Hurricane Helene left hundreds dead and inflicted life-changing damage for thousands more, but officials leading the recovery effort have had to fight more than just storm damage.
Falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the Federal Emergency Management Agency have spread widely online, continuing to circulate even as Hurricane Milton now bears down on Florida. Deanne Criswell, the agency’s administrator, said misinformation has harmed people affected by the storm and volunteers on the ground to help rebuild.
“It’s creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government. And we have so many first responders that have been working day and night to go out and help these communities,” said Criswell, speaking with reporters Oct. 8. “It’s just really demoralizing to them. It hurts their morale when they’ve left their families to be able to come in here and help people.”
RELATED:Disaster politics: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are the latest to deal with fallout
FEMA has shipped meals, water, generators and other supplies to the Southeast as part of the recovery effort. The federal assistance approved for people affected by the storm had, as of Oct. 8, surpassed $286 million. But those efforts were complicated by false claims that the agency doesn’t have the money to help people affected by the storm or only provides $750 in assistance. They are among the claims FEMA addresses on a new web page seeking to mitigate the damage of the most widespread falsehoods.
“It’s creating fear in some of the individuals, and so I worry that they won’t apply for assistance, which means I can’t get them the necessary items they need to support them,” Criswell said.
Less than a month before the presidential election, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have each made the response to the hurricane an issue on the campaign trail. Trump has amplified some of the false claims, including that FEMA doesn’t have hurricane relief money because it has all been spent on people living in the U.S. illegally. Harris described Trump’s baseless claims as “extraordinarily irresponsible,” The Associated Press reported.
Here are some of the hurricane-related claims USA TODAY has debunked.
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Claim: Florida was charging tolls on Hurricane Milton evacuation routes as of Oct. 8
Our rating: False
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended tolls in more than a dozen counties in the path of Hurricane Milton starting on Oct. 7. The order lifted tolls for seven days.
Full fact check:DeSantis lifted tolls in Milton-affected areas through Oct. 14
Claim: NEXRAD, doppler radar and HAARP were used to control path of Hurricane Helene
Our rating: False
It is not possible to control the weather at a large scale, experts said. HAARP studies the ionosphere, and there is no known mechanism for affecting the weather from there. Doppler radars such as NEXRAD also cannot control storms, according to experts.
Full fact check:NEXRAD, HAARP and Doppler radar can’t control hurricanes
Claim: Biden administration spent FEMA hurricane relief money on ‘illegals’
Our rating: False
FEMA and a White House spokesperson both said the claim is false. It conflates the agency’s disaster relief fund with a separate program that helps homeless people. The money provided by Congress for the disaster relief fund must be used for that purpose, and any other use is against the law.
Full fact check: No, Biden, Harris didn’t spend hurricane relief FEMA funds on immigrants
Claim: FEMA loans money to disaster victims and takes their land if it’s not paid back
Our rating: False
FEMA can’t seize property or land from people who apply for federal disaster assistance. The agency’s aid does not typically need to be paid back.
Full fact check:FEMA can’t seize land or property from disaster victims
Claim: Americans affected by Hurricane Helene receive ‘only $750’ in aid
Our rating: False
The $750 payments are the initial support provided under a new FEMA program, not the sole financial assistance available. Applications can be made for multiple additional forms of financial support for those affected by the hurricane.
Full fact check:Payments of $750 are only part of federal financial assistance after Helene
Claim: Trump only pledged 3% of Hurricane Helene fundraiser proceeds to victims
Our rating: False
The GoFundMe page pledged to direct all funds raised to hurricane victims, as the platform’s policy requires. Roughly 3% of each donation goes toward GoFundMe’s transaction fees.
Full fact check:No, Trump didn’t pledge only 3% of GoFundMe proceeds to Helene victims
Claim: Image shows Trump wading through flood waters after Hurricane Helene
Our rating: Altered
Experts and an AI-detection tool confirmed the image is AI-generated. There’s no evidence Trump waded through flood water in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Full fact check:Image of Donald Trump wading through flood water is AI-generated
Claim: Biden said he’s not giving any more aid to Hurricane Helene victims
Our rating: False
The president said the government had provided all the available resources available at the time, not that there would be no additional aid. He later said more aid would be forthcoming for those affected by the hurricane.
Full fact check: No, Biden didn’t say he’s done sending aid to Hurricane Helene victims
Claim: Biden and Harris blocked rescue efforts to North Carolina so they could tour hurricane damage
Our rating: False
The Federal Aviation Administration said the temporary flight restrictions implemented because of Biden and Harris’ visits don’t apply to hurricane recovery efforts or aircraft delivering aid.
Full fact check:Biden, Harris flight restrictions didn’t block hurricane recovery efforts
Claim: Hurricane Milton reached ‘Category 6’ strength
Our rating: False
There is no “Category 6” on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. While a sixth tier has been discussed in hypothetical terms, it is not a real measurement of hurricane severity in 2024.
Full fact check:Hurricane Milton didn’t reach ‘Category 6.’ There’s no such thing
Claim: North Carolina State Police warned they will arrest FEMA employees who block Helene aid
Our rating: False
There is no agency called the North Carolina State Police, but spokespeople for statewide police agencies said the claim is false.
Full fact check:No, North Carolina police didn’t threaten FEMA arrests
(This story was updated to add new information.)
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