Chuck Darwin<p>How hurricane falsehoods are dividing the Republican Party </p><p>As Donald Trump and his allies spread false claims about Hurricanes Helene and Milton, <br>the Republican Party has split into two camps: <br>🔸those who try to dispel the falsehoods, <br>♦️and those who are doubling down on them.</p><p>
<a href="https://c.im/tags/Helene" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Helene</span></a> made landfall Sept. 26, tearing through parts of Florida and Georgia before devastating much of western North Carolina, <br>ultimately causing more than 230 deaths. </p><p><a href="https://c.im/tags/Milton" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>Milton</span></a> made landfall Wednesday evening near Sarasota, Fla., bringing powerful winds, tornadoes and deadly floodwaters.</p><p>
As the country digs out, Republicans in storm-battered states appear torn between the <a href="https://c.im/tags/need" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>need</span></a> to <a href="https://c.im/tags/curb" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>curb</span></a> <a href="https://c.im/tags/misinformation" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>misinformation</span></a> and 🔥<a href="https://c.im/tags/fear" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>fear</span></a> of drawing a <a href="https://c.im/tags/rebuke" class="mention hashtag" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">#<span>rebuke</span></a> from Trump just weeks before the election. </p><p>Many lawmakers and officials have sought to counter these rumors 🔸without directly criticizing the former president or their party.</p><p>
One of the most prevalent falsehoods spread by Trump is the claim that the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, has used some disaster-relief funds to help migrants. </p><p>Though the emergency agency and migrant-relief programs are both part of the Department of Homeland Security, ⭐️their funds are in separate accounts, <br>and money earmarked for aid to migrants can’t be transferred to cover hurricane costs.</p><p><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/10/10/hurricane-helene-republicans-trump/" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer" translate="no" target="_blank"><span class="invisible">https://www.</span><span class="ellipsis">washingtonpost.com/politics/20</span><span class="invisible">24/10/10/hurricane-helene-republicans-trump/</span></a></p>