(NewsNation) — As part of its response to Hurricane Helene, the federal government is using the Starlink satellite systems created by SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Around 200 people have died because of the storm, and that number is expected to rise. Hundreds are still missing and without power or cell service.
After it made landfall in Florida as a Category 4 hurricane last week, Helene weakened to a tropical storm, but wind and rain still caused significant damage to several Southeast states, including Georgia and the Carolinas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said so far, 60 Starlink units have been sent to multiple places devastated by the hurricane. Of these, 40 are going to North Carolina, which has been hit particularly badly, and more are on the way, according to FEMA.
Starlink, a portable satellite internet service, has previously been deployed in areas such as Guam, Hawaii and Alaska that have also seen damage from natural disasters.
“Since the Hurricane Helene disaster, SpaceX has sent as many Starlink terminals as possible to help areas in need,” Musk said on X. “Earlier today, @realDonaldTrump alerted me to additional people who need Starlink Internet in North Carolina. We are sending them terminals right away.”
On Truth Social, former president and Republican nominee Donald Trump thanked Musk.
“Great news. So badly needed in North Carolina, where there is virtually no communication. Starlink was the perfect answer, and Elon Musk, as usual, came through,” he wrote Wednesday. Musk has endorsed Trump in the 2024 election.
Trump visited Georgia on Monday, where he was critical of the federal government as well as Democratic nominee for president Kamala Harris’ response to Hurricane Helene.
President Joe Biden and Harris, meanwhile, visited North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia on Wednesday. Biden praised the Democratic governor of North Carolina and Republican governor of South Carolina for putting politics aside in the wake of disasters.
“Our job is to help as many people as we can as quickly as we can and as thoroughly as we can,” Biden said.
The Biden-Harris administration, FEMA said, has given Hurricane Helene survivors more than $20 million in funds. In a press release, FEMA said more than 5,000 employees from the federal workforce are deployed to areas struck by disaster, including 1,500 from their agency.
“To date, FEMA has shipped over 9.3 million meals, more than 11.2 million liters of water, 150 generators and more than 260,000 tarps to the region,” the press release said.
The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.
