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Weatherman Keeps Broadcasting As His Station Is Evacuated From Hurricane Florence

Weatherman Keeps Broadcasting As His Station Is Evacuated From Hurricane Florence

Weatherman Donnie Cox made himself a hero by broadcasting Hurricane Florence reports - even as his TV station was evacuated around him

Mike Wood

Mike Wood

Hurricanes are pretty awful events for anyone stuck in their path - and that includes the weather forecasters themselves.

As this amazing video shows, a hurricane brings the TV weather presenters to the fore, thrusting them into the centre of the news rather than tacking them on at the end, causing them to broadcast when, perhaps, they might have been better off just getting out of the way of the storm.


Donnie Cox can attest to just how far weather forecasters are willing to go to keep the public up to date on extreme weather events.

He was broadcasting right up to the last moment, signing off his weather report for WCTI News in New Bern, North Carolina as their building was in the process of being evacuated from Hurricane Florence.

As the weather map of the hurricane flickers behind him, he calmly continues his report, telling views that they were about to cease transmission.

He says that their sister station 'is going to continue our coverage so we can continue the evacuation of this building because of the rise in water'.

PA

Adding: "We're going to take you now to the coverage from our sister station in Myrtle Beach."

Cox was reportedly one of the last people to leave the building before the storm hit. He had promised to wait to keep viewers abreast of developments, but was forced to leave as the rest of the crew evacuated.

"We have the situation that has developed here at the station and that is water is getting close to the building," he announced on the air around half an hour before the end of transmission.

"The building has been evacuated, just so that you know. We are staying here to keep you up to date."

According to the Weather Channel, Cox had also previously announced: "The TV station is taking on water. For everyone's safety, we are getting most people out of the building."

PA

His colleague, fellow anchor Jaime McCutcheon confirmed that the station building had begun to flood rapidly and forced them out, tweeting "So that really did just happen. The water started rising and we evacuated almost an entire TV station in about 15 minutes."

The lead meteorologist, Cox was among the very last to leave, with the surreal loop of the green screen background showing the oncoming hurricane has he calmly walked off camera.


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