One week after Tropical Storm Helene hit Western North Carolina, Asheville resident Sonya Lynn woke up with stomach cramps that she could only compare to going into labor.
“The cramps woke me out of a dead sleep,” Lynn told Carolina Public Press . “I started noticing severe bloating, constant diarrhea and nausea.”
Lynn went to Mercy Urgent Care, where she was diagnosed with E. coli. The facility put her on antibiotics, but a few days later she was in the emergency room with extreme dehydration.
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Lynn is just one of thousands of Western North Carolinians who have experienced — or will experience — adverse health effects brought about by the damage caused by Tropical Storm Helene . Contaminated drinking water caused by flooded private wells, damaged municipal water systems, and compromised septic systems is one of the chief public health concerns.
Lynn isn’t sure how she contracted E. coli. Did she rinse her dentures under the tap in her bathroom sink? Did she use ice from her freezer in a drink? Did she wash her dishes in the kitchen sink out of habit? Did she eat some bad food that had been donated to Homeward Bound, the homeless shelter where she works?