A one-legged Florida man who gained notoriety for deciding to ride out Hurricane Milton from inside his sailboat has spoken out about his wild night at sea.
Joseph Malinowski, better known online as Lt. Dan, has refused to obey evacuation orders in Tampa Bay, even when the police chief told him they have “nine shelters open.”
And although Tampa Bay Mayor Jane Castor claimed in her last press conference before the storm that officers forced her to seek shelter, Malinowski stood her ground.
He was seen sticking his head out of the boat around 11 p.m. while insisting to NewsNation reporter Brian Entin that he was “fine” and posted his own TikTok that same night detailing how he and his boat were behaving when the storm began. hit.
“They say the storm is still about an hour and a half away, and if that’s the case and I’m feeling twice as bad as I am now, that’s not a problem, that’s not a problem now,” the TikTok personality said. he told his followers.
Joseph Malinowski, better known online as Lt. Dan, provided an update on his situation while sheltering inside his boat during Hurricane Milton.
He said his boat was “safe, so I can only go so far” in 120 mph winds, and said his boat had not yet suffered any structural damage.
“I’m not going to drink water, I haven’t even spilled my coffee yet,” Malinowski told his more than 242,900 followers.
‘I’m fine, I have everything I need, I have a lot of water, I have a lot of food. I could stay here for two weeks.
“I have everything I need: coffee, cream, everything.”
The risk-taker thanked everyone who offered their support, as fans sponsored him for a motel room or offered him shelter in other states.
“I didn’t plan this, I didn’t expect this, but this was God’s plan for me to unite the world,” he said.
“I’m doing my thing and whatever happens.”
He was seen sticking his head out of the boat around 11 p.m. while insisting to NewsNation reporter Brian Entin that he was “fine.”
But at one point during the seven-and-a-half-minute video, pounding could be heard in the background amid life-threatening winds.
“It’s just amazing,” Malinowski said of the wind gusts, later describing them as similar to getting “rear-ended at 5 mph.”
He added that he had spoken to God, who told him: ‘I have you, I have you.’
“So I know everything is going to be okay,” the sailor said, noting, “Staying here is stronger than your fears.”
Later that night, Malinowski was seen telling Entin, “I’m fine,” as the waters off Bayshore Boulevard began to recede and his boat sank.
“The water is gone,” he said. he told Fox 13 reporter Kevin O’Donnell.before asking if the water in the bay was going to return.
Malinowski gained notoriety for deciding to ride out the hurricane on his sailboat
In a follow-up video posted around midnight, Malinowski was seen talking to an internet streamer about what he was experiencing.
He said his boat had gotten stuck between the dock and some water and said, “I wouldn’t even try to get off the boat right now.”
But when the streamer asked if he should get off the ship and seek shelter, Malinowski said, “Listen, I’m not really worried right now.”
“It’s bad, but I’d really like to know where we are in the storm so we know what to expect.”
At that point, a transmitter told him the storm had been downgraded, and Malinowski said, “If it gets downgraded to a Category 3, I’m not worried, I’m not worried.”
He captioned the video telling his followers that he is safe.
“I think it should be good,” he wrote. “Thank you all for the prayers and support.”
Malinowski lost his leg in a car accident when he was 16 years old.
Malinowski lost a leg in a car accident when he was 16 years old. He said he had just taken his eyes off the road “for a second” when he crashed into another car going about 45 mph.
His leg was amputated below the knee, earning him the nickname he still has to this day. In Forrest Gump, Lieutenant Dan lost both legs below the knee during the Vietnam War.
‘Tampa Terrence’ has documented Joe’s stance against Hurricane Milton and created a GoFundMe will support him to buy a new boat ‘to sail the seas’.
The fundraiser had raised more than $33,000 as of early Thursday morning.
Malinowski insisted he was not worried because the storm was raging outside.
A flash flood emergency remained in effect in the Tampa area due to high water brought by Milton when it made landfall as a Category 3 storm.
Meanwhile, a flash flood emergency remained in effect in the Tampa area due to high water brought by Milton when it made landfall as a Category 3 storm.
It was later downgraded to Category 1, but strong winds were still able to tear the fabric roof over the home of baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.
Milton also spawned at least 19 tornadoes, which caused damage in numerous counties and destroyed about 125 homes, most of them mobile homes.
And as of early Thursday morning, more than 2 million people were without power.
The Hurricane Center called it an “extremely dangerous” storm capable of causing deadly storm surge, ferocious winds and flash flooding throughout Central Florida.