EDITORIAL: Out-of-state lies could backfire

Photo via Wikimedia

No, they are not stacking bodies in Chimney Rock in preparation for a government takeover of the town. No, FEMA has not forsaken Swannanoa and are, in fact, on the ground repairing bridges and searching for victims. No, the federal government is not confiscating much-needed supplies in Banner Elk. No, FEMA recovery money is not going to migrants instead of the people in Western North Carolina who need help.

By now we’ve seen the devastation on the ground wrought by Helene, the first named storm to hit the Western NC mountains since anyone can remember.

It’s hard to comprehend the extent of the damage through photos and video, but suffice to say flooding has affected pretty much everywhere that people live in those crannies and nooks of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

And, as is the North Carolina way, people are stepping up to help, along with state and federal efforts to make sure people are fed, housed and safe while things get rebuilt. 

It’s going to take a long time and a lot of money. Even before so many roads washed away it was difficult to get trucks to the far reaches of WNC, difficult to lay infrastructure like water and power. Broadband internet has always been an issue up in the mountains, and the critical mass of people seeking accurate and necessary information strains what already exists.

There has been lots of great local reporting on the storm and its aftermath, but instead of simply getting the people the information they need, trusted news outlets have been forced to contend with a massive slew of misinformation coming from fake news sites and elected officials alike.

We’re not sure what the endgame here is, other than to make life more difficult for communities suffering from the worst natural disaster in the region since Asheville’s Great Flood of 1916. Unless it’s got something to do with the election, which of course it does.

Elected officials spreading disinformation and misinformation come exclusively from the GOP, which might seem like a good strategy… on the surface.

The 2020 NC election map shows that virtually every county in the western half of the state went for Trump, aside from Buncombe (Asheville) and Watauga (Boone). And because NC is very definitely in play this go-round, GOP operatives outside the state can’t really help themselves from making the most out of this terrible event. About 800,000 people live in Western NC, enough to swing an election, for sure.

But the ploy could backfire very seriously.

Now, elected officials in these very red counties and towns find themselves disavowing politicians from their own political party as they work against the lies to make sure relief efforts reach their jurisdictions. Surely their constituents in towns like Chimney Rock, Swannanoa, Banner Elk and other mountain communities can see the truth that defies what those spinning their lies from elsewhere would have them believe.

And the last thing you want to do in NC is piss off mountain folk. They have long memories.