Woman Stuck in Hurricane Ian Using 'Floaty Pool' in Living Room Goes Viral

A video of the effects of Hurricane Ian simply captioned, "Send help," has been viewed more than 40 million times, with five million likes.

Hurricane Ian pummeled Florida on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving millions of people stranded and without power, and burying entire communities on the Florida peninsula. Winds blew up to 150 mph, bringing 12-foot-high waves.

In the video, which has been shared 295,000 times, TikTok user Beth films from inside her house, showing herself to be floating in a kids' inflatable pool, while the contents of her living room bob around her. The wind can be seen whipping foliage past the house, while the water laps at the window.

Beth can be heard saying, "I've gotta say, if you've ever floated in a floaty pool in your own living room with your refrigerator..." and then she appears to say "at your door."

Many users asked for an update of Beth's welfare, urging her to stay safe. "Please let us know that you're okay," wrote Rene, while TikToker Lauren posted, "are you okay like actually."

The Category 4 storm has reportedly caused $120 billion of damage, leaving 2.5 million people without power, across Florida and in Puerto Rico, according to PowerOutage.us.

According to the San Juan Daily Star, officials in Cuba said they were trying to restore electricity to the entire island after the storm hit on Tuesday night, when at least two people were killed.

In a follow-up video viewed 4.3 million times captioned "I'm alive!!!" Beth reveals the devastation outside of her home. The winds appear to have calmed a little, but the water is flowing through the streets, covering the ground levels of the houses.

In a third video, captioned, "NEED HELP, VERY COLD, we and Dark!", Beth is in the dark and can be heard saying, "If you can see me now, I'm alive. Still floating in water, someone needs to come help. Anyone?"

Beth's location is unclear, but the Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) issued a shelter-in-place order for residents, ordering them to remain in their own homes rather than seek safety elsewhere.

As of Thursday afternoon, more than 500 residents had been rescued by search teams in the Lee and Charlotte counties, according to the Florida DEM Twitter.

One user wrote to ask why Beth hadn't left: "should have evacuated. everyone had plenty of warning," while CoreyElise commented, "Some people don't have the means to evacuate. Kindness is everything during times like this."

Jennifer Gunter wrote: "Holy hell. I hope you are ok. How traumatic," while the TikToker thelordskennelsNC posted: "Where are you?? Can we call the coast guard and tell them where you are??"

Taco's Mom wrote: "Stay safe. This could compromise the structure of your house, please be careful!!!"

Newsweek has reached out to Beth for comment.