Look, I get it; Milton is one of the least intimidating names one can come up with, so the prospect of a hurricane taking it on is pretty easy to laugh at. I certainly did when I first heard of it.
But as we search for any bright spot of humor to make the world’s tragedies more bearable, we must not lose sight of our humanity, even if that means openly expressing painful emotions that the world rarely makes time for. To that point, meteorologist John Morales is someone to be admired.
Shared by the official TikTok account of NBC’s South Florida division, the 56-second clip above was taken from a recent newscast in which Morales — a longtime meteorologist who’s been in the business since 1984 — very noticeably held back tears as he attempted to communicate the horrifying imminence of Hurricane Milton on Florida. At the time of the broadcast, Milton clocked in as a Category 5 hurricane, with peak wind speeds reaching 180 miles per hour.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has since declared a state of emergency, and Florida has seen roughly six million evacuees ahead of Milton’s projected landfall between Wednesday and Thursday. It stands as the fifth most-intense Atlantic hurricane in recorded history, and the first since Hurricane Dean in 2007 to chart amongst the top 10.
Morales apologizes for his loss of composure in the video above, but I believe I speak for everyone when I say that Morales showing vulnerability in this moment is a boon to all of us. The TikTok’s comments section is standing almost universally with the seasoned meteorologist, commending him for his obviously genuine concern for the people of Florida, and noting how telling it is that someone of Morales’ seniority would have such a visceral response.
“I love when humans show compassion and emotions..it reminds me some people still care,” wrote one commenter; a sentiment that was met with “Always keep in mind that- more people care than we realize. We see so much negativity on social media- like most things it’s not totally the way it is” as a reply.
The replier in question, user6289266621964, could not have been more on the money. Indeed, tolls on toll bridges have been waived, and Florida’s Emergency Management Division has partnered with Uber to provide some Floridian evacuees with free rides to state-approved storm shelters.
Let this be a lesson, folks; never, ever, ever let the surplus of cynical schlock on social media make you forget that people care about each other. Even those who bend over backwards to shield themselves with irony; they give a s*** too. We are absolutely, positively capable of enacting remarkable change, protection, and wonder by drawing upon our shared humanity, and sometimes, that humanity is most easily spotted in the eyes of a decorated meteorologist who — like you and everybody else — gives a damn about people.