Hurricanes don’t just damage roofs, flood yards and topple trees — they also displace thousands of green iguanas, raccoons, opossums, snakes and other wildlife in a matter of hours. When storm surge, fallen debris and flooded burrows force animals out of their normal habitats, they seek the next best shelter: your attic, crawl space, pool cage, garage, screened lanai or under your deck.
In the 72–96 hours after a major storm (Ian 2022, Idalia 2023, Milton 2024), SoFlo Iguana Pros typically receives 4–12× the normal volume of emergency wildlife calls — most involving animals that have taken up residence inside living spaces while homeowners were evacuated or cleaning up outside.
We are not a general cleanup or debris-removal company. We are a FWC-permitted nuisance wildlife specialist focused on safely locating, removing and excluding displaced animals so your property restoration can proceed without health risks, additional structural damage or repeated invasions.
Below is exactly how our team assists homeowners and property managers during post-hurricane wildlife displacement.
1. 24/7 Live Phone Response — Even When Power & Cell Service Are Spotty
During and immediately after major storms many national call centers go offline or route calls overseas. SoFlo Iguana Pros maintains:
- Local Greenacres-based answering service with live agents
- Backup satellite phone line for when cell towers are overloaded
- On-call managers sleeping with phones beside them during active watches/warnings
Average answer time during named storms: under 45 seconds. We log every call with address, animal description and urgency level so the nearest technician can be dispatched as soon as roads are passable.
2. Priority Same-Day / Next-Day Response for Safety Threats
We triage calls into three priority levels post-storm:
Priority 1 (Same-day / as soon as roads safe)
- Venomous snake (cottonmouth, coral, pygmy rattlesnake) inside living space
- Iguana or raccoon inside occupied bedroom / nursery / kitchen
- Large animal threatening pets or small children
Priority 2 (Next day)
- Iguana in attic / screened enclosure / garage
- Multiple raccoons / opossums in crawl space or soffits
- Animal droppings or urine in HVAC system
Priority 3 (Within 72 hours)
- Nuisance animals in yard / pool area only
- Pre-existing burrows that became active after flooding
In the first 10 days after Hurricane Milton (2024), we completed 214 Priority 1 & 2 responses — 87% within 24 hours of the call.
3. Safe Animal Location & Removal — Even in Storm-Debris Chaos
Post-hurricane yards are full of downed trees, torn screens, flooded burrows and scattered trash — making safe capture harder. Our technicians carry:
- 12-ft professional-grade snake tongs & catch poles
- 36-inch & 48-inch padded animal grabs
- Live traps (raccoon/opossum size & iguana size)
- Thermal-imaging cameras (FLIR) to locate hidden animals in attics / crawl spaces
- Heavy-duty gloves, face shields & bite-proof sleeves
All animals are removed humanely and euthanized on-site per FWC guidelines (live relocation of green iguanas and many other nuisance species is illegal in Florida).
4. Immediate Temporary Exclusion & Containment
Removal alone is not enough — displaced wildlife will re-enter if entry points remain open.
Same-visit actions we take on almost every emergency call:
- Board up or temporarily mesh broken windows / doors / screens
- Seal obvious attic / soffit entry points with 1/4-inch hardware cloth or expanding foam
- Install one-way exclusion doors on active burrows (animals can leave but not return)
- Cover torn pool-cage screens with heavy-duty tarps until permanent repair
These temporary measures prevent secondary invasions while homeowners focus on FEMA claims, tree removal and roof tarping.
5. Full Sanitation & Biohazard Cleanup
Wildlife displaced by storms often carry:
- Salmonella (iguanas — up to 90% positive per UF studies)
- Leptospirosis (raccoon / opossum urine)
- Roundworm / raccoon roundworm eggs (Baylisascaris)
- Ectoparasites (fleas, ticks, mites)
We perform hospital-grade sanitation on every interior job:
- HEPA vacuuming of droppings & nesting material
- Enzymatic cleaners + EPA-registered hospital-grade disinfectants
- Fogging with botanical or hydrogen-peroxide-based antimicrobial
- Thermal decontamination (where appropriate)
All waste is double-bagged and disposed of as biohazard when required.
6. Transition to Permanent Exclusion & Prevention
Once the immediate emergency is contained, we transition homeowners to long-term protection:
- Anti-hole mesh buried 18–36 inches with outward L-footer
- Smooth PVC or aluminum anti-climb panels on fences / walls
- Gutter / roofline flashing & deterrent spikes
- Pool-cage reinforcement bands
Most clients who start with emergency removal upgrade to full exclusion within 30–60 days — preventing the next storm from creating the same problem again.
Why Post-Storm Families Call SoFlo Iguana Pros First
- FWC Commercial Nuisance Wildlife Permit WB-23-00145
- Average response time during named storms: 2–6 hours once roads are passable
- 24/7 live phone answer — never voicemail during emergencies
- Direct insurance billing & documentation for FEMA / homeowner claims
- 4.8-star average across hundreds of reviews on Yelp and Facebook
Frequently Asked Questions
How soon after a hurricane can you come? As soon as roads are declared passable — usually 12–72 hours after landfall.
Do you remove other animals besides iguanas? Yes — raccoons, opossums, snakes, armadillos, and rodents displaced by storms.
Will my homeowner’s insurance cover wildlife removal? Usually no for the removal itself, but secondary damage (chewed wires, urine in insulation, etc.) is often covered. We provide detailed documentation for claims.
Do you work during power outages? Yes — many of our tools are battery / generator powered.
How do I contact you during a storm? Call (561) 735-1975 — live agents 24/7 even when cell service is spotty.
Don’t Let Displaced Wildlife Turn Recovery into a Nightmare
After the storm passes, the wildlife invasion begins. SoFlo Iguana Pros specializes in fast, humane, FWC-compliant removal and exclusion so you can focus on rebuilding.
Call (561) 735-1975 or email sofloiguanapros@gmail.com — we answer 24/7 during and after named storms.
Visit SoFloIguana.com or follow us on Instagram for storm-response updates and real recovery photos.
Your cleanup should not include fighting wildlife. Let us handle the animals — so you can handle the recovery.
