12 organizations helping with Hurricane Helene relief efforts as Florida braces for Milton

Hurricane Helene left a trail of devastation across the Southeast, killing at least 230 people and causing especially severe flooding damage in western North Carolina. As residents struggle to recover from the impact of Helene, Hurricane Milton, one of the most intense storms in Atlantic history, is barreling toward Florida, threatening to wreak more havoc on the state.

More than a dozen counties in Florida are under evacuation orders, and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued a dire warning to residents on Monday night: “If you choose to stay in one of those evacuation areas, you are going to die.”

As misinformation about Helene relief efforts spread online, residents are still struggling with power outages and a lack of running water as they try to salvage their belongings from the wreckage. Areas in Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia that were hit hard by Helene are expected to take years to recover.

Here's a list of some of the organizations NBC has vetted that are supporting hurricane recovery efforts in those states:

National

• All Faiths Food Bank
• American Red Cross
• World Central Kitchen

Florida

• Second Harvest of the Big Bend
• Volunteer Florida
• United Way of Florida

Georgia

• Send Relief
• Salvation Army Savannah Corps
• United Way of the CSRA

North Carolina

• Feeding the Carolinas
• United Way of North Carolina

Tennessee

• East Tennessee Foundation

This is not an exhaustive list of organizations providing relief to people impacted by Helene and Milton. The Federal Emergency Management Agency recommends visiting the National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster website for more trusted groups.

For additional guidance on how to vet nonprofits, you can visit GuideStar or Charity Navigator.