My heart is absolutely aching for the people of the hills. I have never been to the areas that have seen devastation, but I can feel there pain all the way from Michigan. 
Being a part of volunteer organizations in Michigan, we train and prepare for natural disasters and what our roles would be. My team helped Muskegon County Emergency Services survey storm damage from the August storms that ripped through. Some of us were shocked by the damage. What we saw is minuscule to the horror that they are going through. Not only have they lost entire towns, roads, rail systems, mountainsides and personal items, what they are coming back to is 4' of mud in destroyed buildings, entire lakes filled with debris washed down the hillside, dam failures, no infrastructure what-soever. Cell service, electrical, sewer, water, food, shelters - all gone. I suspect many people missing will never be found, having been buried under mud slides and debris.
I joined the emergency services and Michigan Volunteer corp in order to be hands-on with help. I've lived in survival mode for so long and I don't have as much as I wish I could have if I hadn't had to start over so many times, but I felt it was important to donate as much as I could. But even with my low sales, and having more expenses this year than income, I sent $1000 to Manna, Feeding America out of Asheville, NC to assist with emergency food and water. This is not a pat on the back, but to challenge you to also give selflessly directly to the places it will help. Did you know? When you donate directly to a counties emergency services page, the funds stay in the county? They don't go to the big cities, the state or the federal government. I encourage you to take a look at the list below and help as much as you can.
Feeding America - Manna - North Carolina's Division
Ryan Hall Ya'll Squad - (While not in the city, he and his team deploy to all natural disasters, finding out directly from locals what is needed most and providing it through donations. Also tax deductible.)
If you or someone you know are in the 25 counties and 5 states affected by Hurricane Helene, please use this link to the
FEMA APPLICATION to apply for assistance.