Jody Oggs LaFleur has an urgent message for people returning to clean up their homes after the floods caused by Hurricane Harvey: wear a mask.
Her warning was posted on social media as soon as Harvey hit south-east Texas last week, and her story of how a little-known post-flood danger nearly killed her has been shared 37,000 times since.
Ms LaFleur went to her mother's home a month after it was flooded during Hurricane Rita in 2005, to see what she could salvage. She was inside for only a few hours. Two years later, she was diagnosed with invasive pulmonary aspergillosis, a fungal infection caused by invisible spores that can enter any opening in the body, including cavities in teeth.
Ms LaFleur had no idea that the fungus was lurking inside her mother’s home, and when she finally got her diagnosis from an infectious disease specialist she was so close to death that she was put on a lung transplant list. She failed to respond to several weeks of intravenous anti-fungal medications or a subsequent six months of chemotherapy to kill the fungus living inside her body.
More than 10 years after being infected, the 48-year-old mother of three hopes her story will make Texans pay heed to the risk.
But the fungi and moulds that thrive in damp conditions are not the only dangers that follow a storm of this magnitude. The floods may have receded in many areas, but it is in the water that remains that people need to be on the lookout for hidden threats, ranging from alligators to electrocution.
“When these big floods happen, these alligators get flushed out of their normal habitats," said Dr Jeremy Finkelstein, chief of emergency medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital. "In past floods, we’ve had 6 and 7-foot long alligators cruising around. Alligators live in the bayous and those bayous have overflowed into neighborhoods. It’s a real threat.”
Even people who are well aware of such dangers can be caught off guard: one of Dr Finkelstein’s colleagues was bitten by a snake when he stepped on to his porch to survey the damage from Harvey.
Floating pods of venomous fire ants are also a real threat, said Dr Finkelstein. “As fire ants get flooded, they float on the surface and cling to whatever they can to get out of the water.”
Other threats are still to come, such as mosquitoes. During a hurricane, “mosquitoes get washed out with wind and high water and people get lulled into thinking the mosquitoes aren’t that bad”, said Dr Finkelstein. But, within a week or two, the larvae reappear with a vengeance in all the extra breeding area provided by stagnant floodwater.
In addition to a potential increase in cases of the mosquito-borne West Nile virus, as seen after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Dr Finkelstein said the Zika virus also posed a threat. “You’ve got these winds that may have brought mosquitoes up from the Caribbean and Latin America, where Zika is much more prevalent, and then deposited them here.”
Then there is the risk of electrocution while walking through flooded areas, said Rick Kosecki, owner of Lake Houston Electrical Services.
On Tuesday, 25-year-old Andrew Pasek stepped on a live wire as he waded through ankle-deep water to rescue a cat from his sister’s house. He did not survive.
Even in homes that are now dry, the risk of electrocution remains as people return and start clearing up damage, Mr Kosecki said. “When they start ripping out sheet rock and walls, they can get into the wires and possibly get shocked or cause damage to the electrical wiring.”
He said it was imperative for people to turn the main circuit breaker off before they re-enter their homes, and to have their wiring inspected by a reputable electrician before they start making repairs. But there are simply not enough electricians to handle all the work.
“I don’t think people realise how few contractors there are out there to do this,” Mr Kosecki said. “We’re just getting started. We’re starting to see the magnitude of it and it’s starting to get a little overwhelming.”
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Read more:
Houston's Muslims spend Eid helping the victims of Storm Harvey
After the trauma of the flood, Texans have one thing on their minds: rebuild
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Eight million Texans live in areas affected by Harvey - just 1.4 million fewer than the entire population of the UAE. About 9,000 people are sheltering in the Houston convention centre and another 5,000 to 7,000 in the stadium of the city’s American football team.
Besides providing refuge, these shelters help the many people who forgot to take their medication with them when they fled the flooding. Doctors at the mobile medical units set up in the shelters write them 30-day prescriptions on the spot which are then filled at makeshift pharmacies at the shelter. “These doctors are working 24, 36 hours straight,” says Dr Finkelstein. “It’s been quite an amazing experience.”
Still battling the disease she contracted at her mother's flooded home, Ms LaFleur has been on an experimental drug protocol for the past five years. Last year, she also went through 16 rounds of radiation. Nothing has eradicated the fungus from her body.
“My life is totally different now than what it used to be," she said. "I don’t know my prognosis. I’m really fortunate to be alive but it’s truly a struggle every day.”
With so many threats facing the people going back to their flooded homes, she hopes her advice - to wear a mask - will protect them against at least one.
Dr Finkelstein agrees. “Probably the single most protective piece of equipment, if you could have just one, would be an N95 mask,” he said. “That’s your best protection.”
They cost about $15 (Dh55) and are readily available at home improvement stores.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl, 48V hybrid
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 325bhp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: Dh359,000
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How to protect yourself when air quality drops
Install an air filter in your home.
Close your windows and turn on the AC.
Shower or bath after being outside.
Wear a face mask.
Stay indoors when conditions are particularly poor.
If driving, turn your engine off when stationary.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
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- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
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- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
The specs
Engine: 3-litre twin-turbo V6
Power: 400hp
Torque: 475Nm
Transmission: 9-speed automatic
Price: From Dh215,900
On sale: Now
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
THE LIGHT
Director: Tom Tykwer
Starring: Tala Al Deen, Nicolette Krebitz, Lars Eidinger
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
A cryptocurrency primer for beginners
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There are several primers for investing in cryptocurrencies available online, including e-books written by people whose credentials fall apart on the second page of your preferred search engine.
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Begin your cryptocurrency journey here.
Available at Magrudy’s , Dh104
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates, Etihad and Swiss fly direct from the UAE to Zurich from Dh2,855 return, including taxes.
The chalet
Chalet N is currently open in winter only, between now and April 21. During the ski season, starting on December 11, a week’s rental costs from €210,000 (Dh898,431) per week for the whole property, which has 22 beds in total, across six suites, three double rooms and a children’s suite. The price includes all scheduled meals, a week’s ski pass, Wi-Fi, parking, transfers between Munich, Innsbruck or Zurich airports and one 50-minute massage per person. Private ski lessons cost from €360 (Dh1,541) per day. Halal food is available on request.
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Day 5, Abu Dhabi Test: At a glance
Moment of the day When Dilruwan Perera dismissed Yasir Shah to end Pakistan’s limp resistance, the Sri Lankans charged around the field with the fevered delirium of a side not used to winning. Trouble was, they had not. The delivery was deemed a no ball. Sri Lanka had a nervy wait, but it was merely a stay of execution for the beleaguered hosts.
Stat of the day – 5 Pakistan have lost all 10 wickets on the fifth day of a Test five times since the start of 2016. It is an alarming departure for a side who had apparently erased regular collapses from their resume. “The only thing I can say, it’s not a mitigating excuse at all, but that’s a young batting line up, obviously trying to find their way,” said Mickey Arthur, Pakistan’s coach.
The verdict Test matches in the UAE are known for speeding up on the last two days, but this was extreme. The first two innings of this Test took 11 sessions to complete. The remaining two were done in less than four. The nature of Pakistan’s capitulation at the end showed just how difficult the transition is going to be in the post Misbah-ul-Haq era.
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi
Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)
Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)
Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)
Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).
Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)
Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)
Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)
Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)
Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia
Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)
Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)
The British in India: Three Centuries of Ambition and Experience
by David Gilmour
Allen Lane
The biog
Favourite book: Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Favourite holiday destination: Spain
Favourite film: Bohemian Rhapsody
Favourite place to visit in the UAE: The beach or Satwa
Children: Stepdaughter Tyler 27, daughter Quito 22 and son Dali 19
Brief scores:
Toss: Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi, chose to field
Environment Agency: 193-3 (20 ov)
Ikhlaq 76 not out, Khaliya 58, Ahsan 55
Pakhtunkhwa Zalmi: 194-2 (18.3 ov)
Afridi 95 not out, Sajid 55, Rizwan 36 not out
Result: Pakhtunkhwa won by 8 wickets
