Tetanus is a serious infection which can even be fatal. Tetanus germs (bacteria) live in the soil and dirt. The bacteria may get into your body through a cut or a wound in the skin. The bacteria make a poison (toxin) which causes the illness. Even small wounds such as a prick from a thorn can allow enough bacteria to get into the body to cause tetanus. The illness usually takes 7-8 days to develop but can vary from one day to two months. Therefore, you may have forgotten about a small cut before the illness starts.
However, if you can handle drying a basement on your own, heed the following suggestions: Pump out standing water. Use a wet/dry vacuum or submersible pump, rentable at Home Depot and other home improvement centers. At Home Depot, wet/dry vacs rent for $19 for four hours or $27 for 24 hours. A regular household vacuum won't do the trick, and using it might prove dangerous.
If you have a damp basement floor with no standing water, click on WATERPROOFING BASEMENT FLOORS to learn how to solve this problem. Click on BASEMENT FLOOR DRAIN to learn how to install a drain in your basement floor. To learn how to install insulation on top of your basement floor click on BASEMENT FLOOR INSULATION. Click on BASEMENT FLOOR CRACKS to learn how to repair cracks in your basement floor. Click on BASEMENT FLOOR SEALER for tips on what to use to seal your basement floor. Click on PAINTING A BASEMENT FLOOR to learn how to apply epoxy paint to your concrete floor.