YARMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - A year has passed since three tornadoes ravaged Cape Cod and strong winds peeled the roof off of a West Yarmouth motel.
Bobby Khan, the owner of the Cape Sands Inn, said even though all this time has passed, his business is still trying to recover.
“It was completely a nightmare,” he said. “The burden of all the expenses that I had because the mortgage didn’t stop, my expenses, my electric bill didn’t stop. But I couldn’t make any revenue last year.”
Startling video from the day shows the roof come clean off the building. Amazingly, no one staying in the inn was injured.
Khan said that the roof has since been fixed but repair work is still underway. He has only been able to reopen about half the hotel to guests.
“My mortgage is very big,” he said. “So I don’t know by the end of the year I will be able to collect enough money to pay the mortgage because I’m running only half of the motel.”
Khan has been able to get by so far thanks to the loyalty of his customers and the generosity of friends and family.
“Some of our repeated guests they came back just to support us and I really thank to them they are great, they’ve been very, very fantastic,” he said.
Although he admitted the pandemic has been tough on local businesses, Khan said he considers the aftermath of a tornado to be more of a financial setback.
“So coronavirus I’m not afraid of that,” he said. “I’m afraid of the tornado. I don’t’ have the property to rent it out. That’s the problem.”
In spite of everything, the motel owner said he feels confident the problem will be solved in time.
“I’m not losing hope. I’m not losing hope,” he said. “I mean I survived the tornado so hopefully I can survive the rest of the remaining effect.”
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