Federal government criticized for lack of support and leadership in rescuing NC Helene victims.

The 11-day-old baby saved by a group of volunteers in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene questioned the whereabouts of federal government and state leadership as devastated communities continue to suffer from the historic storm.

The Florida Guard Special Missions Unit, Aerial Recovery, pilot Mark Roseman, and civilian helicopter pilot Zeb Hadley are currently conducting search and rescue operations in North Carolina amidst uncertainty about the Biden-Harris administration's leadership response to the disaster.

"The lack of strong leadership is evident in North Carolina and the federal government. However, Florida's DeSantis provided the necessary support with the state guard special missions unit, which allowed us to overcome the situation. Unfortunately, there is still no leadership here."

"On the ground, locals are inquiring, "You're from the state guard?" I respond, "I am from Florida," and they ask, "Where's North Carolina?" They are unaware of what is happening and have even tried to remove us from Lakemoor and Chimney Rock. Officials have requested our authorizations to be present. This is an insane situation, as if they want these individuals to perish."

President Biden has committed to allocating substantial funds to support the recovery efforts, recognizing the substantial expense, estimated to be in the billions of dollars. To speed up the distribution of critical supplies to those affected, Biden has instructed the Defense Department to dispatch 1,000 active-duty soldiers.

One week after the storm hit, critics argue that his actions have not been sufficient to aid those affected by the lack of food, electricity, and water.

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., criticized the Biden administration for the Helene response, stating that he saw his first Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) truck on Thursday while assisting residents in different locations.

Mills stated on "The Ingraham Angle" on Thursday that there has been a consistent pattern of abandonment under the Biden-Harris administration, as evidenced by their handling of the Afghanistan withdrawal, the Israeli massacre on October 7th, and the civil unrest in Haiti.

He continued, "This administration, you must shame them into doing what is right based on the pattern."

Despite criticism directed at Biden and Harris regarding their hurricane response, volunteers have stepped up to assist those in urgent need as hundreds of people remain missing and the death toll continues to rise.

The baby's life was saved by Howard, Keebaugh, Roseman, and Hadley's relief efforts, which involved rescuing the newborn who required oxygen after the storm.

Howard stated that he contacted his state guard team on the ground, but he did not know their precise location. Then, his paramedic, Paul, who was only a few minutes away, rushed over to stabilize the baby and prepare them for LifeFlight. Meanwhile, Mark and HLZ sent imagery to allow Howard to put the helicopter down.

"Charlie coordinated everything, and then we quickly grabbed the baby. The mom and grandma hurriedly put on the helicopter, and Mark skillfully landed it at the Asheville Airport. Doctors and nurses were ready to save the baby's life."

The newborn is alive and healthy, as Howard has kept in touch with the family.

As human traffickers attempt to exploit the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Keebaugh, the chief development officer at Aerial Recovery, emphasized the importance of the organization's work.

"Human traffickers exploit disasters, whether natural or manmade, to take advantage of vulnerable individuals. As a result, many people go missing, with thousands of people from the affected area alone. The traffickers' attitude is that it's just five more people to add to their ranks," he stated.

"So they will come to shelters and your homes," he continued. "That's one thing we look out for while we're here, but we've also got several trained disaster response technicians on our team."

Over 224 people have died in six states, with North Carolina being the hardest hit. The number of casualties is expected to increase as more areas are searched for the first time. The lack of phone service and electricity in the region makes it difficult to locate missing individuals.

Search teams are diligently scouring the mountains in search of missing individuals. However, their efforts have been hindered by eroded roads, fallen power lines, and mudslides. As a result, Helene has emerged as the second-deadliest hurricane to hit the U.S. mainland in 55 years.

"Roseman described the devastation he witnessed as unlike anything he had ever seen. People were trapped, roads were destroyed, and there was no way in or out. Communication was impossible, and the only way to survive was to either fly the sick out or bring in supplies. It was a chaotic situation, and Roseman was overwhelmed by the magnitude of the destruction."

FOX Weather's Steven Yablonski and Chris Oberholtz contributed to this report.