Conway falsely claims that NC officials covered up Helene's death

Eustace Conwaya former reality TV star and founder of the 1,000-acre Turtle Island Preserve in Watauga County, has become one of North Carolina's most prominent voices promoting debunked claims about the devastation of Tropical Storm Helene, giving them traction and an audience far beyond North Additionally, Carolina is on social media.

Conspiracy theories and unfounded rumors have dominated parts of the internet in the wake of the storm, making efforts by local and state officials to disseminate accurate and verified information to survivors and other North Carolinians all the more difficult. One of the biggest contentious issues is the death toll in Western North Carolina.

In a video released on October 19, Conway claimed that the official death toll from the storm was undercounted by thousands and accused the government and news media of lying about the storm's true impact.

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“We have tons of piles of bodies,” Conway said in the video.

“We have 18-wheeler refrigerated trucks full of corpses…Why is there such a discrepancy between the reality of what I see here and what you are being told?”

In another video posted to his YouTube and Instagram pages on Oct. 5, Conway alleged that officials leading relief and recovery operations are preventing volunteers and donations from helping hurricane victims.

“The people who are supposed to come here to help Appalachia are actually literally killing people by preventing help from getting to them,” Conway claimed.

Together, these two videos have garnered more than 600,000 views and 4,500 comments on YouTube alone.

Many of the claims he made – the actual death toll was in the tens of thousands, the makeshift morgues were quickly filling up, large numbers of bodies could be seen from the air sticking out of the ground, “the government” had agreed to this with news organizations They conspired to cover up the true death toll and emergency authorities threatened volunteers with arrest – but were repeatedly rebuked by local, state and federal officials.

Carolina Public Press reporters who have personally visited many of the areas in question have seen no evidence to support these claims.

As of Friday, DHHS has reported 101 deaths related to the storm in North Carolina. This number includes people who died during recovery and cleanup efforts after the storm, which is one reason the total has gradually increased over time.

CPP reported Oct. 18 that there is not yet a backlog of unidentified bodies to be included in the death count, as some have claimed online. Although a small number of additional storm-related deaths have occurred or been detected since then, these do not remotely resemble Conway's claims.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety – the agency that includes the state's emergency management department – is aware that only seven North Carolinians remained unaccounted for after the storm as of Thursday, communications director said Justin Graney CPP said.

“The State Emergency Response Team has received no evidence to support the claim that there are significantly more fatalities than have been recorded and publicly disclosed; a testament to the heroic response of our first responders and emergency management officials throughout Western North Carolina,” Graney said in an email statement to CPP.

“As we join our North Carolina communities in mourning the loss of 101 in our own community, it is important to note that many of our local partners have reported deaths in their jurisdiction and none of these reports match the claims made on many social media platforms underpinned.”

The fire department in Swannanoa, a small community east of Asheville that has been at the center of many online rumors about Helene, took to Facebook to ask people not to share unconfirmed information. This Oct. 19 post was written by the Deputy Fire Chief Larry Pierson.

“We have seen inaccurate social media posts claiming their information was 'verified' without identifying sources as to who verified it and without responding to questions,” the post said.

“From the actual emergency services from the first hour, the emergency services on site, those who were involved in the rescue and recovery of our people, no one is 'hiding' numbers.” The number of body bags ordered is inflated, which suggests that there are still There are many more that the public is not informed about. Untrue.

“There is a picture of a 'refrigerated container' (refrigerated trailer) at a funeral home that suggests there are so many that it is full. Logic would tell any of us that the funeral home also had no power, and that is such a possibility for the normal operation of such a facility.”

When reached for comment, Conway told CPP he would not retract his statements or delete the posts. He said he believed he was telling the truth based on accounts from people he claimed were involved in search and rescue operations after the storm.

“I work with eyewitness accounts that have seen hundreds and hundreds of bodies,” Conway said during a phone call Friday. “So how can there only be 100 deaths when there are hundreds and hundreds of bodies, adding up to thousands?”

He has provided no photos or other evidence to support these claims of massive covert deaths from severe weather, other than these unfounded claims from people Conway has supposedly spoken to. In a video, he estimated the actual storm-related total loss of life in North Carolina at 20,000.

Conway, the influencer

Conway is something of a celebrity in the mountains of North Carolina. The Turtle Island Preserve's website describes him as a naturalist who has “lived in the forest for over 40 years” and says he is a graduate of Appalachian State University.

He is the subject of the 2002 book “The Last American Man,” written by the bestselling author Elizabeth Gilbert and was featured prominently in the TV series “Mountain Men” on the History channel. Conway last appeared on the series in summer 2023 and is no longer listed on the official cast page.

A representative for A+E Networks did not respond when asked if Conway was still under contract with the network or if there were plans to appear in future episodes of the series.

Conway founded the Turtle Island Preserve in Watauga County, which is both a nature preserve and an educational center that hosts children's camps, workshops and other outdoor programs. Conway no longer runs the preserve, which is now a nonprofit organization governed by a board of directors.

Conway was not an overtly political figure, but his skepticism of local government institutions is well documented. In 2012, his Turtle Island warehouse was nearly closed after Watauga County inspectors found that many buildings on the property violated health and safety codes. In June 2013, the matter was resolved after the state legislature passed a bill exempting “primitive” camps from these building regulations.

In 2023, Conway endorsed the long-time political candidate and conspiracy theorist Shiva Ayyadurai for the president. Ayyadurai is an anti-vaxxer and has spread various falsehoods on social media about COVID-19 and the 2020 election.

Number of Helene-related deaths by NC County as of November 1:

• Ashe, 1
• Avery, 5
• Buncombe, 43
• Burke, 1
• Catawba, 1
• Cleveland, 2
• Gaston, 1
• Haywood, 5
• Henderson, 9
• Macon, 2
• Madison, 4
• McDowell, 1
• Mecklenburg, 3
• Mitchell, 2
• Polk, 1
• Rowan, 1
• Rutherford, 4
• Wake up, 1
• Watauga, 2
• Wilkes, 1
• Yadkin, 1
• Yancey, 10

Total: 101

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