Featured Image Source: Christopher Reichwein via Associated Press & USA Today

Western Europe was hit by heavy storms that caused rivers to overflow causing flooding in multiple communities across Germany this past week. Streets turned into raging rivers and the soil could not absorb any more water causing homes to collapse; hundreds of people’s homes were affected. Now, rescue operations are active, first responders are working to rescue people through blocked roads. The flood also affected communication infrastructures causing major phone and internet outages in some regions making it difficult for first-responders to help those who need it.

SpaceX Starlink Internet service is connecting some German communities impacted by the disastrous flood. Starlink is unaffected by terrestrial disasters because it is a space-based broadband satellite constellation that is capable of connecting remote regions around the world. SpaceX currently operates around 1,740 internet-beaming satellites that beam internet service to user dish antennas on Earth.

The German government’s Supervision and Services Directorate of Rhineland-Palatinate state announced on Tuesday, June 20, that it deployed SpaceX's Starlink satellite dish antennas in the rural district of Ahrweiler, north of Rhineland-Palatinate. District officials plan to deploy more Starlink user terminals in the coming weeks to help connect families to the internet in order to get in touch with family and seek help for rebuilding efforts in the villages. "During the night, 12 Starlink satellite dishes were set up and set up for the population in the damaged area. The number increases to 35 over the course of time. Affected persons can dial in here and thus gain access to the Internet," Supervision and Services Directorate of Rhineland-Palatinate said in a press release. The first Starlink dishes are already installed to provide service for first-responders and residents living in: Liers, Ahrbrück, Brück, Pützfeld, Kreuzberg, Rech Nord, Rech Süd, Dernau, Marienthal, Heimersheim, and Heppingen.

"There are people dead, there are people missing, there are many who are still in danger," the governor of Rhineland-Palatinate state, Malu Dreyer, told the regional parliament. "We have never seen such a disaster. It's really devastating." On Sunday, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the devastation was unbelievable. “It is shocking... I can almost say that the German language doesn’t have words for the devastation,” she told reporters in the town of Adenau, Rhineland-Palatinate.

Starlink is used to provide internet for the regions impacted by the flood in my area!

12 stations up. 23 more coming short term!

I love it! Perfect use case! 😍 pic.twitter.com/8WvQTC6WiO

— What about it!? (@FelixSchlang) July 20, 2021

Author's note: Press release & government official quotes are translated from German language to English. 

Featured Image Source: Christopher Reichwein via Associated Press & USA Today