Former President Donald Trump took credit for deploying Elon Musk’s Starlink satellites to help restore communication in areas ravaged by Hurricane Helene. However, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) quickly refuted his claim, stating that the decision to deploy Starlink was already in place before Trump’s alleged involvement.
During an event in Valdosta, Georgia, Trump announced that he had spoken with Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, about deploying Starlink in the hurricane-stricken regions. “I just spoke to Elon. I’m getting him — we want to get Starlink hooked up because they have no communication whatsoever. And Elon will always come through. We know that,” Trump stated on Monday.
Shortly after Trump’s statement, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates took to X, formerly Twitter, to clarify the situation. “This is already happening,” he said. Bates then shared a statement from FEMA, confirming that they had already arranged with Starlink to send satellites to North Carolina, one of the hardest-hit areas by the hurricane. The decision to deploy these satellites was made on Sunday, a day before Trump’s speech.
FEMA also revealed that 40 Starlink satellite systems were already operational in North Carolina to support responder communication. An additional 140 satellites were en route to assist in restoring communication infrastructure, FEMA stated. Jaclyn Rothenberg, FEMA’s director of public affairs, confirmed that Trump had no role in this decision-making process.
Hurricane Helene left a trail of devastation, causing over 100 deaths and leaving millions without power. It’s now considered one of the deadliest hurricanes in the United States in the past 50 years, ranking third after Hurricane Katrina, which claimed 1,833 lives, and Hurricane Ian, which resulted in 150 deaths.
Amidst the crisis, Apple’s latest software update, iOS 18, also proved instrumental in aiding survivors with its satellite messaging feature. This feature allowed those affected by the hurricane to send and receive messages even in areas with limited or no cellular service.
