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Outrage after weatherman Dylan Federico films kitten struggling to survive in Hurricane Ian

The 'extremely dangerous' Category 4 storm made landfall on Wednesday, September 28, near Cayo Costa, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said

FLORIDA: An extremely destructive storm and one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the US ravaged southwest Florida, flooding streets and buildings. Hurricane Ian knocked out power for more than two million people. Residents fear more catastrophic damage further inland. The “extremely dangerous” Category 4 storm made landfall on Wednesday, September 28, near Cayo Costa, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. It brought with it sustained winds of about 240 kilometers per hour (150 miles per hour). The storm’s wind speeds put it just behind a Category 5 designation on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

As Ian made its way toward Florida, water appeared to recede from Tampa Bay, as though the body of water had simply been drained out. The Weather Channel stated that the phenomenon, called a blowout tide or a reverse storm surge, occurs during low tide. In this situation, strong winds blowing directly offshore push the water out and expose the bottom of the body of water. However, after hitting central Florida, it weakened into a Category 1 storm. 

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Social media is flooded with videos and images of the destruction. Among many videos that have been shared is one of a kitten struggling in the storm, posted by WINK-TV meteorologist Dylan Federico. The weatherman is facing the fury of social media users for filming and sharing the heartbreaking video when he could do nothing, in reality, to bring the animal to safety. 

"Storm surge is rising rapidly outside WINK News. A kitten is on the bench trying to escape the water. The doors are locked but we're trying to get the kitten inside," Federico's caption read. Social media users fumed as no update on the kitten came from Federico about the kitten even after an hour passed. 

After a couple of hours, however, Federico tweeted, "Right after the video was posted we attempted to get to the cat but it swam in a different direction out of view. I waited to post an update in hopes we could grab it. Please take your companions with you when you evacuate."

A source with direct knowledge later told TMZ that staffers had strict instructions to stay inside the building since going out could prove deadly. Federico's first post of the kitten in distress now seems to have been deleted. 

An angry Twitter user wrote, "This offers zero compassion. Don’t film a video when you can go save a helpless animal." "I’m physically sick rn, dude. Heartless," said another. One user wrote, "You're saying the water advanced that high that quickly so that the cat had no choice but to swim? Not buying that."

"Lol, this is your cover story? Kittens don't just up and "swim in a different direction", especially in a situation like this. I get it's a lose-lose scenario at this point for you, but be better than this," one user wrote, while another said, "You took the time to film and post the video but apparently didn’t have enough time to get to the cat. Wow. Priorities. I have greatly appreciated your work and WINK’s coverage throughout this storm but this was awfully handled and frankly sickening. Please think next time." "So you didn’t save it and just watched it have zero chance of survival…. Good job!" wrote one user. 

On a good note, another video that is viral on Twitter shows a resident putting his life at risk to rescue a cat struggling in the storm. The video was posted by multiple people saying this is the example Federico should have followed. The video was taken in Bonita, on the state's southwest coast. The user who posted the video, Megan Cruz Scavo, wrote in the caption, "My boyfriend saving a cat from flood waters near Bonita Beach."

The full extent of the storm will possibly remain unknown for a while, but power and communications have been disrupted in many areas. Some emergency responders have been forced to wait until it is safe enough to begin a full search and rescue operation. No deaths due to the storm have been reported in the US, but Hurricane Ian has resulted in the deaths of two people in Cuba. A boat carrying 23 Cuban migrants also sank on Wednesday, September 28, in stormy weather east of Key West.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.