Florida Mayor Begs Residents ‘Don’t Get Political’ While Slamming Rumors Ahead Of Storm

The mayor of Tampa, Florida, is pleading with residents to not “get political” and to take local officials’ warnings and directions about Hurricane Milton seriously amid a surge in false information spreading ahead of the potentially catastrophic storm’s landfall.

“Please don’t get political on this. This storm is going to affect everybody, and we are getting the help that we need from all of the different governmental officials,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said at a press conference Tuesday.

Her comments follow a deluge of rumors, misinformation and lies being spread by politicians and people (including Elon Musk) on social media. This includes comments about the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated several states in the southeast last month.

Some of the rumors circulating include online posts by Rep. Majorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.) claiming that the government is able to control the weather and target Republican-leaning states. Former President Donald Trump, among other things, has also falsely claimed that the Biden Administration has diverted federal disaster money away from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in order to help immigrants vote illegally in the November election.

“Hate to break it to you but a lot of what you see on social media is not factual. Stick with the facts,” Castor said, after dispelling localized rumors that Tampa is proactively shutting off power and water to all residents before the storm hits.

Some cities and counties outside Tampa have proactively shut down some water services, though she said Tampa is not one of them. A list of those locations can be seen here.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters on Tuesday that the type and amount of disinformation spreading is worse than she has ever seen. Her staff has become demoralized and even fearful while trying to help people on the ground.

“It hurts their morale, and they’ve left their families to be able to come in here and help people,” she said of FEMA’s staff and first responders. “If it creates so much fear that my staff don’t want to go out in the field, then we’re not going to be in a position where we can help people.”

FEMA has launched a web page titled “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response,” to help address some of the falsehoods it has heard.