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.
Coat seams from which you removed tape with drywall joint compound, or mud, using a 4-inch drywall blade. Lay paper drywall tape on the mud after having moistened it with water and scrape it flat. Spread a second coat of mud on top of the tape and scrape it flat.crape the mud flat with the knife. Let the first coat of mud dry overnight, then recoat all the areas you are repairing. Use a 6-inch knife to create a wider seam that feathers out into the wall. Let that coat dry, then apply a third coat with an 8-inch knife.