Logically Facts, October 2024
As Hurricane Milton makes landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, conspiracy theories and misinformation are adding fog and alarm to social media discussions. It comes as states across the southeast of the United States are reeling from Hurricane Helene, which landed on September 26 as a Category 4 storm. The Associated Press reported on October 9 that at least 230 people have died since Hurricane Helene, making it the deadliest hurricane to hit the country since Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The disaster has become a political flashpoint just weeks before voters head to the polls, with both presidential candidates traveling to affected areas. We used Logically Accelerate, a tool for discovering fact-check-worthy content on social media, to find iterations of conspiracy theory narratives shared in video format on TikTok and YouTube. Logically Facts analyzed the conspiracy theories taking hold online, with the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other bodies involved in rescue efforts central in the narratives detected.
