Hoaxes about Hurricane Florence: List of false information about the storm

Internet exists, just like Hurricane Florence. The inevitable result? An ever increasing number of online hoaxes on the dangerous storm, hoping to see the good intentions of people trying to find and share the latest information.

We have been here before. As we have done in the past, the Intersect keeps a list of rumors, hoaxes and misinformation about Florence as the storm approaches the east coast. And please, if you see something that is not in the post, feel free to send it.

Look at this list, you are powerful and desperate.

SHARKS SHARKS SHARKS

** takes a deep breath **

Shark hoaxes are so common during natural disasters involving floods that their circulation has become a meme. And yet, those who are not online all the time seem to fall into these hoaxes with every storm. Florence does not seem to be an exception.

A fake television image claiming that Florence "now contains sharks" began circulating earlier this week. The image is almost identical to the one that generated tens of thousands of online actions during Hurricane Irma. Although some circulate this false image, they clearly know it's a joke, but not everyone seems to understand. Snopes has already published a fact check on this.

The picture comes from a still fake and well known telly generator, Break Your Own News. Normally, the image carries a prominent watermark indicating the source (as shown in the image at the top of this article), but some have it scrambled before sharing it.

It does not help either when some of those who share the picture are journalists themselves.

We contacted Hartman, whose name identifies the bio as an "independent photojournalist" to comment on his decision to share this hoax. His answer:

He then deleted the tweet. Anyway. Do not share photos of sharks of questionable origin.

This one, from Harvey in 2017, is also fake, and is repackaged and shared every hurricane. So keep an eye on him too.

Do not put your valuables in a dishwasher

A copy-paste offering a long list of tips on hurricanes has already thousands of shares on Facebook, and this could offer good advice. But it also contains very bad information.

First: No matter what you read on Facebook, do not store your valuables in a dishwasher to protect them.

Viral Mail says, "Whatever you want to try and keep, but you can not take with you – put it in a plastic bin and put it in your dishwasher, lock the door. the intrusion of water into your home. Postal councils were picked up by many media this week.

Like other erroneous information about hurricanes, these tips were previously viral. In 2017, Irma shared more than a million times an article on a similar idea. However, as BuzzFeed reported in 2017, dishwashing companies do not recommend it. The Tampa Bay Times also called a dishwasher repair company about this myth, and they confirmed that dishwashers were not able to evacuate water during a flood.

It makes sense that people think that a dishwasher is waterproof – after all, it seems that there is water during the race. But those who have tried this trick in the past have been disappointed.

Do not shoot the hurricane, you are not afraid of your weapons

More than 30,000 people participated in a Facebook event by organizing an effort to shoot firearms in Florence to save the Richmond storm. The event is obviously not serious and includes a warning from the organizer: "Do not throw guns in the air. You could kill someone and you can not scare a hurricane. I can not believe I have to write this.

The Facebook group is one of the many irresistible promotional projects in Florence. One, playing the nickname "Aunt Flo" for menstruation, suggests tossing tampons to the storm.

But in the past, the police had to say that shooting a hurricane, even in frustration or joking, is not a good idea.

Ryan Stumpf, organizer of the Facebook event, said in a direct message that the group was "100% satire".

"Humor has long been a way of dealing with stress, and it's no different; with the severity of the storm and the uncertainty as to where / when / if it could touch land, exacerbated this stress. This event has never been anything but a joke, "he wrote. "Are there people who took it seriously? There were more than 100,000 people who attended the event, and maybe millions of people have seen it. I'm sure there are disturbed people who might think that shooting at a big cloud might affect it, but the vast majority of "participants" know that it's just an excuse to make memes and laugh about it. absurdity of all this.

People also shared concrete advice within the group to prepare for Florence's arrival, Stumpf noted.

If his group inspired anyone to shoot a hurricane, Mr. Stumpf added, assuming they were "considered competent by law to own and access the firearm," then "their decisions are theirs." The consequences would be theirs too.

The fact of "shooting a hurricane" whole is frankly in the same category, because he fears to consume Tide Pods: the idea tends to be much more viral than the current act. But given the possible dangers of indiscriminately shooting a bullet in a natural disaster, it is worth noting that you should not try to scare the hurricane with your weapons. You will not hurt Florence and you could hurt a real human.