91-year-old thankful after she escaped flooded home in kayak
DICKINSON, Texas -- A 91-year-old Dickinson woman returned to her daughter's home for a Thanksgiving meal, after she was forced to kayak to her house during Hurricane Harvey.
Dickinson native Gloria Klecka spent the day with her family Thursday.
"I don't see a lemon pie," Klecka said. "Nobody baked a lemon pie. That's my favorite."
Her meal may not have included her favorite pie, but it had a dash of something else that meant a little more this year, spending time with family.
"You look so good now," Klecka said. "Is it because you're older, or what?"
While Thanksgiving was all laughs, her recent stay at her daughter's house was not.
During Harvey, more than two feet of water entered Gloria's home, forcing her to kayak to her daughter's.
"The first thing when I got in that kayak, I said, take my picture," Klecka said.
Klecka was one of hundreds in Dickinson who had her home destroyed in late August.
This week, she returned to her home, thanks in large part to her family.
"They came in here and threw everything out," Klecka said. "Some things I wanted to keep."
The items might be gone, but the memories are not.
Soon, more will be made, when the storm survivor welcomes her heroes home next month.
"I'm going to have Christmas here, but I don't have to do any of the cooking," Klecka said.
