Officials Tried to Help Florida Man ‘Lt. Dan’ Before Hurricane Milton, but He Refused to Leave His Boat

Before Hurricane Milton made landfall in Tampa, Florida, officials there made an effort to help a man who went by the TikTok handle “Lieutenant Dan.” The man, whose true name is apparently Joseph Malinowski, defied their attempts to disembark from his 20-foot boat and chose instead to weather the storm.

Malinowski was filmed by Terrence Concannon, who uploaded the popular TikTok on October 8 and showed him justifying his choice. Malinowski, who was inspired by the Forrest Gump character, boldly declares his belief in God in the video, saying, “God told me to come out here and acquire a boat. I’m safe with him. We’re going to get through this. He brashly said, “Hell no,” when asked if he would be donning a life jacket, stating that his yacht was the safest place for him to be.

Around 43 million people had viewed the film as of October 9, garnering both local and national interest. Authorities in Tampa were worried about his safety, but Malinowski refused to leave despite multiple attempts to persuade him. The local police said that although they would have helped, they would eventually be unable to get to him due to the storm’s increasing conditions.

Mayor Jane Castor of Tampa first said that Malinowski had been rescued and taken to a shelter during a press conference. Brian Entin, a reporter for NewsNation, swiftly refuted this, posting a picture of Malinowski remaining on his boat as evidence that he had not departed. Later on, the mayor’s office stated that Malinowski had initially decided to depart but ended up staying.

Concannon, the person who first uploaded the popular video, launched a GoFundMe page in support of Malinowski, which raised almost $23,000. The money is meant to assist Malinowski—who has been called a “modern-day pirate”—in buying a new boat because his present one has “seen better days.”

With sustained winds of 120 mph, Hurricane Milton, a Category 3 storm, was predicted to make landfall on Florida’s west-central coast as of October 9. Malinowski made the decision to stay on his boat despite several orders for the locals to leave, putting his faith and the security of his craft at risk.

9 things you should never plug into a power strip

When we think of the past, one of the first thoughts that runs through our mind is how people lived without electricity. Nowadays, we can’t even imagine a day without it because all of our appliances and devices run on electricity.

The truth is, however, that most homes don’t have enough power outlets to keep everything running and charged, so most of us rely on power strips without being aware that appliances that consume a lot of energy become dangerous fire hazards when we plug them into a power strip.

Although power strips are the thing to go to when it comes to charging your phone or power an entertainment setup, there are certain devices that should never be plugged into a power strip.

Air conditioners, space heaters, toasters, and other appliances that use high wattage can easily cause power strips to overheat, which can easily lead to a fire hazard.

Even before plugging anything into a power strip consider the ammount of power they support. This is usually listed on the product itself.

High-capacity appliances need to draw a lot of power through an electrical circuit to work. Keep in mind that an appliance does not need to be large in size to draw large amounts of power.

Below is the list of appliances that should never be plugged into a power strip.

1. The oven: Even though the oven is not used continually, it is a power-hungry appliance that should not be plugged into a power strip. In fact, it should be plugged into its own wall outlet on its own circuit.

2. Refrigerator: Refrigerators require a lot of power and frequently cycle on and off which can easily overload a power strip and cause damage. Much like the oven, refrigerators require a wall outlet dedicated solely to powering the appliance.

3. Washing Machine: When turned on, washing machines pull a lot of power. This is the main reason why these appliances shouldn’t share a receptacle with any other appliance or device.

Most washing machines use a max of up to 1400 watts, putting it dangerously close to the max load of most power strips. On top of that while working, washing machines are usually left unattended and work longer hours, at least an hour, which is long enough for a power strip to overheat.

4. Heating: Portable heaters should never be plugged into a power strip because most of them use 1,500 watts of energy on their high setting and they usually run for extended periods of time.

5. Microwave: Since they consume a lot of energy when used, most microwave ovens are plugged into their own receptacle and that is always a good practice.

6. Coffee Maker: Those who own a coffee maker are not fully aware of the power these appliances use, and this is why they should never be plugged into any sort of power strip or extension cord.

7. Toaster: You may think that browning up slices of bread or bagels doesn’t require a lot of energy, but the truth is that toasters use a lot of energy when in use and they should be plugged directly into the receptacle rather than a power strip.

8. Another Power Strip: Power strips are not meant to be used in conjunction with another power strip, although many people do exactly that. This, however, violates most safety codes because it can easily lead to overloading the electrical system.

9. Electronics (Computer, TV, Router): These types of electronic devices don’t necessarily use a lot of power on their own, but they are sensitive to surges and you can find yourself with a burnt out computer or TV very quickly if you plug them into a power strip.

If you want to protect these sensitive devices from power surges, opt for a power strip that functions as a surge protector.

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