commonly found in warm coastal waters. The bacterium can infect through exposed, open wounds.
Hurricane Helene also unleashed its own flood of creatures. It stirred up colonies of yellow jackets in western North Carolina, most likely because of their underground nests’ being destroyed by rain, floodwater and toppled trees. The disrupted colonies raised the risk of stings and led North Carolina health officials to buy large amounts of Benadryl and EpiPens to aid those who may be stung.
The storm killed at least 24 people and knocked out of power to millions.