A Weather Channel reporter made a joke about Super Bowl LI while warning viewers about the impending devastation caused by Hurricane Milton.
Deadly Category 3 storm crashed arrived in Florida on Wednesday, battering the United States with fierce winds of up to 120 mph.
A series of tornadoes hit the state with more than 1.3 million people without power Wednesday night.
Shocking images showed tornadoes tearing through Florida neighborhoods, destroying power lines and overturning cars.
But on Wednesday night, a clip surfaced of a Weather Channel reporter broadcasting live from Sarasota.
A Weather Channel reporter made a crude joke about Super Bowl LI when talking about Hurricane Milton.
A boat damaged by Hurricane Helene rests against a bridge ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Milton, in South Pasadena, Fla., Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
‘There is much more to do. I think about the Atlanta Falcons’ first-half Super Bowl winner. We know what happened in the second half when the Patriots came back to life. So don’t sleep on the second half of Milton. We’re definitely worried now…’
The reporter was referring to the Falcons’ collapse in Super Bowl LI, in which the Falcons held a 28-3 lead before ultimately losing to the Patriots.
And fans thought the comment was out of character given the destruction Milton is expected to cause.
“What does that ‘analogy’ have to do with the hurricane???,” wrote one on X. “Such a stupid shot for no reason.” I would have shot him in the butt on the spot and left him there to survive alone.
“Absolutely crazy bounce here,” said another.
About 125 homes were destroyed even before the hurricane made landfall, many of them mobile homes in senior living communities, said Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
The National Weather Service said flash flooding was occurring in the Tampa Bay area, including St. Petersburg, where more than 16 inches (41 centimeters) of rain has fallen so far.
Tom Brady and the Patriots came back from a 25-point deficit to beat the Falcons
A Lee County sheriff’s deputy patrols the streets of Cape Coral, Florida, as heavy rain falls ahead of Hurricane Milton, Wednesday, Oct. 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Milton hit a region of Florida still recovering from Hurricane Helene, which severely damaged coastal communities with storm surge and killed a dozen people in coastal Pinellas County alone.
Earlier, officials issued dire warnings to flee or face grim odds of survival.
“This is it, folks,” said Cathie Perkins, director of emergency management in Pinellas County, located on the peninsula that forms Tampa Bay. “Those of you who were hit during Hurricane Helene, this will be a knockout. You have to get out, and you have to get out now.”