In the heart of McKinney, a recovery mission was underway Monday.
At Chestnut Square Historical Village, about a dozen volunteers and staff members raced to preserve centuries-old properties that Mother Nature threatened to destroy as a severe storm blew through overnight Sunday.
"Behind me is the Faires House, which is the oldest standing house here in McKinney, Texas," said Museum Manager Anne Quinn.
Quinn said last night's storm packed the biggest punch the nonprofit has seen in her 17-year tenure.
Downed trees toppled power lines and scarred the 1854 home's roof and front porch.
"I'm so glad that not much else was done, but we haven't had a chance to go inside and see exactly what it did," she said.
All around McKinney's square Monday afternoon, line crews did their part as homeowners assessed the damage.
Santos Escamila had just returned home as the storm blew in.
"It was like hearing the emergency sirens and everything. Look outside and all you hear is trees falling, going crazy," he said.
His Memorial Day became dedicated to cleaning up both at home and at work.
"[The tree] almost hit the house. That's what I was worried about," said Escamila.
Back at Chestnut Square, the cleanup crew raced to get to a stopping point ahead of a new round of storms.
Executive Director Deanna Stone said they're on a deadline to clean up all of the debris in time for Saturday's farmers market.
They need to have branches removed from power lines in time to restore the lights for Prairie Adventure camp, which starts on Tuesday.
"To see young children picking up leaves and raking to older members of our community that have their chainsaws out, we're just so thankful, because the community is what made us, and it will be what sustains us," said Stone.
Chestnut Square and the McKinney Farmers Market are now asking for donations to help with the recovery effort.