Natural disasters and governments’ responses to them have always packed a considerable political punch. That has been especially true the world over when calamities occur in the days and months leading up to important elections, and even more when they strike geographic areas that receive high levels of media attention.
What is occurring now in the United States, however, is something altogether different. The tornadoes of disinformation unleashed upon U.S. voters in the wake of recent hurricanes represent a new, malignant twist on a more benign, legitimate political phenomenon.
There’s nothing new about politicians trying to gain advantage when their rivals’ disaster response efforts fail. But the political reverberations of natural disasters have historically been moored in reality, even if the events have been utilized to extract political benefit.