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.

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