How conspiracy theories about Hurricane Milton have dominated social media

As Hurricane Milton tore through Florida, leaving 16 dead and millions without power, conspiracy theories quickly flooded the internet. 

Despite the storm’s confirmed destruction, social media became a hotbed for false claims about its origins, with one of the most prominent theories suggesting that the U.S. government had manipulated the weather. 

Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene fueled this theory, posting that "the US government can control the weather," alongside screenshots of "weather modification project reports." President Joe Biden dismissed the allegations as “beyond ridiculous,” calling them "stupid" and urging them to stop.

Another popular conspiracy theory focused on the claim that the hurricane was created by humans through cloud seeding, a weather modification technique that involves introducing “ice nuclei” into clouds. 

While this technique has been used in the past to encourage rain, experts like Jill Trepanier, an extreme weather expert at Louisiana State University, debunked the theory. She clarified that "the Earth will make a hurricane all on its own," especially in regions like the western Gulf of Mexico, where natural conditions are ripe for such storms.

Adding to the wave of misinformation, AI-generated images of a flooded Disney World circulated online, falsely showing the theme park submerged underwater. 

While Walt Disney World and other parks in Orlando were temporarily closed due to the hurricane, there were no reports of such flooding. The images were part of a growing trend of fake visuals spreading on social media, confusing those following the storm's developments.

Another false claim involved the diversion of hurricane relief funds. Former President Donald Trump amplified the rumor that FEMA’s disaster-relief funds had been misused to house illegal migrants instead of aiding hurricane victims. 

FEMA promptly branded the claims as "false," emphasizing that no money was being diverted from disaster response efforts.

Despite these widespread conspiracy theories, officials and experts continue to emphasize the importance of focusing on accurate information during natural disasters. The devastation left by Hurricane Milton is real, and the ongoing misinformation only hampers recovery efforts.