The facts emerging from Hurricane Helene’s destruction are heart-rending: Businesses and homes destroyed, whole communities nearly wiped out, hundreds of lives lost, hundreds of people missing.
Yet this devastation and despair are not enough for the extremist groups, disinformation agents, hucksters and politicians who are exploiting the disaster to spread false claims and conspiracy theories about it and the government’s response.
Former President Trump falsely claims the federal government is intentionally withholding aid to Republican disaster victims. Far-right extremist groups falsely warn on social media that officials plan to bulldoze affected communities and seize the land. A tale straight from science fiction asserts that Washington used weather control technology to steer Helene toward Republican voters in order to tilt the presidential election.
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The claims, according to experts and local officials, say less about the reality of the widespread damage from Helene than they do about America’s fractured politics and the fear and distrust shadowing an election year marked by assassination attempts and escalating global tension.
Sept. 30, 2024
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