One Year Later: A Local Roofer Reflects on Hurricane Helene and Asheville’s Resilience
One year ago, Hurricane Helene devastated Asheville and communities across Western North Carolina. The storm’s strong winds and catastrophic flooding damaged homes, uprooted families, and changed neighborhoods across Buncombe County forever. The recovery process has been long and difficult. But it’s also been a story of resilience, neighbors helping one another, and local companies pitching in to help rebuild.
Our team was there. As homeowners and members of the community, our staff experienced Helene’s impacts firsthand. In the year that’s followed, our local Asheville team has worked to restore roofs, siding, and gutters across the region. The experience also motivated us to create a dedicated storm center on our site to help homeowners navigate the cleanup and repair process, prepare for future storms, and avoid the roofing scams that follow bad weather. It also made us rethink our internal processes so we get to customers quicker, move teams faster, and respond better in times of need.
To look back on this year of rebuilding, we spoke with Ian Edwards, one of our Exterior Consultants in the Asheville office. Ian shares his own experiences from a year ago, including some of the challenges he faced personally. He also talks through some of the ways Baker supported its customers and community every step of the way.
Looking back one year after Hurricane Helene, how would you describe the impact the storm had on Asheville homeowners and on your business here?
The impact on homeowners in the area has been immeasurable. “Catastrophic” doesn’t begin to describe the damage that we’ve seen in all areas of the region. Obviously, some areas and neighborhoods were hit harder than others, but the extensive damage is beyond comparison to anything that has previously taken place in this area.
Because we’ve been established here and have had relationships for many years with many homeowners and businesses in the area, we’ve been able to respond quickly to our clientele and also referrals.
That was the immediate aftereffect. Generally speaking, we’ve been fortunate to be in the position of helping many folks out that needed our services.
What types of repairs and rebuilding projects has your team handled most frequently since the storm, and what has that volume of work looked like?
Mostly, we’ve been handling re-roofs, gutter jobs, and siding repairs. The most common situation we’ve responded to has been a tree fall on a roof. Of course it’s also damaging to the gutters and often the siding, especially the fascia and the soffit, and in some cases the structural part of the roof. So we’ve been able to repair all of those except for the structural damage, which we partner with a general contractor here and coordinate with them so that no time is lost.
The volume has been massive. Despite bringing crews from other locations, we’ve maintained a months-long lead time because we are so in demand.
Can you share a success story or memorable homeowner experience where your team made a big difference in helping someone recover?
I think the biggest story that comes to my mind is our project managers and operations team that were able to get tarps on roofs days after the storm hit. They really took charge, wasted no time, and put others ahead of themselves in order to be helpful.
How has Baker Home Exteriors worked with the local community—neighbors, other businesses, or organizations—throughout the recovery process?
There have been a couple of things that we’ve done: First, the Baker team in Raleigh sent up a trailer full of supplies to our office in Mills River. I also put out the call personally to my friends and family that I would be coming back to the area after evacuating my family and delivered a truckload of supplies to our local shelter in our neighborhood.
We were mainly focusing on our wheelhouse, which is fixing roofs and homes and protecting families in the best way we can. There was so much damage, and fortunately, a lot of other organizations were helpful. We were on the front lines of helping the homeowners take care of what they needed immediately. We still are.
What have been the biggest challenges for your team during the recovery effort, and how have you overcome them?
Two things come to mind: It’s been hard to realize that our capabilities can only go so far. We’ve come across homes and people, neighbors and families that have lost so much more than we can help with as a business. Obviously, we can be very helpful when it comes to roofing, gutters, and siding. But a lot of people lost much more than that. Sometimes I wish that I could do more.
Again, I have to emphasize the widespread destruction that we’re seeing on a home-to-home basis, but also throughout the region and within our cities and towns. This is still the case currently. I can drive a few blocks from my house, and there are bridges out, businesses destroyed, and homes that still need repair.
The second thing that comes to mind is my personal experience evacuating my family. I have two sons, and they were 3.5 years and 2 months old at the time of the storm. We needed to get them out of the region and into safety. Our home was without power for three weeks and without potable water for 54 days. We didn’t have any water whatsoever for 2.5 weeks.
During that time, I left my family and my in-laws in Georgia and came back. I was working out of my home with a generator supplied by Baker so that I could power a lamp and my laptop. But there was no WiFi, of course, and very little cell service. It was a bit challenging to get quotes out to people and take care of myself at the same time, but we were all in it together.
In terms of overcoming these challenges, I’ll say that I felt extremely grateful to have the support of my friends and family outside of the area and, of course, of Baker as a company.
Now that the region is moving forward, how is Baker Home Exteriors continuing to support Asheville homeowners long-term?
I feel that when Baker Home Exteriors works on a home or does a service for the community, that’s a home and a family that doesn’t have to worry about their roof, gutters, or siding. They can focus on the things that matter. And that’s coming from a company that’s been around a very long time and will continue to be around a very long time.
Baker’s Lasting Commitment to Asheville
The Asheville region continues to feel the effects of Hurricane Helene, from damaged infrastructure to homes in need of repairs. Baker Home Exteriors remains a part of the community, partnering with families to restore their homes, offering expertise when it is needed, and standing side by side with neighbors during the toughest times.
For everyone on our team, repairing roofs, restoring siding, and rebuilding gutter systems is more than just a job. It means providing families with peace of mind so they can focus on what matters most. We were here before Helene, we were here through the storm, and we’ll continue to be here for years to come.
Featured Baker Roofer
Ian Edwards is a Residential Consultant with Baker Home Exteriors in Asheville. Ian draws on his background in project management and residential construction to help homeowners navigate their exterior renovation decisions. Known for his compassionate approach, Ian takes pride in listening closely to clients, designing solutions tailored to their needs, and ensuring peace of mind throughout every project. Outside work, he loves exploring Asheville’s trails, live music, and local food scene with family.
Interviewed by Thomas Noel
Based in Charlotte, North Carolina, Thomas Noel is a writer with more than 10 years of experience writing and editing content that helps homeowners make smart, confident decisions. He previously managed a home design site and has written about everything from eco-friendly home upgrades and smart-home products to heating and cooling solutions like HVAC systems and furnaces. He brings a practical eye and hands-on knowledge to every home improvement story he tells.