Well, that was a chilling forecast. Fox News weatherman Shepard Smith had a bizarre outburst about Hurricane Matthew during a Thursday, October 6, broadcast in which he told viewers that they will die, along with their children. See what he said in the video above!
While laying out the potential route of the hurricane along Florida’s eastern coast, the 52-year-old meteorologist made some alarming comments.
“This moves 20 miles to the west, and you and everyone you know are dead — all of you — because you can’t survive it,” he said. ”It’s not possible unless you’re very, very lucky. And your kids die, too.”
Shortly after Smith made those remarks, Palm Beach Gardens resident Dolores Berhalter — who happens to be a longtime friend of the Fox News personality — called in to let him know that she is not evacuating her home because she is hopeful that the storm won’t be too severe.
Smith responded with another unnerving warning. “They were hopeful in South Miami-Dade and Kendall and Homestead back when [Hurricane] Andrew [hit in 1992]. They were very, very hopeful ― until they were dead,” he deadpanned.
He added: “Hope is not a strategy, Dolores! Why didn’t you come up and visit us for the weekend?”
While many social media users praised Smith for being direct, many lambasted him for inspiring unnecessary fear.
“What is wrong with fox news? Seriously stop fear mongering like this … being safe is one thing, this isn’t ok,” one upset viewer wrote, while another tweeted: “Fox News’ irresponsible journalism personified by Shep Smith’s hurricane coverage.”
Hurricane Matthew has already killed more than 250 people in Haiti, CNN reports. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, the storm is “unlike any hurricane in the modern era” and could possibly be the most forceful hurricane to hit northeast Florida in 118 years.
Watch the video above.
