Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said the volume of misinformation surrounding Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton is starting to drop.
“We’re still seeing some misinformation out there,” Criswell told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday. “I do believe that the volume of the misinformation is starting to go down, but we need to continue to now remain focused on what our mission is, and that our mission is here to help people.”
Criswell stated that FEMA has people on the ground in all of the states — North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia — that are impacted by Hurricane Helene and will provide help to those that will be hit by Hurricane Milton.
“And so we are going to stay focused on this,” she said. “We are not going to let the misinformation be a distraction to the important work we need to do.”
The administrator’s remarks come as the federal government’s response to the hurricanes and subsequent efforts to aid impacted residents has been hindered by the proliferation of misinformation online, with federal, state and local leaders arguing it has made the already strenuous recovery process even more difficult.