10 Surreal Details Surrounding The Storms In Egypt Which Unleashed Swarms Of Scorpions

6 /10 What Was It Like?

5 /10 Why Are They So Dangerous?

As the waters rose, the scorpions fled their nests and sought higher ground, usually inside people’s homes through cracks under doors or in walls.

Scorpions usually nest in cramped places and have been known to take up the ruins of old buildings.

Many citizens reported seeing the dangerous bugs inside their homes or even in the streets after waters receded. And they had nowhere to go until the weather was over.

4 /10 What Could Be Done?

Officials warned locals to avoid areas where the bugs would be known to congregate, particularly around trees or shrub areas where their nests might be.

Aside from that, taking the highest precaution when dealing with insects has been advised. Scorpions are aggressive and may attack even unthreatened.

And not everyone in Aswan owns thick boots made for stomping. Even then, the presence of its stinger is a considerable deterrent. Avoidance is the safest route.

3 /10 Is It Over?

After the waters receded and the sun came out, locals were still worried.

Scorpions were still out and about with them, and more were expected to come as the waters washed out from the nearby mountains.

Doctors have treated what they assumed to be the worst cases after being called back from holidays or placed on emergency work hours, but more patients may be on the way depending on how quickly the animals can return to their nests.

2 /10 It Gets Worse?

Scorpions weren’t the only unnatural threat to invade the city’s region. Venomous desert snakes also came in waves to escape the rising water that flushed them from their natural habitats.

It was just salt on the wound of the already damaging storms in the region.

Aswan is in southern Egypt, close enough to Africa’s more tropical lush sub-Saharan belt than the famously arid deserts the country is known for. Still, the amount of weather it received was of historic proportion.

1 /10 How Can This Be Prevented?

Scorpions are known to hunt by spreading pheromones to mark territory, so they don’t have to compete with one another.

Applying the same type of pheromones may be necessary for the future to prevent a mass invasion or as a general practice to protect people.

Aside from that, the main culprit was rain caused by a sudden spike of cold air in the atmosphere.

As shocking and scary as scorpions are swarming flooded streets is, the absolute terror that caused their appearance is tied to climate change.