It was a chaotic morning for guests staying at the Holiday Inn Express on Waterchase Drive.
Many of them trudged through muddy floodwater in the hallway. Those on the first floor found it in their rooms.
"When I was in my room, I heard people in the hallway screaming pretty much," said Rael Ferguson of Berlin.
Floodwaters also inundated the hotel lobby, pool and parking lot, causing significant damage to cars.
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"You can see the line, but it was actually much higher. And at that point, my car had been raised, and that's how it got slanted because it started floating," Ferguson said.
The water level was so high that first responders said they were having trouble as well.
"We initially couldn't get apparatus to the hotel because of four feet of water about where we're standing," said Rocky Hill's Fire Chief Michael Garrahy.
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Garrahy said the flooding affected surrounding areas, including an office and restaurant parking lot. Garrahy said some cars were underwater, prompting him to deploy an inflatable boat in case anyone was in their car.
"I don't recall putting a boat in the parking lot in the past, so this was probably the first time we did that," Garrahy said.
He said one person was evaluated for injuries. No one else was hurt. At least two dozen cars were damaged in the storm.
One of the hotel owners, Prashant Bhatt, is calling on the town once again to improve storm drainage near his hotel since its right next to a creek. He's estimating $200,000 worth of damage.
"This is the second time in four years this has happened to us, and it's disappointing," Bhatt said.
NBC Connecticut reached out to the Department of Public Works. Director Stephen Sopelak said he understands flooding is an issue in the area and was not equipped to handle all the rain in a short period of time.
He said he'll be taking steps to address this problem.
