TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The impacts of hurricanes Helene and Milton may have a larger consequence than just storm damage, according to the Flood and Storm Tracker maps from the U.S. Geological Survey.
The USGS said these hurricanes may have contributed to the spread of nonnative and invasive species to new parts of Florida and Georgia.
Botanist Ian Pfingsten said the USGS preliminary map for Hurricane Helene showed 222 possible species could have spread to new areas due to storm-related flooding. Ninety of these species are invasive and “likely to spread via flood water.”
Meanwhile, the map for Hurricane Milton showed the potential spread of 114 nonnative species, 56 of which are considered invasive.
“Once a species is introduced by spreading to a new location with suitable conditions, there is a possibility of that species establishing a population in its new environment, especially for highly invasive species that are documented to rapidly grow and reproduce without the constraints from the environment where the species originated,” the USGS report said.
According to the report, there was considerable overlap for both hurricanes Helene and Milton due to the storms being a few weeks apart. Helene made landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida while Milton hit Sarasota County.
These hurricanes are believed to have spread current invasive species in Florida like the Burmese python, the giant applesnail, and the Asian swamp eel.
“The giant applesnail is an agricultural pest while the swamp eel impacts populations of native species where it has established,” the USGS said. “Both species can pose a risk to human health as they are known to carry parasites.”
The map for Helene also showed that the flathead and blue catfish could spread past the coastal plains. If so, this would have devastating consequences for the local ecosystems as they compete with and feed upon native species.
“According to Pfingsten, additional species that had the potential to spread to new areas as a result of Helene include Cuban treefrogs and alligatorweed,” the report said. “Cuban treefrogs prey on and outcompete native frog species, impact infrastructure, and secrete a noxious chemical that can cause burning in the eyes or nose if a human handles them. Alligatorweed can clog waterways, impact infrastructure, and can lead to stagnant water that supports mosquitos breeding.”
The FaST maps will be updated once the final flooding data is available. You can see which species could spread in parts of Florida here.
