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    Home»Property»FEMA funding myths spread after Hurricane Helene
    Property

    FEMA funding myths spread after Hurricane Helene

    October 9, 20247 Mins Read


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    FEMA official on communities becoming more resilient to disasters

    A FEMA official discusses communities becoming more resilient in the face of more frequent disasters as Milton pummels Florida.

    Hurricane Helene left hundreds dead and inflicted life-changing damage for thousands more, but officials leading the recovery effort have had to fight more than just storm damage.

    Falsehoods and conspiracy theories about the Federal Emergency Management Agency have spread widely online, continuing to circulate even as Hurricane Milton now bears down on Florida. Deanne Criswell, the agency’s administrator, said misinformation has harmed people affected by the storm and volunteers on the ground to help rebuild.

    “It’s creating distrust in the federal government, but also the state government. And we have so many first responders that have been working day and night to go out and help these communities,” said Criswell, speaking with reporters Oct. 8. “It’s just really demoralizing to them. It hurts their morale when they’ve left their families to be able to come in here and help people.”

    RELATED: Disaster politics: Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are the latest to deal with fallout

    FEMA has shipped meals, water, generators and other supplies to the Southeast as part of the recovery effort. The federal assistance approved for people affected by the storm had, as of Oct. 8, surpassed $286 million. But those efforts were complicated by false claims that the agency doesn’t have the money to help people affected by the storm or only provides $750 in assistance. They are among the claims FEMA addresses on a new web page seeking to mitigate the damage of the most widespread falsehoods.

    “It’s creating fear in some of the individuals, and so I worry that they won’t apply for assistance, which means I can’t get them the necessary items they need to support them,” Criswell said.

    Less than a month before the presidential election, former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris have each made the response to the hurricane an issue on the campaign trail. Trump has amplified some of the false claims, including that FEMA doesn’t have hurricane relief money because it has all been spent on people living in the U.S. illegally. Harris described Trump’s baseless claims as “extraordinarily irresponsible,” The Associated Press reported.

    Here are some of the hurricane-related claims USA TODAY has debunked.

    More from the Fact Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page

    Claim: Biden refused to deploy 82nd Airborne Division in North Carolina as of Oct. 3

    Our rating: False

    Biden activated the division on Oct. 2, a day before the post was shared. The troops were mobilized within the next 24 hours.

    Full fact check: Post falsely claims Biden refused to deploy Army division in North Carolina

    Claim: FEMA has been directed to ‘help white people last’

    Our rating: False

    While delivering services and support in an equitable manner to victims of a disaster is a goal for FEMA, there is no evidence the agency has been directed to prioritize its work on the basis of race. The agency said it provides aid to all regardless of race.

    Full fact check: FEMA plan says services should be equitable, not to help ‘white people last’

    Claim: Kid Rock donated millions of dollars of supplies to North Carolina; Taylor Swift gave nothing

    Our rating: False

    The claim originated on a satirical website. While Taylor Swift donated $5 million to help hurricane victims, there’s no evidence Rock provided aid.

    Full fact check: Claim about Taylor Swift, Kid Rock hurricane aid started as satire

    Claim: Florida was charging tolls on Hurricane Milton evacuation routes as of Oct. 8

    Our rating: False

    Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended tolls in more than a dozen counties in the path of Hurricane Milton starting on Oct. 7. The order lifted tolls for seven days.

    Full fact check: DeSantis lifted tolls in Milton-affected areas through Oct. 14

    Claim: NEXRAD, doppler radar and HAARP were used to control path of Hurricane Helene

    Our rating: False

    It is not possible to control the weather at a large scale, experts said. HAARP studies the ionosphere, and there is no known mechanism for affecting the weather from there. Doppler radars such as NEXRAD also cannot control storms, according to experts.

    Full fact check: NEXRAD, HAARP and Doppler radar can’t control hurricanes

    Claim: Biden administration spent FEMA hurricane relief money on ‘illegals’

    Our rating: False

    FEMA and a White House spokesperson both said the claim is false. It conflates the agency’s disaster relief fund with a separate program that helps homeless people. The money provided by Congress for the disaster relief fund must be used for that purpose, and any other use is against the law.

    Full fact check: No, Biden, Harris didn’t spend hurricane relief FEMA funds on immigrants

    Claim: FEMA loans money to disaster victims and takes their land if it’s not paid back

    Our rating: False

    FEMA can’t seize property or land from people who apply for federal disaster assistance. The agency’s aid does not typically need to be paid back.

    Full fact check: FEMA can’t seize land or property from disaster victims

    Claim: Americans affected by Hurricane Helene receive ‘only $750’ in aid

    Our rating: False

    The $750 payments are the initial support provided under a new FEMA program, not the sole financial assistance available. Applications can be made for multiple additional forms of financial support for those affected by the hurricane.

    Full fact check: Payments of $750 are only part of federal financial assistance after Helene

    Claim: Trump only pledged 3% of Hurricane Helene fundraiser proceeds to victims

    Our rating: False

    The GoFundMe page pledged to direct all funds raised to hurricane victims, as the platform’s policy requires. Roughly 3% of each donation goes toward GoFundMe’s transaction fees.

    Full fact check: No, Trump didn’t pledge only 3% of GoFundMe proceeds to Helene victims

    Claim: Image shows Trump wading through flood waters after Hurricane Helene

    Our rating: Altered

    Experts and an AI-detection tool confirmed the image is AI-generated. There’s no evidence Trump waded through flood water in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

    Full fact check: Image of Donald Trump wading through flood water is AI-generated

    Claim: Biden said he’s not giving any more aid to Hurricane Helene victims

    Our rating: False

    The president said the government had provided all the available resources available at the time, not that there would be no additional aid. He later said more aid would be forthcoming for those affected by the hurricane.

    Full fact check: No, Biden didn’t say he’s done sending aid to Hurricane Helene victims

    Claim: Biden and Harris blocked rescue efforts to North Carolina so they could tour hurricane damage

    Our rating: False

    The Federal Aviation Administration said the temporary flight restrictions implemented because of Biden and Harris’ visits don’t apply to hurricane recovery efforts or aircraft delivering aid.

    Full fact check: Biden, Harris flight restrictions didn’t block hurricane recovery efforts

    Claim: Hurricane Milton reached ‘Category 6’ strength

    Our rating: False

    There is no “Category 6” on the five-level Saffir-Simpson scale. While a sixth tier has been discussed in hypothetical terms, it is not a real measurement of hurricane severity in 2024.

    Full fact check: Hurricane Milton didn’t reach ‘Category 6.’ There’s no such thing

    Claim: North Carolina State Police warned they will arrest FEMA employees who block Helene aid

    Our rating: False

    There is no agency called the North Carolina State Police, but spokespeople for statewide police agencies said the claim is false.

    Full fact check: No, North Carolina police didn’t threaten FEMA arrests

    (This story was updated to add new information.) 

    Thank you for supporting our journalism. You can subscribe to our print edition, ad-free app or e-newspaper here.

    USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta.



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