- Meteorologists face threats, conspiracy claims on hurricanes
- Trump supporters spread false weather control allegations
- Misinformation hampers hurricane recovery efforts, FEMA says
Katie Nicolaou, a meteorologist based in Michigan, said she and her colleagues had been the target of many of these conspiracies. They received messages claiming there are category six hurricanes (there aren’t), that meteorologists or the government are creating and directing hurricanes (they aren’t), and even that scientists should be killed and radar equipment destroyed.
Nicolaou added, ” I’ve never seen a storm generate so much disinformation; we’ve been putting out fires of incorrect information everywhere.”
“I’ve had many people say I produced and steered the hurricane; others believe we control the weather. I’ve had to point out that a hurricane has the energy of 10,000 nuclear bombs, and we can’t control it. However, it has taken a turn towards more violent rhetoric, with some claiming that those who developed Milton should be killed.
One tweet directed at Nickolaou read: “Stop the breathing of those who created them and their affiliates.” She said, “Murdering meteorologists will not prevent hurricanes. “I can’t believe I had to type that.”
Meteorologists watching Hurricane Milton’s path have been targeted by a barrage of conspiracy theories, abuse, and even death threats amid what they call an unprecedented spike in misinformation as two significant hurricanes reach the United States.
In the two weeks since Hurricane Helene ripped through six states, killing several hundred people, and Milton smashed into Florida on Wednesday, a slew of misinformation and threats have circulated.
According to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) chairman, the amount of misinformation spread by Donald Trump and his supporters has hampered the ability to assist hurricane-hit regions.
Nicolaou stated that people had called me swear words, told me to shut up and sit down, and thought it was acceptable to remove Doppler radar because they believed it controlled the weather. Dealing with all this requires significant labor and spare time, and it’s tiresome.
As Helene and Milton approached the Gulf of Mexico, a variety of falsehoods was propagated, including Trump’s allegation that Fema had run out of money for hurricane survivors because it had been handed to illegal immigrants. Violent threats have also grown prevalent, with messages on TikTok, Facebook, and X (previously known as Twitter) stating that Fema personnel should be beaten or “arrested, shot, or hung on sight.”
More outrageously, several of Trump’s closest allies have falsely claimed that the federal government controls hurricanes. “Hurricane Helene was an ATTACK caused by weather manipulation,” according to a video provided by Michael Flynn, Trump’s former national security advisor.
“Yes, they can control the weather,” a far-right lawmaker, Marjorie Taylor Greene, posted on X last week. “It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
Joe Biden has reacted sharply to Trump’s rapid surge in falsehoods, accusing him of an “onslaught of lies” and telling him to “get a life.”
“It’s beyond ridiculous,” Biden stated of the allegations made regarding weather control. “It’s quite foolish. “It has to stop.”
Humans can aggravate hurricanes by burning fossil fuels, which heat the ocean and atmosphere and give hurricanes more incredible energy, but they cannot create control or direct individual storms. Furthermore, Fema’s disaster assistance budget for hurricane-affected communities is distinct from and unaffected by the funds spent on providing shelter to migrants.
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However, meteorologists believe that the events surrounding Helene and Milton are simply an extreme continuation of a trend in which the public is increasingly getting information from extremist figures online rather than experts, according to Chris Gloninger, a former TV meteorologist and climate scientist who faced threats for discussing the climate crisis during his forecasts.
“The modern Republican party has an army of people who are on social media with huge followings who just disseminate this misinformation,” according to Gloninger. “I’m seeing threats against my former colleagues, and I’m receiving messages claiming that we’re steering hurricanes into red states.” It’s unbelievable; I’ve never seen anything like this in any accident.”
Gloninger predicted that meteorologists “will reach a point of burnout.” In what other professions are people targeted merely for performing their jobs? We only want to protect lives and property during catastrophic weather.”
