Question

A Floridian livestreams himself while floating in a canoe inside his flooded house in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Answer 1

I used the InVID video verification platform to see if this video was fake. The platform said that the video was legit but it could not verify the time and place. This means that it could possibly be a video taken from another time/place and posted on TikTok as a "live stream" from Tampa. This would be easy to do because you can make your caption whatever you want on TikTok.

Another thing other to consider, is that the page that posted this video is Mexico News and when I tried to search for them on Google multiple sites came up, so it's hard to tell if this page is legit or not.

The NBC channel in Miami did repost the video, so that makes me more inclined to think that it is really from the Hurricane Helene damage in Tampa.

Comments

I appreciate how you specifically checked the video for legitimacy, I was curious about the other videos posted of him not just directly by him, and how that potentially increases accuracy. I do think when it comes to dramatic claims on social media it is really important to vet them, especially in the new era of AI, so I think it is really valuable that you specifically checked the video with InVID.

Answer 2

I believe this claim is true but I'm not sure how verifiable it is. The source that posted it on Bluesky is unrecognizable and I don't know how it could be verified, but a lot of major news outlets including CBS, Skynews and NBC used the footage in their articles about the hurricane. https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=kqoknbjCQFM#:~:text=Florida%20man%20kayaks%20in%20his,personalities%20that%20matter%20to%20Canadians.

Comments

I appreciate your analysis of the source material and I agree that it is not feasible to verify the etymology of the footage so to speak. I also would question what warrants verification in the poster's original factcheck request — there is not much consequence nor is there substantial content to be reflected on.