San Eli family left without a roof due to Tuesday’s winds

Tuesday’s strong winds left one San Elizario family without a roof.

“I started to hear the banging and then I noticed the roof. It was already on the outside,” said Maria Olvera.

Olvera cares for her three grandchildren inside her mobile home. She said around 11 Tuesday morning, she heard what she called a frightful noise, starling her and her family.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God,'” said Olvera about the noise. “The door kept banging…It was pretty bad. The whole trailer was shaking pretty bad. I thought it was going to turn over.”

All that is left is a layer of plastic covering to protect the inside of her home from debris and the elements.

For now, I have nowhere to go,” said Olvera. She said she and the grandchildren would just stay in the safe side of the house.

“I have no way of fixing it. Economically, I’m not able to fix it right now…..I feel almost homeless.”

As for the grandchildren, Olvera said they don’t say much. “This is the only place they have as a home, so they just deal with it.”

A longtime friend of Olvera, Juan Moreno, tried doing what he could. He said he tied a strap to the roof, but that did nothing.

He then tried calling several roofing companies Tuesday to see if any would be willing to help.

“One company is willing to come in the morning at 8 and see what they can assist with,” said Moreno. “They didn’t promise anything, but they’re willing to come out and see what they can do.”

In the meantime, Moreno said he will try and have the family stay with him, and begin looking at other options.

So, get them to my house, or look into other options.