After Irene: Looking at the Reconstruction Around Town…

Floodwater filled four cellars in the museum houses of Historic Deerfield, and due to severe flooding of its basement, ground floor and corridors, the Deerfield Inn will remain closed until spring.

“We have received hundreds of emails from people who have stayed with us in the past expressing concern and offering their help,” said Innkeeper Karl Sabo. “It’s absolutely overwhelming.”

Aside from a set of furnaces and boilers, the Historic Deerfield collections remain unscathed. However, Peerless Insurance, the flood insurance company, proposed settlements covering a portion of at least $1.5 million in damage repair and business interruption costs.

The Inn, which is accepting reservations for post-June, will reopen with additional rooms, an upgraded kitchen, more tavern and less dining space, and a multi-use terrace café.

Among other casualties, the flood wiped out the Inn’s ATM. A new machine will be installed near the side entrance of the Inn in less than two weeks.