A professor University of Tampa is under fire for tweeting that Texas deserved the devastation of Hurricane Harvey because a majority of the state’s voters supported President Trump in last year's election.
Ken Storey, now formerly a visiting professor of sociology at the school, tweeted the following in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, a Category 4 storm that left 10 dead and displaced thousands more across large swaths of Houston.
At first, Storey doubled down on his bizarre and hateful tweet, telling one commenter, “Well, the good people there need to do more to stop the evil their state pushes. I’m only blaming those who support the GOP there.”
After another user commented that Storey’s own homestate of Florida had also pulled for Trump, Storey replied, “Yep, those who voted for him here deserve it as well.”
The original tweet and its comments have since been deleted, and Storey has issued a new post apologizing for his previous statements.
The professor has also taken down his profile picture and deleted his personal information from the account. Soon after posting his apology, Storey also privatized his Twitter page.
Soon after the incident blew up on social media, the University of Tampa issued a statement saying the school had fired Storey for his remarks, adding that they "condemn the comments and the sentiment behind them, and understand the pain this irresponsible act has caused."
"As Floridians, we are well aware of the destruction and suffering associated with tropical weather," the administration added. "Our thoughts and prayers are with all impacted by Hurricane Harvey."