Even Republicans are getting fed up with MAGA’s hurricane conspiracy theories. Representative Chuck Edwards of North Carolina is one of them.
In a press release put out on Tuesday, Edwards condemned the misinformation about Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene that has been circulated online by the likes of Donald Trump and Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
“While it’s true that FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene has not been perfect, there are outrageous rumors that have been circulated online and need to be addressed,” wrote Edwards on X, linking his incredibly thorough fact-check.
Since Helene damaged property and claimed lives across several states, including North Carolina, right-wing misinformation around the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been flying. Some Republicans and conspiracy theorists are accusing the agency of diverting much-needed resources to migrants or concocting the whole natural disaster in order to seize land.
Edwards’s debunking document starts off with him dispelling two outrageous rumors. “Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock,” and “Nobody can control the weather.”
Beyond the truly crazy, the Republican congressman also set the record straight about FEMA’s overall response to the disaster. MAGA has tried to engineer anger over FEMA’s $750 disaster relief checks. “Think of it: We give foreign countries hundreds of billions of dollars and we’re handing North Carolina $750,” said Trump on Saturday. But as Edwards clarifies, the amount “is just the first step of a longer process to provide financial assistance to disaster survivors in need of federal support.”
As Hurricane Milton is set to make landfall Wednesday, all we know for certain is that misinformation will be as prevalent as physical damage.
