Houston Fire Chief Sam Pena warns that residents getting back to their homes after Hurricane Harvey need to wear breathing masks to protect against bacteria from the city’s sewers.
He also says to watch out for alligators.
There are still more than 450,000 people along the Texas Gulf Coast still either without water or still need to boil their water, according to a spokeswoman for Texas' environmental regulator , including parts of Houston.
Pena reminds those encountering floodwaters to consider getting a tetanus shot if you have an open cut on your skin. He says where streets have dried, sewer bacteria can become airborne, a breathing hazard. "This is a danger zone," Pena said. He also said alligators, snakes or rodents could be in homes due to flooding.