News Anchors Rush to Seek Shelter Live on the Air as Tornado Hits News Station

A group of TV journalists in Florida experienced a once-in-a-lifetime event on Monday. While meteorologist Brooks Garner at WOFL-TV was warning local citizens to be on high alert for storm activity, a tornado hit the station as he was broadcasting.

“Take shelter!” he yelled to his fellow reporters and meteorologists. “Seek shelter immediately. Get under your desks, guys. Anchors, under your desks!”

As he was instructing his coworkers to get to safety, the station’s storm cameras captured the high winds and rain tossing around debris in Seminole County, where an EF2 tornado was destroying property in Lake Mary.

“This is a confirmed tornado,’” Garner said, making note that their building’s power began to flicker. “This is a very serious situation. This is a real, live tornado. It just hit our station.”

The National Weather Service says EF2’s, measured on the Enhanced Fujita Scale, are very strong tornados that reach anywhere from 111 to 135 miles per hour.

In the video, you can see that Garner remains on camera for most of the incident’s duration, even as he helps guide station staff members to safety.

“​I’ve been doing this for a very long time. That’s the first time a tornado has hit me while I’m doing the weather,” the meteorologist said.

In Seminole County, 500 people were left without power as the tornado uprooted cars, trees, and powerlines. While the incident certainly gave the TV station employees quite a scare, no injuries were reported.