Heavy/Getty Anderson Cooper, with a photo of a person wading through Hurricane Milton flood waters in Fort Myers, Florida, in the background.
As Hurricane Milton made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Florida on the evening of October 9, 2024, millions of viewers watched in horror as reporters and meteorologists put themselves in harm’s way on live TV, including CNN’s Anderson Cooper, who was hit in the head by flying debris while reporting from Bradenton.
Cooper, who continued to broadcast despite the scary moment, was trending on X, formerly known as Twitter, as viewers implored him and others to come in from the storm. Milton made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane around 8:30 p.m. Eastern time in Siesta Key and had already knocked out power for 1.5 million Floridians within two hours, according to the Associated Press.
CNN Anchors Spread Out Across Gulf Coast to Cover Hurricane Milton
While broadcasting in the midst of punishing winds and rain, Cooper — wearing a black cap — was hit in the head by a flying object, which some speculated was a street sign, on live TV, as seen in multiple tweets shared by viewers.
“Whoa!” he exclaimed. “That wasn’t good!”
He then turned away briefly before laughing off the scare and continuing to report, even though the wind often made it too hard to hear him, prompting many social media users to implore CNN to get him and others out of the storm. Anchors later assured viewers during the broadcast that the item that hit Cooper was a sheet of Styrofoam.
In response to someone who tweeted a video of Cooper’s frightening moment, one person tweeted, “FFS! What happens when a palm tree comes down on top of AC on live TV? Or a lightning strike? Or a rogue wave? Or a dislocated shark? Decapitation from a street sign? Seriously, Kind of a dumb move, CNN , but everyone evacuate!”
Someone else wrote, “You don’t need to put Anderson Cooper in this situation to convince me about the strength of the hurricane.”
Another person shared a photo of Cooper being pelted by rain and a video of him getting hit by tree branches as he tried to steady himself on its trunk. She wrote, “Someone rescue Anderson Cooper from CNN.”
Someone rescue Anderson Cooper from CNN. #HurricaneMilton
Cooper was not the only reporter out in the elements updating viewers on the hurricane’s status. Brian Todd and Boris Sanchez reported for CNN from Tampa, where Todd said he’d seen an elderly man walking aimlessly down the street, remarking that it “is just unconscionable to be out here.” He also said they were taking breaks in a vehicle in between their live shots.
Meanwhile, CNN had Randi Kaye stationed in Sarasota, struggling at times not to be pushed out of view by the wind. Kaye said that she was in Evacuation Zone D, which their experts had deemed to be safe to broadcast from.
Anchor Abby Phillip, who moderated the coverage from CNN headquarters, told viewers, “I want to just emphasize to people watching at home that our reporters, our anchors, they’re out there in the storm but they are in places that we’ve determined, where they can continue to stay safe while they continue to bring you their incredible reporting.”
But just after midnight Eastern time, Cooper moved closer to the Riverwalk where waves of ocean water kept pelting him and rising above his ankles. Though he had thought the winds had died down, he said he was “really surprised” by the level and force of the water rolling in. As whipping winds make it impossible for him to hear within minutes, he said he was going to move because it was “getting ridiculous” and that the water was up to his knees.
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore Also Followed Hurricane Milton to Florida
The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore, who’s notorious for broadcasting from dangerous weather events and is even the subject of a “Tracking Jim Cantore” Facebook group that boasts nearly 300,000 followers, was also out in the storm, reporting from Charlotte Harbor as he waded in rapidly-rising flood waters inside a parking garage.
When the network posted video of Cantore on social media, many viewers gave similar reactions to seeing Cooper and his colleagues out in the elements.
“We really need to stop sending humans out there,” one person wrote. “With a mic. Send drones, robot boat thing, something.”
Someone else wrote, “Everyone is evacuated except the news anchors 😳”
Though someone else reminded concerned viewers, “I don’t know that anyone can keep @jimcantore away. He loves what he does too much.”
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CNN’s Anderson Cooper Hit in Head by Debris During Hurricane Milton Coverage