City of Asheville Celebrates Return to Safe Water Supply

City of Asheville Celebrates Return to Safe Water Supply

Hey, Asheville! It looks like things are finally taking a turn for the better, and there’s some great news to brighten your day. After a long period of uncertainty and recovery following Hurricane Helene, the city’s beloved Mission Hospital is officially back on municipal water. That means the water tanks, which have been a common sight around the health facilities for the past two months, can now be retired!

Water Boil Advisory Lifted

This week, the city lifted the boil water advisory, allowing Mission Health to transition back to the regular water supply. It’s been quite a journey, but the hospital and its associated facilities conducted thorough testing of the municipal water. The results showed that the water is indeed potable, which is fantastic news for everyone involved!

For the past ten weeks, Mission Hospital had to rely on water delivered by tanker trucks, as well as water from wells that were drilled in response to the crisis. Now, with all those tankers moving off campus, we’re starting to see the last physical reminders of the hurricane’s impact fade away.

A Grateful Community

Greg Lowe, the Chief Executive Officer of Mission Health, expressed how thankful the team is. “Considering how we have been able to consistently serve our communities through the last 10 weeks makes me incredibly grateful to be part of this team. Without HCA Healthcare’s support and ability to deliver under immense pressure, our facilities couldn’t have remained open,” he shared.

It’s comforting to know that even in the face of disaster, our local healthcare providers have been tireless in their efforts to serve our community. Here’s a look at just some of the amazing things that have taken place over the last couple of months:

• Pumped and pressurized over 200,000 gallons of water daily for the hospital operations
• Drilled two wells to supply water to important systems, allowing crucial surgeries to continue
• Treated over 500 emergency care patients in the early hours following the storm
• Created a special care site for oxygen-dependent patients to get new tanks or power their medical devices
• Distributed more than 37,000 gallons of gas to staff, as well as two generators

Looking Ahead

While this is great news, it’s clear that the recovery journey continues for Asheville and the surrounding areas. The citizens of our lovely city have shown such resilience in the wake of Hurricane Helene. HCA Healthcare stands ready to assist in the ongoing recovery, making sure to support their colleagues and contribute to charitable organizations that help further these efforts.

The incredible people at Mission Health want you to know you’re not alone in this recovery process. We’re all in this together as a community, and there is hope on the horizon. So as we move forward, let’s celebrate this significant milestone and remain optimistic about the future!

Stay tuned for more updates, Asheville! Together we’ll get through this.