US officials struggle to quash Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories

WASHINGTON – In the wake of the

devastation of Hurricane Helene

in the United States this week, a new storm emerged on social media – false 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 rumors, 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 US President Joe Biden of using federal disaster funds to help illegal migrants in the country, or suggest officials are deliberately abandoning bodies in the clean-up.

Republican Congress member Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on social media platform X on Oct 3: “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. In addition, the

presidential election

between Trump and Vice-President Kamala Harris is just over a month away.

Republicans and Democrats alike say the rumors 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 Mr Kevin Corbin, a Republican in the North Carolina Senate – a state that is one of the hardest hit by Helene.

“Ninety-eight 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 on Oct 4 accused some Republican leaders and conservative media outlets 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 Mr Biden and Ms 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 Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) funds had been spent on housing illegal migrants in the country.

Fema 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 that it has set up a rumour response page on its website to try to tamp them down.

Helene slammed into Florida a week ago and has killed more than 200 people and devastated half a dozen states in the US south-east.

Some officials are trying to combat the disinformation themselves on social media. Ms Katie Keaotamai, who works at Fema, but said she was speaking on social media in a personal capacity, explained Fema’s disaster response processes in several TikTok posts with thousands of views.

Disaster events are often politicised, said Dr Kate Starbird, co-founder of the Centre for an Informed Public at the University of Washington, adding that social media rewards “sensationalism and outrage with attention”.

“Manipulating the sense-making process (e.g. spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation) and politicising the event will both make it harder to respond and recover now — and to make informed decisions about how to prepare for and mitigate the next one,” Dr Starbird said. REUTERS