Red Oak Community Hard At Work Cleaning Up After Heavy Rain, Flash Floods

RED OAK, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – Historic rain caused a flood of problems across North Texas Friday evening and going into Saturday. The community in Red Oak has been hard at work trying to clean up the mess the rains left behind.

The community saw signs of hope from an army of volunteers, church members, and weary neighbors who helped clean up after floodwaters forced one family from their home.

“It was life and death. There were moments where I was scared that I was going to be losing family members,” said resident Mark England.

Mark and Joy England remember waking up to the sound of rushing water.

“We literally had 10 minutes to grab my babies out of bed, wake up my teenagers,” said Joy.

Their escape was complicated by doors that wouldn’t budge.

“We said, ‘we gotta go through a window.’ We went to my daughter’s room. We were waist high. Three babies that can’t swim went through the front window,” said Joy.

“I had to swim back to my wife and a couple of my kids and lift them up above the water and swim because you couldn’t stand at all,” said Mark.

Their house is now an empty shell with a lifetime of precious memories and pictures swept away in a flash.

Comforters hanging from limbs showed just how high the water rose. There’s also now a neighbor’s car propped against a tree.

On this darkest of days, Mark England said everyone’s kindness has warmed his heart.

“That’s been incredibly inspirational. It’s been the delight of today to just feel the love of our community, the love of God surrounding us,” said Mark.