Written by Sally Kestin, Asheville Watchdog.
Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards recently took on members of his own party, debunking baseless claims about the Hurricane Helene response in western North Carolina made by right-wing politicians and presidential nominee Donald Trump.
Edwards never mentioned Trump or his Republican colleagues by name but shot down baseless claims they’ve been spreading at rallies and on social media in a news release titled, “Debunking Helene Response Myths.”
“Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock,” wrote Edwards, a Hendersonville conservative who represents 15 counties in the western mountains. “Nobody can control the weather.”
U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Republican from Georgia, seemed to suggest that Jews orchestrated the hurricane in a post last week on X, as Asheville Watchdogreported. Green wrote, falsely: “Yes they can control the weather. It’s ridiculous for anyone to lie and say it can’t be done.”
Trump claimed, falsely, in rallies last week that President Joseph Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris stole FEMA money for disaster victims and gave it to illegal immigrants. At a rally Monday in Wisconsin, Trump falsely accused Harris of prioritizing foreign aid over help to domestic disaster victims.
“FEMA has NOT diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid,” Edwards said in his release.
“Disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts,” Edwards wrote. “FEMA’s non-disaster related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues.”
Edwards wrote that he was proud of his constituents who “have come together to help one another…but amidst all of the support, we have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains.”
Edwards could not immediately be reached for comment, but his office said he would be in Asheville later Wednesday with Republican Congressional leaders to discuss the recovery effort.
In an appearance on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins Tuesday night, Edwards said he decided to speak out after being flooded with calls, emails and texts “from folks that claim to have first-hand accounts that they were turned away with supplies or not able to help, and every single one of those rabbit holes I went down, I chased it trying to find contact information, and I wasn’t able to corroborate one single one.”
Edwards said he wasn’t defending FEMA and criticized what he said was its slow initial response.
“My calculation is it took about 80 hours before we saw the first representatives from FEMA,” he told Collins. “We still don’t have mobile trailers that folks have asked for…We still don’t have FEMA stations set up where folks can come in and make applications and get answers.”
“There are a lot of things I’d like to see FEMA do differently,” Edwards said, “but they’re not out guarding roads and turning people away and confiscating equipment and merchandise,” he said.
Collins asked if he was angry, “given that so much of these myths and lies are being spread by members of your own party.”
“Well, our life here in western North Carolina is difficult enough right now, and I can’t speak to what anyone else’s experience has been, any other member of Congress or political candidate,” Edwards replied. “I can only say from my perspective of the boots on the ground here in western North Carolina that I don’t see the things happening that folks have been out there on social media saying have been happening.”
Misinformation is as much a part of life after a disaster as power outages and gas shortages. But rumors have been rampant after Helene, amplified by social media and conservative news media, including AI-generated disinformation and foreign disinformation campaigns.
FEMA dedicated a web page to debunking the rumors. Edwards addressed some of the same claims. Read his release here.
Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Sally Kestin is a Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter. Email [email protected]. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/.