Those in Kaufman County starting to clean up after recent flooding
KAUFMAN, Texas - People in Kaufman County are starting the cleanup process after significant flooding from rain over the past week.
The flooding has damaged several home and cars this week.
The Kaufman Fire Department has had to rescue several people from flooded homes.
Residents are picking up the pieces after Friday night’s flooding.
Heavy rains lead to deadly flooding in Kaufman, homes evacuated
Heavy rains led to deadly flooding on Friday night and into Saturday morning in North Texas.
"You can see just the dirt and stuff we’ve been at it for a couple of hours now," Christina Thomas said.
Thomas woke up to knee-deep water.
The Thomas family, who live in the Warsaw community, just west of Kaufman, quickly acted to save what they could.
"We jumped up tried to grab some clothes. Our cars were already going underwater," She recalled.
Thomas shared what was going through her mind at the time.
"Not again, and get everybody out to safety," she said.
This is the second time Thomas’ home has been flooded.
"In 2016, I think about 13 of our neighbors had to be rescued by boat. We got over nine inches of rain that night and we ended up losing way more than we did this time," she recalled.
The family used Sunday to salvage what they could and throw out what’s been ruined by the flood.
"This is the nursery where my grandson was actually sleeping," she said. "Trying to get in and just bleach and Lysol everything going through and seeing what we can actually salvage."
Thomas said the water outside was knee-level, as well as inside.
They suffered ruined cabinetry and wet floors.
"A lot of throwing stuff away that is ruined. Packing up any clothes that we can salvage, that we can take to the laundromat," Thomas said.
They lost two vehicles and are now down to one.
"The last time this happened, it was about $30,000, with donations and our friends and family," she recalled.
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Walter Rivers, who lives in Kaufman, said he was woken up and saved by an emergency team.
"I’m just glad we’re alive because we could have died in there. If it hadn’t been for that emergency team coming out and waking us up," he said.
Rivers spent most of Sunday cleaning.
"We ended up mopping mud, slush out of our house. Throwing away most of our things," he said.
Rivers lives next to his son.
"Woke up and water was pouring in everywhere. Phone fell in the water. I just got it the day before. Now I’m phoneless and carless," Rivers’ son said.
Rivers said this is the worst flooding event he’s experienced.
The Kaufman County emergency coordinator said 26 people were rescued in all. He described this as the worst flood in at least seven years.