The Braes Timbers subdivision in southwest Houston was hit hard by Hurricane Harvey. Now, it’s being hit hard again by thieves as homeowners struggle to rebuild.
Five months ago, Brian Clayton and his wife, Stephanie, were flooded out. Over the weekend, they were cleaned out by burglars who took nearly everything of value they had stored in their garage while they were out of town.
They discovered the garage had been burglarized when they returned Sunday afternoon.
“We go out to the garage and figure we been robbed 'cause our refrigerator is gone, washer-dryer gone, the generator gone, table saw gone, miter saw gone. All my tools are gone. We got hijacked," Brian Clayton said.
The Claytons have been working steadily to rebuild after Harvey left a foot of water in their house. They were just weeks away from moving back in. But that’s on hold now while they figure out what has been stolen and add up the cost.
“Harvey was just Mother Nature,” Clayton said. “This was someone being malicious and taking advantage of someone who is already down and out.”
The Claytons aren't the only ones who have been robbed.
Neighbors said that, while most homes are still empty, they’ve become targets for bad guys looking for an easy score.
More than one video of strangers burglarizing cars and checking for unlocked doors has been posted on the neighborhood's Facebook page.
Andras Bognar has lived in the Braes Timbers subdivision for 31 years. He said that, before Harvey, the neighborhood was safe, but now it seems as if strangers come almost every night.
“And they take whatever they can,” Bognar said. “They went into my daughter’s car. Previously, they went into my son’s car.”
People in the neighborhood would like to see more police patrols and arrests of the predators who often roam the streets at night now.