Fear and Suspicion in Appalachia

Amid the historic destruction wrought by Hurricane Helene, high-profile MAGA influencers have flooded social media with wild claims about the federal response, hindering relief efforts. Zeb Smathers, the Democratic mayor of Canton, offers the view from the ground.

Smathers said FEMA’s efforts are being hampered by an epidemic of disinformation and disaster porn that’s been coursing through his town and others in recent days, making it harder for North Carolina to dig its way out of the mud. Photo: Jesse Barber/For The Washington Post/Getty Images

Peter Hamby

October 8, 2024

Mountain people in Appalachia have a long history of dealing with swindlers, con men, crooks, traveling troubadours, and for-profit preachers coming around for a quick buck. I had one in my family many years back, hailing from the same flooded corner of North Carolina that’s now reeling from the death and destruction of Hurricane Helene. He was my great uncle, or as my family called him, “Uncle Junior.” Like my grandfather, he was one of six boys born and raised in a cove somewhere in the “region” between Murphy and Ducktown.