Hurricane Milton hit Florida on Wednesday, October 9, with heavy rain and strong winds

Anderson Cooper marches through the storm.

On Wednesday, October 9, the 57-year-old broadcaster was appearing live for CNN when he was struck by debris while covering Hurricane Milton in Florida.

“The water is really starting to pour in now,” Cooper said as he spoke to onlookers while drenched in rain. “When you’re on the ground, whoa-” he continued before being hit by flying debris.

“Okay, that wasn’t good,” he added. “Um, we’ll probably go in soon, but you can see the amount of water on the ground here. This is water from the Manatee River.”

Never miss a story again — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

CNN anchor Kaitlin Collins reassured viewers of Cooper’s safety, saying, “I want to say to all viewers who are of course very concerned about all of our correspondents and anchors on the ground: Anderson is OK.”

“Of course, it’s understandably difficult to make the connection when you see what’s happening with the wind and the rain,” she continued. “And obviously conditions are getting worse by the minute.”

The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play Now!

According to AP News, Hurricane Milton was classified as a Category 3 storm and hit Florida on Wednesday. CNN added that the storm then weakened to Category 1 with winds of 90 mph as it moved over Florida.

“Extremely dangerous Category 3 Hurricane Milton is making landfall near Siesta Key Florida,” the National Hurricane Center wrote Wednesday. “Life-threatening storm surge, extreme winds and flash flooding are occurring across the central Florida Peninsula.”

AP News also reported that many of the Gulf Coast and communities already affected by Hurricane Helene were again hit by heavy rains and strong winds.

According to CNN, over three million people were without power due to the hurricane, and around 16 inches of rain fell on St. Petersburg.

The outlet also reports that there have been multiple fatalities in St. Lucie County after a tornado ripped through a mobile home senior living community.

For more people news, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.