OKEECHOBEE – Okeechobee County was under flood watch most of Sunday, Nov. 1, as some parts of the county received more than 8 inches of rainfall in less than 24 hours.

As the Super El Niño weather conditions bring higher than normal rainfall, the Florida Department of Health warns residents to be aware of the health hazards related to contact with flood waters.

FDOH advises parents to keep children out of flood water. Flood water may be contaminated with bacteria and viruses from animal feces or malfunctioning septic tanks. The water may also be contaminated with fertilizers, herbicides or pesticides.

Flooded areas can attract snakes and other wildlife.

FDOH recommendations include:

• Wash your hands with soap after participating in flood cleanup activities or handling articles contaminated with flood water.
• Avoid eating anything that has been contaminated with flood water.
• Avoid contact with flood water if you have any open cuts or sores. If an open cut or sore comes in contact with flood water, wash the area well with soap to prevent infection. If the wound develops redness, swelling or drainage, seek medical care. Residents who sustain lacerations and/or puncture wounds who have not had a tetanus vaccination within the past five years need a tetanus booster.
• If you have a septic tank, do not have the septic tank pumped until waters recede. Exceptionally high water might crush a septic tank that was pumped dry or the septic could even pop out of the ground.
  
  In 2013, a LaBelle child contracted a a rare and deadly infection caused by Naegleria fowleri, commonly known as the brain‑eating amoeba, while kneeboarding in storm runoff in a drainage ditch near his home.