Hurricane Charlie still affecting Gulf Coast
Since Hurricane Charlie made land fall on August 13, 2004 we are still feeling the effects, I am not talking about the rebuilding or the financial impact, I am talking about the environmental impact. I remember hearing the news that Charlie was going to make land fall in Port Charlotte, FL, which is in our service areas. I talked with my wife, Christy, and we discussed that the area was going to be so busy with wildlife invasions because of all the damage and wildlife displacement. Boy was I wrong, Wildlife invasions were the last thing on peoples minds. Houses were damaged so badly that even if we were able to retrieve the animals they would just find another place to get in. Once the major renovations began most of the animals and wildlife left on there own due to all of the noise and commotion from rebuilding. 
So, this brings us to our current problem. Everyone was focused on structural damage and no one thought about the environmental impact that Charlie would bring. Not only were residential and commercial homes destroyed but also all the homes of wildlife were taken. Many animals did not find there way to safety, thus destroying the population for many species. For instance, from all the tree’s that were destroyed we lost an enormous amount of Squirrels nests. It was odd that over the next couple of years we did not receive very many squirrel jobs. Then come the fall of 2006, talk about squirrels, they came back with a vengeance, I haven’t seen so many in all my life. My company was handling more jobs from these little rodents in two days then we have had, the entire year before. We were literally going “nuts” with these calls, and they haven’t stopped. The reason that we started receiving so many calls is due to the fact that the squirrels were entering commercial and residential properties via the attic and nesting. We can replace structural damage, but only Mother Nature can grow the trees, thus leaving them no other options than to invade commercial and residential dwellings.
The problem lies is that a squirrel is one of the most destructive specie of wildlife in Florida. People ask why, it is because they are from the rodent family and need to chew to survive. Their incisors continually grow and need to be filed down. It is not like a squirrel can walk into a vet’s office and say I need a trim. So they chew on other things like the wood on your house, the wires in your attic and anything else they can get to. I have seen houses that had so much damage on fascia board that I wondered if the wind blew inside or if they had leaks. I have seen wires so chewed that I told the people that they needed an electrician to fix them before re-entering the building.
To give you a for instance, New Years day, I believe in 2003 when I received a call from a man in Sun City Center. When I got there they told me that a squirrel had chewed the pipes in the attic and they had had a Plummer repair the leak. So I set some traps and I got a call at 7:00 am that I needed to get up there and there was a problem. I could not believe my eyes this squirrel had chewed another hole six inches from the previous hole and it had flooded the condo. Not just flooded but the ceiling had fallen in a bedroom and all the furniture was ruined. But they were happy that the little critter was in the trap.
So with all the storms that this area has had in the past few years the squirrel populations is back with a vengeance. It is funny to think how Mother Nature adapts and changes things so species survive and strive in this so delicate environment in which we live.
Jeff Norris, President of Nuisance Wildlife Relocation and can be
Reached at 941-729-2103 or jeff@flnwr.com
So, this brings us to our current problem. Everyone was focused on structural damage and no one thought about the environmental impact that Charlie would bring. Not only were residential and commercial homes destroyed but also all the homes of wildlife were taken. Many animals did not find there way to safety, thus destroying the population for many species. For instance, from all the tree’s that were destroyed we lost an enormous amount of Squirrels nests. It was odd that over the next couple of years we did not receive very many squirrel jobs. Then come the fall of 2006, talk about squirrels, they came back with a vengeance, I haven’t seen so many in all my life. My company was handling more jobs from these little rodents in two days then we have had, the entire year before. We were literally going “nuts” with these calls, and they haven’t stopped. The reason that we started receiving so many calls is due to the fact that the squirrels were entering commercial and residential properties via the attic and nesting. We can replace structural damage, but only Mother Nature can grow the trees, thus leaving them no other options than to invade commercial and residential dwellings.
The problem lies is that a squirrel is one of the most destructive specie of wildlife in Florida. People ask why, it is because they are from the rodent family and need to chew to survive. Their incisors continually grow and need to be filed down. It is not like a squirrel can walk into a vet’s office and say I need a trim. So they chew on other things like the wood on your house, the wires in your attic and anything else they can get to. I have seen houses that had so much damage on fascia board that I wondered if the wind blew inside or if they had leaks. I have seen wires so chewed that I told the people that they needed an electrician to fix them before re-entering the building.
To give you a for instance, New Years day, I believe in 2003 when I received a call from a man in Sun City Center. When I got there they told me that a squirrel had chewed the pipes in the attic and they had had a Plummer repair the leak. So I set some traps and I got a call at 7:00 am that I needed to get up there and there was a problem. I could not believe my eyes this squirrel had chewed another hole six inches from the previous hole and it had flooded the condo. Not just flooded but the ceiling had fallen in a bedroom and all the furniture was ruined. But they were happy that the little critter was in the trap.
So with all the storms that this area has had in the past few years the squirrel populations is back with a vengeance. It is funny to think how Mother Nature adapts and changes things so species survive and strive in this so delicate environment in which we live.
Jeff Norris, President of Nuisance Wildlife Relocation and can be
Reached at 941-729-2103 or jeff@flnwr.com
No comments:
Post a Comment