Trump claims Category 5 Hurricane Dorian will hit Alabama, but National Weather Service says it won’t
President Donald Trump reportedly wrongly claimed that the Category 5 Hurricane Dorian was set to hit the state of Alabama. The president made the claim multiple times including that he had "never even heard of a category 5 storm" despite making the same claim on at least four previous occasions.
Trump made his comments on Sunday, September 1, as the Bahamas was lashed by Hurricane Dorian with fears that the "catastrophic" storm could result in devastating damage and loss of life. The hurricane is expected to hit the United States on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated from their homes in Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.
Trump, earlier on Sunday, sowed confusion among many as he tweeted saying that Alabama would be hit by the storm, "most likely … (much) harder than anticipated”.
"In addition to Florida - South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, and Alabama, will most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated. Looking like one of the largest hurricanes ever. Already category 5. BE CAREFUL! GOD BLESS EVERYONE!" Trump tweeted.
The president's claim, however, was quickly refuted by the National Weather Service office in Birmingham Alabama, which tweeted to its users, saying that Alabama would "NOT" see any effects from Hurricane Dorian.
"Alabama will NOT see any impacts from #Dorian. We repeat, no impacts from Hurricane #Dorian will be felt across Alabama. The system will remain too far east. #alwx," the weather service tweeted to clear any confusion.
However, despite the clarification, Trump repeated his claim at a press conference later that day, saying: "And, I will say, the states – and it may get a little piece of a great place: It’s called Alabama. And Alabama could even be in for at least some very strong winds and something more than that, it could be. This just came up, unfortunately. It’s the size of – the storm that we’re talking about. So, for Alabama, just please be careful also."
Trump made the statement at a press conference held at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters in Washington DC. Reports state that the president, at the same event, expressed surprise at the size of the "monstrous" Dorian, claiming he had never even heard of a category 5 hurricane, according to the Guardian.
"I have – not sure – I’m not sure that I’ve ever even heard of a category 5," Trump said. "I knew it existed. And I’ve seen some category 4s; you don’t even see them that much. But a category 5 is something that I don’t know that I’ve even heard the term other than I know it’s there. That’s the ultimate. And that’s what we have, unfortunately."
However, many viewers took to social media to point out that he had made the same claim of not knowing about category 5 storms on at least four occasions, including one as recent as May.