Anderson Cooper Fans Raise Alarm After Debris Incident During Hurricane Milton Report

The internet turned against CNN after Anderson Cooper nearly got injured while covering Hurricane Milton.

Fans raised concerns about the broadcast journalist's safety following Wednesday night's news, where he got hit by flying debris. Many noted the 57-year-old had paid his dues and should not be working dangerous jobs.

Anderson Cooper is no stranger to reporting on hurricanes and has covered these natural disasters live, including Hurricane Katrina. However, Hurricane Milton has caused significant damage, hence fans' worries about his safety.

A clip of Cooper's CNN coverage was shared on X, capturing the moment he was hit in the face by flying debris. The video showed the soaking-wet journalist reporting the hurricane's effect on the Manatee River.

He appeared on a platform above the water, with the crashing waves coming dangerously close to where he was. "It is now just ripping off the Manatee River. It's coming in from the north, I guess, northeast," Cooper reported.

"The water now is really starting to pour over. If you look at the ground, whoa!" Cooper exclaimed as a white object hit him in the face before flying off. The debris appeared to cause no injury, and the journalist continued his coverage, saying:

"Okay. That wasn't good. We'll probably go inside shortly. But you can see the amount of water here on the ground. This is water from the Manatee River."

The video generated concerns about Cooper's safety, with some wondering why CNN would risk his life to cover a dangerous hurricane. "Why is CNN trying to kill their staff?" an X user asked with another writing:

"Literally, nobody is asking for Anderson Cooper to stand outside in the rain and wind and report on a hurricane we all know about. We have YouTube, man, we know what it looks like."

A third echoed similar sentiments, writing, "I'm surprised they didn't send some intern or some young upstart reporter to do this. @andersoncooper should have been getting his beauty rest in Manhattan."

"Why do these people have to always be in it?? I never understand that. Also, Anderson paid his dues in Katrina," a fan stressed. The love for Cooper continued, with an X user commenting, "Wow, that's intense! Cooper's dedication to reporting is commendable, but safety comes first."

Hurricane Milton is the fifth hurricane to land in the US and the third to hit Florida this year. It arrived near Siesta Key as a dangerous Category 3 storm but eventually weakened to Category 1 as it tore through the state and moved offshore.

Milton dropped about 16 inches of rain on St. Petersburg, more than a 1-in-1000-year rainfall for the area.

The hurricane reportedly knocked out power for more than 3 million people in the state while its strong winds sparked a flash flood emergency near Tampa. The hurricane center issued warnings, per CNN, noting:

"Heavy rainfall across the central to northern Florida Peninsula through this morning continues to bring the risk of considerable flash and urban flooding along with moderate to major river flooding, especially in areas where coastal and inland flooding combine to increase the overall flood threat."

Governor Ron DeSantis revealed on Thursday morning that Hurricane Milton sparked "a lot of" tornadoes in Florida. He noted the state expected casualties from these disasters, with county officials confirming four dead in St. Lucie County.

These lives were lost after a tornado tore through a mobile home retirement community. The governor added that  first responders were conducting rescues all through the night as Milton ravaged the state, saying:

"We've had a lot of successful rescues from the state. I know our local partners are doing the same. We'll get a better sense of that as the day goes on."

Two years before reporting on Hurricane Milton, The Blast shared how Cooper coped with the deaths of his father and older brother. He addressed his method of dealing with grief on a 2022 episode of his "All There Is with Anderson Cooper" podcast, saying:

"I just sort of retreated deep into myself. I didn't talk to people about it. I just became very introspective and introverted."

However, Cooper developed a better way of handling grief after welcoming his children, noting: "I don't want to pass along to my kids any of my own failures or limitations. I want to be the best parent I can be."

"I realized that the way I dealt with loss was effective for the time that it occurred, but that stuff catches up with you. You have to face it at some point," Cooper stressed.

Like he learned to handle grief better for his kids, hopefully, Anderson Cooper can prioritize his safety as fans want.