They thought she was literally swimming in the stream.
What do you do when you are in the eye of the hurricane? Take a dip, of course. A Florida resident sent waves of concern across the peninsula when she was filmed swimming in a flooded street during Hurricane Idalia.
A video of her spinning around in the middle of the disaster racked up more than 1.3 million views on TikTok as viewers wondered if the activity was safe or even sanitary.
“This was truly ‘the perfect storm,’” Lexi DeLeon, 23, told Jam Press of her fall in the middle of the deluge, which occurred at 4:45 a.m. on Anna Maria Island in Manatee County.
This happened just before the Category 3 storm hit the peninsula, downing power lines, ripping roofs off houses and flooding entire neighborhoods with water.
“Being born and raised here, I have been through several hurricanes and storms, but this is the first one that has caused so much damage and flooding,” he lamented.
Lexi DeLeon braves the flooding on Anna Maria Island, Florida. Jam Press Vid/@keepinupwithkove
Rather than run for cover, however, DeLeon decided to take advantage of the Atlantis-like setting and paddle out early in the morning down one of the canal streets.
In the exciting clip, the Floridian can be seen circling through the rising waters of a neighborhood plunged into total darkness.
At one point, trash cans and furniture float past the storm swimmer, while other shots show flooded fences, light poles and signs, reminiscent of a scene taken from the 2012 tsunami thriller “The Impossible.”
DeLeon floats in flood waters during Hurricane Idalia.Jam Press Vid/@keepinupwithkove
DeLeon quickly found herself in the eye of the social media storm, with many viewers raising concerns that the water may have been contaminated with pathogens.
“Stay out of the water and wash your hands a lot!” wrote a supporter. “Hugs from Pensacola.”
“Last year during Ian we had dead animals floating in the flood water,” warned another.
In fact, last fall, flesh-eating infections spiked across the peninsula as residents were exposed to standing water and flooding following Hurricane Ian.
Some of this bacteria was allegedly caused by sewage spills, suggesting that DeLeon may have been literally swimming in the creek with his recent stunt.
“The storm makes me feel scared and sad for everyone affected,” said DeLeon.Jam Press/@keepinupwithkove
And the microbes spread by the maelstrom were not the only potential risk, according to onlookers.
“Be careful of snakes and alligators,” warned a third, invoking the plot of the 2019 thriller “Crawl,” in which alligators threaten a city during a hurricane.
Another commenter said: “Why would you swim in that? During Ian there were alligators swimming down my street. And snakes.”
A third wrote: “Forget animals, crocodiles and alligators, watch out for downed power lines because they will electrocute you.”
DeLeon with a tarpon.Jam Press/@keepinupwithkove
Fortunately, DeLeon made it out of her swim and the hurricane in general virtually unscathed.
“My house personally is fine thankfully, but I have friends and family who experience major flooding in all of their houses,” the relieved girl recalled. “My truck is fine too, it was set up, I secured it and parked in a higher spot at my grandpa’s house off the island.”
He added: “I want to say how blessed, lucky and grateful we are to have received only the damage that we caused.”
DeLeon says he is currently “praying and thinking about all the counties mentioned above that are not so lucky.”
“The storm makes me feel fear and sadness for all those affected,” lamented the content creator.
Hurricane Idalia reportedly made landfall around 7:45 a.m. Thursday in the Sunshine State, bringing with it 125 mph winds and a 15-foot storm surge.
“I want to say how blessed and lucky and grateful we are that we only suffered the damage we caused,” DeLeon said.Jam Press/@keepinupwithkove
In total, at least three people died in the storm, while a whopping 270,000 were left without power.
Idalia was recently upgraded to a Category 4 storm as it moves toward South Carolina.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn