Hurricanes Helene and Milton may have cleared the Southeast region of the U.S., but the devastation in communities, along with a wake of misinformation and disinformation about the storms and the federal response, remains. President Joe Biden and his administration have been working to dispel false claims.
To learn more about the administration’s efforts, the Scripps News Disinformation Desk spoke with Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. He visited western North Carolina on Thursday and told Scripps News that officials on the ground are still wading through disinformation and conspiracies.
Here is Liz Landers' interview with Sec. Mayorkas from Friday, Oct. 11, 2024:
LIZ LANDERS: Mr. Secretary, you were on the ground in North Carolina on Thursday. What did you hear from officials there about recovery efforts?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: I heard about the tremendous progress that has been made, but also the challenges that remain. In some remote parts, some difficult-to-access parts of the state, search and rescue continues. But they have made extraordinary progress in delivering water, food and actually begin the recovery process. One of the significant challenges is going to be long-term, the rebuilding of infrastructure, most notably water systems in certain parts of the state.
LIZ LANDERS: What misinformation are officials still debunking there and dealing with the most? Did you hear any mis- and disinformation when you were on the ground?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: I certainly heard, Liz, of the types of myths and disinformation that is being spread, and it's extraordinarily damaging to people in desperate need of assistance. We have heard false information that federal employees, state and local officials are actually planning to take survivors’ property away, and that is leading to a reluctance on the part of survivors to access the immediate relief to which they are entitled and upon which they very well rely. We have heard other rumors that if you accept $750 in immediate assistance, which is intended for commodities, food, and the like, that if you accept that, that is all you are going to receive. That is false and that is leading people to be reluctant to take the in-pocket, in-hand money that would assist them in getting through the immediate next days. Those are just two examples.
LIZ LANDERS: It sounds like disinformation is impacting recovery efforts. Is that what I'm hearing from you?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: It is impacting recovery efforts. It is impacting real people, accessing the real need they really rely upon.
LIZ LANDERS: Is this also leading to any kind of credible threats to these FEMA workers, to the federal workers who are trying to help with the recovery efforts?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Liz, quite tragically here, too, we have seen threats against federal officials and others, and we've seen hate-filled rhetoric spread not only through the impacted states but elsewhere as well.
LIZ LANDERS: I want to switch gears a little bit to Florida. Has misinformation around the storm started up in that state now that Hurricane Milton has passed?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Yes, indeed it has. We've learned of false information that is being spread about survivors who are engaging in self-help, in it really being force multipliers, neighbor helping neighbor and threats against them for undertaking that type of assistance. It's really a remarkably damaging and remarkably, quite frankly, as the president so perfectly captured, so un-American.
LIZ LANDERS: A Russian state news agency posted an AI image of Disney World flooded, and that got more than 300,000 views already on Telegram. Are you tracking foreign involvement in spreading disinformation about the hurricanes and the federal response?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: We are. And we're also not just tracking it, Liz, we're closely monitoring whether or not it is being spread. But we are also very active in debunking false information so people understand what the facts really are and what assistance they can really access. We have at FEMA, a rumor page that has been viewed more than 2 million times, I believe, that provides correct information because we are in the business of helping people who have been struck by an extreme weather event like Hurricane Helene, like Hurricane Milton and the many tornadoes that accompanied Milton.
LIZ LANDERS: What is your message to Russia who's spreading this kind of disinformation in large social media channels?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Well, I have a broad message to cease that immediately. But of course, we have other messages to communicate to Russia as well with respect to any potential consequences of causing our citizenry harm.
LIZ LANDERS: One of the conspiracies that we have heard, and this has been spread by a member of Congress, is about the weather and weather patterns. Do you, Secretary Mayorkas, or does the government control the weather?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Well, that's beyond preposterous.
LIZ LANDERS: So when you hear a member of Congress say something like that, what is your reaction to that?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: It is preposterous. I don't know what else to say. We don't have time for preposterous remarks like that. You know, our proud history is to come together as one country, united in the service of people in need, especially at times like this, and we need that history to be the present and to continue into the future. We just can't have statements like that, that are just divisive and also, as I mentioned, ridiculous.
LIZ LANDERS: There is always bad information around disasters when there is fast-moving situations and unknowns. What makes this situation during the last two weeks with Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton different?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Well, Liz, in my experience, both in my current capacity as well as in, you know, many years prior as a federal prosecutor, the false information was really emanating, was really coming from criminal elements to start to exploit individuals for profit. Now we see false information not only by criminals but also by individuals who are just trying to sow discord, who are trying to sow divide in our country and it's extraordinarily damaging.
LIZ LANDERS: I know that part of DHS's mandate is CISA and helping secure elections in this country. Do you think that the devastation and some of this online disinformation around the hurricanes could impact the election and the administration of the election in places like western North Carolina?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Liz, it's very important to remember that state and local officials are in charge of their respective election processes. What we do is provide support and assistance to them. And I know, for example, from the perspective of North Carolina's election officials, that some of the polling places have been impacted and they are working, of course, quite diligently to make sure that the people of North Carolina have alternative places at which to vote. So, they're very vigilant, very on top of that.
LIZ LANDERS: Can FEMA lend a hand and support that election administration if those local officials ask you all?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: Well, you know, what FEMA's remit is, what its mission is, is to, of course, life and safety, search and rescue, respond to and recover from an extreme weather event. So if, in fact, for example, the flooding caused by the Helene is interfering with access to a particular location that may or may not be used for an election purpose, we could actually support in the removal of debris and provide access. So that's an example of where the two lines of effort may merge. But our remit, FEMA's remit, is in the response and recovery effort.
LIZ LANDERS: Disinformation like 'FEMA is using all their money for migrant housing' is being spread by the former president and also people like Elon Musk. What do you want people to know and how should this administration respond to this?
SEC. ALEJANDRO MAYORKAS: That is false information. It is unequivocally, it is absolutely false. No money that has been dedicated to FEMA is being diverted away from FEMA for migrant care. The funding that cities receive for migrant sheltering was separately allocated by Congress. And so that is false information, doing only harm.
