ORLANDO, Fla. _ Residents across Central Florida have caught a whiff of the latest reminder of Hurricane Irma's destructive march across the state _ a foul, rancid odor.
The stench _ which many said smells like rotten eggs or raw sewage _ was reported by locals in Orlando, Longwood, Altamonte Springs, Oviedo and Lake County, among other communities. Many took to social media on Tuesday to complain about the stink.
Officials say the rotten smell is common in the aftermath of a storm like Irma, which rampaged across the state last week with torrential rains and powerful winds that toppled trees and damaged homes.
"As soon as we smelled that, it was like, there's that smell again. That's the Fay smell," said Alan Harris, emergency manager for Seminole County, referring to the tropical storm that caused heaving flooding in 2008. "I remember it very well."
The stink has a variety of causes, experts said.
Flooding can kill off fish in large numbers by disrupting the salinity and oxygen levels in various bodies of water. Heavy rain also temporarily raises the water level of lakes and ponds. When the water recedes, it leaves behind smelly muck, said Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission spokesman Greg Workman.
"I personally believe that there's been multiple causes," Workman said. "If you're in an area where there was a fish kill, of course, decaying fish will give off an odor."
Also to blame: nearby sewage overflows and decomposing vegetation.
