Weslaco residents show resilience during recovery efforts
"This street looks like a furniture store," Esparza, 78, said in Spanish.
Furniture is exactly what her four-bedroom house needs. It has sat empty since it flooded with more than 3 feet of water nearly three weeks ago. All that is left are the appliances in a home where all of the doors have been removed and drywall only covers the top third of the walls. Mostly beams are visible, giving the appearance that it's under construction.
The neighborhood she called home for two decades was one of the harder hit areas in
These and many such rebuilding efforts in the area may be eligible for federal funding assistance now that President
Esparza was evacuated from her
Seven miles away, reconstruction has just begun on the Conde's house on
Both retired,
Two workers, who had just finished making repairs to a neighbor's house, spent most of Monday afternoon carrying molding they ripped from the walls earlier in the day to the front yard to lay out in the sun, in a last-ditch attempt to salvage it. Still damp more than two weeks after 14 inches of water flooded the four-bedroom residence, the wood quickly warped in the sun's hot rays, no longer usable.
The couple had purchased flood insurance on
That insurance won't kick in until a few more weeks, and thus won't cover any of the damages the house sustained. They lost their refrigerator, television and clothing in the flooding, in addition to furniture.
Without a fridge for nearly two weeks, a family member is lending them one until they can find funds to purchase a replacement. Daniela had unsuccessfully tried to secure one through an emergency assistance fund she heard about, but all the appliances were given out within hours.
Reyna applied for
This year, they are hopeful for a different outcome.
As Daniela sat watching the workers move molding and drywall outside, she lamented the damages to their beloved piano, which is in need of repair, despite their efforts to raise it on cinder blocks to protect it from the rising waters. The
In the early morning hours of
When asked what she'll do if another storm hits, or worse, a hurricane, Daniela said they'd rebuild again.
"We'll stay here," the
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