It's been exactly one month since deadly tornadoes with winds of more than 100 miles per hour ripped through parts of North Texas, killing a dozen people.
The impact is devastating for hundreds of victims who lost their homes and loved ones.
On Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration and asked President Barack Obama to do the same.
Cleanup crews can still be seen in the area removing debris, and the process is expected to last between four and eight weeks. Rebuilding, though, might take years.
Four weeks after the storm, many families are still living with relatives or at hotels. Some filed insurance claims and have started rebuilding.
Other families who are looking for rental properties say it's not easy, but each day is a step forward.
"I was thinking where was my son going to sleep that night, because at first we didn't know where we were going to go," said tornado survivor Monica Nuncio.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
Nuncio and her family of five stayed with her sister in Dallas while she figured out what to do next.
"Yes, it was hard. I mean, at the beginning of it I didn't even ask for help," she said.
Nuncio scrambled to find a home but the community immediately stepped in.
"A lot of times you don't know how to help, so we just found little ways here and there," said Jarred Angell, a volunteer who saw a Facebook post saying Nuncio needed help.
Angell signed up to "adopt" her family and help her recover, through donations, the items Nuncio lost in the storm.
"We've gotten help from everyone," said Nuncio. "People donated furniture, food, clothes, beds, dressers."
And just last week Nuncio and her family were able to get a new start.
"Yes it's our place, what we call home," she said.
Getting the keys to her new house gave her a new outlook.
"Just keep moving forward and helping others," said Monica.
Meanwhile, volunteers, churches and non-profit organizations remain in the area to help survivors with a range of needs, including help filling out insurance claims and disaster relief claims with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
