One Year After Hurricane Helene: Asheville’s Ongoing Recovery and Community Resilience

Name: Asheville resident looks back on Hurricane Helene one year later
Uploaded: 2026-01-23T08:44:39.781968+00:00
Channel: FOX Weather
Description: Summary and key takeaways on One Year After Hurricane Helene: Asheville’s Ongoing Recovery and Community Resilience, covering Introduction The interview with

FOX Weather

Jan 23, 2026

•

2 min read

YouTube video ID: 3fxiaPsPpCQ

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Introduction

The interview with Asheville resident Deborah Singer Stewart marks a full year since Hurricane Helene devastated the region. Deborah reflects on the progress made, the lingering challenges, and the remarkable resilience of the community.

Infrastructure Rebuilding

Bridges and roadways: Several major interstates and bridges have been rebuilt, symbolizing a return to normal traffic flow.
Remaining gaps: Some highways remain closed or in disrepair, serving as visual reminders of the storm’s impact.
Symbolic milestones: The reopening of a bridge near her son’s school became a community rallying point, highlighting tangible progress.

Schools and Youth Resilience

Asheville Christian Academy: The school, once devastated, is now fully operational, with teachers praised for supporting students through trauma.
Student response: Deborah’s son describes the experience as the hardest of his life, yet notes increased faith, stronger friendships, and a newfound resilience among peers.
Teacher impact: Educators are credited with providing stability and emotional support, helping children “bounce back.”

Small Business Revival

Coffee shop reopening: A newly opened café in Swannanoa, an area hit hard by the storm, celebrated a grand opening, symbolizing economic recovery and community gathering.
Community spirit: Residents gathering at the café exemplify the unified effort to rebuild local economies.

Housing Crisis and Homelessness

Pre‑existing shortage: Asheville already faced a housing shortage before Helene, compounding post‑storm displacement.
Displacement: Thousands lost homes; many families were forced to leave the area due to unaffordable rebuilding costs.
Rising homelessness: An increase in homelessness has been observed, prompting community discussions on long‑term solutions.
Ongoing need: Deborah emphasizes that while some progress is visible, a “long way to go” remains in addressing housing stability.

Looking Forward

Balancing joy and loss: The community celebrates milestones (bridge reopening, business openings) while acknowledging continued hardship.
Importance of storytelling: Keeping the narrative alive ensures that recovery efforts stay visible and that resources continue to flow to those in need.

Key Themes

Resilience of youth and educators
Symbolic infrastructure milestones boost morale
Small businesses act as recovery anchors
Housing shortage remains the most pressing, unresolved issue

Asheville’s recovery one year after Hurricane Helene showcases a community that can rebuild bridges, reopen schools, and revive local businesses, yet the lingering housing crisis reminds us that true recovery is a marathon, not a sprint.

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Hurricane Emergency Preparedness Kit Recommended

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Full Transcript YouTube

Y
12 MONTHS LATER, THE
RECOVERY PROCESS THERE
IS STILL FAR FROM OVER.
AT FOX, WHETHER WE
FOLLOWED HELENE'S
AFTERMATH IN THE DAYS,
THE WEEKS, THE MONTHS
THAT FOLLOWED, SHARING
THE IMPORTANT STORIES OF
THOSE STILL PICKING UP
THE PIECES, AND ONE OF
THE PEOPLE WE'VE BEEN
CHECKING IN WITH
THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS
IS ASHEVILLE RESIDENT
DEBORAH SINGER STEWART,
AND SHE JOINS US NOW
WITH AN UPDATE ON WHERE
THINGS STAND ALMOST AN
ENTIRE YEAR LATER.
DEBORAH, IT'S GREAT TO
CHAT WITH YOU AGAIN.
INCREDIBLE THAT WE FIRST
SPOKE BACK IN OCTOBER OF
LAST YEAR AND THEN LATER
IN DECEMBER AND IN MARCH.
AND YOU'VE SHARED THESE
STORIES, LITTLE
VICTORIES, SOME BIG ONES
TOO, BUT ALSO A LOT OF
STRUGGLE THERE IN
ASHEVILLE AND IN
OUTLYING COMMUNITIES.
WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR
MIND NOW, AS WE SAY,
HELENE, ONE YEAR LATER,
YOU KNOW, IT'S IT'S
AMAZING TO THINK THAT
IT'S BEEN A WHOLE YEAR.
I THINK THERE'S TIMES
WHEN YOU FEEL LIKE IT'S
BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS,
AND THEN THERE'S OTHER
TIMES YOU FEEL LIKE IT
WAS JUST YESTERDAY. AND
SO WE'VE COME A LONG WAY.
I, YOU KNOW, THERE
THERE'S BEEN MAJOR
IMPROVEMENTS. YOU KNOW,
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
MAJOR INTERSTATES AND
ROADWAYS, WE'VE SEEN
BRIDGES REBUILT AND
THINGS LIKE THAT. BUT
THEN WE ALSO HAVE A LOT
OF BRIDGES AND ROADS
THAT AREN'T USED,
OBVIOUSLY, LIKE AN
INTERSTATE THAT STILL
NEED TO BE FIXED. SO
THERE'S STILL A LOT OF
VISUAL REMINDERS OF WHAT
THIS AREA HAS BEEN
THROUGH. THERE'S A LOT
OF VISUAL REMINDERS. BUT
BASICALLY, YOU KNOW, I
WOULD SAY THAT WE'VE
SEEN A LOT OF
IMPROVEMENT IN THIS AREA.
I'M ACTUALLY HERE AT THE
AT ASHEVILLE CHRISTIAN
ACADEMY, WHERE OUR
SCHOOL WAS DEVASTATED BY
THE STORM. AND IT'S
GREAT THAT WE'RE BACK IN
IN CLASS. WE'VE BEEN
BACK IN CLASS FOR A
WHILE NOW, AND JUST TO
SEE THE RESILIENCE OF
THE KIDS AND, YOU KNOW,
FAMILIES AND THINGS HAS
HAS BEEN REALLY AMAZING
TO WITNESS. I WANTED TO
ASK YOU MORE ABOUT THAT.
AS THE COMMUNITY TRIES
TO GET BACK TO SOME
LEVEL OF NORMALCY. WE
KNEW WHEN THIS HAPPENED
THAT IT WAS GOING TO BE
A LONG TIME TO GET BACK
TO WHAT THINGS WERE.
WHAT'S THAT BEEN LIKE,
ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG
PEOPLE GOING THROUGH
THIS TRAUMA OVER THE
PAST YEAR? YOU KNOW, I
ASKED MY SON ACTUALLY
THIS MORNING, YOU KNOW,
HOW HAS HURRICANE HELENE
CHANGED YOU? AND HE SAID,
YOU KNOW, IT WAS
ACTUALLY THE HARDEST
THING AT HIS AGE THAT HE
HAD EVER HAD TO GO
THROUGH. BUT IT MADE HIM
LEAN MORE INTO HIS FAITH.
IT MADE HIM, YOU KNOW,
GET CLOSER TO HIS
FRIENDS. AND WE HAD SOME,
YOU KNOW, I THINK THE
RESILIENCE, ESPECIALLY
OF TEACHERS THAT ARE,
YOU KNOW, HELPING THESE
STUDENTS TO DEAL WITH
TRAUMA AND SUCH A, YOU
KNOW, A DISASTER HAS
BEEN AMAZING. THE
TEACHERS HAVE BEEN SO
AMAZING WITH WITH OUR
KIDS. AND I JUST WANT TO
GIVE THEM OBVIOUSLY SOME
MAJOR PROPS THERE, BUT I
JUST I THINK KIDS ARE
THEY'RE ABLE TO BOUNCE
BACK. THEY'RE VERY
RESILIENT, WHICH IS SO
AMAZING TO SEE HOW HOW
RESILIENT THEY ARE. AND
YEAH, I'M JUST THANKFUL
THAT WE'RE ALL TOGETHER
AS A COMMUNITY. SO MANY
CHALLENGES AND YOU GUYS
HAVE FACED THEM ALL HEAD
ON. WE WERE TALKING
ABOUT NORMALCY. I THINK
IT WAS THE LAST TIME WE
SPOKE. INTERSTATE 40 HAD
JUST REOPENED. THAT WAS
A HUGE MILESTONE FOR
EVERYBODY THERE. IS
THERE SOMETHING THAT YOU
LOOK BACK ON IN THE PAST
YEAR AND YOU'RE LIKE,
MAN, WE'RE WE'RE
BOUNCING BACK. WE'RE
GETTING THERE. YEAH, I
WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW,
THERE'S ACTUALLY A
BRIDGE RIGHT NEAR MY
SON'S SCHOOL THAT HAD
BEEN WIPED OUT. AND WHEN
THAT BRIDGE REOPENED,
EVERYBODY WAS TALKING
ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WAS
LIKE IT WAS SUCH A
SYMBOLIC WAY TO SEE HOW
THINGS HAVE IMPROVED.
AND I THINK IT GOT
EVERYBODY EXCITED. BUT I
WOULD SAY, YEAH, JUST
JUST, YOU KNOW, SEEING
PEOPLE ON THE ROAD,
SEEING PEOPLE, YOU KNOW,
I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT
A COFFEE SHOP THAT JUST
OPENED IN SWANNANOA AS
WHICH, AS YOU KNOW, IS
REALLY BADLY HIT. AND
SEEING THE RESILIENCE OF
THIS PLACE, REOPENING A
SMALL BUSINESS THAT
ACTUALLY HAD A GRAND
OPENING AND JUST SEEING
THE COMMUNITY GATHER
TOGETHER AND BE TOGETHER
UNIFIED IS JUST
BEAUTIFUL TO SEE. I LOVE
THAT. YEAH. AND WE HAD
TALKED IN THE IMMEDIATE
AFTERMATH. YOUR HOME
WASN'T DESTROYED,
THANKFULLY, BUT YOU WERE
DIRECTLY IMPACTED.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE
THERE, THOUGH, WERE
DISPLACED BY HELENE.
THEY LOST. THEY LOST
THEIR HOMES ENTIRELY.
HAS THERE BEEN MUCH OF
AN IMPROVEMENT IN IN THE
HOUSING SITUATION? I
KNOW THIS WAS SUCH A
HUGE UNDERTAKING BECAUSE
OF THE SCALE, THE SCOPE
OF HOW MANY HOMES WERE
DESTROYED. THAT'S A
GREAT QUESTION. I THINK
WHAT'S WHAT'S
PROBLEMATIC FOR THIS
AREA IS THAT WE WERE
ALREADY SO EXPERIENCING
SUCH A HOUSING SHORTAGE
BEFORE THE STORM IN THIS
AREA. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE,
HONESTLY, I THINK HAD TO
LEAVE BECAUSE THEY
COULDN'T MAKE IT HERE IN
THE ASHEVILLE AREA. THEY
COULDN'T AFFORD HOUSING,
THEY COULDN'T AFFORD TO
REPLACE THEIR HOMES.
THEY HAD TO LEAVE. I DO
KNOW THAT THERE ARE
STILL PEOPLE THAT ARE
DISPLACED. WE'VE SEEN, I
BELIEVE, AN INCREASE IN
HOMELESSNESS AND PEOPLE
TRYING TO ADDRESS THOSE
NEEDS. YOU KNOW, I HAVE
SEEN PEOPLE COMING
TOGETHER LIKE, HOW ARE
WE GOING TO ADDRESS THE
HOMELESSNESS MORE? AND,
YOU KNOW, I THINK WE
STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO
GO. IAN. YEAH, THAT'S
THE THE HARD ASPECT OF
THIS IS THAT YOU FIND
JOY IN THE PLACES WHERE
THE COMMUNITY IS
BOUNCING BACK. BUT, YOU
KNOW, THERE IS STILL SO
MUCH LOSS, SO MUCH
HARDSHIP THAT THE
COMMUNITY HAS BEEN
THROUGH IN SUCH A LONG
ROAD MOVING FORWARD. AND
THAT'S WHY IT'S
IMPORTANT TO KEEP
TALKING ABOUT THIS, TO
TALK AND TELL THE
IMPORTANT STORIES OF THE
AFTERMATH AND THE
RECOVERY THERE. AND
YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT, A
GREAT RESOURCE FOR U