The most recent hurricane of this year was named Milton, a category five and the second hurricane of the season. The hurricane made landfall at Siesta Key, Florida, as a category three storm but quickly grew much larger and harsher. Milton’s highest wind speeds reached 180 miles per hour and the entirety of the hurricane extended to 80% of the state of Florida. The storm lasted from October 5 through October 12 and caused more than $36 billion in damages, with at least 24 people dead. Surges rose to 8 feet in some areas and over 19 inches of rain fell over the state.
Those who tried to evacuate waited hours in gas station lines and hours more in heavy traffic. The increase in the intensity of these hurricanes is caused by climate change because the winds are increasing much faster and the rainfall is heavier. In 2005 Hurricane Katrina was supposed to be the strongest for a century, but in just two years, six more powerful hurricanes hit the U.S.
While those in the direct path of the eye of the hurricane evacuated, some on the outskirts stayed. With nothing better to do, Gen Z began to craft TikToks. With ranging audios from Michael Jackson’s song “Earth Song”, the song from the musical Hamilton “Hurricane” to the song from the musical Epic called “Storm.” These videos quickly went viral with average views of 16 million and average likes of 600 thousand. Most people in these videos dressed appropriately for their selected song, such as the founding fathers, Micheal Jackson, or Odysseus. With about 200 thousand videos Gen Z has quickly been named the “Most Unserious Generation Ever.”
These videos could be a coping mechanism, a way to become viral, or both. Gen Z tends to become ‘unserious’ in the face of disasters or misfortunes. They tend to find the best in the worst situations and strive for them. These videos may seem insensitive to others.
“It’s a little bit too much, it is a little too early,” senior Harmoney Sanders said when asked about her opinion on the videos.
Other videos about the hurricane become more solemn as the creator’s age increases, making the situation more real to viewers. In some videos, the creators show themselves writing the names and ages of their children on their kids’ arms as they sleep. These videos received similar views and likes, but the new generation will remember this hurricane as the creation of these Gen Z memes. These two views of this natural disaster highlight the generational divide.
To find TikTok’s mentioned use these links:
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTF3CjvRN/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFo1E2up/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFoJPqYT/
https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFoe844q/
Or search ‘hurricane Milton memes’
