At least 17 people have died as Hurricane Milton swept across Florida in recent days. Two and a half million homes lost power, which was gradually being restored over the weekend as a massive clean-up got underway. Visiting Florida on Sunday, President Joe Biden promised more State cash to improve the resilience of the electricity supply, as well as more emergency aid.
The damage followed Hurricane Helene which wreaked havoc across south-eastern states last month, killing more than 225 people. While impossible directly to attribute to climate change, scientists say that the burning of fossil fuels has made storms as severe as both Helene and Milton about 2.5 times more likely than they were in the pre-industrial age.
These storms and the damage they inflict, are, however, not simply “natural " disasters, but also social phenomena whose consequences and mitigation owe much to their all too human context. Not least here is the failure of the US government – and those in most other countries – to shout loud enough about, and prepare for the consequences of coming climate change. It has yet to tell voters the unpalatable truth that almost half of all American houses – or $22 trillion of stock – are now exposed to extreme weather events.
And now the US must also confront the deluge of disinformation and conspiracy theories that have swirled around Helene and Milton, constraining emergency efforts. Many of those same conspiracy theorists and platforms associated with the far right who have successfully peddled climate denialism and Covid vaccine myths are at it again, facilitated by the social media giants. Officials warn that it is making relief workers targets.
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There is no way for humans to manufacture hurricanes or to steer their course. Yet Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested on her social media accounts that the US government “can control the weather”, while YouTube videos and X posts with reaches in millions of views claimed the hurricanes were the result of government efforts to disrupt voting by steering the storm toward Republican districts.
It is election season, and, never one to forsake an opportunity, no matter how far-fetched, Donald Trump falsely claimed that the emergency agency FEMA was diverting its funds to house undocumented aliens and suggested without evidence that Democrats were not eager to help conservative residents. Republicans also falsely claimed that FEMA was only providing $750 million in aid in response to the hurricane.
President Biden said the claims were “beyond ridiculous”. It seems that even a natural disaster with its tragic consequences can now be caught up in a wave of falsehoods and disinformation aimed at political gain.
It is another reason why the election – less than a month away – is so critical.