Michael Mann 
North Carolina Republican Senator Kevin Corbin has had enough. As the state struggles to recover from the catastrophic flooding caused by Hurricane Helene, Corbin is battling a different kind of storm—an onslaught of conspiracy theories that threaten to derail disaster recovery efforts.
In a candid Facebook post this past Thursday, Corbin, who represents western North Carolina, pleaded with his constituents to stop spreading baseless rumors about the disaster response. “Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods in WNC,” Corbin wrote.
He went on to list some of the most outlandish claims he’s come across: “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.”
The damage left in the wake of Hurricane Helene is very real. The storm has claimed more than 200 lives across six states, with over 70 of those deaths occurring in Asheville and western North Carolina alone. But while the region grapples with the physical toll of the disaster, misinformation is spreading like wildfire online, making recovery that much harder.
It’s gotten so bad that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was forced to create a dedicated page, “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response,” to counter the deluge of false claims. According to Willie Nunn, a senior FEMA official currently coordinating efforts in South Carolina, these conspiracy theories do more than just spread confusion—they actively hinder relief work. “Misinformation always affects the people who are trying to help and the people who need the help,” Nunn explained.
One of the biggest issues, Nunn said, is that misinformation erodes trust between survivors and the agencies trying to assist them. “If we don’t know where they are, we can’t meet them where they are,” Nunn said, emphasizing that discouraging people from reaching out for help can have deadly consequences.
Democratic North Carolina state representative Lindsey Prather, who represents part of hard-hit Buncombe County, has been working tirelessly to counter the false information. “The biggest issue is rumors and fake memes,” Prather told HuffPost. “We send folks out to rescue people based on these false reports, and when we get there, no one needs saving. That wastes precious resources.”
Prather doesn’t believe that most of the misinformation is intentional, though. Instead, she attributes it to people sharing posts they see online without verifying the information. “They get a small window of cell service, see something on Facebook, and then spread it without checking if it’s true,” Prather explained. The result? More chaos and confusion in an already dire situation.
Of course, that hasn’t stopped right-wing influencers from fueling the fire. On social media, these conspiracy theories have taken a dark turn. Popular country singer Jon Rich told his million-plus followers on X (formerly Twitter) that a law enforcement source informed him of “500 body bags” being used and bodies being found “in trees, mud, cars, houses, everywhere,” while claiming the federal government had done nothing to help.
And it’s not just fringe voices getting in on the action. Georgia congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that the storm’s path was somehow politically motivated, insinuating it was meant to harm Republicans in the upcoming election. In a now-infamous tweet, Greene said, “Yes they can control the weather,” hinting at some nefarious plot to manipulate the hurricane’s trajectory.
These kinds of baseless claims do more than muddy the waters—they undermine the Herculean efforts by FEMA and state officials to help survivors. In fact, FEMA and the National Guard have been working around the clock in storm-ravaged areas, restoring power, performing search-and-rescue missions, and providing essential supplies like food and water.
The flood of misinformation even prompted North Carolina’s Department of Public Safety to launch its own “Hurricane Helene Rumor Response” page to debunk falsehoods and ensure residents have access to accurate information. “The need for reliable, factual information is crucial,” said North Carolina Emergency Management Director Will Ray. “I encourage all North Carolinians to verify what they see online and avoid spreading unproven information.”
Corbin, too, emphasized that conspiracy theories are diverting lawmakers’ attention from where it’s needed most—helping their constituents. In his Facebook post, he urged people to think twice before contacting elected officials with baseless claims. “One of my senate colleagues got 15 calls yesterday asking him to stop government plots that simply don’t exist,” he wrote. “I’m growing weary of these intentional distractions.”
While it’s easy to dismiss some of these conspiracy theories as fringe, the reality is that they’re having a tangible impact on disaster recovery efforts. Misinformation wastes time, resources, and energy that should be directed toward saving lives. And in a crisis like this, every second counts.
So, as western North Carolina continues to pick up the pieces from Hurricane Helene, officials like Senator Corbin and Rep. Prather are begging their constituents to do one thing: Stop spreading the lies.
