Hurricane Ian

On this episode of “Gulf Coast Life,” we touch base with the State Emergency Mental Task Force’s clinical director to get a sense of the work in the early days of recovery from Idalia.

The Florida Department of Health in Lee County canceled five health warnings due to harmful algal blooms in the Caloosahatchee River

Advocates say they've spent the last year working to help residents get their health back on track after Ian caused disruptions in care. They say the stress of storm recovery continues to cause mental wounds for some.

"He would be out of town for a week and be fine where he was staying for work, and come home and literally spend the weekend in the hospital," said Kendra Elliott about her fiancé, who suffered from mold poisoning.

Hurricane Ian’s landfall on Sept. 28 last year helped foster a red-tide-a-thon that lasted eight months. Now there have been seven blue-green algae health advisories in Lee County alone since May

Four months after Hurricane Ian, shards of debris have been washed onto the coast and lawns, and there is a spike in the number of cases of very dangerous flesh-eating bacteria.

Hurricane season is long gone, but Florida's waterways are still recovering. The powerful storms pushed millions of gallons of sewage and fertilizer into freshwater bodies ,causing outbreaks of blue-green algae, which can be toxic to humans and fish.

Winds from the north expected during a major cold front coming through Thursday should push the red tide offshore or back to the south, away from the beaches.

From Tampa Bay south to Ten Thousand Islands, the algae bloom is so prevalent, pungent and potentially poisonous that the authors of health advisories ignored the long-established practice of softening the language to avoid scaring away tourists.

Prior to Ian’s landfall over a month ago, the county reported a mosquito count of about 13,000. Two weeks after the storm brought historic flood levels, the county reported 46,000 mosquitos.