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Reporter spots alligator swimming in Orlando floodwaters after Ian

“This is about as good a reason why as you should not go in the water,” said NBC News’ Jesse Kirsch.
/ Source: NBC News

An alligator appeared to be swimming down an Orlando residential street in the wake of Hurricane Ian.

NBC News reporter Jesse Kirsch spotted the animal while covering the flooding and destruction in Florida on Friday.

“Whenever we cover floods, we are always trying to stress that you do not want to go into the waters,” Kirsch said. “This is about as good a reason why as you should not go in the water.”

“And I do not know if that is the same alligator that had been hanging out in the front yard right near us,” he said.

Kirsch said the Orlando neighborhood where he spotted the alligator is near water. People had been walking in the area before the alligator arrived, Kirsch said.

NBC News' Jesse Kirsch points out what appears to be an alligator swimming in floodwaters covering what used to be a residential street in Orlando, Fla.
NBC News' Jesse Kirsch points out what appears to be an alligator swimming in floodwaters covering what used to be a residential street in Orlando, Florida.MSNBC

By Friday afternoon, the rain had stopped and the sun appeared, but boat rescues continued.

“The water is receding but it is still holding a good amount, it is not draining that quickly here,” Kirsch said. 

This story first appeared on NBCNews.com.