(WGHP) — The country has rallied around western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene left disaster-struck mountain towns and cities struggling to get the help and resources they need. As local teams have sprung to action, others from across the state and from other states have driven and flown in to lend a hand — and that includes critical assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other branches of the federal government. Read the latest coverage of the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene and ongoing recovery efforts. Pres. Joe Biden will be in North Carolina on Wednesday for a briefing at the State Emergency Operations Center and an aerial tour of Asheville to survey the damage, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell plans to stay in North Carolina "until the situation has stabilized." Overall, FEMA and other agencies have more than 1,200 personnel in North Carolina with more resources and staff arriving daily. OLD FORT, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 30: A FEMA response team member works with a guard member at Crooked Creek Fire Department near Old Fort in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 in Old Fort, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 100 people across the southeastern U.S., according to published reports. Millions are without power due to the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday. The White House has declared disasters in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) OLD FORT, NORTH CAROLINA - SEPTEMBER 30: A FEMA response team member works with a guard member at Crooked Creek Fire Department near Old Fort in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on September 30, 2024 in Old Fort, North Carolina. The death toll has topped 100 people across the southeastern U.S., according to published reports. Millions are without power due to the storm, which made landfall as a Category 4 hurricane on Thursday. The White House has declared disasters in North Carolina, Florida, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Virginia and Alabama, freeing up federal emergency management money and resources for those states. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Search and Rescue According to the White House, troops and other skilled federal personnel joined with ongoing search-and-rescue operations by land, water and air in western North Carolina. The U.S. Coast Guard has saved nine lives, and personnel and assets from the Department of Interior National Park Service are on hand to help with land-based search and rescue operations. Civil Air Patrol is providing aerial imaging support. The Department of Defense has sent in light and medium rotary air assets and general-purpose troops, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has a structural specialist providing support. FEMA is also sending mortuary search teams and canines to help find victims. In total, 18 federal teams joined teams from other states who, together, have rescued hundreds and evacuated thousands more. ASHEVILLE, USA - SEPTEMBER 30: A view of the damaged area at Asheville along with the western part of North-Carolina is devastated by the heavy rains and flooding after Hurricane Helene in Asheville, United States on September 30, 2024 (Photo by Peter Zay/Anadolu via Getty Images) Health As injured survivors pour into hospitals, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has teams treating patients on the ground to help relieve the pressure. One team started emergency department decompression at Mission Hospital in Asheville. Another is at Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Ashville. Plus, a fleet of 200 federal ambulances took to North Carolina with FEMA processing requests for an additional 10 ambulances and paratransit vehicles. Supplies and shelter To get critical supplies to survivors, the White House reports that 60 trailer-loads of meals and 100 trailers-loads of water have been delivered to the state with more on the way in the coming days. Officials are also flying in supplies each day via airbridge. Three mass feeding sites are open in Buncombe, McDowell and Watauga counties, and there are 29 shelters open where more than 1,000 people are staying. Marshall, NC - September 30 : Workers, community members, and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, North Carolina on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024. (Photo by Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images) Power & Communications The U.S. Department of Energy has deployed responders to help restore power, joining 7,900 crews from states across the U.S., as well as Canada. Teams are moving generators, mutual aid crews and additional power restoration assets to the hardest hit areas as the route is cleared. Damaged infrastructure has left many without internet, but FEMA is bringing in 67 Starlink units to western North Carolina. 20 counties will receive three units each, three will go to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Nation and four will be placed in critical lifeline locations to be determined by the state. Funding Over the weekend, Biden approved a Major Disaster declaration for North Carolina, opening up FEMA assistance to people in 25 North Carolina counties. The agency has already distributed $2.6 million to eligible survivors. These funds are going toward covering the costs of essential items like food, water, baby formula and emergency supplies, repairing storm-related damage to homes and personal property and paying for temporary lodging, among other needs. Details on how to apply for assistance are available on FEMA's website, by calling 1-800-621-3362 or by checking on the FEMA App. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance teams will be visiting shelters to help survivors register for disaster assistance and start the process of getting back on their feet. How you can help FOX8 is partnering with The Salvation Army for Hurricane Helene relief. According to the Salvation Army's website, the organization is ready to provide "emergency aid, food, drinks, emotional and spiritual care, and long-term recovery services to survivors and rescue workers." You can donate using the blue button below. 100% of your donation will go towards Hurricane Helene relief. Donate to support Hurricane Helene relief here