How does a hurricane mess up the microbiome of an offshore area so badly?

Question

Ian hit about a month ago, and west coast Florida is still plagued with red tide and flesh eating bacteria. What happens at a microscopic level for these blooms to happen?

In: 91

Answer 1

Also, like with Katrina, fuel tanks and chemical storage facilities were compromised, dumping gas and other toxic chemicals into the water, contaminating (if not directly killing off) pretty much all living things it came into contact with. No local fish or shellfish was fit to eat for months.