(Bloomberg) -- Officials will push to uncover the source of conspiracy theories hampering Hurricane Helene relief efforts, the head of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency said.
Disinformation in previous disasters came from US foreign adversaries, said FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, and though she doesn’t know if that has been the case for Helene yet, the cause is “certainly something that will be looked into.”
FEMA’s response to the storm that killed at least 227 and unleashed estimated hundreds of billions of dollars of damage across the south east has been plagued by swirling online conspiracy theories and misinformation. The rumors have included reports that the agency has diverted funding to migrants, that it’s seizing private land, and that it’s distributing aid based on demographic characteristics.
The false information risks dissuading disaster survivors from applying for aid, is creating distrust in federal and local governments and is demoralizing FEMA employees, Criswell told reporters on a press call Tuesday. Some of the rumors are being amplified by Elon Musk and Donald Trump, who has claimed federal disaster funding had been stolen by those in the country illegally.
“It’s really unfortunate that we try to create this level of fear that is impeding our ability to do our job at the level we need to do it,” Criswell said.
The false rhetoric has reached a “level I’ve never seen before,” Criswell said.
Criswell told Axios in December that China and Russia were spreading misinformation and disinformation following the wildfire that ripped through Maui last year, as well as after the chemical spill following a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
This kind of information “is a new challenge we are going to face in different disasters,” Criswell said.
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