150 families receiving help from non-profit after Watson Grinding explosion
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Memorial Assistance Ministries or MAM is helping families recovering from the Watson Grinding explosion.
"At my age of 69, I lost everything," said Maria Val Porto De Sa. "I lost my whole house that I've been living in and paying for all these years."
Val Porto De Sa has been staying in a hotel while she waits for insurance money she hopes will arrive.
Her home is destroyed.
But now, she's getting a new temporary apartment, thanks to MAM.
The non-profit has already helped 150 families and distributed more than $180,000.
"We also provided a lot of support during Hurricane Harvey, and as traumatic as that event was, we only saw one person who was seeking free mental counseling from MAM," explained Matthew Cox, MAM's Senior VP of Programs. "In this event, we've already seen a dozen. I think what was different is the violence of the explosion, and it just shook people out of their beds."
"I try to avoid thinking about it," said Val Porto De Sa. "But it just comes to you all the time."
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