Misinformation Floods Hurricane Season

The 2024 hurricane season has brought with it a deluge of conspiracy theories and false or misleading claims about storms that have devastated some parts of the country and killed hundreds of people.

Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 hurricane and moved up the East Coast as a tropical storm, bringing floods and strong winds through the southern Appalachians. Hurricane Milton hit Florida about two weeks later on Oct. 9 as a Category 3 storm.

Those intervening two weeks have seen a flood of misinformation on social media and from former President Donald Trump as he campaigns again for president.

Below are some of the claims that we’ve addressed so far. We will update this article as necessary.