The Coast Guard rescues a man clinging to a refrigerator in the waters off Longboat Key, Florida

On By Yukito

The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday rescued a man who was found clinging to a refrigerator in the water off Longboat Key, Florida, in the wake of Hurricane Milton. Two men managed to be rescued, one from the ship and the other from the water. Screenshot/UPI/US Coast Guard
The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday rescued a man who was found clinging to a refrigerator in the water off Longboat Key, Florida, in the wake of Hurricane Milton. Two men managed to be rescued, one from the ship and the other from the water. Screenshot/UPI/US Coast Guard

Oct. 11 (UPI) — The U.S. Coast Guard on Thursday rescued a man who was found clinging to a refrigerator in the water off Longboat Key, Florida, in the wake of Hurricane Milton.

During the operation, two men were rescued, one from the ship and the other from the water, the coast guard said in a statement.

“This man experienced a nightmare scenario even for the most experienced sailor,” said the head of the command center in St. Petersburg, Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady said. “To understand the severity of hurricane conditions, we estimate that it experienced winds of approximately 75-90 mph and seas of 20-25 feet over an extended period, including overnight. He survived thanks to his life jacket and the locator showed the emergency location of the lighthouse and radiator.”

Airplane and helicopter crews from Air Station Clearwater began searching for the man in the water about 30 miles off Longboat Key at 5 a.m. EDT.

The man was taken to a helicopter and taken to Tampa General Hospital after he was found around 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

“A lifeboat crew from Sand Key Station and a rescue helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater responded to the scene,” the Coast Guard said in a statement. “The flight crew lifted both individuals and transported them back to Clearwater Air Station in good condition. The ship was left adrift and rescue operations had to be undertaken.”

The drama unfolded when the owner of the fishing vessel, Captain Dave, informed Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg that the captain of this vessel returned to the boat for repairs at approximately 3 a.m. and did not report back.

In a radio message, the Coast Guard instructed the captain to put on a life jacket and remain in the ship’s emergency position, indicated by the radio beacon. The Coast Guard later lost radio contact with the man.

Both the captain and a crew member managed to save themselves.