(Bloomberg) -- As Hurricane Florence barrels ever-closer to the U.S. East Coast, FEMA is preparing for an onslaught of another sort -- fake news.
Besides urging residents in the storm's path to make final preparations for what could be one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the region in decades, FEMA, the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency, is also trying to get ahead of false information that can quickly spread on social networks, saying on Twitter today that it's created a rumor control page:
We have created a rumor control page for Hurricane #Florence that will be updated regularly. During disasters, it's critical to avoid spreading false information. Always check with official sources before sharing. https://t.co/PAjGQZJ1Nt pic.twitter.com/z4L0r1YjAT
“There are reports all emergency shelters and hotels are required to accommodate pets for people who have evacuated,” FEMA said in its first posting on the site. “This is FALSE.”
To contact the reporter on this story: Nathan Crooks in Miami at ncrooks@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Clementine Fletcher at cfletcher5@bloomberg.net
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