Aerial view of flooding damage caused by Hurricane Helen along the Swannanoa River in Asheville, North Carolina on October 3, 2024.
Tama Mario | Getty Images
Sen. Thom Tillis (R.N.C.) rebuked some of the conspiracy theories that have surfaced surrounding Hurricane Helen recovery efforts in western North Carolina.
“If you have any issues, please call my office,” Tillis said Sunday on CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “If there are real issues, we’ll track them down, but to be honest, most of what I’ve seen on the ground is a distraction and doesn’t get to the heart of the effort here, which is to save lives and start rebuilding. is not helpful.”
Tillis also said that statements about recovery efforts come from people who are not actually on the ground.
His comments came days after North Carolina Sen. Kevin Corbin wrote: facebook post It asks people to stop reading “conspiracy theory junk.” Mr Tillis said Mr Corbyn was right to challenge people to the allegations.
Allegations regarding the federal government’s response to Hurricane Helen are coming from all over social media. One of the most prominent promoters is tesla CEO Elon Musk supports former President Donald Trump and appears at the former president’s rally in Butler, Pennsylvania on Saturday. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg on Friday condemned some of Musk’s claims about X.
When asked about President Trump’s comments that the federal government’s response to North Carolina’s recovery efforts has been abysmal and that emergency funds are being used for immigrants, Tillis gave a two-pronged answer.
“I think the president is right to say that billions of dollars are being spent as a result of Biden’s failed immigration and border policies,” Tillis said. “But we have the resources we need, so we need to go back and hand over more resources.”
He also noted that immigration has not “yet” impacted “the flow of resources into western North Carolina” at this time.
At least 215 people were reportedly killed. NBC News. More than half of the deaths occurred in North Carolina.
–Rebecca Picciotto and Lora Kolodny contributed to this report.
