North Carolina Emergency Management officials advising residents and pilots to be mindful about misinformation when it comes to aerial recovery efforts in Western North Carolina.
On top of government efforts, people have also helped by donating goods and flying them into Asheville’s airport and other airstrips. Since the storm hit, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has reported a 300% increase in air traffic over western North Carolina.
However, the recovery efforts have also brought misinformation on social media — saying the FAA is restricting air space, or that FEMA has taken over airports or blocked aid. Spokesman Justin Graney of North Carolina Emergency Management said people need to exercise care sharing what they see online.
"Make sure it's legitimate. And, and try to find that information and trusted sources. Misinformation damages, everything, it hurts everyone. We, we don't want that getting in the way of response and relief efforts. So please make sure you're fact checking it and deciding what information is best to post and best to communicate to others," he said.
In collaboration with federal and state agencies—including FEMA, FAA, NC National Guard, and the Department of Defense—the NCDOT’s Division of Aviation has implemented several safety strategies.
They include requiring pilots to call ahead to schedule landing and unloading times and aircraft parking; designated corridors in the sky to separate civilian and military aircraft; temporary flight restrictions; and adding temporary control towers.
Speaking on CBS' Face The Nation, Senator Thom Tillis suggested people need to use discipline and be careful about where they get their information from.
He said, "Most of what I've seen out there is a distraction and not helping the core of the effort right here, which is to save lives and start rebuilding."
FEMA has also launched two new websites to combat misinformation about Helene-related recovery and response efforts. They're FEMA's "rumor response" and "Hurricane Helene" web pages.
Meanwhile, Tillis said the scope of the storm is comparable to Hurricane Katrina. He also emphasized the need to get resources on the ground immediately.
Thousands of federal, state and local troops and officials on the ground are still focused on recovery efforts.
