Family with ties to Buffalo significantly impacted by Hurricane Beryl in Texas

Buffalo native Sherry Thomas and her daughter Abigail tell me they are picking up the pieces after Hurricane Beryl caused significant damage to two homes on their family's five-acre farm in Conroe, Texas.

"It was extremely scary," said Sherry Thomas. "Just my house itself probably has at least $20,000 to $30,000 (dollars of damage), and we all know that my daughter needs a complete home."

A GoFundMe has been set up to help the Thomas family try and rebuild.

As the hurricane made landfall in Texas last week, Abigail decided to leave her home and stay at her mother's house on the front side of the family property.

Abigail said she woke up on Monday morning to a loud boom and found that a tree had been knocked over by the hurricane-force winds and smashed into her home.

"At 6 a.m. I heard a big 'kaboom' when I was asleep at her house. I have cameras to check on all of my animals and I checked it and I saw my house with a tree through it," said Abigail. "My house is totally destroyed. It's not fixable."

Abigail said she was shaken but stayed at her mother's home to ride out the rest of the hurricane when the unimaginable happened.

Less than six hours later, a tree also smashed through Sherry's home with the family huddled inside.

"You're standing in your house and you hear a crack, I'm going to cry, and then the trees fall and you want to protect your kids," Sherry said with a tear in her eye. Fortunately, everyone was safe. "Thankful that none of the family got physically hurt, just mentally a little stressful."

Sherry said she and Abigail are still staying inside the damaged home with a tarp on the roof to try and block the rain. Like many families in Texas, the Thomas' have a long road to recovery and are grateful for the efforts being made to try and help.

"To know people are thinking about you it's really nice," said Sherry. "Thank you so much. I really really appreciate it."