Hurricane Helene flooding in NC stirs yellow jacket swarms, prompting distribution of Benadryl and EpiPens

Hurricane Helene’s deadly flooding successful western North Carolina disrupted the underground nests of stinging insects, causing them to swarm workers and residents trying to retrieve from the storm.

The surge of stings from yellow jackets, bees and different insects has prompted the authorities wellness section to bargain Benadryl and epinephrine injections arsenic assistance groups besides enactment to get the medications and get them to those successful the affected areas.

Alycia Clark, Direct Relief's main pharmacy officer, told The Associated Press that galore of those seeking attraction for insect stings are electricians moving to reconstruct powerlines and different outdoor workers.

"With each disaster, we get requests for EpiPens, but this 1 is decidedly an outlier," Clark said.

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Hurricane Helene's flooding disrupted the underground nests of galore insects successful occidental North Carolina. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson, File)

The radical told The AP that it has sent much than 2,000 EpiPen injections to assemblage wellness centers, clinics and pharmacies crossed occidental North Carolina.

Pharmacists successful North Carolina are providing exigency refills for those already prescribed allergy medications and is allowing radical to bargain epinephrine injections specified arsenic EpiPens without a prescription, a authorities wellness section spokesperson told the outlet.

State wellness officials and alleviation groups are moving to administer the medicine crossed the affected areas. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File )

While astir radical are not allergic to stings from wasps, bees and different insects, irritation and symptom tin beryllium aggravated and stings tin swell and stay achy for days, according to the Mayo Clinic. Some people, however, tin person a terrible allergic absorption that tin pb to anaphylaxis that tin origin trouble breathing, swelling of the lingua and throat, anemic pulse and nonaccomplishment of consciousness. In these situations, it's captious to administer epinephrine immediately.

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Hurricane Helene killed astatine slightest 232 radical passim the southeast. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart, File)

Being stung much than a twelve times tin besides origin a buildup of venom successful the assemblage that tin origin superior sickness that tin see dizziness, fever, convulsions oregon vomiting.

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Hurricane Helene killed astatine slightest 232 radical arsenic the tempest tore done the southeast. Hundreds much are inactive unaccounted for from the deadliest mainland U.S. hurricane since Katrina.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.