In the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Helene in the United States, a new storm emerged on social media – rumours about how disaster funds have been used, and even claims that officials control the weather.
Local and national government officials say they are trying to combat the rumours, including one spread by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
One of the more far-fetched rumours is that Helene was an engineered storm to allow corporations to mine regional lithium deposits. Others accuse the administration of President Joe Biden of using federal disaster funds to help migrants in the country illegally, or suggest officials are deliberately abandoning bodies in the cleanup.
Republican Congress member Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
The conspiracy theories come at a pivotal time for rescue and recovery efforts following the storm, one of the deadliest US hurricanes this century. And the presidential election between Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris is just over a month away.
Republicans and Democrats alike say the rumours are causing problems.
“I just talked to one Senator that has had 15 calls TODAY about why we don’t stop ........ ‘fill in the blank,’” said Kevin Corbin, a Republican in the North Carolina Senate – a state that is one of the hardest hit by Helene. “98 per cent chance it’s not true and if it is a problem, somebody is aware and on it,” he wrote on Facebook.
“I’m growing a bit weary of intentional distractions,” he added.
White House officials accused some Republican leaders and conservative media of intentionally peddling rumours to divide Americans in a way that could harm disaster relief efforts.
“Disinformation of this kind can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it most,” a White House memo said. “It is paramount that every leader, whatever their political beliefs, stops spreading this poison.”
The memo highlighted a claim by Trump during a rally this week that Biden and Harris had used federal emergency funds “on people that should not be in our country.”
“This is FALSE,” the memo said. “No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants housing and services. None. At. All.”
In response to a request for comment for this article, the Trump campaign repeated accusations that FEMA funds had been spent on housing migrants in the country illegally.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has the funds for immediate response and recovery efforts for Helene, the White House memo said, and has provided millions of dollars in relief to those recovering.
Fema has been the target of so many falsehoods it has set up a rumour response page on its website to try to tamp them down.
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