Willis Hudson has seen a lot in his time as a SpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service multi-site operator, dating back to 2008, including intense storms and turbulent hurricane seasons past.
Still, nothing could prepare the Asheville, North Carolina, resident for weathering Hurricane Helene, which devastated the area around one of his franchise locations in September 2024.
A dark moment for the town, however, became a story of selflessness, generosity, and teamwork for Hudson, his family, and the 11 employees at the shop.
On Sept. 26, 2024, a day prior to Helene officially reaching Asheville, heavy rain began to pelt the area.
“We saw then, like, water coming down through from the (nearby) bank parking lot,” Hudson says. “And it was a little muddy with some rocks. We didn't put two and two together then, but we should have.”
Hudson went home for the evening, and after talking things over with his wife, Amber, during dinner, he decided to head out to fill up gas cans to power a small generator just in case things became dire. He came home and went to bed, not knowing what was in store just hours later.
Around 4 a.m., Hudson lost power at his home. He went outside to see what was happening.
“I got up and went and checked outside, and the wind was blowing a little bit,” he says. “From my perspective and what I could see, it didn't look all that bad. All the trees in our yard were still standing. It wasn't raining all that hard.
“I went back to bed until around 6:30, when our dogs woke up and wanted to go out. The wind was blowing a little bit harder then, but I still didn't think a whole lot about it.”
After feeding his pups, Hudson attempted to check cameras installed at his shop, but discovered they were inoperable. He made the decision to close for the day. By midday, Hudson decided to drive to the shop to assess the property, but a mile into his trip, waters from a nearby culvert that typically sits 10 to 15 feet below the road were now making the road impassable. Later in the day, he attempted to make the trek with a utility vehicle, but could only get so far before running into more washed-out roads.
With no power and cell phone service now out as well, Hudson and his family had limited information to go on in Helene’s immediate aftermath.
“We went to bed Friday night not knowing half of what was going on in the county,” Hudson says. “We knew there was some flooding. We knew there's some trees down … (but) we didn't know how the shop was.”
Surveying the Damage
It wasn’t until the afternoon of Sept. 29—two days after Helene tore through the region—that Hudson was able to get to his shop, where he found mud filling the parking lot and running right up to the garage doors. The SpeeDee location avoided the worst—the shop building itself remained intact—but the surrounding area was filled with mud that had slid down from nearby railroad tracks, and Hudson’s SpeeDee-branded trailer had been crushed by a tree limb.
Hudson connected with an excavator who was able to start digging out the mud, and, despite not having power, a multi-day cleanup process was underway.
Using his generator for power, water from a nearby creek, and an assist from his grandson, Hudson spent much of the next two days power washing the facility. By Oct. 2, enough progress was made that Hudson was able to leave town briefly for a large FullSpeed Automotive marketing meeting in Charlotte. Once there, the full scope of the hurricane became evident, as he was able to watch news broadcasts and get back online.
“The destruction was unbelievable,” Hudson says.
At the FullSpeed meeting, Hudson asked a fellow franchisee for a ride to a dealership where he could buy a replacement for his trailer that was destroyed.
“He was like, ‘Man, I'm not gonna take you over there to get a trailer. You can take my trailer,’” Hudson says. “And I said, ‘I really appreciate that, but I don't know when I'm going to be able to get it back to you. I'm gonna need my own trailer anyways, so, I just would like really would like to go buy one.’ And he's like, ‘Well, I don't really need one. It's sitting in our way. So, just take mine, and you can have it.’”
Hudson offered to buy the trailer, but his colleague refused to take any money for it. With the blessing of their district manager, the trailer was delivered to the hotel where Hudson was staying in Charlotte.
Road to Recovery
At the meeting, Hudson was provided with $1,000 in gift cards by the company. Other franchisees also made monetary donations.
Hudson and his wife used the gift cards to buy water, non-perishable foods, and other basic supplies in Charlotte because stores back home remained shut down. The food and supplies, along with the donated money, were loaded into their new trailer.
Back at home, Hudson’s shop opened briefly on Oct. 4 before fully reopening the following day. Also by this time, cell phone service in the area had started to be restored, and Hudson was able to contact his staff to tell them he was coming back to town with a trailer packed with food and necessities.
“I was able to get in touch with everybody and tell them I've got supplies that I’m bringing to the shop. Whatever you need, come and get it. If you can’t get here, let me know, and I'll try to get it to you,” he says.
Hudson notes the selflessness of his employees, taking only what they needed to cover a couple days while trying to leave more supplies for those in greater need.
“They said we would rather give it to other people that need it worse than we do, which was unbelievable to me that my guys were that selfless,” Hudson says.
Hudson also paid his employees in full for the week their shop was closed.
Looking Back
Nine months later, Hudson says the region is still recovering. Trailer homes that had been washed out by the storm remain. Stacks of debris await pickup.
Hudson says that while the car count at his shop is down, business overall is slightly up, surprisingly.
“We’re fortunate, and we're very thankful,” Hudson says. “Of course, we want to be busier, but we are extremely fortunate that we are where we are and we have the sales that we have and we're doing as good as we are.”
Asked what he learned from the experience of recovering from a natural disaster, Hudson admits it’s difficult to prepare. If you’re a shop owner in a coastal area, Hudson says, consider having full sandbags at the ready to put in front of bay doors and walk-in doors.
“Have some water, have some gasoline for a generator if you have it, and make sure your vehicles are full of gas,” he recommends. “Keep cash on hand, because when the power goes out and it's out for days, you’re not buying anything with a credit card. That was one important lesson for us.”
