The mayor of Tampa, Florida, is pleading with residents to not get political and to take local officials warnings and directions about Hurricane Milton seriously amid a surge in false information spreading ahead of the potentially catastrophic storms landfall.

Please dont get political on this. This storm is going to affect everybody, and we are getting the help that we need from all of the different governmental officials, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said at a press conference Tuesday.

Her comments follow a deluge of rumors, misinformation and lies being spread by politicians and people (including Elon Musk ) on social media. This includes comments about the federal governments response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated several states in the southeast last month.