Hurricane Milton conspiracy theories are deadly – and play right into Trump’s hands

America is diving headfirst into a maelstrom – and I’m not just talking about Hurricane Milton, the “worst storm in 100 years”.

Watching Donald Trump, JD Vance, and Elon Musk spread viral conspiracy theories about my agency’s (the Federal Emergency Management Agency, also known as Fema) response to Hurricane Helene feels like not just a personal attack on first responders like me, but also a blatant assault on disaster relief, turning a lifesaving mission into a bitter political battleground.

Musk’s ludicrous claims that Fema blocked donations, maliciously closed off local airspace, or even “treasonously” diverted funds to “ferry illegals” are utterly baseless and have been flatly denied by both my organisation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Similarly, Trump’s absurd accusations that funds – ringfenced specifically for disaster relief – were funnelled to house illegal migrants, or that Democrats are intentionally neglecting Republican areas in disaster-hit North Carolina, are needlessly instigating an epidemic of doubt and distrust plaguing ordinary Americans.

But their dalliance with wild conspiracies obscures a disturbing truth that pushes essential federal agencies to the point of collapse.

The fact is Fema, much like our nation’s ailing infrastructure, has been systematically underfunded for years. Just this week the US Homeland Security secretary, Alejandro Mayorkas, warned that we do not have enough funding to get through the hurricane season – which has rapidly escalated in a matter of days.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Our federal agencies have been crippled after years of neglect and politically motivated budget cuts – much of which was supercharged under Trump.

For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requires up to $20bn (£15bn) more annually just to maintain basic public health capabilities, while the US Postal Service faces another $14bn shortfall in modernising its operations. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)’s staggering $630bn clean water infrastructure deficit and the National Park Service’s $22bn maintenance backlog show just how deep these funding cuts have gouged, leaving critical services on the brink of collapse and choking America’s ability to function.

As hurricanes, wildfires, and even pandemics grow more frequent and severe, Trump’s Project 2025 proposes even deeper cuts to our essential agencies. This plan would leave average Americans dangerously exposed to the kind of terrifying disaster currently engulfing Florida.

The solution is not to treat these cash-strapped agencies as disposable – or worse, as political cannon fodder.

Instead, we should realise that the unprecedented scale of America’s natural disasters necessitates rewriting the rulebook.

For one, we should be taking a page from the Department of Defense (DoD)’s playbook.

With a staggering $841bn budget, defence secures funding to rightly defend America’s national security. Given the increasing frequency and severity of climate disasters, it’s long past time we realised that we ignore the real and present dangers to national security, in the peril of our cities.

A national commitment – like Nato’s 2 per cent GDP benchmark for defence – could be a game-changer for America’s environmental and emergency response agencies. But to boost the federal funding that is so urgently needed, America must look to how Europe is addressing its own industrial crisis – through bold new international partnerships.

Germany, for instance, has just addressed its dire economic crisis by closing a $16bn deal with the Emirati state-owned oil giant Adnoc to acquire its legendary chemicals giant Covestro. This has positioned German industry to gorge on a portion of Adnoc’s $150bn investment pie, securing a vital lifeline that has been widely praised across Europe as a massive leap in dealing with the continent’s industrial crisis.

As we witness the havoc being wreaked on Florida, America should seek out similar international partnerships to mobilise the capital needed for our cash-strapped federal agencies.

After all, increasing federal funding and closing tax loopholes could help reallocate resources to essential services – including an unprecedented comms effort to restore public trust lost after the Covid-19 pandemic and Hurricane Helene.

While Fema has taken the unprecedented step of creating a “rumour response” page to respond to misinformation, conspiracy-beset agencies such as the CDC must rebuild their public image through community outreach programs and information campaigns.

Keyboard theorists with their millions of followers are drowning out critical information, worsening unnecessary delays, and sowing chaos in the face of urgent disasters.

Yet, as I have witnessed in my own work as a first responder, the real cost will be borne by the communities left waiting for aid amidst this storm of lies.

As Florida is devastated by Milton’s impact, safeguarding American lives is not a left/right issue. It’s time to start investing in America again – before it’s too late.

Nathalie Beasnael is a Fema certified health worker and the founder of Health4Peace