Rush Limbaugh, radio host and Palm Beach resident, evacuates Florida ahead of Irma landfall

Syndicated radio host Rush Limbaugh is evacuating his south Florida residence ahead of Hurricane Irma’s landfall.

“May as well announce this. I’m not going to get into details because of the security nature of things, but it turns out that we will not be able to do the program here tomorrow,” Mr. Limbaugh told his national radio audience Thursday, reported The Hill. “We’ll be on the air next week, folks, from parts unknown.”

A resident of ritzy Palm Beach whose oceanfront compound reportedly boasts a 24,000 square-foot main house, Mr. Limbaugh also told his listeners it would be “legally impossible” to do his Friday program per usual from anywhere in Florida, given mandatory evacuation orders, The Hill reported.

Earlier this week, Mr. Limbaugh was critical of mainstream media hurricane hype, saying agenda-driven liberals in the media glom on to hurricanes to work up a drumbeat about human impact on climate change and big-government efforts to reverse or lessen the impacts thereof.

“You don’t need a hurricane to hit anywhere,” Mr. Limbaugh said on his Tuesday program, The Hill reported. “All you need is to create the fear and panic accompanied by talk that climate change is causing hurricanes to become more frequent and bigger and more dangerous, and you create the panic, and it’s mission accomplished, agenda advanced.”

News of Mr. Limbaugh’s evacuation was greeted on social media by a storm of scorn as users mock the 66-year-old Missouri native.

“.@rushlimbaugh should be embarrassed. But he won’t be,” wrote Helaine Olen.

“@rushlimbaugh hope that Hoax doesn’t wipe out your home. Nevermind maybe I do,” wrote Todd Taylor.

Others suggested Mr. Limbaugh bears blame for injuries or deaths that may result from stubborn Floridians who refused to evacuate.

“How many people will die in H Irma because they decided to ride out the storm?” asked user @NJBurt1. “After all, Rush Limbaugh said it was all media hype. GET OUT!”