The Challenge of Perceiving Disaster Clearly
How challenging is it to see disaster through an unclouded lens? Just a month before a highly polarizing presidential election in the United States, the nation seemed to be fragmenting into disparate epistemological realms. A storm, which would come to be known as Hurricane Helene, stealthily made its way across the coast of Florida’s Big Bend, moving inland and ultimately wreaking havoc on several mountain states. This storm, hundreds of miles from the ocean and thousands of feet above sea level, caused extensive flooding, devastated infrastructure, and resulted in the loss of 234 lives. The financial toll has been staggering, with estimates suggesting damages ranging from $225 billion to $250 billion.
Both figures are astonishing. The death toll of 234 makes Hurricane Helene the third-deadliest hurricane in the U.S. during the 21st century, and its impact was largely overlooked by national media until several days post-landfall. The lower estimate of $225 billion alone surpasses half of the Congressional Budget Office’s estimation for the 10-year investments outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act. This means that a single storm has inflicted damages equivalent to more than five years of federal spending on what many lawmakers proudly deem the most significant piece of climate legislation in history.
Even before the floodwaters had fully receded in Asheville, North Carolina, where less than 1% of households possessed flood insurance, a deluge of misinformation began to emerge. Some sources of this misinformation were predictable and grotesque. For instance, Donald Trump falsely accused President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris of indifference, claiming FEMA had exhausted its disaster relief funds due to spending on housing immigrants. Meanwhile, figures like Alex Jones and Marjorie Taylor Greene suggested that the storms themselves were actually weather weapons targeted at Trump supporters. Greene further propagated the idea that “they” controlled the storm’s trajectory and intensity, indeed manipulating all aspects of the weather.
A wave of antisemitic conspiracy theories erupted, focusing on the mayor of Asheville and the public affairs director of FEMA. On X (formerly known as Twitter), which Elon Musk acquired under the pretense of promoting free speech while simultaneously regulating progressive voices, Musk echoed baseless rumors that emergency responders were obstructing aid deliveries. This prompted a public response from Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, expressing frustration at the misinformation circulating on the platform.
On TikTok, the discourse was not only infused with anger over the inadequacies of disaster response but also rife with bizarre claims of FEMA blockades, black helicopters targeting aid workers, and the federal government attempting land seizures. “The people in Appalachia should NOT comply with FEMA,” urged Laura Loomer, a conservative influencer with 1.3 million followers on X. For many, it appeared as though Hurricane Helene had shattered our collective grasp on reality, ushering in a disconcerting new chapter of information pollution.
As the chaos unfolded, The Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel lamented, “I’m running out of ways to explain how bad this is.” In a bid to counter the rampant misinformation, a Republican congressman from North Carolina issued a statement debunking the most egregious conspiracy theories surrounding Helene, affirming that “Hurricane Helene was NOT geo-engineered by the government,” and “FEMA cannot seize your property or land.” A state senator took to Facebook, pleading, “Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk?”
