Though the University of North Carolina Wilmington issued statements asking students not to swim, wakeboard, tube or venture in or around flood waters for safety purposes, many students overlooked these requests when Hurricane Joaquin flooded campus and streets throughout the area.

Floodwaters are often contaminated with pesticides and waste, according to an official email from Housing and Residence Life, but this fact did not deter students from going out into the floodwaters for a little hurricane fun.

“We really discourage people from swimming in retention ponds or flooded areas during or after a storm,” said Katrin Wesner, Director of the Abrons Student Health Center. “Floodwaters can contain a variety of hazards and contaminants including pesticides, oil, sewage, displaced fire ants and even snakes!”

UNCW sophomore Paige Myers said that she saw fellow students swimming in areas around campus such as the flooded amphitheater and the stream next to the intramural fields. She avoided doing so herself, because she recognized the dangers.

“I remember some students on my hall talking about how two years ago when campus flooded other students got ringworm from swimming in flooded waters,” Myers said, “and that is the last thing I would want to have to deal with during midterms.”

If you swam in floodwater and develop a rash or upper respiratory symptoms, Wesner advises that you call the Student Health Center for an appointment to avoid letting an illness or injury get worse. There was at least one student visit to the health center and one student visit to the hospital during the storm for injuries related to playing in flood waters, according to Wesner.

These facts were verified by a post to the Seahawk Crossing UNCW Housing and Residence Life Facebook page stating the water could be contaminated and cause a number of illnesses because “…in fact one has already been reported.” The post went on to suggest that if someone had played in the water, they should “…shower as soon as they get home to lessen the chances of illness and spreading anything that they may have caught.”

Use good common sense, is what UNCW Police Department Operations Commander Todd Curry said when asked about what students should do in these weather situations.

“Realize that there are potential health hazards [with swimming in the flood waters] from bacteria and pesticides,” said Curry. “[Pesticides, sewage, and bacteria] tend to run off and surface during high-water instances [like flooding] so you don’t want to be swimming around in that.”

There are also a lot of “unseens” in the water, Curry said, so when you are jumping into waters in the dark, if you injure yourself there is a good possibility that no one would be able to see you until the sun comes up. Understanding that there are unseen hazards that accompany an event like this is all that Curry advises.

The Seahawk Crossing Facebook page also discussed unforeseen objects in water, like snakes. The post claimed, “If you can’t see your feet in the water, you cannot see the snake that could be swimming with you.”

Though floodwaters can seem like fun outings, the university advises that students use more common sense in the future when faced with weather conditions such as flooding from a hurricane.