CNN host Anderson Cooper was hit in the face by flying debris while reporting on-air for Hurricane Milton on Wednesday night.
Cooper was stationed near Bradenton, Florida at around 9pm ET, and was trying to explain how the Category 3 hurricane was impacting the water in the midst of heavy rainfall and strong winds.
“You could see it in the light there, [the wind] is just whipping off the Manatee River,” the reporter said. “It’s coming in from the northeast and the water is really starting to pour over.”
Highlights
- Anderson Cooper was hit by debris during live Hurricane Milton coverage.
- Cooper continued broadcasting despite being hit by Styrofoam.
- Social media users worried about Cooper's safety during report.
“Woah, okay, that wasn’t good,” he remarked, right after he was hit by the large piece of Styrofoam. “We’ll probably go inside shortly.”
Anderson Cooper was hit in the face by a piece of Styrofoam while reporting live for Hurricane Milton
Image credits: Anderson Cooper
The 57-year-old is known for his extensive coverage on hurricanes and took the incident in stride, continuing to broadcast for several hours after.
In portions of the live video, Cooper can be seen standing further away from the river, but the rough waves were still able to reach him as he talked to his colleague.
The reporter was standing while winds of more than 150 mph whipped around him, drawing energy from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Cooper’s live reports were starting to worry people on social media, questioning why he was out during the storm
Image credits: CNN
One user wrote on X, “What does putting Anderson Cooper on a pier in the middle of the ocean at the height of a hurricane in its center achieving in informing viewers. It’s like 120mph winds. Get my sweet porcelain glass anchor inside.”
Someone else pointed out, “‘It’s important for everyone to stay inside’ the FEMA rep tells CNN while Anderson Cooper is fighting for his life in Florida in the split screen.”
“Can someone get Anderson Cooper away from that railing before he’s washed away?” another questioned.
However, one person wrote that the reporter was “in his element. Just wait til tomorrow when he whips out that black, short sleeve t shirt.”
The CNN reporter has had a long history of reporting in dangerous situations
Image credits: CNN
In 2012, Cooper had been reporting on Gaza City at about 2am local time when a bomb exploded very close to his station.
“Woah! That was a rather large explosion,” he said, smiling at the camera. “I can’t actually see where the impact of that was, but it’s set off a number of car alarms.”
“That was probably the largest explosion that we have heard just in the past — really in the past hour.”
Hurricane Milton has wreaked havoc all throughout Florida since it made landfall Wednesday night
The hurricane originally started off as an explosive, massive Category 5 storm with winds reaching up to 180 mph on Monday, but the storm has eased off into Category 3 since it reached land.
However, according to CBS, it has still caused more than 3.2 million Floridians to lose power as of Thursday morning. People in the Tampa and St. Petersburg areas were warned to find shelter since “extremely dangerous hurricane-force winds” were spreading.
Image credits: CNN
Milton has weakened rapidly after losing its fuel of the warm Gulf waters while still remaining a hurricane. It is set to continue into the Atlantic Ocean and transition into a tropical storm.