Did the Government Create a Hurricane and Steer It Toward Jamaica?
Did the Government Create a Hurricane and Steer It Toward Jamaica?
My daughter and I were in San Francisco for Hallowe’en this year and enjoyed riding the cable cars, seeing the sights and prowling the shops. In one lovely clothing shop I was surprised when the shopkeeper started talking about Jamaica and how horrible it was that they were targeted by the hurricane. I asked what she meant and her eyes went wide. “Supposedly the government made the hurricane,” she replied in a near whisper. “They want to erase parts of Jamaica to build smart cities.”
I found this quite shocking and so I looked it up when I got back to our hotel room. First of all what kind of ‘smart city’ would require empty land? Turns out, there really are plans to develop certain areas, such as New Kingston, into Jamaica's first smart cities, however this doesn’t involve clearing anything away. Official smart city goals generally focus on using technology to improve efficiency, sustainability, and quality of life through better energy, transport, and waste management, not displacement. You can read more on ‘smart cities’ on Wikipedia if your’e interested.
Aside from the whole smart city focus, after major storms, people often share claims that the government made or steered a hurricane. In Jamaica, these ideas spread fast, especially when people face damage and slow recovery. There is no evidence that any government has created or controlled a hurricane. The belief grows from history, mistrust, and misinformation. I wanted to look at this more closely.
Historical and Political Background
Jamaica’s history includes slavery, colonial rule, and economic dependence on larger powers such as the IMF. These experiences have left many people cautious about foreign control. When a disaster happens, it can feel like a continuation of past interference. Some people see political or global motives behind natural events. This response appears in many other places with similar histories.
Economic hardship and slow disaster recovery feed suspicion. When help seems uneven or delayed, it can look intentional. The idea that stronger nations can decide who suffers and who doesn’t fits into long-standing patterns of inequality. People fill in the blanks with their own explanations, especially when official communication is weak or delayed.
Social Media and Misinformation
Social media is where most of these theories take off of course. After almost every hurricane, posts appear claiming the storm was “remote-controlled” by the U.S. military or “activated” by secret antennas. A few examples stand out for how strange they get:
Microwave storms – Some users claimed that satellites were “microwaving clouds” to steer the hurricane like a video game joystick.
HAARP buttons – A viral video on TikTok showed a man pressing random buttons on a mixing board, saying this was “how they make hurricanes.” Millions watched it before fact-checkers pointed out it was actually a sound engineer at work.
Chemtrail control – Posts circulate suggesting planes spray chemicals to “guide” storms toward selected targets. The photos used often show normal jet condensation trails.
Weather debt – A few tweets said Jamaica was being punished for “refusing IMF rules,” as if nature itself had a contract clause.
These claims spread fast because they sound dramatic and fit people’s frustration when facing real hardship. Fact-checking agencies like AFP, Reuters, and FactCheck.org have debunked hundreds of similar videos. NOAA and NASA both state clearly that humans cannot create, move, or stop hurricanes.IMF Rules and Old Tensions
Emotional Reasons
Hurricanes cause loss, and people look for reasons. Believing that someone caused the disaster can feel more bearable than accepting that it was random. It also offers a kind of logic: if humans caused it, humans could stop it. These explanations are emotional rather than scientific, but they make sense to those who have lost homes or livelihoods.
The Scientific Reality & Climate Change
Hurricanes form naturally over warm tropical waters. They need warm sea temperatures, moist air, and low wind shear. The Caribbean meets these conditions during the hurricane season. Jamaica lies in the path of many systems that move west from the coast of Africa. This geography, not human control, explains the frequent storms.
Climate change is increasing the strength and rainfall of hurricanes. Warmer oceans give storms more energy, and warmer air holds more moisture. Scientists at NOAA and the World Meteorological Organization have recorded more high-category storms over recent decades. Rising sea levels make storm surges worse. Jamaica’s location means storms that travel across the Atlantic often pass nearby. The increase in intensity is a result of global warming, not deliberate control.
When Climate Change Feels Unbelievable
Many people do not believe in climate change. When they witness stronger storms, they search for other reasons. Conspiracy theories fill that space. If people already distrust governments or experts, it is easier to think a storm was man-made than to accept climate data. Both ideas share a sense of powerlessness: one blames nature, the other blames human authority. This connection explains why misinformation grows during disasters.
The idea that governments can control or manipulate weather is not new. It dates back to the Cold War, when both the United States and the Soviet Union funded limited weather modification research. These projects, such as cloud seeding, could sometimes increase rainfall in small areas but never influenced major weather systems. No proven technology exists that can create, move, or weaken a hurricane or large-scale storm.
Despite this, theories about government weather control continue to spread. They reflect wider social concerns about surveillance, environmental collapse, and the uneven effects of climate change. As extreme weather becomes more common, the search for explanations will continue.
But the science remains clear: climate change, not hidden government programs, drives the shift toward stronger and more destructive storms.
How can I help?
If you’d like to donate to efforts to help Jamaica in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa here are some good resources:
Canadian Red Cross’s Hurricane Melissa Appeal (Canada). redcross.ca
The Jamaican Canadian Association through CanadaHelps (Hurricane Melissa Relief Fund). canadahelps.org