Sando Thomas, kindergarten teacher

Kindergarten teacher Sando Thomas didn’t know what was in store for her and her family on the morning Beryl hit. 

“I thought it was going to be a non-event for us,” Thomas said.

Sando went into this hurricane with little expectation that she would face any huge challenges, she has lived through hurricanes before in the area but has never sustained any real damage to her home.

”It was definitely more aggressive than I expected,” Thomas said.

It shocked Sando with how aggressive the storm really was given the storm had reached winds up to 80 miles per hour. It seemed all too surreal when a tree limb came through her kitchen roof inches away from her.

“I thought I was goner,” Thomas said. 

Thomas said she was  disappointed in her community and her insurance company with how little everyone helped out, given she has been in the community for 24 years. She is concerned for people who are thinking of becoming homeowners or buying a property in the “livable forest” with all of the natural disasters. Thomas had multiple damages sustained during the storm; her fence came down, she had multiple tree limbs fall in her backyard along with one that had fallen through her roof.

“Being a homeowner now feels so much more riskier than it did before,” she said.

Thomas has had struggles with the effects of the storm but has kept a positive outlook on how she and her family stuck together during the unfortunate events of Beryl.

“We were able to find the joy in moments, even though it was a difficult time,” Thomas said.