Northerners, Thaw Your Hearts to Southern Disasters

Following the 2024 presidential election, individuals online expressed anger at Republican voters in certain states, particularly those in the South. One tweet read, “FLORIDA I AM SICK OF YOU. YOU DESERVE EVERY HURRICANE COMING TO YOU,” and many more echoed its sentiments. 

While some might say these attitudes are simply an impassioned reaction to disappointing election results, in recent years there has been a surprising amount of contempt from Northerners regarding Southerners’ plights following natural disasters. 

Texas was hit with a destructive winter storm in February 2021. The event, aptly referred to as The Great Texas Freeze, caused a complete shutdown of the state’s power grid and put 10 million people at the mercy of the cold — with no running water or electricity. 

My family’s apartment went through phases of power where my parents would scramble to heat food and water within a short period. When the power came back on, I managed to charge my phone just enough to check my notifications. 

The first one I saw was an Instagram story from a childhood friend in Michigan, saying the storm was only killing those who had it coming — the Republicans who had voted Trump into office five years prior. 

But was this retribution deserved?

The recent election has threatened the livelihoods of a number of people in marginalized communities across the country, as evidenced by the immigration raids ordered by the Trump Administration. 

However, condemning anyone with oppositional political beliefs to a violent death amid natural disasters only contributes to further political polarization, and even stoops to the anti-humanitarian level most Democrats allege of the right. 

The assumption the South is home only to backward attitudes isn’t only inaccurate, but also dismissive of those who advocate for change in southern states.With a population of 30.5 million, Texas is a majority minority state and is home to numerous LGBTQ+ people who are equally affected by natural disasters as their conservative neighbors. 

Northerners willingly ignore the diverse social and political populations of the South and instead condemn a few, demonstrating these online expressions of disdain aren’t in earnest, but rather are the latest rendition of harm derived from polarization.

Both Texans and non-Texans made a mockery of Sen. Ted Cruz for leaving the state for a family vacation in Cancun, Mexico while the freeze hit in 2021. However, despite the admonishment, he still gets voted into office, much to Northerners disbelief. 

So why haven’t Texans voted for the Democratic party, especially after Sen. Ted Cruz’ blunder? Why did Floridians re-elect Gov. Ron DeSantis’ by a bigger margin in 2024 than during his first campaign? 

The truth is, both Texas and Florida have been historically subjected to gerrymandering. Redistricting in Texas happens every ten years. This means the majority party, Republicans, have the opportunity to cut the state up into districts that will favor them, a move which stifles the shifting demographics of the state. 

The effects of gerrymandering can also be seen in Florida drawing race based districts targeting Hispanic communities under the guise of protecting minority voters. However these communities were split apart, failing to adhere to any redistricting criteria and only serving the Republican representatives interests. 

Even so, urban areas in Texas continuously vote blue, and the amount of Democratic votes shared among college students in Texas universities grows every election. Last November, Florida’s proposed amendment to protect access to abortions received 57% of votes, just barely failing to reach the required 60% to pass. 

The argument Southerners vote for their own incompetent leaders fails to account for complex political factors and diverse political populations.

This isn’t to say Southern states are blameless in the nation’s partisan battles. The majority of Texans identify as conservative, and this group isn’t exactly kind to majority Democratic states.

Recently, conservative outlets and President Donald Trump criticized Democratic leaders’ handling of the recent Los Angeles wildfires, instead of offering support. Some Republican politicians even went as far as to baselessly blame diversity efforts in the Los Angeles Fire Department for their supposed incompetence. 

But this back and forth is anything but productive.

Natural disasters aren’t some form of cosmic karma meant to punish southern Republicans for their transgressions. They’re real and dangerous consequences of the earth’s troubled climate, and no amount of Democratic or Republican death is going to solve anything.