Some people spend years doing hard work to get famous. Then, there is Lane Pittman, who is famous for staring down storms and waving an American flag while shirtless.
Me: what are you doing? There is flying debris
— Partsinevelos (@KristinaParts) September 14, 2018
Half naked man: I went viral a few years ago doing this.#FlorenceHurricane2018 #viral #americanflag pic.twitter.com/6ofFVQswH1
Despite warnings from officials to get out of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina as Hurricane Florence hit the state, Pittman was seen standing in the middle of a road, only wearing blue underwear and letting the wind blow his hair and flag.
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Fox Business Network reporter Kristina Partsinevelos filmed his stunt, which has been seen over 89,000 times on Twitter alone. The video he shared on Facebook has 62,000 views.
“YOU ARE WEAK AND SMALL FLORENCE!!!!! FLORIDA MAN IS HERE!!!!!” Pittman wrote on Facebook.
“Just being free and American. I don’t let nothing oppress me, especially no dang, freaking hurricane,” Pittman told Partsinvelos.
When asked if he was only doing this to go viral, Pittman said he already did.
Back in 2015, the Jacksonville Beach, Florida native went viral when Neptune Beach police gave him a citation for breaching the peace when he performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” on guitar during an impromptu July 4 celebration.
In 2016, he famously stared down Hurricane Matthew shirtless, with the wind blowing his American flag and Slayer’s “Raining Blood” playing. That original video has more than 27 million views on Facebook.
In 2017, Pittman created a more elaborate video when he pulled off the stunt again during Hurricane Irma.
Pittman also turned his internet fame into a business. He launched an Etsy shop to sell $19.95 shirts with photos of his stunt.
Since he knew Hurricane Florence was coming, Pittman launched a GoFundMe page to raise just $150 for gas and coffee during his drive up to South Carolina. He ended up raising $380 in one day.
Hurricane Florence made landfall near Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina early Friday morning, reports CBS News. More than 600,000 homes and businesses lost power in North Carolina and more than 2,000 flights were cancelled through Saturday. More than 1.7 million people were ordered to evacuate before the storm hit.
The National Weather Service said that more than 14 inches north of Swansboro, North Carolina and it is expected to get worse. Weathermodels.com meteorologist Ryan Maue told CBS News that Florence could bring 18 trillion gallons of rain over the next seven days to North Carolina, South Carolina, Maryland, Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia.
“To those in the path, if you can hear me, please stay sheltered in place,” North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said during a Friday press conference. “Do not go out in the storm.”
Photo credit: Twitter/Partsinevelos
