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Anderson Cooper Hit in the Face With Hurricane Milton Debris on Live TV

He earned his New Year’s Eve broadcast by fighting off Hurricane Milton.

Anderson Cooper
Photo by Bruce Glikas/WireImage

Anderson Cooper’s live report of Hurricane Milton underscored the danger of the storm. During his live spot on CNN Wednesday, Cooper stood in intense rain in Bradenton, Florida, amid the hurricane.

Social media was abuzz with Cooper’s dedication to his job, with many quipping that it was the night that he’d earn his annual tradition of drunkenly ringing in the new year with Andy Cohen ring from Times Square.

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Things didn’t stay pithy for long, though, as Cooper wound up facing real danger during the storm. During one report, Cooper was hit in the face with debris.

“The water now is really starting to pour over,” he said. With that, Cooper bent over to explain something and wound up getting hit.

“Woah. OK. That wasn’t good,” he reacted, before letting it go and moving on with the broadcast.

After the incident, Cooper predicted that he and the crew would “probably go inside shortly.” That wasn’t the case, though. In fact, Cooper was still out in the elements three hours later, in the early morning hours of Thursday.

After the storm made landfall, Cooper was seen on camera being pelted with rain, trying to withstand wind, and struggling to remain standing in rushing water.

“I think we’re going to move upland because this is getting ridiculous,” Cooper said before the incident. “The water is past my knees.”

Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night in Siesta Key as a category 3 storm. Many evacuated ahead of the hurricane, though noted scammer Caroline Calloway opted to stay put.

The hurricane left millions without power. It also caused flooding, created eight-foot storm surges, and saw winds greater than 100 miles per hour.