Arriving only weeks after the horrifying Hurricane Helene, Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida as an intense Category 3 storm on Wednesday, Oct. 9. Leading up to the storm’s landfall, numerous tornadoes, dangerous wind and rain began on the state’s east coast. When the storm hit, it brought brutal winds and at least 10 feet of storm surge that resulted in millions of dollars in damage and massive power outages. 48 hours after the storm, at least 17 people have been confirmed dead, countless still missing and over 2 million people left without power.
The last major hurricane memorable to much of our generation is Hurricane Katrina. While there are some parallels between Katrina and Milton, one thing sticks out as a major difference between the two: the immediacy of broadcasting and mass public response.
When Katrina took place in 2006, we had the ability to broadcast the tragedy as it was happening. Although the nation could witness the destruction in real-time, they were unable to connect directly with those affected. This contrasts with the current coverage we have access to of Hurricane Helen and Milton via social media.
With the ability to have live news streaming, constant updates and even “StormTok,” the avenues in which the greater public in America and around the globe can respond to tragedies are nearly endless. Now, we not only are able to see the events as they unfold, but can hear individual stories from those who share them online.
While we think this opens up opportunities for viewers to empathize with survivors and connect, we’ve also seen a darker side, including people who root for the downfall and destruction of individuals who they’ve deemed “dumb” for staying. We believe commenting behind a screen breeds a lack of empathy, which contributes to insensitive remarks from social media users during terrible natural disasters.
According to a Vox.com interview, Dave Call, a stormchaser and meteorologist from Ball State University, explained how evacuation is not an option for some, while for others, the ability to stay is a luxury. For people such as Joseph Malinowski, also known as the viral sensation “Lieutenant Dan,” evacuation was not a thought in his mind, highlighting lack of funds and governmental identification. On the other hand, TikTok user Kricketfelt advocated for her right to stay, boasting about her generator and other resources she has access to due to her wealth.
As this discourse is primarily happening online, the responses and updates are instantaneous, giving people even more of an ability to speak freely, sometimes without considering the class differences in the survivors that remain in their homes. In cases such as Malinowski, we can see that his boat is his world. He was rescued and taken to a shelter once, but returned to his vessel, purely due to the fact that he would rather ride out the storm with what little he had than leave.
Following recent reports, both Kricketfelt and Malinowski are alive and well after the storm, but we feel that these two serve as perfect examples of opposite ends of the scale; individuals who choose not to evacuate because of financial privilege, and who truly cannot, either in an effort to keep the life they’ve known or an inability to afford the means to escape devastation.
We believe that during these times of devastation it is important to be empathetic and understanding to individuals facing dangerous conditions. This applies to not only social media users who are viewing this content and commenting, but also the creators themselves. If you have the privilege to remain safe and secure during a hurricane, you should still remain mindful of those who are not in that position rather than bragging about it on social media.
