As Hurricane Milton continued its destructive journey through Florida, a host of TikTok stars living in the storm’s path refused to evacuate the area.
Milton made landfall on Wednesday evening along Florida’s Gulf Coast, unleashing powerful winds, deadly storm surge and the threat of widespread flooding across much of the state. More than 2 million customers lost power as the hurricane carved a path through central Florida, according to PowerOutages.us, and deaths were reported by police at the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce.
Milton, which twice reached Category 5 status while drawing energy from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, had maximum sustained winds of 120 mph when it hit Siesta Key, Florida, at 8:30 p.m., according to the National Hurricane Center.
The hurricane brought a dangerous storm surge to densely populated areas along Florida’s Gulf Coast, including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers.
Yet as the wrath of Milton loomed, a host of TikTok stars living in and around the areas near the projected eye of the storm refused to leave their homes, opting instead to document their experiences as they braced for the worst.
‘God’s Plan’
Perhaps the most famous of them all is Joseph Malinowski, an amputee who lives on a dilapidated boat on Tampa Bay and is popularly known as “Lieutenant Dan.” Brought to the wider public’s attention by TikToker Terrence Concannon, Malinowski’s story has captivated millions of social media users.
When asked by Concannon why he was refusing to leave the area—days after Hurricane Helene had already wreaked havoc—Malinowski stated that he was acting under the guidance of a higher power.
“God told me to come out here and get a boat. I came out here I got a boat,” Malinowski explained. “And everything that he’s been telling me over the last two days, I’m doing the right thing. He’s got my back. I’m in good shape—I ain’t sweating.”
Two days before the storm’s arrival, Malinowski, who lost part of his leg in an accident when he was 16, defiantly stated that he wouldn’t even be wearing a lifejacket, adding that, if necessary, he would swim “in circles” if things got bad.
“I mean, the water’s going to come in, it’s going to rise,” he said. “If you’re on land, it’s going to flood. You’re risking drowning. I’m in a boat. The boat goes up with the water. So even if the boat goes up 100 feet here, I’m going to be up 100 feet in the air with the water. So really, the safest place in the world for me is on my boat.”
Many disagreed. Concannon, who has more than 600,000 followers on TikTok, shared video clips that showed Malinowski getting visits from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Tampa Police Department Chief Lee Bercaw, and meteorologist Jim Cantore—all of whom sought to dissuade the local star from staying on the boat.
While it was reported that these efforts were successful, Concannon said in a video shared hours before Milton made landfall that Malinowski was staying put.
“Dan is not leaving the boat for the hurricane,” Concannon said. “He is staying on that boat. There have been many attempts to get him off this boat. People have offered houses, hotel rooms, apartments. He will not leave.
“So for all the people saying, ‘Get him a hotel, you’re trying to get him to stay on the boat,’ we have all tried to get him to leave. The mayor, Tampa police, me, a bunch of other people. He will not leave, guys. So do not put that on me. He’s a grown man. At the end of the day, he makes his own decisions.”
Surge of Interest
Interest in the storm has seen a surge in searches among TikTok users, with “Hurricane Milton.” While the storm has been cause for grave concern, it has also placed local content creators before larger-than-ever audiences, with newer videos clocking up millions of views apiece.
In an age where citizen journalism serves as a vital inside look at incidents around the globe, the storm has also served as an opportunity for individuals to tell their stories in their own words.
For Tampa resident Morgan Roos, her Milton experience took place largely from the confines of her riverfront apartment.
“I decided not to evacuate,” she said in a video posted on Wednesday morning under darkening skies and increased rainfall. “I live on the 11th floor of a high-rise building. I’m in the heart of downtown. You know, they say run from water, hide from the wind. Water ain’t coming up 200 feet. So I decided to stay.”
And there was a bonus for her followers: “Since I am staying, I thought I would give you guys a boots-on-the-ground live update of what’s happening.”
While she briefly ventured out onto the street for seconds at a time before the storm made landfall, Roos, whose TikTok follower count has swollen to more than 1 million, shot most of her outdoor footage from the relatively safer confines of her balcony. She also used her building’s rooftop view to show followers the progression of the storm.
Retreating behind locked doors and windows after Milton “fully pulled the f*** up,” Roos filmed as rain and wind battered surrounding buildings and power shut down across sections of the city.
As of press time, her most recent update was timestamped 12:47 a.m. on Thursday. Roos shared that her sealed windows had “failed,” with water entering her apartment. As a result, she put up an inflatable mattress in the hallway outside her apartment, away from windows and possible breaking glass.
Popular YouTuber Rayssa Trench, who has 9.5 million subscribers on the platform and more than 700,000 on TikTok, showed her husband moving some luxury cars ahead of the storm’s arrival.
Although she expressed concerns about how much the light pre-storm rain had already drenched the expanse of land surrounding their palatial home, Trench ventured out for a last-minute dash to the store and stopped at the gas station.
Trench did reveal that her father had been evacuated and was en route to her home, where the patriarch was later seen preparing a meal for the family.
“It’s crazy out here in these streets,” Trench told her ever-increasing band of followers.
In an emailed statement shared on Thursday morning, the Trench family told Newsweek that they are now dealing with the aftermath of the storm.
“We’re grateful to be safe, but the damage from the hurricane around our property is overwhelming,” they said. “There are trees broken everywhere, and the flooding is unreal. We’re doing everything we can to clean up, but it’s a tough situation. Our thoughts are with everyone else impacted, and we’re hoping for a quick recovery for our community.”
Staying Home
For lifestyle TikTok personality Jacqueline Goldrich, the decision to remain at her home in Lutz, 15 miles north of Tampa, was influenced by a number of factors.
Telling her followers that she was “stressed as f***” as the hurricane approached, Goldrich said in one video: “I go through moments of like, freaking out, moments of calm, like, I’m fine.”
“My dad actually just called me and he was like, ‘You’re OK. Like, you literally are in the best position. You have the best house. You have a generator that’s the most badass generator. You have two floors.” So he actually is making me feel way better,” she explained.
Goldrich also shared that while she had considered flying out of the area until the storm had passed, the fares were too high for relatively short distances.
“I started looking at flights out of here, and… it was almost two grand for one seat. And it was like to Chicago, two stops,” said Goldrich, whose follower count on TikTok currently sits at 55,000. “And then traffic—if I wanted to go to the other coast, it’s at least taking 10 hours. So I’m staying.”
As the worst of the storm barrels on from Florida, the aftermath is bleak for many. For Malinowski, though, the future is looking considerably brighter. A GoFundMe page launched by Concannon for Malinowski had raised more than $30,000 as of press time.
In spite of his refusal to leave his boat, Concannon—who gifted the local celebrity a GoPro camera amid the countdown to Milton’s arrival—announced late Wednesday that Malinowski was “still alive” after the storm.
Even better, Malinowski took part in a livestream chat with popular streamer Adin Ross, who vowed to get him a “nice boat, in the range of $50,000-$100,000.” Ross also promised Malinowski a full-time livestream Kick deal, which will allow him to stream his adventures and earn a “passive income” from social media.
Newsweek contacted Concannon, Malinowski, Roos, and Goldrich via social media for comment.
