Musk says FEMA is ‘blocking’ delivery of more Starlinks to Helen devastated areas

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, accused the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of blocking the delivery of additional Starlink units to help residents in areas devastated by Hurricane Helene stay connected to the internet .

“Not only is FEMA failing to adequately help those in trouble, it is actively blocking citizens who attempt to help them! ” Musk wrote in a post on X on Friday that included the following note he received from a SpaceX engineer on the ground in North Carolina.

“Hey Elon, update here on the Asheville, NC site. We have powered two large operating bases so that helicopters can deliver goods into hands. We have deployed over 300 starlinks and this has saved many lives,” the engineer wrote.

“The big problem is that FEMA is actively blocking shipments and seizing goods and services locally and locking them up to declare them theirs. It is very real and scary to see the extent to which they have taken control to prevent people “We are now stuck on shipments of new Starlinks arriving until we get a firefighter escort, but that may not be enough,” he added.

A text message revealed by Musk in a second message indicates that the Federal Aviation Administration is limiting private flights in North Carolina airspace, making it more difficult to deliver more Starlink units and other aircraft supplies. emergency.

Former first daughter Ivanka Trump distributed Starlinks, hot meals and essential supplies in North Carolina on Wednesday. According to texts from Musk’s team on the ground, FEMA showed up on site and “started blocking us.”

The text message is consistent with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s comments regarding “temporary flight restrictions” that were placed on private flights and drones over storm-damaged areas.