Video shows flooding in India, not Floridians fleeing Hurricane Milton (original) (raw)

Government officials have warned more than five million people to flee their homes as Florida braces for a direct hit from Hurricane Milton on October 9, 2024. However, a video circulating online does not show cars stuck on a flooded highway in the US state -- it was filmed in India in September.

"Florida's Desperate Escape: Families Stuck as Hurricane Milton Nears," says an X post published October 9.

Screenshot from X taken October 9, 2024

The same aerial footage and claim have circulated elsewhere on X, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Reddit, YouTube, and Rumble -- including in Spanish and Korean.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has put 51 of the state's 67 counties in a state of emergency, saying Hurricane Milton could have "major, major impacts." At least 15 counties have also issued mandatory evacuation orders, asking residents to move away from coastal areas, leading to traffic backups (archived here).

The storm comes just days after Hurricane Helene ripped through Florida as a Category 4, the United States' deadliest natural disaster since 2005's Hurricane Katrina. Officials say Milton, which has jumped between Category 4 and Category 5, could have an even more devastating impact on the state.

However, the clip circulating online was not filmed in Florida.

A reverse image search reveals the footage was first posted September 25, 2024 on Instagram. It shows the Western Express highway, which connects the Indian city of Mumbai to the northern suburbs, after it flooded during severe rains (archived here).

Multiple Indian news websites posted similar footage of the incident.

At least four people died in the torrential rains that hit India's economic capital as local officials closed schools and advised residents to avoid leaving their homes.

AFP has debunked other false claims about hurricanes here.

October 9, 2024 A visual in this story was updated.