What happened to Matt Heller?
Florida Man Named Matt Heller Turns Living Room Into a Waterway: “Surfs Historic Flood in a Kayak!”
In a jaw-dropping moment caught on camera, Matt Heller didn’t just survive Hurricane Helene’s record-breaking surge—he paddled through it. As floodwaters surged into his Tampa home, the resourceful Floridian took to TikTok, showcasing his impromptu escape plan: a kayak. Moments after filming his dry living room, water came rushing in, turning his home into a watery adventure.
What started as a precaution turned into a viral sensation as Heller calmly navigated his own living room, riding out the storm in true Florida man style. “The kayak was my backup plan if things got wild, a way to get out,” Heller shared with CNN. “Never thought I’d be paddling it through my own living room.”
Heller sought refuge in his purple and white kayak, which he’d kept nearby for emergencies, and began paddling through his flooded home—lights still flickering in the background, as seen in the viral video he shared.
Tampa Bay Faces Record Storm Surges as Hurricane Helene Makes Landfall
The clip, which racked up nearly 15,000 views in just three hours, captured the surreal scene as Heller floated around his living room.
“I was shocked the power stayed on as long as it did,” he admitted. But eventually, the power cut out, forcing him to rely on candlelight to navigate his waterlogged home. Matt Heller, founder of the automotive train horn company HornBlasters, shared that the impact of Hurricane Helene on Florida started off deceptively slow—but took a dangerous turn in a matter of hours.
“Everything seemed calm at first,” Heller recalled, “but then, all of a sudden, the storm came in and the water just kept rising and rising.” He described the surge as coming out of nowhere, with the floodwaters swelling nearly four feet in just about an hour and a half.
Despite minimal rain in his Tampa Bay area, powerful winds and an aggressive storm surge forced the water right up to his home, catching him off guard. “We’ve had minor flooding before—maybe an inch or so—but nothing like this,” Heller said. “This is by far the worst flood we’ve ever experienced.”
Hurricane Helene Causes Record Flooding in Tampa
Before the massive floodwaters invaded his home, Heller gave his TikTok Live audience a tour of his Hillsborough County waterfront property. During the livestream, he showcased his garage, opening the doors as dirt-filled water poured in.
“Come on in, look at that,” Heller remarked with a laugh in the video. “That was a bad idea—we’re gonna close it. Why would I even open that?”
Little did he know, the situation was about to escalate quickly as the storm’s relentless surge pushed water deeper into his home. After managing to close the garage door, Heller documented water seeping into his home through cracks in a doorframe and a back room with a view of a large body of water.
NEW: Florida man Matthew Heller films himself in his kayak in his own living room as hurricane Helene intensifies.
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 27, 2024
Helene is currently a Category 4 storm and has caused widespread power outages, flooding & 140-mile-per-hour winds.pic.twitter.com/V83oJBomaK
“The water’s already over the seawall,” he remarked, “the boat might end up in the backyard in a few moments,” he joked, trying to keep his humor despite the escalating situation.
Meanwhile, Tampa General Hospital took drastic measures, installing a water-impermeable barrier to shield the building from the storm surge. This AquaFence barrier, designed to withstand surges up to 15 feet, was put in place to protect the hospital, located on Davis Islands and surrounded by Hillsborough Bay, as the historic flooding threatened to overwhelm the region.
