Good Morning Britain viewers were outraged when a weather reporter was nearly blown away during an ‘unsurvivable’ hurricane on Thursday.
NBC News reporter Jay Gray was speaking to hosts Sean Fletcher and Ranvir Singh about the conditions in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
The Category 4 Hurricane Laura has 150mph winds and is battering the south east, with residents being told to evacuate.
Dangerous: Good Morning Britain viewers were outraged when a weather reporter was nearly blown away during an ‘unsurvivable’ hurricane on Thursday.
Jay stayed in the storm to present his weather report but was nearly blown off his feet.
He said: ‘A bit of a lull but here it comes again, you can feel it picking up and that’s only going to continue to turn and get much more intense.’
The wind then picked up and became so strong he was forced to move and grab hold of his cap.
Brave: NBC News reporter Jay Gray was speaking to hosts Sean Fletcher and Ranvir Singh about the conditions in Lake Charles, Louisiana
‘Unsurvivable’: Jay stayed in the storm to present his weather report but was nearly blown off his feet
The presenters were then forced to cut away as Jay couldn’t hear them and the hurricane became too strong.
Sean said: ‘I think for your safety Jay we are going to have to leave you. You’re talking about that being a lull, I can’t imagine what it’s going to be like when it really picks up.
‘The conditions look dangerous already for Jay.’
Scary: The Category 4 Hurricane Laura has 150mph winds and is battering the south east, with residents being told to evacuate
Taking a battering: The presenters were forced to cut away as Jay couldn’t hear them and the hurricane became too strong
Ranvir said: ‘Jay, go and make yourself safe somewhere, I assume you can go and get shelter in a vehicle for a while. My goodness me, that is extraordinary.’
But viewers were horrified by the conditions and shared their outrage that the presenter was made to stand in the hurricane.
One fan said on Twitter: ‘What the hell has this weather guy done to deserve this! Get him inside now! @GMB #GMB Telling people it’s unsurvivable and then stick him outside to demonstrate that! So irresponsible!’
Another wrote: ‘Why is he being made to stand outside in a hurricane when Alex has said threat to life.’
Concerned: Viewers were horrified by the conditions and shared their outrage that the presenter was made to stand in the hurricane
One viewer said: ‘Hurricane described as “unsurvivable”. Sends a news reporter out to stand in it. Poor bloke. Taking a pasting.’
While another said: ‘That poor guy reporting on Hurricane Laura. Surely one of the GMB producers tells him to get to a safe place and don’t bother with the report. He was being physically blown over!!’
After sharing the video on social media, GMB then clarified: ‘We would like to add Jay Gray is an experienced hurricane reporter with lots of safety measures in place. He is safe and well.’
Reassuring: fter sharing the video on social media, GMB then clarified that Jay is an experienced hurricane reporter and is safe and well
At 150mph, the hurricane’s winds are the strongest to make landfall in Louisiana since the Last Island Hurricane of 1856.
The storm grew nearly 87 per cent in power in just 24 hours to a size the National Hurricane Center called ‘extremely dangerous’, making it the most powerful hurricane to strike the US so far this year.
Laura reached land near the small town of Cameron around 30 miles from the Texas border, where officials went door-to-door pleading with people to flee the path of the storm amid fears the entire parish will be inundated.
More than 290,000 homes and businesses are without power in Texas and Louisiana, as near-constant lightning provided the only light for some and debris flew into windshields while an RV toppled over in torrential rain.
The hurricane is now pushing inland while the Gulf Coast faces storm surges and 10 inches of rain coupled with a high tide, the National Hurricane Center says – while tornadoes could form at the edges of the weather system.
Deadly: Hurricane Laura began to pummel Lake Charles, Louisiana late Wednesday, with powerful winds gusting over 70mph
Landfall: Laura reached land near the small town of Cameron around 30 miles from the Texas border at 1am in Louisiana