When dozens of people were recently trapped inside of a Texas hotel amidst torrential flooding, a 21-year-old employee was hailed as their hero.
Satchel Smith usually manages the front desk at the Homewood Suites in Beaumont. After his dad dropped him off for work on September 18th, 2019, he expected to work his regular eight-hour shift before heading home later that evening.
That was only until Tropical Storm Imelda rolled through the area and flooded many of the local roads and highways.
Smith was the only employee that was managing the hotel with ninety guests trapped inside—and he rose to this challenge with incredible grace and gusto.
Angela Chandler, one of the guests who were staying at the hotel under Smith’s care, took a picture of the college student and published it to Facebook so she could praise him for his work.
For 36 hours, Smith was the hotel’s manager, maintenance man, front desk attendant, and kitchen crew. Thankfully, he was not utterly alone in his work; several guests banded together to help him serve the meals and wash the dishes too—which he was really grateful for since the college student admits that he’s not a very good cook.
Other guests volunteered to help Smith brave the downpour and bring food and water to the truckers stranded nearby.
After his co-worker arrived, Smith managed to take a quick nap before going back to work and he then waited for his family to pick him up.
The #flooding is getting worse in #houston pic.twitter.com/693QXLaXGX
— Marc Longoria (@MarcLongoria) September 19, 2019
The towed car made it. Ironic#houston #flooding #Imelda pic.twitter.com/v2FYEGsnXh
— Marc Longoria (@MarcLongoria) September 19, 2019
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