TAMPA, Fla. — For a brief moment, it was the camo-colored inflatable duck seen around the world.
As storm surge flooded Bayshore Boulevard in downtown Tampa, the official advice was to stay inside and avoid the dangerous flood waters. Not everyone heeded that warning as some pedestrians could be seen trying to make their way across the flooded streets.
However, it was when CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam was doing a live report on the flooding in Tampa for "CNN This Morning" that one of the more unique examples of people 'riding out the storm' came into view: two men paddling a camouflage-colored inflatable duck. A sight that Van Dam said was "something you don't see every day."
The men were not identified on camera, but the interaction quickly went viral as video footage of the duck rowers was shared on social media.
One reporter for WPLG Local 10 News noted that while it looked like the pedestrians were having fun, paddling a duck down a storm surge-flooded Bayshore Boulevard may not have been "the smartest move." It is generally recommended that people stay away from floodwaters as they can contain animals, trash and debris, bacteria, and other toxins.
But for various online viewers, the interaction seemed to signify that sights like this amounted to "just another day in Florida."
