How to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene: Charities, organizations to support relief efforts

Hurricane Helene hit Florida's Big Bend region as a Category 4 storm with catastrophic sustained winds up to 140 mph on Thursday and traveled north, leaving widespread destruction across the Southeast.

As Americans in storm-battered states of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia begin to climb out of the damage from last week's storm that killed at least 120 people with hundreds more unaccounted for, charity organizations have started to rally support efforts. See below for a full list of ways to donate.

After more than 4 million customers lost power across the South on Friday, more than 2 million were still without power as of Monday's publication.

Zeb Smathers, the mayor of Canton, North Carolina, which was hit hard by the storm, told "Good Morning America" the situation was "apocalyptic, not just for Canton, but the entire region." He added that residents have been unable to contact loved ones due to a total cell phone "blackout" and urged those at risk from further flooding to evacuate.

How to help after Hurricane Helene

Red Cross

Help people affected by Hurricane Helene. Your donation enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to, and help people recover from this disaster. Click here to donate.

All Hands and Hearts

All Hands and Hearts has already deployed teams to North Carolina and throughout Florida to evaluate and respond to support communities affected by the impacts of Hurricane Helene.

The organization launched a 12-month response to Hurricane Helene with a $2 million fundraising goal "to support the long-term recovery of these devastated communities."

Click here to learn more and support the All Hands and Hearts cause.

Americares

The team's on-the-ground response in Florida is helping with health needs and delivering medicines and relief supplies to the hardest-hit communities, while another Americares response team deployed to North Carolina to support relief efforts in the western part of the state near the Tennessee border.

Click here to learn more and donate.

Direct Relief

Direct Relief has provided assistance to more than 50 safety net healthcare providers who were in the path of Hurricane Helene and is taking donations to support the impacted areas with emergency medical supplies, hygiene kits, and transportation support.

Click here to learn more about how to help through Direct Relief.

Mutual Aid Disaster Relief

The grassroots effort is actively accepting donations in the form of critical supplies and financial support through the Action Network.

Funds raised online will go to ground response and recovery efforts to provide affected community members with supplies, medics and work crews.

World Central Kitchen

World Central Kitchen -- the nonprofit organization backed by celebrity chef Jose Andres, which helps get food to first responders and residents after natural disasters -- preemptively activated its network of chef resources in Tallahassee, Florida to help the hard-hit communities in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

In an update on X posted Monday afternoon, the organization's relief team was "on the ground and in the skies over Florida, identifying communities most in need of support" after the storm.

"Water, sand, and debris blanket our search areas, but we will continue to do what it takes to provide nourishing meals," the post stated.

Click here to read more about the support efforts and information for donations.