THAT DIDN'T TAKE LONG

Voices: The bizarre Hurricane Ian conspiracy theories that we should’ve seen coming

Ahmed Baba
Fri, September 30, 2022 

Jordan Reidy carries his dog back to his apartment in Fort Myers, Florida on Friday, amid flooded streets (Getty Images)

More than 2 million people are without power after 155 mph winds and rain decimated large swaths of Florida during Hurricane Ian. We’ve seen floodwaters sweep cars, houses, and people away. And Americans have been united in our support and well wishes for the people of Florida. President Biden and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) have once again put their differences aside to coordinate their disaster relief responses. DeSantis even thanked Biden on Fox News for immediately approving Florida’s requests for funds and support. But not everyone has been so gracious.

As the death toll mounts, we’re just now beginning to grasp the full devastation caused by one of the most powerful storms to make landfall in US history. But in the aftermath of Ian’s destruction, conspiracy theories have swirled like the hurricane’s winds. Some are downplaying the severity of the hurricane-turned-tropical storm, claiming it’s simply a tool to push the “climate change narrative”, or outright claiming the hurricane was artificially created. Yes, we’re now at the point of American insanity where “fake hurricanes” is a conspiracy theory that exists.

The conspiracy theories began with a Twitter video that depicted a CNN reporter struggling in the storm while someone in the background appeared to walk more calmly to their car. It’s been viewed over 1.2 million times and conspiracy theorists have exploited it to support their wild and asinine narratives.

Former American Idol contestant Jimmy Levy posted a now-deleted Instagram reel to his 707,000 followers using that viral Twitter video. The caption suggested the reporter was an actor and that “we are in the Truman Show.” Levy claimed that “They make the wars. They make the storms... They run the Matrix.”

After he deleted that reel, he posted a series of posts that read “shame on those who manipulate the weather” and “Now they’re gonna start saying it’s all climate change, but this isn’t that. It is only weather... Lockdowns next.” In the worst post, Levy wrote, “I’m absolutely sick to my stomach watching the footage of Florida and knowing the truth that these evil people are behind it and the masses have no clue.” If you’re in the mood for a headache, go read the Instagram comments replying to those posts in absurd agreement. This same absolute lie of “weather control” was shared by another Instagram user, which Politifact swiftly debunked.

Fortunately, these conspiracy theories haven’t made it fully into mainstream culture just yet, but we’ve seen them teased by prominent right-wing figures. Earlier this week, Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson called hurricanes a “scam,” essentially arguing that the media hypes up the severity of hurricanes and tropical storms. When he was alive, Rush Limbaugh also claimed “the left” exploited hurricanes to push a climate change agenda. And how can we forget President Trump reportedly speculating about whether China was shooting America with a “hurricane gun”?

The truth is, Hurricane Ian was very real. And so was Hurricane Fiona, which devastated Puerto Rico earlier this month. Not only are these massive weather events real, but they are being made more severe by climate change, according to multiple studies. While some could argue that it’s irresponsible for news organizations to send reporters into dangerous storms — a sentiment I agree with — it is incredibly irresponsible to downplay these storms or falsely claim that they are somehow being manipulated for media or liberal gain.

Hurricane conspiracy theories are among the most uniquely depraved breeds of disinformation imaginable. They’re in the same tier as Covid conspiracy theories, which we saw take over the right-wing ecosystem during the most crucial phase of the pandemic. We’re still grappling with the fallout from those lies. This form of disinformation toys with people’s lives. I don’t doubt that many people who tout them believe these theories in good faith, but it’s sad to see how they can be led so far astray by a post-Trumpian political environment that taught them to doubt the hand in front of their face.

NBC News reporter Ben Collins’ tweet said it all: “This is the inevitable endpoint of an entire political party saying everything the news says is ‘fake’ — large swaths of the country disbelieving evacuation orders, or downplaying the extreme weather that they can see with their very eyes.”

How can we expect Americans to make informed decisions with so much disinformation consistently going viral? America’s conspiracy theory culture is corrupting our collective consciousness. We can’t even navigate natural disasters anymore without conspiracists trying to stir up nonsense. As long as influential voices continue giving life to dangerous disinformation, we will continue to see real lives impacted by fake narratives.