Hurricane Milton’s approach has prompted evacuation orders for more than half of Florida’s counties and a public health emergency across the state, with the storm expected to make landfall near Tampa Bay tonight.
The Category 5 hurricane is currently expected to bring heavy rain, devastating storm surge and wind speeds of up to 260 miles per hour. Up to 18 inches of rain is expected in some areas, causing flash flooding.
Amid disaster planning, misinformation spread quickly, including claims online that President Joe Biden was advising Floridians to “get vaccinated” as part of preparedness.
President Joe Biden speaks in Live Oak, Florida after Hurricane Idalia on September 2, 2023. A video of President Biden shared online suggested his advice to Floridians ahead of Hurricane Milton was to “get vaccinated.” President Joe Biden speaks in Live Oak, Florida after Hurricane Idalia on September 2, 2023. A video of President Biden shared online suggested his advice to Floridians ahead of Hurricane Milton was to “get vaccinated.” Stephanie Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
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Multiple social media posts sent between October 8 and October 9, 2024 suggest that President Biden was advising people to get vaccinated as part of preparations for Hurricane Milton. was.
An Oct. 8 post on X (formerly Twitter) by the account @stopvaccinating said, “President Biden actually told us to get vaccinated now because the hurricane is on the way.
“Nothing can make up for how much they hate us!”
The post included a link to another post by vaccine skeptic Dr. Ben Tapper, which included a video of Biden saying: Before you enter Texas, the key to preparing for hurricane season is to get vaccinated now.
“If you have a hurricane or a natural disaster and you’re not vaccinated, it makes everything more complicated.”
Another post by @MyLordBebo on Oct. 9 included the same video and said, “Biden’s pre-hurricane message to the American people!
“Get vaccinated now.”
Vaccine conspiracy theorist Simon Godek posted the same video on Oct. 8, addressing liberal commentators Ed Klassenstein and Brian Klassenstein, saying, “What your aging idols say? Please listen and help protect us from Hurricane Milton!”
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Some of the posts above directly tie Biden’s statements to Hurricane Milton. Some strongly suggested or implied that the president was talking about the storm, or did not provide enough information or context to be misleading.
In any case, this video has nothing to do with Hurricane Milton. The film was shot more than three years ago, during the Covid-19 pandemic, when vaccinations were being rolled out across the country.
The full video of Biden’s remarks is still available online.
Biden held a press conference in early August 2021, ahead of the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, amid rising infections of the Delta variant of the coronavirus.
This comment was not delivered as part of a response to a designated storm or weather pattern, and is intended to prevent people from getting sick if they do not have access to health care services or if they are sent to shelters without being vaccinated. This was done out of caution in case there was a risk of spread or infection.
“Even if we have to evacuate, even if we have to stay in a shelter, you don’t want to add COVID-19 to the list of dangers that we’re going to face,” Biden said.
“Get vaccinated now so you’re ready for whatever happens this month.”
Hurricanes Helen and Milton have been used to spread conspiracy and conservative theories online, falsely claiming that the weather can be controlled and that FEMA is confiscating people’s property.
One video posted earlier this week attempted to suggest that members of the LGBTQ+ community are prioritized over all other groups in disaster preparedness. However, the video was taken out of context and was cut from a roundtable discussion about how natural disasters disadvantage the LGBTQ+ community.
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Misleading material.
President Biden did not say people preparing for Hurricane Milton should get vaccinated. The video in which Biden urges people to get vaccinated ahead of hurricane season was filmed more than three years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, and shows specific storms and hurricanes. It wasn’t aimed at.
Fact-checked by Newsweek’s Fact-Checking Team
