Thanksgiving

Wylie Homeowners Struggle Six Months After Devastating Hailstorm

More than six months after a massive hailstorm devastated the city of Wylie, many homeowners are still waiting to move back in.

The April 11 storm damaged an estimated 80 percent of the homes and businesses throughout the city.

One of the hardest hit was the Hortons' home on Autumn Breeze Drive.

Tammy Horton, her husband, their daughter and their 150-pound Great Dane, Mariah, have been living in a camper in their driveway since then, waiting for repairs to be completed.

"Like a never-ending camping trip in my driveway basically," Tammy Horton said.

When the storm hit, so many families were displaced, there were not enough hotel rooms in the city. Horton said they chose the camper option because they expected repairs to take one to two months.

Hail and water damage were so severe that the home has since had to have nearly every single thing redone and rebuilt, from the roofing and fencing to the sheetrock and windows inside.

Horton said the insurance adjuster initially cited them $30,000 in repairs, but a contractor said damages were three-times that. A large-loss adjuster finally came out and reassessed.

"All of a sudden it went from $30,000 to $120,000 to repair my home," Horton said. "But it was a four-month delay to get to that point."

It's a waiting game many in the neighborhood and in the city have been playing.

A few houses down, Army veteran Danny Goad said trying to get his home repaired and move-in ready has been one of the worst experiences of his life.

"Frustrating is hardly a big enough word for it," Goad said.

He said that his insurance company has dragged its feet on adjusting for damages.

"They don't take care of me," Goad said. "They make me feel like I'm stealing from them."

Goad is hoping to move back into his house in the next several weeks.

The Hortons are expected to move back into their home by Thanksgiving, so they can host the holiday.

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