Hurricanes

How to help those affected by Hurricane Helene

The damage from Helene is spread out over six states in an area that reaches from Florida's Big Bend to the Appalachians in Virginia

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President Joe Biden addressed widespread destruction across the southeast part of the United States in the wake of Hurricane Helene, as well as his plans to visit impacted areas. “I’ve beee told that it would be disruptive if I did it right now,” the president said Monday. “We will not do that at the risk of diverting any of the response assets needed to deal with this crisis.”

At least 215 people have died and hundreds are still unaccounted for in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida on Sept. 26 and roared across the Southeast, devastating entire communities.

Exhausted rescue crews and volunteers continue to work long days — navigating past washed out roads, downed power lines and mudslides — to reach the isolated and the missing.

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The full impact of Hurricane Helene won't be known for weeks, but groups from both the public and private sector are mobilizing efforts to help those affected by the Category 4 storm that has already caused billions in damage. People are in need of shelter, water, food and health care, as well as basic essentials.

If you want to help, here are some organizations that are providing assistance:

Charities

Because damage from Helene is spread out over six states in an area that reaches from Florida's Big Bend to the Appalachians in Virginia, experts say to look for groups with a history of aid in the specific city or state you want to help so that your donation reaches your intended area more quickly.

As always, experts recommend making sure a charity is legitimate before you donate and choosing groups that are well-established. You can find information about them on GuideStar and Charity Navigator.

The following charities has been vetted by NBC News:

Impacted states have also set up disaster relief funds or have partnered with local organizations to help hurricane victims:

Sean Rayford/Getty Images
People wait in line for gasoline in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Fletcher, North Carolina.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Workers, community members, and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, North Carolina on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024.
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A search and rescue team out of Atlantic Beach, N.C. examines a van swept into the river in Swannanoa, N.C. by flooding from Helene.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
David Hester inspects damages of his house after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, on September 28, 2024.
Melissa Sue Gerrits/Getty Images
Heavy rains from hurricane Helene caused record flooding and damage on September 28, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.
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An aerial picture taken on September 28, 2024, shows storm damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Valdosta, Georgia.
Ricardo Arduengo/AFP via Getty Images
This aerial picture taken on September 27, 2024 shows a flooded street after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Steinhatchee, Florida.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
A van is partially submerged in the Swannanoa River in the Biltmore Village in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 29, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina.
Mike Carlson/AP
Boats sit after being pushed ashore by floodwaters from Hurricane Helene on Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Chandan Khanna/AFP via Getty Images
A rooftop of a Sunoco gas station destoyed by Hurricane Helene after making landfall is seen in Perry, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Candace Redwine surveys the damage after about 3 feet of water inundated her Spiceman Kitchen store when Hurricane Helene passed offshore on September 27, 2024 in Tarpon Springs, Florida.
AP Photo/Mike Carlson
Thomas Chaves, left, and Vinny Almeida walk through floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in an attempt to reach Chaves’s mother’s house in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Floodwaters at Steinhatchee Rivergate in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 near Steinhatchee, Florida.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images
Debris left by Hurricane Helene after making landfall are seen in Cedar Key, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
An American flag sits in floodwaters in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the Shore Acres neighborhood Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
People toss buckets of water out of a home as the streets and homes are flooded near Peachtree Creek after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains over night on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers operate an airboat on a flooded street in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 27, 2024 in Steinhatchee, Florida.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images
Debris are left inside a flooded store after Hurricane Helene made landfall in Cedar Key, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images
A house destroyed by Hurricane Helene after making landfall is seen in Cedar Key, Florida, on September 27, 2024.
Megan Varner/Getty Images
An apartment at Peachtree Park Apartments can be seen flooded after hurricane Helene brought in heavy rains overnight on September 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ted Richardson/For The Washington Post via Getty Images
Marlon Ng, center, evacuated his family to a shelter at Leon High School in Tallahassee, FL, on Thursday, September 26, 2024, in preparation for a fast-approaching Hurricane Helene.

Consider waiting

Rebuilding efforts following Hurricane Helene will take months, if not years, and the full picture of need is not available yet, experts say.

They say that following disasters donations start out strong in the immediate aftermath of the event and then slows down when it is no longer top of mind, even though that's when the need made be growing when government benefits expire.

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