ASHEVILLE, N.C. — Six months ago, Helene changed the lives of so many living in western North Carolina forever. The storm killed more than 100 North Carolinians while washing away hundreds of buildings and businesses.
The Moxy Hotel in Asheville is celebrating the grand reopening of its rooftop restaurant, Wildwood Still, but it took nearly six months to get here.
The community has leaned on each other for help during these tough times, including the owners of a brand new hotel that opened months before Helene hit. Channel 9′s Erika Jackson gave us a closer look at their road to recovery.
“Hurricane Helene couldn’t have hit at a worse time. We were going into our peak season here in Asheville,” said Dexter Hazel, the Moxy’s general manager.
The hotel and restaurant opened just weeks before Helene ravaged western N.C, making many buildings uninhabitable. But Hazel said the Moxy had one vital resource that other businesses didn’t: electricity.
“There was a handful of associates that did stay with us because they didn’t have anywhere to go,” Hazel said.
He said those workers and even first responders used the brand new guest rooms to recharge their bodies. And people from all over the area used the hotel’s outlets to recharge their phones.
“We had power, we had internet the whole time, but we did not have running water,” Hazel said.
Hazel and his team waited for Asheville to bounce back before reopening the hotel in October, and Wildwood Still last month. He said occupancy numbers are going up as western N.C. rebuilds.
“These businesses and restaurants and hotels, we’re open for business. And we are just excited to bring Asheville back to what it used to be,” Hazel said.
Governor Josh Stein said even through the devastation, hope remains for a better day.
“We know that western N.C. has so much work to do, but there have been moments of progress,” Stein said, marking the six-month milestone this week.
WATCH BELOW: ‘We need help’: Western N.C. family struggles to rebuild months after Helene
©2025 Cox Media Group
