alligators-sharks-spotted-rescue-crews-florida-streets-following-hurricane-ian

Alligators, Sharks Spotted by Rescue Crews in Florida Streets Following Hurricane Ian

Adding more stress, Alligators and sharks were spotted in Florida as rescue crews searched through the destruction that Hurricane Ian left behind.

Fox 35 reports that the Edgewater Police Department and the National Guard evacuated 75 people from their houses on Friday (September 30th). Crews then worked to drain the water, clear trees, and restore power post Hurricane Ian. 

However, the crews may have some more obstacles to deal with than just Hurricane Ian’s damage. According to a resident, Holly Collins, a ten-foot alligator was seen crossing the street near her home following the storm. She also said she saw pictures of sharks swimming in what is normally city streets. 

“It’s been really rough,” Collins said about the Hurricane Ian recovery efforts. “I mean, after the storm, it’s sad to see everyone around – you drive through the storm, you don’t know which way.” 

Meanwhile, AP reports that Dominic Cameratta, a local real estate developer, confirmed he filmed something “flopping around”. The fish had been in his neighbor’s yard on Wednesday morning. “I didn’t know what it was,” he said. “It just looked like a fish or something. I zoomed in, and all my friends are like, ‘It’s a shark, man!’” 

However, Fortune says experts had mixed opinions on whether the clip was showing a shark or just another big fish. George Burgess, a former director of the Florida Museum of National History’s shark program, observed the fish appears to be a juvenile shark. But Dr. Neil Hammerschlag, director of the University of Miami’s shark conservation program, says it’s pretty hard to tell. 

Cameratta further explained that the flooding caused by Hurricane Ian had only just begun when the clip was taken. He did say that the waters were “all the way up to his home” by Wednesday night.

Reporter Sees Alligator Swimming in Floodwaters After Hurricane Ian

NBC News reports that reporter Jesse Kirsch saw a large alligator just swimming down an Orlando residential street in the wake of Hurricane Ian. 

“Whenever we cover floods, we are always trying to stress that you do not want to go into the waters,” Kirsch explained. “This is about as good a reason why as you should not go in the water. And I do not know if that is the same alligator that had been hanging out in the front yard near us.” 

Kirsch further explained that the Orlando neighborhood where he saw the alligator is near water. He noted that people had been walking in the area before the large reptile was spotted. 

Meanwhile, Kirsch says that the floodwaters are still problematic even days after the storm passed. “The water is receding but it is still holding a good amount,” he added. “It is not draining that quickly here.”