Hurricane "Milton"

Conspiracy theorists want to kill meteorologists

Hurricane Milton brought heavy flooding with it.(Bild: ASSOCIATED PRESS)

"Killing meteorologists won't stop hurricanes. I can't believe I just had to type that!" Meteorologist Katie Nickolaou posted this message on a social platform.

The US weather forecaster had previously made fun of conspiracy theories claiming that Hurricane Milton was man-made on the WLNS Morning Show. The popular TV lady promptly received death threats.

The next day, she felt compelled to publish the post in question because she simply couldn't believe it. Her colleague Matthew Cappucci was also threatened with death because he said: "A hurricane doesn't care who you vote for, it destroys everything!"

Weather expert went into hiding
Another TV weather expert in Iowa quit his job and went into hiding with his wife. For many Trump supporters, the topic of weather and climate change is part of a culture war against the left. 

After two severe storms within two weeks, the extent of the destruction and frustration among the population is enormous. Disaster relief is further complicated by fake news, mostly spread by those close to presidential candidate Donald Trump. According to the US media, the death toll has risen to more than a dozen, with the broadcaster CBS even reporting at least 16 deaths, citing authorities.

More than 1,600 people have been rescued in the storm area so far, CNN quoted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as saying. Around 2.3 million households in Florida were still without power on Friday, according to data from the US website PowerOutage.