A year ago, had you stood in front of Mountain Inn and Suites on the outskirts of Erwin, Tenn., to your left you would have seen four or five small businesses and some storage units, flanked by a Baptist church. To your right would be a Mexican restaurant, Panchos & Amigos, joined to a convenience store and gas station. Approximately 200 yards behind them you’d have seen the hospital, opened less than five years earlier.

Stand in that same spot today, and you’ll see that the small businesses have vanished.

On Sept. 27, 2024, Hurricane Helene smashed them up or swept them down swollen creeks and the Nolichucky River, which had flooded its banks. The church was heavily damaged, but is now finally holding worship services again. Mountain Inn & Suites was left with six inches of mud in its f

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