Elon Musk has confirmed that Tesla and SpaceX/Starlink are doing their best to help Hawaii as it recovers from devastating wildfires. Photos shared on social media suggest that Starlink kits are being deployed on the island to provide free internet to those affected by the Maui catastrophe.
Musk posted about the efforts on Twitter, noting that several of his companies are doing their best to help Hawaii. Later posts from Starlink’s official X account noted that more than 650 satellite internet kits have been shipped to over 40 organizations that are helping recovery efforts on the island.
Images posted on LinkedIn reveal that one of the organizations that is operating in Hawaii today, Red Lightning Disaster Relief, is setting up Starlink kits in Maui. The organization noted that for now, communication remains a challenge in Maui, so the presence of Starlink provides great help.
“Quick update from Maui: very productive day in Lahaina. On assessment, one of the major needs is communication in many areas. Many power lines are down and connectivity is hard to find.We bought 20 Starlink systems to bring internet connection. We successfully set up multiple today, and will continue to set more up in the next few days,” the organization noted.
The Maui wildfire, which started August 8, burned through more than 2,500 acres across historic towns like Lahaina. It is now the deadliest wildfire incident in the United States in over a century, and it is also the worst natural disaster in Hawaii’s history. To date, at least 106 people have been killed, and more than 1,000 remain missing.
It is then no exaggeration to state that every little bit of help goes a long way towards helping Hawaii recover from such a catastrophe. With this in mind, any help being provided by Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink is likely well appreciated.
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