White House launching Reddit account with updates on hurricane response, preparedness

The White House announced Tuesday that it would be launching a Reddit page with updates for Hurricane Milton as the storm barrels toward Florida.

“We are leaving no stone unturned to reach people where they are, across different digital destinations as well as across different topics,” a White House official said in a statement.

The Reddit page is going to have information about the Biden administration and FEMA’s ongoing response to the storm as well as its recovery and preparedness efforts.

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for much of Florida’s west coast to prepare for Milton, which is the first major hurricane to directly hit the Tampa area in more than a century.

The Biden administration said it was tracking misinformation online about the storm and was “actively working” to identify and combat it.

The Reddit page will include federal actions and resources, including “state-based sub-Reddits,” sharing already existing hurricane response threads and preparedness efforts.

“The White House will also ensure our information is shared on larger sub-Reddits like r/politics, where we can correct misinformation and clarify the work that has been done by federal agencies in coordination with state and local entities,” a White House official said.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Milton is expected to make landfall on the west coast of Florida late Wednesday evening.

On Monday, the storm intensified quickly over the Gulf of Mexico and reached a Category 5 storm. As of early Tuesday, it was downgraded to Category 4 and it’s predicted to be a Category 3 when it reaches land, which experts warn is still very dangerous.

The Tampa and Sarasota areas are expected to see 10–15-foot storm surges.

President Biden warned Tuesday that Milton could be the worst storm to hit Florida in over 100 years and urged residents in its path to listen to the direction of local officials.

“If you’re under evacuation order, you should evacuate now. Now, now, now. You should have already evacuated. It’s a matter of life and death,” Biden said.