Elon Musk makes Starlink free in all areas affected by Hurricane Helene to aid recovery efforts

Tech billionaire Elon Musk announced Tuesday that Starlink internet would be made available in all areas impacted by Hurricane Helene, which will be free of charge for all residents to use. The SpaceX and Tesla owner wrote on his social media platform X that he hopes to have the internet service up and running by Wednesday.

"We are making a system update to allow all Starlinks in the affected areas to work, regardless of payment," Musk said. "Software update hopefully completed tonight. Tomorrow at the latest."

This comes after 2024 GOP nominee Donald Trump stated on Monday, when inspecting hurricane damage in Georgia, that he had been in communication with Musk to have Starlink internet brought online to service disaster victims in multiple southeastern states, including North Carolina and Tennessee. Starlink, which was founded by Musk, is a satellite internet constellation operated by Starlink Services LLC, a subsidiary owned by Musk's aerospace company SpaceX.

Additionally, the federal disaster agency FEMA tapped Musk to provide Starlink to the victims who have been without communication for numerous days. Homeland Security Advisor Liz Sherwood-Randall informed reporters on Monday that the government would be assisting in the restoration of communication capabilities in the region. "Today, FEMA will install 30 Starlink receivers in western North Carolina to provide immediate connectivity for those in greatest need," she said.

Social media users praised Musk's humanitarian efforts on X, thanking him for possibly saving lives. Some claimed he's doing more work for the victims than the federal government.