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MY STORY
My Business Was Wiped Out by an Act of God

Sosie Hublitz owned the Kitchen Table, a restaurant in Richmond. In August, flooding caused by tropical storm Gaston submerged her business in 12 feet of water.

It was so eerie, like looking at the Titanic -- except it was my ship that had sunk. I had spent a year and a half building and decorating the Kitchen Table with one-of-a-kind, art-nouveau touches. Everything inside had floated to the top and then crashed to the floor, which was covered in thick mud.

I lost everything -- the custom-upholstered cushions, the hand-milled mahogany-and-cherry booths and bar, the Viennese mirrors. Yet the insurance policy that cost me $7,000 a year didn't pay out a dime because the freak storm was considered to be an act of God.

The bank didn't require me to carry flood insurance because the flood wall located a block from my restaurant was designed to protect us if the James River overflowed. Unfortunately, it also acted as a retaining wall when 14 inches of rain poured down, and our neighborhood filled up like a swimming pool. Cars and trucks floated down the street.

I'm 44, a single mom with a 4-year-old daughter. I've always worked for myself, but I'm not sure I want to start all over again. The Kitchen Table was a labor of love. I poured my life savings into it, mortgaged my house and borrowed $230,000 to create it.

I had a very successful first year in business. The Kitchen Table was nominated as the best restaurant in Richmond, and won for best restaurant design. I had paid off half my debt. But I still owe more than $100,000, and I have no assets, no savings and no job.

I've put my house up for sale and moved to an apartment with my daughter, Sofia. A week after the flood, I was down to $11 in my wallet, and the gas tank in my van was empty. A friend lent me $2,000 to cover my rent and Sofia's preschool tuition. I met with federal officials to see if I qualified for aid. They're offering loans, not grants. Rebuilding would cost me a quarter of a million dollars. So I'm dead in the water. Now my job is to find a job.

--As told to Mary Beth Franklin