Just has had previously done in past crises (like Ukraine), Elon Musk has responded to pleas for help from flooded areas of New South Wales and donated Starlink resources to isolated communities.
Australian surfing legend Mick Fanning put out the call for help on Twitter: “@elonmusk We need help with the flood disaster in NSW, Australia. The people have no means of communication and really need your help! Can you help us with Starlink? How can we make it happen? Please share.”
Some of the worst hit areas of the NSW Northern Rivers region have so far received more than 10 Starlink Rapid Deployment Kits to help with emergency communications. Each kit is worth over $10,000. Telecommunications provider Netvault donated the kits, which will enable some of the worst flood-affected parts of Northern Rivers to now contact family, friends, and first responders.
Video here:
After Mick Fanning put the call out to Elon Musk, telecommunications provider Netvault donated over 10 Starlink Rapid Deployment Kits (worth $10K) enabling some of the worst flood affected parts of the Northern Rivers to now contact family, friends and first responders! @nbnnews pic.twitter.com/Og8lSP30Vz
— Josephine Shannon (@Josie_Shannon_) March 8, 2022
Starlink is a satellite internet service created by the Elon Musk-owned company SpaceX, which allows people to use a dish and router to connect to the internet by linking to the low-orbit satellites shot up into space by the billionaire entrepreneur. Last year, Starlink partnered with telecommunications provider NetVault, who was on the ground delivering the technology to flood-affected areas.
These kits will have the new Starlink roaming feature enabled. This means the service is portable & the Starlink units can be moved to other flood-ravaged locations easily. “We’re in talks with SpaceX to get more Starlink terminals for people in Lismore & Byron areas,” Net Vault commented.
Readers might be interested to know that Byron Bay is home to the Hemsworth brothers and many other famous film stars.
Massive amounts of rain have fallen and continue to fall along the eastern coast of Australia. Many areas of southeast Queensland flooded 10 days ago, and residents there are well into cleanup mode. The EV community is doing what it can to help, hampered by the fact that many high-speed chargers are under water or are located in shopping centers surrounded by water.
Today, amidst the Brisbane cleanup, severe storms are again predicted. Floodwater is slowly going down in the northern part of NSW, and further south, Sydney is receiving massive amounts of rain. Communities are thankful that Musk is donating Starlink resources.
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