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Starlink is deploying approximately 500 Starlink Kits to Appalachia, the region most devastated by Hurricane Helene. In partnership with the Biden Administration, Elon Musk is offering the satellite internet service free for 30 days to anyone in the zone of destruction.
On October 1, Musk tweeted that SpaceX is enforcing a system update allowing “all Starlinks in the affected areas to work, regardless of payment.”
Both new and current customers can make use of the free Starlink internet for 30 days, given they reside in the destruction zone of Hurricane Helene. You can check to see if your county is eligible for the free internet service by inputting your address here.
Starlink's Hurricane Helene Relief map shows the counties eligible for one month of free Starlink internet.
StarlinkStarlink offers detailed instructions on its Hurricane Helene Relief page for new and current customers, as well as current customers activating kits from a retailer.
According to a government press release, as of October 2, FEMA and Starlink have collaborated to provide 67 Starlink kits to North Carolina, “including three Starlinks for the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation and four Starlinks for critical lifeline locations.”
Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm and ravaged Appalachia with flooding, landslides and power outages. Free internet efforts from Spectrum and Starlink offer an essential lifeline for those still without internet and cell service.