FACT FOCUS: A look at the false information around Hurricanes Helene and Milton

By MELISSA GOLDIN Associated Press

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 Hurricane Helene and then Hurricane Milton. 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 natural phenomena. 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 — the equivalent of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb every 20 minutes, according to National Hurricane Center tropical analysis chief Chris Landsea.

“If meteorologists could stop hurricanes, we would stop hurricanes,” said Kristen Corbosiero, a professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany. “If we could control the weather, we would not want the kind of death and destruction that’s happened.”

Historical efforts to control hurricanes have failed. 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’t 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, have actively supported recovery efforts.

Biden approved major disaster declarations for Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, 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. Kemp confirmed 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’s devastation “heartbreaking” and vowed that she and Biden would make sure the impacted communities “get what they need to recover.”

The president and vice president have both been to areas impacted by Helene.

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’s floods, posts began circulating on social media claiming the federal government planned to seize all of the community’s property through eminent domain and not let residents return or rebuild. Some versions of the claim suggested authorities weren’t 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.

“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,” U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, wrote to his constituents in a message debunking several viral claims 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’t pay it back.

THE FACTS: That’s not true. Keith Turi, acting director of FEMA’s 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.

FEMA wrote on its “Hurricane Rumor Response” page that such payments are called Serious Needs Assistances and can be used while the agency assesses an applicant’s 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 does not need to be repaid. Jaclyn Rothenberg, a FEMA spokesperson, confirmed in an X post that the agency does not “ask for this money back.”

Certain FEMA grants 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’t 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 said Wednesday on MSNBC, “There is the money in my budget — the Disaster Relief Fund — to continue the response efforts for Hurricane Helene and Milton.” 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’s disaster relief fund gets replenished every year by Congress and is used to pay for recovery from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. Congress recently replenished the fund with $20 billion — the same amount FEMA got last year. About $8 billion of that is set aside for recovery from previous storms and mitigation projects. It funds foreign military aid separately.

No money from FEMA’s fund has been diverted to support border issues or international concerns and is only being used for disaster-related efforts, according to the agency.

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: These claims 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 said in a statement issued on Tuesday 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 Burnsville parking lot 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’s crew has been grounded until an investigation into the incident is complete.