TEMPLE, Texas — Renae Brown has lived in her home in East Temple for 30 years and says she is on the verge of selling it after she's been without power since the May 22 tornado.
The weekend after the tornado hit, Brown says Oncor workers came by her home and she believed they were there to make repairs. But instead, she was left with no power restored and even more damage than before.
"They cut down trees and left debris in my backyard, took my electrical meter, and cut the wires needed to generate power in the house," Brown explained.
Brown said she then reached out to Oncor to understand why her power wasn't restored. After reaching out via email and phone call, Brown says she was ignored and forced to leave her home.
"We've been staying at a nearby shelter and also with my son," Brown explained. "We could not stay in the house. It's way too hot and a lot of our clothes are ruined."
Then while Brown and her daughter were away from their home Friday. May 31, they returned to the home and realized it had been vandalized.
Brown says those vandalizers prowled through their kitchen, her and her daughter's personal belongings, broke their TVs, and kicked holes through a number of the walls in the home.
"I don't even want to go back in there," Brown explained. "I feel violated, it has been so terrible and I don't know what to do. Oncor has not told my anything."
Brown believes this all stems from Oncor not restoring her power as soon as they could. However, an Oncor representative told 6 News there is a step Brown must take before they can restore her power.
6 News contacted Oncor June 3 to address Brown's situation and learn what the hold up has been in getting her power restored.
Oncor Area Manager Ignacio Vazquez said there is a safety hazard preventing them from restoring her power.
"Our Service Tech reported that the customer's weatherhead was damaged during the Temple tornado," Vasquez explained. "This was a fire hazard and the service was disconnected to allow the customer to make repairs.
For more context, a weatherhead protects the electric lines from water.
"Mrs. Renae Brown needs to contact a licensed electrician to make necessary repairs before Oncor can restore her service," Vasquez added. In some cases, a permit from the city will also be required. After the repairs and inspection are completed, the customer can contact Oncor at 888.313.6862 to request a reconnect."
Here is a graphic Oncor provide to better explain what services they provide when restoring power.
If Brown isn't able to find an electrician to make necessary repairs soon, she is looking into selling her home and salvaging what she can from inside.
"I'm hoping that someone will see it in their heart to come over and see if there's anything that they can do to help me in a budget and arrange that I can afford, which is not a whole lot," Brown shared.