Two journalists in North Carolina died Monday when a tree fell onto their SUV, WYFF-TV reports. The Greenville, South Carolina-based station announced that their anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were both covering the impact of rain in Polk County when the incident took place.

WYFF-TV said McCormick joined the station this year but covered the local news for more than a decade. They said Smeltzer joined the newsroom in 2007 as a reporter. In 2014, he became the channel's Sunday evening anchor.

"All of us at WYFF News 4 are grieving. We are a family and we thank you, our extended family, for your comfort as we mourn and as we seek to comfort the families of Mike and Aaron," the station said.

The tree fell in the same county where a landslide killed a woman inside her home on May 19, the Associated Press reports.

Anchor Carol Goldsmith said on air that McCormick and Smeltzer were "beloved members of our team — our family." </s> A television reporter and anchor from St. Petersburg, Florida working in North Carolina was killed in a freak accident during a storm spawned by Tropical Storm Alberto.

‘WYFF News 4’ Anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were killed yesterday in Polk County, North Carolina when a tree fell on their SUV.

It happened just after McCormick interviewed Tryon, North Carolina Fire Chief Geoffrey Tennant.

The local fire chief says Alberto wasn’t solely to blame as the roots of the 3-foot diameter tree were loosened in ground saturated by a week’s worth of rain.

The station said everyone there is grieving and thanked everyone for their comfort. The area is under flood watch from storms stemming from moisture pushed up from subtropical storm Alberto.

The post Reporter From Florida Killed After Tree Falls on Vehicle During Alberto appeared first on 850 WFTL. </s> Tryon, North Carolina: A TV anchor and his photojournalist were killed when a tree fell on their vehicle in North Carolina as they worked to report on subtropical storm Alberto.

WYFF News 4 anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were on a highway reporting on the flooding and several weather wiped up by Alberto on the US east coast, when the tree roots gave way.

A fire chief in North Carolina says he spoke to the pair 10 minutes before they were struck and killed by the falling tree.

Tryon Fire Chief Geoffrey Tennant's voice broke as he talked about recognising the WYFF-TV vehicle under the large tree and the two men dead inside. </s> Image copyright WYFF Image caption News channel WYFF 4 paid tribute to its two journalists

Two journalists were killed in a "freak of nature" accident while covering weather conditions in North Carolina during storm Alberto.

Mike McCormick and Aaron Smeltzer, from news outlet WYFF, died when a falling tree crushed their car as they drove down a highway.

Fire chief Geoff Tennant had recorded an interview with the pair minutes before he received the emergency call.

He said they had each exchanged wishes to stay safe just 10 minutes earlier.

Mr McCormick was a reporter and anchor, and Mr Smeltzer was a photojournalist. Both were on assignment covering the extreme weather.

The tree, Mr Tennant said, "probably fell in excess of 30 feet".

While the deaths of the two journalists are not being directly attributed to the storm itself, the heavy rainfall had waterlogged the soil, probably contributing to the tree's fall.

"It is one of those things you know is going to happen, or you can predict it may happen - you don't know when," Mr Tennant said.

He said the death of both men has "personally affected me", and that although it was his first meeting with Mr McCormick and Mr Smeltzer, "you feel a sense of responsibility for them".

The news station which employed both men paid tribute to them in its reporting.

"Our news family grieves over the loss of two special journalists - and two special friends," news anchor Carol Goldsmith said as she reported the news on WYFF 4's evening news.

Mr McCormick was an anchor and reporter covering the Spartanburg area with more than a decade's experience in the role.

Mr Smeltzer had joined WYFF this year from local competitor station WSPA.

In their own story on the tragedy, WSPA 7's anchors said: "The journalists who died in today's crash were friends to many of us.

"They were committed to their work, to this community, and while we are of course competitors on air, Mike and Aaron were our friends and they were part of our larger journalism family.

"We will miss them both terribly."

Viewers also sent in their messages of sympathy after the news was broadcast.

Subtropical storm Alberto is the first named Atlantic storm of 2018. It made landfall on Florida's north-western coast on Monday, which was also the Memorial Day holiday in the United States.

It has since weakened to a subtropical depression, with maximum winds of 35 mph (55km/h) and sustained heavy rainfall, the US National Hurricane Centre said. </s> Two journalists died after a tree fell on the car they were riding in while covering severe weather in Polk County, North Carolina, on Monday. WYFF news anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were covering Subtropical Storm Alberto when a tree fell on their SUV on Highway 176 as the storm made landfall Monday.

Tryon Fire Chief Geoffrey Tennant said the tree was about 3 feet in diameter and had stood back off the road.

“I think it was a matter of the tree root system had failed and the tree came down,” he said, reported Fox News.

He also said the car was in motion and the transmission was in drive when first responders reached the scene.

"It personally affected me a little bit because I had done an interview with Mr. McCormick about 10 minutes before we got the call. And we had talked a little bit about how he wanted us to stay safe and I wanted him to stay safe and of course 10 or 15 minutes later we got the call and it was him and his photographer," Tennant said and added he feels a sense of responsibility to them.

Gov. Roy Cooper said, “Two journalists working to keep the public informed about this storm have tragically lost their lives, and we mourn with their families, friends and colleagues.”

“All of us at WYFF News 4 are grieving. We are a family and we thank you, our extended family, for your comfort as we mourn and as we seek to comfort the families of Mike and Aaron,” NBC-affiliated television station WYFF News 4 wrote on its website.

McCormick joined the Spartanburg, South Carolina, newsroom of the TV station in April 2007 as a reporter while Smeltzer shot news for more than a decade for the Spartanburg bureau.

The National Hurricane Center said the Storm Alberto downgraded to a subtropical depression Monday night after making landfall near Laguna Beach, Florida, in the afternoon. It is expected to move through Alabama and then move over the Tennessee Valley on Tuesday. The storm will then head toward the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes region on Wednesday and Thursday.

John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center, said, “Given the short period of time before Alberto makes landfall, its overall ragged appearance, and proximity to dry air, little change in strength is expected before the subtropical storm reaches the coast."

“North Carolina needs to take Alberto seriously. I urge everyone to keep a close eye on forecasts, warnings and road conditions, especially in western North Carolina where even heavier rain is predicted through tomorrow,” Cooper said, BlueridgeNow reported.

Downpours from the storm have also raised the danger of flash flooding across several southern states in coming hours and days, Weather Forecasters have warned. Polk County local government has warned residents of flash floods in the area on its Facebook page.

Apart from flash floods, Alberto will also deliver some isolated tornadoes and dangerous rip currents. A state of emergency has been declared by the governors of Alabama, Florida and Mississippi. </s> (Reuters) - A television news anchor and a camera operator were killed on Monday when a tree in North Carolina fell on their vehicle as they were covering the effects of a rainstorm in Polk County, officials said.

WYFF News anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer of the NBC affiliate in Greenville, South Carolina, died after the tree hit their sport utility vehicle on a highway, the station reported.

Tryon Fire Chief Geoffrey Tennant said he had just given an interview to McCormick when, minutes later, he received a call about the incident. He arrived to discover the victims were the two men he had just met.

“It personally affected me a little bit because I had done an interview with Mr. McCormick about 10 minutes before we got the call, and we had talked a little bit about how he wanted us to stay safe and how we wanted him to stay safe,” Tennant told reporters.

The ground was saturated from the rain, and a large tree about 3 feet (1 m) in diameter fell on the journalists’ SUV, apparently as it was driving along Highway 176, Tennant said. When first responders arrived, the engine was running and the transmission was in drive, Tennant said.

“It is a freak of nature,” Tennant said. “I think it was a matter of the tree root system had failed and the tree came down.”

McCormick had been with the station since 2007, first as a reporter and later as anchor of two Sunday broadcasts, WYFF said. Smeltzer joined the station in February of this year. Both were born in 1982.

Polk County is about 90 miles (145 km) west of Charlotte. </s> A local news anchor and photojournalist from Greenville, South Carolina, died Monday while covering subtropical storm Alberto when a tree fell on their news vehicle, crushing it and trapping them inside, according to authorities and the television station, WYFF.

WYFF broke the news on the air during its 6 p.m. broadcast.

“Tonight,” WYFF anchor Carol Goldsmith began, “our news family grieves over the loss of two special journalists and two special friends.”

The anchor, Michael McCormick, and photojournalist, Aaron Smeltzer, were travelling on Highway 176 in Polk County, North Carolina, about 30 miles north of Greenville, when the tree fell about 30 feet onto their SUV, said Tryon Fire Department Chief Geoffrey Tennant. The vehicle was apparently in motion at the time the tree fell on it, Tennant said, because when the fire department arrived on scene, the transmission was running and the vehicle was still in drive.

Tennant told a room full of reporters that he didn’t know the reporters personally – but he met them for the first time just 10 or 15 minutes before the 911 call came over the dispatch. They were interviewing him as part of their storm coverage, he said.

“We talked a little bit about how he wanted us to stay safe, and we wanted him to stay safe,” Tennant said of McCormick. “Then of course, 10, 15 minutes later we get the call, and it was him and his photographer.”

Tennant noted that the ground has been saturated from recent torrential rainfall due to the storm, possibly causing the tree to fall. The exact cause of death has not been released.

“I have never seen an event like this one,” he told reporters. “It is a freak of nature. It’s one of those things that you know it’s going to happen, or you can predict it may happen – you just don’t know when.”

The potential for flash floods and mudslides in Polk County had been forecast as severe enough that emergency management officials issued a voluntary evacuation Sunday night. There had also recently been a mudslide in the area.

Alberto made landfall in Laguna Beach, Florida, as a subtropical storm and ripped through the southeastern United States with peak winds of 65 miles per hour. The National Weather Service downgraded it to a subtropical depression on Monday night, but the threat of heavy rain remained.

In a statement, WYFF described McCormick and Smeltzer as dedicated journalists. McCormick began as a reporter for WYFF in 2007 at the station’s sister newsroom in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and became a weekend anchor for the station in 2014. Smeltzer began with the station earlier this year.

“Mike and Aaron were stellar journalists, dedicated to covering news in this market,” John Humphries, WYFF president and general manager, said in the statement. “They were beloved members of our newsroom and we will miss them tremendously. Today is a difficult day, and there will be many more ahead.” </s> A South Carolina anchor and photographer died on Monday after a large tree fell on their SUV while they were covering Subtropical Storm Alberto.

WYFF news anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were covering “rain impact” in Polk County, North Carolina, when a tree fell on their SUV, killing both of them, their home station said Monday night.

Tryon Fire Chief Geoffrey Tennant said in a press conference that at about 2:30 P.M., the station received a call that there was a tree down on a vehicle with people trapped inside. When local authorities arrived, they saw a tree on the SUV in what Tennant estimated to be around “three feet in diameter.”

He also said that the vehicle appeared to be in motion when it was struck because the engine was running and the transmission was in drive when rescue teams approached.

“I think it was a matter of the tree root system had failed and the tree came down” Tennant told local reporters. He said that he did not believe it was a slide but rather a cause of saturated grounds because of the rain.

“All of us at WYFF News 4 are grieving. We are a family and we thank you, our extended family, for your comfort as we mourn and as we seek to comfort the families of Mike and Aaron,” the station said.

Tennant said he was also “personally” affected by the deaths because he had been interviewed by McCormick only 10 mins before he and his co-worker were struck and killed by the falling tree.

“It’s the first time I met either one of the two gentlemen but you feel a sense of responsibility toward them,” Tennant said.

The first named storm of the 2018 hurricane season made landfall late Monday on the Florida panhandle, bringing heavy rainfall and strong winds to the coastal area normally packed with Memorial Day crowds.The National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET advisory that Subtropical Storm Alberto had top sustained winds of 45 mph, and made landfall near Laguna Beach in the Florida panhandle.

McCormick, originally from Arkansas, joined the NBC affiliate station in 2007 as a reporter after years in the industry. He became an anchor in 2014.

Smeltzer, originally from Virginia, joined WYFFs team only a few months ago, in February.

Tennant says that the North Carolina State Highway Patrol will be leading the investigation going forward. </s> Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption A woman died when the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff

Two people have died after Storm Ali swept across parts of the UK and Ireland, bringing winds of up to 100mph.

A woman died after the caravan she was in was blown off a cliff in the Irish Republic, while in Northern Ireland a man was killed by a falling tree.

Others have been injured, including a woman who was badly hurt when a tree fell on a car in Cheshire.

Thousands of homes are without power, lorries have overturned and a cruise ship broke free from its moorings.

A yellow warning, meaning "be aware", is in place for Northern Ireland, Scotland and northern England until 22:00 BST.

Ali is the UK's first named storm of the season.

A man in his 20s was killed and another in his 40s was injured, after a tree fell on them at the gates of Slieve Gullion Forest Park, near Newry, County Armagh.

The men were working on behalf of Northern Ireland Water.

It is understood the woman who was killed in County Galway was a tourist in her 50s who had been staying at a campsite in Claddaghduff.

Cheshire Police said a woman in Crewe was taken to hospital with serious injuries after a tree fell on a car on the A49.

In Scotland efforts will continue throughout the night to restore power supplies and clear debris from roads and rail.

One person was injured after being blown over by high winds outside the new V&A Dundee museum, which was later closed.

Five hundred cruise passengers and crew were stranded in Greenock after severe weather broke their ship's mooring lines. Tugs were called in to assist the Nautica.

A 102mph gust was recorded on the Tay Road Bridge between Dundee and Fife at 15:00.

Image copyright West Midlands Fire Service Image caption This home-owner in Sandwell, West Midlands, had a lucky escape after a tree was blown down

Earlier a "major incident" was declared in Dumfries and Galloway, where a number of people were hurt by flying debris.

Children in the area were told not to walk home from school until the weather subsided.

Dumfries and Galloway Virtual Operations Support Team said some children had been injured by flying debris.

The team said the "major incident" had now ended.

Image copyright PA Image caption This Boeing 737 managed to land in torrential rain at Leeds Bradford Airport, but many other flights are disrupted

Image copyright PA Image caption Tugs were sent to assist the cruise liner Nautica, which broke from its moorings

Earlier, a freight train derailed on the Highland Main Line after striking fallen branches.

And strong winds also caused a cruise ship to slip its moorings in the port of Greenock, Inverclyde.

Oceania Cruises said all guests and crew were safe and tugs were able to bring the vessel back to its berth on Wednesday evening.

In Edinburgh, a section of Princes Street in the city centre was closed after parts of the roof of the Top Shop building came off in strong winds.

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption People in Blackpool brave the winds

Thousands of homes and businesses are still without power in Scotland.

Power cuts and fallen trees have also caused disruption in Cumbria, where residents were warned of flying debris.

Image copyright Tony McKenzie Image caption A trampoline lifts off in Shifnal, Shropshire

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Weather presenter Chris Fawkes says winds of 115mph were recorded in the Scottish mountains

Travel disruption:

Image copyright CUMBRIA ROADS POLICE Image caption Cumbria Roads Police says this HGV was overturned on the M6 due to wind

The M6 was closed northbound between J43 and J44 after a lorry was blown over - although lanes have now reopened

The Tay Road Bridge between Fife and Dundee was shut for much of the day, but later reopened to cars only

Glasgow Airport had a number of cancellations and there was further disruption expected at Belfast International Airport

Virgin trains running between Preston and Glasgow may be cancelled or delayed due to speed restrictions

Trains to and from Glasgow Central station were suspended

ScotRail is is advising against all but essential travel, with a number of routes suspended due to trees on the line or overhead wires being damaged

Image copyright PA Image caption Fallen trees like this one in Belfast are causing disruption

In Northern Ireland, about 65,000 homes were without power, while two councils closed some public spaces because of the storm.

Belfast City Council said it had closed all its parks, pitches and playgrounds, while Derry City and Strabane District Council closed all its parks and cemeteries "until further notice".

Belfast Zoo was also closed due to the weather.

Dozens of roads are known to have been affected, with a number closed by fallen trees.

Image copyright Nick Edgington / Twitter Image caption Storm Ali brought spectacular lightning over the west coast of Scotland

BBC Weather said on Wednesday evening that the wind had dropped - although the yellow warning remains in force across the whole of Scotland, and parts of North Wales and northern England.

Those areas are likely to experience gusts of up to 60 mph but could face similar levels of danger and damage.

BBC Weather said the storm could have a greater impact because of the time of year.

It said most trees were still in full leaf and were "acting like sails", making it more likely they could be pulled over and cause travel problems.
Two WYFF journalists, Mike McCormick and Aaron Smeltzer, are killed after a tree crushes their car as they covered the storm in North Carolina, United States.