Texans face a 'triple threat' from insects, mold, and bacteria in Harvey's wake

In under a week, the storm unleashed as much as 51 inches of water in some areas, causing catastrophic flooding that displaced 33,000 Texans. At least 41 people have died since the storm began, and officials expect the toll to rise.

People in flooded areas quickly found themselves face-to-face with a range of health problems, including contaminated floodwaters and the threat of injury.

Although the skies have begun to clear, the problems are far from over. See what people in affected areas are up against for the next several months:

Mosquitoes gather near standing floodwaters, spreading infection.

While the storm wiped out mosquitoes from the area for now, the standing water left over from the flooding and the warm temperatures will make parts of Texas particularly prone to mosquitoes and the diseases they can carry in the coming months and year.

Chemical plants sent offline by the storm explode or burn, releasing harmful pollutants.

Explosions rocked the outskirts of Houston on Thursday at the Arkema chemical plant after flooding shut down its power and backup generators, which had been keeping explosive compounds cool via a refrigeration system.

When the refrigerators went offline, the compounds got warm and exploded. Officials said they plan to let the fire burn out, meaning more blasts are likely. But Arkema is just one of hundreds of chemical plants in the Houston area, many of which have been flooded and are now at risk of further damage.

Shuttered oil refineries release toxic chemicals as a stop-gap disposal method.

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Dangerous bacteria get swept up in floodwaters, potentially causing infections.

Moist urban environments encourage the growth of mold and other dangerous microbial life.

according to the CDC

Insects, snakes, and wild animals can be drawn out by the water.

Yet another risk in flooded areas is wildlife, as snakes,insects, and other wild animals can be drawn to the water or swept up in it.

"Storm activity definitely increases the potential for snakebite as the snakes get flooded out and seek higher ground," Bryan Fry, an expert on venomous snakes at the University of Queensland in Australia,told The Washington Post.

With tens of thousands of people displaced and in shelters, infectious diseases could spread.

Because of crowding at shelters and a lack of resources, diseases could spread much easier than they might usually. After Hurricane Katrina, for example, there wasn't much access to clean food and water, which led to an E. coli outbreak.

Harvey's path also could lend itself to more infectious diseases, especially with people packed together in convention-center-sizes spaces. "

For those who have chronic conditions like diabetes, access to medication can be a problem felt for weeks after the flooding.

Getting access to medication for a chronic condition can be difficult in the wake of a disaster like Harvey. In Houston, insulin, a drug used by people with diabetes, was in demand during the storm. The FDA sent out recommendations about how to cope with the shortages.

People displaced by the storm who have chronic conditions may also more frequently end up in the hospital or emergency room, something that happened after Katrina.

The lack of access to chronic medications could have a lasting impact. After Hurricane Iniki hit Hawaii in 1992, there was an increase in the death rate among people who had diabetes, even though the overall death rate had not changed.

Harvey could take a toll on the mental health of those affected.

The CDC advised that people should "be prepared to cope with feelings of fear, grief and depression after a traumatic event." A 2012 study of 392 low-income parents after Katrina found that the prevalence of mental illness doubled, and almost half had signs of post traumatic stress disorder.

Texans face a 'triple threat' from insects, mold, and bacteria in Harvey's wake

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