Influencer is labelled ‘dumb’ for pulling dangerous camping stunt during Hurricane Helene which has left over 130 dead

An influencer has been branded stupid after deliberately pulling off a dangerous camping stunt during Hurricane Helene that left more than 130 dead.

Mike Smalls, from Tampa, has racked up millions of views after sharing clips of him trying to pitch a tent in gale-force winds before being knocked to the ground and nearly engulfed by rushing water.

The full-time streamer, 26, took on the Category 4 storm that began barreling through the Florida Gulf Coast on Thursday before beginning its trail of destruction across the Southeast.

Smalls was at the Bayshore when the extreme weather began on September 26, filming himself in a vest and cap as he pitched a flimsy tent under a bridge.

The clip, which has since gone viral, shows Smalls battling the elements as he set up the fabric den and climbed inside as the walls swayed in the wind.

In another part of the footage, he could be heard repeatedly calling for help as a body of water crashed into his tent.

He filmed his surroundings in which he saw an underground area full of water, while Smalls waded through it and laughed at the dangerous situation he found himself in.

As he livestreamed, viewers quickly left warnings and comments expressing their shock and confusion as to why he would willingly venture into the storm — which has been called one of the worst in American history.

In one clip, which has already racked up 11 million views on X, a fan wrote: “This isn’t going to end well.”

As Smalls made his way through the floodwaters, another said, “Watch out for the sharks,” while others warned him to watch out for power lines.

“Watch out for snakes and alligators,” a third commented.

Another wrote: ‘That water can make you sick’.

“Your life is almost lost,” a fifth concerned fan wrote in the comments section of Smalls’ livestream.

But clapping back at those who doubted him, the streamer said: ‘I decided to stream myself during the hurricane because I knew it would be something creative and new [that] the livestreaming industry has never seen this before.

‘Plus, I always loved storms growing up, so the idea of ​​’storm chasing’ really appealed to me.

“The reaction I expected was exactly how most of my live streaming stunts would go.

‘I knew some would find it shocking, entertaining, stupid, comical or even unpleasant.

“Although I knew that no matter what reaction I got from the audience and what people’s opinions were, people would still tune in to see what would happen.”

Smalls claimed he did a lot of extensive research before attempting to pull off the wild stunt.

“I knew the hurricane would be bad, but not that bad in my area if I timed it perfectly,” he reassured his fans.

‘It was just enough to get a very exciting live stream in.’

The streamer admits things got hairy at times, but he didn’t believe he would get hurt.

He added: “There were parts of the stream where I was a little worried, but overall I’m an entertainer and a very calculated person.

‘I would never have done it if I really thought my life would be in danger. [sic]

‘I’m a relatively small streamer and this was my biggest stream I’ve ever done.

“Many people gave me props for having the creativity and courage to pull something off, while others thought it was a cry for attention, very stupid, or something I did ‘just for the sake of opinion.’

“So when people say it’s ‘stupid’ that I’m risking my life for opinions, I understand it may seem that way, but they also didn’t see how calculated I was and the research that went into it.

‘That’s why I was able to get home safe and sound.’