1 month after SA tornadoes, repair work continues

Homes along Linda Drive still missing roofs

SAN ANTONIO, TX – A month may have passed, but Albert Thomas feels as though time has stood still, particularly when it comes to repair work on his Northside home.

He lost a section of his roof during one of about a half-dozen tornadoes that touched down in San Antonio on the night of Feb. 19.

As of Monday morning, he said nothing has changed.

"They got to go in and build that roof back up and everything. They got to do all the hardwood floors, all the sheetrock. Everything," he said.

WATCH: Doorbell camera captures destruction by SA tornado

Thomas said he was told that, due to the number of homes that were damaged in this city, he could be in for a wait of more than a year for a contractor to repair his roof.

"They're just so backlogged that they can't get out,” he said. “We can’t get nobody yet.”

Unlike some of his neighbors in the 400 block of Linda Drive, Thomas has remained inside his home. Its windows are covered up with wooden boards, and there is a tarp on his roof.

Ridgeview/Alamo Heights tornado upgraded to EF-2, NWS says

A few doors down, a crew Monday morning used a chain saw to cut up a tree stump. 

Other workers appeared to be making repairs inside one of the homes.

Many of Thomas’ neighbors have moved out temporarily, while others may never return to their homes.  A couple of the houses on his street are beyond repair and will have to be torn down.

While his house still may be standing, Thomas said he can’t wait for it to feel like home again. He’s anxious to move beyond the damage the tornado caused.

"Never been through one and I don't want to go through another one,” Thomas said. “It's a mess. "

RAW: Damage from Reported Tornado in San Antonio

This the extensive damage that residents in San Antonio, Texas, are seeing in the wake of a reported tornado

Posted by The Weather Channel on Monday, February 20, 2017

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About the Author:

Katrina Webber joined KSAT 12 in December 2009. She reports for Good Morning San Antonio. Katrina was born and raised in Queens, NY, but after living in Gulf Coast states for the past decade, she feels right at home in Texas. It's not unusual to find her singing karaoke or leading a song with her church choir when she's not on-air.