Politically-charged rumors and conspiracy theories about Helene flourish on X

The sun sets over a flooded road and a collapsed building in Steinhatchee, Fla., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. (AP Photo/Kate Payne

Avery Dull left her apartment in Hendersonville, North Carolina with her baby daughter a day after she made a TikTok showing brown floodwater from Hurricane Helene swelling beneath her second-floor balcony. Staying with friends two hours away and her life in limbo, Dull has been spending a lot of time online.

“Usually I’m in bed by 10 p.m. I haven’t gone to bed till 3 a.m. since this happened,” she told NPR. “I mean, I’ve been up all day and night just trying to find any, any information I can whatsoever. It has been consuming me.”

Having evacuated, Dull is turning to videos on TikTok to keep her up to date on her community.