SpaceX has made Starlink internet free for people in Jamaica and the Bahamas after Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, struck. The storm damaged phone lines, cell towers, and ground networks. Still, Starlink remained available for those who had working hardware and electricity. The free access lasts until the end of November.
Starlink stays online
Many lost all ability to communicate after Melissa. Phone service went out for days, and most internet cables and towers were damaged or destroyed in flooded neighborhoods and rural areas. Since Starlink runs off satellite, it kept working when other options failed.
Not only are current Starlink users covered by automatic credits, but people can reactivate paused accounts and even get free equipment replacements if their dish or modem was lost during the storm. Starlink’s team made sure new customers in disaster zones could get set up free for the whole month, too.
Starlink’s service is important for a few reasons. First, it does not need local ground equipment. Second, it can run in remote areas and moves with anyone who has a dish setup and power. The same signal helps large shelters, hospitals, press teams, and government response groups stay connected. Because weather events keep getting stronger in the Caribbean, backup satellite internet is now a critical part of most emergency plans, especially in places prone to flooding and landslides.
Support for shelters and hospitals
In Jamaica, thousands found online safety through Starlink. Across the country’s 800 registered shelters, many used these satellite systems for basic contact with family and to send requests for food and medicine. Even after roofs came off and streets flooded, Starlink worked for those who still had backup power. Aid teams posted updates about outages, school closures, and emergency news over Starlink links. Hospitals in damaged districts used the signal to talk to central offices outside the disaster zone and get medical supplies delivered fast.
Before the hurricane hit, the U.S. embassy in Kingston set up Starlink as a backup for employees and emergency contacts. After the storm, smaller official teams in rural Jamaica used portable Starlink kits to coordinate search and rescue projects. Starlink also supported weather alerts and shared updates with local and global aid groups online.
New tools for mobile phones
Liberty Caribbean and Flow Jamaica partnered with Starlink to activate direct-to-cell service. People in Jamaica used regular phones with compatible SIM cards to send simple text updates over satellite. This new service is especially valuable for areas hardest hit by wind and flooding. Messages getting through confirmed safety or helped families ask for aid when other phone networks were silent.
Starlink’s support doesn’t stop at internet access. Teams provided technical help after the storm, and more hardware deliveries keep going to shelters and government offices.
In past disasters, SpaceX let Starlink kits be used free in regions hit by hurricanes and wildfires. Texas and Florida have made Starlink a part of their regular emergency plans. Each time ground networks fail, satellite internet becomes the last link for survivors and response crews.
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