After the deluge, the lies: Misinformation and hoaxes about Helene cloud the recovery
By: ABC News
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
False and misleading claims about Hurricane Helene are spreading about the storm and recovery efforts
ByDAVID KLEPPER Associated PressOctober 5, 2024, 9:36 AM
WASHINGTON -- The facts emerging from Hurricane Helene's destruction are heartrending: Businesses and homes destroyed, whole communities nearly wiped out, hundreds of lives lost, hundreds of people missing.
Yet this devastation and despair is not enough for the extremist groups, disinformation agents, hucksters and politicians who are exploiting the disaster to spread false claims and conspiracy theories about it and the government's response.
According to former President Donald Trump, the federal government is intentionally withholding aid to Republican disaster victims. Far-right extremist groups warn on social media that officials plan to bulldoze affected communities and seize the land from residents. A tale straight from science fiction asserts that Washington used weather control technology to steer Helene toward Republican voters in order to tilt the presidential election toward Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
The claims, according to experts and local officials dealing with disaster response, say less about the reality of the widespread damage from Helene than they do about America's fractured politics and the fear and distrust shadowing an election year marked by assassination attempts and escalating global tension.
As rescue work continues and authorities try to separate fact from fiction, the conspiracy theories are not helping. Elected leaders from both parties have had to set the record straight and urge people not to give into fear and rumor.
"If everyone could maybe please put aside the hate for a bit and pitch in to help, that would be great," posted Glenn Jacobs, the retired professional wrestler known as Kane, who is now the Republican mayor of Knox County, Tennessee. Jacobs' post was intended to rebut rumors that workers from the Federal Emergency Management Agency were seizing relief supplies from private citizens.
Many of the conspiracy theories focus on hard-hit North Carolina, a state key to winning the White House. Rumors circulated that FEMA was raiding storm donations and withholding body bags, forcing local hospitals to stack the bodies of victims. One claim suggested federal authorities would condemn the entire town of Chimney Rock and prohibit resettlement in order to commandeer a valuable lithium mine nearby.
Elon Musk, the owner of Tesla, X and SpaceX, posted that private relief flights to North Carolina were being blocked by the Federal Aviation Administration, a claim dismissed as false by Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Despite the tradition of Democrats and Republicans putting aside politics for disaster response, many conspiracy theories suggest Democrats such as President Joe Biden or North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper are intentionally withholding aid from Republicans. Trump has pushed the claim, as has North Carolina's lieutenant governor, Mark Robinson, the embattled GOP nominee for governor.
"They're being treated very badly in the Republican areas," Trump told Fox News, ignoring reports and photo and video evidence of recovery efforts underway throughout the region. "They're not getting water, they're not getting anything."
Conspiracy theorist Alex Jones endorsed Trump's fact-free allegation. Jones, the founder of InfoWars, popularized the idea that the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut that killed 20 children in 2012 was faked. "Exclusive: Victims of Hurricane Helene Confirm The Federal Government is Purposely Blocking Rescuers and Stealing Aid In an Attempt to Keep Deep Red Areas From Voting," Jones posted Thursday on X.
State-run media and disinformation campaigns run by China and Russia have amplified false and misleading claims about the response to the storm. Both countries have used social media and state news stories to criticize responses to past U.S. natural disasters, part of a larger effort to stoke division and distrust among Americans.
State and local officials from both parties have condemned the conspiracy theories as rumors, saying the focus should be on recovery, not political division and hearsay. Responding to the hoaxes is taking up time that should go toward assisting victims, said North Carolina state Sen. Kevin Corbin, a Republican who urged his constituents not to give into hoaxes.
"Friends can I ask a small favor?" Corbin posted Thursday on Facebook. "Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet... Please don't let these crazy stories consume you."
After Robinson, the GOP candidate for North Carolina governor, posted that state officials had not prepared for the storm, a spokesman for the governor accused Robinson of mounting "an online disinformation campaign." North Carolina officials say the response to Helene is the largest in state history, including thousands of members of the National Guard and other recovery workers, millions of meals, dozens of aircraft and more than 1,000 chainsaws.
Trump has tried to tie the hurricane's aftermath to immigration, a leading issue of his campaign. He falsely claimed that FEMA had run out of money because all of it had gone to programs for undocumented immigrants.
The agency's funding for disaster aid is stretched, but that is because of the many parts of the country dealing with the effects of hurricanes, wildfires and other calamities. Disaster aid is funded separately from other Department of Homeland Security programs that support immigration-related spending.
Bizarre stories proposing that the government used weather control technology to aim the hurricane at Republican voters quickly racked up millions of views on X and other platforms.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., endorsed the idea, posting Wednesday on X: "Yes they can control the weather. It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done."
Far-out tales of space lasers, fake snow and weather control technology -- sometimes tinged with antisemitism — have spread after recent natural disasters, including a snowstorm in Texas and last year's wildfire in Maui.
Experts who study conspiracy theories say big events like disasters — or the Sept. 11 attacks or the COVID-19 pandemic — create perfect conditions for conspiracy theories to spread because large numbers of anxious people are eager to find explanations for shocking events.
Responding to the volume of false claims about Helene, the Red Cross urged people to consult trustworthy sources of information and to think twice before reposting conspiracy theories.
"Sharing rumors online without first vetting the source and verifying facts ultimately hurts people — people who have just lost their homes, neighborhoods, and, in some cases, loved ones," the organization wrote in a public plea.
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MAGA media and their living god Trump are never going to stop lying.
Decent people have to send them to the garbage pile of history.
All they're worried about is the votes they might be losing for these folks here who have lost EVERYTHING.
Yes, the left is very worried about the votes they are going to lose because of this latest failure to perform.
Evidence that the left is worried about that? (Although considering you probably pulled that out of your butt, maybe we don’t want to see it.)
Link?
Sure
Anything else?
Of course, no proof will be provided. Valid proof.
Kamala Harris and Joe Biden are not destroying America , right wing media and far right social media are.
In the good old days, it was the mainstream media, Democratic politicians and the entertainment complex who spread lies to attack a President over a hurricane response.
After the failures of all levels of government and FEMA during Hurrican Katrina response, one would think that the democrats would have had this well forecast disaster well covered from the very beginning.
They did, and do.
Why? No one in Ashville took this seriously. Hurricanes come and go north every year. Helene stalled over Buncombe County, already soaked from weeks of wet weather.
How bad is it? Ashville is essentially cut off from several directions.
Roads closed in Asheville due to floods and mudslides 1 2 3 4 :
I-40 is a major trucking highway, too
I really feel for those folks affected. Having spent years in SE Asia and having gone through several major typhoons in the Philippine and at sea on board ship in the South China Sea. I have seen the damage/devastation caused first hand. My sincere prayers go out to them. Just another reason I am so glad I live in the middle of the Sonoran Desert in SE Arizona.
Not after you hit the split where 81 follows the mountains up to Gettysburg.
40 heads south for a bit then turns east and gets smaller and smaller until it merges with 26 and 240 as it goes around Ashville heading toward Swannanoa which was also totaled and 40 becomez 70
That's a beautiful desert!
I used to have friends that lived in Tucson-- I visited them and we went driving around touring parts of the state.
Thank-you. As you know I-40 runs east-west thru Arkansas. I've only followed it as far as Memphis
You almost got out?
lol
I do like it here
I travel it whenever I go back to Philadelphia from TX
It starts in Barstow CA and technically reaches the East Coast as 40/70/117/132 ending in Wilmington NC
It's the third longest highway in the States
It goes thru Nashville, doesn't? When we used to travel to PA we would take that route and then turned north outside of Nashville
Yes I remember trying not to fall asleep driving at night on 81 heading to the 1982 worlds fair in Knoxville.
A bunch of us were sitting around bemoaning our boring, alcoholic existence on a Friday night and made a snap decision to just go.
When we got there 8 or 9 people had to share a room with two queen beds because that was all that was available lol.
Good times.
To coin a regularly used phrase on NT. Opinions do vary.
True, but anything short of Harris flying into the storm with a cape and blowing it back to sea with superhuman breath will be seen as a failure by Trumps miserable sycophants. No matter how competent the rescue and recovery operations and support from the Biden administration is, none of it will be good enough for the bitter angry rightwing as they will just cling to any victim's pain and suffering as evidence of this administration's failure. Is that a fair assessment of the actual response? Of course not, but this is politics and as some have said, politics can be war and all's fair in love and war. But pretending that the rightwing actually cares about any of these victims other than to use them as a cudgel to attack the Harris campaign would be woefully ignorant. Sadly, that's Trumps favorite kind of supporter, woefully ignorant.
"We won with poorly educated. I love the poorly educated." - Donald J Trump
Facts/truth don't.
He actually said "stupid" people . Knows big words and how to use them .
Your facts, your truths are not mine and others. Deal with it. End of story.
No. Facts are Facts. The truth is the Truth. 'Nuff said! Period. End of Sentence!
That's okay, you go ahead and have the last word. I don't care.
To coin a regularly used phrase on NT. Opinions do vary.
No amount of denial and deflection can deny the fact that the Biden/Harris administration really blew it on this disaster recovery and assistance. On top of all his lack of preparedness and planning, Mayorkas has informed us that that FEMA is out of money and why. What is the misinformation? All one has to do is talk to and listen to the victims as to what really is going on. MTG and other wackos aside, the right wingers can't be blamed for this administration's incompetence
The Associated Press is considered to be one of the most objective news sources in America, if not the most.
Indisputable.
All one has to do is talk to and listen to the victims as to what really is going on.
And for the President to claim Hurricane Victims are "very happy" is beyond the pale.
Maybe he should have thrown paper towels at them to make them happy?
YESTERDAY, Trump introduced Marjorie Taylor Greene
who spoke at his rally. This would be the same liar nutcase who says Democratic elites are controlling the weather.
When will MAGA stop putting the nation through this insane clown show?
Unless you expected them to somehow stop the hurricane, the victims will be upset because of their losses no matter what. Despite any aid they may be receiving nothing will help them recover what they lost in the storm just help them replace it.
Perhaps they should be mad at MTG since she can apparently control the weather.
Then why did Biden lie and say they are all very happy?
Nope. It's very disputable. In fact, Trumps claim that the response was "worse than Katrina" is objectively false. He is a moron, he is a buffoon, he is a liar and a cheater and anyone who actually believes such a monumental piece of shit should have their heads examined.
Of course, anyone desperate to lick Trumps boots will refuse to accept facts and continue to push his lies as they always do. It's what braindead belly crawling sycophants do for their masters.
Of course they are-- they are doing it with their "Jewish Space Lasers"!
/sarc
And Helene was just Democrats trying to turn the rest of Florida into a swamp so they can shed their human skins turning back into the snake people they really are to inhabit this new swamp land! /s
These folk, (not the fictional 'snake people' they believe in) are a danger to society and themselves, from bombing buildings, attacking the capital to supporting and voting for an incompetent liar and con man for President.
Sounds kind of like the movie V where reptilian aliens were going to take over earth.
Marjorie Taylor Greene knows who committed this horrendous crime-- while others don't have a Clue!
(Spoiler alert; It was T he Jew, in the Sky , with the Space laser!)
Sure they can, when you have no integrity, and no honor, and personal responsibility is what you hold the other guy too but not yourself. you can blame anyone, I'm surprised it isn't trumps fault.
"I take no responsibility at all.."
Donald Trump.
Your poor deflection aside, can you point out where Biden has taken any responsibility for his poor performance, he is currently the president, not trump despite what the left keeps saying.
Trump is mentioned in the article. Sorry.
Since Trump is an anthropogenic global climate change denier, he has to accept some of the blame.
There is zero proof this storm was caused by climate change.
No, none at all, other than it's one of the worst storms/hurricanes, with the most extensive damage seen, in decades.
No, zero proof whatsoever.
No but the intensity and frequence will probably be contributing factors, the area already had accumulated 9 inches of rain in the previous weeks prior to the once in a thousand year event that assaulted Buncombe County. Soon to receive more rain from hurricane Milton this weekend.
The crux of climate change is warmer temps trapped by abnormal emissions caused by human industry and fossil fuel burning. It is factual that warmer water temps increase the strength of hurricanes and the amount of precipitation they dump from the skies.
The only provable thing here is that your comment isn't wrong, storms are a normal occurrence, it the strength and frequency that is associated with climate change.
Well Marjorie Taylor Greene has said it was caused by the Democrats.
The "Left"?
The Biden admin was offering help and support before the hurricane even hit land. Trump lied to you....yet again.
Can you point out where he quotes trump?
Trump said quite clearly over and over again that the Biden admin offered NO help. True? Yes.
Can you point out where I said he quoted trump?
You specifically said trump lied to him,
Yes, he did, which I have pointed out twice now. Any other questions? Good, you have a great day.
You're obviously listening to Agnew's Nattering Nabobs of Negativity. Social media? One News Now? OAN?
Fox News?
This is the storm of a Milenia that trashed portions of SIX states. Thats SIX where normally it might be one or two, maybe three.
What Mayorkas said was that there two more storms forming and one of them, Milton, could hit the same areas and there may not be enough left in the Congressionally approved FEMA fund and Congress is in recess and has ignored Biden's request for an emergency session to authorize replenishment of the Disaster Relief Funds.
Were the victims of Katrina stuck in the Super Dome having fun and singing songs? Hell no, they were just as pissed at Bush.
A I don't see anyone blaming the right wingers per se except the nonsense and lies from MTG, Vance and a desperate Trump.
You're seriously going to compare Trump's performance after Hurricane Maria in 2017 or Dorian in 2019 to this week old disaster?
Parts of the Bahamas have still not recovered from Dorian in 2019.
Much of Puerto Rico languished in ruins without power for years while the Trump Administration tried to block investigations into why funding response was so bad and why Trump withheld $20 Billion in relief funding. New probe confirms Trump officials blocked Puerto Rico from receiving hurricane aid (nbcnews.com)
Hurrican Fiona set back any progress Puerto Rico made up to 2022. They too were battered with 30 inches an hour of rain.
I had two homes in Ashville in the past, one in Leicester. I've been to Biltmore a dozen times. You build on a river bank. you accept the risk of flooding. Eventually you build high or move to higher ground.
Every Administration in our short history has had to deal with flooding or earthquakes and yet no one moves out of those states most frequently hit by the same disasters over and over.
But BIDEN !!! or trump ...
SMH
Greg, we have very close friends that live in Asheville and it took until last night for them to get some type of communication to let us know that they are OK, the house is destroyed but they are alive. Friends and neighbors helping each other out and complete with strangers helping. NO ONE IS ASKING WHAT FRICKING POLITICAL PARTY THE OTHER BeLONGS TO.,
I live directly in the original path of the hurricane and at the end went a bit around us and hit the Big Bend area as a CAT 4 there are towns that are 50 miles from us that no longer exist. There isn't a fricking building that is inhabitable in some of the towns and we had plenty of warning and help from the feds and the state,
If you are not on site or close by it's best not to speculate about the storm.
Then blame Congress.
So far, no facts have been presented supporting your thesis, so there is nothing from which to deflect. Please cite to your “facts.”
It is amusing to watch Trump devotees try and dismiss an article that has Lies, Hoaxes ,and Misinformation as part of its title.
Why don't you tell us what the Lies, Hoaxes ,and Misinformation are or were?
Are you denying what many news sources are saying, that Biden and Harris totally screwed up the response to Hurricane Helene?
Let me guess, townhall again?
I guess you didnt read the article.
Cutting through all the bullshit we are seeing on this article, MAGA,s cant stop lying. It has reached the point where our nation is at risk because of it.
Oh my, if powerhouse meteorologist Donnie was in charge Helene would not have ignored his Sharpie's directions.
And defunding NOAA is now a thing for the far right. Sigh....
Bullshit is a protein stuffed edible in their circle.
They want to defund it so they can take it private and charge money for a subscription service.
Luckiest candidate ever, Trump wants to hang Helene around Dem necks like they did to Bush II with Katrina. The truth didn’t matter then nor now with many. The narrative just cemented in whatever the voters opinions were.
That's enough to slap your mama silly
WTF is wrong with these people? They want to seize political advantage in a crisis - while not doing anything for victims - so they invent stories about the storm and the response. A vulture has more integrity when feeding off a corpse than these people do feeding off the misery of disaster victims.
Republican officials in the affected areas have publicly been saying for days that the federal response has been great, but these assholes pretend they can’t hear it - or it doesn’t get reported on their favorite regressive media. No one with any sense thinks that all problems can be solved immediately, but from the people who are actually there, it seems like everyone is doing their best.
Another day and assholes still can’t find a way to be positive for the sake of the people.
[✘]
Vutures serve a purpose. Those people do not
And now the next big hurricane, Milton is heading at Florida and looks to hit around Tampa as a CAT3 or higher and rip across Florida and come out on the east coast as a CAT 1 with extensive flooding. This could ba a lot worse than Helene.
It's a cat 5 now.................
Yup, but they are predicting it will be a CAT 3or 4 when it hits Fl.
Oh hell.
I had just left the Philippines about a week or so before Helene blew through Florida. We were getting brownouts there almost every day, ranging from a few minutes to up to about 16 hours....most of the time no reason, just...poof.
We lost power from Helene for about 16 hours but for us it was no biggie since we had gotten used to it.
Only thing we did was go to a Panera that had power and charged our phones. Hopefully this storm stays away from northeast Florida, but it looks like another round of rain and wind for a day pr so.
Stay safe.
Thank you and it looks like it is going to move a little more south fro Jacksonville, but still will get a lot of wind and rain.
I still worry about my fellow Floridians south of here. I hope they all fare well.
Hurricane Milton is currently the 4th most powerful hurricane ever formed in the western hemisphere according to a meteorologist from an Orlando tv station. The people in Florida better pray it diminishes quite a bit before landfall.
Sounds like DeSantis is preparing for the best he can. What is the Biden/Harris and FEMA doing to assist? Will they fail miserably again?
And Harris is whining because he refuses to take a call from her. She's the VP at this point FFS. How the hell is a call from her constructive? Let the man do his job.....................
I seriously think you need to get out of whatever bubble you get your news from. DeSantis, himself, said he was in contact with FEMA and Biden.
Also Biden is being as proactive as the job allows him to be -