Elon Musk Says Tesla, SpaceX ''Doing Their Best'' To Help Hawaii Devastated By Wildfires

Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has announced that his companies, SpaceX and Tesla, are doing their best to help Hawaii as it recovers from devastating wildfires. Musk said in a post on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, that the two companies are "doing our best to be helpful to Hawaii."

Here's the tweet:

Tesla & SpaceX/Starlink doing our best to be helpful to Hawaii

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 16, 2023

Another post from Starlink's official X account noted that more than 650 satellite internet kits have been shipped to over 40 organizations that are helping recovery efforts on the island.

''The Starlink team covered expedited shipping and distribution costs for all kits delivered to recovery efforts in Maui, donated ~35% of the hardware costs, and we are working with local retailers to make Starlink available below cost. More to come as needed!'' another tweet read. 

To help provide connectivity in Maui, the Starlink team has shipped and distributed more than 650 kits to 40+ organizations on the island supporting recovery efforts https://t.co/nO62ihDxx5

— Starlink (@Starlink) August 16, 2023

One of those organizations is Red Lightning Disaster Relief, which said in a LinkedIn post on Tuesday that it bought 20 Starlink systems and has begun setting them up, as per Fox Business. Red Link further noted that communication is one of the major needs in many areas with power lines down and connectivity hard to find.

Starlink provides internet service through a network of satellites in low Earth orbit, and its kits include pre-connected equipment for easy installation.

The wildfires in Maui are the deadliest the United States has seen in over 100 years. At least 106 people have been reported dead, and over 1,300 people are still missing. The fires also destroyed

Meanwhile, Amazon Executive Chairman Jeff Bezos and fiance Lauren Sanchez, have also pledged to donate $100 million to help rebuild Maui. Ms. Sanchez took to social media to announce that she and the former Amazon CEO are ''heartbroken'' by the destruction and are creating a fund to help the Hawaiian island ''get back on its feet.''

The Maui wildfire, which started August 8, burned through more than 2,500 acres across historic towns like Lahaina. The number of people known to have died in the horrific wildfire reached 106 on Tuesday, authorities said, as a makeshift morgue was expanded to deal with the tragedy, AFP reported. 

The wildfire is the deadliest in the United States since 1918, when 453 people died in Minnesota and Wisconsin, according to the nonprofit National Fire Protection Association. Hawaiian authorities have begun a probe into the handling of the fire, with residents saying there had been no warning.