Residents Brace For Severe Weather As They Continue Storm Repairs
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WYLIE (CBSDFW.COM) - With hail – up to baseball-size in some areas – in the forecast today, Wylie homeowners are worried severe weather is about to hit their area for a third time this spring.
There was such an abundance of damage to homes in the area two weeks ago that there's barely been time to make the necessary repairs and residents are concerned their property won't be able to take the brunt of another round of storms.
Adding to the "things to do list" students and employees of the Wylie Independent School District will have to spend an extra day in classes. The Texas Commissioner of Education denied a request from the district to excuse the missed school day following the severe hailstorm on April 11. The denial cited the fact that Gov. Greg Abbott did not declare the City of Wylie a disaster area.
The school district will make up the day of missed classes on June 2. Officials are looking into options for an appeal. "We want our kids to be in school, but we also want to make sure that they know we're going to do the things to protect them and take those days," said Ian Halperin with the Wylie ISD. "We would hate for another district to make the wrong decision because they're worried about not having a makeup day. I think that's something the state needs to consider. What message does it send to other districts when they have bad weather?"
Current storm damage in Wylie ranges from cracked windows and broken skylights to roofs completely destroyed. At this point, some homeowners are grappling with this question: Do I rush to make repairs or just wait to be hit again?
About 10 percent of the roofs in one neighborhood have already been replaced and roofers are working from dawn until dusk. One homeowner said there were 400 holes in his roof – bigger than the size of his fist. Now, workers are racing against time, trying to patch up holes ahead of more potential hail.
Birmingham Elementary School was hit especially hard by the April 11 storm. Repairs are still underway on top of the campus, and emergency preparations have been made in anticipation of more severe weather today. Officials have identified 82 HVAC units that will need to be replaced, and that number could double.
Regardless of the impact of another hailstorm, each rain shower brings a new round of leaks for homeowners still waiting to make repairs. Contractor Mike Jansen explained, "Every single house in this neighborhood has leaked after the hailstorm... after contractors came up and put tarps up."
People have done all they can do to protect their properties and must just watch and wait. "I've already been charged two deductibles and I simply can't afford a third deductible," homeowner Shirley Jones said, adding, "I plan to put my car in the garage, close the doors, hide in the closet and pray a lot."
As it stands, the CBS 11 Weather Authority has possible hail in the forecast and, in some areas, it could be as big as the softball-sized hail that fell on April 11.
Wylie Mayor Eric Hogue says 80 percent of homes in the city – roughly 12,000 – were damaged on April 11. If the area were hit by another round of severe weather today, it would be the third time since March.
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