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Facebook posts
stated on November 30, 2024 in a video:

Six hundred body bags were “filled the first day” of Hurricane Helene recovery in North Carolina.

False

No, 600 bodies weren’t discovered in North Carolina because of Hurricane Helene

If your time is short

  • As of Dec. 11, there were 103 verified Hurricane Helene-related fatalities in North Carolina, according to the state.

See the sources for this fact-check

Misinformation about everything from weather control to the Federal Emergency Management Agency followed in Hurricane Helene’s aftermath.

The storm was surely deadly. But a recent claim about the death toll in North Carolina lacks evidence.

In a Nov. 30 Facebook post’s video, a man discusses  hurricane recovery in North Carolina. 

“You have 126,000 houses wiped from planet earth here in North Carolina, there’s no way the body count is 250,” he says. 

A woman on screen later claims, “There was 600 body bags that was filled the first day so their numbers was way off.”

This post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.)

North Carolina officials estimate that Hurricane Helene damaged more than 120,000 homes in the state, WRAL News reported Dec. 6. 

But according to the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, as of Dec. 11, “there are 103 verified storm-related fatalities in North Carolina.” 

Brian Haines, a North Carolina Department of Public Safety spokesperson, told USA Today his agency has no evidence to support the claim of 600 bodies discovered in North Carolina after the storm.

The death toll has varied since the hurricane because of corrected overcounts and newly recorded storm-related deaths but we found nothing credible to corroborate the claim that 600 bodies were discovered on the first day of recovery efforts, or since. 

We rate this post False.

 

No, 600 bodies weren’t discovered in North Carolina because of Hurricane Helene

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on January 7, 2026 a press briefing

stated on January 14, 2026 a statement

Social Media
stated on February 14, 2026 social media posts



stated on January 20, 2026 an op-ed


Donald Trump
stated on February 3, 2026 remarks in the Oval Office


Social Media
stated on February 8, 2026 social media posts





Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
stated on stated on November 17, 2025 in remarks at George Washington University:

Donald Trump
stated on February 2, 2026 an interview with Dan Bongino