Hurricane Harvey hoax: Viral photo of shark swimming in Houston flood isn't real

Hurricane Harvey that is said to be the most powerful tropical storm which has struck the US mainland in twelve years. The storm, however has also been subject to hoaxes and rumors that have gone viral.

In a recent tweet, a blogger named Jason Michael shared an image a shark swimming on the flooded roadway of Houston. The tweet got nearly 70,000 retweets as of Tuesday and people seemed to have fall for the viral picture widely circulating online.

Fake shark pictures, often the work of photo editing, are the most inevitable visual viral hoax in a disaster like this and this is not the first time such posts have been shared.

According to the reports, other storm hoaxes have included a viral story that the Office of Emergency Management was shutting off water service in Houston, various photos of alligators roaming the streets and another social media post listing a fake number for the Texas National Guard.

 

Believe it or not, this is a shark on the freeway in Houston, Texas. #HurricaneHarvy pic.twitter.com/ANkEiEQ3Y6

— Jason Michael 🦈 (@Jeggit) August 28, 2017