A conservative North Carolina Republican is pushing back against conspiracy theories that have flooded social media in the wake of Hurricane Helen, telling voters that such “outlandish rumors” are hurting recovery efforts there. are.
Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards, who represents North Carolina's 11th District, said: letter On Tuesday, he asked voters to reject eight specific theories, including that Hurricane Helen was created by geoengineering and that FEMA was taking land.
“These conspiracy theories are certainly frustrating, but they do more harm than most people realize,” Edwards said. I wrote. “The spread of falsehoods is diverting state, local, and federal resources from supporting NC-11 recovery to disputing hearsay and repeated efforts to set the record straight.”
Rains from Helen caused devastating flooding in western North Carolina's mountain towns, cutting off many communities from the rest of the state with washed out roads and widespread power outages. North Carolina Representatives Virginia Foxx and Patrick McHenry praised Edwards' letter with appreciative comments on social media. Edwards is one of the most conservative members of Congress, receiving a score of 94 out of 100 on the Family Research Council Action Scorecard for this session.
“We have seen an increase in untrustworthy sources attempting to sow confusion by sharing misinformation, conspiracy theories and hearsay about the mountains’ hurricane preparedness efforts,” Edwards said. I wrote it. “While it is true that the Federal Emergency Management Agency's response to Hurricane Helen was flawed, I am here to dispel the outrageous rumors that are being spread online.”
Edwards' letter rejected eight specific conspiracy theories.
— Hurricane Helen “was not geoengineered by the government to capture and access the Chimney Rock lithium deposit,” he said. I wrote. “No one can control the weather. Charles Conrad, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Southeast Regional Climate Center, acknowledged that no one has the technology or ability to geoengineer hurricanes. Current geoengineering techniques can serve as large-scale interventions to reduce the negative impacts of naturally occurring weather events, but cannot be used to generate or manipulate hurricanes.”
— Local authorities “have not abandoned search and rescue efforts to bulldoze Chimney Rock,” he wrote. “At Chimney Rock, no 'special meeting' was held between the federal, state, and local governments regarding the occupation of the town,” he wrote. “…Rutherford County emergency personnel are working hard to search for missing persons, including in the rubble, including using cadaver dogs to locate the remains of people trapped in the rubble. .”
–FEMA “will not stop trucks or vehicles loaded with donations, confiscate or seize supplies, or otherwise deny donations,” Edwards wrote. “FEMA does not conduct vehicle stops or respond to road closures with armed guards. All road closures are managed by local law enforcement, which prioritizes providing resources to community members.” I am.”
— FEMA “is not diverting disaster response funds to border or foreign aid,” he wrote. “Disaster response operations and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, a dedicated fund for disaster operations. FEMA's non-disaster-related border presence has always been a major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helen. I will continue to condemn the deployment of personnel to our southern border, but we have to separate the two issues.”
–FEMA “will never run out of money,” Edwards wrote. “FEMA officials have repeatedly asserted that FEMA has sufficient funding to meet immediate response and recovery needs in the coming months. Secretary Mayorkas' statements suggesting otherwise are a sign of personal gain. It was an irresponsible attempt to politicize the tragedy.In the coming months, Western North Carolina will need more disaster relief funding than is currently available to support recovery efforts. I am confident that additional disaster relief funding, which is already in the process of creation, will be considered by the House when it returns to session in mid-November.”
–FEMA “cannot seize your property or land,” he wrote. “Applying for disaster assistance does not give FEMA or the federal government any authority or ownership over your property or land.”
–The FAA “does not restrict access to airspace for Helen rescue and recovery operations,” he wrote. “Those seeking to transport resources into Western North Carolina will not be prohibited by the FAA or North Carolina Emergency Management Agency as long as they cooperate with North Carolina Aviation.”
–FEMA “is not just providing $750 to disaster survivors to help them rebuild,” he wrote. “The first $750 provided to disaster survivors is immediate assistance, called Emergency Needs Assistance, which may be provided as soon as an individual in need applies for FEMA assistance. This award is a flexible advance payment to cover necessities such as food, water, formula, and medicine while FEMA evaluates applicants' eligibility for additional funding. This is just the first step in a long process to provide financial assistance to individuals. Once the application goes through the review process, individuals will receive additional funding for other needs such as temporary housing, personal property, and home repair costs. You will be eligible for support.”
Mr Edwards urged voters not to get their news from social media.
“We encourage you to remember that everything you see on Facebook, X, and other social media platforms is not necessarily factual,” he wrote. “Make sure you fact-check what you read online with reliable sources.”
Photo courtesy: ©Facebook/Congressman Chuck Edwards
michael faust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His articles have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, Christian Post, Leaf Chronicle, Toronto Star, and Knoxville News Sentinel.
