A man clinging to a cooler after Hurricane Milton was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew on October 10, about 48 miles (48 km) off Longboat Key. The rescue operation occurred around 1:30 p.m. and the man was airlifted to Tampa General Hospital for medical evaluation. He was found to be wearing a life jacket, which played a big role in his survival during the storm.
Coast Guard Air Station Miami began a search Thursday morning after receiving a report of a missing captain. During Hurricane Milton aircrews were deployed to Aviation Training Center Mobile with support from Air Station Clearwater for storm evacuation.
The captain aboard the fishing vessel Captain Dave first contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg on the afternoon of October 7. He said he and a crew member were stranded about 32 kilometers from John Pass. The Coast Guard immediately dispatched a rescue boat and a helicopter, which brought the pair to safety and then flown to Air Station Clearwater without injury. Captain Dave was swept away while arranging a rescue.
On October 9, the ship’s owner informed the Coast Guard that the captain had gone to the boat for repairs in the morning and had not been heard from since. However, after contact was reestablished with the captain, he reported that a line in his ship’s rudder had been damaged, rendering the boat inoperable.
At the time, sea conditions were challenging, with 6 to 8 foot waves and winds gusting to about 48 km per hour. However, the weather deteriorated rapidly as Hurricane Milton approached. The Coast Guard instructed the captain to wear a life jacket and remain near the ship’s emergency position by indicating radio beacon. Unfortunately, contact was lost on the evening of 9 October.
“This man survived a nightmare situation for even the most experienced sailor,” said Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, head of the command center in Sector St. Petersburg. “To understand the severity of the storm’s conditions, we estimate it experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds, 20-25 foot seas, including overnight. He survived thanks to a life jacket, a locator beacon indicating his emergency position, and a cooler.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on October 9 near Siesta Key, a barrier island located south of Sarasota on the central west coast of Florida. Initially, the storm came as a severe Category 3 storm, with winds reaching speeds of around 193 km per hour. However, as it moved inland, it weakened to a Category 2 hurricane.
