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CNN Anderson Cooper was hit by debris during a live report in Bradenton, Florida

CNN Anderson Cooper was hit by debris during a live report in Bradenton, Florida

Anderson experienced Milton's wrath firsthand.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was hit in the face by flying debris Wednesday evening while doing a live report amid Hurricane Milton's strong winds.

Cooper, stationed near the Manatee River, had been trying to explain how the storm affected the water when he drew Milton's ire thirty minutes after the storm hit Florida's west coast.

Anderson Cooper was struck by a piece of debris while reporting live in Bradenton, Florida on October 9, 2024. CNN

“You could see it in the light there, (the wind) was just whipping off the Manatee River. It’s coming from the northeast and the water is really starting to overflow,” Cooper said.

“Woah, okay, that wasn’t good,” Cooper added after being hit. We’ll probably go in soon.”

The 57-year-old father of two later picked up the perpetrator, a rectangular piece of Styrofoam that had blown from the river directly into the reporter.

Cooper, known for his on-the-ground reporting of hurricanes, took the incident calmly and continued to report on Manatee River water rising over the riverbank and onto the sidewalk above.

In other parts of the live show, Cooper stood further from the water, but the rough waves reached the reporter and tossed him around as he spoke to a colleague, a video posted on X.

Cooper talked about the height of the river water when the white flying object hit. CNN
Cooper, known for his on-the-ground reporting of hurricanes, took the incident calmly and continued to report on Manatee River water rising over the riverbank and onto the sidewalk above. CNN

Cooper's live reporting during the storm sparked concerns about his well-being among concerned viewers.

“He’s fighting for his LIFE and I can’t look away,” one commenter wrote.

“CNN would be better off blocking Anderson Cooper on New Year's Eve for this reason,” another comment said, referring to Cooper's annual “New Year's Eve Live” show, which he has hosted since 2002.


Follow The Post for live updates as Hurricane Milton makes landfall


Another reporter was also involved in a dangerous incident along the 36-mile-long riverfront Wednesday evening.

Robert Ray, a Fox Weather correspondent, had just completed a live report 20 feet from the river when a huge pine tree fell on his and his crew's vehicles around 7:52 p.m

“I had just finished a live report showing the Manatee River, which is right behind this tree, and I went to my vehicle and looked at my phone,” Ray recalled as he stood in the fallen tree.

“Suddenly, boom, the whole tree falls over and partially lands in the vehicle.”

Fox Weather correspondent Robert Ray stands between a tree that fell on his car after a section of Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024. Fox weather

Ray gave up all his weather as he stood in the fallen tree.

Milton, which developed into a catastrophic Category 5 storm, made landfall as a Category 3 storm at 8:30 p.m

The storm had weakened to a Category 1 storm and maintained its classification as of 5 a.m. Thursday.

The storm's winds caused problems across Florida as deadly tornadoes formed and buildings were torn apart.

Authorities said several people died Wednesday after more than a dozen powerful tornadoes linked to Hurricane Milton struck parts of Florida.

Tropicana Field's roof was torn off by Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024, exposing the interior. AP

In St. Petersburg, the roof of the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium, Tropicana Field, was ripped off by winds of up to 91 miles per hour.

A crane working on a high-rise building in downtown St. Pete collapsed, sending part of it crashing into the building that houses the offices of the Tampa Bay Times.

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