A bevy of nurses, relief workers and supplies from across the U.S. are pouring into Western North Carolina this week to aid hospitals besieged by patients amid the deadly flooding from Tropical Storm Helene.

More than 100 nurses as well as physicians arrived Monday at Mission Hospital in Asheville from sister hospitals across the nation within the HCA Healthcare system, which owns Mission and is headquartered in Nashville, HCA spokesperson Harlow Sumerford said.

They've set up mobile units with kitchens, bathrooms and handwashing stations and are setting up mini marts inside the hospital and in other HCA hospitals across the region to provide doctors, nurses and other hospital staff with free groceries, including food, water and toiletries.

HCA also is providing hundreds of thousands of bottles of water, tens of thousands of gallons of fuel and satellite data networks to Mission Hospital. The hospital, perched atop a hill just south of downtown Asheville, dodged flooding that submerged much of Buncombe County but is scrambling to keep up with an onslaught of patients from several counties.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper got an aerial tour Monday of ravaged areas and then took a tour of Mission Hospital, where hospital officials called restoration of city water services to the hospital a top priority, according to a pool report.

Mission is sending surgical instruments to Charlotte for sterilization due to the limited availability of pressurized water in Asheville.

When asked if a well is being dug near the hospital to provide clean water, Sumerford said that "while we are hopeful the Asheville community's infrastructure will be restored soon, we are exploring a variety of solutions."

“Though the level of destruction is immense, I am proud of the dedication of our colleagues, who have continued to support our patients, our community and one another,” Greg Lowe, president and CEO of Mission Health, said during a media briefing. “We remain dedicated to helping our colleagues through this time, just as they have selflessly served their community and supported patients without hesitation.”

Every day since the storm, 20 water tanker trucks have brought clean water to feed the air-conditioning chillers and to keep the hospital functioning, Lowe said. He said many employees remained at the hospital in the storm's aftermath despite being concerned about the well-being of loved ones.

"We know that we are providing safe care, good quality care, but we're stretched. We're very stretched," Lowe said. "It has become difficult with our staff because they're exhausted."

An example of the volume they're coping with, more than 80 emergency room patients waited to be admitted Monday afternoon. The hospital also is getting ready for the discovery of more victims, setting up three mobile morgues.

"We're preparing for what's next," Lowe said.

The death toll has risen to 64 in Western North Carolina, with 57 of those fatalities in Buncombe County, according to Sheriff Quentin Miller's news briefing at 4 p.m. Tuesday.

More than 1,000 hospital workers have been sleeping at the hospital since the flooding, Kody Kinsley, secretary of the state's Department of Health and Human Services, said during the news conference Monday.

"We went to Mission Hospital to see firsthand the heroic efforts of the individuals of that hospital," he said.

The health department is working with insurers to identify residents who rely on oxygen and other medical supplies and proactively offer to have emergency management make deliveries.

The health department also has activated the patient transfer system, sending patients who can't get immediate care in impacted areas to other medical centers across the state.

Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency sent medical professionals to Mission and HCA-owned Blue Ridge Regional Hospital in Spruce Pine, which serves residents in the town and the surrounding North Carolina mountain communities of Mitchell County.

Since many of the medical professionals also are flooding victims, the hospital system also set up HCA Healthcare Hope Fund, an employee-run, employee-supported charity that provides financial aid and resources after an extended illness, injury or disaster.

"We are contributing $1 million toward disaster relief efforts, including $250,000 to the United Way of Asheville and Buncombe County, $250,000 to the American Red Cross of North Carolina and an additional $500,000 to other community partners that provide direct support for hurricane related issues," hospital officials said in a news release.

Pardee Hospital in Hendersonville, part of the University of North Carolina health care system, lists flooding-related closures for all of its medical facilities as well as resources on its websites.

Pardee issued a statement to patients Tuesday on its website, which read in part: "To ensure the safety of our patients and teammates, we have made the difficult decision to cancel all appointments for Tuesday."

It advised patients to wait for a call to reschedule appointments "in the coming days." The emergency room remained open and Pardee Urgent Care opened at noon Tuesday in Brevard. A list of services impacted by the floods are listed online.

UNC Health is offering free virtual visits from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. seven days a week for adult residents of Western North Carolina impacted by Hurricane Helene. Those ages 18 and older with mild systems can see a UNC Health primary care provider without an appointment on the health system's website.

Reporters Evan Gerike and Will Hofmann contributed to this report.

Reporter Beth Warren can be reached at bwarren@gannett.com.