The emergency management agency has long tried to respond to rumors that might delay recovery efforts. But a former FEMA official says the current information environment has never been so bad.

A county official in North Carolina says part of the problem is that affected regions have been largely without phone lines and internet, so outside voices have an easier time setting the narrative.

A hurricane “a whiskery shy” of a Category 5 storm is set to hit the state’s west coast as early as Wednesday night, Gov. Ron DeSantis warned residents, urging people in targeted areas to evacuate and promising a rapid emergency cleanup and rescue response that won’t rely on the federal government.