JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – A fake social media post and back-to-back hurricanes have caused many people to feel on edge and fatigued.
RELATED | Experts warn ‘crazy busy’ Atlantic hurricane season is far from over
Social media caused a brief scare after a fake post about Hurricane Nadine went viral.
Nassau County Emergency Management shared a picture Thursday that’s been circulating on social media claiming Nadine is making its way to the country.
However, Nassau County officials said that the picture is fake. Someone created a post from Hurricane Helene’s data and changed the name to Nadine.
Nadine is the next name for the 2024 hurricane season, but that hurricane has not developed yet.
With social media scares and two major storms in two weeks, many people said they also feeling fatigued.
For every storm during hurricane season, there are days of preparation, and it can alter people’s daily lives.
Michelle Bauche evacuated from Venice, Florida and drove for five hours to be safe in Jacksonville during Hurricane Milton.
“I live in Venice close to downtown. [I’m] hoping that my house is OK back there. I haven’t had any news,” said Bauche.
Bauche said there’s no power back home and she hasn’t heard from friends yet.
“I am worried,” Bauche said.
Hurricane Helene made landfall on Thursday, Sept. 26.
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Thursday, Oct. 10.
Doctor Justin D’Arienzo, a clinical psychologist said it’s not unusual for the weather to impact someone’s mental health.
“It certainly can mimic some symptoms of PTSD. We do have something called disaster fatigue when there have been repeated events. And what happens is, people start getting keyed up they’re hyper-vigilant they may start obsessing about the storm and fears that they are having and we call those intrusive thoughts,” said D’Arienzo.
MORE | The Latest: Residents begin repairing damage from Hurricane Milton, which killed at least 9
News4JAX also asked viewers how they feel after experiencing back-to-back hurricanes.
“My nerves are shot even though we weren’t hit here in Middleburg. I’m just sitting and don’t have any interest in my usual things. Can’t sleep, so tired. I feel awful,” a viewer wrote.
Mike M. said he feels relief.
“Relieved it wasn’t worse we have the best first responders in the US,” Matthews said.
Several other viewers agreed on feeling fatigued and overwhelmed.
“Compassion, fatigue! Vicarious trauma! Not only do we go through Helene but my former town and Western North Carolina was almost wiped out, and then we had to deal with the Milton. The last three weeks have been overwhelming to say the least,” Shannon P. wrote.
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D’Arienzo said the anxiety’s cure is “multifold.”
“What I recommend for people is to have a plan first of all and be aware of your symptoms and what you’re going through but also try to be of service to other people and get your family involved and reach out to other people you know that may be struggling,” D’Arienzo said.
Hurricane season doesn’t end until Nov. 30. Until then, Bauche continues to hope her home is OK and that the rest of the season will be dull.
“Our house was OK with Ian so hopefully we will have the same luck,” said Bauche.
While there is a chance for another storm, models are not consistent yet, and the closest disturbance is currently off the Gulf.
Hurricane Leslie is not projected to come toward the United States.
If you are ever wondering about a storm, you can visit the National Hurricane Center, National Weather Service or The Weather Authority’s website.