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FACT BRIEF

Did FEMA arrive in Kentucky after the tornadoes and distribute COVID-19 vaccinations instead of blankets or food?

By Marlo Lee
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NO

FEMA says this claim, made in an online article, is false, as it is reportedly not vaccinating anyone in the affected areas.

The claim originated on a site called Real Raw News, which has a long history of publishing false claims in mock news stories. The site includes a disclaimer that warns readers not to take its content too seriously. Specifically, it says: "Information on this website is for informational and educational and entertainment purposes. This website contains humor, parody, and satire."

Even with the disclaimer, stories from the site get picked up and shared online without indications that the material is often satirical.

FEMA Director of Public Affairs Jaclyn Rothenberg told Lead Stories: "The claim about FEMA arriving with COVID-19 vaccinations is false. We are not conducting any vaccination activities in the affected areas."

See a full discussion of this at Lead Stories
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
FEMA FEMA Continues Response to Tornado-Damaged Areas, Kentucky Receives Major Declaration Approval
ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR
Lead Stories
Lead Stories is a fact checking and debunking website at the intersection of big data and journalism that launched in 2015. It scouts for trending stories, images, videos and posts that contain false information in order to fact check them as quickly as possible. It actively monitors the fake-news ecosystem and doesn’t wait for reader tips or reports before getting started on a story.
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About fact briefs published on Gigafact
Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.