#hurricane misinformation

[adhdisgay]

Friendly reminder to listen VERY VERY CRITICALLY if someone tries to convince you not to register for federal disaster assistance following a declared disaster. Helene is still moving north and I see the usual rants picking up steam already.

That person trying to win social commentary points online is not your friend. That person can’t give you funds for house repair or to restock on food and meds. And if they say they can - that is a scammer and not someone you can trust.

Scammers and developers trying to take advantage after a disaster intentionally spread rumors/misinformation to convince survivors not to apply for federal disaster assistance. Many well meaning people pick this misinformation up and spread it further without understanding how the assistance process works. It’s happened more and more over the years and it will happen with Helene.

If you do not apply for assistance, you lose the chance to receive federal funds. APPLY APPLY APPLY. This doesn’t guarantee you will meet eligibility requirements, but you definitely can’t meet them if you don’t apply. The application process isn’t perfect but it continues to be updated - and was updated in 2024!! - to try and make it easier for survivors. If you have damages or lost power for an extended time, APPLY.

You can check on FEMA.gov or with local news to see when disaster recovery centers will open, how long the application period will last, and what information you’ll need when applying.

[creativemedianews]

‘It’s mindblowing’: Hurricane conspiracies threaten US meteorologists' lives

‘It’s mindblowing’: Hurricane conspiracies threaten US meteorologists' lives #conspiracytheories #FEMAchallenges

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Don Moynihan at Can We Still Govern?

An exhausted Bradley Boone, the assistant Fire Chief at Pensacola, took to Facebook on Saturday. As his community was recovering from Hurricane Helene he asked viewers for help. Not with aid or supplies. They had plenty of that for now. But to dispel the rumors that were making it harder for him to do his job. These rumors include that 150 people were missing, that the community was overrun with violence, that there were not sufficient food and water, that roads which were in reality in need of repair were being shut to limit the flow of help, and that FEMA was unwelcome. He said he had spent a large chunk of his day talking to citizens face-to-face to dispel the rumors. Boone is an example of how emergency responders have become one more category of public service worker who have discovered that they now have a second job they did not sign up for. Alongside librarians, teachers, public health officials, election officials, and law enforcement, emergency responders must now also be misinformation experts. They have to spend their days separating facts from reality for constituents who are being lied to via right-wing conspiracy theorists. FEMA set up a website to battle misinformation. Some of it comes from the usual suspects, like foreign adversaries such as Russia, seeking to sow mistrust, or professional conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones. But many of the lies (that FEMA is only offering $750 to disaster victims, running out of money, that FEMA money has gone overseas) comes directly from the people who could be in charge of the national disaster response next year.

JD Vance, Trump, and Fox News are key conveyers of the $750 lie. ($750 is intended to cover up-front costs, but citizens can apply for tens of thousands of dollars more in relief for property damage).

Trump said that Biden refused to talk to the Governor of Georgia, part of a pattern of discriminating against red states. But earlier in the day, Governor Kemp described the conversation he had with Biden the day before, and praised Biden’s support: “He offered that if there’s other things we need, just to call him directly, which — I appreciate that. But we’ve had FEMA embedded with us since a day or two before the storm hit in our state operations center in Atlanta; we’ve got a great relationship with them.” Other Republican leaders have issued similar praise of the responsiveness of the administration.

Trump: “They stole the FEMA money, just like they stole it from a bank, so they could give it to their illegal immigrants that they want to have vote for them this season.” Yeah, this is also untrue. But fun fact: Trump raided the FEMA budget to redirect money towards his immigration policies, including building a wall.

The misinformation, and much worse, is coursing through social media because much of social media has given up on policing lies, and some social media (e.g., Truth Social, Elon Musk’s X) see a strategic advantage in lying about the disaster. This false post from Elon Musk was viewed 28 million times. No community notes.

[...] We could be angry here about the hypocrisy. Trump says Biden does not want to deliver disaster aid to Republicans. Biden not wanting to visibly help swing states like Georgia and North Carolina, right before an election, doesn’t make much sense. But it fits with Trump’s own attitudes about disaster response. Multiple Trump aides say he was reluctant to allow FEMA support go to blue states. “One of his first questions would be: Are they my people?” according to a former aide, Stephanie Grisham.

But setting aside the hypocrisy, we should care because conspiracy theories affect the competence and quality of service delivery. I used to do research on disaster response. One thing that was clear is how important it is to have a functional national crisis response agency, and how dependent the response is on human factors. FEMA itself is not a large organization: it organizes and relies on a broader network of responders, and on the trust of the public. Take that trust away, and their ability to help people collapses. Competence really matters for disaster response like few other government functions. You can't bluff your way through it. You can’t learn the job as you go along. Mistakes are costly. Musk’s Cybertruck is on its fifth recall in the space of a year, while the boss spends his day on social media. His status as a natural disaster schmuck emerged when he promised to rescue a group of kids in Thailand stranded in a cave with a tiny submarine. When a cave diver who advised the successful rescue mocked the impracticality of Musk’s plan, Musk labeled him a pedophile, and hired a private investigator to dig up dirt on him.

[...] There is a basic asymmetry here. Democrats would certainly attack missteps by a GOP President failing in disaster response. The failure of Hurricane Katrina marked a key point in the decline of President Bush’s popularity. Trump was criticized for his sluggish response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, and for pushing his appointees to violate scientific and ethical guidelines when releasing public information about the path of hurricanes to align with his Sharpie additions to a map. But that criticism was grounded in reality. Instead, the GOP simply turns to conspiracy theories rather than engaging in troublesome facts. More climate-driven disasters are coming. This is the future. Trump won’t acknowledge or prepare for this reality. Indeed, Project 2025 has proposed that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should be “broken up and downsized” because it is “one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry.”

Another top notch post from Don Moynihan, this time addressing the hydra of lies and conspiracy theories about FEMA and the response to Hurricane Helene (and Milton).

[victusinveritas]

[odinsblog]

Elon Musk is the richest man in the world and the owner of X, Tesla, and SpaceX. But perhaps the more apt description of the guy would be the internet’s biggest and most dangerous troll—a characterization that has been on full display over the last several weeks, as Musk has trafficked in all manner of misinformation concerning the devastating hurricane that hit the South last month and the one headed for Florida as we speak. And while the internet—and Musk’s social media network in particular—is rife with misinformation, Musk’s fame and 200 million-plus X account following mean the falsehoods he has spread have had actual, devastating consequences.

Among other things, Musk has amplified false claims that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was “actively blocking” shipments of donated items for victims of Hurricane Helene and was “seizing goods…and locking them away to state they are their own”—claims that FEMA says are not true and that also appear to be bullshit based on Republican leaders’ praise of Washington. Musk has additionally shared baseless accusations that FEMA doesn’t have enough funding to get through hurricane season because it gave away too much money to undocumented migrants, and he personally wrote that “FEMA used up its budget ferrying illegals into the country instead of saving American lives,” accusing the agency of committing “treason.” He also absurdly claimed last Friday that the Federal Aviation Administration planned to “shut down” airspace over parts of North Carolina that had been hit hard by Helene, a falsehood Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had to personally explain was not true.

Addressing the onslaught of misinformation—which has also, unsurprisingly, come from Donald Trump—FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said Tuesday that it “is absolutely the worst I have ever seen,” adding, “I anticipated some of this, but not to the extent that we’re seeing.” While she did not call out Musk or Trump directly by name, the issues she has been forced to deal with are products of what the two men have been irresponsibly saying online. “It’s just really unfortunate that [people] continue to try to create this level of fear in these communities that is impeding our ability to do our job at the level that we need to do it, but we’re not going to let it deter us,” Criswell told reporters. “We are going to continue to be in these communities and support them for whatever they need.” Keith Turi, FEMA’s acting associate administrator for response and recovery, listed off numerous falsehoods that have been shared, including by Musk, like that FEMA was “confiscating supplies.” He called the misinformation “extremely damaging to the response efforts from Helene and from any disaster,” noting that it “is reducing the likelihood that survivors will come to FEMA in a trusting way to register for assistance.”

(continue reading)

[lemonbombsfjl]

JUST IN: The Biden-Harris Administration has launched a Reddit account to provide accurate info on Hurricanes Helene and Milton. The White House will combat misinformation and share updates on federal response, recovery, and preparedness efforts across key sub-Reddits.

Link: https://www.reddit.com/user/whitehouse/

[uboat53]

Well, FEMA was forced to curtail rescue and recovery efforts in Rutherford County, North Carolina after militia threats. They still have aid locations where you can come in and get help, but they're not going door to door anymore which means that they won't be able to reach the most vulnerable people.

When one of those people is harmed because FEMA couldn't reach them, you know exactly what's going to happen: the militia and conspiracy theory people who caused this in the first place with their lies and threats will declare that that person's suffering was caused by FEMA rather than their own actions. And they won't be acting alone. One of the reasons they feel so strong in the nonsense they're doing is that one of the two major-party candidates for president agrees with them, amplifies their paranoid conspiracies, and celebrates their acts of terror and violence.

Honestly, more than any policy or official act, the greatest damage that Donald Trump has done to the United States of America is that he has encouraged the worst, most paranoid and violent people in our society to act on their basest impulses. He has emboldened white supremacist militias to attack minorities and public events, he has incited the worst attack on our democratic institutions since the Civil War, and he has consistently spread misinformation that urges his followers to attack and disrupt the efforts of real heroes to help fellow Americans; most memorably during the Covid pandemic and even now as the southeast struggles to recover from back-to-back hurricanes.

If you're willing to accept this behavior in return for vague promises that "Republicans are good for the economy" or even a more explicit promise of a tax cut, I think it's valid that reasonable people begin to question your humanity. Nine years ago when Trump first entered the national stage, there was reason to wonder whether his public persona was an act or whether he truly was this kind of terrible person. It's been nine years now, and he was president for four of them; there's no longer any doubt that this is who he is and will continue to be.

Kamala Harris, the only other viable candidate, may not be to your taste on any number of policy issues, but if you value first responders and all of the lives that they save, vote accordingly.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal Constitution

* * * *

As once-in-century hurricane heads for Florida, major media is silent about Trump's disaster relief lies

Hurricane Milton threatens to hit Florida on Wednesday as a once-in-century storm. FEMA and the National Guard are already stretched thin in their response to Hurricane Helene. And Trump continues to spew his disinformation about their response in North Carolina—creating an aura of distrust and the potential for vigilante violence by misguided storm victims who believe Trump's lies about the disaster relief.

The good news is that many responsible Republican elected officials have criticized or condemned Trump's lies. The bad news is that the criticism hasn’t stopped Trump. He as at it again on Monday. See The Guardian, Fema chief warns ‘dangerous’ Trump falsehoods hampering Helene response.

While the major media outlets are rightfully focused on the potential damage from Hurricane Milton, they have already lost interest in Trump's disinformation campaign. It has disappeared from their platforms—even though Trump has not relented. His lies continue unabated.

Never before and never again in the history of our Republic will we witness a presidential candidate leverage the lives and safety of victims of natural disasters into pawns in a campaign. Kamala Harris condemned Trump's statements on Monday—and the major media yawned (except for The Guardian). Harris said, in part,

People are in desperate need of support right now and playing political games at this moment, in these crisis situations – these are the height of emergency situations – it is utterly irresponsible and it is selfish and it is about political gamesmanship instead of doing the job that you took an oath to do, which is to put the people first.”

And I cannot stress enough to all the folks in Florida in the Tampa area, please listen to evacuation orders. Please listen to your local officials because I know a lot of folks out there have survived these hurricanes before; this one is going to be very, very serious and I urge you to grab whatever you need. The other point I’d make is there’s a lot of misinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, particularly for the survivors of Helene. First of all, it’s extraordinarily irresponsible. It’s about him, it’s not about you. The reality is Fema has so many resources that are available to those who desperately need them.”

Trump is subordinating the lives and safety of hundreds of thousands of Americans to his partisan political interest. That is a scandal unmatched in American history—and it is missing from the front pages and websites of nearly every major news source. Shameful!

Florida threatens local news stations with jail time for running political ads supporting ballot initiative

If you want a view into what a second Trump presidency would look like, check out Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis has threatened to prosecute local news stations for running political ads in support of the ballot initiative to protect reproductive rights in Florida. The threats are plainly unconstitutional, but the fact that the state is threatening jail time for political speech is beyond the pale. Let’s hope that all Floridians are outraged by this abuse of power and government overreach—and motivated to turn out in massive numbers on November 5. See Talking Points Memo, DeSantis Threatening Jail Time for Running Abortion Rights Ads in Florida.

Again, the fact that the major media has not come down on DeSantis like a ton of bricks bespeaks an inexplicable quiescence in the face of an onrushing fascist threat.  

[Robert B. Hubbell Newsletter]

[alwaysbewoke]

i have to remember not everyone in florida voted for these people in power because it's hard to feel sorry for them sometimes. really hard (watch til the end smfh)

and she's going to turn around the vote for him AGAIN smfh

[tomorrowusa]

VP Kamala Harris visited with Stephen Colbert. The convo is in several segments which continue below. Imagine commercials in between the segments.

In this segment she talks about the need for a ceasefire in Gaza and about how Trump kowtows to dictators even to the extent that he gave Putin COVID testing devices when they were still scarce in the US.

Here she talks about changes she would make in economic policy. She also talks about choosing Tim Walz as a running mate.

On a more social note, the VP shares a beer with Stephen. Mike Pence gets polite applause when mentioned.

[thashining]

They're in desperate mode. People who support felons, cant convince me of anything.

[mxanigel]

"Fact-checking the viral conspiracies in the wake of Hurricane Helene"

I am so angry.

Thousands of folx are working their asses off to help people affected by Helene.

And what does the internet do? Spout utter bullshit that might get some of those people killed.

Disaster researcher Dr. Samantha Montano put it better than I ever could:

She's been calling out so many freaking lies and it isn't enough, it'll never be enough, because the onslaught is a tidal wave that may eventually destroy us all.

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Gabe Fleisher at Wake Up To Politics:

A few weeks ago, after CNN published its bombshell report about North Carolina Lt. Gov. Mark Robinson, I was texting with a friend. Rumors had been flying around the political world all day about what the report would bring. Now that it had arrived, my friend told me he was unimpressed; it wasn’t as earth-shattering as he’d been expecting. “One day, when your grandchildren ask you what American politics was like in 2024,” I responded, “you can tell them that we learned a gubernatorial candidate called himself a Nazi on a porn website, and your initial response was to shrug.” [...]

The U.S. is currently grappling with two major hurricanes at once — trying to prepare for one while still recovering from the damage of the other. The latter, Hurricane Helene, was the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina in 2005. More than 200 people have been killed, mostly in North Carolina, but also in Georgia and South Carolina as well. Entire towns in western North Carolina were leveled; some residents have now gone more than a week without running water.

The former, Hurricane Milton, is expected to make landfall in Florida tonight. Forecasters suggest that it could hit Tampa Bay, which was also impacted by the devastation of Helene but has not been in the direct path of a hurricane since 1921. The city is considered uniquely vulnerable to natural disaster; analysts are already predicting damage upwards of $50 billion. Local, state, and federal officials have been pleading with anyone in Milton’s path to evacuate immediately. “I can say this without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said on CNN earlier this week.

“Several years ago I asked [the National Hurricane Center] to show me what the worst case storm hitting Florida would look like,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) posted on X. “What they showed me back then is almost identical to the #Milton forecast now.” With both storms hitting the U.S. only weeks before a heated presidential election, it is not shocking that they has quickly been sucked into the political discourse. America has a long history of election-year disasters becoming talking points on the campaign trail, from Hurricane Andrew hurting George H.W. Bush in 1992 to Hurricane Sandy boosting Barack Obama in 2012. But the responses to Helene and Milton have been marked by something new: an unprecedented flood of misinformation and conspiracy theories. Don’t take it from me. Take it from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who told reporters on a Tuesday conference call that the misinformation surrounding these two hurricanes has been “absolutely the worst I have ever seen.”

Many of the false claims have come directly from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who has claimed that: the Biden administration is “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas” (GOP governors have said otherwise); that “Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants” (FEMA’s congressionally-appropriated program to help local governments house migrants is completely separate from FEMA’s disaster relief funds); and that “we give foreign countries hundreds of billions of dollars and we’re handing North Carolina $750” (that is merely the amount of aid made available to hurricane victims immediately; over the long run, victims can receive up to tens of thousands of dollars in support). A slew of Trump allies, including X owner Elon Musk, have amplified several other conspiracy theories online. But the prize for Biggest Whopper goes to Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), who posted — on her official congressional account — this week: “Yes they can control the weather.” The supposed “they” was not immediately identified, although Greene previously suggested in 2018 that California wildfires that year were caused by space lasers linked to the Rothschilds, a prominent Jewish family that has long been the subject of antisemitic conspiracy theories. (Greene posted again about “lasers controlling the weather” this week.) In recent weeks, Hurricanes Helene and Milton have sparked a flurry of antisemitic attacks against Jewish officials involved in the response, including claims that they created the disasters.

In her initial post, Greene attached a video of former CIA Director John Brennan discussing geoengineering, an umbrella term for scientific research into manipulating climate systems in order to mitigate the effects of climate change. Geoengineering remains largely theoretical; it is not possible to geoengineer a hurricane, and the technology has no connection to anything that happened with either Helene or Milton. “Climate change is the new Covid,” Greene asserted in another message. “Ask your government if the weather is manipulated or controlled. Did you ever give permission to them to do it? Are you paying for it? Of course you are.”

Other right-wing influencers advanced the argument. “The weather can and is being manipulated,” Georgia Republican Party official Kandiss Taylor posted to her nearly 60,000 X followers, adding: “[Georgia] voting has been compromised and don’t know if we will be able to get all our early voting days in. Now, a hurricane is coming straight for Florida. These two states are necessary for a Trump victory! No coincidence.” Taylor’s message has received more than 3 million views on X. The theories became popular enough in right-wing circles that Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC), who represents Asheville and most of western North Carolina (the area hit hardest by Helene), issued a press release on Tuesday to reassure his constituents of the falsity of various claims. Near the top of the list? “Nobody can control the weather,” he wrote. The statement, in its entirety, is a fascinating historical document — showing the types of claims that a Republican congressman felt he needed to fact-check in 2024, partially due to misinformation spread by his own colleagues and his party’s presidential candidate.

This piece in Wake Up To Politics by Gabe Fleisher is a must-read on the misinformation/disinformation crisis regarding Hurricanes Helene and Milton, thanks to Donald Trump and MAGA-aligned figures (especially in the right-wing media apparatus).

See Also:

MMFA: On The Victory Channel's FlashPoint, pro-Trump prophets suggest Hurricanes Helene and Milton are “spiritual” and that “God did say in the prophecies that these storms would be sent to interrupt the flow of our election process”