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Hurricane Rafael, the storm that made landfall in Cuba as a Category 2, has made history. That’s not what the internet is focusing on, though. No, social media users are throwing support at Rafael, begging it to destroy Florida after the 2024 election results.
Credit: Florida Fish and Wildlife, Flickr
Earlier this week, America voted for its 47th President. On the Democrat side was Vice President Kamala Harris, who replaced Joe Biden on the blue ticket after the sitting President resigned from the race. For the Republican Party, former President Donald Trump led the charge. With 301 to 226 electoral votes, Trump beat Harris to the White House and will be sworn into office on January 20, 2025.
The 2024 election race has been intense for the American population. With the economy, human rights, abortion, and immigration discourses, the opposing candidates conducted campaigns that put the future of the United States on the world stage. In an interesting turn of events, Trump also won the popular vote, with 73.4 million votes over Harris’ 69 million.
Credit: Gage Skidmore, Flickr
For Harris, election night turned somber after Trump secured two of the key swing (or battleground) states: North Carolina and Georgia. His win in Pennsylvania further secured his return to the White House, and eventually, Harris conceded the race to the divisive former President.
Vice President Harris went on to lose Florida, which had previously turned blue in 2008 and 2012 during Barack Obama’s run for President. Per the BBC, Florida—the state where Donald Trump and former First Lady Melania Trump cast their votes—saw a result of 56.1% for Trump and 42.9% for Harris, giving Trump the 30 electoral votes the Sunshine State has to offer.
Credit: Screenshot, ‘Saturday Night Live’, NBC
As the world deals with what a Trump presidency means, Mother Nature, as always, waits for no one. On Tuesday night, the night of the election results, a storm became Hurricane Rafael and headed toward Cuba and Florida. While Rafael was not expected to impact Florida outside of the Florida Keys–unlike Helene and Milton earlier this year–many online hoped it would.
A weather report posted by ABC13 Houston (@abc13houston) gained immense traction on TikTok, with over 277,000 likes and over 21,000 comments. A large proportion of those comments showed support not for the people Rafael may impact but for the hurricane itself.
All eyes on the Gulf! Rafael strengthens into a hurricane and is predicted to move into the Gulf by Wednesday. Catch the latest tropical updates with ABC13-Elita Loresca wherever you watch ABC13.
@abc13houston All eyes on the Gulf! Rafael strengthens into a hurricane and is predicted to move into the Gulf by Wednesday. Catch the latest tropical updates with ABC13-Elita Loresca wherever you watch ABC13. #weather #hurricane #gulfofmexico #hurricanerafael #eyesonthegulf #tropicalweather #tropicalweatherupdate #weatherupdate #fy #fyf #news #severeweather #texasweather #gulfcoast #abc13houston #abc13
After Florida lit up red in the 2024 election, many TikTok users took to the comment section of ABC13’s report to send best wishes to the storm. One user wrote, “Hope Rafael has a safe journey to Florida,” while other comments read, “Wishing Rafael strength in this tough time,” “Concepts of Thoughts and Prayers,” “Cat 6 please and thank you,” and “Rafael, please let me know if you need snacks or anything along the way for the journey.”
Other users begged the storm to make landfall in Florida as a Category 5 with a huge storm surge and hoped it would then move on to Texas and Pennsylvania, which also voted in Donald Trump.
Credit: Canva
Hurricane Rafael won’t actually impact Florida in any sort of destructive way, as it has turned west into the Gulf of Mexico. In heading on this trajectory, the storm is also history-making–but not in a negative way, one may assume, when it comes to major tropical storms.
“In recorded history, Florida typically receives a landfall by nearly every named storm to form in the month of November,” Click Orlando reported. “Rafael is now forecast to turn west once it enters the eastern Gulf of Mexico.”
The report continued: “Once it turns west, the current pattern driving the path of the storm could direct it southwestward from there into the Bay of Campeche and maybe into a Mexico landfall. This is unheard of during every recorded November in hurricane season history.”
Credit: Florida Fish & Wildlife, Flickr
Hurricane Rafael comes after a particularly active hurricane season that saw Hurricanes Helene and Milton devastate parts of Florida. The latter caused Florida’s top tourist attractions, Walt Disney World Resort and Universal Orlando Resort, to shut down to all theme park guests. At Disney World, guests were instructed to stay inside their resort hotels and make use of the amenities there while the storm passed through Central Florida.
How do you feel about people wishing that Rafael had headed toward Florida following the election? Let Disney Fanatic know in the comments down below!
THE (people) that are hoping for the hurricane to hit Florida just show how stupid and ignorant the ( people) are who apparently DID NOT VOTE FIR TRUMP!
Do you ignorant people listen to yourselves? Do you Renner what Andrew did or the four storms in 2005 or the one that practically destroyed the West coast then there’s the Big bend area and let’s not forget Helen and how it has destroyed an entire beautiful town called Asheville NC !! You (people) are sick and ignorant and LOSERS for wishing for destructions of a state due to an election result! I hope Trump make your lives MISERABLE BECAUSE YOU ALL ARE MISERABLE (people)
Stupid people say stupid things. My whole family lives in Florida. You stupid people are wishing harm to people. You call yourselves the party of inclusion and compassion. You guys are full of B.S. I as a Republican will never wish harm on any human being. Should be ashamed of yourselves. How can you live being so bitter and angry all the time.