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.
“I’ve never seen a storm garner so much misinformation, we have just been putting out fires of wrong information everywhere,” Nickolaou said.
“I have had a bunch of people saying I created and steered the hurricane, there are people assuming we control the weather.
I have had to point out that a hurricane has the energy of 10,000 nuclear bombs and we can’t hope to control that.
But it’s taken a turn to more violent rhetoric, especially with people saying those who created Milton should be killed.”.
“I’m seeing my former colleagues getting threats, I’m getting messages that we are steering hurricanes into red states. »
