A member of FEMA’s Urban Search and Rescue Task Force investigates a flood-damaged property with … [+]
Federal Emergency Management Agency crews were unable to do their jobs for much of last weekend, and were instead forced to relocate after reports of armed threats against workers. The Washington Post first reported that FEMA sent an email to several federal agencies over the weekend and called on all federal responders to “stand down and evacuate the county immediately.”
The decision came after reports surfaced that National Guard troops had encountered armed militia allegedly “hunting FEMA.” Federal officials have confirmed the authenticity of the email, however, there has been no confirmed confrontation with any armed militia involving the National Guard.
However, as of Monday afternoon, one person was arrested in connection with the threat made in Rutherford County. William Parsons, 44, of Bostic, North Carolina, was arrested and charged with going armed to terrorize the public.
“The initial report was that a trooper truck was involved,” the Rutherford Sheriff’s Office said. a statement to CBS News. “However, on further investigation it was found that Parsons acted alone and there were no militia trucks going to Loch Lure.”
A wave of misinformation on the Internet
Rumors of armed militias have spread on social media and followed misinformation centered on FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene. This included claims that victims would only receive $750 in government aid, but that the properties would be seized. In addition, there have been repeated allegations that FEMA money was diverted to immigrants.
“We have people who need help who are entitled to help and are not seeking it because of false information,” said Interior Minister Alejandro Mayorkas. Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan on Sunday.
The irony is that misinformation circulating on social media has affected recovery efforts.
“The amount of misinformation and disinformation we’ve seen surrounding recent hurricanes and relief efforts is a powerful example of how powerful these effects have become,” explained Dr. Information at the University of Michigan.
The misinformation began even before Hurricane Helene made landfall, with dubious claims that government officials were controlling the weather and directing the storm to hit “red states.” The misinformation only intensified after the storm left a path of destruction.
“In recent weeks we have seen threats against meteorologists and now that they are first responders in emergency situations,” Lambe said. “There are a couple of things that challenge this. One is that belief persistence, which is the result where people tend to continue to believe what they’ve believed, makes it so that new information often doesn’t make a difference to changing people’s minds. We tend to think that good information will drive out bad information, but unfortunately, it’s not that simple.”
Social media can amplify such misinformation in a way that was previously impossible.
“We’ve seen that a small group of people acting on misinformation can disrupt services for the majority of people in need,” Lambe added.
The Wrong Call To Action
It does not appear that the initial reports of armed militias were true. But even the one person arrested underscores that we’ve now reached a point where words posted on social media and other platforms can rally people to action — and not remotely in a helpful way.
While they likely think they’re helping, there’s a chance it could disrupt FEMA’s services, which is an important outlet for aid, Lambe warned.
“This shows the rapid evolution of misinformation,” he added. “We’ve seen many of these issues arise in hours over the past week.”
One factor is that anyone with a cell phone can now take a photo and post it online, where the context can be lost or the image can be used to spread misinformation and even disinformation. At the same time, FEMA seeks to provide relief, not conduct a carefully coordinated public relations campaign.
“Most government agencies at either the local or federal level do not have the resources available to help promote good information or challenge misinformation in a way that matches this percentage,” Lambe emphasized.
In other words, first responders don’t take pictures of their work as they work to respond to a disaster. However, it is almost certain that misinformation will continue to circulate.
