Hello all, and sending out special greetings to: Alex, Charles, Dan, Darrell, Geoff, Jer, Kevin, Matt, Richard and Wayne. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the transition to summer.
I continue to rewrite, add to and write more chapters of this story and I'm seeking any suggestions, constructive or positive feedback you have about the story. Please send information to cjwilson328@aol.com. For those if you who have already reached out to me - my thanks! I'm working your ideas into future storylines.
CJ, Angela, Carl and Jennifer make their way to cover Hurricane Vince in south Florida. All of them are nervous not knowing how dangerous the storm will be.
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It took us about three hours to get to Marco Island. Once we arrived, the weather did not indicate any storm approaching as there was not a cloud in the sky. A nice tropical breeze greeted us as we unloaded our luggage from the news van.
We all went to the front desk and checked in. The hotel is an older hotel on the island with five floors. All of the rooms faced the gulf and the pool area appeared to be well kept up and very relaxing. Each room had a screened in patio, and electric hurricane shutters were in place if we needed them. All of us lucked out and ended up on the fifth floor. I felt better knowing this in case we get stuck here. The surge predictions from NOAA are not as bad as some of the other hurricanes from pervious years. If we end up doing all of our newscasts from here, I will not be disappointed. The clerk at the front desk gave us instructions if a hurricane warning is issued for the island. A large shelter is located two blocks away from the complex should we need to take residence away from the beach.
My room is on the end of the floor. I have a beautiful view of the beach, as well as a nice side view of the Marriott complex. Our hotel is surrounded by huge new complexes on either side. All of the hotels in the vicinity seem to be busy with workers making preparations in advance of the hurricane arriving. The beach extended out further than I have seen at the beaches in the central gulf region. The sand is very clean and there are a few walkers enjoying the peaceful afternoon in progress. I'm sure that during the summer this place is packed with tourists.
I left most of my belongings in the suitcase in case we need to leave unexpectedly. We met back up in the lobby, and Angela got us working immediately. Jennifer started to interview the hotel manager about preparations being made at our hotel. She asked me to go to the Marriott next door, as the director of emergency operations for the island is giving a press conference at 2:30 pm today. She said to start lining up some interviews, and that she and Carl will be with me soon.
I headed for the Marriott, and the parking lot looked like The Weather Channel used vehicle lot. I counted ten of their news trucks, and numerous other news vehicles from the southeastern United States. I made my way into the lobby and a concierge greeted me asking me if I needed assistance. I introduced myself, and showed my press credentials. He pointed me towards the pool area where the news conference is going to take place.
I made my way to the pool area and was amazed with the number of people already there. I started mingling with some news affiliates from Georgia and South Carolina. We traded our stories and soon I felt as though I am surrounded by new friends. Several of them invited me to the Marriott lounge for drinks tonight, as tomorrow and the rest of the week may be very busy for all of us.
Angela, Jennifer and Carl joined me, and introductions were made all around. I soon heard George, the producer from Columbia, South Carolina say "watch out everyone, here comes the pompous asshole of hurricane coverage." I turned around to see Jim Cantore heading our way. I felt like I was going to make a giddy ass of myself as I have watched him for years on The Weather Channel.
Jim sauntered to the group, and he stuck out his hand to me for a handshake. As I shook his hand he said "CJ Walters, I hoped I'd meet you during this coverage at some point. My producers have been keeping their eyes on you and your outstanding coverage in St Petersburg. I've watched a number of your broadcasts, and it's hard to believe you haven't even been in the broadcasting field for a year yet. Where's your home state and how did you get interested in broadcasting the weather?"
I could not believe that George called him the pompous asshole of hurricane coverage. Jim seemed genuinely interested in my story and asked me "are you continuing work on obtaining your AMS certification?" I nodded my head yes, and replied "I have several more classes to complete through Florida State University." Jim smiled at me and said "be sure to use this coverage to your benefit. You'll be able to put this coverage as additional experience for yourself. Get that certification complete and know that there are a number of people seriously watching your progress at The Weather Channel. I will be retiring in several years and they're on the hunt to replace me with young guns like you! CJ, who all do you have with you from St Petersburg?"
I made introductions of Angela, Jennifer and Carl. Jim then went around the rest of the group making sure he knew everyone's name. After all the introductions, Jim said "be sure and stop by the pool bar area tonight for the pre-arrival celebration of Vince. If the pool area is closed, we'll move into the inside lounge area here. It's been so nice to meet all of you, and I hope to see you all tonight. Be safe this week, remember to wear those goggles when you're out covering the storm. I'll see everyone later."
I looked around the group and saw George blushing. He looked at me and said "please tell me he's your long-lost uncle, and you two have met before?" Angela cracked up and said "nope, that's CJ for you. Since joining us earlier this year in St Petersburg, his animal magnetism attracts anyone and everyone. He's a gem, and I truly believe The Weather Channel is watching him. I've got to go call our general manager Bailey now, and tell him to give CJ a huge raise! If CJ's Uncle was here, he'd be cooking up a feast for all of us. He's our favorite relative in the station." Everyone in the group laughed and George said "sorry everyone. That is the first I've ever seen Jim greet someone like he did you CJ. I've got to see some of your footage now to see what Jim is talking about." I grinned and before I could say anything Carl spoke up saying "when we have a few minutes today, George, I'll take you to our truck. It just so happens that I have the best of CJ collection available for purchase." Everyone got a good laugh out of Carl's comments, and soon the St Petersburg crew was feeling at home with a number of other news affiliates up and down the eastern coast of the US.
After the press conference, the four of us got busy and set up our mobile shop for the local and national coverage tonight. Carl had everything hooked up very quickly and our connections to St Petersburg and New York are complete.
Jennifer and I completed the local coverage with assistance from Josh back in the studio. We played our stories from Marco Island, and turned over the local forecast to Josh in the studio. As I am watching him, I must admit he is excelling in his broadcasting skills. This internship has been great for him. Jennifer was also watching him and smiling as he made his broadcast. I leaned into her and whispered "so are you two an official couple yet?" She smiled at me and replied "I really like him CJ. He and I have spent so much time together, and he's growing on me quickly. I hate to think that in just over two months, he'll be gone for a while. He's already talking about returning to WPHS if Bailey has a spot for him." I cracked up and said "don't worry, he'll be back. I'll make sure Bailey gets him back here for you next year. He's been growing on me as well, and I like his can-do attitude around the station."
Angela and I received quite a bit of network video feed from Puerto Rico, The Virgin Islands and The Dominican Republic. Sal asked us for another minute segment tonight, which is not a problem with all the video he supplied us with. I checked the latest statistics on the hurricane, and Vince remains a strong cat 3 storm, and is projected to go to a cat 4 or higher once the storm absorbs more energy from the extremely warm Gulf of Mexico waters. Before the national news, hurricane watches were posted for all of the Florida Keys and the southern-most counties in the state. Tropical storm watches are now in effect from Ft Myers up to the Tampa Bay region. I immediately texted Wally letting him know that St Pete Beach is now under a Tropical Storm Watch. Ten minutes later, I received a return text saying "got it babe! We're all fine here. You take care of you and your group. Trev and Jimmy are working together to keep everyone in our group here updated. Jimmy asked me to tell you to be safe. He's also worried if we should start putting up hurricane shutters yet? The chief assures him we still have time. Love you CJ."
When I read the return text, I shared it with Carl. We both had a chuckle thinking of Jimmy, Trev and Alex taking charge of storm preparations at home for us.
We sat up our coverage in the pool are of our hotel which faces the gulf. The sun is starting its downward trek for the evening and it provided a good background for the national segment. David gave his tease into the top stories for the evening, and after the opening credits he turned the show over to me for the latest hurricane coverage. I started in with a live shot saying "Good evening, David. As you can see behind me, it's another beautiful day in south Florida on Marco Island. That will be changing though over the next 24 hours." We went to the video feed and my pre-recorded voice over. We also included part of Jennifer's interview as to preparations being made at Marco Island.
After the video was complete, Angela gave me the queue and I resumed with "David, unfortunately four deaths have been reported on Antigua. So far, Hurricane Vince seems to be skimming the larger population areas in the Caribbean Islands. Puerto Rico and The Virgin Islands are reporting power outages, significant roof and property damage but no loss of life. Hurricane warnings are in place for the southern Bahama Islands and Cuba. The Florida Keys, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Collier counties have just been placed on a hurricane watch along with Tropical Storm watches being posted for Ft Myers north to the Tampa Bay metro area. Hurricane Vince is a strong category 3 hurricane, and is projected to intensify as it enters the extremely warm Gulf of Mexico waters. Back to you David." David replied "As CJ just reported, hurricane watches have been posted within the last twenty minutes before this broadcast. CJ Walters, thank you and the team for your coverage tonight."
The four of us had dinner at a restaurant across the road from the hotel. We discussed our plans for tomorrow. Angela told us "The network wants CJ on tomorrow morning during Good Morning America. Due to this, I think it's prudent to have Jennifer do the majority of our St Petersburg coverage tomorrow morning, while CJ focuses on his report creation. How does that sound to everyone? I do have one request from Ross though asking to see both of you on at least one segment as he misses you both!" We all had a good laugh, and agreed to Angela's approach.
After a good dinner, we decided to go to the Marriott for a while. Angela reminded us "let's not get too crazy though, as we have an early day tomorrow with the morning broadcasts. CJ, Michael Strahan will be transferring to you during the show tomorrow." Carl turned to me and said "high five up top dude! David Muir, Jim Cantore and Michael Strahan all in one week. You're going places my friend. Don't forget us little people in St Petersburg." I cracked up at him and said "it's exciting, but I'm still nervous everyone on how strong the storm will be for us. First and foremost, we watch out and take care of each other. Second, I'm not going anywhere that fast Carl. I love St Petersburg; I love working with all of you and there's so much more I want to accomplish in St Petersburg before even considering a market change."
The Marriott lounge area was not as busy as I expected it to be. We mingled with a few people we met earlier, but I did not see Jim Cantore in the crowd. A few people introduced themselves to me and said they caught my report this evening. One reporter from Orlando is in awe of my reporting, and how I attracted the national network coverage? I shared my story with him and he could not believe how I lucked out with the position. I replied back "I owe it all to my GM Bailey Stauffer. He gave me an opportunity in March to show my stuff to the Tampa area, and shared the broadcasts with the network executives. Without Bailey running the show in St Petersburg, I doubt that I'd be here talking to you now."
About twenty minutes later, part of The Weather Channel crew showed up with Jim leading the pack. The producer told the bar staff that the next round for everyone was on their tab. Soon a waitress was roaming around the lounge taking our drink orders. I'm going with beer tonight, as I don't want a bourbon hangover tomorrow! I thanked the producer for the drink, and continued to mingle with all of the journalists in the room.
I enjoyed the conversation tremendously and it was nice to meet so many new people from the broadcasting field. I was at a high-top table talking to several people from Jacksonville when Jim came up behind me with a beer refill for me. He said "I hope I got this right, but that sure looks like an IPA to me." I smiled at him and said "you're spot on Jim. I'm love IPA's and stock it in my kegerator most of the time at home in St Pete Beach. The next time you're in the Tampa area, you'll have to stop by and enjoy a drink at CJ's pub." Jim cracked up and replied "I will make it a point to be in Tampa soon, and I'd love a drink at CJ's!"
Several of the people at the table excused themselves calling it an early evening. Carl, Angela and Jennifer joined Jim and I. Jim was so inquisitive to all of us and asked each of us so many questions. About thirty minutes later he said "I'm sorry that I'm so chatty tonight. I love to meet other journalists especially all of you youngsters who have not been in the field all that long. My advice to all of you is to enjoy yourselves, take opportunities when you can and ride CJ's coat tail. I can tell he's going places in this industry." I blushed and said "thanks Jim, I appreciate your flattering comments. However, I'm learning so much from these three and everyone at the station. I plan to make St Petersburg my home for a long time, as there are so many opportunities I see there which I want to take advantage of." He cracked up and said "well said, but be open to changes in your future young man. I cannot believe you're only 23 and already getting national coverage. Well done!"
Angela smiled and said "we just learned earlier Jim that they want CJ on Good Morning America tomorrow morning. So, it's going to be an early night for us." Jim looked at his watch and said "how about one more round and we'll trade contact information? I promised CJ that I'll come to St Petersburg soon, and I want to spend a day at the station with all of you." Jim had twisted everyone's arm, and we all had another drink with him before departing back to our hotel. We traded contact information, and each of us took pictures with Jim. Someone took a group photo of us. What a fun evening, and I cannot believe I had the opportunity to meet one of my idols in the meteorology field. Life is good!
I woke up before 4:00 am and got myself ready for the day. I'm psyched about being on Good Morning America this morning and also nervous about how much danger my friends and I may be in for the rest of the week. I showered off quickly, made a cup of coffee and got to work on obtaining information for my morning segments. The hurricane is now barreling towards the Keys, and the major paths are in alignment with the eye of the storm crossing the central Keys. At this point, Key West will have hurricane force winds, but will be on the safe side of the storm. The storm is on the border of a category 3 to 4. Its projected path has the storm brushing the edge of southwestern Florida peninsula and then heading out in to the Gulf of Mexico. Hurricane warnings are in effect for the Florida Keys as well as the southern counties of the Florida peninsula.
I was deep into compiling my information, when my phone startled me. I looked at the caller ID, and it was Wally. I answered the call and said "what are you doing up so early babe?" He replied "making sure my man is ready for everything, and if you want me to head there today?" I smiled and said "I'm fine Wally. Carl, Angela, Jennifer and I are nervous, but ready to get our day started. Besides, you have the bigger job of keeping Alex and Jimmy under control." Wally chuckled and said "how far will you be away from Jim, and do I need to come beat the shit out of him?"
I bet the whole floor of the hotel heard me laughing! I said "I take it you got my pictures then?" He replied "I sure did babe. I'll show them to Jimmy this morning and I know he will be excited. Please know Alex, Ronny and I are worried about you and the others. No heroics CJ, and if you feel unsafe get yourself to the shelter." Tears came to my eyes as I said "I will babe. I have so many good things waiting for me to return home. This storm is not going to take me down."
We continued to chat for a few more minutes and Wally said "Alex is having a breakfast watch party this morning for you on Good Morning America. I hear him out in the kitchen now getting things ready. I'm going to go and help him, but I'm glad I heard your voice this morning before starting anything. I love you so much CJ, and I cannot wait to have you back in my arms."
The waterworks were streaming down my face. I cleared my throat and said "I love you more Wally, and I promise you I'll be back to you as soon as I can. Have a good day sweetheart and please tell everyone at breakfast that I love them also." Wally closed the call with "UD, Jack and everyone important in Cincinnati will also be watching you this morning CJ. I'll talk to you later."
It wasn't even two minutes later after closing Wally's call, that my phone was chirping at me again. I looked at the ID and saw James Thompson. I answered the call with "how did you know I needed to hear your inspirational thoughts this morning?" James responded with "I know you're probably very busy getting ready for everything today. I've been watching you all this week, and my classes are gathering at 7:00 am this morning in the television studio to watch you on Good Morning America. I'm also going to play all of your segments from this week, as well as your parasail event at Beach Fest 2023. Keep up the fantastic work CJ, and make all of us Muskies proud. I'm so proud of all of your career accomplishments thus far and cannot wait for so many more for you to come. Be safe my friend, and know we're all rooting you on at Maumee!" I smiled and replied "thanks James. You don't know how much your call has meant to me this morning. I'm on in St Petersburg in about 40 minutes, and then GMA this morning in the 7:00 hour." James said "I'll be watching my friend, and UD is having breakfast catered in for all of the students here today after your GMA appearance. Stay well CJ, and I want to hear all of your experiences once this week is over for you. Bye CJ."
My energy level went into overdrive after my two calls. I finished up all of my notes I needed and headed down to the news van at 4:30 am. Carl was already there and had everything ready to go for our morning broadcasts. Carl smiled at me and said "good morning sunshine. I gave a call to the ladies to make sure they were up and going, but I knew you'd be here early for me. Let's get some sound checks. When you're ready, I have the video that is going to be shown while you're talking on GMA later." I smiled at him and said "I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate all that you do for me Carl." I leaned in and gave him a hug with him replying "my pleasure CJ. I love working with you and it's hard to believe that you and Trev have only been in my life for six months. I love all the time we've spent together, and you my friend are kicking ass this week. I have Ed saving all your work at the station for your use after this week is done. Ed's at the station this morning working with us. Also, before I forget I need to tell Ed you're here now. Ross wants to see you and talk to you this morning."
Carl told Ed we were ready for a sound check on me. Ed said "cool, but before we do that do you see Ross and hear him?" Ross said "good morning you two, how are you doing?" My smile just grew seeing my mentor, my friend and another dad in my life appear on the monitor in front of me. I said "hey Ross, I can see and hear you. How are you doing my friend?" He replied "I'm doing fine, except I want all of you to get back here in one piece. I'm watching some live feed from Marathon Key this morning, and the winds are increasing by the hour. Please be careful you two, and remember CJ you and I have a date for bourbon and cigars after the BANA awards." I cracked up at Ross and said "don't worry Ross, I'll be there with you as we hoist that BANA trophy for the best morning news team." Ed came back into view and said "CJ's voice sounds fine this morning. Let me know when Jennifer gets there and we'll do her check as well."
Ross came back on and said "CJ can I do anything for you? Your segments have been incredible and I am so proud to be your morning partner! I'm also envious of you, as I have never been featured on a national news segment. Keep it up my friend, just give me advance warning before you leave St Petersburg." I laughed and said "don't worry Ross, I'm not leaving you anytime soon. You and I still have so much news to cover together at WPHS." Ross smiled and said "good deal CJ. I need to go finish one story. Talk to you in a little while my friend."
Jennifer and Angela joined us and Jennifer said "is it just me, or is the wind picking up this morning?" I replied to her and said "it picking up. I came down about fifteen minutes ago and it's been steady at 18 miles per hour. Here is the other anemometer from the station for you to use. Hold it up in the air and it gives you a wind-speed reading." Jennifer said "thanks CJ. I'll carry this with me for the rest of our reports. Angela is sending me out on assignment while you appear on GMA this morning."
Before Jennifer and I went on the 5:00 am show, I received a text from Jim Cantore. It said "hey CJ, hope you have a good day. The network sent us to the Keys just after 3:00 am. Good luck on GMA, and let's catch up after everything calms down. Stay safe my friend." I replied to his text with good wishes to him as well and for him and his crew to be safe.
The 5:00 show kicked off and soon Jennifer and I were split screen with Ross and Trev in the studio. Jennifer and I worked well together trading off sharing information about the pending storm. Ross asked "CJ, do you have any idea when Marco Island will be feeling the outer band effects of hurricane Vince?" I replied "the winds have increased this morning Ross, and in reviewing the radar sites from Naples and Key West, we probably will be seeing rain showers and increasing winds early this morning." Trev then asked "CJ, you're probably aware of the 4:00 am NWS update, but have any local warnings been issued this morning?" Jennifer fielded the question and said "there are no mandatory evacuations in place yet, but I'm attending a press conference this morning at 7:30 am with the Collier County Emergency Management Association. I'll have more information Trev at noon for the WPHS audience."
Ross concluded the 5:00 segment with "Jennifer and CJ, please take care and stay safe. Keep a watch on Angela and Carl for us also." I replied saying "we will Ross. Jennifer will continue our broadcasts this morning while I prepare for Good Morning America at 7:00 this morning. Back to you Ross."
Angela gave the all-clear queue and said "excellent job you two. CJ, do you need any help from me this morning?" I said "right now I am fine Angela. I'm going to work on my story, and if I need anything I'll let you know. Oh, by the way everyone, Jim Cantore is on his way to the Keys. He told us all to stay safe and do some great things on our stories today."
Jennifer did a good job on the remainder of the morning show. She's showing wonderful improvement, and I hope that Bailey continues to expand her assignments at the station. I watched the hurricane video several times that is going to appear while I am on GMA. I made notes of what I want to say, and practiced my comments several times before we cut to the national network.
Before cutting over to the national feed, Carl looked at me, gave me a smile and said "you've got this CJ. Make us all proud and kick some ass this morning!"
The intro to GMA kicked off with each of the anchors giving show highlights. Michael Strahan appeared on screen and said "Hurricane Vince continues to wreak havoc in the tropics. Hurricane warnings are in effect for the Florida Keys and the southern counties of the Florida peninsula. CJ Walters is live at Marco Island for us later in this broadcast."
I had a chill go up my spine as I heard Michael say this. I took a few calming breaths and said to myself "remember CJ, you've got this. Go in thinking you're a winner, and you'll come out a winner." I looked up at the sky, and a rain shower began to come down on me. I whispered to myself "I love you too, Wally" feeling as though Wally is sending me a special message with the rain shower.
Before I started my segment, I put on a rain jacket and ball cap. Angela gave me a one-minute queue and I said to her "I've got this my friend! Let's do it!" She gave me a smile and said "make us proud, CJ."
The show returned to Michael who made some initial comments about the storm and the damage experienced thus far in the Caribbean. He then said "CJ Walters from our St Petersburg affiliate WPHS joins us live this morning from Marco Island, Florida. Good morning, CJ."
Angela gave me the queue and I began with "Good morning, Michael, and good morning, America. Hurricane Vince is starting to make its presence known here at Marco Island this morning. We're experiencing light rain showers from the outer bands now, and the windspeed has increased this morning to 25 miles per hour. Hurricane warnings are now in effect for the Florida Keys and the southern counties on the Florida peninsula."
I continued on with my story as I watched the video on a monitor that Carl had set up for me. Everything was going well and I saw the video change over to a radar site from Miami. I quickly changed to the radar coverage saying "this is a current radar shot from Miami. As you can see the eye of hurricane Vince is approaching the central Florida Keys and is expected to cross the Keys somewhere near Marathon Key this afternoon. Wind gusts are nearing 60 miles per hour at Marathon Key now and Key West is reporting 50 mile per hour winds as of 7:00 am this morning. Key West will be on the safer side of the storm, and we're expected to be impacted here with high winds, storm surge and heavy thunderstorms at Marco Island. If the storm continues on its current path, the eye is expected to stay off the Marco Island coastline but we'll experience category three hurricane effects later today and tonight."
The camera shot came back to me, and I was split screen with Michael and Robyn Roberts. I continued on saying "hurricane watches have been placed for Port Charlotte north to Tampa. Tropical storm watches are in effect north of Tampa to the big bend of Florida. The storm is expected to continue its northwesterly progression through the Gulf of Mexico, and eventually make landfall in Louisiana or Texas. Michael, were going to be here as long as we can today. If the storm conditions worsen, we will move to a storm evacuation center two blocks from here. Michael, back to you."
Michael finished up with two questions for me, which I answered for him. Robyn Roberts then joined the conversation as she said "CJ, you and the crew stay safe and we'll check in with you later today on World News Tonight. In other news from Capitol Hill this morning...".
Angela gave the all-clear queue and rushed me with a hug and kiss. She looked at me and said "sorry, but I just can't believe what all you are capable of doing. Another fantastic report and I am so happy to be able to join you on your most significant reports this year. Take a break, and I'll head out with Carl and Jennifer to the EMA meeting. We'll come back, pick you up and get more stories in for you and Jennifer later this morning." Jennifer and Carl also gave me hugs, with Carl saying "bro, you just netted us all a huge bonus this year. Thanks CJ, and I cannot wait until we're back at the condo partying our asses off!"
I took Angela up on the break offer. I went into the hotel lobby and the lady at the desk said "I have a hot pot of coffee over there just for you. Great job CJ!" I looked at her name tag and said "thanks Brenda, I sure can use a cup of coffee. Can I get an interview with you and some of the hotel crew about the hotel preparations being made, as well as personal preparations you and your families are making? My crew should be back here in an hour or so and we'd like to hear how the hotel staff is prepping for the storm." Brenda smiled at me and said "sure. I have several people making final lockdowns on the hotel patio now. We'll be ready for you. Several of us are planning to ride out the storm here if we are able to. You and your friends are welcome to join us. We have plenty of water and food stored up if needed."
I went back outside and the rain shower ended as quickly as it began. The humidity feels like it increased by 20 points, so I ditched my raincoat and took a seat on a bench by the hotel entrance. The coffee tastes great, and it's time to answer some texts and calls. Since I finished my report, I have felt the phone vibrating like crazy. I have to say all the vibrations got me hard, and there is only one man I want to be with right now to take care of my problem.
I had received nine phone calls, with nine messages left. My text message indicator showed 27 texts, so I decided to check as many as I can before Angela and the gang return for me.
Wally and UD both called me and left a message. I called them back before checking their messages. Both of them were ecstatic in their comments, but both still expressed concern for our safety. I assured both of them that we will not take any chances, and promised them both that I'll be taking shelter when I feel the time is needed.
I had just started going through my text messages when Bessie entered into the parking lot. Luckily there were several available parking spaces near the hotel entrance. Angela greeted me first saying "sorry it took us longer than expected. We filled the news van with gas, and picked up bottled water and snacks for all of us." I looked at them and said "Brenda, the hotel manager, informed me that several of the staff are planning to ride out the storm here. We're welcome to join them also as they have plenty of water and food stalked up if needed. What's next Angela? Brenda and her staff agreed to do interviews for us, should we start with them?" Angela thought for a minute and said "yes, let's start with them. We'll also get some video of the roads, beach and pool area during the calm periods as well as the stormy periods."
By the time the noon show rolled around, the conditions have deteriorated at Marco Island. The wind speed is up to 50 miles per hour, with gusts of 60 miles per hour occasionally being experienced. The outer bands of the storm are now apparent as we experienced heavy rain showers especially within the last hour.
Carl and I went to the beach about fifteen minutes ago to get some more video of the gulf. Its rougher now as larger waves are crashing on the beach. There is still plenty of beach visible, but the storm surge is becoming apparent. We were able to capture some landmarks before the heavy storms, and some pictures of them now. I'm in amazement about the surge. I've always been told how powerful it is, but seeing it in person is frightening, to say the least.
The four of us took refuge under a patio roof for the noon show. Angela gave us the queue to begin talking to Ross and Trevor. I started with "good afternoon gentlemen. As you can see, the conditions here have worsened since our morning shows. Sustained windspeeds are now 50 miles per hour, with gusts reaching as high as 65 miles per hour." Jennifer then added more information she had learned at the EMA meeting this morning. Carl played the video of the beach earlier today, versus what we just took fifteen minutes ago showing the difference. I made comments while the video was playing about the increase in the surge, noting though it was still a distance from the hotels in the area.
The camera shot came back to Jennifer and myself. I started to say "we're going to report from outside our hotel as long as we can today, but if the conditions become too unfavorable, we will seek shelter inside." Just as I finished my comment, a strong gust of wind caught all four of us off guard on the patio. Jennifer fell to her knees, and I was able to latch on to a column on the patio. I quickly aided Jennifer to her feet and held on to her. The gust knocked Carl off balance causing him to lose the camera shot. Angela quickly grabbed Carl and secured him and herself to a brick column. Carl retrieved the camera, and resumed the shot.
Jennifer and I were still able to hear Ross as he said "CJ, Jennifer is everyone okay?" I replied "we're okay Ross, we just had a gust of 76 miles per hour according to my reporting device. It took all of us by surprise and we all lost our footing. We're going to end this report now, an we'll continue to be in touch with you throughout the day."
All of us made our way back into the hotel. Brenda was able to assist us by opening a door close to where we were at on the patio. She asked all of us "are you all okay, and is there anything I can do for you?" We all replied to Brenda and indicated to her that we just need to rest for a while. She then said "come with me to the conference room. It's an interior room with no windows. The staff is starting to assemble there for safety."
Once we were settled in the conference room, Carl said "Brenda does the hotel have any type of audio and visual hookup capabilities?" She thought for a minute and said "yes, it does Carl. In fact, the one television station from Ft Myers is hooked up with us for a constant beach and pool video feed." He smiled and said "do you know if there are anymore ports available to that feed?" She smiled and said "I think there is. But if we need to, we can unhook the current setup saying we lost power." Carl said "we may be able to just hook right into their feed depending upon the setup."
Carl then turned to the three of us and said "does anyone feel like trying to help me gather the equipment from our van? I'll grab what we need, and perhaps we can make a chain to get all of it into the hotel." All three of us said we were up to helping Carl, and several hotel associates volunteered as well.
Once we had everything into the hotel, Brenda showed us where the audio and video hookups were located in the hotel. Thank goodness we had our engineering wizard with us as Carl had the video feed hooked up within 20 minutes. He called Ed at the station and asked if Ed was receiving the video feed from our camera two unit? Ed is receiving the video fine and is going to begin recording it for us. Carl said "just keep recording all day Ed. This is the beach and pool feed from The Marco Island Inn. Be ready for us to add one or two more feeds yet today." Carl also hooked a monitor to the video feed, so that we were able to view it as well in the hotel.
After we had the beach and pool video feed in place, Brenda said "I have a suggestion for you on another possible camera shot if you want to see it? It may be a safer option for you four as the storm gets worse." Angela quickly spoke up saying "yes, lets take a look. The patio option is not going to be feasible later today and tonight for us."
Brenda took us to the supply storage area for the hotel. At the end of the supply hallway, there is a loading dock with an overhead garage door and two steel reinforced doors. As we entered the room, the sound of the wind was much louder and we heard the rain pelting the roof very hard. Brenda said "this is where we have trucks unload supplies to us. What if we open the garage door, and you can stand near the opening showing the outside while being protected by the walls of this room? The shot will be facing some open land between this hotel and the Marriott." Carl looked at Angela and said "what do you think boss? I think it's worth a try to get us safer shots." Angela replied "I agree, Brenda will you help us try it?"
Brenda said "sure, everyone stand back from the door just in case." We all huddled around Brenda as she pressed the button to open the door.
I could not believe how the trees were bending in the wind now as we saw them when the door slowly opened. The room itself felt safe, even though rain and some wind entered into it." Angela said "that's good Brenda, let's go ahead and put the door down."
Once the door was lowered, Carl said "I can anchor another camera on a tripod, and we can surround the tripod with those loaded boxes over there. I think this is going to be an option for us Angela, as long as the wind does not interfere with CJ and Jennifer." Angela said "okay everyone, let's try this before we attempt a live feed later today. CJ and Jennifer, are you both willing to give it a shot?" Both Jennifer and I agreed to it, and we all went to work in getting the area set up.
Brenda had one more suggestion for all of us. She said "do you have your cell phone chargers, or are they in your rooms?" For some reason, all of us had our chargers with us thinking that we can plug them in the news van outlets. She suggested that we charge our phones up now while there is still power, which we did.
Angela called Bailey to inform him of what we were attempting. She told him that Ed is already helping us and we have a live feed being recorded of the pool and beach area. Angela went on telling him about the loading dock area, but suggested that he have all directors and producers available on an upcoming call in case they had questions. Bailey said "I'll have everyone waiting. Do you want to try the test in 20 minutes at 2:30?" Angela replied "yeah, that works Bailey. If we run into any problems here, I'll let you know."
Everything is ready to go and we had two minutes to spare before the test. Jennifer and I put our raincoats and goggles on and were ready to take our place in front of the door. Carl started up the feed while Angela placed a call to Bailey. Once he answered, Angela said "okay Bailey we're ready here. Are you ready for us? We want to do a microphone check also to see if we need to do any work on this end." Bailey gave Angela the all clear and Brenda began to raise the door. Jennifer and I went in front of the camera, and began speaking to see if they can hear us back at the station. Ed said "tell Carl we need to peg the microphones, and get some more light on them."
Angela said "CJ and Jennifer, move closer to the door" thinking that will give more light to the scene. It did help, but Ed said "we need more light in case we lose what daylight we have there right now." Angela told Brenda to lower the door, and soon we were able to hear voices on her cell phone which she had on speaker. Ed said "the shot needs to be lighter if you can, and keep the microphones pegged on high Carl." Angela replied "we'll see what we can do with the light, but we may not be able to improve our scene much. Hopefully, we'll be in between rain showers and have lighter skies when we do our shows at 5:00 and 6:00. Thanks everyone, and we'll talk to you in a couple of hours. Bailey, if anything changes here, I'll let you know."
Brenda had several of the hotel workers obtain some spotlights that are used around the pool and beach area for special events. She said "as long as we don't lose power, these may help out." Jennifer also suggested "if we have some rope, I feel like I can go closer to the door. I'd like to tie the rope around my waist though, in case I get knocked down again." As luck had it, Brenda also knew there was some rope available in a hotel storage closet.
I made a call to Josh to get the up-to-date storm information as my laptop internet access is not strong. Josh retrieved all the information I needed, and I told him I'll call again later for updated information for my World News Tonight segment. Josh suggested that I call Trev as he will be on the air, and Trev is sticking around to help us if we need it.
While I was talking with Josh, Jennifer checked in with county EMA contacts she had spoken to earlier in the day. She obtained information on the island conditions, as well as any critical emergencies in progress. Angela worked with Sal at World News Tonight to ensure that our video feed is being picked up in the New York studio.
All of us were ready to go for the 5:00 pm show. Even though we did all of the preparation activities there was still the chance that our broadcast may be knocked off the air. Brenda raised the door for us, Jennifer and I took our places near the door with rope tied around our waist and Angela gave us the queue to begin our report. I started in with "good evening to everyone from Marco Island. As you can see, Jennifer and I are standing in front of a torrential downpour with howling winds surrounding us. Hurricane Vince has crossed the Florida Keys and we're feeling the storm effects now on the southwestern coast of the Florida peninsula. The eye of the hurricane is 80 miles southeast of Naples, Florida and hurricane warnings are in effect for Charlotte, Collier, Lee, Miami-Dade and Monroe counties. We have sustained winds of 85 miles per hour at Marco Island, with gusts reaching 100 miles per hour."
Jennifer kicked in and said "as you can see, CJ and I are wearing eye protection. Even though we're in a protected area, the rain is stinging as it hits our skin. I checked in with Marco Island officials about thirty minutes ago who said they are still handling emergency calls that they can reach. Officials are reporting downed trees, roof damage reports and a number of streets are beginning to flood. Once the winds reach 100 miles per hour, officials will stop responding to emergency calls, and will resume emergency calls once the storm passes. Island residents are being urged to stay in a safe place or shelters which have been set up at several locations around the island."
I resumed the report with "Hurricane Vince crossed the Florida Keys earlier today near Marathon Key. We do not have any immediate damage reports, but Josh and the news crew will cover this plus other damage reports in from the Keys. Marco Island will be feeling the effects of Hurricane Vince well into the night, and it's expected that the storm will continue to progress off the Florida coastline as it enters the Gulf of Mexico. We're in for a long night here at Marco Island. Fortunately, our hotel has not lost power and high tide is working in our favor. We're showing you a live shot now from the pool and beach area at our hotel. The shot is blurred due to the winds, but as you can make out there is still quite a bit of beach area remaining. The waves in the gulf are very high now and are expected to increase in the next few hours. We're going to send it back to the studio now, and we'll be back with a report in our 6:00 pm show. Josh, back to you for more information on Hurricane Vince."
Angela gave the all-clear notice, and asked Brenda to lower the door. Once the loading dock was secured Angela said "excellent job everyone. The segment looked good to me on the monitor, and I'll check in shortly with the studio to see if everything came across fine there. CJ and Jennifer, get your lifelines off and take a break."
The 6:00 pm show went fine and was a repeat of the earlier show. Jennifer and I felt relieved that we had two shows under our belt now. The winds continued to howl outside, and I'm ready to finish the segments up for today. I'll be glad once the hurricane moves on and truthfully, I'm not sure this type of reporting is for me. I'm an adrenaline junkie, but today has been too much excitement for me. I know that this hurricane is smaller than others that have hit this area, and in the grand scheme of things it is probably a good one to gain experience on. I'm really going to have to think on how much I want to be chasing hurricanes in the future for the network.
Angela informed Sal that my broadcast may be interrupted and if they need to cut me off go ahead. The basic outline of the report is going to be the opening shot with me in front of the raised door. Angela wants me to continue speaking as they will change shots to show the pool and beach area. She also wants Jennifer included, and I will pass the report off to Jennifer for the Marco Island specific information. After Jennifer is finished, Carl will return to a shot of just me and closing information on the hurricane.
Jennifer and I are going to get the top billing on World News Tonight. After the lead-ins, David is going to transfer right to us. Brenda opened the door as Angela instructed her to. Jennifer and I were in our rope lifeline again and got to the entrance. Again, the rain is pelting our face causing some pain. I looked out before the segment started and noticed that several palm trees were now uprooted, and the hotel parking lot is now littered with debris.
Angela gave me the queue to start and I began with "Good evening, David. As you can see, the weather has changed drastically here at Marco Island in the last 24 hours. We've experienced hurricane force winds for most of the afternoon here. My colleague Jennifer Nesbitt and I are in a protected loading dock, and hopefully you can see the intensity of the wind and rain behind us." Just as I finished, several pieces of metal roofing came crashing down at the loading dock entrance. Both Jennifer and I went to the ground due to a gust of wind, and Angela had Brenda shut the door. As I helped Jennifer and myself regain our stance, I continued on saying "that's the second time today that Jennifer and I have been impacted by wind or debris. We've closed the door behind us in order to be safe and finish this report."
I continued on with statistics about the hurricane and how long its expected to impact southwest Florida. I turned the report over to Jennifer who told the audience information concerning the Marco Island area and how the storm is impacting the residents and the safety rescuers.
Jennifer finished up and turned the story back over to me. I finished up by saying "David, were all okay here but we expect the storm to go on for another four hours at this intensity. Once it's safe to travel, we will tour the island and other spots in Collier County to show the impact and damage caused by Hurricane Vince. Our hope now is that all people are safe and have heeded the warnings of the county officials. David...". I was now able to hear David clearly as he said "CJ and Jennifer, I'm so glad that you two were not injured by the roofing. Thanks for your report tonight, and continue to be safe. We'll now go to Jeffrey Lucas from our Miami affiliate who is in the Northern Florida Keys assessing the damage from Hurricane Vince. Jeffrey...".
Angela gave the all-clear signal, and everyone in the loading dock area came to Jennifer and myself to ensure we are okay. I looked at Jennifer and said "are you sure you're, okay?" She smiled and said "I'm fine, are you okay CJ?" I started laughing, gave her a hug and said "I'm fine to. What a hell of a national debut for you tonight. Way to go!" Angela broke in and said "way to go to both of you! I have never been so scared in my life, and all I can say is that shot was spectacular. I know it will go viral overnight, but I'm so glad you're both okay."
We left our equipment set up in the loading dock, and returned to the safety of the conference room. I know all of us were stunned at what happened, and Angela was right. The segment is going viral! All of our phones were going off. I ignored all of the messages I was getting and only wanted to talk to three people. I called Wally first, who was just a nervous wreck at what he saw. I calmed him down, and in turn he calmed me down. I finished up my call with him by saying "I hope to be in your arms by Saturday babe. You need to help me rethink this network contract though. I'm not sure I want to be doing this type of work too often." Wally replied "yeah babe, we need to talk about it. I never want to see you in that type of scene again." I ended the call by saying "I love you and miss you, Wally." As usual, he responded with "I love you and miss you more."
I made my second call to UD. As he answered the phone, I knew he was crying. His first words to me were "are you okay son?" I laughed and replied "I'm fine UD. I'll be glad when I get back home. I just wanted you to hear my voice and let you know we're all okay here, and want some of your good barbecue tonight!" His tears turned into his hearty laugh as he said "I'll be there as soon as I can and fix you all a barbecue feast."
My third call was to Bailey. I started by saying "hey boss, we need to renegotiate my contract! I think I need unlimited bourbon and cigars if I keep this line of work up. Did you catch the segment, and do you know if the network execs are pleased?" Bailey replied "of course I caught the segment, and I have to go clean myself now as I shit my pants when I saw that roof collapse behind you two." I busted out laughing and my three friends wondered who I was talking to. Bailey said "are you with the others now, and if so, put your phone on speaker." I put the call on speaker and said "hey everyone, Bailey wants to talk to us."
Bailey started in with "as I just told CJ, I need to go to the bathroom and clean myself up as I shit my pants when the roof collapsed." Everyone had the same reaction as I did initially, and the room filled with laughter. Bailey continued and said "I've been on the phone with the network execs in New York since the report. First, they want to make sure the four of you are okay. Please seek any medical attention that you need. Second, please know that the four of you pulled off a huge ratings explosion tonight. The segment is already being shown on CNN and MSNBC. You four have done a hell of a job, and I cannot wait to get you all back to St Petersburg, where you belong. Please take care and keep in touch on how your return is coming. Finally, to all of you on the hotel staff, thank you so very much for taking care of my staff. We'll be making up all the kindness you have shown in any way we can."
The room responded with cheers and applause. I told Bailey "Well Bailey, we're going to pig out on beef jerky, potato chips, pretzels and whatever else we have in our stash tonight. Hopefully, we all can get some sleep tonight. Take care, and we'll be in touch tomorrow with you."
The hotel did not lose power, but I don't think any of us slept to well. We all remained very safe in the conference room as the winds continued to howl on the outside. Gradually, it sounded as though the storm was moving on. Around 2:00 am, Carl quietly said "hey CJ, are you asleep?" I answered him saying "no, I'm not. Are you able to sleep?" He said "no, do you want to go check the news van with me?" Angela and Jennifer heard us and said "wait, I want to go to." Brenda also joined us. The news van was intact, but the parking lot was littered with debris, sand, trees, metal and other items. The rain was decreasing in intensity along with the winds. We decided it was not safe to go out exploring and chose to wait until we had sun light to explore the area around us.
We returned to the conference room and the four of us sat down at a table and chairs. None of us could really sleep, so we got a game plan together for our day ahead.
I felt better as we discussed our plans for the day. Angela said we may be stuck for a while depending on how littered the roads are with debris. She suggested we plan on surveying the island on Friday until we are able take the highway back to interstate 75. Depending upon the time and our progress she said we may stay in Naples tomorrow night and cover some stories there, before heading to St Petersburg. The plan sounded practical and very good to me as I knew I'd be back in my comfortable surroundings by the weekend. I'm anxious to see Wally, and just spend several days in bed with him. I don't believe he will argue with my plans at all.