Anderson Cooper Hit by Debris During Live Report on Hurricane Milton: 'That Wasn't Good'

Anderson Cooper Hit by Debris During Live Report on Hurricane Milton: 'That Wasn't Good'

Hurricane Milton landed in Florida on Wednesday, Oct. 9, bringing heavy rain and powerful winds.

Anderson Cooper braved the storm during a live broadcast.

On Wednesday, Oct. 9, the 57-year-old CNN anchor was reporting live in Florida when he was struck by debris while covering Hurricane Milton.

“The water is really starting to pour over now,” Cooper said, drenched by the rain as he updated viewers. “If you look at the ground, whoa—” he continued, just before being hit by flying debris.

“Okay, that wasn’t good,” he remarked. “We’ll probably head inside soon, but you can see the amount of water here. This is water from the Manatee River.”

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Reassuring viewers about Anderson Cooper's safety, CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins said, "I want to let everyone know, especially those concerned about our correspondents and anchors on the ground, that Anderson is okay."

She added, "It's difficult to maintain a stable connection, given the intense wind and rain. The conditions are clearly worsening by the minute."

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Hurricane Milton was classified as a Category 3 storm before making landfall in Florida on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press. CNN reported that the storm weakened to a Category 1, with winds reaching 90 mph as it moved across the state.

On Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center warned, “Extremely dangerous Category 3 Hurricane Milton makes landfall near Siesta Key, Florida. Life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds, and flash flooding have affected the central Florida Peninsula."

AP News reported that many Gulf Coast communities, already impacted by Hurricane Helene, were hit again with heavy rain and strong winds from Hurricane Milton.

CNN added that over three million people have lost power due to the storm, with around 16 inches of rain falling in St. Petersburg.

The network also reported multiple fatalities in St. Lucie County, where a tornado tore through a mobile home retirement community.