Hundreds of thousands of people watched Hurricane Florence roll into North Carolina thanks to a camera mounted on what's known as the Frying Pan Tower.

The tower, an old Coast Guard light structure turned bed and breakfast, is located 32 miles off the coast of southeastern North Carolina and is equipped with a live cam operated by Explore.org. It's also home to an American flag and it was that banner that took a beating - and captured tons of attention - during Florence.

Richard Neal, a software engineer who purchased the tower from the government, told the Charlotte Observer he received several angry calls from online viewers who were upset that the flag was left out during the storm.

"They told me, 'this is disrespectful,' and that I need to get out there and replace the flag right then," Neal said. "In the hurricane."

Hey folks, the last time we were out we put up a new flag. With respect, we will retire and replace it next trip. We see... Posted by Frying Pan Tower on Thursday, September 13, 2018

A couple weeks back Tom Land, Noel Land and Simon Silvagno replaced the tower’s flag fully expecting it to fly proud for... Posted by Frying Pan Tower on Friday, September 14, 2018

Neal initially moved the live cam so the ripped flag wasn't displayed. People didn't like that either and watchers wanted to know how the flag was holding up.

"A group of kids watching took to calling the flag 'Kevin,'" Neal said. "They wanted to know how Kevin is doing, if Kevin is going to make it."

Neal moved the feed back to show the flag and said even though it's against protocol, he thought it was a symbol for all Americans.

"We get beat up, battered during hard times, but we stay up, stay at it through the storm," he said.

A company, Flag and Banner, reached out to Neal and is donating a new flag to the Frying Pan Tower. Neal said the new banner will be put up as soon as it's safe to do so. As for Kevin, it will be donated for auction with funds going towards Hurricane Florence recovery efforts.

If you have been following the chatter it seems someone decided to name our flag “Kevin”. Well, if so then Old Glory is... Posted by Frying Pan Tower on Friday, September 14, 2018