Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) on Tuesday sought to dispel what he called conspiracy theories and hoaxes about the federal government's response to Hurricane Helene , with a page on his official site titled “Debunking Helene Response Myths.”
Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26, rapidly moving inland and bringing disaster across states such as Georgia, the Carolinas, and Tennessee. The storm, which has left more than 230 people dead, caused massive flooding, particularly in the Appalachian region of western North Carolina .
Soon after, rumors began to spread like wildfire, questioning the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response and what caused the hurricane to begin with. Former President Donald Trump falsely claimed that the Biden administration did not have funds for hurricane relief because “they spent it all on illegal migrants.”
FEMA has blasted the conspiracy theories , launching a “Rumor Response” page to dispel the claims, and the agency acquired allies among Republican congressmen from the affected regions.
Edwards, who represents North Carolina’s 11th Congressional District, where severely affected cities such as Asheville are located, listed eight rumors and the reasons the claims are false.
“Over the past 10 days, I have been proud of how our mountain communities have come together to help one another,” Edwards said. “We have seen a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide; but amidst all of the support, we have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains.”
He stopped short of singing FEMA’s praises, saying the agency’s recovery response has had its “shortfalls.” Despite that, he labeled the circulating rumors as “outrageous.”
Specifically, the congressman countered claims that Helene was geoengineered, that local officials were abandoning search-and-rescue efforts to bulldoze over the town of Chimney Rock, and that FEMA was stopping, confiscating, or turning away donations.
Edwards also pointed out that while other Republicans have accused FEMA of diverting disaster funding to the border, disaster response efforts are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund.
“FEMA’s non-disaster related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues,” Edwards said.
Additionally, the congressman dispelled rumors that FEMA is running out of money or can seize a person's property or land. He also said the Federal Aviation Administration is not restricting access to airspace for rescue operations and that disaster survivors are not limited to $750 in assistance from FEMA as they can be eligible for additional assistance for temporary housing and home repairs.
“I encourage you to remember that everything you see on Facebook, X, or any other social media platform is not always fact,” Edwards said. “Please make sure you are fact checking what you read online with a reputable source.”
Edwards is not the only Republican to defend FEMA's recovery efforts. Over the weekend, Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) labeled rumors as "distractions."
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“This is when, I believe, discipline is absolutely essential,” Tillis said Sunday on CBS’s Face the Nation. “We don’t need any of these distractions on the ground that’s at the expense of hardworking first responders and people who are just trying to recover their lives.”
He also rebutted the claim that FEMA resources were being diverted to the border, saying that "the failure of this administration's border policies and the billions of dollars it's costing ... not yet is it affecting the flow of resources to western North Carolina."
Local News
