Hurricane Helene: Fact-checking videos claiming to show scenes from the storm

The VERIFY team is fact-checking videos that claim to be from Hurricane Helene. Here’s what is true and false. Hurricane Helene made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm with 140 mph winds. The storm weakened to a tropical storm over the Carolinas by mid-morning Friday, the National Hurricane Center said. Numerous social media posts claim to show shocking videos from the storm. Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz reposted this video of an alligator making a surprise visit outside a home purportedly during Hurricane Helene. A VERIFY reader asked if this video of a man and dog being rescued from a sinking boat during the storm is real. Another video claiming to show Hurricane Helene’s intensity shows container ships trying to navigate storm waters. The VERIFY team has been fact-checking the viral content to determine what’s real and what isn’t. Sign up for the VERIFY Fast Facts daily Newsletter! QUESTION #1 Was this video of an alligator seen in floodwaters taken...