HOUSTON — As Tuesday's strong storms rushed in, high winds ripped away tarps protecting damaged apartments from the storm earlier this month.
Apartments up and down Pitner Road in Spring Branch are in terrible shape. You can still see through some of the walls nearly two weeks later.
Despite the damage, one family told KHOU 11 News they are trying to stay positive.
Just on the other side of a blue tarp, you can see the typical signs of a room meant for youngsters, like posters on the wall, but also waterlogged books in the rubble.
"My bed would be over there in the corner. My sister‘s bed would be right here," Andres Archaga said as he pointed around the room.
Archaga said heavy storms on May 16 ripped through this community. The force took much of their unit at the Summercrest Apartments.
"Just see pieces of wood holes in the tarp, and we can just see the sky from up here," Archaga said.
The family rode out that storm in the restroom, listening as the wind ripped the corner of the unit apart.
Now nearly two weeks later, they are still living in the unit, but have shut the door to the room. Tuesday's latest round of rain sent in water through rips in the tarps, but this family is just powering through.
"You have to have a positive attitude and just get through it," said xx.
In the last week, the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Force Federation volunteers helped roughly 150 homeowners remove downed trees and patch roofs.
"Because with this storm, we know that if you didn’t get tarp up on your roof, it’s way worse than anybody expected," said Jay Malone with the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Force Federation.
For places like Summercrest, the apartment foots the bill. But for your average homeowner, who are often on a fixed income, this latest round may prove to be too much.
"You might not even realize there’s a hole in your roof until it’s too late and it’s gotten into the sheetrock in the drywall and what was potentially a $1,000, $2,000 job suddenly becomes 10 times that. Thirty to $40,000," Malone said.
As for the Archaga's, they've removed most of the debris and will rely on maintenance to do the work.
They have other plans in the meantime.
"We just have to keep our head high," said xx.
The family said they've spoken to FEMA, but any aid could take a while. As for repairs, they've been told it could take three months to a year to get it al fixed.