By Moira Warburton
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – As U.S. officials struggle to push back against disinformation about natural disasters hitting the country, a Republican lawmaker from a hard-hit district condemned conspiracy theories echoed by fellow Republicans in Congress.
Representative Chuck Edwards, who represents a North Carolina district hit hard by the flooding caused by Hurricane Helene in late September, called out the “outrageous rumors” spread by “unreliable sources trying to cause chaos.”
The floods decimated much of North Carolina’s western interior, an unexpected outcome in a state accustomed to hurricanes along the Atlantic coast.
More than 80,000 homes and businesses across the state remain without power, and many communities remain isolated by roads swept away by the floods.
One of the sources of disinformation is fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, who has used both her official social media account in Congress and her personal account to spread such disinformation.
“Ask your government if the weather is manipulated or controlled. Did you ever give them permission to do this? Do you pay for it? Of course,” Greene wrote in such a message on her official account on Monday.
Edwards directly addressed this falsehood in his statement, without mentioning Greene by name.
“No one can control the weather,” he said. “Make sure you fact-check what you read online with a reputable source.”
Greene’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(Reporting by Moira Warburton; Editing by Scott Malone and Jonathan Oatis)