80-year-old El Paso woman left without power after massive shed slams into home

EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Powerful winds that swept through El Paso Thursday night left behind widespread damage, and for one 80-year-old woman in the city’s Northeast, the storm has meant spending hours in her car in pajamas just to stay warm.

Liz Gray said she was inside her home on O’Donnell Street in the Futureland neighborhood when a large metal shed from a neighboring property slammed into her house.

The shed was about the size of a two-car garage.

“It was around 9:00 or 10:00 p.m. And I heard something bump the house and then a big explosion,” Gray said.

Julia Spencer reports on 80-year-old El Paso woman left without power after massive shed slams into home (Credit: KFOX14)

Gray said the impact was so strong it felt like the room shake.

“I didn’t know because the whole room moved and something fell on the bed. But there’s nothing on the wall to fall,” she said.

The crash left an electrical pole leaning and power lines on the ground, and Gray without electricity.

Gray said firefighters had her leave the home, forcing her to stay with her son.

When she returned Friday morning, she said the power was still out.

“There’s no heat, no lights, no nothing,” Gray said.

With wind continuing to whip through the neighborhood, Gray said her home was too cold to stay inside.

She said she had been sitting in her car since early Friday morning to keep warm.

“I’ve been in my car since 6:00 this morning. I went into the house, but it’s so cold in there. I went back to the car,” Gray said.

Gray’s neighbor Nathan Vance said he checked on Gray after seeing the damage Friday morning.

“I said, oh my gosh I went over to check on her to see if she was okay. That was my immediate response to see if she was okay cause she’s 80 years old,” Vance said.

Vance said he has been keeping Gray company as she tries to figure out how to get the shed removed.

“We have to make sure she’s all right and keep her company. You know, because I know she was, she’s been real upset,” Vance said.

For now, the shed remains against Gray’s home, and she said she does not know when her electricity will be restored.

“I have no idea. I have no idea,” Gray said.

Gray said she has been making calls all day trying to determine who is responsible for removing the shed.

She said crews with El Paso Electric told her electricity cannot be restored until the structure is removed.

She also said city officials told her the homeowner of the shed was responsible for removing the shed, but she has not been able to figure out who it belongs to.

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