North Carolina Republican pushes back on hurricane misinformation: “Nobody can control the weather”

Washington — Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, sent a letter to his constituents debunking the misinformation and conspiracy theories that have spread in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, telling them, “Nobody can control the weather.” 

Edwards, who represents western North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene, urged his constituents not to believe everything they see on social media and noted there’s been an increase in “untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains.” 

“Please make sure you are fact checking what you read online with a reputable source,” he wrote. 

Some of the most bizarre conspiracy theories that have spread online claimed politicians manipulated the weather to target Republicans areas in the battleground state and that the federal government was trying to seize land in the town of Chimney Rock to mine lithium. 

“Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock,” Edwards said, adding that there is no technology that can geoengineer a hurricane and local officials confirmed the government is not taking control of the town. 

He also denied that local officials were abandoning search and rescue efforts to bulldoze the town, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was blocking donations from reaching survivors and diverting disaster funding to the border and foreign aid. The federal agency could not seize residents’ property and the Federal Aviation Administration is not restricting access to airspace for search and recovery operations, he said. 

Edwards also reassured his constituents that FEMA would not run out of funds to assist the area with its recovery efforts. He said residents may be eligible for more than the $750 of immediate assistance that FEMA provides to survivors to help cover essential items while the agency determines their eligibility for additional funds. 

Former President Donald Trump is among those who have made misleading claims about federal disaster relief, falsely alleging that the Biden administration distributed most of FEMA’s funds to undocumented migrants. He also falsely claimed that storm victims were only being offered $750 in aid.