Celebrity chef Jose Andres helps Southeast recover from Hurricane Helene
World Central Kitchen is currently distributing hot meals in four states affected by Helene
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}World Central Kitchen has served more than 160,000 hot meals to residents of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the organization told Fox News Digital on Saturday.
"We have two main headquarters currently with many satellites to cover as much ground as possible," a representative from World Central Kitchen said in an email.
World Central Kitchen, a U.S.-based nonprofit founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres, is "serving hot meals and providing water to these affected communities."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}AS HUNGER NUMBERS INCREASE, FOOD PANTRIES IN AMERICA MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
The nonprofit has used two helicopters making deliveries and scouting throughout the Southeast, they said, in addition to a host of other sites.
"We have over 85 distribution sites, 50 restaurant partners – which includes food trucks – (and) two WCK Field Kitchens which are producing over 16,000 hot meals a day each," World Central Kitchen told Fox News Digital.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}World Central Kitchen has mobilized and served more than 100,000 hot meals to residents of the southeast who were hit by Hurricane Helene. (Courtesy World Central Kitchen)
Additionally, World Central Kitchen has five mobile water trucks, each with 6,200 gallons, and "volunteers too numerous to count."
Since Hurricane Helene, World Central Kitchen has served a total of 169,125 hot meals, the organization said.
In Asheville, North Carolina – which was hit particularly hard by the storm – World Central Kitchen is working with area restaurants to aid both physical and moral recovery.
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Chef Jose Andres (second from right) was on the ground on Oct. 4 in North Carolina. (Courtesy: World Central Kitchen)
"We are working with restaurants to set up water tanks and pumps to get their kitchens cooking again," said the representative.
"And we've even had a band playing live music at our central kitchen here," noted the representative.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Hurricane Helene made landfall in Florida, noted World Central Kitchen, and "the magnitude of this storm was felt far and wide."
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And despite being degraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, Helene dropped "as much as 20 inches of rain in 24-hour period."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"The tropical storm caused what is being called a ‘500 year flood’ and swelled rivers, reservoirs which overflowed causing destruction that wiped towns off the face of the map," said the nonprofit.
Recovery in the worst-hit areas could take months, said World Central Kitchen, especially with damage to the water supply. (Courtesy World Central Kitchen)
These areas, said World Central Kitchen, will need assistance for a long time due to the severe disruptions to infrastructure.
"Search and rescue is still ongoing, and the water supply has been cut off to many communities," said the representative.
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"Power is slowly trickling back on, but without a water supply these communities will not be able to return to normal until that is fixed."