A content creator has hit back at viewers labelling him “dumb” for purposefully camping during Hurricane Helene to document his experience for fans.
Mike Smalls has racked up millions of views after sharing a video of himself erecting a tent as storm winds knock him to the ground and rushing water nearly engulfs him.
As a full-time streamer, he is no stranger to performing stunts but the 26-year-old claims he did “extensive research” before deciding to attempt to take on the Category 4 storm, which has claimed at least 120 lives.
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White House Homeland Security Adviser, Liz Sherwood-Randall said the real death toll could “be as many as 600 lost lives”.
Mike, who lives in Tampa, Florida, was at the Bayshore when the extreme weather rolled in.
He filmed the clip on 26 September and it has since gone viral.
On X [formerly Twitter], the video has 11 million views alone.
“I decided to stream myself during the hurricane because I knew that it would be something creative and new [that] the live streaming industry hasn’t really seen before,” he told Need To Know.
“Plus, I’ve always liked storms growing up so the idea of ‘storm chasing’ really appealed to me.
“The reaction I was expecting was just like how most of my live streaming stunts would go.
“I knew some may find shocking, entertaining, dumb, comical or even off-putting.
“Although I knew that regardless of the reactions I got from the audience, and what people’s opinions were, people would still tune in just to see what would happen.
“I did a lot of extensive research before attempting to pull off a stunt like this.
“I knew the hurricane was going to be bad, but not that bad in my area if I timed it perfectly.
“It was just enough to get a highly suspenseful live stream in.”
The streamer admits that things did get hairy at times but he didn’t believe he would get injured.
At one point during the video, he repeatedly calls for help as a body of water strikes his tent.
He added: “There were parts of the stream in which I was a little worried but overall, I’m an entertainer and a very calculated person.
“I would have never did it if I genuinely thought my life would be at risk.
“I am a relatively small streamer and this was my biggest stream I’ve ever done.
“Many people gave me props for the creativity and guts to pull something like this off, while others thought this was a cry for attention, very dumb, or something I did ‘just for views’.
“Me, personally, I see both sides.
“I love to be creative and think outside the box when it comes to my content.
“And I’m always looking for ways to increase viewership just like any other creator.
“So when people say this was ‘dumb’ that I’m risking my life for views, I understand it may appear that way, but they also didn’t see how calculated I was and the research that went into it.
“Hence, why I was able to make it home safe and sound.”
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