Since Hurricane Helene hit, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been facing rumors of land seizures and withholding aid money.
FEMA is the organization responsible for responding to disasters across the United States. Since Hurricane Helene slammed into the east coast of the US and caused devastation in North Carolina, the agency has been fighting against rumors while also doing their best to aid people suffering in the aftermath of the storm.
Claims have been made that those who have accepted relief money for damages from the hurricane could see their land seized. According to another rumor, disaster victims will only receive $750 in relief money, fueled by former President Donald Trump’s claims that the government is not giving as much relief money as it can. These rumors, as it stands, have been just that. Rumors.
FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell has said she has never seen a misinformation issue as severe as what has transpired since Category 4 Hurricane Helene’s landfall. FEMA faces the rumors as it prepares to respond to yet another Category 4 in Hurricane Milton, which is set to reach Tampa Bay, Florida late Wednesday night.
Residents of the Tampa Bay area have been told to evacuate their homes in preparation for Hurricane Milton’s arrival in Florida. Heavy rainfalls and extreme winds are expected.
FEMA faces rumors on all fronts
Criswell has said the rumors have demoralized the staff on the frontlines in Buncombe County, North Carolina. FEMA staff mainly comprises of people who have volunteered to spend time away from their families to help those impacted by Helene.
The land seizure rumor claims that FEMA is seizing the lands of people it has given relief money to so that the government can control the lithium mines in the area. The conspiracy theory even stretches to geoengineering, with claims that the government drastically altered the path of Hurricane Helene to claim the lithium mines after the severe destruction.
Chuck Edwards, a Republican House Representative for North Carolina, said, “Hurricane Helene was not geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock.”
Edwards also insisted that FEMA had not interrupted the paths of donation trucks into the afflicted areas, as claimed by rumors.
FEMA has also faced the rumor of diverting and withholding federal aid, exacerbated by former President Trump, who said, “They sent hundreds of billions of dollars to foreign nations, and you know what they’re giving our people? 750 bucks.” Trump made more accusations towards the Biden administration, saying that they have diverted funds for the housing of illegal migrants.
FEMA denied the former President’s claims, and Vice President Kamala Harris said that Trump’s accusations were “extraordinarily irresponsible.”
