A US man who took to social media to boast about his million-dollar luxury car as he used it to stock up on supplies for Hurricane Ian has felt the swift sting of his own hubris.
A Florida man known as Ernie on social media shared a snapshot of his McLaren P1 - that comes with the eye-watering price tag at over USD$1 million (AUD$1.5 million, £902,600) - with the caption 'my hurricane supply car'.
And, well, let's just say the picture did not age well.
In a picture posted only 24 hours later, Ernie revealed that his mega-expensive vehicle had been swept through this garage and away with floodwaters thanks to Hurricane Ian.
Other photos in his stories show Hurricane Ian battering his neighbourhood, with winds raging and roads completely flooded.
Since he shared the news, Ernie's followers have piled into the comments to offer some support at what is a pretty devastating moment for everyone in the Sunshine State.
One user said: "Stay safe, cars are replaceable."
Another wrote: "Hope everyone is alright."
"I'm so sorry, that's heartbreaking," put a third.
While another added: "I'm so sorry... most important that you and your family are safe. Sending prayers."
The photos also documented a string of other luxury vehicles owned by Ernie that had also been swept away, including his brand new Rolls Royce.
The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, as they say.
The storm system made landfall in Florida on Wednesday (September 28) at 3.05pm local time as a powerful Category Four storm, with winds close to 150mph as it hit the coast.
The hurricane was only a few miles under being classed as a Category Five storm; the highest on the hurricane disaster scale.
Hurricane Ian has now been classed as the fifth strongest storm in Florida's history.
Residents were ordered to evacuate the south-west region of the state ahead of the storm hitting.
Ian Hawver, a handyman from Fort Myers, had planned on waiting the storm out. But due to the sheer power of the hurricane, he had to abandon his plan and instead headed across the state to Fort Lauderdale.
He said: "We were going to stay and then just decided when we got up, and they said 155 mph winds.
"We don’t have a generator. I just don’t see the advantage of sitting there in the dark, in a hot house, watching water come in your house."
Governor Ron DeSantis thanked politicians from other states for offering to send help during their hour of need.
Prior to hitting the US, it cut right through Cuba, killing two people and bringing down the country's power grid.
Topics: News, US News, Environment, Cars
- Weather reporter gets hit by flying tree branch while covering Hurricane Ian
- Brave weatherman continues report after almost getting struck by lightning and hit by tree in Hurricane Ian
- John Travolta helps in relief efforts in Florida following Hurricane Ian
- Viral video of 'shark' swimming through suburban Florida during Hurricane Ian confirmed to be real
