Social media users are discouraging residents from accepting disaster aid in Maui, falsely claiming the Federal Emergency Management Agency could seize their property if they do. But disaster recovery experts and lawyers say the posts are misrepresenting federal law, stressing that accepting aid doesn’t give FEMA any such powers. In fact, a New Jersey property lawyer who wrote the 2020 legal analysis being used to support the claim said his work is being taken out of context. FEMA also says the claims are “absolutely false” and encourages Hawaiians to visit its website addressing rumors following the disaster.
