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.
Hey rlsnodgrass. I just recently put the peel and stick tile down in my basement. Just sweep and damp mop the concrete and allow plenty of time to dry and you will be fine to put down the peel and stick tiles. When you say that you want to tile over the old vinyl. I am assuming that you are using the same peel and stick tile there as well and not actual tile. You can install new peel and stick over top of the tile but I would damp mop it with a water/ammonia solution to strip any wax off the surface. This will help it adhere properly. Good luck, let us know how it looks.