By Paul J. Gough
NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter) – CNN’s self-styled mobile
storm center, which debuted during Hurricane Dennis in July,
became a casualty of Hurricane Katrina, which slammed into the
Gulf Coast on Monday.
Hurricane One was severely damaged when a 12-by-8 section
of fence struck the sport utility vehicle while it was parked
in a Holiday Inn lot in Gulfport, Miss., during the heat of the
storm. Correspondent Gary Tuchman and a crew of three had been
working in the truck when they heard a loud bang and shattered
glass.
“It was a huge thud, and first we thought the hotel
collapsed. We looked back and we saw the back of the SUV, the
windows smashed, glass everywhere,” Tuchman said in an
interview. “Nobody was hurt, and we immediately got out. It was
bad luck. You obviously take some risks.”
Tuchman said the SUV was unable to be used at all, not just
for the equipment that gave CNN the ability to drive around and
take live photographs for use on the air.
“There’s the possibility that it’s totaled,” Tuchman said.
The mobile unit wasn’t even near the coast when it was
damaged. Tuchman said the crew — he and a photographer,
producer and engineer — had determined it wasn’t safe to stay
out in the hurricane and had parked all of CNN’s vehicles near
a strong wall that they thought would protect them. The hotel
is about four miles from the coast, and Tuchman said the owners
told CNN that it had survived Hurricane Camille in 1969.
“It was a fluke, but these things happen,” Tuchman said.
Hurricane One debuted when Hurricane Dennis struck Florida
and came back for this storm. Tuchman said the equipment inside
wasn’t damaged, so it’s being retrofitted for another vehicle.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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