WH on False Helene Rumors: Stop 'Spreading This Poison'

As local, state, and federal authorities scramble to help those hit hardest by Hurricane Helene, which killed more than 220, they've got another problem to deal with: conspiracy theories about relief efforts, per Reuters and CNN. "Disinformation of this kind can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it most," a White House memo notes. "It is paramount that every leader, whatever their political beliefs, stops spreading this poison." The AP reports that some of what's been disseminated about the storm and its aftermath is being helped along by "state-run media and disinformation campaigns run by China and Russia," which boost the misleading claims. More on what's been spreading:

• $750 rumor: ABC 10 News addresses the false claim that FEMA is distributing $750 to those most in need—and that's it. The $750 payment is meant to more immediately help people buy food, water, baby formula, medicine, and other emergency supplies, but FEMA notes "there are other forms of assistance that you may qualify to receive once you apply for disaster assistance ... such as support for temporary housing and home repair costs." Call FEMA at 1-800-621-3362 for more info.

• Money to migrants? This rumor has been pushed by Donald Trump. "A billion dollars was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants," the former president said Friday in Georgia, per ABC News. He made similar comments the previous day in Michigan, reports NBC News. That outlet explains: "Trump and his allies appear to be conflating two different funds. FEMA has dedicated disaster relief money that cannot be used for other purposes. Separately, it was tasked by Congress in 2022 to disseminate money from Customs and Border Protection to help communities that received influxes of migrants." The Washington Post points out that Trump, while president, redirected disaster money in 2019 to fund migrant programs at the southern border.
• MTG: GOP Georgia Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene made a bizarre comment online that seemed to reference Helene. "Yes they can control the weather. It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done," she wrote on X. It's not clear who she meant by "they," though gun control activist Shannon Watts called Greene's remark "a conspiracy theory based in anti-Semitism alleging that Jewish people have the technology to manipulate the weather and cause freak storms that wreak havoc on the world."
• Musk/Trump misinfo: The X owner has been falsely claiming that FEMA is "actively blocking citizens who try to help," while the former president suggested earlier this week that the Biden administration and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, are withholding or diverting relief funds because some of the worst-hit areas are Republican-heavy areas. CNN explains why these aren't the case.
• 'Bodies everywhere' and government seizures: Fox News tackles this one circulating in North Carolina.
• Politicians: Both Democratic and Republican governors in the states most affected have praised the Biden administration for its rapid response to the disaster, per CNN and the Hill. In North Carolina, GOP state Sen. Kevin Corbin made a plea on social media for everyone to knock off the misinformation. "Friends can I ask a small favor?" he wrote on Facebook. "Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods ... PLEASE help stop this junk. It is just a distraction to people trying to do their job."
• FEMA: The agency has responded to the various conspiracy theories by posting a dedicated portal devoted to debunking them, per the Hill. The "Rumor Response" page addresses several of the misleading or false narratives that are circulating.

(More Hurricane Helene stories.)