FEMA Told Don't Say 'Watch Out For Ice' In Storm Warnings Because Memes
In another signal of how toxic Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has become, Homeland Security officials have urged disaster response staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to avoid using the word “ice” in public messaging because they are concerned about internet mockery, specifically memes, CNN reports.
Of course, the snowpocalypse is predicted to travel over 2,300 miles across 35 states, but FEMA is avoiding the word ice.
“If FEMA says, ‘Keep off the roads if you see ice,’ it would be easy for the public to meme it,” a source told the outlet. “I think it’s a dangerous precedent to set. If we can’t use clear language to help prepare Americans, then people may be left vulnerable and could suffer.”
FEMA staff have been encouraged to use terms like “freezing rain” in their public messaging, sources told CNN.
A FEMA spokesperson wasn't happy about the reporting.
“Reporting’ like this reads like a desperate ploy for clickbait rather than real journalism that actually gives Americans disaster preparedness information that could save lives," the spokesperson said in a statement to the outlet. "FEMA will use correct and accurate descriptors of weather conditions to communicate clearly to the American people."
Wow, that sounds similar to the statements of Trump's communications director Steven Cheung. It sure sounds like the administration's problem is with ICE, not weather warnings.