NACOGDOCHES COUNTY, Texas — It's been a little over a month since Tropical Storm Beryl impacted parts of East Texas. Fourteen tornadoes across the area caused damage to multiple buildings, with flooding and strong winds also affected people's homes.
The worst damage from Beryl was seen in Deep East Texas. An EF-1 tornado traced a path of damage in Nacogdoches County in the Mahl and Appleby communities. FEMA opened a disaster recovery center in Nacogdoches County, the first in East Texas open to residents affected by Beryl.
"It's a process, you know, it's a slow process, but I'm hanging in there," said resident Carolyn Simon.
She is one of many residents who are still feeling the impact of Beryl one month after hitting East Texas.
"I don't have nothing else to do. I didn't have insurance, and I'm on disability," Simon said. "So it's going to be kind of slow."
Simon visited the disaster recovery center in Nacogdoches earlier in the week.
"I had to get some paperwork to prove that I stayed here in the house, because the house belonged to my mom and my dad," Simon said.
The house Simon lives in has been in her family for nearly 40 years. She’s had some hurdles applying for FEMA assistance because she wasn't able to prove she was the owner of the house since her parents didn't leave a deed.
"I had to get my brothers and sister to sign that I live here," Simon said.
FEMA spokesperson La-Tanga Hopes said she encourages residents coming into the disaster recovery center to bring all the paperwork needed to speed up the process.
"Be faithful as we continue to ask for information, please continue to provide it. Our goal is to make sure that we do assist you, but I want to manage expectations," Hopes said.
In the meantime, Simon has been staying with family members and hopes her life will return to normal soon.
"School's getting ready to start, and you know, I'm staying with my daughter and the kids are giving up their beds and for me, but I don't want them to be sleeping on the couch and stuff when school starts, because they need all their sleep they can get," Simon said.
Simon doesn’t know when she will get assistance from FEMA. The government agency said the timeline for when applicants can see any money varies depending on the application process. Despite her situation, Simon has maintained a positive outlook.
"You got to stick by your family, your family has to take care of you. I'm grateful for my daughter. We're just blessed. It was a bad storm but I'm thankful we made it through it," Simon said.
People impacted by Hurricane Beryl and severe storms, tornadoes and flooding that happened between April 26 and June 5 can receive assistance concerning recovery benefits. The center is at the Nacogdoches Expo and Civic Center, located at 3805 NW Stallings Drive.
The center's hours are from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and the center will be closed on Sunday. To find a center nearby, visit fema.gov/drc.