Conspiracy theories have swirled that Hurricane Helene has been an opportunity for the federal government to take land and control mineral deposits - or simply to destroy towns like Chimney Rock or Lake Lure.
BPR News is continually looking into rumors and debunking those that are widespread and able to be investigated thoroughly. In this piece, we’re taking on these falsehoods:
- Sensational claims that FEMA is both somehow not on the ground for relief and simultaneously making an illegal land grab in Chimney Rock.
- Theories that the government used weather control to cause the hurricane or its aftermath and that the conspiracy is motivated by lucrative lithium-rich minerals in the mountains.
TLDR; There’s ample debate about whether federal disaster response has been timely and comprehensive in WNC. But there’s no factual basis for claims about weather control, FEMA stealing residents’ land, or that there are vested interests stemming from lithium in Western North Carolina.
Many of these claims are coming from far-right personalities on social media and these claims have political implications so it’s worth noting: Top Republicans in North Carolina are calling out many of the fake claims and warning that the rhetoric is not just untrue but hurting disaster relief efforts.
Let’s look at the weather control claim in brief first:
Rueter’s fact-checking team took a deep dive into the conspiracy in the context of Hurricane Milton as it has tracked a rare eastward path from the Gulf of Mexico. The article rightly points out: Hurricane modification is not possible – at least not with today’s technology.
Many conspiratorial voices looking to back up their weather control claims are pointing to cloud seeding. As found in CBS’ fact-check on this theory, federal agencies explored this principle decades ago – “but the project ended after seeding was found to be ineffective compared to the natural forces of the hurricane, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.”
Western North Carolina’s Congressman U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican, said Wednesday: “Hurricane Helene was NOT geoengineered by the government to seize and access lithium deposits in Chimney Rock. Nobody can control the weather.”
He went on to say: “Charles Konrad, director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Southeast Regional Climate Center, has confirmed that no one has the technology or ability to geoengineer a hurricane. Current geoengineering technology can serve as a large-scale intervention to mitigate the negative consequences of naturally occurring weather phenomena, but it cannot be used to create or manipulate hurricanes.”
Edwards also called out the next falsehood we’ll fact-check: That lithium has something to do with either the tropical system itself barreling into the mountains or the perceived sluggish response from FEMA.
Is there lithium in Western North Carolina?
No.
There are lithium deposits with well-established commercial mining interests in Cleveland and Gaston counties. These areas had minimal Helene damage compared to the disaster in the western North Carolina mountains.
Here’s an in-depth rundown of mineral resources across North Carolina.
This was one of many fake claims cited by a Republican state senator from the region as he asked followers to stop making things up and spreading lies on social media recently. The conservative N.C. Sen. Kevin Corbin wrote:
“Will you all help STOP this conspiracy theory junk that is floating all over Facebook and the internet about the floods in WNC. Example: FEMA is stealing money from donations, body bags ordered but government has denied, bodies not being buried, government is controlling the weather from Antarctica, government is trying to get lithium from WNC, stacks of bodies left at hospitals, and on and on and on. PLEASE help stop this junk.”
Has FEMA taken over or seized land in Chimney Rock?
No.
Against relentless lies for days, Rutherford County officials shared on Oct. 6 that the town of Chimney Rock was not being seized.
“There have been no discussions or actions taken by the federal, state, or local government related to property seizure in Chimney Rock or any other part of Rutherford County,” officials said in a press release.
In regards to an alleged “special meeting” that was where conspiratorial posts claimed citizens were told they couldn’t go home and that the government would take their land, local leaders wrote:
“NO GOVERNMENT SEIZURE OF CHIMNEY ROCK: There have been no discussions or actions taken by the federal, state, or local government related to property seizure in Chimney Rock. There was no "special meeting" held in Chimney Rock on Oct. 2nd involving discussions of the federal, state, or local governments seizing the Village. These claims are entirely false. Town of Lake Lure and Chimney Rock Village officials met with NC House Speaker Tim Moore, NC Senator Tim Moffitt, NC Rep Jake Johnson, Sheriff Aaron Ellenburg, County Commissioner Chair Bryan King, Emergency Mgt Director Frankie Hamrick, and representatives from our congressional delegation to offer them an opportunity to hear directly the impact to their individual municipalities and to request their support and advocacy for federal and state support.”
Edwards, the local congressman, says this about this claim and other lies:
“While it is true, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s response to Hurricane Helene has had its shortfalls, I’m here to dispel the outrageous rumors that have been circulated online …
“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…. Chimney Rock is NOT being bulldozed over… FEMA cannot seize your property or land.”
U.S. Sen. Thom Tillis, also a Republican from North Carolina, has said:
"Many of these observations are not even from people on the ground," Tillis said of those claims. "I believe that we have to stay focused on rescue operations, recovery operations, clearing operations, and we don't need any of these distractions on the ground. It's at the expense of the hard-working first responders and people that are just trying to recover their lives."
FEMA has responded: “FEMA cannot seize your property or land. Applying for disaster assistance does not grant FEMA or the federal government authority or ownership of your property or land. When you apply for disaster assistance, a FEMA inspector may be sent to verify the damage on your home. If the results of the inspection deem your home uninhabitable, that information is only used to determine the amount of FEMA assistance you may receive to make your home safe, sanitary and functional.”