Elon Musk provides Hawaii free SpaceX/Starlink internet connection to aid their recovery

How Tesla and SpaceX/Starlink are helping Hawaii recover from the worst wildfire in its history.

Hawaii is facing a massive crisis as a wildfire that started on August 8 has ravaged more than 2,500 acres of land, destroyed historic towns like Lahaina, and claimed the lives of at least 106 people. More than 1,000 people are still missing, and communication is a major challenge in many areas.

That's why Tesla and SpaceX/Starlink are stepping up to provide some much-needed assistance to the island. Elon Musk, the CEO of both companies, confirmed on Twitter that they are doing their best to help Hawaii. He also shared some photos of Starlink kits being deployed in Maui to offer free internet access to those affected by the disaster.

Starlink is a satellite internet service that uses a network of low-Earth orbit satellites to provide high-speed and low-latency connectivity anywhere in the world. Starlink's official X account tweeted that they have shipped more than 650 kits to over 40 organizations that are working on the ground to help Hawaii recover.

One of these organizations is Red Lightning Disaster Relief, which posted some images on LinkedIn showing how they are setting up Starlink systems in Lahaina. The organization said that Starlink is a great help as many power lines are down and connectivity is hard to find. They bought 20 Starlink systems and successfully installed several of them, with more to come in the next few days.

The Maui wildfire is the worst natural disaster in Hawaii's history and the deadliest wildfire incident in the United States in over a century. It is a heartbreaking situation that requires all the support and solidarity possible. We commend Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink for their efforts to help Hawaii in this difficult time.