Melissa Golding
Successive hurricanes have brought death and destruction to parts of the South, exacerbated by a deluge of false and misleading information, some of which continues to circulate despite being conclusively proven to be false.
In the final weeks of a hard-fought presidential election, disinformation has become political fodder, especially in swing states hit hard by Hurricanes Helen and Milton. Former President Donald Trump made a series of false claims on the campaign trail and on social media, messages that his supporters helped express.
Federal, state and local officials, including several Republicans, have denounced the disinformation, saying it makes it more difficult to meet the needs of hurricane victims.
Here are the facts about some of the most common misinformation.
Governments cannot create or manage hurricanes
Claim: The government used weather technology to create Hurricanes Helen and Milton to deliberately target Republican voters.
Fact: Both hurricanes were natural phenomena. Humans do not have the technology to control such a large weather system. Hurricanes are hitting the same areas they have been for many centuries.
Chris Landsea, director of tropical analysis at the National Hurricane Center, said a mature hurricane can release a large amount of heat energy every 20 minutes, equivalent to a 10-megaton nuclear bomb.
“If meteorologists can stop hurricanes, we can stop hurricanes,” said Kristen Corbosiero, a professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany. “If we could control the weather, we wouldn't want this kind of death and destruction.”
Efforts to control hurricanes have historically failed. For example, from the 1960s to the 1980s, the federal government considered increasing the size but decreasing the intensity of storms. But the tests were inconclusive, and researchers realized that if the storm got bigger, it would put more people at risk. In 1947, General Electric and the U.S. military tried using Air Force aircraft to drop dry ice into the hurricane's path in an attempt to weaken the hurricane, but that also failed.
Federal government wrongly accused of lack of response to Helen incident
CLAIM: The federal government failed to respond to Hurricane Helene and intentionally withheld aid to victims in Republican areas.
Fact: President Joe Biden and Vice President and Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris are both active supporters of recovery efforts.
Biden approved major disaster declarations in Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, allowing survivors to receive funding and resources to immediately begin recovery efforts. The White House announced that the President held phone calls on September 29 with Georgia Governor Brian Camp; North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper; Valdosta, Georgia Mayor Scott Matheson and Florida Emergency Management Director John · Locke. Kemp confirmed on Sept. 30 that he had spoken with Biden the night before and that the state was getting everything it needed.
Harris visited the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington on September 30.
Both the President and Vice President have traveled to areas affected by Helen.
Federal officials have no plans to occupy some hard-hit communities
Claim: The federal government planned to occupy and bulldoze some particularly hard-hit communities, such as Chimney Rock, North Carolina, and prevent residents from rebuilding on their properties.
Fact: According to local officials, this is not the case. Shortly after Chimney Rock was destroyed by Helen's floods, posts began circulating on social media claiming the federal government planned to seize all property in the community through eminent domain and prevent residents from returning or rebuilding. Some versions of the statement suggested authorities were not even allowing residents to retrieve the bodies of storm victims, or that communities were being seized as part of a federal program to control valuable nearby lithium mines.
Far-right extremists and white supremacist groups reposted the claim on platforms such as Telegram and sought to link false claims about lithium mines to efforts to combat climate change through the development of electric vehicles, which use lithium in their batteries. Officials from both parties who represent the region and are overseeing recovery efforts say none of this is true.
FEMA cannot arbitrarily seize private property or condemn entire communities, and the federal government has no plans to seize landmines or force entire towns to relocate.
“I encourage you to remember that everything you see on Facebook, X, or any other social media platform is not always the truth. Please make sure you are verifying what you read online with reliable sources,” N.C. State Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards wrote in a letter to constituents that he refuted some of the viral claims about the storm.
The $750 in assistance from FEMA is a starting point for those in need. No need to repay
Claim: Hurricane survivors can only get a $750 loan from FEMA, and if they don't repay the loan, FEMA will seize their land.
Fact: This is not the case. Keith Turi, acting director of FEMA's Office of Response and Recovery, said that number refers to the amount the agency can provide to people in affected areas with urgently needed help, such as clothing or food.
FEMA wrote on its “Hurricane Rumor Response” page that such payments, known as severe needs assistance, can be used when the agency evaluates applicants' eligibility for additional funds.
On October 1, the maximum amount for first-time severe need assistance was increased to $770. FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg confirmed in a post that the agency will not “request a return of the money.”
Some FEMA grants may need to be repaid, although this is less common. For example, if the survivor receives duplicate benefits from insurance or other sources.
FEMA has no shortage of hurricane aid, as it's used for other reasons
CLAIM: The Federal Emergency Management Agency did not have enough funds to assist hurricane victims because the funds were used to help illegal immigrants in the country or provide foreign funds to Israel and Ukraine.
Fact: This is incorrect. “There is money in my budget – the Disaster Relief Fund – to continue the response to Hurricanes Helen and Milton,” Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell said Wednesday on MSNBC. She added that the agency will need to evaluate how much money is left to continue reviving the program and respond to future storms this season.
FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund is replenished annually by Congress and is used to pay for recovery costs from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. Congress recently replenished the fund with $20 billion — the same amount FEMA received last year. About $8 billion of that amount is set aside for recovery and mitigation projects from previous storms. It separately funds foreign military aid.
No money from FEMA funds is used to support border issues or international concerns, only disaster-related efforts, according to the agency.
Helicopters flying supplies around North Carolina distribution center were trying to make a delivery
CLAIM: The federal government is sending unmarked helicopters into Hurricane Helene staging areas and intentionally destroying aid supplies for victims in western North Carolina.
Facts: These claims are based on a video showing a helicopter flying over a parking lot where hurricane aid was being collected. As it hovered over the area, it kicked up debris and supplies from the site and toppled canopies.
The North Carolina National Guard said in a statement released Tuesday that video showed one of its helicopters trying to deliver a generator to power its power point at the request of a local civilian organization. As the helicopter descended into a Burnsville parking lot used for aid efforts, it kicked up debris and supplies from the site and toppled the canopy. The landing was aborted for safety reasons.
Megan George, the dog trainer and former Coast Guard veteran who first posted the video, told The Associated Press that she didn't intend to use it as evidence of bad government behavior, but rather as a sign that she wanted answers records of hazardous situations.
The helicopter's crew has been grounded until an investigation into the incident is completed, according to a National Guard statement.
Associated Press writer David Klepper in Washington contributed to this report.
Find AP Fact Check here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.
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