San Eli Family looking for help after wind damages home’s roof
After intense wind gusts tore the roof off a grandmother’s home in San Elizario Tuesday morning her friends and family are asking the community for help.
Maria Olvera and her three grand children stayed with her longtime friend Juan Moreno at his home in Horizon City last night.
“I think it was safer that way,” said Olvera.” I didn’t know how the wind was going be today, so I didn’t want to risk it.”
Olvera said her grandchildren, ages 13, 11 and 5, were especially scared that “creatures were going to crawl” into their rooms through cracks in the roof. She said she reassured them the think later of plastic would reassure them.
Moreno said out of the many phone calls he made to roofing companies, Trejo Roofing was the only one to respond.
“They will be coming in later on during the day today and evaluate the roof, see what it is that they can exactly help us with,” said Moreno, whose primary concern is the welfare of the three children.
“The main damage is right above their bedrooms, they need to be protected,”said Moreno.
Olvera and Moreno also reached out to the nonprofit organization Adults and Youth United Development Association Inc., more commonly known as AYUDA.
Nadia Figueroa, program coordinator at AYUDA, said their resources to help are limited.
“We don’t have an emergency fund, so we aren’t able to help her now,” said Figueroa.
She said AYUDA has a program in which they demolish and rebuild homes, but it’s a lengthy process made more complicated by city ordinances in San Elizario.
“No more mobile homes are accepted in this area,” said Figueroa.
Olvera said a social worker reached out to her to offer help, but she is waiting to hear back.
In the mean time, Moreno said he remains optimistic about the community outreach Olvera has received thus far.
“Hopefully we can get something going to where maybe the community can help them get a roof over their heads,” said Moreno.
If you would like to donate to Maria Olvera, a Go Fund Me account has been set up to help cover the costs of a new roof.
