As FEMA prepares for Hurricane Milton, it battles rumors surrounding Helene recovery

Follow AP’s live coverage of Hurricane Milton and the 2024 hurricane season.

WASHINGTON (AP) — The rumors surrounding Hurricane Helene are many. There are false claims that people taking federal relief money could see their land seized. Or that $750 is the most they will ever get to rebuild. Or that the agency’s director — on the ground since the storm hit — was beaten up and hospitalized.

As the U.S. agency tasked with responding to disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been fighting misinformation since Helene slammed into Florida nearly two weeks ago and brought a wide swath of destruction as it headed north. The false claims are being fueled by former President Donald Trump and others just ahead of the presidential election, and are coming as the agency is gearing up to respond to a second major disaster: Hurricane Milton is set to strike Florida on Wednesday.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters Tuesday that she has never seen the disinformation problem as bad as it’s been with Helene, which hit hard in North Carolina, a state key to winning the election.

“It’s absolutely the worst that I have ever seen,” an uninjured Criswell said.

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