Republican congressman issues rebuke over ‘outrageous’ Helene disinformation

A Republican congressman representing areas devastated by Hurricane Helene has implicitly rebuked members of his own party, including Donald Trump , by issuing a scorching rebuttal of misinformation and conspiracy theories spread by the former US president and his supporters about the storm and the government’s response.

Chuck Edwards, the member for North Carolina’s 11th district, contradicted criticism from Trump and others of the Biden administration’s handling of the disaster by voicing praise for “a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide”.

He also condemned “outrageous rumors”, which he said were hampering attempts to aid badly affected communities in his constituency.

Related: Hurricane Helene conspiracy theories collide with election misinformation

The missive, in the form of a press release headlined “Debunking Helene Response Myths” and posted on Edwards’s official congressional website, followed warnings from Deanne Criswell, the director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) that the glut of misinformation surrounding the relief operation was the worst she had ever seen.

“Hurricane Helene was NOT geo-engineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock,” Edwards wrote at the top of a list of eight rebuttals.

“Nobody can control the weather,” he added, citing the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Regional Climate Center as an authority.

Edwards did not identify the source of that or other rumors mentioned, merely referring to disinformation that had spread “online”.

But it flatly contradicted recent comments by the far-right Georgia member of Congress Marjorie Taylor Greene, who told her 1.2 million followers on X last week: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”

In further rebuttals, Edwards wrote: “FEMA has NOT diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid.” He added that the agency was “NOT only providing $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery”, clarifying that the sum was merely an immediate “first step” of a longer process of assistance.

The rumors have been repeated by Trump, who has also falsely accused Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, the vice-president and his Democratic opponent in next month’s presidential election, of deliberately diverting assistance away from Republican areas .

Fingers have also been pointed at Elon Musk, the entrepreneur and committed Trump backer and donor, who has spread disinformation to his 200 million followers on X, the social media platform he owns.

“FEMA used up its budget ferrying illegals into the country instead of saving American lives. Treason,” Musk posted on 4 October.

In another post, he wrote: “The level of belligerent government incompetence is staggering!!” The SpaceX owner – whose Starlink technology has provided mobile phone access to those cut off by the storm – has also disseminated accusations that Fema has “actively blocked” donations to the hurricane’s victims.

Referring to social media, Edwards wrote: “I encourage you to remember that everything you see on Facebook, X, or any other social media platform is not always fact. Please make sure you are fact checking what you read online with a reputable source.”

He is not the first Republican politician to call for a halt to online disinformation surrounding the storm and the effort to bring relief to its effects.

Citing some of the same rumors, Kevin Corbin, a Republican North Carolina state senator, pleaded with his Facebook followers last week: “PLEASE help stop this junk.”

“The misinformation is extremely damaging to the response efforts from Helene and from any disaster,” Keith Turi, Fema’s acting associate administrator for response and recovery, told Politico . “It is reducing the likelihood that survivors will come to Fema in a trusting way to register for assistance.”