Billionaire Elon Musk has announced his company SpaceX will make a generous donation to help fight against floods that have left parts of Brazil devastated after Gisele Bundchen‘s appeal.
The state of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil has been hit by historic flooding in the region, with 108 people dead, 374 injured and 136 missing, according to the Civil Defense.
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Over 1.5 million people have been affected due to the floods and many have been forced to evacuate their homes, seeking shelter elsewhere.
Various rescue teams and volunteers are working to assist those stranded by the flooding, with some areas disappearing under the water. The situation is further exacerbated by recent rainfall, which has led to the suspension of rescue operations in certain regions.
Musk, who has given billions of dollars to charity, has offered to donate 1,000 Starlink terminals to provide high-speed internet in the area for those affected. The innovative satellite internet project is developed by his technology brand SpaceX and will remain free to use.
“Given the terrible flooding in Rio Grande do Sul, @Starlink will donate 1000 terminals to emergency responders and make usage for all terminals in the region free until the region has recovered. I hope the best for the people of Brazil,” Musk wrote on his X account to his 183 million followers.
Gisele’s plea for help
Alongside Musk‘s message was a video from Brazilian supermodel Gisele Bundchen, the ex-wife of NFL star Tom Brady, who highlighted the urgent need for donations as the nation struggles to cope with the damage.
“My home state is Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil has had the worst tragedy in its history,” she said in the short clip. “Heavy rain flooded entire towns in most parts of the state. It’s not one or two cities, it’s more than 350 cities affected.”
Bundchen went on to describe the images from her native land as “painful and heartbreaking”, as she pleaded for donations to “help any way you can”.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appeared to blame the natural disaster on climate change and emphasized the need for stronger action in response to the floods.