INGRAM, Texas – It could take months to rebuild what was destroyed in moments during the deadly July 4 floods in the Hill Country.
One month after the disaster, homeowners said the destruction is becoming clearer.
“It’s truly hard to start over,” Brenda Trolinger said.
Trolinger and her husband’s Ingram home sustained serious damage from the floods. She and her husband, Mike Trolinger, told KSAT that reality is settling in: it will take a long time before home will be home again.
The Trolingers were home as the waters rose in the early morning hours of July 4. They were able to get out just in time.
Once they returned, they found mud covering every surface of the home.
Luckily, crew members and volunteers helped clear the mud out. Now, the real work begins.
Everything — the foundation, sheetrock, cabinetry and flooring — needs to be replaced.
Local contracting company Kerrville Design Build is helping the Trolingers rebuild. Owners Joel Dooley and Katy Culver received supplies and monetary donations to help the Trolingers and other flood victims through the process.
“If we get to a point where something’s not donated, we have an allotted amount of funds that we can draw from to help. ... Our goal is no cost to the customer,” Culver said.
As a bonus, Culver and Dooley are also employing local tradesmen to make sure they have steady, consistent work. They said it could take three to six months to repair the Trolinger home.
Both said they take their flood-related projects to heart. Since Kerrville Design Build is a local business, their customers are neighbors.
Culver and Dooley want to make sure no one takes advantage of any flood victims.
“When (disasters) like this happen, people start (coming in) from all over ... to take advantage of the work,” Dooley said. “With that brings some shady people that are out to rip people off. I’ve heard a lot of horror stories.”
The Trolingers said they are grateful for the support.
“We have to be strong again,” Brenda Trolinger said. “We have each other.”
She said she hopes to be back in her home by Thanksgiving, when she can host her family again.
“It’ll be OK if we’re not ... we’re here and I’m grateful,” Brenda Trolinger said.
She also told KSAT she plans to help fellow displaced flood victims clean out their homes, once their properties are livable again.
“I want to get out there and help others. ... We’re not the only ones that suffered,” Brenda Trolinger said.
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