The swimming pool at Mountain Inn is shown still filled with mud in the week after remnants of Hurricane Helene tore through the region. Debris can also be shown accumulated around the walls of the patio surrounding the pool.Â
The swimming pool at Mountain Inn is shown still filled with mud in the week after remnants of Hurricane Helene tore through the region. Debris can also be shown accumulated around the walls of the patio surrounding the pool.Â
About eight months after flooding from Hurricane Helene shut down Mountain Inn & Suites in Erwin, the local hotel’s doors are open again.
“It was eight months of hard work,†said owner C.P Patel. In addition to some construction workers hired by Patel, a lot of assistance in getting the hotel scrubbed and refurbished came from family members in Boston and Pennsylvania, particularly Patel’s brother and nephew.
The hotel officially reopened just before the recent Memorial Day holiday.
“We are open on the second, third and fourth floors,†he said.
He explained that some work remains to be done on a few of the ground floor rooms. The lobby and 30-person meeting room, however, are open once again.
Patel noted that June marks his 10th years owning the local hotel, which was formerly operated as a Holiday Inn Express.
Patel said his plans include opening the pool again. The pool got flooded with a deep layer of mud and other debris during last year’s catastrophic flooding that destroyed the nearby Unicoi County Hospital, a local radio station, the Riverview Industrial Park and several private residences.
