HOUSTON — Proud mama bear and mother of seven Keisha Bennett told KHOU 11 News that her Houston home represented safety and stability for her and her children after surviving the unthinkable.
"I was with my partner for a very long time and I was dealing with domestic violence and I was just, like, tired of it. It was rough. Me and my kids drove all the way (to Texas) from Minnesota," Bennett said.
Bennett said that after a difficult fight for freedom, she and her children settled in Houston last December.
"Everything was falling into place. We were thanking Texas, like, we love you Houston, we love you Texas, you saved us," Bennett said.
Bennett told KHOU 11 News that all changed last Thursday during the deadly derecho. The storm sent a massive tree crashing into the family’s living room. The sturdy walls of their new life were demolished in an instant.
It forced Bennett to find a new safe place for her and her children all over again with limited funds and limited options.
But Bennett said she’s determined to build a new life for her seven children.
"I ain’t never going back. I mean I don’t care what happens, I’m still going to have faith and fight," Bennett told KHOU 11 News.
Bennett created a GoFundMe account to help her family get their life back on track.