Trump and Musk lead misinformation about hurricanes in the US

As Hurricane Milton advanced towards the Gulf of Florida, this Wednesday (9), United States authorities joined forces to demobilize a disinformation campaign launched by the country’s extreme right, led by the Republican candidate for the November elections, Donald Trump, and Elon Musk, recently launched as an electoral campaigner for the Trump campaign.

Fake news ends up hampering the federal response to disasters, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema). The country was in the path of Hurricane Helene, which caused at least 235 deaths in six states last week, and was preparing this Wednesday to feel the impact of Hurricane Milton.

Before losing strength to a category 1 hurricane, this Thursday (10), Milton was classified as a category 5 storm, with ferocious winds of up to 270 km/h. More than 12 million people are under alert on the American West Coast and thousands have been pressured by responsible authorities to leave their homes.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody issued an ominous warning to those unable or unwilling to evacuate from areas affected by the storm.

“You should probably write your name and birthday on your arm or leg in permanent marker so rescuers will know who you are when they find you,” Moody said at a news conference.

Unlike the state’s attorney general, billionaire Donald Trump, Republican candidate for the presidential election in November, thought it was good form to spread conspiracy theories about climate events.

At a rally, Donald Trump used the hurricane to attack immigrants and the Biden administration. He said money for relief from Hurricane Helene victims was being spent at the border.

The former president made several false statements about the Biden administration’s response to the hurricane, including an unsubstantiated argument that Democrats ignored victims in Republican areas of North Carolina and that Biden did not respond to phone calls from Georgia’s Republican governor.

He has also claimed that although the federal government sends billions of dollars abroad, it is only offering $750 to Americans who lost their homes in Hurricane Helene.

Fema explained that $750 is just an immediate, upfront payment that survivors can get to cover basic needs like food, water, baby formula and emergency supplies. People can apply for other assistance, for example, for home repairs up to $42,500.

Democratic presidential candidate and current vice-president Kamala Harris accused the former president on Monday (7) of spreading “a lot of misinformation” about the help available for Helene’s survivors. “It’s extraordinarily irresponsible, it’s about him, it’s not about you,” she said.

Misinformation is causing problems for Helene survivors, some of whom are being deterred from seeking help, Fema leaders said Tuesday.

It is also hurting emergency responders, whose morale has taken a hit amid threats to their safety, they added.

According to Fema administrator Deanne Criswell, the wave of conspiracy theories “is absolutely the worst I’ve ever seen.” The agency has a rumor control page to combat the kind of scams that usually flourish after a disaster, but the attacks this time are occurring at a much higher rate than anticipated, she told reporters in a phone conversation Tuesday morning. -fair.

“It’s really unfortunate that [as pessoas] continue to try to create this level of fear in these communities that is impeding our ability to do our work at the level necessary, but we will not let that stop us,” Criswell said. “We will continue to be in these communities and support them in any way necessary.”

Fema and other agencies are helping residents of states such as Florida, Georgia and North Carolina after Helene struck almost two weeks ago. They will do the same again in Florida after the Milton pass.

Musk also embarks on the wave of lies

In addition to the former president, businessman Elon Musk also joined the country’s far-right disinformation campaign.

The world’s richest man amplified rumors that North Carolina authorities had “taken over to stop people from helping” stricken residents, and accusations that sheriffs were threatening to arrest FEMA staff “if they impede rescue and aid work.” The agency said the allegation is false.

“FEMA spent its budget transporting [imigrantes] illegals into the country instead of saving American lives. Treason,” Musk wrote without evidence on X, where he interspersed messages about the damage caused by the hurricane with political attacks on Democrats.

Recently, he was launched as the Republican party’s main canvasser for the November elections. Musk is one of former President Donald Trump’s top donors and has used his own social media platform to make baseless claims that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are “going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas.”