Christians Must Resist Conspiracy Theories After Hurricanes | Sojourners

Christians Must Resist Conspiracy Theories After Hurricanes

A FEMA worker attends a claim by a local resident after being affected by floods following the passing of Hurricane Helene, in Marion, N.C., U.S., Oct. 5, 2024. Credit: Reuters/Eduardo Munoz.

On Nov. 19, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Deanne Criswell sat before legislators on Capitol Hill and defended the agency from accusations that it responded slowly to hurricanes in the southeastern United States and skipped homes with President-elect Donald Trump signs on their property.

Earlier in November, Criswell said in a statement that a FEMA employee who had told relief workers in Florida to skip houses with signs supporting Trump had been fired. (Other employees later returned to those homes to offer the opportunity to apply for aid, Criswell testified.) This revelation came at a time when conspiracy theories about hurricanes were rampant.

I live in Florida, so naturally I am concerned about the proliferation of hurricane conspiracy theories. What makes matters worse is when there are true stories of misconduct, however isolated they may be, as with the case of the fired FEMA employee.

While there is no evidence of a far-reaching conspiracy by Democrats and FEMA to use “weather manipulation” to attack Republican voters, there is unequivocal evidence that humans are contributing to climate catastrophes like hurricanes. I find it disturbing that my fellow evangelicals — many of whom voted for Trump — continue to ignore one of the earliest commandments in scripture as it relates to creation: Take care of it (Genesis 2:15). I find Christian politicians who deny climate change on the one hand but spread disinformation about hurricanes on the other to be equally disturbing. From my perspective, I agree with writer Gina Ciliberto that Christians should be teaching “critical thinking, how to identify misinformation and propaganda, and how to counter deceptive biblical interpretations both in church and on social media.”

Most importantly, conspiracy theories not only ignore the role we’ve played in causing climate disasters, but they also exploit those most impacted by these disasters.

In North Carolina alone, Hurricane Helene killed at least 102 people. Across the South, 230 people lost their lives to the storm. Shortly after Helene’s wreckage, Hurricane Milton took 24 lives in Florida and cost $50 billion in damages. In my hometown, gas shortages sent people into a panic, neighborhoods and streets flooded, most of my friends and family lost power for days, and others weren’t able to safely stay in their homes for weeks after the storm.

Survivors of natural disasters can experience anxiety, depression, and even PTSD. It’s disappointing, then, that influential figures on the Far Right would choose to exploit such a vulnerable moment for many Americans by promoting conspiracy theories.

Theories like these capitalize on real tragedy and add to the chaos and frustration many already feel before, during, and after a natural disaster. Some particularly dangerous rumors encouraged Floridians to stay in their homes to protect their property from FEMA, even in the case of an evacuation order. Other rumors have incited threats of violence toward FEMA workers and meteorologists.

Obviously, Christians should actively oppose such harmful conspiracies. We should also be aware of patterns that are repeating themselves. In the 1990s, for example, conservative politicians gained influence among evangelical voters by spreading misinformation about global warming, climate change, and an environmentalist-led “one-world government.” This year, some people were concerned that similar tactics were being used to gain votes for the Republican party. Election aside, hurricane conspiracy theories also allow us to shirk our own responsibility in damaging the climate.

Take into account the overwhelming evidence that suggests that climate change is contributing to worsening weather conditions, including heat waves, droughts, and yes, hurricanes. Although scientists disagree on a variety of topics, the overwhelming majority agree that climate change is real and that humans are the primary cause. A 2022 report from NASA confirms that “even if hurricanes themselves don’t change [due to climate change], the flooding from storm surge events will be made worse by sea level rise.” Storm surge, an abnormal rise in seawater level that pushes water further inland, is, as many Floridians know well, the greatest threat to human life during a hurricane.

Efforts to prevent climate crises through legislation failed repeatedly throughout the 1980s. Unfortunately, the problem is likely to worsen as we enter another four years under Trump.

Trump, who still denies the reality of climate change but was more than willing to spread a slew of misinformation about FEMA and Democrats in relation to the hurricanes, plans to undo any and all of the Biden administration’s climate regulations. Throughout his campaign, he promised to boost fossil fuel production and to “Drill, baby, drill,” despite the fact that 2024 is set to be the hottest year on record.

While these policies have the potential to benefit the economy (I assume this is one of several things that appealed to Trump voters), I worry about the long-term effects of such a plan. Aside from the drawbacks on the domestic side —more intense natural disasters like Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton, more loss of life, more scapegoating of immigrants and other marginalized groups — our inaction in the climate crisis will cause pain all over the world. As climate disasters worsen, we can count on the displacement of even more people.

As we prepare for a second Trump term, I’d like to see Christians counter baseless conspiracy theories that exploit the vulnerable and instead work toward challenging misinformation, voting for policies that protect the environment, and learning about ways to support victims of natural disaster.

In spite of everything, I still have hope for a future where we responsibly steward that which God has given us. We can learn something from the former evangelical movement that advocated for eco-friendly policies, or from groups like the Evangelical Environmental Network, which mobilizes Christians to work toward a stable climate. Rather than spread baseless conspiracy theories, let’s spread the biblical mandate to care for creation.