During the coverage of Hurricane Ian, the meteorologist was nearly blown away.
Hurricane Ian continues to ravage the Florida peninsula with a catastrophic trifecta of high winds, heavy rain and snow. The internet is full of videos of widespread flooding, property damage and power outages.
Amid this catastrophic storm, a video is going viral of meteorologist Jim Cantore being literally knocked off his feet while reporting on Hurricane Ian.
Mr. Cantore was standing on the ground near Fort Meyers, Florida, reporting on the Category 4 storm with wind gusts of 150 miles per hour when a tree branch struck him in the legs and caused him to fall.
The reporter struggled to get up at the time and grabbed a street sign for help when a stop sign fell down behind him.
Due to the strong wind, the reporter was unable to get up. The video shows him saying, “I just can’t get up. I’m getting blown over.”
Jim Cantore was hit by a flying tree branch during hurricane report pic.twitter.com/ybONC3VR51
— Giftsports (@giftsports) September 28, 2022
According to the Hurricane Center, the storm surge off Florida’s west coast has peaked and is beginning to recede as it progresses inland.
Nearly two million customers were without electricity in Florida on Wednesday night, out of a total of more than 11 million, with the southwestern parts of the state hardest hit, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.
Ian is expected to affect several million people in Florida and the southeastern states of Georgia and South Carolina.
As hurricane conditions spread, forecasters warned of a once-in-a-generation disaster.
“This is going to be a storm we’ll be talking about for many years to come,” said Ken Graham, director of the National Weather Service. “It’s a historic event.”
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the state would have a “nasty, nasty day, two days.”
(With inputs from AFP)
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