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Hurricane Helene tore through Appalachia last week, causing unprecedented flooding and destruction. Regular cell phone and internet systems are slowly getting back online. As of Oct. 3, Mitchell County, North Carolina, still has 90% of cell sites out of service, while Yancey County has 77% of cell sites out of service, according to the US Federal Communications Commission.
People in the path of the storm can get free Wi-Fi and internet usage from five top internet service providers throughout Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida.
The FCC has also expanded the Lifeline discount to victims of Hurricane Helene. Whether or not you were previously eligible for the $9.25 discount, you can enroll in the Lifeline program if you're receiving aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Individuals and Households Program.
Scroll down for the ISPs providing free service.
Starlink
Starlink, one of the first major ISPs to respond and the only ISP to partner with the US government, offers 30 days of free Starlink internet service to both current and new customers. In partnership with FEMA, Starlink plans to send as many as 500 Starlink kits across all affected areas, including parts of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.
You can check your eligibility on the Starlink site. If you think your address is eligible but you don't have a "Helene Relief" option, you can create a customer support ticket.
Spectrum
Spectrum has opened 90,000 free Wi-Fi access points that'll be available through Oct. 7. The access points are mainly located in public areas, either indoors or outdoors, across North and South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
You can find an access point via Spectrum's Out-of-Home Wi-Fi map.
Xfinity
Xfinity is also offering a number of free Wi-Fi access points, but only through Georgia, South Carolina and parts of Eastern Tennessee. There are more than 250,000 Wi-Fi hotspots located in public spaces and free to noncustomers. To find a hotspot near you, you can navigate to Xfinity's map.
Verizon
Verizon is offering 24/7 free power and Wi-Fi stations in Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Tennessee. You can find a location on Verizon's update page.
Verizon suffered severe network outages following Hurricane Helene and says it's restored more than 78% of the sites that were affected by the storm. Verizon offers free domestic calling, texting and data usage for all postpaid customers from Sept. 28 to Oct. 27.
T-Mobile
T-Mobile is offering charging stations and free Wi-Fi hotspots in North and South Carolina. The stations are located in Asheville, Black Mountain, Fletcher, Weaverville (all in North Carolina) and Greenwood, South Carolina.
T-Mobile extended unlimited talking and texting data for all T-Mobile customers through Oct. 4 in affected counties in Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia.