In fall 2024, back-to-back hurricanes in the southeastern U.S. fueled online conspiracies, and FEMA officials faced harassment and even death threats.
What's happening?
Hurricanes Helene and Milton swept several southeastern states in late September and early October 2024. Now, newly released emails from inside the Federal Emergency Management Agency, obtained by Bloomberg News via a Freedom of Information Act request, reveal chaos inside the organization due to harassment, death threats, and misinformation campaigns.
The news organization reported that sensitive personal information about FEMA workers, such as home addresses, was published online for the purpose of harassment.
The records also reveal that FEMA was battling a wave of online disinformation, including claims that the agency had seized property from survivors, confiscated donations, and funneled disaster money to immigrants. The head of FEMA at the time, Deanne Criswell, was also targeted in a "swatting" incident, with police showing up in force at her rental property following a prank call.
The events "made my staff nervous," Criswell told Bloomberg. "It made people in the community nervous. They didn't know who to believe. They didn't know who to trust."
Why is this concerning?
Bloomberg reports that misinformation continues to loom over the agency. For instance, a conspiracy about cloud seeding popped up after deadly flooding in Texas earlier this year. This comes amid steep cuts to staffing and funding for FEMA.
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But the need for emergency response is only expected to grow, as an overheating planet is expected to continue to drive more severe weather. For example, more intense and regular flooding events are predicted as weather patterns become more unpredictable, and devastating flooding in Mexico in October 2025 is just one example. The catastrophe left 300 towns cut off and dozens of people dead and missing.
Hurricanes are also expected to become more frequent and severe, threatening human life and property. Hurricane Helene, for instance, killed at least 250 people after causing historic inland flooding, Bloomberg reports.
How did FEMA fight misinformation?
During 2024's disaster response, FEMA fought back against disinformation on social media, on the ground, and with press contacts, Bloomberg reports. The agency also set up a website to debunk false claims.
Plus, its security team worked behind the scenes to monitor threats.
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