Back-to-back hurricanes that brought death and devastation to parts of the South were made worse by a wide range of false and misleading information, some of which still circulates even though they have been conclusively proven false.
Coming in the closing weeks of a hard-fought presidential election, the false information became political fodder, particularly in swing states hit hard by and then . Former President Donald Trump has pushed a litany of false claims at campaign events and on social media with his supporters helping give voice to the information.
Federal, state and local officials, including several Republicans, have condemned the false information, noting that it has made it more difficult to address the needs of those hurt by the hurricanes.
Here's a look at the facts around some of the most pervasive misinformation.
The government cannot create or manage hurricanes
CLAIM: The government used weather technology to create Hurricanes Helene and Milton, deliberately targeting Republican voters.
THE FACTS: Both hurricanes were . Humans do not have the technology to control such vast weather systems. Hurricanes are hitting many of the same areas they have for centuries.
Fully developed hurricanes release massive amounts of heat energy 鈥� the equivalent of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb every 20 minutes, according to National Hurricane Center tropical analysis chief Chris Landsea.
鈥淚f meteorologists could stop hurricanes, we would stop hurricanes,鈥� said Kristen Corbosiero, a professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany. 鈥淚f we could control the weather, we would not want the kind of death and destruction that鈥檚 happened.鈥�
Historical efforts to control hurricanes . For example, between the 1960s and '80s, the federal government toyed with the idea of making storms bigger in size but weaker in intensity. But tests were inconclusive and researchers realized if they made storms larger they would put more people at risk. A 1947 attempt by General Electric and the U.S. military in which dry ice was dropped by Air Force planes into the path of a hurricane in an attempt to weaken it also didn鈥檛 work.
The federal government was falsely accused of a lack of response following Helene
CLAIM: The federal government did not respond to Hurricane Helene and intentionally withheld aid to victims in Republican areas.
THE FACTS: Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, recovery efforts.
Biden approved major disaster declarations for , , , , and , allowing survivors to access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery immediately. The White House announced that the president spoke by phone on Sept. 29 with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp; North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper; Scott Matheson, mayor of Valdosta, Georgia, and Florida Emergency Management Director John Louk. on Sept. 30 that he spoke to Biden the night before and that the state was getting everything it needed.
Harris visited FEMA headquarters in Washington on Sept. 30. She called Helene鈥檚 devastation 鈥渉eartbreaking鈥� and vowed that she and Biden would make sure the impacted communities 鈥済et what they need to recover.鈥�
The president and vice president have both .
Federal officials do not have plans to seize some hard-hit communities
CLAIM: The federal government plans to seize and bulldoze some especially hard-hit communities like Chimney Rock, North Carolina, and prevent residents from rebuilding on their own property.
THE FACTS: That's not true, according to local officials. Shortly after Chimney Rock was devastated by Helene鈥檚 floods, posts began circulating on social media claiming the federal government planned to seize all of the community鈥檚 property through eminent domain and not let residents return or rebuild. Some versions of the claim suggested authorities weren鈥檛 even going to allow residents to reclaim the bodies of storm victims, or that communities were being seized as part of a federal scheme to gain control of valuable lithium mines nearby.
Far-right extremists and white-supremacist groups picked up the claim on platforms like Telegram and sought to link false claims about the lithium mines to efforts to fight climate change by boosting electric vehicles, which use lithium in their batteries. Officials from both parties who represent the area and are overseeing recovery efforts said none of that is true.
FEMA cannot arbitrarily seize private property or condemn whole communities, and the federal government has no plans to seize mines or force entire towns to relocate.
鈥淚 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,鈥� U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, wrote to his constituents in a about the storm.
FEMA assistance of $750 is a starting point for those in need. It does not have to be repaid
CLAIM: Hurricane survivors will only get a $750 loan from FEMA, which will seize their land if they don鈥檛 pay it back.
THE FACTS: . Keith Turi, acting director of FEMA鈥檚 Office of Response and Recovery, said that this figure refers to help the agency can give someone in an affected area for immediate needs, like clothing or food.
on its 鈥淗urricane Rumor Response鈥� page that such payments are called Serious Needs Assistances and can be used while the agency assesses an applicant鈥檚 eligibility for additional funds.
The maximum amount for initial Serious Needs Assistance was raised to $770 on Oct. 1. Serious Needs Assistance is a grant that . Jaclyn Rothenberg, a FEMA spokesperson, that the agency does not 鈥渁sk for this money back.鈥�
may need to be paid back, although this is less common. For example, if a survivor receives duplicate benefits from insurance or another source.
FEMA is not short of hurricane assistance because it went to other causes
CLAIM: FEMA doesn鈥檛 have enough money for hurricane victims because it is being used to help immigrants in the country illegally or going to foreign funding for Israel and Ukraine.
THE FACTS: That's incorrect. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell , 鈥淭here is the money in my budget 鈥� the Disaster Relief Fund 鈥� to continue the response efforts for Hurricane Helene and Milton.鈥� She added that the agency will need to assess how much money will be left to continue recovery projects and respond to future storms this season.
FEMA鈥檚 disaster relief fund gets replenished every year by Congress and is used to pay for recovery from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. with $20 billion 鈥� the same amount FEMA got last year. About $8 billion of that is set aside for recovery from previous storms and mitigation projects. .
No money from FEMA鈥檚 fund has been diverted to support border issues or international concerns and is only being used for disaster-related efforts, .
The helicopter that blew supplies around a North Carolina distribution center was attempting to make a delivery
CLAIM: The federal government is flying unmarked helicopters into Hurricane Helene staging zones and purposely destroying aid meant for victims in western North Carolina.
THE FACTS: are based on a video that showed a helicopter flying above a parking lot where hurricane aid was being collected. As it hovered above the area, it kicked up debris and supplies at the site and toppled canopies.
The North Carolina National Guard that the video shows one of its helicopters attempting to make a generator delivery requested by a local civilian organization to power their supply distribution site. As the helicopter descended into a being used for assistance efforts, it kicked up debris and supplies at the site and toppled canopies. The landing was aborted for safety reasons.
Megan George, a dog trainer and former Coast Guard veteran who first posted the video, told The Associated Press that she did not intend for it to be used as proof of government maleficence, but rather as documentation of a dangerous situation about which she wanted answers.
According to the National Guard statement, the helicopter鈥檚 crew has been grounded until an investigation into the incident is complete.
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Associated Press writer David Klepper in Washington contributed to this article.
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Find AP Fact Checks here: .
Melissa Goldin, The Associated Press
