ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Florida wildlife experts are warning locals in areas battered by Hurricanes Helene and Milton to avoid dark floodwaters for a hair-raising reason: alligators and snakes.

Residents who have returned home after fleeing the storms have discovered gators wandering their halls and snakes in their neighborhoods, pushed in by currents from Hurricane Milton, which struck Siesta Key, south of Tampa Bay, as a Category 3 storm on Oct. 9.

“The water pretty much pushed them obviously out of their pond areas. They’re going with the flow,” Rene Walker of Tampa Bay Rescues, an animal rescue and conservation organization, told NBC News.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wrote on X after Milton hit: “Some wildlife, such as alligators, snakes, and bears are more likely to be seen after a storm. Be aware, keep your distance, and give all wild animals space.”

“I would absolutely be concerned about what’s out there. I would not go in dark water. I would be extremely cautious,” Walker added. She warned that alligators don’t want to be near people, but if someone tries to grab them, they will snap at them.

Jen Messer, who lives in the Tampa area, found an alligator crawling around her home gym.

“He made a trip over the treadmill, got his cardio in for a second, and then he meandered out underneath my truck,” she recalled.

Messer and her husband called 911, but they were ultimately able to shoo the gator to the pond near their home.

“We directed him but he wasn’t that happy about it. He did take a big chomp out of our broom. It was a wild day,” Messer said.

Snakes have been another common sighting.

“A lot of the snakes that may be subterranean, underground, have been flooded out. Just like people have been flooded out,” Ron Magill at Zoo Miami said. “Don’t surprise them. That’s why I tell people to avoid the water if possible.”

In Pascoe County, rescue team member Keith March said he had seen a couple of snakes in the floodwaters.

“You’ll pick em up. We’ve gotten a couple, you’ll see a water moccasin going down the road,” he said.

The best way for people to avoid a dance with Florida's wildest creatures is to avoid walking through flood waters, be mindful in areas near wildlife reserves or ponds, and keep dogs on a leash on walks, he said.

Walker advised if someone finds a gator on their property, “your best bet is probably close them off, do not try to interact to get them in any way, shape or form, and call the authorities like Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission."

Also ahead of Milton, the Florida Health department urged people to avoid floodwaters due to exposure to Vibrio, a flesh-eating bacteria commonly found in warm coastal waters. The bacteria can infect through exposed, open wounds.

Hurricane Helene also unleashed its own flood of creatures. It stirred up colonies of yellow jackets in western North Carolina, likely due to their underground nests being destroyed from rain, flood water and toppled trees. The disrupted colonies raised the risk of stings and led North Carolina health officials to purchase large amounts of Benadryl and EpiPens to aid those who may be stung.

The storm killed at least 24 and knocked out of power to millions.