[114 / 1 / ?]
Quoted By: >>1481157 >>1481189 >>1481206 >>1481217 >>1481296 >>1481319 >>1481381 >>1481384 >>1481440 >>1481441 >>1481776 >>1482158 >>1482254 >>1482326
https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/23/politics/fema-ice-storm-memes
Homeland Security officials have urged disaster response staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to avoid using the word “ice” in public messaging about the massive winter storm barreling toward much of the United States, according to two sources familiar with the directive.
The concern is that the word could spark confusion or online mockery, given the ongoing controversy surrounding US Immigration and Customs Enforcement — also known as “ICE.”
The guidance, informally delivered to a group at FEMA Thursday by officials from the Department of Homeland Security – which oversees both FEMA and ICE – comes as states across the South brace for potentially devastating ice accumulations, with some areas expecting a quarter -inch or more.
Officials told staff they worry that certain phrasing – like “watch out for ice” – could be misinterpreted or quickly turned into internet fodder, especially as ICE operations remain a flashpoint in cities like Minneapolis and beyond. That would take away from the purpose of the messages, meant to protect people in danger over the next few days, the officials said.
“If FEMA says, ‘Keep off the roads if you see ice,’ it would be easy for the public to meme it,” a source with knowledge of the guidance told CNN. “I think it’s a dangerous precedent to set. If we can’t use clear language to help prepare Americans, then people may be left vulnerable and could suffer.”
Instead, FEMA staff have been encouraged to use terms like “freezing rain” in their public messaging, the sources said.
A statement to CNN Friday, attributable to a FEMA spokesperson, said: “Reporting’ like this reads like a desperate ploy for clickbait rather than real journalism that actually gives Americans disaster preparedness information that could save lives. FEMA will use correct and accurate descriptors of weather conditions to communicate clearly to the American people.”
Homeland Security officials have urged disaster response staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency to avoid using the word “ice” in public messaging about the massive winter storm barreling toward much of the United States, according to two sources familiar with the directive.
The concern is that the word could spark confusion or online mockery, given the ongoing controversy surrounding US Immigration and Customs Enforcement — also known as “ICE.”
The guidance, informally delivered to a group at FEMA Thursday by officials from the Department of Homeland Security – which oversees both FEMA and ICE – comes as states across the South brace for potentially devastating ice accumulations, with some areas expecting a quarter -inch or more.
Officials told staff they worry that certain phrasing – like “watch out for ice” – could be misinterpreted or quickly turned into internet fodder, especially as ICE operations remain a flashpoint in cities like Minneapolis and beyond. That would take away from the purpose of the messages, meant to protect people in danger over the next few days, the officials said.
“If FEMA says, ‘Keep off the roads if you see ice,’ it would be easy for the public to meme it,” a source with knowledge of the guidance told CNN. “I think it’s a dangerous precedent to set. If we can’t use clear language to help prepare Americans, then people may be left vulnerable and could suffer.”
Instead, FEMA staff have been encouraged to use terms like “freezing rain” in their public messaging, the sources said.
A statement to CNN Friday, attributable to a FEMA spokesperson, said: “Reporting’ like this reads like a desperate ploy for clickbait rather than real journalism that actually gives Americans disaster preparedness information that could save lives. FEMA will use correct and accurate descriptors of weather conditions to communicate clearly to the American people.”
