Lisa Hochstein, a former star on “Real Housewives of Miami,” was slammed on social media for posting a photo of herself and her family posing in front of a plane about to escape Hurricane Irma in Florida.
Hochstein and her husband, plastic surgeon Leonard Hochstein, and their 2-year-old son can be seen smiling in front of the airplane.
After she posted the image on Instagram, a torrent of criticism ensued. Some called her “tone deaf” and launched other epithets at her.
Hochstein’s former co-star on “Real Housewives” Joanna Krupa, even slammed her decision to upload the photo.
“All those [expletive] posting and showing off w their private jets in Miami, why don’t u offer help families and animals that can’t get out?” Krupa said on Twitter, according to reports. “Otherwise stop posting and showing off when people and animals are being left behind during this catastrophic hurricane. Idiots!”
Hochstein defended the move.
“EVERYONE IS POSTING ON SM about how they escaped! This happens to be mine and I don’t need to apologize or hide to ANYONE ABOUT HOW WE DO SO,” Hochstein said, Yahoo! reported.
“We also did not have paper work for our dogs to fly commercial as every vet was closed and every flight was booked and there is no way in hell we would leave them behind,” she continued. “Fortunately we were able to get a plane to take them with us.”
“We weren’t originally going to leave partly because of the dogs and a few other things….and waited until the last minute when we realized that this thing wasn’t slowing down which definitely made it difficult to get out,” she added. “We did not want to risk it with our little angel Logan.”
Then, she said she is “praying for everyone” who has been affected by Irma, which hit the Florida Keys as a Category 4 storm on Sunday morning. At least a dozen people in the United States were killed by the storm.
“I’m praying for everyone who already has been devastated by this hurricane and pray that Somehow by a miracle Florida is not hit so hard. We did not want to risk it with our little angel Logan. And YES we let some friends stay at our home because it’s a little safer then [sic] theirs!” she wrote, according to E! News. “They will be fine!!! Material things can be replaced lives cannot #staysafe.”
To donate to the Red Cross’ Hurricane Irma relief fund, go here.