A Florida man made headlines after a video of him navigating his flooded home in a kayak went viral.
Matt Heller, a resident of Tampa, found himself paddling through his living room as Hurricane Helene brought devastating storm surges to the Gulf Coast and Panhandle on Thursday.
The Category 4 hurricane triggered significant flooding across the region, with Heller’s house submerged under four feet of water.
In a TikTok video that has since gone viral, Heller is seen calmly maneuvering his purple kayak inside his home.
@mattfromhornblasters.com Hurricane Helen Tampa Florida Matt Heller from Hornblasters.com house flooding
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In an interview with CNN, he revealed that the kayak was part of his emergency plan, although he never imagined using it indoors. “I didn’t think I was gonna need it in my living room,” Heller said, recounting how fast the floodwaters rose—about four feet in just an hour and a half.
Despite the power outage, Heller managed to stay afloat, using candles for light. He mentioned that his home had never faced such extreme flooding before.
Tampa Bay saw record-breaking storm surges, with East Bay experiencing a surge of 7.19 feet, surpassing the previous record of 4.56 feet set in 2023.
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