FEMA starts website to debunk disaster rumors during Irma

The winds and sea are whipped up off the Rickenbacker Causeway as two people cross the street in Miami as Hurricane Irma approaches on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

A man rides his bike along the beach against high winds as Hurricane Irma approaches, in Hollywood, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP

A police car patrols the beach in anticipation for Hurricane Irma, in Hollywood, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP

A man walks along the beach with heavy winds and threatening skies in Hollywood, Fla., as Hurricane Irma approaches the state on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP)

Paul Chiasson/The Canadian Press via AP

I-95 is clear of traffic near Hallandale Beach Blvd. as people prepare for Hurricane Irma on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017 in Hallandale, Fla. ( Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP)

Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP

Evacuees are moved to another building with more bathrooms while sheltering at Florida International University ahead of Hurricane Irma in Miami, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

AP Photo/David Goldman

People stand next to palm trees as they look at churning waves and high winds along Hollywood Beach, Fla., on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)

AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee

Barrels identified by stickers as IDW, or “investigation derived waste,” full of soil and water sit in a field designated by the EPA as an intensely polluted Superfund site called Anodyne North Miami Beach on Sept. 6, 2017. At least five of the most flood-prone Superfund sites located in South Florida are in various stages of cleanup. Strong winds and driving rains from Irma could damage years of cleanup work completed at the sites and spread contamination, endangering public health by spreading the contamination. contamination. EPA spokeswoman Liz Bowman said the barrels were low-risk to human health and said an EPA contractor will remove them before Hurricane Irma hits Florida. (AP Photo/ Jason Dearen)

AP Photo/ Jason Dearen

Bill Stevens works to cover the windows on his Beachside Swimwear store in Jacksonville Beach, Fla., as Hurricane Irma approaches Florida on Saturday Sept. 9, 2017. (Bob Mack/The Florida Times-Union via AP)

Bob Mack/The Florida Times-Union via AP

Evacuees stand in line to enter the Germain Arena, which is being used as a fallout shelter, in advance of Hurricane Irma, in Estero, Fla., Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Hundreds of local residents being evacuated from the city fill the Savannah Civic Center during a mandatory evacuation from Hurricane Irma on Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017, in Savannah, Ga. Irma regained Category 5 status late Friday. Thousands of people in the Caribbean fought desperately to find shelter or escape their storm-blasted islands, and more than 6 million people in Florida and Georgia were warned to leave their homes (Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)

Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP

Kathleen Paca, 56, spray paints “We’re Open Irma” on plywood window protections at the infamous South Beach dive bar Mac’s Club Deuce on Sept. 7, 2017. The word “Irma” covered “Wilma,” the 2005 hurricane when the plywood last was used. Paca and other regulars at the Deuce, as it’s known to locals, had no qualms about staying home as Irma approached, even with the storm projected to be one of the strongest to ever make landfall in Florida. “Where am I going to go?” Paca said. “It’s not going to be that bad. I’m on the second floor and have impact windows. I’ve thrown coconuts at my windows and they don’t break.” (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)

AP Photo/Jason Dearen

A car rides in the shoulder to pass other cars in evacuation traffic on I-75 N, near Brooksville, Fla., in advance of Hurricane Irma, Saturday, Sept, 9, 2017. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

Shay Rymer, a native of Houston, Texas, helps boards up the motel he’s living in ahead of Hurricane Irma in Daytona Beach, Fla., Friday, Sept. 8, 2017. Rymer has family recovering from Hurricane Harvey’s flooding in Houston as he now prepares to take shelter and ride out Hurricane Irma in the motel. Coastal residents around South Florida have been ordered to evacuate as the killer storm closes in on the peninsula for what could be a catastrophic blow this weekend. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

AP Photo/David Goldman

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WASHINGTON — Through social media and word of mouth, rumors can spread like wildfire through areas facing a natural disaster. In an attempt to debunk the false rumors, and verify accurate ones, the Federal Emergency Management Agency has created a website for storm victims to reference during Hurricane Irma.

The rumors surround taking pets to shelters, cleaning up after a storm and how residents can spot scammers before they give up their personal information or money.

When a natural disaster such as a hurricane strikes, one popular rumor is that all shelters and hotels must allow pets. That is false, according to the website. Only service animals must be accepted.

Another rumor heard after a disaster is that people should wait to clean up until after insurance adjusters or FEMA inspectors come. FEMA said that is false, but storm victims should document the damage by taking lots of photographs of the damage before cleaning up.

After a disaster, scammers emerge in disaster zone. FEMA said a frequently seen scam is people alleging to be FEMA inspectors. Those individuals will try to gather personal information or collect money for inspections.