Ron DeSantis is leading the efforts in the Sunshine State to help Floridians recover from the massive destruction caused by Hurricane Ian.
The Florida Governor just received some valuable assistance from an unexpected source.
And Ron DeSantis thanked Elon Musk for stepping up and helping Floridians in this unbelievable way.
Hurricane Iam slammed into Florida’s west coast on Wednesday afternoon, causing catastrophic damage, fierce winds, and dangerous, record-breaking storm surges.
Dozens of people were killed and more than $30 billion worth of property was damaged by the storm.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Ian, once the flood waters recede, one of the most-pressing issues is the ability of Floridians to get in touch with their loved ones to verify they are safe.
Since Hurricane Ian left millions of Floridians without power, even some with cell phones had trouble connecting to the internet.
Billionaire Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
As part of SpaceX, Musk created Starlink, a system of satellites that provide broadband Internet to remote and rural locations all over the globe.
On Saturday, DeSantis held a news conference in Wauchula where he announced that Elon Musk is stepping up to help Florida with the disaster recovery by donating Starlink satellite kits to help areas affected by Hurricane Ian gain access to the Internet.
DeSantis said he reached out to Elon Musk and he agreed to reposition Starlink satellites to help restore online connectivity to some of the hardest hit counties impacted by the storm in Florida.
The Governor said it will also greatly assist first responders in their recovery efforts as well.
“They’ve donated the cost associated with all of the coverage, so we want to thank SpaceX and thank Elon Musk for that,” DeSantis said. “A large device, you can put it in different areas in the community that are having problems and they can get a 13-mile radius and they can support over 1,000 users at a given time.”
“So he’s been repositioning those to be over this part of Florida,” he added.
Over the next 48 hours, DeSantis said SpaceX would provide an additional 120 Starlink kits to counties in southwest Florida.
“We’re happy to be able to bring that here and hopefully that will assist with some of that connectivity issues,” DeSantis said. “I know people are working really hard to get all the services back online.”
DeSantis shared the news and thanked Musk in a post on Twitter.
“We worked with @SpaceX to deploy 120 large Starlink units to Southwest Florida that will provide broadband, fast,” DeSantis tweeted. “Thanks to your innovative technology, Floridians will be able to better connect with their loved ones.”
We worked with @SpaceX to deploy 120 large Starlink units to Southwest Florida that will provide broadband, fast.
Thanks to your innovative technology, Floridians will be able to better connect with their loved ones. pic.twitter.com/JvkZ4hR9fp— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) October 1, 2022
DeSantis Daily will keep you up-to-date on any new developments in this ongoing story.
