Storm damage leaves Belton residents without much help
To view our videos, you need to
enable JavaScript. Learn how.
install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now.
Then come back here and refresh the page.
For Belton residents like Seneada Gracia and her family, rainfall and flooding brought by Tropical Storm Hermine showed little mercy.
"We lost everything, it's got mud about I guess 5 to 10 inches. It was just total loss," Garcia said.
In Garcia’s neighborhood, rescuers could only reach residents by boat, and uprooted trees are a testament to what kind of force and damage this week’s storm incurred.
The Heart of Texas Area Red Cross announced it will be opening up a shelter at the Church of Christ in Belton. The Red Cross said its role is primarily in initial response, although they can help affected residents with long-term planning. For more information about how you can help, visit Waco.RedCross.org.
Victims in need of help in the area can also call the Red Cross at (888) 776-9226.
Even though the water receded Thursday, it left a smell in Shirley Smith's home that makes it seem near impossible for the family to move back in.
For Smith and her neighbors, a helping hand is not as abundant as the mud.
"I haven't seen anyone come over here except Belton police handing out coupons for us to eat, which is McDonalds," Harry Smith said.
Vickie Walker's elderly parents' home is covered in mud and given that they are already dealing with medical concerns and don't have insurance, they desperately need long-term help.
"First Baptist Church put them up in a hotel for one night. That's it. That is all the help they have gotten," Walker said.
While the whole neighborhood may have made it out with their lives, they say now, they don't have much else.