TODAY’S PAPER | September 16, 2025 | EPAPER

Florida man kayaks inside flooded home during Hurricane Helene

Florida man paddled through his flooded home as Hurricane Helene’s storm surge submerged Tampa in four feet of water.


Pop Culture & Art September 28, 2024 1 min read
Florida man kayaks inside flooded home during Hurricane Helene

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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