CNN reporter smashed in the face by flying debris in live report as Hurricane Milton unleashes fury

Harrowing footage has shown the moment a CNN reporter was hit in the face by a flying piece of debris thrown into the air by the massive Hurricane Milton as it barrelled across Florida.

Anchor Anderson Cooper was hit while reporting from Bradenton, Florida on Wednesday night covering the destruction of the hurricane.

“The water now is really starting to pour over,” said a soaked Cooper as he stood a walkway beside the Manatee River. High winds whipped a white object right into his face, causing him to turn away from the camera.

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“Well, that wasn’t good,” he said. “We’ll probably go inside shortly.” In St Petersburg, another CNN reporter Bill Weir was blown off of the screen during his report.

The National Weather Service says the storm’s maximum sustained wind speed was 90 mph (145 kph) at about 1 a.m. Thursday as it passed east of Lakeland, Florida, on its way across the central peninsula.

The weather service uses something called the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale to estimate potential property damage caused by a hurricane’s sustained wind speed. A Category 1 hurricane is considered to have very dangerous winds that topple shallow-rooted trees, snap tree limbs and damage the exterior of well-constructed frame homes. They can also cause extensive damage to power lines.

Hurricane Milton was a Category 3 storm when it made landfall Wednesday evening. That rating means devastating damage is expected to occur, including roofs torn from well-constructed homes, trees uprooted, and electricity and water systems unavailable for days to weeks.

High wind speeds are not the only dangers caused by hurricanes. Hurricane Milton spawned several devastating tornadoes that wreaked havoc on Florida communities Wednesday afternoon. Heavy rainfall and storm surges also caused dangerous flooding in some coastal areas.

Fire officials say a crane has collapsed in downtown St. Petersburg, but there are no reports of injuries. The crane was at the site of a 515-foot-tall luxury high-rise building under construction that is being billed as one of the tallest buildings on the west coast of Florida. It was scheduled to be completed in summer 2025.

St. Petersburg Fire Rescue issued a statement saying the crane collapse and roof damage at Tropicana Field were among two critical reports it had received of damage after Hurricane Milton made landfall south of the city.

The site of the crane collapse is about six blocks from the city’s pier. St. Petersburg is about 50 miles north of Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall.