Huo Jingnan, NPR; Politically charged rumors and conspiracy theories about Helene flourish on X
"Emergency management researchers lament that the platform owned by Elon Musk, which was once considered a useful source of information in a disaster, is instead contributing to the chaos in Helene's wake.
The disaster became fodder for political attacks
The storm hit two swing states just a month before a close election, making criticisms about the response a tempting political line of attack.
On X, the top results for “Helene” have millions of views but are not always reliable...
Former President Donald Trump claimed without evidence that Democrats were withholding aid from Republican areas. Trump also falsely claimed that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp had not been able to speak to Biden, even though both confirmed they had spoken to one another.
There’s no evidence the federal government is withholding aid from affected states. The Republican governors of South Carolina and Georgia have praised the federal government’s support.
Other videos on X made wilder claims.
"Don’t worry guys, weather modification isn’t real! It’s just a coincidence that Hurricane Helene is one of the most devastating 'inland damage storms' in history and that hundreds of pro-Trump counties are being massively impacted during the most important election of our lifetimes," influencer Matt Wallace posted alongside video footage of flooding. The post received 11 million views."
