In this information age, it's hard to believe that misinformation and disinformation spread with such ease, but here we are. A reporter is one of the latest experts who has spoken out to set the record straight.
Scripps News (@scrippsnews) posted the explainer on TikTok, tracing a conspiracy theory about weather manipulation to Republican politicians, including now-President-elect Donald Trump. It is based on the unfounded lie that hurricanes Helene and Milton were "geoengineered to target specific voters ahead of the 2024 election."
@scrippsnews "Yes they can control the weather. It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done." In a viral post on X, Marjorie Taylor Greene appeared to perpetuate a conspiracy theory suggesting recent hurricanes are being geo-engineered by the government. Online posts have accused President Biden and Vice President Harris of sending Hurricane #milton to attack #Trump supporters in Florida. In a Truth Social post, Trump added fuel to the growing conspiracy theories, saying people are "being treated very badly in the Republican areas." #Biden #Harris #hurricane ♬ original sound - Scripps News
"Conspiracy theories about controlling the weather are not new," Kadia Tubman said. "But with back-to-back hurricanes, the conspiracy theory is starting to emerge even more."
This is not the only political claim being made in the wake of the natural disasters, but they are easily disproved with fact-based research and reasoned logic. Still, the proliferation of such falsehoods can have deadly consequences.
Those who believe or want to believe the fabrications have threatened Federal Emergency Management Agency workers and meteorologists with death.
A doctoral candidate and another journalist are among the folks who have worked to establish that it's impossible to control a hurricane, even with such tools as cloud seeding. If you're unsure about the science behind this or similar conspiracy theories, it's best to turn to these experts, who can clear a path to the truth with evidence.
In other cases, you can use widely available tools to determine if, say, Disney World was flooded.
As the News Literacy Project noted, it's natural to search for explanations for events beyond our control, but it's important to verify the veracity of information before posting or sharing it online. Doing so will only help in the aftermath of such devastating extreme weather events, which are, in fact, increasing in intensity as the planet warms.
Even before this hurricane season began, experts warned that it could be active. Record ocean temperatures contributed to that hypothesis, and states along the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean have been hit most by hurricanes over the last 173 years. The top five — Florida, Texas, Louisiana, North Carolina, and South Carolina — all happened to be won by Trump.
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