Hurricane

Were New Yorkers advised to pack "go bags" because there is an immediate threat from "Project Blue Beam"? No, that's not true: While city emergency managers have recommended residents create this type of emergency kit, it's not associated with any imminent or specific concern or threat. The claim appears in an August 15, 2022, Instagram video on the "unanswered_universe" account…

Is Bill Gates behind the 2022 monkeypox outbreak? No, that's not true: The claim wildly misconstrues a November 2021 comment Gates made about pandemic preparedness. He was discussing the possibility of simulating a smallpox attack in order to build global readiness. Gates did not mention monkeypox and there is no evidence to support the allegation that he is, in any…

Are upwards of 30 states on alert with their National Guard activated or commanders told to move to a prepared footing? No, this is missing context: "The National Guard is currently supporting COVID missions in 46 states and territories," a National Guard spokesman told Lead Stories. The National Guard is activated in those states but is not "on alert" for…

Did the White House set up a fake scene to deceive the public about President Joe Biden's COVID-19 booster shot? No, that's not true: The White House was clear about where the scene was shot, namely the South Court Auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, which is on the grounds of the White House complex but in a different…

Are cargo ships being prevented by U.S. states from unloading goods, causing a backlog? No, that's not true: Although there are dozens of waiting ships at U.S. ports that is resulting in a delivery backlog, the backlog is the result of supply chain problems, changes in consumer demand and port worker availability, not by states preventing ships from unloading their…

Did the hurricane hunters of the Air Force Reserve "abandon their mission" because their aircraft suffered cracked windows while chasing Hurricane Ida in late August 2021? No, that's not true: An aircraft used by the hurricane hunters had a single "spider" crack in its windshield on August 28, 2021, a day before Hurricane Ida made landfall in Louisiana. According to…

Did the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) force COVID-19 vaccines onto Hurricane Ida evacuees who were leaving New Orleans? No, that's not true: FEMA told Lead Stories this is false and a spokesperson for the mayor said it is not happening. The claim originated in an article published by Real Raw News on September 1, 2021, titled, "FEMA FORCIBLY VACCINATING…

Did animals kept at the Essex County Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey escape during the state's experience with the remnants of Hurricane Ida? No, that's not true: The animals did not flee the zoo during the storm. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on September 2, 2021. It included a screenshot of a tweet attributed to…

Did hurricanes Katrina, Gustav, Issac, Harvey and Ida all make landfall on the same day of the calendar? No, that's not true: While they made landfall within a few calendar days of each other in different years, they did not all make landfall on the same day. A scientist in the Department of Atmospheric Science at Colorado State University said…

Does the Zello app, which allows users to talk via a push-to-talk (or "walkie-talkie") feature, work without a cellular signal? Not unless the device has an internet connection. According to a Zello sales representative, if there is no cellular signal, the phone must have access to Wi-Fi for the app to work. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived…