Round Rock woman gets to move back home after winter storm

82-year-old lived in hotel for 6 months following February winter storms

An 82-year-old Round Rock woman is finally moving back into her home after it was badly damaged during February's winter storms.

ROUND ROCK, Texas - Marquita Wanslow has lived in her charming Round Rock home since 1983. However, the deadly winter storm hit in February, destroying many parts of her house.

"I went to the grocery store, I came home and there was water running across my porch out of my living room," she said, describing what happened during the storm.

Not only did the pipes burst, but mold settled in over time. "The fire department came and they turned my water off, looked at the house and said call the plumber and my insurance company," she said.

The insurance company issued a check for a portion of the work Wanslow said. While repairs were underway, she had to stay in a hotel. She checked in Mar. 4 and has been there ever since. That experience has not been the best.

"I’ve had two floods, we were without water, hot water heaters had to be replaced, I got sick for two weeks," she said.

Wanslow said her insurance company did not grant her the full amount to finish repairs. She was short by thousands of dollars. "I live on social security, I’m 82, I’m a widow, I have no way to do anything, so we just stopped," said Wanslow.

"No one at this age should be put out of their home," said Shana Hanchey, a friend of Wanslow.

Hanchey couldn't bear to see what her friend was going through any longer. "We decided we need to do a Venmo and raise the funds that the insurance shorted her to get her back into her home," said Hanchey.

With the help of the community, they raised 90 percent of the $10,000 goal in just a few days.

"I’m going to be moving back into my home that's going to be reconstructed in love for the remaining years I have," said Wanslow.

Some call it being a good Samaritan, others call it paying it forward, Hanchey just calls it...love. "In the world we are living in right now with COVID, a lot of people are really just focused on themselves but forgetting that we have to share the love," she said.

If you wish to donate to help with remaining repairs and getting Marquita Wanslow settled in, you can donate on the Venmo app by looking up @Marquita-Wanslow. The last four digits of her number for verification are 1473.

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