TEMPLE, Texas — Renae Brown and her two daughters have struggled over the last two weeks as their power had been out since a tornado hit Temple on May 22.
"We stayed at a nearby shelter and also with my son," Brown explained. "We could not stay in the house. It's way too hot, smelled sour and our things were ruined."
When Brown and her daughter returned to their home after being away on Friday, May 31, they discovered it had been vandalized.
"I felt like a target," Brown said. "My daughter had to graduate from high school with no lights, no power and no clothes."
Brown said she felt unseen and unheard from the community, but after calling 6 News for a 6 Fix, everything changed.
"When you all came and did the story, all of a sudden, we just started getting help from everywhere." Brown shared.
Not even 10 minutes after our initial story on Brown's situation aired on Monday, June 3, Amos Electric Supply called 6 News and said they would fix Brown's weather head, a pipe that protects wires from water and that needed to be fixed before Oncor came to restore power.
"I heard the part about her being without power for two weeks and then also being vandalized at the same time," Amos Electric Residential Superintendent Kenny Molina explained. "We repair a lot of services so it's pretty much just an instinct."
In an hour, the job was done. Amos Electric also expedited the process of getting the city inspection done and Oncor back out to restore power.
"We try to make people without power priority," Molina added.
Brown's power was restored June 4, but the real work began inside her home.
Because of the vandals, Brown said her carpet was soiled, the kitchen was prowled through, her TVs were broken and her walls were kicked through.
A group of active duty military volunteers got word of what Brown was dealing with and visited her home on June 4 to help where they could.
"Fort Cavazos, it's more than just a military base, we're a giant community and were here to help out at any time," U.S. Army soldier Ethan Hoit told 6 News.
Volunteer coordinator Britnia Weicht came all the way from Jarrell to help storm victims and helped organize when and where soldiers would be all across Central Texas. She and other soldiers even paid out of pocket for the family to stay in a hotel until their home was livable again.
"One of my main guys put money out of his own pocket to help pay for food and groceries for the family so they'd have immediate food as well," Weicht added.
Brown said she didn't know community still existed in the world, but after receiving so much support from the community, she is more than sure that it does now.
"We're now on the road to recovery to try and get our lives back," Brown said. "There's good people out there that are willing to come and help lend a hand where they can and we thank them so much."
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