Here’s The Truth About Rumors Surrounding FEMA’s Hurricane Response

WASHINGTON, DC — Politicization of the response to back-to-back hurricanes slamming Florida and the Southeast has resulted in a swirl of misinformation the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s head says endangers hundreds of thousands of people’s lives.

Without getting into the political nuances behind fast-spreading falsehoods, FEMA debunks some of the most serious of them on a recently launched “rumor response” web page. The agency has long had a web page to dispel rumors in the wake of disasters, but “it is absolutely the worst I have ever seen,” FEMA chief Deanne Criswell said on a conference call with reporters Tuesday.

“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,” Criswell said. The falsehoods scare and confuse hurricane survivors and may stop some of them from seeking help, she added.

Hurricane Helene caused catastrophic damage from Florida to the Appalachian Mountains, leaving at least 230 people dead and an estimated $20 billion to $30 billion of uninsured flood losses. Hurricane Milton plowed across Florida Wednesday, pounding cities with ferocious winds and rain, and whipping up a barrage of tornadoes, compounding the misery wrought by Helene. Although less severe than originally forecast, Milton left more than a dozen people dead and up to $50 billion in uninsured losses to Florida property owners, according to Fitch Ratings.

• Related: False Rumors Circulate That 3rd Hurricane Is Approaching Southeast

‘Ridiculous And Just Plain False’

In a hurricane briefing at the White House Tuesday, President Joe Biden also warned of the dangers of spreading falsehoods for political gain, saying it “puts people in circumstances where they panic, where they really, really, really worry and think, ‘We’re not going to be taken care of.’

“It’s un-American,” Biden continued. “It really is. People are scared to death. People know their lives are at stake.”

Much of the misinformation around hurricane response can be traced back to former President Donald Trump and his allies, who have baselessly claimed the money that should go to hurricane survivors was instead diverted to migrants who are in the country illegally.

In a social media post, Trump claimed he had received “reports” that the Biden-Harris administration and North Carolina’s Democratic governor were “going out of their way not to help people in Republican areas.” When questioned by reporters, Trump provided no evidence of partisan bias in the distribution of disaster aid, responding only, “Take a look.”

On its rumor response page, FEMA says the agency assists disaster survivors regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.

"It's frankly ridiculous and just plain false," Criswell said Sunday on ABC’s “This Week” while discussing baseless claims.

“This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people,” Criswell said, adding, “It’s really a shame that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people, and that’s what we’re here to do.”

Trump’s claim seems to be a conflation of two separate programs. FEMA funding, which is appropriated under the Disaster Relief Act, cannot be used for other purposes.

Separate from the FEMA disaster fund, the agency administered $640 million in grants in Customs and Border Protection grants in 2024 and about $364 million in 2023 under the Shelter and Services Program, which Congress authorized to assist cities and counties dealing with large influxes of migrants.

‘If We Could Control The Weather ...’

In another debunked political rumor, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Georgia) claimed on X that an unidentified “they” had weaponized hurricanes to tilt the election toward Vice President Kamala Harris by targeting states with high numbers of Republican voters.

While the technology to seed clouds to improve their ability to retain or create precipitation has been around since the 1940s, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said a long-running program studying whether hurricanes could be redirected to spare human life and property was discontinued in 1983 when it was determined the technology was ineffective when compared with the powerful natural forces of a hurricane.

“If meteorologists could stop hurricanes, we would stop hurricanes,” Kristen Corbosiero, a professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany, told PBS. “If we could control the weather, we would not want the kind of death and destruction that’s happened.”

Helene and Milton have breathed new life into the conspiracy theory after it surfaced in the wake flooding in Dubai earlier this year.

Asked by The AP if cloud seeding contributed to the disaster, private meteorologist Ryan Maue, the former chief scientist at NOAA, said, “It’s most certainly not cloud seeding.”“If that occurred with cloud seeding, they’d have water all the time,” he said. “You can’t create rain out of thin air per se and get 6 inches of water. That’s akin to perpetual motion technology.”

Other experts have also debunked the theory hurricanes can be created, according to PolitiFact, a fact-checking program run by the Poynter Institute for Media Studies.

More Falsehoods Debunked

Below are some of the other baseless claims. Many are addressed on the FEMA site while others have been fact-checked through other sources as designated.

Rumor: FEMA is only providing $750 to disaster survivors to support their recovery.

Facts: This is false. Disaster survivors may be approved for an upfront, flexible payment of $750 when they apply, called Serious Needs Assistance, which can cover essential needs such as food, water, baby formula, medication and other emergency needs.

As applications continue to be reviewed, hurricane survivors may receive additional forms of assistance for needs such as temporary housing, personal property and home repair costs. For answers, contact FEMA AT 800-621-3362.

Rumor: FEMA is blockading people in Florida and preventing evacuations.

Facts: This is a false narrative that FEMA says puts people’s lives in danger, FEMA said. Local authorities, not FEMA personnel, are in charge of traffic flow and traffic stops. The agency said local officials are the best sources of information about evacuation and resources.

Rumor: FEMA is turning away donations, stopping trucks or vehicles with donated goods, and confiscating and seizing recovery supplies.

Facts: These rumors are false. FEMA doesn’t take donations or food from survivors or volunteer groups. Those donations are handled by volunteer organizations that specialize in storing, sorting, cleaning and distributing donated goods. People who want to help hurricane survivors should visit the Volunteering and Donation webpage.

Rumor: FEMA is no longer accepting applications for housing assistance from Helene survivors.

Facts: The agency is still accepting applications throughout areas affected by Helene. For current application timelines, visit disasterassistance.gov. More information is found on FEMA’s state specific Helene disaster webpages; Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.

Rumor: FEMA is confiscating Helene survivors’ property, and an application for assistance will trigger a seizure if it is deemed unlivable.

Facts: FEMA doesn’t have the authority to seize property or land. Upon application for assistance, a FEMA inspector may be sent to verify the damage. Damage estimates are among many factors reviewed to determine what kind of assistance a survivor is eligible to receive. If the house is deemed inhabitable, the information is only used to determine the amount of FEMA assistance needed to make it safe, sanitary and functional.

Rumor: FEMA only provides loans to disaster survivors.

Facts: In most cases, FEMA grants do not have to be paid back. In some less common situations, money may have to be paid back if a homeowner receives an insurance settlement or grant from another source. As an example, an applicant who asks for temporary housing assistance until an insurance claim can be settled may need to pay the advance back to FEMA.

Rumor: The FAA is restricting access to the airspace for Helene rescue and recovery operations.

Facts: This is false. The FAA is coordinating closely with state and local officials to make sure everyone is operating safely in very crowded and congested airspace.

Rumor: The federal government is trying to seize and bulldoze Chimney Rock, North Carolina, to take control of a lithium mine

Facts: Spread on social media platforms, including X, TikTok and Facebook, the claim local officials revealed the plan at a town meeting is “entirely false,” Rutherford County Emergency Management said in a statement.

Officials from the towns of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock did meet with North Carolina lawmakers on Oct. 2, but for the purpose of enlisting their support for state and federal disaster assistance.

“Our focus is solely on recovery, safety and providing support for those affected by the storm,” the statement said. “There have been no discussions or actions taken by the federal, state, or local government related to property seizure in Chimney Rock or any other part of Rutherford County.”

What You Can Do

The FEMA rumor response page has a search function to check out suspect information.

Rumors can easily be checked out before spreading them on social media or elsewhere by doing this:

• Find trusted sources of information.
• Only share information from trusted sources.
• Discourage others from sharing or spreading information from unverified sources.

Some reputable fact-checking sources include:

• FactCheck.org and SciCheck, both from the Annenberg Public Policy Center.
• PolitiFact, from The Poynter Institute for Journalism Studies, a nonprofit journalism and research organization;
• Snopes, a misinformation-fighting website whose fact-checkers include writers, editors and web developers;
• Washington Post Fact Checker; and
• NPR FactCheck.