No fewer than ninety-two people are still unaccounted for in North Carolina, weeks after Hurricane Helene devastated the western part of the state, Governor Roy Cooper said on Tuesday.
Speaking in a news conference on Tuesday, Cooper warned that the number could change as more reports of missing people are resolved.
“I want to caution that this is not a definitive count because the task force is continuing its work,” he said.
Ninety-five people were reported to have died in North Carolina as a result of the storm, while more than 220 have been killed in total, including in Florida, where the storm made landfall.
During the news conference, Cooper disclosed that the “persistent and dangerous flow of misinformation” about the disaster, which he claimed was complicating relief efforts.
He stated that such misinformation “breeds confusion and demoralises storm survivors and response workers alike.”.
“If you’re participating in spreading this stuff, stop it,” Cooper warned. “Whatever your aim is, the people you are really hurting are those in western North Carolina who need help.”
His comments come as federal workers face growing scepticism from certain local residents as a result of the propagation of unfounded conspiracy theories about Helene.
The US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has stated that it has had to make changes to its operations in the state, including briefly withdrawing from one county due to threats fostered by misinformation.
Last Saturday, authorities in Rutherford County detained a guy who allegedly spoke publicly about harming relief workers and was found in possession of a rifle and handgun.
False conspiracy claims regarding land seizure, aid payments, and deliberate weather manipulation have quickly propagated online.
According to reports, various extremist groups are active in the region, hoping to profit from the calamity and the rumours.
Hurricane Helene wrecked several villages in western North Carolina, dumping more than six months’ worth of rain as it passed through.
Rescue attempts were hampered by the steep and rough terrain of western North Carolina, where homes and bridges were washed away and the major tourist destination of Asheville was isolated.
