As US officials try to debunk misinformation about the natural disasters hitting the US, Republican lawmakers have denounced conspiracy theories being repeated by other members of their party in Congress.

Chuck Edwards, who represents a district in North Carolina that has been hit hard by Hurricane Elin, denounced the “outrageous rumors” being spread “by unreliable sources trying to cause chaos.”

Flooding swept through western North Carolina, a surprise in a state where hurricane problems are mostly located along its Atlantic coast. More than 80,000 homes and businesses are still without power, and many communities have been isolated as roads have been destroyed by water.

One of those “sources of misinformation” is fellow Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green of Georgia, who used both her official social media account and her personal account to spread rumors.

“Ask your government if the weather is being manipulated or controlled. Did you ever give them permission to do so? Are you paying for it? Of course you pay for it,” he wrote in a post on Monday.

Edwards denounced these lies, without naming Green.

“Nobody controls the weather. Please be sure to cross-check the truth of what you read online by turning to reliable sources,” he added.

Republican Rep. Carlos Jimenez, who represents a district in south Florida, also condemned the conspiracy theories.

“There’s no place for misinformation, especially when it’s done on purpose, in times like this,” the former Miami-Dade mayor told CNN.