Hurricane Idalia: Warnings as flesh-eating bacteria lurk in post-hurricane floodwaters
Hurricane Idalia may have passed, but a hidden threat lingers in its aftermath.
Florida health officials are warning Labor Day weekend beachgoers in affected areas to be cautious of floodwaters, which may carry Vibrio vulnificus, a rare and potentially lethal flesh-eating bacterium.
Florida’s Health Department emphasises the importance of treating this threat seriously, comparing it to respecting alligators and rattlesnakes.
The risk of Vibrio infections surged in coastal regions of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas due to Idalia’s storm surges mixing salty seawater with heavy rainfall, creating ideal conditions for the bacteria to thrive.
V vulnificus, among various Vibrio types, is the most dangerous and infects about 80,000 individuals in the US annually, resulting in approximately 100 deaths, with numbers rising after hurricanes.
The rare and potentially deadly type of flesh-eating bacterium “shouldn’t be taken lightly,” Florida Health Department press secretary Jae Williams told Sky News affiliate NBC News. “It needs to be treated with proper respect – the same way we respect alligators and rattlesnakes.”
Infections typically occur through skin cuts while wading through contaminated water, causing rapid tissue destruction.
Immediate medical attention and antibiotics are crucial, as Vibrio is among the fastest-growing bacteria. In severe cases, amputation may be necessary, and fatalities can occur within a day of exposure.
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Hurricane before and after images
Vibrio bacteria like to live in places where warm, salty seawater mixes with freshwater, like estuaries and inlets, and hurricanes can make these conditions happen.
During Hurricane Idalia, the storm surge pushed salty seawater onto land, and then it rained a lot.
“The rainwater, being freshwater, dilutes the seawater and brings the salinity down,” said James Oliver, a retired professor of microbiology at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. That mixture creates the perfect condition for the bacteria to thrive and spread.
Consuming raw oysters represents another infection route, as oysters filter water through their gills, potentially containing Vibrio.
A vehicle in a canal after the arrival of Hurricane Idalia in Horseshoe Beach, Florida
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Among various types of Vibrio, V vulnificus is the most harmful. These bacteria infect around 80,000 people in the United States each year, resulting in approximately 100 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Warmer waters have expanded the geographic reach and frequency of Vibrio cases, increasing the risk for people along the southeastern US coast, including states like Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
Cook your oysters and cover cuts and sores
To avoid contracting the infection, experts advise cooking oysters to destroy the bacteria. But for beachgoers, there is likely no way to avoid Vibrio.
“It is virtually guaranteed that if you wade into coastal waters this weekend, you will encounter such bacteria,” Mr Oliver said. “While that is a scary statement, it is important to understand that the risk for becoming sick from that encounter is extremely low for the vast majority of people.”
If people have open cuts or sores, it’s important to fully cover them before going into brackish water or simply avoid getting in.
“If you’ve got any sort of wound on your leg or develop a wound while you’re at the beach, you really want to try to protect yourself and not expose yourself to water in those cases,” said Dr Rachael Lee, an associate professor in the division of infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
“If you don’t have wounds, then the risk of wading in the water is practically zero,” she said.
The UK and US have agreed a trade deal, with Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump confirming the announcement during a live televised phone call.
It is the first trade deal agreed after Mr Trump began his second presidential term in January, and after he imposed strict tariffs on countries around the world in April.
Sir Keir said the “first-of-a-kind” deal with the US will save thousands of jobs across the UK, boost British business and protect British industry.
Politics latest: Trump and Starmer say trade deal just the start
The deal includes:
• Lowering 27.5% tariff on British car exports to the US to 10%, affecting 100,000 vehicles each year
• UK steel and aluminium industries will no longer face any tariffs after they had 25% duties placed on them
• Beef exports allowed both ways
• UK to have “preferential treatment whatever happens in the future” on pharmaceuticals, the president said.
However, there is a still a 10% tariff on most UK goods imported into the US after Mr Trump imposed that duty on most countries’ exports last month.
Mr Trump said the “final details” of the agreement were still being “written up”.
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Watch full call with Trump and Starmer
Trade minister Douglas Alexander told parliament the UK has “committed to further negotiations on tariff reductions”.
MPs will be able to debate the deal and any legislation needed to implement it, he added.
Sir Keir said “this is a really fantastic, historic day” that will “boost trade between and across our countries”, while Mr Trump said the agreement would be a “great deal for both countries”.
The president said the deal will make both the UK and the US “much bigger in terms of trade” as he thanked Sir Keir, who he said has been “terrific for his partnership in this matter…we have a great relationship”.
Sir Keir said it was achieved by not playing politics, and insisted the UK can have good trade relations with both the US and the EU.
Red lines on beef and chicken
The PM said the UK had “red lines” on standards written into the agreement, particularly on agriculture.
Mr Alexander told the Commons: “Let me be clear that the imports of hormone-treated beef or chlorinated chicken will remain illegal.
“The deal we’ve signed today will protect British farmers and uphold our high animal welfare and environmental standards.”
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‘American beef is the safest’
US agriculture secretary Brooke Rollins said the deal will “exponentially increase our beef exports”, and added: “To be very clear, American beef is the safest, the best quality, and the crown jewel of American agriculture for the world.”
On whether the UK will have to accept all US beef and chicken, Mr Trump said: “They’ll take what they want, we have plenty of it, we have every type, we have every classification you can have.”
Hinting the US will move towards higher welfare practices, he said US health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr “is doing a tremendous job and he’s probably heading toward your system with no chemical, no this, no that”.
‘A Diet Coke deal’
Previous UK governments have attempted – and failed – to secure a free trade agreement with the US, but Sir Keir had made it a high priority.
Conservative shadow trade secretary Andrew Griffith chastised the deal, saying the UK is still in the same category as Burundi and Bhutan.
“It’s a Diet Coke deal, not the real thing,” he told the Commons.
US
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Three former police officers in the US have been found not guilty of murder over the death of motorist Tyre Nichols.
Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley and Justin Smith were acquitted by jurors following a nine-day trial at Tennessee state court.
The former Memphis officers were also found not guilty of aggravated assault, aggravated kidnapping, official misconduct and official oppression.
Mr Nichols, a father of one, died three days after officers punched, kicked and hit him with a baton in January 2023 as he was just yards from his home.
The defendants hugged each other after being acquitted of the charges. Pic: Commercial Appeal/USA Today Network/AP
The 29-year-old’s death and a video of the incident – in which he cried out for his mother – sparked outrage in the US including nationwide protests and led to police reform.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Nichols’ family, described the verdicts as a “devastating miscarriage of justice”. In a statement, he added: “The world watched as Tyre Nichols was beaten to death by those sworn to protect and serve.”
Memphis District Attorney Steve Mulroy said he was “surprised that there wasn’t a single guilty verdict on any of the counts” including second-degree murder. He said Mr Nichols’ family “were devastated… I think they were outraged”.
Former police officers Tadarrius Bean, Demetrius Haley, Justin Smith were accused of second-degree murder. Pic: Memphis Police Dept/AP
But despite the three defendants being acquitted of state charges during the trial in Memphis, they still face the prospect of years in prison after they were convicted of federal charges of witness tampering last year.
Two other former officers previously pleaded guilty in both state and federal court. Desmond Mills Jr. gave evidence as a prosecution witness, while Emmitt Martin was blamed for the majority of the violence.
Sentencing for all five officers is pending.
Tyre Nichols’ death sparked street protests in January 2023 in Memphis and across the US. Pic: AP
Video evidence showed Mr Nichols was stopped in his car, yanked from his vehicle, pepper-sprayed and hit with a Taser. He broke free and ran away before the five police officers caught up with him again, and the beating took place.
Prosecutors argued that the officers used excessive, deadly force in trying to handcuff Mr Nichols and were criminally responsible for each others’ actions.
They also said the officers had a duty to intervene and stop the beating and tell medics that Mr Nichols had been hit repeatedly in the head, but they failed to do so.
The trial heard Mr Nichols suffered tears and bleeding in the brain and died from blunt force trauma.
The defence suggested Mr Nichols was on drugs, giving him the strength to fight off five strong officers, and was actively resisting arrest.
In December, the US Justice Department said a 17-month investigation showed the Memphis Police Department uses excessive force and discriminates against Black people.
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