White House joins Reddit to share urgent Hurricane Milton update

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The White House has launched an official account on Reddit in an effort to share urgent information about the US government’s response to Hurricane Milton.

The first post from the u/whitehouse account on Tuesday showed President Joe Biden holding a briefing on Hurricane Milton preparation and Hurricane Helene response.

Subsequent posts have included updates to the White House’s response to Hurricane Helene in Georgia and North Carolina.

“As a big Reddit fan, I’m so excited we launched a White House account on the platform today,” wrote White House Deputy Platforms Director Megan Coyne in a post to X (formerly Twitter). “Meeting more people where they are to get out critical information about the work this Administration is doing.”

Hurricane Helene hit the Southeastern region of the US at the end of September, causing widespread destruction across a dozen states and resulting in more than 230 deaths, with hundreds more still missing.

It was the deadliest storm to strike the US since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, though forecasters are predicting that Hurricane Milton could be even more powerful than Hurricane Helene.

As a top rated Category 5 hurricane, Milton is expected to bring sustained winds of around 165mph (266kph) when it makes landfall on Florida’s western coast on Wednesday, while the storm surge will bring large swells that have already forced thousands of residents to evacuate.

The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently preparing for Hurricane Milton’s landfall, however it is also dealing with misinformation surrounding Hurricane Helene. There have been false claims that anyone receiving relief money from the government could have their land seized, while other rumours have claimed that FEMA is blocking supplies and abandoning rescue efforts.

The White House said that its new Reddit account would be aimed at countering such disinformation in the days ahead.

“The White House digital team is activating a presence on Reddit as part of our strategy around hurricane response and preparedness – calling out misinformation and providing resources to those who need it,” wrote White House Director of Digital Strategy Christian Tom in an X post.