National Weather Service

Palestine Flood Victim Shares Story of Survival

Relief efforts are underway in Palestine after flood waters damaged dozens of homes and claimed the lives of six people.

22 homes have major damage, while 18 are classified with minor damage, said City of Palestine spokesman Nate Smith.

Smith said the City of Palestine is coordinating with volunteers, establishing donation centers and assigning crews for debris removal.

Local officials are assessing the damage and will provide information for state and federal officials, Smith said.

"Officials are adamant that this is an unprecedented type of flood. We have life-long residents who have said they've never seen anything like this before," Smith said. "The National Weather Service told us we had 7.75 inches of rain in 45 minutes. Imagine draining several buckets into your bathtub."

Smith said debris flowing in flood waters, including two cars, backed up drainage systems and culverts.

"We found that a lot of the drains got caught in debris. We're working right now to assess and clear those drain systems," said Smith.

On the 100 block of Timber Drive, residents who survived the flood are cleaning up and sharing stories of survival.

"I'm going to die. That was going through my mind. I'm going to die. This is my last night here," Metra White said. "I was crying, crying and crying."

White said the force of the water broke open her front door and quickly filled up her home.

"I swam out and grabbed a pole," White said. "I was hollering for help."

White said she jumped on to a car parked alongside her home and climbed up to the roof.

"I was up there for two hours waiting for someone to save me. I was the last one to be rescued," White said. "When the firefighters were pulling me through the water, I still thought I was going to die."

Contact Us