AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Hurricane Helene has caused an increase in notorious pests around the CSRA.
Many folks have taken to social media to post videos of mosquitos swarming their properties following the storm.
Standing water is a common place mosquitos like to reproduce, and a lot of it was left behind by the hurricane – causing the Department of Public Health to jump into action.
“It’s been really humid, the water table is extremely high, there still is a significant amount of standing water, and the mosquitos are breeding at extremely high numbers,” said Dr. Lee Donohue, the Director of Public Health for the East Central Regional Health District.
DPH leaders said the Apple Valley neighborhood in Augusta is one area getting bugged the most.
“They are terrible. When it get dark, or late in the afternoon, you have to go inside. If you don’t, you’ll get bitten up real bad,” said neighbor Gregory Rickerson.
Mosquitoes are having a breeding frenzy in the neighborhood’s ditches.
“When them ditches fill up when it rains,” Rickerson said. “Real bad.”