Heavy rains brought mudslide to Westgate

chantalle@theheraldnewspapers.com

Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort was reported to have had a mudslide Tuesday morning in Gatlinburg, forcing a Pennsylvania family out of their cabin.
According to reports, a family had to relocate when the mud came down off the mountain and rushed into the cabin they were staying at.
A Westgate manager said the mudslide came from a construction project where a little bit of the hill came down and made the road muddy during some heavy rains.
Mud was reported to have come through a first floor window into the living room and bedroom, but this could not be confirmed at press time.
Westgate refused to comment on whether or not the resort was still at risk for more mudslides.
According to Eddie Rupard of the Gatlinburg Fire Department, “The department did not receive an emergency call about the slide today.”
Rupard says mudslides in Gatlinburg do not happen very often, but occasionally heavy rains will bring some of the mountainside dirt down in places where it hasn’t been developed.
Westgate Smoky Mountain Resort, a 70 acre timeshare resort, is located at 915 Garden Road, off the Spur in Gatlinburg. It employs over 500 people and spends over $50 million a year in property development.