Texas community remembers grandmother, children killed in flash flood

PALESTINE, Texas — Residents in eastern Texas are mourning the loss of a neighbor who likely died trying to save her four grandchildren when a fast-moving, overnight flash flood overwhelmed her street. 

Police said Lenda Asberry, 64, and her four grandchildren, Jamonicka Johnson, 6, Von Anthony Johnson Jr., 7, Devonte Asberry, 8, and Venetia Asberry, 9, died in the early Saturday morning on Timber Drive.

Asberry son Doniell Hudnall of Dallas described his mother as a wonderful and loving lady.

Asberry was attempting to escape the fast-moving waters with her grandchildren. In the chaos, she went back to get two of the children.

Tiffany Stephens, a neighbor who lives across the street, said neighbors were calling out to Asberry, telling her to swim or grab on to a pole. Stephens turned to look away for a second and when she looked back, Asberry was gone.

“The water got up here extraordinarily quickly. The individuals tried to get out; however, the water was already on the roof of the home,” Capt. James Muniz of the Palestine Police Department said.

The bodies of two of the children were found in the front yard of a residence near the street. A continued search found the bodies Asberry and the two other children.

“The water came down the hill,” Muniz said. “The street was full of mud, so the water just came up. With the enormous amount of rain we had, we had people tell us that within minutes, the water was waist deep.”

Hudnall said his mother was the cornerstone of the family.

“She took great care of those kids and loved each of us very much,” Hudnall said.

The 64-year-old retired Dallas ISD school teacher moved to Palestine just over five years ago, Hudnall said. She moved to be closer to family, and was taking care of her grandchildren while their parents looked for better jobs in the Dallas area.

“She was our heart and soul for the family and a very strong woman,” Hudnall said. “We can’t imagine what we will do without her.”

Friends and neighbors echoed those sentiments.

“She tried so hard to get the kids out. She took care of them. She was a good woman,” Stephens said. 

Origins of the storm

Heavy thunderstorms hit the area around 11:45 p.m. Friday night, causing the creek behind the street to flood.

Six to 10 homes on Timber Drive, a cul-de-sac, were severely damaged following the heavy rainfall over the course of just a few minutes after midnight. All other residents of the cul-de-sac were accounted for, he said.

Residents said they were abruptly awakened by the sound of rushing water inside their houses.

“I was asleep when the storm started, and I noticed a light on in the hallway,” said Merta White, a Timber Drive resident. “The water sounded like a toilet flushing, but then I realized it was in the house under and through the door.”

White’s house is at the far end of the low-lying street and right in front of the creek. She and many other residents attempted to evacuate their houses as water rose fast from the creek, creating a sweeping current on the street. Many residents escaped the rushing water, but White had to climb on top of her house.

“I grabbed the pole holding up my porch and started climbing,” White said. “I was up on the house screaming for help.”

White waited for hours before rescue came.

Police received calls about the flooding on Timber Drive at 12:15 a.m. Saturday. Floodwaters reached rooftops of houses in the area.

Firefighters and public works employees responded using fire trucks and dump trucks to evacuate the residents.

Around 3:45 a.m., reports came in about a missing family from the neighborhood. Police responded to the area and searched the houses in waist-deep water.

Merta White was still waiting to be rescued from the roof of her house when she saw a bump in the water.

“I thought it was a mailbox, but then I realized what it really was, and I started screaming.”

Melody Knowles notified officers that she had discovered what appeared to be the bodies of two children in the front yard of a residence near the street. A man also reported finding the bodies, police said. A continued search revealed the bodies of an adult female and two additional children who appeared to have been swept away into an area behind the houses by fast moving floodwaters.

Undra White compared it to never realizing what others are going through until a personal experience occurs.

“I just feel bad for those children,” Undra White said. “It’s like they never had a chance. You see this stuff happen in Houston with flooding, but not here. I just saw firefighters rescue a woman who was up to her face in water.”

Long-time residents on Timber Drive never imagined such a tragedy could happen on their street.

“This is something you see on TV and not here in Palestine,” said Martha Ashford. “The water was so fast it took off my grandbabies’ pants. This is just terrible.”

Kimble writes for the Palestine, Texas Herald-Press. The Associated Press contributed to this story.