Claims on social media criticize and falsify Helene's recovery efforts

Kaitlyn McCormick
| USA Today Network

ASHEVILLE – As locals and businesses in Western North Carolina continue to recover from the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene this fall, social media can be a powerful tool.

But it can also be dangerous, spreading disinformation and disrupting vital recovery efforts.

To Elon Musk’s X, formerly Twitter, users who paid for a blue “verification” checkmark are doing their own reporting on the recovery movement in North Carolina, citing claims of FEMA interference, unverified body counts and apathy from local government agencies.

Such claims are “plainly false,” said Justin Graney, a spokesman for North Carolina Emergency Management.

“The spread of disinformation during this disaster has created safety risks for responders, created false narratives that could impact a disaster survivor’s ability to access recovery resources, and created a deliberate gap in public trust public in state and local governments, further complicating the response. and recovery mission in what is already a historic situation,” said Graney.

In October, viral social media posts claimed dozens of “school-aged children” were missing from Spruce Pine, in Mitchell County. In one post, a user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote that 163 children were missing, with even more children under the age of four missing. The Citizen Times debunked this misinformation.

On Nov. 14, two Helene-related deaths were reported in Mitchell County – both were adults.

Figures like North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper And Chimney Rock Mayor Peter O’Leary have addressed the ongoing battle against false claims during the state’s recovery efforts.

In October, a Rutherford County man was arrested for threats to FEMA workers on WNC, a rumor that made national news but was debunked. President-elect Donald Trump continued to spread FEMA misinformation during a site visit to Swannanoa, a city just east of Asheville that was torn apart by the Swannanoa River.

And these claims are often inflammatory and closely tied to local and national politics.

In response to a reposted TikTok video on November 10 claiming that up to 600 bodies had been found in a rubble field in Asheville, verified because of the US elections.”

However, the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has been continuously busy updating mortality rates for all counties in the state.

As of Nov. 12, there were 102 verified storm-related fatalities in WNC, including 43 in Buncombe County.

“Local Emergency Management, EMS, the NC Medical Examiner System, Western NC hospital systems and OCME personnel are working together to respond to fatalities,” said NCDHHS spokesperson Kelly Haight Connor.

“Together they will ensure that the correct procedures and plans are in place to correctly identify victims and determine the cause of death, so that those lost to the storm are quickly reunited with the families left behind.”

North Carolina is cracking down on Helene’s misinformation

In October, FEMA issued a fact sheet dispelling certain myths about their services to storm victims, such as loans versus grants, issues with financing, and acceptance of volunteers and donations.

“Rumors about FEMA denying donations, stopping trucks or vehicles carrying donations, seizing and confiscating supplies often spread after a disaster. These are all untrue,” said spokesperson Nicole Wilson.

According to Wilson, FEMA was already in the state before the storm hit on September 27.

The relief effort has approved more than $228 million for more than 130,000 households and individuals in the state, $203 million in North Carolina public assistance for community recovery and directly covers the cost of emergency shelter hotels for more than 4,500 households, Wilson said.

In addition to resources for those still recovering from the storm, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety has a designated web page remind and encourage residents to exercise caution when analyzing facts and rumors.

“The public should obtain information about storm response and impacts from trusted sources such as the State Emergency Response Team, the National Weather Service and other federal, state, provincial and local government sites,” the web page reads.

The site addresses rumors claiming that the government is not responding to the disaster or that donations and volunteers are being turned away at checkpoints.

Here, NCDHS explained that multiple state and federal agencies have been working to respond to the crisis in WNC, that traffic is being rerouted for safety reasons, and that the state is encouraging, not rejecting, donations.

“(Disinformation) is a slap in the face to the brave men and women from across the state and country who answered North Carolina’s call for help and saved countless lives,” Graney said.

Kaitlyn McCormick is a journalist with the USA TODAY Network reporting for the Asheville Citizen Times in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Helene.