Image by Bill McMannis
Hurricane Helene broke records as the deadliest mainland hurricane since Hurricane Katrina, with a death toll of 230 across six states in the Southeast.
The realities of climate change have come to light during an especially disastrous 2024 hurricane season as the South continues to be ravaged by back-to-back storms. Communities across the region have been left vulnerable and traumatized from lost homes, loved ones, pets, and businesses.
After slamming into Florida’s Gulf Coast, Helene continued north, bringing torrential rainfall and destruction, resulting in flash flooding and decimated infrastructure. Along with mass destruction, Helene also brought a slew of politically charged misinformation — blurring the path forward for rebuilding communities and further igniting political divisions just shy of one month before the 2024 presidential election.
Damage was particularly detrimental in North Carolina, which has quickly become a hotspot for misinformation, fueling hostility and mistrust toward federal government agencies, including threats from local militia. Most notably, speculation surrounding the nature of government spending under the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has made relief efforts extremely challenging.
Threats toward FEMA workers have disrupted their services, as they are no longer able to offer services door-to-door. Also, instead of diverting all energy toward aiding victims, local officials and FEMA workers have been faced with disputing falsehoods that have emerged instead.
Social media has been a catalyst in the spreading of this misinformation, including persistent claims from former president Donald Trump that FEMA funds are being redirected to illegal migrants. Trump has also claimed on Truth Social that Republican areas have been denied help, spawning a partisan divide within the discourse. Thus, Republicans in affected areas have been tasked with reconciling their political allegiances with their efforts to help the people they represent. Additionally, local officials have faced antisemitism, further contributing to multi-layered tensions in the wake of this crisis.
Rumors have ranged from the idea that federal money is being diverted from FEMA to war efforts in Ukraine or immigrants, that only up to $750 will be allocated to the victims of Helene no matter their needs, and even that the hurricane was an engineered scheme to secure Kamala Harris’s win in the upcoming election.
These rumors have stirred an upheaval across the nation as political figures call for the spread of this misinformation to cease. “Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods,” Republican Senator Kevin Corbin wrote on Facebook.
Despite the rampant spread of misinformation following Helene, its mitigation has been spearheaded by websites set up by FEMA, statements made by the Biden Administration, and local officials on social media. These falsehoods have emerged from people trying to make sense of the tragedies that occurred and reveal political biases within the communities. Ultimately, they have made the path forward to recovery far more treacherous.
Most of these claims have since been disputed, but real consequences are already in effect, such as mass demoralization amongst FEMA workers and residents of affected areas. The reality of this disaster has not only been challenging at the level of disaster relief but politically polarizing as well, with partisan tensions flaring so close to the presidential election.
The bottom line is there is a real risk that comes with the fear that has been instilled amongst affected residents. If they are discouraged from seeking help, their suffering is only prolonged, and the healing from the trauma of the natural disaster is delayed. This notion has also been echoed by FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell.
The further spread of misinformation poses a severe threat to the recovery of these communities, which has been evident in the effectiveness of FEMA’s efforts thus far. Also, in the wake of natural disasters, communicating with affected communities becomes increasingly difficult due to geographical challenges and decreased access to power, cell signal, or internet. Not only did this difficulty in communicating make stopping misinformation more challenging, but it also created more obstacles for voters to cast their ballots in the 2024 presidential election.
In particular, absentee voting will be severely affected in North Carolina due to washed-away residential mail boxes and suspended post office operations. Local officials are working hard, however, to ensure voters can cast their ballots. For example, in areas where access to power is limited or phone lines are down, emergency voting kits will be provided to continue promoting voter registration and absentee voting.
The impact of Hurricane Helene has been felt both physically and socially, as communities are now faced with rebuilding infrastructure, healing from extreme loss, and dealing with dangerous misinformation. Moving forward, it is important to understand the realities and dangers of spreading misinformation, especially how fast it can catch and plague communities.
As climate change persists, the reality of disaster relief must adapt to be able to act quickly and effectively, and misinformation is one challenge that must be confronted in the process.
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