(Image source from: Santa Fe New Mexican)
Hurricane Florence that affected Carolinas gravely, has as well put umpteen Indian-Americans in pathetic condition.
The surge has swept away the personal property of an Indian-American motel owner's family and it wiped out the investment that three brothers from India had spent years working toward.
"We put all our life savings in there," co-owner Kishor Depani said of himself and his brothers. "We moved to America in 2007. We've been working until last year when we bought this motel. We used to work at a gas station, small jobs - McDonald's and stuff like that - just to save up money so we can start this business."
He said the property in Spring Lake, North Carolina, did not have flood insurance.
"We have regular insurance, but I know for a fact there is no way they are going to cover this," he said. "Hopefully the state government or FEMA can help us."
An Indian-American Depani, 50, moved to the United States along with his brothers in pursuit of finer education possibilities for their children.
Photographs from ahead the storm display the single-story brick motel stretched out parallel to state Highway 87, its sign bearing the words "Starlite" above "motel" in all caps.
The motel built six decades ago sits with its back to the Little River, but the siblings felt it was a harmless investment since Hurricane Matthew's floodwaters in 2016 - some of the worst the area had ever seen - put only a few inches of water on the property.
As Florence approached, Depani sent his family to stay with relatives nearby while he stayed in their apartment on the place to man the business. He was there when the storm hit early September 14.
Flooding predictions became critical, and an evacuation was ordered. Depani went door-to-door telling 40 or so people in the motel's 20 rooms to evacuate. A handful had been renting there for months.
Related content: Florence: Evacuations Go on as North Carolina Rivers Rise
Then he went to Fayetteville to wait out the flooding. He returned September 16 to retrieve some belongings and found only a couple of feet of water. A day or so later, while watching television, his worst fright was realized.
"We saw on the news, from the chopper, that the water was touching the roof," he said. "My mind went blank - could not think, could not function."
On September 19, the waters had receded and Depani went back to survey the scene. Lost were a new refrigerator and dishwasher, television, two laptops, phones, and his father's wheelchair.
Kishor Depani said the three brothers had hoped the motel would be an early piece of a growing collection of businesses they could expand into other cities. They made a down payment of about $100,000 and still owe as much as $500,000 on the mortgage.
-Sowmya Sangam
