after torrential rains and floods, the influx of fake news complicates the task of emergency services and authorities

While rescue operations continue in the south of the country, false information abounds on social networks about supposed withholding of food and water.

In Brazil, floods left at least 116 dead and more than 140 missing, while more than a million and a half people were affected by this unprecedented disaster. The government announced ten billion dollars to help the state of Rio Grande do Sul. But while rain still threatens despite a slight drop in water levels, fake news is also wreaking havoc. From the most absurd to the most credible, they hinder the work of the emergency services and are constantly being renewed.

Visibly tired, Douglas Soares, colonel of the local military police, speaks to deny a series of fake news : “We emphasize that we are not preventing any food from being distributed, we also emphasize that we are not requiring proof of donations and we are absolutely not stopping volunteer boats. “Volunteers on the ground to help will be supported by our workforce.”

Fake news thrives in the midst of chaos, between those who hope for financial benefit and those who want political gain from it. The central idea is that the Lula government does nothing, even conspires against a population that manages things on its own. In a video, a man in a hangar denounces the supposed withholding of food and water. “I entered here without being seen, he says. There are foods. There are no volunteers here. Look how absurd it is, there is bottled water, but the water doesn’t move from here.”

Several open investigations

In reality, everything is false and the food was simply stored before distribution. But nothing works. While debunking this news, others appear, such as the false information which claims that an entrepreneur linked to former president Jair Bolsonaro would have provided more helicopters than the government to help the population.

Errors and logistical problems exist, but faced with false news which complicates relief action on the ground and adds panic to an already confusing scenario, the Minister of Communication, Paulo Pimenta, reacts sharply. “I’m really outragedhe blurted. There are people working around the clock to save lives while a fake news industry is fueled by parliamentarians and influencers who work to hinder those efforts.”

“Anyone who acts against us must be treated as a fifth column, the term we use for traitors in times of war.”

Paulo Pimenta, Minister of Communication

in front of the press on Wednesday

Several investigations have begun to identify the main spreaders of fake news. An initiative immediately criticized by the opposition. The sacred union around this drama does not exist. Disaster management is a crucial test for Lula. The Bolsonarist opposition knows this and is mobilizing its very effective communications network to influence the population’s perception on this subject.