I have two sump pumps in my basement. One on the west side and one on the east side. The pits are about two foot deep. Makes it easier to replace the pumps. Apparently my house was built on a spring. Because I am in a rural area, I also have battery powered back up pumps for when ComEd's electric grid shuts down. That's usually caused by some motorist slamming into a power pole.
Driving along a water way with the windows closed because a water moccasin can fling itself into the car? Ohh Kay. Never heard that one and I've worked in the swamps of Maryland and Virginia. I just considered the area to be beastly hot and humid. My grandma used to tell us kids to stay away from Dragonflies because they would sew our lips shut if we got too close.
I don't think I've ever seen a Copperhead but then I may be too far north. I've seen two Diamondbacks but mostly we have harmless Garter Snakes here. The Brown Recluse Spider has a nasty bite that requires medical attention. Deer Ticks carry Lyme disease. Poison Ivy, 'Leaves of 3, Let It Be'. Stinging Nettle aka Itch Weed grows wild out here. My wife had a run in with it last summer. Pokeweed can be nasty. Fire Ants. Because I have apple trees, I also have Yellow Jackets. Also known as the Assholes of the Bee World. They sting repeatedly. Mrs.Cheest had a run in with them last year, too.
I had to service a machine in the south Texas desert. It was a cold morning, just above freezing. I went to open the door of the cab and spotted one of the two Diamondbacks in my life. Because it was cold, it wasn't moving much, so I grabbed two long sticks, picked it up and flung it over the fence. I opened the engine cover and a rat that could eat a Chihuahua was sitting on the engine. I swatted at it and it ambled away. I was laying under the machine, wiping up after the oil change when I felt something on my chest. I looked down and there was a Tarantula spider looking back at me. I decided then and there that the service was complete, shot out from under the machine, and did the 'Willies Dance' once I stood up. I called my boss and told him I wanted hazard pay if I ever had to work in the south Texas desert again.