In September 2024, Hurricane Helene pummeled the mountains of North Carolina, causing massive floods that uprooted trees and swept away homes. Remote communities were cut off from relief after bridges and roads were damaged. An unanticipated element worsened the aftermath: the arrival of white nationalists, militias, conspiracy theorists and other far-right groups, some armed, which strained local law enforcement.
These outside groups often do not coordinate with authorities. Members of Patriot Front and other chapters came to deliver food, supplies and clear debris, then posted videos and photos on social media showing themselves helping. As 60 Minutes reported, a major reason they are there is to use disasters to gain followers on the ground and online. “Their purpose really was to take videos of themselves doing these good works so that they could present themselves online as do-gooders — clean-cut people who are just trying to help,” correspondent Lesley Stahl said. “They’re looking for eyeballs… you would think just what they want you to think, which is that the main purpose they are there is to help, when in fact they’re white supremacists. And they’re there to proselytize.”
John Kelly, head of data analytics firm Graphika, which studies online content spread, showed Stahl a post by a chapter of the self-described white nationalist Active Club. The post showed masked men clearing branches after Hurricane Helene; its caption read, “We have learned from this experience that whites are on our own,” and “White unity at every opportunity.” Kelly said natural disasters concentrate public attention in a way few other events do, so extremist groups often “leave the more triggering iconography in the closet and try to appeal to a more mainstream audience… not to do things that turn people off, the way that marching around with swastikas would turn people off.”
Many of these posts are paired with misinformation or disinformation, often claiming the government failed in rescue efforts. Kelly told Stahl that conspiracy theories are a powerful recruitment tool: “Conspiracy theories are very, very popular,” he said, and groups can use them to resonate with broader audiences and build followings.
State-backed influence operations also exploit disasters. China, Russia and Iran have spread messages aligned with their propaganda goals to influence Americans on social media during crises. Kelly said China has invested billions to build networks of accounts and personas that seed content and a second wave of accounts that amplify it, sometimes later amplified by state media or officials. Often they do not create new messages but amplify divisive, anti-government posts from Americans to argue U.S. systems are failing.
Graphika highlighted an X post that juxtaposed Hurricane Helene destruction in Asheville with an idyllic street in Kyiv, captioned: “Hurricane Helene victims received a one-time payment of $750, while our tax dollars continue to fund Ukrainian pensions. Remember this when you vote in November.” The implication: domestic relief suffers because funds go abroad. A nearly identical post was later shared by an account linked to China’s influence operations, demonstrating how foreign networks boost existing domestic narratives.
Generative AI compounds the problem. Kelly showed Stahl a viral AI image from Hurricane Helene depicting a crying girl in a boat holding a puppy; the image was entirely fake. Other AI images and videos exaggerate devastation—such as a fabricated image of the Hollywood sign engulfed in flames during California wildfires. “You might think it’s real at first. But it almost doesn’t matter whether you think it’s real. Once you’ve encountered it, it’s had its emotional impact, it’s gotten your attention,” Kelly said. Whether authentic or fabricated, such content serves to draw attention, inflame emotions and drive narratives that can be exploited by extremists and foreign actors alike.