It happened after winter storms in Texas, wildfires in Maui, and now after Hurricane Helene hit regions in the Southeast.
False information, wild rumors, and baseless conspiracy theories rushed to fill an information void as many tried to make sense of or exploit the unexplained.
We've reached a point where disaster relief must now include debunking disinformation.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency recently launched a "rumor response" page, asking the public to do "three easy things:" find trusted sources, share information from those sources and discourage others from sharing information not from verified sources.
In hard-hit North Carolina, the Department of Public Safety created its own version of a rumor response page, calling out the "many false reports and misinformation being shared on social media about the response to Hurricane Helene."
At least 220 people have died, and hundreds remain unaccounted in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the deadliest hurricane to hit the mainland U.S. since Katrina.
According to the White House, more than 1,000 National Guard troops have also been deployed to North Carolina and hundreds of FEMA staff along with over 1,200 search and rescue personnel are on the ground.
Emergency officials along with Republican and Democratic leaders have denounced the spread of false information as an impediment to ongoing disaster response efforts.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper posted on X that "impacted areas have been the target of a relentless vortex of disinformation."
The false information began with former President Donald Trump on Truth Social baselessly accusing FEMA of "going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas."
Trump repeated the baseless claim on Fox News. "They're being treated very badly in the Republican areas" he said. "They're not getting water. They're not getting anything."
Many posts on X further amplified the claim, saying that FEMA also wasn't providing relief to certain communities because they are White.
"There's a lot of mis- and disinformation being pushed out there by the former president about what is available, particularly for the survivors of Helene," Harris told reporters Monday.
"First of all, it's extraordinarily irresponsible," she said. "It's about him, it's not about you. And the reality is FEMA has so many resources that are available to those who desperately need them."
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell called the claims "frankly ridiculous and just plain false."
"It's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people," she said. "It's just a shame that people are sitting home on their comfortable couches, while we have thousands of people here on the ground that have left their own families to be able to help those in need."
Criswell was featured in some false information surrounding criticisms of FEMA. A post on X claimed to show an "Arrogant FEMA director getting beaten" by local North Carolina residents. However, the clip is from a 2023 video outside a nightclub in Texas.
In a viral post on X, U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represents a district in North Georgia that was also hit by Hurricane Helene, appeared to imply Democrats created the storm.
"Yes they can control the weather. It's ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can't be done," she wrote.
The conspiracy theory post had reached over 40 million views a week after Helene hit.
Fake images generated by artificial intelligence also added to the online melee. A viral AI image shows a frightened little girl in flood water clutching her puppy.
The image was shared by RNC National Committeewoman Amy Kremer and retweeted by former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who said "This is why we must give to help the victims of Helene. It could be us."
In replies to the tweet, multiple users said they knew the image was fake but did not care.
"Even if this is AI generated don't forget that 'a picture is worth 1.000 words'. And the story this pic tells is VERY VERY VERY TRUE," one user replied.
RELATED STORY | Florida doctor goes viral on TikTok for teaching 'Flooding 101' after Helene
"There are important people, people who have power, privilege who are spreading these falsehoods and they need to stop," Senior Adviser to the President Karine Jean-Pierre said during a White House press briefing Monday.
"This is a time for communities to come together. For all of us to come together," Jean-Pierre added. "It doesn't matter if you have an R or D behind your name. It is time to come together to actually deliver for the impacted communities."
Notably Republican leaders have spoken out against the false information being spread in the wake of Helene.
Republican North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said in a statement, "The last thing that the victims of Helene need right now is political posturing, finger-pointing, or conspiracy theories that only hurt the response effort."
North Carolina State Sen. Kevin Corbin called on the public to "STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods" in his state.
Tennessee Governor Bill Lee told local news, "There's a lot of misinformation. In fact, there's some belief and understanding that may be coming from foreign sources just to confuse on the ground what's happening here."
Glenn Jacobs, mayor of of Knox County, Tennessee, and Trump supporter, wrote on X "If everyone could maybe please put aside the hate for a bit and pitch in to help, that would be great."
"We need to work together to rebuild and recover from a catastrophic disaster like this one — and spreading false information to sow chaos hurts real people," North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper wrote on X. "Politicians, billionaires and grifters who peddle lies during a time of crisis should be held accountable."
As attention turns to Hurricane Milton, which is expected to be a Category 3 storm by the time it makes landfall in Florida by Wednesday, officials are urging the public to listen to trusted and verified sources for information.
FEMA advised people in Florida to listen to local officials and Vice President Harris urged residents to take the storm seriously.
"Listen to the orders you're getting from your local officials. They know what they're telling you and they know what Milton is about to be," she said.
RELATED STORY | Vice President Harris encourages Floridians to heed official warnings about Hurricane Milton
