The village of Chimney Rock, a popular mountain tourist destination in North Carolina, was among the communities hit hardest by Hurricane Helene.
The powerful storm, which is the deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Katrina in 2005, inflicted damage from Florida’s Gulf Coast to the Appalachian Mountains in Virginia.
In the aftermath of the storm, rumors circulating on social mediaclaim the federal government plans to seize land in Chimney Rock and bulldozethe mountain town.
Some of the posts are sharing copied-and-pasted text claiming government officials had a town meeting with Chimney Rock residents and “basically told them the town was being bulldozed, bodies and all and the land was being seized by the federal government.”
The posts go on to claim the federal government would own any homes that were still standing in Chimney Rock.
Several VERIFY readers reached out to ask us if claims that the government is seizing land in Chimney Rock and bulldozing the town are true.
THE QUESTION
Is the government seizing land in Chimney Rock and bulldozing the town?
THE SOURCES
- Rutherford County, North Carolina, Emergency Management
- Kerry Giles, a public information officer for Rutherford County, North Carolina
- Chimney Rock Village Administrator Stephen Duncan conversation with WCNC
- White House spokesperson Jeremy Edwards
- Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
THE ANSWER
No, the government is not seizing land in Chimney Rock and bulldozing the town.
WHAT WE FOUND
Local and federal officials have debunked claims that the government plans to seize land in Chimney Rock Village and bulldoze the mountain town.
“There was no ‘special meeting’ held in Chimney Rock on October 2nd involving the discussions of federal, state or local governments seizing the town. These claims are entirely false,” Rutherford County Emergency Management in North Carolina wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday, Oct. 3.
Emergency management officials added that “there have been no discussions or actions taken by the federal, state or local government related to property seizure in Chimney Rock or any other part of Rutherford County,” where the mountain town is located.
Kerry Giles, a public information officer for Rutherford County, also said claims that the town will be bulldozed are “inaccurate.”
“Roads are being cleared and debris will be removed. Each business will be assessed for occupancy. Chimney Rock Village will rebuild,” Giles said.
Stephen Duncan, Chimney Rock Village administrator, also told VERIFY partner station WCNC that there are no plans to bulldoze the village. He said any such attempt would be met with legal action from Chimney Rock.
Additionally, the White House denied claims that the federal government has any plans to seize land in Chimney Rock and bulldoze the town, with a spokesperson calling them “absolutely false.”
They also provided a link to a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) website that debunks rumors about the response to Hurricane Helene, including that the agency is confiscating Hurricane Helene survivors’ property.
FEMA says on that website that the agency “cannot seize your property or land.”
“Applying for disaster assistance does not grant FEMA or the federal government authority or ownership of your property or land. When you apply for disaster assistance a FEMA inspector may be sent to verify the damage on your home. This is one of many factors reviewed to determine what kind of disaster assistance you may be eligible for,” FEMA says.
“If the results of the inspection deem your home uninhabitable, that information is only used to determine the amount of FEMA assistance you may receive to make your home safe, sanitary and functional,” the agency continues.
Rutherford County Emergency Management also debunked claims that there are “bodies everywhere” in Chimney Rock, saying the rumors are “completely unfounded.” There were two confirmed fatalities in the town as of Oct. 3, emergency management officials said.