Elon Musk Activates Starlink Access to Help Hurricane Milton Victims
Elon Musk has stepped up to help Americans once again by announcing Starlink is working with cell phone carrier T-Mobile to help Florida‘s victims of Hurricane Milton.
More than n 10K Starlink kits have been activated for cell satellite service.
The connection will allow those affected by the storm to contact loved ones and emergency services.
“We have accelerated the rollout of Starlink direct to cell phone connectivity for areas affected by the hurricanes,” Musk wrote.
“This is being provided free of charge by SpaceX and TMobile to help those in need.”
SpaceX said the satellites will provide emergency alerts and texts for all phones and carriers.
“The FCC has also rapidly approved emergency special temporary authority for coverage in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton,” the company said.
Starlink shared on X:
“In addition to the thousands (>10k) of Starlink kits we are delivering in response to Hurricane Helene, the @Starlink team and @TMobile activated our Direct to Cell satellites to provide emergency alerts for all phones and carriers of those in affected areas.”
“The @FCC has also rapidly approved emergency special temporary authority for coverage in Florida ahead of Hurricane Milton.”
“We have now enabled basic texting (SMS) for those on T-Mobile phones in hurricane affected areas.”
“Text messages have already been sent and received. You can text loved ones, text 911 and continue to receive emergency alerts.”
“If a phone connects to a Starlink satellite, it will have 1 to 2 bars of signal and show “T-Mobile SpaceX” in the network name. Users may have to manually retry text messages if they don’t go through at first, as this is being delivered on a best-effort basis.”
“The service works best outdoors and occasionally works indoors near a window.”
Last week, Starlink was deployed in Georgia, North Carolina, and other areas impacted by Hurricane Helene.
President Donald Trump has praised Musk, saying, “Elon will always come through.”
Hurricane Milton made landfall on Wednesday, knocking out power to roughly 3 million homes and businesses across Florida.
The hurricane was downgraded from a Category 5 to a Category 3 before reaching the coast.
So far, at least three people have died as a result of the storm, CNN reported.
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service in Miami reported four twisters, including a “multi-vortex tornado.”
“Some of the biggest catastrophes in hurricane history were from weakening storms,” Jeff Masters, a scientist who formerly worked with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s hurricane hunters, told CBS News.
“Katrina was weakening as it was approaching the shore and it caused $190 billion in damage. It was a Cat 3 at landfall and it was formerly a Cat 5. Well, here we have another former Cat 5 that’s going to be a Cat 3 at landfall, and the storm surge is baked in.”
READ: Elon Musk Says FEMA’s Inability to Help Helene Victims Part of an Agenda to ‘Disenfranchise’ Voters