Imelda left Satchel Smith as the lone employee at a Homewood Suites in Texas. He smiled and went to work usatoday.com

A phone call to the Homewood Suites in Beaumont, Texas, is answered by a jovial voice.

It\'s surprising, considering the demands that have been placed on the owner of that voice over the last 24-plus hours.

Satchel Smith has been working for more than a day. Mostly by himself. The 21-year-old member of Lamar University\'s track team is the only hotel employee on the clock in the wake of Tropical Depression Imelda, which has flooded roads throughout eastern Texas.