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False conspiracy theories about Hurricane Milton continue to swirl despite outcry from officials
NBC News ^ | October 10, 2024 | Bruna Horvath

Posted on 10/10/2024 8:03:43 PM PDT by DoodleBob

Baseless conspiracy theories about weather modification and false claims about disaster relief efforts have continued to spread on X in recent days, with misinformation about Hurricane Milton adding to a mountain of false rumors about Hurricane Helene and its aftermath.

The spread has sparked a push from local and federal officials, along with some politicians, who have decried the spread of misinformation and outlandish claims about the origins of the storms.

But that has done little to quell some of the loudest voices. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who claimed on X last week that “they can control the weather,” has continued to imply that the hurricanes were part of a political plot. In another X post Greene made on Wednesday, she said that “everyone keeps asking, ‘who is they?’” and added that “some of them are listed on NOAA,” referring to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

President Joe Biden criticized Greene’s claims in a briefing Wednesday, calling them “beyond ridiculous,” and saying, “It’s got to stop.” Several Republican lawmakers have also criticized Greene’s claims. 

Greene and conspiracy theorists have cited NOAA webpages about weather modification projects. But the idea that any previous attempts to intervene with weather patterns have involved the creation or worsening of hurricanes is unsubstantiated and false.

Hugh Willoughby, a Florida International University professor who worked in NOAA’s Hurricane Research Division for over 20 years, said that government-funded attempts to modify weather in the past, like Project STORMFURY, attempted to weaken hurricanes. The project lasted for over 10 years but was dropped in 1983.

Some of Greene’s posts have had “Community Notes” appended to them. An X spokesperson said that when a post is marked with a crowdsourced “Community Note,” which allows for users to provide context or clarify information in post, it is half as likely to be reshared. The spokesperson added that posts with notes are also 80% more likely to be deleted by their authors. Greene has not deleted her posts referencing the conspiracy theories.

In response to the challenges to Greene’s false claims, her deputy chief of staff, Nick Dyer, defended them, saying that she was actually the victim of conspiracy theories.

The explosion of misinformation comes just over three weeks before Election Day, with the storms causing some concern over whether people in hard-hit areas will be able to vote. The University of Washington’s Center for an Informed Public said in a rapid research report published Wednesday that Milton is set to exacerbate an already muddled situation. At the moment, as state and local election boards work quickly to communicate their plans, there is lingering uncertainty around the extent of the storm’s impacts on election processes and how they might be addressed,” the center said in its report. “It is therefore not surprising to see rumors emerging from within communities grappling with the anxiety and uncertainty of the event — or to see bad actors attempting to exploit these conditions to push strategic narratives and unfounded conspiracy theories for political gain. With Hurricane Milton expected to make landfall this week in Florida, we anticipate rumoring to continue.”

Since Hurricane Helene hit on Sept. 26, a slew of misinformation has been circulating regarding FEMA. In an Oct. 3 rally in Saginaw, Michigan, former President Donald Trump falsely claimed that federal emergency disaster money was given illegally to migrants in the U.S. Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, similarly falsely claimed on X that FEMA had used disaster funds to house migrants, a post that Elon Musk reposted among others regarding FEMA.

In 2023, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administered $364 million to cities and counties that serve migrants under its Shelter and Services Program, and $640 million in grants from Customs and Border Protection. However, its Shelter and Services Program is separate from its disaster relief fund, which is over $20 billion.

In a post responding to the claims, White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández wrote, “The Disaster Relief Fund is specifically appropriated by Congress to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate impacts of natural disasters. It is completely separate from other grant programs administered by FEMA for DHS.”

While some false claims have been circulating on other platforms, X appears to be the platform with the largest user base on which conspiracy theories are gaining the most traction.

The Institute for Strategic Dialogue, a London-based think tank, said in a report on Tuesday that its analysts had found 33 posts on X containing debunked FEMA misinformation that generated more than 160 million views as of Oct. 7. The ISD noted that nearly one-third of the posts it analyzed contained antisemitic hate targeted at Jewish officials such as the mayor of Asheville, North Carolina,  FEMA’s director of public affairs and the secretary of Homeland Security. The think tank found that since Oct. 7, the posts containing antisemitism have garnered over 17 million views.

“The situation exemplifies a wider trend: increasingly, a broad collection of conspiracy groups, extremist movements, political and commercial interests, and at times hostile states, coalesce around crises to further their agendas through online falsehoods, division and hate,” the ISD said in its report. “They exploit social media moderation failures, gaming their algorithmic systems, and often produce dangerous real-world effects.”

“Falsehoods around hurricane response have spawned credible threats and incitement to violence directed at the federal government — this includes calls to send militias to face down FEMA for the perceived denial of aid, and that individuals would ‘shoot’ FEMA officials and the agency’s emergency responders,” the report added.

Shauna Bowes, a postdoctoral fellow at Vanderbilt University whose research focuses on misinformation and polarization, said that times of “calamity” are often hotbeds of misinformation. She said that when misinformation comes from those in power, it makes it even more dangerous.

“Political elite messaging can really fuel polarization, really fuel divides and shape policy,” Bowes said. “So when these people are espousing misinformation and conspiracy theories, then it’s like, ‘Oh, OK, well, maybe it’s true. Maybe it is real, because somebody knowledgeable is saying that’s true.’”

Bowes added that in times of disaster, conspiracy theories arise when people begin to “find someone to blame” in order to make sense of what is happening. 

FEMA is working to slow the spread of hurricane misinformation online. The government agency created a web page responding to Hurricane Helene rumors. The North Carolina Department of Public Safety has taken a similar approach creating its own page correcting false information

On Wednesday, FEMA Administrator Deanna Criswell said in a news briefing that the agency is still seeing misinformation being spread but that the volume is starting to decrease. 

“We need to continue to now remain focused on what our mission is, and that our mission is here to help people,” Criswell said. “We are not going to let the misinformation be a distraction to the important work we need to do.”


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: brunahorvath; conspiracy; disaster; fakenews; fema; helene; hurricane; isd; marjoriegreene; marjorietaylorgreene; milton; mtg
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Gee, I have NO idea what could have spawned all this.


1 posted on 10/10/2024 8:03:43 PM PDT by DoodleBob
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To: DoodleBob

This “news story” is the very epitome of fake news.


2 posted on 10/10/2024 8:05:25 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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To: DoodleBob

I know the government can’t control the weather, but every single liberal I’ve ever known, or even heard of, completely disagrees.


3 posted on 10/10/2024 8:08:31 PM PDT by dead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_vFiUUcBkc)
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To: DoodleBob

4 posted on 10/10/2024 8:10:47 PM PDT by bitt (<img src=' 'width=30%>)
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To: DoodleBob
I have proof that I'm willing to release after the election.
5 posted on 10/10/2024 8:11:05 PM PDT by chief lee runamok ( Le Flâneur @Large)
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To: null and void; aragorn; EnigmaticAnomaly; kalee; Kale; AZ .44 MAG; Baynative; bgill; bitt; ...

p


6 posted on 10/10/2024 8:11:07 PM PDT by bitt (<img src=' 'width=30%>)
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To: DoodleBob
Hypocritical MSNBC reporter busted live - Nobody's wearing masks! "Including the cameraman."
7 posted on 10/10/2024 8:11:43 PM PDT by dead (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_vFiUUcBkc)
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To: DoodleBob

The Democrats, meanwhile, are blaming Helene and Milton on Donald Trump and the Republicans. Because Al Gore told them to.


8 posted on 10/10/2024 8:13:27 PM PDT by Thunder90 (All posts soley represent my own opinions)
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To: DoodleBob

Good ones but I’m not sure I am getting what’s happening with the Biden one? It’s probably too obvious lol


9 posted on 10/10/2024 8:13:45 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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To: DoodleBob
Baseless conspiracy theories...

That's it! "Baseless", the first word in the first sentence. DRINK!!

10 posted on 10/10/2024 8:13:45 PM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: BenLurkin; bitt

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-we-control-the-weather/

JUNE 1, 2014
18 MIN READ
Can We Control the Weather?
Governments and farmers worldwide spend millions every year trying to control the weather. New science suggests they might be on to something
BY DAN BAUM


11 posted on 10/10/2024 8:17:16 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s² )
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To: SaveFerris

https://publishedreporter.com/2021/10/11/president-biden-using-fake-white-house-set-as-backdrop-for-televised-media-interactions-staged-across-street-complete-with-fake-windows/

Biden Using Fake White House Set As Backdrop For Televised Media Interactions; Staged Across Street Complete With Fake Windows

By Christopher Boyle Last updated Oct 11, 2021


12 posted on 10/10/2024 8:18:47 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s² )
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To: dead

https://nypost.com/2024/07/18/media/rachel-maddow-msnbc-hosts-use-led-screen-of-rnc-in-milwaukee/

MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and the left-leaning cable network’s other top anchors have used a giant video screen to show the Republican National Convention as a backdrop — while hosting the coverage from their Manhattan headquarters.


13 posted on 10/10/2024 8:26:17 PM PDT by DoodleBob (Gravity's waiting period is about 9.8 m/s² )
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To: DoodleBob

Yeah I could see it was a set - that doesn’t surprise me

thanks


14 posted on 10/10/2024 8:27:11 PM PDT by SaveFerris (Luke 17:28 ... as it was in the Days of Lot; They did Eat, They Drank, They Bought, They Sold ......)
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No one believes the crap. Everyone knows it's FEMA bureaucracy red tape and trying to communicate with DEI hires. The government is always slow unless it's Zelenskyy with his hands out
15 posted on 10/10/2024 8:27:40 PM PDT by TornadoAlley3 ( I'm Proud To Be An Okie From Muskogee)
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To: DoodleBob
President Joe Biden criticized Greene’s claims in a briefing Wednesday, calling them “beyond ridiculous,” and saying, “It’s got to stop.”

He shouldn't have said anything.

Apparently, the communist government covered up the leak in the lab in Wuhan, China. So it's obvious that covid-19 was man-made.

And the government in Dubai is responded for cloud seeding causing floods in their city in April 2024.

So we have the capability to "feed" a Hurricane if that's what we wanted to do.

But I don't think that's the case in this particular situation. There would have been leaks by now and we'll know what's going on.

Our government is not like Chi-Coms, there's no way to keep something like this a secret.

16 posted on 10/10/2024 8:31:03 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
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To: DoodleBob

Why is Biden spreading falae conspiracy theories?


17 posted on 10/10/2024 8:31:51 PM PDT by Ge0ffrey
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To: SaveFerris
IMG-9756
18 posted on 10/10/2024 8:32:07 PM PDT by broken_clock (Go Trump! Still praying.)
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To: DoodleBob
But that has done little to quell some of the loudest voices. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., who claimed on X last week that “they can control the weather,” has continued to imply that the hurricanes were part of a political plot. In another X post Greene made on Wednesday, she said that “everyone keeps asking, ‘who is they?’” and added that “some of them are listed on NOAA,” referring to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Wonder if they were also caused by those "blue beams of light" she famously referred to?

Special kind of crazy.

19 posted on 10/10/2024 8:34:56 PM PDT by Republican Wildcat
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To: DoodleBob

Okay. Your point is that Newsweek is not fake news, I guess.


20 posted on 10/10/2024 8:34:58 PM PDT by BenLurkin (The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire, or both.)
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