DARK AND STORMY
A misinformation campaign fueled by MAGA Republicans is sewing fear and undermining disaster relief efforts, just as a second massive hurricane looms over the Gulf.
- A toxic brew of false claims is harming both the disaster response to Hurricane Helene and preparations for Hurricane Milton, which is now bearing down on Florida with ferocious strength. The lies are “frankly ridiculous,” and they are constructing a “truly dangerous narrative that is creating this fear” among affected people, Deanne Criswell, administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, told MSNBC on Monday.
- Former President Donald Trump is, naturally, in the thick of it. He’s pressing the false claim that President Joe Biden diverted FEMA funds to house undocumented immigrants. Ironically, Trump is the one who actually did something a lot like that, when he diverted millions in agency funds to detain and transport migrants back while he was in the White House in 2019, according to ABC News. Trump’s phony claims are being amplified by billionaire conspiracist Elon Musk on his social media platform, X. Trump also falsely claimed that the Biden administration is intentionally withholding aid to people in the opposite political party, another heinous thing he did while in office. Oh, and far-right loonies are pushing the insane idea that the left is using weather controlling technology to drive Helene toward Republican voters to help Democrats win the November election.
- Those unhinged claims are fueling a flurry of antisemitic attacks against officials leading both FEMA and the hard-hit state of North Carolina. The conspiracy theories, which have proliferated on (you guessed it!) Musk’s X, have revolved around the idea that powerful, shadowy Jewish leaders are somehow conspiring to create the disasters and sabotage recovery efforts, according to a report released today by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue. The attacks are prompting some officials to fear for their safety, according to the Washington Post.
- “It is absolutely the worst [misinformation campaign] I have ever seen,” Criswell told reporters on a call this morning. “It’s creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government, and we have so many first responders that have been working to go out and help these communities.” To fight back, FEMA has launched its own rumor response page — as if cleaning up the internet was also part of its job.
Florida is now bracing for Hurricane Milton. It could be the strongest storm Tampa Bay has seen in a century.
- Milton is now hurtling toward the Sunshine State as a Category 5 hurricane, after briefly becoming a Category 4 earlier today. Milton is a deadly monster: the storm is expected to bring a 10-to-15-foot storm surge when it touches down late Wednesday or early Thursday. “I can say without any dramatization whatsoever: If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you’re going to die,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor told CNN late Monday.
- We’re now witnessing real impacts of climate change. Milton will be the fifth hurricane to make landfall in the United States this year, and while human behavior hasn’t contributed to an increase in hurricanes, it makes them a lot more intense — higher wind speeds, more rainfall, and stronger storm surges. No matter who’s in office, they’ll have to deal with an inadequate disaster relief system: Congress may need an emergency intervention to boost federal relief programs running low on funds.
Can’t believe we have to say this, but spreading conspiracy theories ahead of a once-in-a-century storm is irresponsible and can cost lives
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NEWS NEWS NEWS
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