ICYMI: Republican Officials, Local Leaders Helping Combat "Outrageous" Hurricane Misinformation

As part of our ongoing preparedness, response, and recovery efforts for both Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, the Biden-Harris Administration has made it a priority to call out the misinformation and disinformation being sown by bad-faith actors.

Republicans in the affected states are growing increasingly weary of people in their own party who are pushing these "outrageous" and "ridiculous" lies. Given that pervasive misinformation can hamper disaster relief and recovery, as well as scare vulnerable people out of getting financial relief they are owed, these fact-checking efforts are urgent and all-hands-on-deck – evidenced by the growing number of Republican officials and other local leaders joining in on the pushback.

Read more below:

The New Republic: Republican Rep. Debunks GOP Hurricane Lies in Incredible Fact-Check
[Paige Oamek, 10/9/24]

Even Republicans are getting fed up with MAGA's hurricane conspiracy theories. Representative Chuck Edwards of North Carolina is one of them. In a press release put out on Tuesday, Edwards condemned the misinformation about Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene that has been circulated online by the likes of Donald Trump and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.

POLITICO: Florida Rep. says MTG needs her 'head examined' after weather posts
[Andrew Howard, 10/9/24]

Florida Rep. Carlos Gimenez said Wednesday that GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and others who think like her that humans can control the weather need "to have their head examined." Gimenez's rebuke of his conspiratorially minded Republican colleague comes as Hurricane Milton bears down on Florida's Gulf Coast and in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida last month and left devastating damage as it tracked across the Southeastern U.S. The two storms have also sparked an uptick in swirling conspiracy theories, instigated in part by Greene, who wrote on social media last week that "Yes they can control the weather," adding "It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done." It remains unclear who "they" is.

The Guardian: Republican congressman issues rebuke over 'outrageous' Helene disinformation
[Robert Tait, 10/9/24]

A Republican congressman representing areas devastated by Hurricane Helene has implicitly rebuked members of his own party, including Donald Trump, by issuing a scorching rebuttal of misinformation and conspiracy theories spread by the former US president and his supporters about the storm and the government's response. Chuck Edwards, the member for North Carolina's 11th district, contradicted criticism from Trump and others of the Biden administration's handling of the disaster by voicing praise for "a level of support that is unmatched by most any other disaster nationwide".

Newsweek: The Republicans Pushing Back Against FEMA, Helene 'Myths'
[James Bickerton, 10/9/24]

A number of prominent Republicans in the Southeast have hit out at misinformation about the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) response to Hurricane Helene, including claims made by GOP presidential nominee Donald Trump. ... In a statement, North Carolina House Republican Chuck Edwards listed eight "outrageous rumors" that he said had been shared online about Hurricane Helene and the response from authorities.

The Hill: Furious officials say misinformation is harming hurricane response
[Miranda Nazzaro, 10/8/24]

"Two things: 1) To my knowledge, FEMA, [state officials], nor anyone else is confiscating supplies. Please quit spreading those rumors as they are counterproductive to response efforts. 2) If everyone could maybe please put aside the hate for a bit and pitch in to help, that would be great," Knox County, Tenn., Mayor Glenn Jacobs (R) wrote on the social platform X. The calls for an end to the rumors are coming from both sides of the aisle, including from Republicans who usually have little incentive to defend the Biden administration against Trump, the GOP presidential nominee. Republican Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) said the "distractions" are not needed on the ground. "It is at the expense of the hardworking first responders and people that are just trying to recover their life," Tillis said Sunday on CBS News's "Face the Nation."