EVERMAN, Texas -- Three days after an overnight flash food that lasted only a few hours, 150 people in 65 flooded homes in Everman in Tarrant County are slowly piling up the waterlogged pieces of their lives at the curb.
Rainfall at a rate of six inches in one hour proved too much for the creek that runs between Christie and Langley Avenues and flooded homes with as much as six feet of water.
Glen Shue spent Monday helping clean out his mom's home. Her house sits right next to the creek. Water was four feet deep in the backyard, three feet deep in the living room. "She lost everything. Bedroom, two bedrooms, living room, kitchen. I mean she's just gonna have to start all over, Glen Shue said while standing in his mom's driveway next to her two cars that were flooded up to their dashboards.
"She's breathing and walking, and she's got people to help her out. So, that's all that matters. God and family," Shue said. "This is where the family comes together and we help her start over."
Of the 65 homes flooded, Everman city officials say 52 of those received major damage, meaning they are homes that got up to 18 inches of water or more. "It's only stuff man. It's only stuff," said neighbor Jimmy Reason as he continued to dump what was left of his furniture, electronics, flooring, and carpets. He had at least two feet of water at his front door, three feet of water at the back door, and a submerged car parked at the curb.
But we still found him in his front yard, a tree freshly decorated with Christmas lights, his barbecue serving up hot dogs, burgers, and chicken to anyone who happened by, and a big screen TV on a coffee table in his front yard, so neighbors could join him for Sunday and Monday night football tailgate parties.
"Maybe lift everybody's spirits," he said. "Everybody come over here and eat some hotdogs and hamburgers and drink some cold beer and talk about what we just threw our whole lives in that dumpster a minute ago."
“It’s only things. Everybody’s OK. Everybody’s alive. It took me a split second to determine this house is gone so let’s check out who’s yelling for help.”
Other help, including cleaning supplies and food, can be found at the City Hall Annex, where the director of emergency management admits no one predicted a flood this severe. "That much water flow, there's no storm system that was able to handle it," Craig Spencer said. "Even a Fort Worth storm system that's located outside our city was overrun by the amount of rain we received. This is purely an act of mother nature. To receive six inches of water within an hour is astronomical. It's incredible."
The City Hall Annex is also a clearing house for flood information and help with services provided by volunteers and the Red Cross.
Monday morning city and county agencies were making a steady armada of dump trucks and trash trucks available with crews carting away everything from carpets to furniture to waterlogged mattresses.
Jimmy Reason continued performing as his neighborhood's ambassador of positivity. "Help your neighbors out," he said of his immediate plans, "have a good time helping your neighbors out, drink some beers and barbecue."
And while he's at it, say a prayer or two for no more rain.