Extremist Groups Uphold Long Tradition of Exploiting National Tragedies for Publicity

While Texas authorities respond to the devastation from the July 4 Hill Country flooding, which has killed at least 119 people and left over 170 still missing, Patriot Front, a Texas-based white supremacist group, is using the disaster to generate positive publicity under the guise of disaster relief.

On July 9, the group shared footage purportedly taken outside Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas; it appears to show members clearing debris and cutting down trees. In a second video shared later the same day, Thomas Rousseau, the group’s leader, stated: “There’s lots of volunteers across the region, but something sets us apart. We are prioritizing the interest of our people in this mission…Our institutions have been corrupted and weakened…They do not love their people like a nationalist does. And they cannot serve this nation like only a nationalist can.” This speech illustrates how these actions are intrinsically tied to the group’s efforts to sell their vision of a white American ethnostate.

Meanwhile, Nation of Islam (NOI) members affiliated with 10,000 Fearless — a community support and advocacy network that was created in response to NOI leader Louis Farrakhan’s  2015 call for “10,000 fearless men” to get involved in their communities — also traveled to the region to assist with disaster recovery. An NOI member who participated told The Final Call, the NOI's newspaper, that “Minister Farrakhan said ‘watch the weather’ for a reason,” echoing familiar NOI talking points about how extreme weather events and natural disasters are evidence of the alleged impending collapse of America and the world.

Patriot Front and NOI’s activity in Texas is not unusual: many groups have a history of exploiting natural disasters or tragedies for their own political or ideological gain, including after Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Maria. When it comes to actually providing support to communities in need, extremist efforts are typically small, disorganized. At times, they have even impeded the efforts of trained relief workers and created additional problems for law enforcement, diverting their attention from providing support in critical moments. However, participating in disaster relief allows extremists to garner positive attention for themselves and their causes, create recruitment material and push conspiracy theories. In addition, such activity can elevate their status within their respective movements by demonstrating their willingness to act. For example, just one hour after it was posted, Patriot Front’s video was shared by white supremacist groups on Telegram, including various regional chapters of the Active Club Network.

(Source: Telegram, October 1, 2024).

In past disasters, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Patriot Front bragged on its social media about viewer engagement, underscoring that a central goal for these efforts is attention.

The following is a list of previous cases over the past three years where extremists attempted to provide relief following a natural disaster:

• May 2025, Southeast Ohio: Individuals affiliated with the white supremacist National Organization for Vital Action (NOVA) and the Ohio Nationalist Network (ONN) performed disaster relief following incidents of flash flooding
• April 2025, Welch, West Virginia: Individuals affiliated with Patriot Front performed disaster relief following heavy storms and flash flooding.
• March 2025, McDowell County, West Virginia: Individuals affiliated with the National Organization for Vital Action (NOVA) performed disaster relief following severe flooding in February.
• October 2024, Florida: Several members of the white supremacist American Blackshirts Movement (ABM) traveled to an unknown church in Florida to repair damage caused by Hurricane Milton.
• October 2024, Leesburg, Florida: Individuals associated with Patriot Front provided disaster relief following Hurricane Milton.
• October 2024, North Carolina: Patriot Front traveled to North Carolina to help clear debris from Hurricane Helene.
• September and October 2024, North Carolina and Tennessee: At least 10 far-right, anti-government militia groups traveled to affected areas in Western North Carolina and Eastern Tennessee in the wake of Hurricane Helene to provide disaster relief. Some militia groups, like the Campbell County Militia from Virginia, raised hundreds to thousands of dollars in donations with unsupported promises that the funds would only be used for relief efforts.
• May 2024, Sulphur, Oklahoma: Individuals affiliated with Patriot Front performed disaster relief following a tornado.
• March 2023, East Palestine, Ohio: Approximately eight individuals associated with Patriot Front handed out water in East Palestine, Ohio, along with propaganda, to those affected by the freight train derailment.
• July 2023, Barre, Vermont: Approximately a dozen individuals associated with Patriot Front held a meetup. They also distributed propaganda and aid to flood victims.
• June 2023, Williamstown, Vermont: Approximately six individuals associated with Patriot Front held a meetup. The group distributed propaganda and drinking water in response to flash flooding.
• April 2023, Northwest Mississippi: Patriot Front members provided disaster relief in northwest Mississippi to those affected by a tornado.
• April 2023, Central Arkansas: Patriot Front members provided disaster relief in central Arkansas to those affected by a tornado.
• September 2023, White Springs, Florida: Following Hurricane Idalia, members of the Norse pagan group, Asatru Folk Assembly, held a hurricane relief food pantry at Njörðshof, their local meeting hall in White Springs.
• October 2022, Florida: Approximately 30 individuals associated with Patriot Front provided disaster relief following Hurricane Ian.

(Source: Telegram)

In October 2022, approximately 30 individuals associated with Patriot Front, including the group’s leader, Thomas Rousseau, purportedly provided disaster relief in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.