Hurricane Milton: Man refuses to evacuate from Florida harbour as 'God told me to get a boat'

Joe Sea, from Florida has been surviving connected his sailboat, contempt horrifying upwind warnings astir a Category 5 storm, arsenic Hurricane Milton has sparked fears crossed the US

A antheral says helium is refusing to evacuate due to the fact that God told him to get a vessel successful the midst of Hurricane Milton.

Joe Sea, who has been nicknamed Lieutenant Dan, is readying to enactment connected his 20ft vessel successful Tampa Harbor. The Category 5 storm, which is sweeping parts of the US with winds of up to 175mph (281km/h), is expected to deed Tampa Bay astatine immoderate moment.

Despite beardown winds forming adjacent to him, Joe said helium was "not sweating it" and explained that helium didn't adjacent request a beingness jacket. In a video connected societal media, helium said that helium wants to "stick it out" successful the bay. "He's ( God has ) got my back. I'm successful bully shape. I'm not sweating it," said Joe.

He further explained: “The water's going to travel in, it's going to rise. If you're connected land, it's going to flood. You're risking drowning. I'm successful a boat, truthful the vessel goes up successful the water... it's truly the safest spot to be, connected my boat.”

In different clip, helium said: "I'm doing what helium told maine to do. He didn't nonstop cipher to get maine retired of here. And anybody that tries to get maine retired of here, they're not of God due to the fact that God told maine that this was close for maine and that's wherefore I'm doing it."

It comes arsenic the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) stressed that boat users should debar staying onboard. They warned that the treacherous conditions would hazard "your beingness and the lives of imaginable responders". Authorities person issued mandatory evacuation orders crossed 11 Florida counties with a combined colonisation of astir 5.9 cardinal people, according to US Census Bureau estimates.

Joe has go a deed connected TikTok and has gained a pursuing of astir 100,000. His disquieted fans person adjacent offered to supply him with structure oregon to sponsor him for a motel room. Police besides urged him to get disconnected the vessel but had nary luck. Earlier this month, locals launched a GoFundMe to assistance Joe acquisition a caller vessel "to sail the seas".

The fundraiser states: "Ahoy, mateys! We're rallying unneurotic to assistance our beloved person Lieutenant Dan who lives connected a sailboat and embodies the tone of a existent pirate. He's the kindest soul, ne'er asking for thing but ever acceptable to lend a hand. His existent vessel has seen amended days, and we privation to astonishment him with a caller vessel to proceed his seafaring adventures. Let's travel unneurotic and amusement our enactment for this modern-day pirate by helping him get a caller vessel to sail the seas."

So acold the fundraiser has reached £13,877.64 astatine the clip of publishing.