Health Experts share the dangers of floodwater and mud leftover from Hilary

People all over the valley continue to clean-up in the wake of Tropical Storm Hilary.

The storm brought floodwaters and mud flows. Some people seeing that as a mess that had to be cleaned-up, others seeing it as a rare opportunity for recreation.

We saw some people trying to make the best of the storm, bringing out their floaties, some people even taking out their jet skis for a ride. 

A lot of them tell me they didn’t think twice about it. They were innocently trying to enjoy the historic rainfall that we saw on Sunday. 

Now we’re sharing just how dangerous that flooded water and mud can be, and why you should avoid it.

"Everybody would bring out their rafts and stuff and we're like, You know let's be crazy, and bring a jetski out,'" said Luis Delgadillo who captured the viral jet ski video at Cathedral City's Century Park.

Some valley residents were trying to make the best of the storm.

"He brought out the jetski, got on it real quick and he was just, you know, having a blast there," said Delgadillo.

"I will not go in the water, but i'll go on the jetski," said Angel Estrada of Palm Desert, reacting to the viral video.

Todd mackerron of Palm Desert said, "I would I go, I'm in the river all the time. So it's no different than the river."

But according to the CDC, flood and standing waters can be dangerous because you don’t know what’s in there.

Waters like the ones left from Hilary can contain downed power lines, human and live stock waste, and sewage or toxic chemicals 

We asked Delgadillo, "Did you think twice, were you like, 'Oh maybe that water is not safe maybe, it's not clean, what was going through your head?'"

Delgadillo said, "Yeah, he was kind of sketched out because he's like, 'I don't know if we can get in trouble for this,' you don't know what's in there, you don't know what's been at the park."

It's recommended to wash up after contact with floodwater, and to keep your children from playing in it. Also make sure to wash any toys that may have sat in floodwater leftover from Hilary.

Exposure to contaminated flood water can cause wound infections, skin rashes and diarrhea.

Luckily Delgadillo and his friends are feeling healthy after taking on the storm. 

"We came prepared, we brought towels but yeah, we feel fine," said Delgadillo.

All that standing water is expected to evaporate, but will leave plenty of mud behind.

Some residents, like the ones in Cathedral City are still shoveling knee deep mud out of their homes.

"There's some parts of the valley that actually got really affected, even though we were having fun, but prayers to those and hopefully you know they can recover from this," said Delgadillo.

If you’re coming in contact with mud during clean up, the CDC recommends wearing rubber boots, rubber gloves and goggles. 

They also recommend washing any exposed areas of skin with soap and water, along with tightly covering your wounds with water proof bandages. 

All of this can prevent infection. 

We also reached out to a spokesperson with Riverside University Health System's Department of Public Health, who said in a statement quote, "Public health is not sampling the flood waters, it is not recommended to play in the floodwaters or mud, which could contain a number of possible hazards as anticipated in any flooding event."

If you have a wound that swells, gets reds or starts oozing after coming in contact with flooded water or mud the CDC recommends getting medical attention immediately.