Florida TikToker "Lieutenant Dan" refuses to leave boat as Hurricane Milton nears, sparks online wager on whether he will live or die

A Florida man called 'Lieutenant Dan' has recently gained popularity on social media when he refused to abandon his 20-foot boat in the face of Hurricane Milton, a Category 5 storm. In a story published on October 8, the Daily Mail reported that Lieutenant Dan, whose real name is Joseph Malinowski, is unfazed by evacuation advisories, saying that "boats float" and that his biggest worry is "waking up broke."

In a recent video, he can be seen in Tampa Bay, refusing to move from his boat as Hurricane Milton approaches. He has also compared himself to Noah and his ark, revealing that he would not be following orders to evacuate. As per WJTV, Joseph said:

"The safest place to be is on a boat in a flood. We learned that with Noah. Everyone who stayed on land drowned. Noah and the animals lived."

As per the above-mentioned Daily Mail article, Joseph had previously stated that he wasn't concerned because the storm couldn't be any worse than what he had already experienced in his life.

Meanwhile, once his videos went viral, people started placing wagers on whether he'd live or not. As per an online poll, about 66% of people think that he would survive the storm, while the other 34% think he wouldn't.

---

Lieutenant Dan remains unfazed in the wake of the storm

Despite the authorities’ warnings to "flee or die" provided to those in the path of the massive storm, Lieutenant Dan expressed no intentions of fleeing. In a video that is currently making the rounds on the internet, he said that "God" convinced him to "come out here and get a boat."

He went on to say that he believed God had his back. He added that he could swim "in circles" if necessary and that he wouldn't need a life jacket.

Stating the same in another TikTok video, Lieutenant Dan said:

"God's got my back. I'm doing what he told me to do. He didn't send nobody to get me out of here. And anybody that tries to get me out of here, they're not of God because God told me that this was right for me and that's why I'm doing it."

Lieutenant Dan claimed that he weathered Hurricane Helene in his sailboat, but it's important to note that Tampa was not much affected by the hurricane. However, Hurricane Milton might cause severe damage to the place.

He explained why he was staying in his boat and said in a now-viral video:

"The water's going to come in, it's going to rise. If you're on land, it's going to flood. You're risking drowning. I'm in a boat, so the boat goes up in the water... it's really the safest place to be, on my boat."

As per NBC News, Joseph Malinowski, aka Lieutenant Dan, had his leg amputated at the age of 16 after he was hit by a car. However, this has not stopped him from living on a sailboat during hurricane warnings.

---

Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton is expected to have wind speeds of up to 165 mph, making it one of the strongest in Atlantic history. As per a Reuters report from October 8, Hurricane Milton is moving directly toward the Tampa Bay area and is predicted to bring at least a 10-foot storm surge. Furthermore, it is expected to make landfall in less than 24 hours.