“This has to stop immediately”
Even as new reports of Hurricane Helene’s devastation come in, another storm, Milton, is on track to make landfall in Florida as a major hurricane in just a few days. It’s challenging enough for the government to respond swiftly and effectively to such disasters, but there’s an additional force to deal with: disinformation.
To counter this threat, which is often politically motivated, the White House took action this weekend to warn Americans against believing dangerous inaccuracies about Hurricane Helene’s recovery efforts. As a new memo states, “A number of scam artists, bad-faith actors, and others who want to sow chaos…are promoting disinformation…This is wrong, dangerous, and it must stop immediately.” The memo then points readers to FEMA’s new special section on its website for “rumor response” that contains updated and accurate information.
Examples include fake news claims that FEMA is confiscating personal property or that disaster relief funds are being secretly diverted to immigrants who have arrived in the United States illegally. Other disinformation campaigns are aimed at leading people to believe that their recovery is capped at $750 and that FEMA is colluding with the FAA to restrict airspace in North Carolina to prevent private aid delivery.
It’s not just Donald Trump and his cronies who are spreading these dangerous lies. However, Trump’s rise to power and continued influence inspires this depravity. Trump’s dangerous mix of embracing conspiracy theories, disregarding truth when inconvenient, and relentlessly promoting “alternative facts,” along with his desire to sow division among Americans has created a world where politically motivated disinformation becomes a formidable enemy to unity, compassion, and diligence in the wake of a disaster.
This White House memo follows a similar recent effort by the American Red Cross, which recently warned on X about storm-related falsehoods, cautioning that “sharing rumors online without first vetting the source and verifying facts ultimately hurts people.” Some recent rumors include laughably false claims that the Red Cross “isn’t here” or that they’re confiscating donated items. The truth is that the Red Cross “prepositioned hundreds of Red Cross disaster responders and thousands of relief supplies across the Southeast” and have been working closely with partners to manage aid—and not “forcefully take over shelters… or volunteer groups.”
Whether it’s disaster recovery or any topic, Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz care about getting the job done, following the proven example of President Joe Biden. Unlike Trump and J.D. Vance, inventing stories that jeopardize relief efforts just to score political points is simply not in the Democratic ticket’s DNA. This is yet another reason a second Trump term would be a true disaster for America. Donate now
Ron Leshnower is a lawyer and the author of several books, including President Trump’s Month