Why isn't the media reporting on thousands missing in Western North Carolina? Because there's no proof

RALEIGH, N.C. — Karen Bruggemann of Candler, North Carolina, assured she isn’t missing.

“Sometimes I wish I were,” she joked over the phone Tuesday.

Bruggemann’s name appears on “Hurricane Helene People Finder,” a Google Doc created after then-Tropical Storm Helene devastated multiple Western North Carolina communities. The storm disrupted phone and internet service, leaving thousands across the country unable to confirm the safety of relatives and friends in storm-impacted areas.

A concerned cousin in New York had typed Bruggemann into the Google Doc, adding her to more than 4,000 submissions. Many have since been updated from “missing” to “found.” A few dozen statuses have changed to “deceased,” with accompanying obituary links. But around 600 people on the list — including Bruggemann — still show as “missing.”

At the top of the document, before any names appear, the unidentified administrator of Hurricane Helene People Finder emphasizes this “is NOT an official source” associated with “any county, state or federal agency, nor the American Red Cross.”

“The information provided is not verified; community-sourced information may not be reliable, and there are no guarantees that the information listed is correct,” it states. “This list is NOT making any claims that disagree with official sources about the number of missing persons. For reliable, verified information, contact local authorities.”

In the past few days, social media accounts on X and TikTok have used Hurricane Helene People Finder to amplify unfounded claims about the number of missing people in Western North Carolina.

On Friday, the TikTok account Carolina Roots posted a video that scrolls through the names of people listed as “missing.” “Why aren’t they sharing the truth?” the account asks. This video has since been shared more than 7,000 times.

Two days later, the X account @Sassafrass_84 posted the Carolina Roots video and incorrectly suggested up to 3,000 people were on the communal missing persons list.

“This is gut-wrenching,” the account stated. “The media is lying. The North Carolina governor is lying.”

@Sassafrass_84 has more than 336,000 followers. Its bio states “I’m here to re-elect Trump. Stay in in your lane Dems. Maga is strong.” The account’s post displaying Hurricane Helene People Finder has attracted 1.2 million impressions and 32,000 likes.

The News & Observer has accounted for a second “missing” person on the community list. In a phone call Monday, Tammy Broadbent confirmed her sister-in-law Summer Broadbent Carpenter of Henderson County is “fine.” No relative or close friend had added Carpenter to this list. Instead, she was included by a worried stranger who had stopped hearing from her on social media.

Officials confront misinformation

As of Oct. 21, the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services said 26 people remain missing after Helene, which swept through the region in late September. This is down from the state’s official count last week of 89 missing persons. North Carolina has so far confirmed 96 Helene-related deaths.

The state is working with local governments and nonprofits to gather reports on missing people and confirm their status. Last week, Gov. Roy Cooper said the official count of people missing is likely to fluctuate as more cases are uncovered or resolved.

Leaders from both major political parties have called out the spread of misinformation in the weeks since Helene.

“We have also seen an uptick in untrustworthy sources trying to spark chaos by sharing hoaxes, conspiracy theories, and hearsay about hurricane response efforts across our mountains,” Republican U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards said in an Oct. 8 online statement.

Addressing specific rumors about the Rutherford County town of Chimney Rock, Edwards wrote “Rutherford County emergency services personnel are going to extensive lengths to search for missing people.”

The N.C. Department of Public Safety warned online that “nefarious actors and those with ill intent may be taking advantage of this situation by spreading false information.”

As the mayor of Canton, a Haywood County town 20 miles west of Asheville, Zeb Smathers said downed cellular service after Helene created a vacuum people filled with unverified information.

“There are people that have lost everything, either homes or loved ones,” he said. “That is the standard we have to measure ourselves by. So if you are purposely putting things out there that are false or you don’t know to be true, than you are not living up to that high standard.”

On Friday, three U.S. representatives from North Carolina requested a national intelligence briefing on the spread of online misinformation hindering efforts to rebuild parts of Western North Carolina. In a letter to the Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, U.S. Reps. Deborah Ross, Wiley Nickel and Kathy Manning raised concerns about foreign governments promoting the misinformation to undermine public trust in government.

“This information is dangerous to saving life and property right now, and we need to get to the bottom of whoever might be disseminating it, manipulating it and manipulating our citizens,” Ross, a Wake Democrat, told The N&O in an interview Saturday.

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