FACT CHECK: Viral Video of Alligator in Flood Waters Predates Hurricane Milton
A video going viral on social media purports to show an alligator swimming in flood waters in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton.
It’s kicking off here in Coral Springs, Florida as many Broward County residents have reported seeing alligators swimming in the flood waters. Stay safe everyone 🙏 #HurricaneMilton #Milton #Florida #LMF pic.twitter.com/mCmU7Jqygd
— BBL Keith (@FCKErikinho) October 9, 2024
Verdict: False
This video is from 2020, predating Hurricane Milton.
Fact Check:
Hurricane Milton made landfall Oct. 9 in Siesta Key, Florida, about 65 miles south of Tampa. The storm, which was a category three storm at the time of landfall, brought record amounts of tornadoes across the state and strong wind speeds that severely damaged the roof of Tropicana Field, home to Major League Baseball team Tampa Bay Rays, according to Bleacher Report.
Videos being shared across social media show the widespread devastation and destruction the storms left in their wake, including live alligators that washed up along with the floodwaters.
The operator of a sanitation company in North Fort Myers, Florida, captured the moment when an alligator popped out of the water and bit at his van’s tire early Thursday morning as he traveled down a flooded street during Hurricane Milton. https://t.co/cYwX0tcKGI pic.twitter.com/OkUzjkG72u
— ABC News (@ABC) October 10, 2024
One viral video shows an alligator supposedly crawling through the flooded streets of Coral Springs, Florida. (RELATED: Did ‘The Simpsons’ Foreshadow Hurricane Milton in an Old Episode?)
The text along the viral tweet is false, however. According to Reuters, this video is from September 2020, and was taken in Gulf Shores, Alabama by a woman named Tina Lambert Bennett. The area was experiencing storm surge from Hurricane Sally, with the video being shared by CNN on their Facebook page.
This is not the first viral video about Hurricane Milton that was misleading. Check Your Fact recently debunked a claim allegedly showing a meeting between Federal Emergency Management Agency officials, claiming to prioritize LGBTQ+ citizens over others.
