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Jennifer Bendery: Rumor and disinfo are a huge problem in storm hit areas as it takes away from actual rescue efforts
Jennifer Bendery
11m
I talked to North Carolina state Rep. Lindsey Prather, who represents part of Buncombe County -- a devastated region where Asheville is based -- about whether misinformation is affecting the disaster recovery efforts there.
(Short answer: it is.)
Jennifer Bendery
9m
“The biggest issue is rumors and fake memes and photos of people being trapped in areas around the county," said Prather, who said local/state/fed govt officials are working around the clock to help.
"We send folks out to rescue them, and there’s no one there to be rescued."
Jennifer Bendery
4m
Prather said there's no cell service for much of the area.
The problem is when people get WiFi for a few mins, go on FB and see posts about people being trapped, share it without verifying it, those posts "spread like wildfire," rescue teams rush out there and nobody's there.
Jennifer Bendery
The lack of cell service is a big problem for misinfo.
Misinfo has been spreading about certain parts of the county unfairly getting more help than others, when the reality is the disaster response is focused on getting supplies to the most highly populated and accessible areas.
3:52 PM · Oct 4, 2024
11m
I talked to North Carolina state Rep. Lindsey Prather, who represents part of Buncombe County -- a devastated region where Asheville is based -- about whether misinformation is affecting the disaster recovery efforts there.
(Short answer: it is.)
Jennifer Bendery
9m
“The biggest issue is rumors and fake memes and photos of people being trapped in areas around the county," said Prather, who said local/state/fed govt officials are working around the clock to help.
"We send folks out to rescue them, and there’s no one there to be rescued."
Jennifer Bendery
4m
Prather said there's no cell service for much of the area.
The problem is when people get WiFi for a few mins, go on FB and see posts about people being trapped, share it without verifying it, those posts "spread like wildfire," rescue teams rush out there and nobody's there.
Jennifer Bendery
The lack of cell service is a big problem for misinfo.
Misinfo has been spreading about certain parts of the county unfairly getting more help than others, when the reality is the disaster response is focused on getting supplies to the most highly populated and accessible areas.
3:52 PM · Oct 4, 2024
HuffPost - North Carolina Republican Pleads To End Right-Wing Conspiracy Theories About Helene Disaster Recovery
State Sen. Kevin Corbin calls out “conspiracy theory junk” about unburied bodies and FEMA stealing money.
By Arthur Delaney and Jennifer Bendery
Oct 4, 2024, 12:00 PM EDT
Updated 17 minutes ago
A Republican senator in the North Carolina legislature has issued a public plea for people to stop spreading conspiracy theories about the disaster recovery efforts in areas ravaged by flooding from Hurricane Helene.
In a Thursday afternoon Facebook post, state Sen. Kevin Corbin, who represents the state’s westernmost area, asked his followers for a favor: “Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods in WNC.”
Corbin listed several examples: “FEMA is stealing money from donations, body bags ordered but government has denied, bodies not being buried, government is controlling the weather from Antarctica, government is trying to get lithium from WNC, stacks of bodies left at hospitals, and on and on and on.”
Since making landfall last week and churning inland, the storm has killed more than 200 people across six states, with more than 70 of those deaths in Asheville and western North Carolina.
/snip
State Sen. Kevin Corbin calls out “conspiracy theory junk” about unburied bodies and FEMA stealing money.
By Arthur Delaney and Jennifer Bendery
Oct 4, 2024, 12:00 PM EDT
Updated 17 minutes ago
A Republican senator in the North Carolina legislature has issued a public plea for people to stop spreading conspiracy theories about the disaster recovery efforts in areas ravaged by flooding from Hurricane Helene.
In a Thursday afternoon Facebook post, state Sen. Kevin Corbin, who represents the state’s westernmost area, asked his followers for a favor: “Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods in WNC.”
Corbin listed several examples: “FEMA is stealing money from donations, body bags ordered but government has denied, bodies not being buried, government is controlling the weather from Antarctica, government is trying to get lithium from WNC, stacks of bodies left at hospitals, and on and on and on.”
Since making landfall last week and churning inland, the storm has killed more than 200 people across six states, with more than 70 of those deaths in Asheville and western North Carolina.
/snip
Link to tweet
Link to tweet