Storms Helene and Milton have triggered rise of misinformation stoked by Trump and fellow Republicans

Meteorologists tracking the advance of Hurricane Milton have been targeted by a deluge of conspiracy theories that they were controlling the weather, abuse and even death threats, amid what they say is an unprecedented surge in misinformation as two major hurricanes have hit the US.

A series of falsehoods and threats have swirled in the two weeks since Hurricane Helene tore through six states causing several hundred deaths, followed by Milton crashing into Florida on Wednesday.

The extent of the misinformation, which has been stoked by Donald Trump and his followers, has been such that it has stymied the ability to help hurricane-hit communities, according to the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema).


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  • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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    1 month ago

    What’s going to happen if (when?) a meteorologist actually gets murdered over this?

    If I were a meteorologist, I would refuse to go on the air after that. Could you blame any of them for wanting to preserve their own lies? Which will inevitably lead to more people getting killed in weather events.

    This is so fucked up.

    • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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      1 month ago

      We should just stop any weather predictions for the South.

      Let it all be God’s surprise to them, and if a surprise hurricane comes up and knocks them on their ass, well, God works in mysterious ways.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.world
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        1 month ago

        Or not because there are plenty of good people in the South who are worried about these threats and worried about climate change and try to get politicians who are also worried about climate change into office so they can do something about it. Those people are in the minority, but they still exist.

        Also, plenty of children.

        • InverseParallax@lemmy.world
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          1 month ago

          As someone who escaped, we should set up funds to let decent people leave for civilized places.

          I simply do not consider the south redeemable at this point, we’ve given them 150 years and it’s just been a cancer on the rest of the country.