After Katrina and Wilma, One Family Finds Their Home in Waco

None of us can forget that last week of August 2005, when Hurricane Katrina slammed into the Gulf Coast and changed everything.  Glenda’s story is evocative of so many other stories from that historic - and tragic - stage of events.  A transplant from Nicaragua, Glenda moved to New Orleans in 1979, where she eventually met her husband.  They had their first and only child, Nicole, and had grown to love the people and savor the culture of this one-of-a-kind American city.

Glenda recalls when calls to evacuate went out to residents ahead of the storm.  At first, her family considered riding out the storm or leaving the city for a night; these sort of calls had been issued on occasion.  But by Sunday, August 28, Glenda’s husband suddenly felt differently:  “Maybe at 2 o’clock in the morning, he said ‘it’s time to go’ because our dogs [were acting] afraid.”

The family set out for Houston, but were turned away by officials and re-routed to Mississippi.  Fighting bumper-to-bumper highway traffic for an entire day, they arrived in Mississippi only to find shelter at a local Red Cross.  After a week at the Red Cross, Glenda’s family finally connected with relatives who put them up for two more weeks.

When it became clear that New Orleans had been devastated by the flooding, Glenda and her family decided to drive to Miami, where more family and more resources were available.  Mere weeks after arriving, they were forced to endure the fourth Category 5 Hurricane of the 2005 season, Wilma.  Two weeks without electricity was enough to convince the family that it was time to move away from the coast.  Glenda’s niece, a Waco resident, encouraged them to consider making Central Texas their new home.  They took her advice, and by Thanksgiving 2005 the family had officially become Wacoans.   “After we moved here, my husband and I were much happier...we found a church, and the people were very friendly.”  Tragedy struck one more time, however, when Glenda’s husband passed away in April 2007.

Glenda’s husband had been eager to find a new home for the family after relocating to Waco.  But credit problems repeatedly complicated their efforts until a local realtor suggested that they contact NeighborWorks^® Waco, where Glenda completed an application and began the homebuyer counseling process.  After working with Delisa Burnell-Smith for three months, Glenda qualified for a mortgage that fit their budget and got the “green light” to begin searching for a new home.  Soon they were able to buy a home on Speight Avenue in the Kendrick neighborhood.

“Delisa is my angel,” explains Glenda.  “I tell everyone at my church about NeighborWorks.  This is the best program.”  Glenda’s church also helped the family move into the home, and even helped paint the interior walls.  Glenda and Nicole are also excited that their two dachshunds, the ones who told them it was time to leave New Orleans, now have a large fenced-in back yard to play in -- and this remarkable family can finally call Waco home.