As Hurricane Helene battered the area early Friday, Tampa resident Matthew Heller has gone viral on social media for a home video that shows him kayaking in his flooded home. Heller said he grew up in South Florida and survived Hurricane Andrew in 1992, so he expected Hurricane Helene to pack a punch he was already familiar with. But as the storm made landfall as a Category 4, it was clear Heller thought wrong.

Heller went live on TikTok as water started rushing in. At one point, 37,000 people joined, and the video garnered more than 3 million likes. “I thought it was going to be a few inches. Within an hour and a half, I had five-and-a-half feet of water in my living room,” Heller told the news. “I jumped in my kayak and was kind of floating around my living room to avoid all the other debris,” he said. “It was the most water I’ve ever had in the house.” “I really should’ve listened,” Heller said. “The house has flooded before, but never anything like this.” Despite ignoring warnings, Heller was lucky. He had brought important belongings to his second floor to avoid the water, and he is physically safe.