Hurricane Helene did quite enough damage to the southeastern United States when she made her way through. So why is further damage being caused by the rampant spread of misinformation?
False claims about government action— or lack thereof— have been spreading faster than a wildfire on a prairie in a draught. It’s been BAD, and the spread of inaccurate information is causing some very real problems for those who are trying to rebuild their lives in the wake of so much devastation.
So… what are the big lies that are being spread in regards to Hurricane Helene? Let’s go through the biggies together, shall we?
-
The Government is diverting disaster relief funds to immigration programs.
-
The democratic party can control the weather and caused this in the first place.
-
FEMA has been seizing supplies and controlling the airports.
We want to emphasize again; none of the above are true. But as people look to make meaning after a disaster, rumors like these spread. With there being a presidential election in less than a month, and social media being the force that it is in the world now; these little tidbits of misinformation spread far, and they spread fast.
Misinformation isn’t harmless. There are very real victims on the other side of the mess. When false information is accepted as fact, there are consequences that the party that initially spouted the untruth doesn’t get to see or experience. Relief efforts are slowed down due to distrust in authorities, untrained volunteers attempt to enter dangerous areas— and then need rescuing, the focus is taken off the real issues so that people can indulge in anger instead, and last but certainly not least; misinformation greatly erodes trust in the governmental agencies that are tasked with helping those in affected areas which in turn causes further delay in getting aid to those who need it the most.
It is human nature in the wake of great tragedy to look for a “bad guy”, or to try and identify something that someone did “wrong” that if only they had acted differently things might have been different. Unfortunately for all of humanity, hurricanes are like cats. They’re going to do what they’re going to do, and courtesy of climate change, we’ve created an environment where they can get very scary very quickly.
There is no convincing a hurricane to behave differently; but you can change the way you approach learning about the aftermath, which in turn has a positive impact on those who need a well-informed public working on relief efforts.
What can you do to fight misinformation?
-
Rely on official sources for your info. The National Weather Service, and your local government websites will have the most up-to-date information.
-
Don’t rely on social media for news unless your information is coming from verified sources.
-
If something sounds off, consult a fact checker like PolitiFact.
-
Check your sharing impulse, and verify that a post is accurate before you hit that “share” button.
Actual human lives are on the line here, and stopping the spread of misinformation can be the difference between life and death for many who are affected by natural disasters. You have a brain. Use it, and remember to verify your information before you spread it around, got it?