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Habitat for Humanity team repays favor to Fort Hood area team

Posted at 3:43 PM, Oct 05, 2018
and last updated 2018-11-05 15:07:32-05

A group impacted by Hurricane Harvey is paying it forward today to a team they say helped them when disaster struck.

When Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County needed hurricane relief, a Fort Hood Area Habitat team of six stepped up to help. 

When Hurricane Harvey hit, Sandee Wagner said her Habitat for Humanity office in Beaumont shut down for a week.

Sandee Wagner, Habitat for Humanity of Jefferson County Manager said "It rained for 10 days without stop. It just rained and rained."

When the rain finally stopped, Sandee found out the storm flooded 11 of their Habitat homes.

That's when the Fort Hood Area Habitat for Humanity stepped in to help. 

"We told them, we can't find a wheelbarrow, we can't get shovels, we can't get the things that we get. And they loaded up a truck with everything brand new and shiny and just packed it up and delivered it. So, that kind of help after a disaster, giving you exactly what you need at that moment, is impressive," said Wagner. 

"For the weekend we helped. That was our focus mucking up the houses, ripping out the old drywall, getting rid of the cabinets that were water damaged," said Ken Cates, Fort Hood Area Habitat for Humanity CEO.

On Friday, Sandee and her team returned the kindness by helping Fort Hood Area Habitat at the building site for their new 26-home disabled and homeless veterans' community in Temple.

"They've come here Tuesday night to pitch in on our veteran community build dedicating to frame one building which is two houses, two homes for our homeless veterans," said Cates.

With donations of money, time and materials, the mortgage payments on the new homes will be around $500 a month.

Wagner said the Fort Hood team was worth helping.

"We were really, really thrilled that Fort Hood came out and supported us when we needed them most," said Wagner.  

The first home in the veteran community project was unveiled just last week.

In its entirety, the 26-home disabled and homeless veterans' community is a $1.5 million dollar project. 

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