ASHEVILLE, N.C. — The head of the U.S. disaster response agency continued to forcefully push back Monday against false claims and conspiracy theories about her agency’s response to Hurricane Helene as the death toll from the storm continued to climb.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell pointed to the agency's massive, collaborative effort that keeps growing, and she strongly urged residents in hard-hit areas to accept the government’s offer for assistance.
“We have thousands of people on the ground, not just federal, but also our volunteers in the private sector,” Criswell said at a news conference in Asheville, North Carolina. “And frankly, that type of rhetoric is demoralizing to our staff that have left their families to come here and help the people of North Carolina. And we will be here as long as they’re needed.”
Misinformation has spread over the past week in communities hit the hardest by Helene, including that the federal government is intentionally withholding aid to people in Republican areas. Former President Donald Trump and other Republicans have questioned FEMA’s response and falsely claimed that its funding is going to migrants or foreign wars.
FEMA has dedicated part of its website to providing accurate answers to questions and addressing rumors on its response to Helene.
Here are some of the claims that Verify has fact-checked:
Rumor: FEMA is only providing $750 loans
Misinformation about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and confusion over what the agency provides has spread in the midst of these disasters. A viral social media post viewed over 5 million times claims FEMA’s $750 Serious Needs Assistance is a loan and has to be paid back. Several VERIFY readers sent us questions to ask if this is true.
THE QUESTION
Is FEMA’s $750 grant a loan?
THE SOURCES
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- Jaclyn Rothenberg, public affairs director for FEMA
- U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA)
THE ANSWER
No, FEMA’s $750 grant is not a loan.
READ THE FULL DETAILS: No, the $750 FEMA grant for disaster victims is not a loan
Rumor: Federal government will seize land
In the aftermath of the storm, rumors circulating on social media claim the federal government plans to seize land in Chimney Rock and bulldoze the mountain town.
Some of the posts are sharing copied-and-pasted text claiming government officials had a town meeting with Chimney Rock residents and “basically told them the town was being bulldozed, bodies and all and the land was being seized by the federal government.”
The posts go on to claim the federal government would own any homes that were still standing in Chimney Rock.
Several VERIFY readers reached out to ask us if claims that the government is seizing land in Chimney Rock and bulldozing the town are true.
THE QUESTION
Is the government seizing land in Chimney Rock and bulldozing the town?
THE SOURCES
- Rutherford County, North Carolina, Emergency Management
- Kerry Giles, a public information officer for Rutherford County, North Carolina
- Chimney Rock Village Administrator Stephen Duncan conversation with WCNC
- White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
THE ANSWER
No, the government is not seizing land in Chimney Rock and bulldozing the town.
Rumor: The government is not helping red states
Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris pledged ongoing federal support and praised the “heroes among us” as she visited North Carolina on Saturday in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, her second trip in four days to the disaster zone.
The vice president was in Charlotte one day after a visit to the state by Republican Donald Trump, who is spreading false claims about the federal response to the disaster.
Despite Trump's claims that the federal response in the state has been “lousy,” Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper said the state was "deeply grateful for the federal resources that we have. FEMA has been on the ground with us since the very beginning,” he said, referring to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
On Oct. 2, President Biden was joined by the North Carolina's Democratic governor, Roy Cooper, and South Carolina's Republican governor, Henry McMaster, for an aerial tour of storm damage. Following the aerial tour, Republican South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham thanked Biden, FEMA and the federal government for the response to the storm.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Contact Meghan Bragg at mbragg@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram.