Trump: Musk’s Starlink will provide emergency internet for Hurricane Helene victims
Donald Trump said he is working with Elon Musk to provide emergency Starlink satellite internet services for the millions of Hurricane Helene victims left without power in the devastated Southeast US. illions of victims of Hurricane Helene left without power across the devastated Southeastern United States.
Image by Joe Raedle | Getty Images
Donald Trump said he is working with Elon Musk to provide emergency Starlink satellite internet services for the millions of Hurricane Helene victims left without power in the devastated Southeastern United States.
At a campaign rally in Georgia Monday, the Republican US presidential nominee said he had already spoken with Musk about providing internet access to the hard-hit areas across the Southeast states affected by the Category 4 hurricane.
Turns out, Mr. Trump was a bit late to the game, as the White House announced hours later that dozens of Starlink satellite systems had already been deployed and were in use in the most severely damaged state of North Carolina.
The Biden administration further revealed that over 100 more Starlink systems were also already in transit to other areas devastated by the fast-moving hurricane.
Still, Musk responded to The Donald’s remarks, stating on X that Trump had "alerted him to additional people who need Starlink Internet in North Carolina. We are sending them terminals right away.”
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Since the Hurricane Helene disaster, SpaceX has sent as many Starlink terminals as possible to help areas in need.
undefined Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 1, 2024
Earlier today, @realDonaldTrump alerted me to additional people who need Starlink Internet in North Carolina. We are sending them terminals right away.
Earlier on Monday, news broke that the former President Trump had said he was "in communication with @elonmusk to get Starlink set up for the hurricane victims who have lost all communication,” posted Florida media personality Benny Johnson on X.
"I just spoke to Elon," Trump told supporters, captured on video in Valdosta, Georgia, a small town of 55,000 impacted by Helene, about three and a half hours south of Atlanta.
"We want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever and Elon will always come through," Trump said, adding "We are going to try and get the Starlink in there as soon as possible."
INCREDIBLE ⚡️
undefined Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) September 30, 2024
President Trump says he is in communication with @elonmusk to get Starlink set up for the hurricane victims who have lost all communication. pic.twitter.com/ExiVyws4sE
Hurricane Helene tore through ten Southeast states over the weekend, causing unprecedented flooding that has left over 2 million businesses and homeowners without electricity.
The deadly hurricane proved fatal for more than 100 people, with thousands more unaccounted for according to a local CBS news report on Monday.
The storm made landfall Thursday night in Florida's Big Bend with winds up to 140 mph and storm surges (pictured above in Tarpon Springs, Florida) before moving north.
Musk has not responded to Trump’s comments, but one Hurricane survivor has already praised the Starlink satellite service for emergency use.
“I lost internet in #HurricaneHelene and felt a prime opportunity to stress test my new @SpaceX @Starlink dish, and I’m amazed at the results,” user Doug Donnell posted on X on Friday, adding it only took him “21 minutes from opening the boxes to being online.”
Starlink reposted the accolades, calling its use “ideal as a backup in an emergency, as well as providing relief efforts with the support they need quickly.”
Being able to connect in minutes makes Starlink ideal as a backup in an emergency, as well as providing relief efforts with the support they need quickly https://t.co/oUqpzynwdK
undefined Starlink (@Starlink) September 27, 2024
Starlink, a division of SpaceX, currently has about 7,000 satellites in low-Earth orbit, nearly two-thirds of the world's active satellites. The Starlink constellation is the only high-bandwidth internet system covering the entire planet, its website states.
No matter who coordinated the effort, it’s not the first time Musk has offered his Starlink services to help in an emergency.
Almost immediately after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022 – in which the Kremlin went after critical infrastructure knocking out power for millions, including its military – Musk swept in providing at least 25,000 Starlink connection terminals in Ukraine for free.
Claiming to cost SpaceX $20 million per month, Musk eventually was able to fund the Starlink satellite services in Ukraine through private donations.
As for Trump, SpaceX-owner Musk publicly said he supports the former US president in the upcoming November 5th presidential election over Democratic rival, US Vice President Kamala Harris.
In May, Trump said he would consider giving the tech billionaire Musk an advisory role in the White House if he wins the election.