The death toll after the hurricane Milton Arrivals on land on Wednesday evening (Thursday morning in Spain) are increasing as rescue efforts progress in Florida. Currently, 13 deaths have already been recorded, six of them as a result of tornadoes that formed on the eastern coast of the peninsula before the arrival of the hurricane. Emergency teams are working amid the destruction caused by the storm and against disinformation campaigns that have spread across networks in recent weeks.
Since the hurricane Helene made landfall on September 26 and left more than 200 dead as it passed through Florida, the two Carolinas, Tennessee and Georgia, the networks were flooded with hoaxes about the survivors of the tragedy and the handling by the federal government . Now, after the destruction of Miltonwhich left more than three million homes without power, the growing threat of misinformation has only increased.
Although some of the lies come from internet forums, others come from the mouth of former President Donald Trump. One of the lies told by Trump that had the most impact, and that of his great ally Elon Musk – owner of the disaster budget intended to provide aid to illegal migrants. This statement is completely false, because aid to migrants and the emergency budget are two completely separate funds. The State Department cannot move money from one place to another.
With less than 30 days until the election, Trump and his people want to use hurricane damage to attack President Joe Biden’s image and, in turn, damage the campaign of Vice President and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. During the press conference after the death of Milton For Florida, Biden has already warned that “the road to total reconstruction will be long” and harshly criticized the Republican for continuing to contribute to disinformation. “Trump, take your life, man. Help these people,” Biden said from the lectern, addressing the Republican directly.
In recent days, organizations like the American Red Cross have also had to deny conspiracy theories and hoaxes that have circulated online. In a post published on Facebook a few days after the passage of Helenethe Red Cross cited a series of hoaxes such as that “the Red Cross is not on the ground” or that “the Red Cross confiscates or throws away donations.” The same entity warned that this type of lies made rescue tasks difficult and endangered survivors, in addition to turning volunteers into targets of attacks.
The conspiracy theories that have been seen these days range from hurricane Helene It was created for the purpose of allowing lithium mining in North Carolina, until disaster was created so that the Democrats would win the election. Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, one of Trump’s most loyalists, even said twice that the government could control the climate. The company Pyrra Technologies detected that during the hurricane Milton some of the hoaxes that have been used with Heleneaccording to the New York Times.
This Thursday, Biden spoke by phone with Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida who has spread hoaxes about migrants along the same lines as Trump. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president was working to explain how the federal government could help Florida officials respond to the hurricane. Miltonand “he was very clear about what he thought about misinformation.”
Despite Milton While Florida has become a Category 1 hurricane, authorities remain on alert on the east coast for possible torrential rains and storm surges. “Roads are flooded and dangerous conditions remain. Do not walk or drive through them,” warned Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management.
Work is also underway to try to restore electricity to the more than 3 million homes and buildings that have been left without electricity. Before the arrival of Miltondue to the consequences of Helenethe federal government had already declared a state of emergency in Florida.
Damage caused by the storm is estimated at $60 billion. Heavy rain in Pinellas and Hillsborough counties created accumulations of up to 17 inches overnight Wednesday into Thursday. In the city of St. Petersburg, the cyclone even tore the roof off the Tropicana Field baseball stadium. In the nets, we could see the pieces flying with the gusts of wind.
before his arrival MiltonFlorida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that the stadium was being renovated to become an operations center where first responders and cleanup crews could rest after the long days of work expected once the season is over. . In total, it was expected to accommodate around 10,000 people. DeSantis has already confirmed there was “no state property” in the stadium the night of the hurricane.
