Trump refuses to denounce threats to FEMA, doubles down on falsehoods; The Washington Post, October 21, 2024

Marianne LeVine

 and 

Isaac Arnsdorf

, The Washington Post, ; Trump refuses to denounce threats to FEMA, doubles down on falsehoods

"Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump declined to condemn violent threats to Federal Emergency Management Agency workers providing relief to Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene, instead criticizing the government’s storm response using false allegations.

Asked during a news conference here about whether the former president is harming the recovery effort after a man was arrested for threatening federal relief workers this month, Trump responded by repeating falsehoods, including those the suspect said motivated him. Trump did not offer any concern for the workers’ safety or a denunciation of violence."

FEMA resumes door-to-door visits in North Carolina after threats tied to disinformation; AP, October 15, 2024

MAKIYA SEMINERA AND SARAH BRUMFIELD, AP; FEMA resumes door-to-door visits in North Carolina after threats tied to disinformation

"Federal disaster personnel have resumed door-to-door visits as part of their hurricane-recovery work in North Carolina, an effort temporarily suspended amid threats that prompted officials to condemn the spread of disinformation."

FEMA Chief: Hurricane Misinformation Is ‘Worst That I Have Ever Seen’; The New York Times, October 8, 2024

Stuart A. Thompson , The New York Times; FEMA Chief: Hurricane Misinformation Is ‘Worst That I Have Ever Seen’

"Disaster relief officials have issued several warnings this week that falsehoods and rumors spreading online about the government’s response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton have harmed relief efforts.

Former President Donald J. Trump and other prominent conservatives have spread several false claims about the federal response to Helene in recent days. Deanne Criswell, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said on Tuesday that the claims had made the agency a target of partisan rebuke and put lives at risk.

“It’s absolutely the worst that I have ever seen,” Ms. Criswell said during a phone call with reporters on Tuesday morning.

Misinformation and rumors often circulate amid natural disasters, as information is scarce and tensions are high. But the scale and speed of falsehoods that have circulated during Helene and Milton have surprised officials, including Ms. Criswell, who said on Tuesday that she had “anticipated some of this, but not to the extent that we’re seeing.”

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a research group that studies online platforms, found that debunked claims about Hurricane Helene and FEMA’s response were circulating widely on X, the platform owned by Elon Musk that has increasingly become a haven for misinformation. The group found that just 33 posts containing claims debunked by government sources were seen more than 160 million times by Monday."

Interested Parties Memo: Fighting Hurricane Helene Falsehoods with Facts; The White House, October 5, 2024

 The White House; Interested Parties Memo: Fighting Hurricane Helene Falsehoods with Facts

""Senior Advisor to the President and Communications Director Ben LaBolt, and Director of Digital Strategy Christian Tom

Under President Biden and Vice President Harris’s direction, the Administration has mobilized a robust, intensive, and whole-of-government effort to respond to the impacts of Hurricane Helene. This includes extensive pre-landfall preparations, as well as an immediate surge of additional resources and personnel to impacted communities. More than 6,400 Federal personnel are on the ground, and more than $110 million in Federal assistance has been given to survivors, with more to come. We are sparing no resource as we work to ensure communities across the Southeast have prompt access to Federal resources that will enable them to both purchase essential items and begin their road to recovery and rebuilding.

Unfortunately, as our response and recovery efforts continue, we have seen a large increase in false information circulating online related to the federal response to Hurricane Helene. A number of scam artists, bad-faith actors, and others who want to sow chaos because they think it helps their political interests are promoting disinformation about the recovery effort, including ways to access critical and live-saving resources. This is wrong, dangerous, and it must stop immediately.

Combatting misinformation and disinformation is always important – but it is especially important when responding to disasters like Hurricane Helene. In fact, disinformation after a hurricane or other natural disaster can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it most. It is imperative that we encourage impacted residents to register for FEMA assistance, not discourage it, by allowing falsehoods to spread.

Leaders from across the country, including local, state, and federal elected officials in both parties, are pleading with people to stop sharing “this junk.”

1. CNN: With misinformation swirling in Hurricane Helene’s wake, officials urge residents to ‘stop this conspiracy theory junk’
2. HuffPost: North Carolina Republican Pleads To End Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories About Helene Disaster Recovery
3. The Hill: Tennessee mayor on FEMA attacks post-Helene: ‘Quit spreading those rumors’
4. WVLT: ‘A lot of misinformation’ | Gov. Lee, FEMA address donation rumors

Here are some of the falsehoods being spread online – and the facts we are fighting back with:"

Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories collide with election misinformation; The Guardian, October 4, 2024

Rachel Leingang , The Guardian; Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories collide with election misinformation

“Elon Musk, the owner of X and key Trump ally, claimed Fema was blocking flights trying to aid the area, calling it “belligerent government incompetence”. The transportation secretary, Pete Buttigieg, responded: “No one is shutting down the airspace and FAA doesn’t block legitimate rescue and recovery flights. If you’re encountering a problem give me a call.”

An AI-generated image of a young girl holding a puppy, looking devastated as she sat in a boat in the rain, seemingly fleeing the flood waters, spread widely. It was rightly flagged as AI-generated, but some didn’t seem to care.

“This picture has been seared into my mind,” Amy Kremer, an RNC national committeewoman from Georgia, posted on X. She later added: “Y’all, I don’t know where this photo came from and honestly, it doesn’t matter,” saying it was “emblematic” of the reality people were facing.

One myth amplified in the last few days suggests Fema is out of money because it has spent money on migrants instead, a claim that Trump and many of his allies have amplified. The story was on the cover of the New York Post.”

Lawmaker on Helene conspiracy theories: ‘PLEASE help stop this junk’; The Hill, October 4, 2024

  JULIANN VENTURA , The Hill; Lawmaker on Helene conspiracy theories: ‘PLEASE help stop this junk’

"North Carolina state Sen. Kevin Corbin (R) denounced what he described as “conspiracy theory junk” circulating about flooding in western North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, referring to allegations about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) stealing money from donations, among several others.

“PLEASE help stop this junk. It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job. Folks, this is a catastrophic event of which this country has never known,” Corbin wrote Thursday in post on Facebook...

In an effort to curb misinformation surrounding Hurricane Helene, FEMA launched a “rumor response” page, where the agency asks the public to find and share information from trusted sources and to discourage others from sharing details from unverified ones. It also seeks to dispel rumors as the search for storm victims continues across multiple states and authorities contend with blocked roads and power outages."