PASADENA, Texas – When a EF-3 tornado tore through Harris County one year ago on January 24, 2023, the Pasadena Animal Shelter wasn’t spared any of the damage.
The city-owned shelter had its roof ripped right from the building, exposing the nearly 200 animals and 20 staff members inside to the winds that topped 140 m.p.h.
Since then, the facility has been operating out of their Pet Adoption Center next door while a massive construction project took place at the building that barely survived the twister.
Fast forward a year, and the project is nearing its end.
“We’re right at the finish line,” said Brandi Bass, a marketing specialist with the Pasadena Animal Shelter.
One year after the tornado, the animal shelter team opened the doors to KPRC 2 for a look at the progress that’s been made to rebuild the facility that helps hundreds of animals at any given time.
Gage: “A year ago, if we would be standing where we are right now. I mean, what would this building look like in the moments after the tornado came through?”
Brandi: “We would have been really looking up into the sky. Our roof was completely gone. It was very devastating. Very traumatic. Not only for our shelter staff, but also for our animals.”
At the time, 200 animals and 20 staff members were inside but escaped without a scrape. However, the shelter was left hanging in shambles.
In the months following, the City of Pasadena approved a $3.2 million rebuild and renovation of the facility.
Brandi: “We are looking to be back in here in early February, so things are coming along.”
Gage: “Did y’all think it would take this long to rebuild, or was this quicker than what you thought?”
Brandi: “You know, we understand that good things take time. We also understand that, you know, the weather also plays a huge part in that as well.”
It not only takes a lot of time and a lot of money, but also a lot of hands to make it happen.
The multi-million dollar project includes a building an entirely new roof, new electrical wiring and a new HVAC system, to name just a new.
For the roof repair, it wasn’t just slapping on a few new shingles. Crews had to construct an entirely new support structure for the roof.
“Brand new beams in order to best hold up the roof. So that’s one of the major changes that have been done,” Bass said. “That’s what it’s all about. It’s all about redesigning and revitalizing the building.”
When you walk down the aisles of kennels, you can still find name placards of pets that were inside when the tornado hit. The papers a dirty, wet and stark reminder of the few seconds that changed many lives.
“It definitely is eerie,” said Bass. “But it’s also like a light at the end of a tunnel because it makes me think about that. When that event happened, how the community came out and they were adopting animals and fostering animals and really doing whatever it took, honestly, to get these animals outside the shelter and just in a loving home, even if it was temporarily. So, It just makes me just be reminded of just how amazing the community is and how much they’ve supported us throughout everything.”
While all of this is happening, the shelter has continued their mission to help pets find their forever homes. Albeit in cramped quarters.
“Yes. It’s it’s tight right now,” Bass said. “We are at capacity.”
Soon, those smiling faces and wagging tails waiting to find their family will make their way into the newly rebuilt animal shelter.
But before that happens, the shelter’s staff is getting used to walking through the quiet and empty hallways. It’s something they wouldn’t mind getting used to.
“Yes, yes. That’s the goal,” Bass said. “We you know, we really want animals to be able to find their forever homes to find love outside of the shelter.”
The shelter will undergo final inspections before it officially opens. A city spokesperson says that should be “very, very soon.”