Hurricane Helene has left many communities without power, shelter or access to food, clean water and electricity in North Carolina. While Elon Musk and NASCAR’s Greg Biffle are actively devoting themselves to provide aids to the affected regions, they have also faced some criticisms from public.
Best known for founding high-profile companies like Tesla, SpaceX, Neuralink and The Boring Company, Elon Reeve Musk is business magnate, entrepreneur and engineer.
Besides his entrepreneurship, he is also quite famous for his philanthropy and social media use.
Similarly born on December 23, 1969, Gregory Jack Biffle is an American semi-retired professional stock car racing driver.
Biffle began his NASCAR career in 1995 and became the first of only three drivers to win in both the Busch Series and the Craftsman Truck Series championship.
The NASCAR’s Greatest Driver Greg Biffle Became A Ray Of Hope For The Victims Of Hurricane Helene!
In Late September of 2024, Hurricane Helene caused significant destruction, widespread flooding and fatalities across the Southern United States.
It was a powerful Category 4 storm which striked the Big Bend region of Florida with wind reaching 140 mph.
It was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane since Maria in 2017 and deadliest to strike mainland US since Katrina in 2005.
The hurricane has resulted in over 230 fatalities and approximately, about 285 people are still missing.
Besides that, the storm led to extensive evacuations, infrastructure damage and power outages, leaving behind $38.5 billion USD in losses.
Eventually, in October 2024, Greg Biffle and his wife, Cristina made notable benefactions to the relief efforts following Hurricane Helene.
Biffle made use of his personal helicopter to distribute essential emergency supplies to remote and severely affected areas of the Southern states.
Moreover he also allied with Polaris and SpaceX to allocate 500 Starlink kits, providing internet access to regions without cell service.
Consequently he also helped to install generators in order to restore power in these areas. Besides that he also brought descrete supplies such as insulin, EpiPens, food, and fuel.
Biffles’s selfless act and efforts garnered a lot of praises, deeming him as a hero. Therefore, Biffle is going to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his heroism during the disaster.
Thank you to @PolarisInc and @SpaceX @elonmusk for donating 3 pallets of Starlink systems and many generators for deployment on helicopters and flights to support the communities! THIS IS HUGE. I’ve seen the impact first hand for 3 minutes of WiFi and I’m so thankful for the… pic.twitter.com/Fmwyq4dUKX
— Greg Biffle (@gbiffle) September 30, 2024
Despite the successful donation and aid, Musk has expressed his frustration and disappointment with Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Musk took upon his social media to vent about how FEMA restricted the helicopter consisting of SpaceX engineers attempting to deliver Starlink devices and supplies, from landing.
SpaceX engineers are trying to deliver Starlink terminals & supplies to devastated areas in North Carolina right now and @FEMA is both failing to help AND won’t let others help. This is unconscionable!!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 4, 2024
They just took this video a few hours ago, where you can see the level of… pic.twitter.com/abpOsfNenF
Elon Musk Defends Greg Biffle From Unsolicited Criticism!
The teaming up of NASCAR’s Greg Biffle and Elon Musk’s SpaceX is undoubtedly monumental.
Besides physical supplies, Biffle also helped to distributing Internet services to the victims so that they could communicate with their families.
Biffle extended his gratitude towards Elon’s companies who helped in donating 3 pallets of Starlink systems and generators.
Even though Greg’s attempt in restoring communication was a thoughtful act, he did receive some criticisms from public.
However Elon Musk defended Biffle’s efforts and emphasized that initiatives like Starlink are crucial for immediate disaster response.
He also shed lights on the importance of restoring communication in isolated communities.
Their teamwork effectively tackled with the problems of Hurricane Helene while also became a ray of hope for the victims.
Besides the great relief efforts, the natives of the affected area also showcased great resillience, cooperation and bravery.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Greg Biffle is of German and English descent as his ancestor, Johannes Büffel (1728–1804) came from Contwig in Western Germany and settled in North Carolina.
- His ex-wife and mother-in-law filed a civil suit for Invasion of privacy against Biffle. They alleged him of placing secret cameras in the bedroom and bathroom to record nude images of them.
- Elon Musk has at least 12 children, one of whom is decease.