2023-05-20 18:16:00
© Reuters.
MILAN (Reuters) – Billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX and Unipol Gruppo have agreed to join forces to help people hit by floods in northern Italy connect to the internet, facilitating rescue operations, the Italian insurer said on Saturday.
Torrential rains have devastated the eastern side of Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, killing 14 people, causing billions of euros in damage and hitting agriculture particularly hard.
Around 36,000 people were forced from their homes and many who remained in flooded areas were left without electricity. Rescue efforts are hampered by persistent bad weather and outages on phone lines.
Under the agreement, Unipol acquired SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet terminals and will make them available to first responders, hospitals and the public. SpaceX is positioning its satellites to prioritize the Emilia-Romagna region and provide better coverage.
“SpaceX, Starlink and Tesla (NASDAQ:) are happy to help in any way Italy and people affected by the floods,” Musk said in a statement.
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