’Nuts. Bring them in’: TV stars divide nation

Fearless TV weather presenters risked their lives to cover Hurricane Milton as it ripped through Florida - but their bravery has divided US viewers.

Brave journalists risked their lives to cover the devastating force of deadly Hurricane Milton as it ripped through Florida overnight.

And while many viewers appreciated their coverage, others questioned whether it was really necessary to risk their lives to report in deserted evacuation zones.

One CNN anchor was even hit in the face by a flying piece of debris.

A meteorologist from The Weather Channel – dubbed ‘Chuck Norris’ by viewers – stood in knee-deep murky water as a storm surge flooded the carpark he was in.

Fox Weather’s star correspondent – wearing safety goggles, gloves and a helmet – gritted his teeth and fell to his knees as he wrestled with 160km/h wind gusts and torrential rain.

“It’s painful to stand out here in this,” he admitted, moments after being forced to move location after a falling tree crushed his car.

Meanwhile, an ABC News reporter watched in shock as a rogue air conditioning unit “flew” from a building before being swallowed by “rapid-like” floodwaters.

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper was giving a live report in Tampa as Hurricane Milton made landfall. Picture: CNN

The veteran was drilled in the face by a flying piece of debris - a rectangular piece of styrofoam. “Whoa, OK, that wasn’t good,” Cooper remarked. Picture: CNN

“Reporters should be protected from hazardous environments, don’t put them in harm’s way,” wrote one concerned viewer.

“I’d watch storm coverage regardless of whether someone is standing in the middle, barely holding onto a mic and struggling to speak,” she added.

“The intensity of the storm speaks for itself - no need to risk lives for it.”

Joel Waldman, a former Fox News national political correspondent, agreed with her take.

“I’ve covered multiple hurricanes and severe weather. Members of media will tell you ‘we’re safe, we take all the proper precautions’,” he wrote on X.

“No one is safe in the middle of a hurricane. Most stunning thing to me is that no reporter (that I know of) has died. Yet, sadly, that day is coming,” he added.

“It will be a miracle if we don’t see a reporter killed or injured standing out in the hurricane. It’s nuts. Bring them in,” wrote another viewer.

But others argued that they were doing potentially lifesaving work.

“It is news, bad as it is, and they are reporting on it. That’s what they do, is it not? Hopefully all residents, as well as those reporting on it, survive this horrid hurricane,” wrote one viewer.

Some viewers questioned whether the TV presenters needed to “risk their lives” for the live coverage. Picture: CNN

Dan Shelley, the chief executive of the Radio Television Digital News Association, said it was important it was to show viewers the devastation of hurricanes “in factual and vivid terms”.

“(Journalists) should be transparent with viewers about what they are,” he told news.com.au.

“This assures the public that the journalists are only in the middle of the storm to serve them with timely, accurate information and are doing so responsibly.”

Mr Shelley said storm aftermath coverage was just as crucial as live updates when hurricanes hit.

“Journalists are the quintessential fact-finders and disseminators of vital information about the breadth of destruction, shelters, emergency aid distribution and many other critical factors,” he said.

Legendary meteorologist Jim Cantore - dubbed Chuck Norris by some fans - stood in a flooded carpark as a storm surge hit. Picture: The Weather Channel

Experienced TV meteorologist Amy Freeze, who was an anchor on Fox Weather for years, also spoke about the importance of live TV coverage during severe weather events.

“I think it’s going to be around forever because when you tell people to evacuate, they want to see what’s happening where they left their things behind,” she told TVNewsCheck in 2022.

Ms Freeze said the art of covering dangerous weather events was a “science” that weather reporters worked hard to perfect with rigorous preparation to ensure their safety.

“I’ve been out on the road. I’ve done tornado chasing. I’ve been there for hurricane coverage. And to me, that is a whole profession it itself,” the weather expert said.

She praised the work of Fox legend Robert Ray, who was on the frontline and felt the full force of Hurricane Milton when the Category 3 storm swept through Siesta Key Wednesday.

“(Ray) has perfected the science of chasing storms and being in the storms because the safety factor is so important,” Ms Freeze said.

“He’s just done a great job of being able to know where to be, be in the right place at the right time and then move from that place so that he’s not in harm’s way.”

FOX Weather icon Robert Ray was brought to his knees as he was struck by brutal wind gusts and torrential rain. Picture: Fox

Tragic deaths

American journalists rarely die while covering extreme weather.

The last instance was in 2018, when South Carolina news anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer died covering the subtropical storm Alberto.

The pair were covering the impact of relentless rain in Polk County, near Charlotte, when a tree fell on their SUV as they were travelling down a highway.

The TV station they worked for issued a statement after their tragic deaths.

“All of us at WYFF News 4 are grieving. We are a family and we thank you, our extended family, for your comfort as we mourn and as we seek to comfort the families of Mike and Aaron,” the network said.

Milton’s trail of destruction

Hurricane Milton tore a coast-to-coast path of destruction across the US state of Florida, whipping up a spate of deadly tornadoes that left at least four people dead, but avoiding the catastrophic devastation officials had feared.

“The storm was significant, but thankfully this was not the worst-case scenario,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis told a news conference.

Milton made landfall Wednesday night on the Florida Gulf Coast as a major Category 3 storm, with sustained, powerful winds smashing inland through communities still reeling from Hurricane Helene two weeks ago, before roaring off Florida’s east coast into the Atlantic.

Across the storm’s path, roads were blocked by downed trees and power lines and some three million people were without power as of Thursday morning.

Wind uprooted large trees and ripped apart the roof at the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field baseball stadium in St. Petersburg, and sent a construction crane falling onto a downtown building nearby.

In Clearwater on the west coast, emergency crews in rescue boats were out at first light, plucking stranded residents trapped in their homes by more than a meter (yard) of floodwater.

President Joe Biden, who said he spoke with DeSantis Thursday, urged people to stay inside in the aftermath of the storm, with downed power lines and debris “creating dangerous conditions.”

In a video posted on social media, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump said he and his wife Melania were praying for Florida residents affected by the storm and urged them to vote for him.

“Hopefully, on January 20th you’re going to have somebody that’s really going to help you and help you like never before,” the former president said, referring to the date when US presidents are inaugurated.

Originally published as ’Nuts. Bring them in’: TV stars divide nation