More than a week after severe storms barreled through San Antonio, one west side family is grappling with the damage after a tree fell on their home, leaving it too dangerous to live in.

For almost 30 years, Richard and Yolanda Avilez have called their home their own.

Rick Avilez, the youngest of six children, said the house off Ceralvo Street and General McMullen Drive holds decades of memories for his family.

“We’ve jumped our back fences to go see my grandma,” Avilez said. “We’ve had our dinners and stuff like that here in the driveway.”

Now, the family is facing the possibility that the home cannot be saved based on conversations with contractors.

“It’s sad to see that our childhood home — they’re telling us now we can’t repair it,” Avilez said.

The damage happened during the storms that moved through the San Antonio area late Aug. 28.

Avilez said his parents were preparing to go to sleep around 8:30 p.m. that Friday when they suddenly heard a loud boom.

“I get a call from my mom saying that the tree has fallen,” Avilez said.

Avilez drove over to the home and witnessed the destruction. His parents escaped unharmed, however the fallen tree caused extensive damage to the house inside and out.

“It’s very dangerous, as I went up there myself today to see,” Avilez said. “It’s holding on by a limb. If they cut that limb off, that tree rolls.”

Family members and community volunteers have since helped clean up what they can, but the family is now confronting the much larger cost of removing the tree and determining what comes next for the property.

Avilez has started a GoFundMe to help his parents with the financial burden.

“This right here is going to put us in so much debt,” Avilez said. “My parents are living month to month.”

This has led to their inability to afford house insurance.

The ordeal has been particularly difficult because Avilez said his father is experiencing early stages of dementia.

“My dad having the early stages of dementia, it’s very hard for us because we grew up in this house and we didn’t think anything like that would happen here,” Avilez said.

Gov. Greg Abbott has requested federal officials to help conduct preliminary damage assessments following the late-August storms to determine whether Texas could qualify for federal disaster relief.

Avilez said he has also been in contact with the office of state Sen. José Menéndez about the family’s next steps, including removing the tree and potentially tearing down the damaged house and rebuilding.

“He (father) looked so happy being here. He took out the trash,” Avilez said. “I said, ‘What you doing, Dad?’ He says, ‘Tomorrow’s trash day, son.’ I say, ‘Okay, Pops, go ahead.'”

Despite the uncertainty ahead, Avilez said his priority remains simple.

“I just want to see my dad and my mom happy again, and that’s what matters.”

The family has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for various expenses, including a tree remover, clothes and much more. To learn more, go here – https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-ricks-parents-after-the-storm?utm_campaign=man_sharesheet_dash&utm_content=amp30-treatment-7&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=copy_link&lang=en_US