As Hurricane Matthew tore its way up through the Atlantic Ocean, one man decided to ride out the storm in a wild way.
At an abandoned Coast Guard station nearly 34 miles off the coast of North Carolina, Richard Neal grabbed a deckchair and attempted to do some sunbathing while the heavy winds and rain swelled around him.
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For a short period of time, the eye of the storm passed directly overhead at Neal’s location and there was a brief moment of tranquility. Neal even decided to broadcast his view of the storm live from his tower on a webcam.
Richard and his wife are the owners of the structure, which is now called the Frying Pan Tower. The platform is about 100 above the ocean, and only reachable by helicopter according to Daily Mail. The couple purchased the light station from the government in 2004, and they rent out the tower as a vacation home.
During a brief phone interview with The Associated Press on Saturday, Richard said: “I can honestly say that this is a solid old beast.”
He continued, “We are getting some amazingly huge waves that make it shake and tremor. But steel is amazingly tough.”
This isn’t the first time Richard has been on the Frying Pan Tower during a hurricane. Two years ago, Neal and his guests were trapped by Hurricane Arthur and were forced to ride out the storm on the structure.
Richard and his wife discussed making a trip back to the mainland for their safety several times. However, they ultimately decided to stay.
“You know she really must love me if she came out with me,” Richard said of his wife.
Would you be brave enough to ride out a hurricane on this rickety-looking structure?
[H/T Daily Mail]
