Fort Myers TV Station Continues Reporting Even After Hurricane Ian Flooded Its Studio & Pressured It Off Air – Deadline

By admin On Oct 1, 2022

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A Fort Myers TV station continued to supply reviews on social media and different platforms in regards to the extent of harm from Hurricane Ian — which made landfall as a Cat. 4 storm on a close-by barrier island — even after Ian’s destruction pressured it off the air.

WINK-TV, a CBS affiliate owned by Fort Myers Broadcasting Firm, was capable of broadcast from its studios on Wednesday after energy failure and after its studios flooded.

“The station that you simply depend on is doing all that they’ll to get again to full energy,” information anchor Lois Thome stated in a message posted on Fb on Thursday.

The evening earlier than, the station misplaced energy simply earlier than 5 PM, because the hurricane was nonetheless making its approach throughout the southwest areas of the state. Thome, Chris Cifatte and Matt Devitt, its chief meteorologist, continued to newscast on Fb for a time.

However Thome stated on Fb that the station’s places of work had been “not a spot we will work proper now.”

Devitt posted photos of WINK’s flooded first ground.

Storm surge received into our WINK studios in Fort Myers, flooded your complete first ground. Misplaced energy and was unable to proceed broadcasting on television/radio. No timetable on return to air. #Ian was the strongest hurricane in Southwest Florida historical past. Widespread destruction heading residence. pic.twitter.com/w6is0EXcpD
— Matt Devitt (@MattDevittWINK) September 29, 2022

Reporter Michael Hudak posted video of flood waters coming into the power’s storage and submerging automobiles there. The workers was evacuated to the second ground shortly thereafter.

Meteorologist Dylan Federico said on Twitter that emergency personnel finally evacuated the workers from the constructing early on Thursday morning.

Regardless of their very own harrowing expertise with the storm, Deavitt and different WINK reporters continued to supply updates on Thursday and Friday.

Federico wrote on Twitter, “The state of affairs in Fort Myers is horrible. Most with out energy. No working water. Smells like sewage from pipes overflowing. Additionally smells like gasoline from boats floating into city throughout storm surge. Particles all over the place. Uninhabitable.”

He additionally posted earlier than and after pictures of Fort Myers Seaside.

On Friday, Michael Hudak and Gail Levy interviewed those that had been rescued from Sanibel Island, minimize off from the mainland after the primary causeway was severely broken.

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