Hurricane Hilary has been causing chaos since forming off Mexico's southern Pacific coast, submerging the town of Santa Rosalia in Mexico and leading many residents in California to evacuate their homes.
But one business saw this as an opportunity to push a "hurricane sale," and customers were shocked at the brazen attempt to turn the disaster into profit.
In a post on Reddit, one user screenshotted an email app notification after receiving a message from Cromulent Records in California that promised 33% off LPs since SoCal customers were "trapped in the house."
"Trapped in the house?" one user replied. "I was trapped in a house that succumbed to rising flood waters. Being 'trapped' is no fun. … Stick your sale up your money grubbing a**!"
"Why would someone order something to a house that might not exist in a week," another added.
According to the Associated Press, one person in Mexico drowned in a vehicle swept away by an overflowing stream during severe rainfall, and 850 people were evacuated from the Baja coast by Mexico's navy as Hurricane Hilary approached.
Meanwhile, many have seen their homes and livelihoods damaged in the heavy rain and flooding.
In California, Hilary arrived August 20, bringing unprecedented rainfall to the Death Valley National Park — an area known for drought. According to CBS, the 2.2 inches of rainfall that day alone was close to the area's annual average of 2.24 inches. It broke the previous daily rainfall record in the area of 1.7 inches.
📣DEATH VALLEY RECORD ALERT
— NWS Las Vegas (@NWSVegas) August 21, 2023
Yesterday (August 20, 2023), Death Valley National Park observed 2.20" of precipitation at the official gauge near Furnace Creek.
This breaks the previous all time wettest day record of 1.70", which was set on August 5, 2022. #CAwx #DeathValley pic.twitter.com/pU0zM4Fbeq
The BBC reported nearly 26 million people in southwestern United States were under flood watch, with Hilary later classified as a Category 1 storm as it swept north.
The impact of hurricanes are likely to become more severe as global heat levels rise. According to Earth Justice, rising temperatures make hurricanes more powerful as "storm systems draw their energy from warm ocean water."
With that in mind, reducing the extent to which planet-heating pollution is released into the atmosphere will be vital to limiting the impact of future extreme weather events.
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