There is a light at the end of the tunnel for several people in Gregory. In the next few months, four families whose homes were destroyed by Hurricane Harvey will have new homes. Thanks to the efforts of the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group and their private donors. When hurricane Harvey hit, strong winds tore parts of Angie and Alfredo Flores mobile home in Gregory, TX.
“The doors blew open,” says Angie Flores.
"Yeah the doors, broken windows and stuff,” says Alfredo Flores. “A little mold, here, a little mold there.”
The place they have called home for nearly 40 years.
"I had a lot of stuff that my kids built when they were in school,” says Flores.
While the disaster broke their hearts, it did not break their spirits.
"Grandpa, your home’s still standing… Oh that’s good,” says Flores. “It’s okay, it’s okay, I’ll put it together somehow.”
Alfredo Flores who is disabled fixed what he could while on a fixed income. For months they called different organizations for assistance with no luck.
"We’d call again, we’d get no answer, but they did and here we are,” says Flores.
Until the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group found them.
"Gregory had restrictions that didn’t allow new mobile homes to be placed," says CBDRG President Rev. Beth Tatum.
Their case manager Rochelle Jones went before the city council three times, finally getting approval to provide four families including the Flores with brand new manufactured homes.
“Get them back into a home that’s safe, sanitary and secure,” says Rev. Tatum.
The homes will be windproof, slightly larger and wider than mobile homes.
"These are the type of folks that want everyone else to get help first,” says Rev. Tatum.
The couple says they are looking forward to creating new memories and bringing along their old.
“All the memories we’re going to try to put them back in there,” says Flores.
While the recovery process in the Coastal Bend continues.
“The devastation to our community is so life-changing, and sometimes it seems hopeless,” says Rev. Tatum.
The Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group will continue helping.
“One family at a time, assist them, put them into a new normal,” says Rev. Tatum.
At the moment there is no timeline as to when the new homes will arrive. The organization needs to do electrical work, site prep, and demolish the current homes.
The CBDRG encourages anyone in need of assistance to dial 211. There are case managers ready to help.
