Al Roker got pummeled by Ida — and then by some critics.
The 67-year-old veteran TV meteorologist made a brief appearance from New Orleans in a full-body wet suit on NBC’s “Meet The Press” on Sunday — and was immediately smacked by waves from Lake Pontchartrain as Hurricane Ida bore down on the region.
“I guess we lost communication,” Roker sputtered at one point to host Chuck Todd, while crushing waves alternately engulfed him and receded back into the water.
“It’s basically a 15-mile-wide F3 tornado,” the wind- and water-lashed weatherman said, referring to the size and strength of the storm.
The clip quickly went viral, with concerned critics asking why someone of Roker’s age would risk life and limb to share information he could get from the National Weather Service without leaving the house.
Al Roker “lost communication” while reporting to host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”NBC News“Al roker is 67 lmao nbc doing him dirty,” Twitter user @iam_johnw2 posted.
@Rizaebellepow wrote, “It’s 2021. I don’t need to see Al Roker risking his life and his crew’s lives to show me a hurricane. It can be reported on without standing outside in the middle of it.”
Roker later appeared on MSNBC to assure viewers he was not in harm’s way — and offer some choice words to those who said he was too old to be out in the storm at all.
Al Roker battles high winds and heavy waves amid Hurricane Ida’s landfall while reporting from Lake Pontchartrain in Louisiana. NBC News
Critics argued Al Roker is too old to report in extreme weather conditions. NBC News
Despite wearing a full-body wetsuit with boots, Al Roker struggles to maintain composure while being slammed by waves. NBC News
Al Roker described the impact of Hurricane Ida as “a 15-mile-wide F3 tornado” hitting the Louisiana area. NBC News
Al Roker insists he volunteered to report from Lake Pontchartrain amid extreme weather conditions from Hurricane Ida. NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
Al Roker claims he would dispose of his critics “like a bag of dirt.” NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images“Some people are like, ‘He’s too old to be doing this.’ Hey, guess what, screw you! Try to keep up!” Roker said.
“I volunteered to come out here. This is what I do. I’ve done this for 40 years.”
“These young punks, I will come after them,” he joked. “I will drop them like a bag of dirt.”
Furious winds and heavy pouring rain from Hurricane Ida impact Bourg, Louisiana, on August 29, 2021. AFP via Getty Images
Incoming waves slam a sea wall at the city marina of Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, on August 29, 2021. AP
A section of a roof is blown off a building in the French Quarter of New Orleans amid Hurricane Ida’s landfall on August 29, 2021. AP
A truck is half submerged in a ditch at a flooded highway in Bay Saint Louis, Mississippi, on August 29, 2021. AP
Hurricane Ida was declared a Category 4 storm before arriving in Louisiana. APRoker also tweeted video of himself emptying water from his boots at his hotel.
“I brought back a little bit of Lake Pontchartrain with me,” he says in the video.
