FACT FOCUS: Online posts spread misinformation about FEMA aid following Maui wildfires

In the aftermath of the deadly Maui wildfires, some social media users are discouraging residents from accepting disaster aid by falsely claiming the Federal Emergency Management Agency could seize their property if they do. “If you own land in Lahaina, do not sign anything for FEMA,” a woman says on a video circulating widely on social media. “That is why they’re holding back all of the donations and saying, Hey, you want food come sign this?” But disaster recovery experts and lawyers stress accepting aid doesn’t give FEMA any such powers to take private lands and that the posts are misrepresenting federal law. Here are the facts. CLAIM: FEMA can seize the private property of any Maui resident that signs up for disaster assistance. THE FACTS: The federal agency says the claims are “absolutely false” and encourages Hawaiians to visit a website it launched recently to address rumors and frequently asked questions in the aftermath of the fires, which have claimed more than 100 lives. “Applying for disaster assistance does not grant FEMA or the federal government authority or ownership of your property or land,” the agency writes on the page providing information around the fire. The page then explains
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