The Patels said their grandparents came from India in the early 1990s with nothing and were able to become owners of the motel. Their family business is now in shambles.
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The possible tornado ripped the roof clear off the Skyline motel. They were nearly despondent Wednesday night, and now in the light of day Thursday surveyed what was left of the family's legacy.
"I can't believe it, man. It just flew away," said Rajan Patel. "It still doesn't seem real."
According to the National Weather Service, a possible EF-1 tornado with winds near 110 miles per hour tracked nine miles from Burr Ridge to near Stickney, sheering the roof off the Skyline, downing power lines and damaging homes and businesses.
Some residents spent Thursday trying to salvage what they could in the shambles left behind.
"After we're done surveying the rest of it we're gonna contact the governor's office and try and get him to declare it a disaster," said McCook Mayor Terrance Carr. "Definitely a tornado did touch down in town last night."
Skyline owner Brian Patel walked through the wreckage of his family business, and said its future is in jeopardy.
"When I first hear, my heart just sank and I couldn't sleep all night," he said. "Everything is kind of in limbo right now."
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But he does hope to rebuild.
"This is where everything got started and I don't want it to end this way," he said.
His nephew Rajan also hopes to continue the family's American Dream
"We gotta work to preserve their legacy, gotta keep building on top of what they built so that my future generation can also have something to stand for," he said.
The Patels are still waiting to hear from their insurance before they take the next step.
Thankfully no one was injured at the motel even though multiple residents were there at the time. The only injury reported in McCook was the driver of a semi that was blown over during the storm, and he is expected to be OK.