Joe Morales is devastated to see his childhood home is in disrepair. The family said local police had condemned the home, which was in danger of collapsing.
SAN ANTONIO — Heartbreaking photos emerge from Uvalde following Friday night’s severe weather.
Straight winds blowing at 70 to 80 miles per hour threw a tree down on a house on West Garden Street on Friday.
The weather was so severe that it tore down the house’s porch, which is now in the front yard.
Now homeowner Joe Morales is looking for a place to stay for himself and his family. Morales says he’s grateful everyone escaped unharmed.
“I just can’t help or anything, I’m just looking at what the damage has done,” Morales said in a phone interview on Sunday.
He gets emotional when he sees that his childhood home is so dilapidated.
“It’s devastating, ma’am.”
Morales lives in the house with his girlfriend.
He says the two arrived home about ten minutes before the storm hit Friday night. Morales recalls the howling winds around 10:45 p.m
“Then I saw debris fly into the side of my house,” he recalled. “The next thing you know my girlfriend came outside screaming that the roof had fallen in and I didn’t know why. Then when I went in, I saw this tree.”
A neighbor’s tree almost split his house in half. Morales, a double amputee who uses a wheelchair, was on the back porch at the time. Inside were his girlfriend, her daughter and grandchildren.
“The roof collapsed on them, but she got her kids out of there just in time,” Morales said. “It was all dusty. She couldn’t see anything there because of all the debris. If I had been lying on my side of the bed I would have been crushed.”
Morales’ daughter Kaitlin tells KENS 5 that FEMA can’t help the family unless Uvalde County issues a disaster declaration. The family informed us that the local police had demolished the house and the entire building could collapse at any moment.
“We are all lucky to be alive. That’s the more important thing,” Morales said.
Meanwhile, Morales is staying with his son. His children volunteer wherever they can to help him get ahead.
The family started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Morales.
The American Red Cross helps the family with belongings.
We asked Morales if he was able to salvage anything from the house after the storm.
“The few clothes I had left,” he replied. “But that’s it… I just need to find another place for myself.”
As of Sunday night, the National Weather Service has not yet confirmed a tornado in Uvalde on Friday night, according to KENS 5 meteorologist Ryan Shoptaugh.
I want to give Tres a big shout out!!! Driving into town last night after driving through the storm, I saw someone…
Posted by Steven Garcia on Saturday June 3, 2023
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