Long-time Floridians and anyone with years of experience dealing with hurricanes have a bit of a joke. We don't start to worry until Jim Cantore shows up. His association with the most severe storms is so notorious that when Hurricane Michael first hit the radar, the Santa Rosa County Sheriff's Department issued a playful trespass warning against him.
They posted it on social media with the message: "Everyone know whats in store when Jim Cantore shows up. So we issued a little notice. lol"
Cantore showed up anyway, because that's kind of his job. Hurricane Michael was going to be one for the record books and there was no way Jim was missing it. Cantore set up shop in Panama City and began live broadcasting his coverage of the storm. Things were fine in the time leading up to the storm making landfall. They were fine for a little while once it hit. Jim is an expert at working in these storms (so much so that he managed to rescue another broadcaster when they got into trouble) and it's given him some seriously quick reflexes. They came in handy when Hurricane Michael rocketed a 2x4 at him.
Jim was broadcasting from a pool deck to showcase the powerful winds and rains of the storm. As he was talking, Hurricane Michael did what hurricanes do. A piece of debris came flying at Jim. He ducked and ran to the side, avoiding the wood that hits the fence behind him.
So what does Jim do? A wardrobe change. He switched his hat for a batting helmet and just kept right on going. Like A Boss. Of course footage started circulating around Twitter almost immediately.
People are impressed!
Even the hurricane itself tweeted about it.
But don't worry for Jim, his trusty helmet has his back:
@lpeterp/Bluesky
@FPWellman/X
@bobsbeatgmail.com5/Threads