KOSCIUSKO, MISSISSIPPI, USA, September 16, 2005: Mukund Patel made sure dozens of storm evacuees had food to eat and a roof over their heads. Now, a handful of them are making sure that roof doesn’t leak. Danny Hemphill and Chris Fuller, both of Kiln, and Alfred Briseno of Marrero, La., have been working morning and evening since September 6 to re-roof a section of Campbell Motel that has been leaking. “I had to do something to occupy my mind,” said Hemphill, a roofer for 27 years who heeded the warnings about Hurricane Katrina and came to Kosciusko with his wife and her three daughters before the storm struck. “There are a lot of people stressing … I’m trying not to. My home was destroyed. If it wasn’t for (Patel), I don’t know where we’d be.” Patel has been a beacon in a storm that continued well after the hurricane had passed, the evacuees said.
Debra Kelly told about the mistreatment of her pregnant daughter at a shelter near their home in Roberts, La., then getting price-gouged when gassing up at a convenience store in Collins. “If it was not for Mr. Patel and the Cain family at First Baptist Church, we’d be on the street or in our car,” she said. “They’re like angels from heaven.” All 39 of the available rooms at the motel were filled with people fleeing the storm when it struck and at least 17 were still there this week. The First Baptist shelter shut down this week. “He’s letting us stay here for free while some people are out there double-charging,” said Fuller, whose grandmother, Jewlene Fuller, is buried in Kosciusko.
But the Patels’ hospitality didn’t start there. When the electricity was knocked out on the day of the storm, Patel and his wife Hasu — who were fasting that day in accordance with their Hindu faith — cooked a giant pot of rice pulav to feed all the guests. The next morning, they made coffee for everyone. The day after the storm, Patel gathered the guests together and told them they could stay as long as they needed — just send him a check when they were able. Two days later, after some either went to where their homes had been or got word that their homes were destroyed, Patel announced that everyone could stay for free as long as they needed to. “I told them I will not take any of their money,” he said. “Some of them insisted, but they lost everything … I can’t take their money. “God blessed Kosciusko to not receive much damage, so we’re lucky to serve the people,” said Patel, who retired after 28 years as a “plant doctor” for Mississippi State extension service and bought the motel in November 2001. “God gave us an opportunity to serve and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
But many of the residents insisted on offering their services. Hemphill found out about the leaky roof and went to work on it the first day he could secure a city permit. “Everybody just started working, helping carry up bundles of shingles or whatever they could do,” Patel said. “They all help clean, pick up the garbage …” The group has been like family, said Patel, who sends Christmas cards to his regular customers, many of whom are part of a group that come there regularly when hurricanes threaten the Coast. “They were only prepared to stay for two days,” Patel said, “and usually there’s not much damage.” Katrina devastated the Mississippi coast and New Orleans, doing billions of dollars worth of damage. The death toll will be in the thousands, some officials have said.
Patel said, “God put them on our doorstep,” he said. “We’re honored to help.”