Held on to a refrigerator in the middle of the ocean. Man rescued in Florida after hurricane.

A US Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a man clinging to an open cooler chest in the Gulf of Mexico after his boat got stuck in the waters overnight. This is reported by The Guardian.

The man was on board a fishing vessel that broke down several hours before the hurricane reached the state of Florida. He was able to contact the Coast Guard station by radio, but the connection was lost.

On Thursday, searchers found the man about 48 km from Longboat Key, Florida, holding onto a cooler chest. Coast Guard spokesperson Dana Grady said this person survived a nightmare scenario even for the most experienced sailor.

Throughout the night, the man endured wind speeds of 121-145 km/h and waves up to 7.6 meters high.

Also, among the intensified rescue efforts, a 14-year-old boy was found swimming on a piece of fencing and was transferred onto a boat.

During hurricane 'Milton' the fisherman was swept into the ocean. He was saved by holding onto a refrigerator pic.twitter.com/9kZdevZhce

— Главком (@GLAVCOM_UA) October 11, 2024

Despite the destruction, many people expressed gratitude that hurricane 'Milton' did not become the worst of the century. Tampa avoided a direct hit, and the deadly storm that worried scientists did not occur.

Recall that on October 10, hurricane 'Milton' reached the coast of Florida, being a category 3 storm. This natural disaster caused over 2 million people to lose electricity. 'Milton' is moving east towards the Atlantic Ocean.

In early October, hurricane 'Helen' also hit the coast of Florida, reaching category 4 with wind speeds of 140 miles per hour and more. This natural disaster caused catastrophic destruction in several states such as Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina. Millions of people were left without electricity.