JJ Watt donations help rebuild homes destroyed by Harvey
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A family will soon be able to return to their home thanks to a local organization.
Sylvia Garcia, 25, and her family had to evacuate their home during Hurricane Harvey.
"I remember my mom trying to stop the water from coming in. It's just a natural reaction even though you know it's not going to work," said Garcia. "I didn't have any clothes. I had one change of clothes, and I needed to get back to work."
Garcia home sustained several feet of water, but despite the devastation, she remained hopeful.
At her job, she learned about the SBP organization from a co-worker.
SBP is a national disaster recovery non-profit. The organization responded quickly to Hurricane Harvey victims, helping Houston homeowners rebuild after the storm.
Today, SBP has started putting in insulation and installing drywall to Garcia's family home.
Garcia says her mom can already smell the holidays.
"She's actually walking around saying this funny line to everyone. I smell turkey. I smell pumpkin pie," said Garcia.
SBP kicked off rebuilding efforts following the announcement by J.J. Watt that SBP is one of four non-profits being given a portion of the $37 million his foundation raised.
That money will be spent rebuilding 100 homes in 12 months and training other non-profits on the Toyota Production System model for efficient construction processes.
There's an application for anyone interested. Those selected are asked to contribute financially, what they can.
UPDATED 11/1/2017 - 3:37 p.m.: After the story aired, we received notice that some people had issues applying. According to SBP:
"Due to the extremely high volume of applications that SBP has received from residents throughout Houston and the surrounding areas, we are temporarily not accepting new applications. SBP is now reviewing the applications that have been submitted. We are working with our partner organizations to determine the most predictable and efficient ways to deliver home repair and rehabilitation services to those most in need."
