A woman mounts a flag to a stack of cinderblocks in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on Oct. 6, 2024.
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images
Misinformation Is Turning American Disasters Into Toxic Battlegrounds
Rumors and conspiracy theories interfered with recovery efforts in North Carolina. It wasn’t a one-off, experts say.
When recovery workers with the US Federal Emergency Management Agency arrived in Boone, North Carolina, after Hurricane Helene and began setting up temporary housing in a local park, it prompted a backlash in the storm-wracked town: “We had folks that were literally protesting FEMA out at the site,” says Tim Futrelle, Boone’s mayor.
Nearby in Swannanoa, on the outskirts of Asheville, there were rumors that officials were covering up the true death toll from the storm. The deputy fire chief took to Facebook and begged the public to stop sharing “sensationalized” information.