HOUSTON – Kent Heap spent most of his day Saturday trying to patch up his sister-in-law's home on Bridgeland Lane to protect what is left inside.
"It blew the entire glass doors," Heap said. "It also shifted this whole wall about six inches."
Heap's sister-in-law Carole Goff is among the hundreds of people whose homes were severely impacted by the explosion at Watson Grinding and Manufacturing Friday morning. Goff said she has lived in the house since the early '80s.
"I enjoyed living here; I enjoyed taking care of the home a lot of blood, sweat and tears have gone into this home through the years and now it's all gone in a blink of an eye," she said.
Like many residents who live in the Spring Branch area, Goff woke up that morning to a loud blast. Next thing, she knew the whole structure of her home had been compromised, she said.
"Overwhelmed, I'm in shock," Goff said.
Goff said her property, which was built in the '70s, has weathered Mother Nature. She said she never worried about being caught in the middle of a blast.
"You expect a hurricane or something like that, but you don't expect something like this," Goff said.
Goff said the city is sending engineers to her home and others nearby to inform them of the status of their property. In the meantime, Goff is displaced because her house is habitable.
An informational meeting for impacted residents will be held on Sunday at 1:30 p.m. at Kamins Motorcars at 4314 Steffani Lane.
Speakers at the meeting will discuss how to navigate the insurance and legal process for those residents with damaged homes.