‘Influencers are WILD’: Out-of-touch influencers slammed for going to Disney during a hurricane
As Category 4 Hurricane Milton barrels towards Florida, expecting to cause catastrophic damage, out-of-touch influencers are still heading to Disney World, determined not to let tragedy get in the way of their vacation.
Just weeks after Hurricane Helene caused widespread damage and loss of life in the Southeastern United States, Tampa, Florida, is gearing up for a direct hit from Hurricane Milton. Tampa, which is already prone to flooding, has not experienced a direct hit from a hurricane in 100 years. Now, though, Milton is expected to strike late on October 9, potentially causing life-threatening storm surges of up to 15 feet. Millions have been urged to evacuate the area, with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor plainly telling those choosing not to leave evacuation areas, “You are going to die.” However, there are multiple obstacles to evacuation as residents face traffic jams, closed airports, and overfilled shelters and hotels. For some, evacuating isn’t an option due to costs and lack of transportation.
Many individuals outside Florida have been doing their best to help, including sending donations and raising awareness for the hurricane on social media. Unfortunately, some influencers on TikTok care more about their Disney vacation than the impending catastrophe.
TikTok influencers post about their Disney vacations ahead of Hurricane Milton
On TikTok, a number of videos have surfaced of influencers announcing their Disney trips days before Hurricane Milton or joking about refusing to cancel their Disney vacations despite the hurricane’s approach. Cecily Bauchmann was among the influencers posting these videos. The mother of four, who gained over 2 million followers for sharing motherhood and parenting content, posted a video discussing her preparations for her Disney vacation as Floridians were already being warned to evacuate. In her video, she went to Target to get her “Disney essentials.”
Bauchmann deleted the video after receiving backlash, though many users recorded it and continued circulating it on social media. Many hoped that she would change her mind after receiving stiff backlash. However, on October 7, she posted a now-deleted Instagram Story from her hotel room confirming she had arrived at Disney World. While Hurricane Milton developed exceedingly fast, news of its development began on October 4, meaning many influencers like Bauchmann had time to cancel their vacations, but chose not to. Bauchmann received criticism for bringing her four children to Florida with a hurricane on the way and taking up rooms that could’ve gone to evacuees. Many evacuees are heading to Disney not for vacation but because it is the only place where they can find available rooms to shelter.
However, Bauchmann wasn’t the only influencer making out-of-touch posts about heading to Disney. Multiple users made posts joking about not canceling their trips to Disney despite Hurricane Milton heading toward Florida. Another big influencer, Mama Jill, also went on vacation to Disney World and began updating users on how she was stuck there for the hurricane. While she received criticism for not canceling her trip in the first place, she has remained adamant that she didn’t know about it. Some users remain skeptical of her excuse, though.
So many users were posting about their Disney vacations during the hurricane that one user created a compilation of all their clips and made a song about it. She sings, “Dumb, stupid Micky ears during a catastrophe. We wear our stupid Micky ears while people go through tragedy,” while sharing screenshots of all the influencers currently at Disney. She also mocks those claiming that they didn’t know Milton was coming or that it’s acceptable because Disney is still open, without caring that Disney employees are risking their lives to keep the parks open for them.
There are people in Florida right now who wish they had the resources to leave the state and get themselves and their families to safety. At the same time, rich TikTok influencers are practically driving or flying through the eye of the storm with their families to get to Disney World. As people worry about losing their lives or their families not making it, influencers complain that the rain and park closures are messing up their Disney trip. Some people are using their life savings to secure shelter from the storm, while influencers from other states take up Disney hotel rooms. The only thing that is worse than having the ignorance and entitlement to go to Disney World during a hurricane is to have the audacity to brag about it on social media. Unfortunately, Hurricane Milton is highlighting just how tone-deaf and out-of-touch many social media influencers truly are.
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