Rain was expected in Kirbyville, Texas Tuesday night but what no one expected was the catastrophe that it would bringing with it. Some of the residents near Trout Creek, a sparsely populated remote area about nine miles from Kirbyville, had heard of the possibility of flooding but did not think it would be anything out of the ordinary. No one expected what would happen next.

As the heavy storms rolled in through Kirbyville it was just a matter of minutes before the residents of Trout Creek found themselves surrounded by rising waters.

“My husband Russell was supposed to go to work that morning,” said Dustye Smith. “He had gotten up at 6:30 a.m. and called his boss to make sure he was still going to work since it was raining heavily.”

“There was no warning,” said Dustye. “By 7:30 a.m. water was in our trailer.”

Dustey and her husband Russell immediately grabbed their two dogs and ran to their truck. They tried to drive out, but as they started to back out of their driveway, they had water in the bed of the truck already. They immediately jumped out and had to swim back to their trailer and tried to hang on to the windowsill.

“It all happened in 30 minutes, “said Dustye.

Her husband had just purchased their truck a few weeks before the storm and now it was completely ruined. Dustye and Russell have lived in the area for under two years, near Russell’s family, but had never seen the creek flood.

 “We picked the area because we are country people. It’s a homey area right off the creek. We like to fish and there’s a swimming hole,” said Dustye.

The couple shares a two-acre lot with Russell’s family.

Jeanne Tidwell, Dustye’s mother-in-law, lives nearby in another trailer.

“I heard Dustye and my son Russell hollering. I went outside and saw that the water was up to the porch,” said Jeanne.

Together with her granddaughter Ana, they rushed to wake up her other son, Lee, who lived in the trailer next door. Russell told his mom to try to walk to him as he attempted to open a trail, but the water was rising too fast. Jeanne quickly climbed on the hood of a car nearby. Her son told her to try to reach a truck further away that was taller to try and keep her out of the rising water. She managed to get to the truck, but the water kept rising and it started to fill the back of the truck.

“There was no time to react,” Jeanne recalled later. “We climbed on top of the truck and stayed there at least three hours until we were rescued by the fire department.”

When the Trout Creek Fire Department arrived Jeanne along with her sons, daughter-in-law, granddaughter and two dogs were saved.

“By then all our belongings were under water,” said Jenne.

“There was nothing to save, we lost everything in the blink of an eye, said Dustye.

Jeanne, Dustye and their family were taken to the First Assembly of God Church nearby were the church along with the Red Cross had opened a shelter.

The family did not expect the kind of support they would receive.

“All the people at the shelter have been very good to us,” said Jeanne. “They have fed us, given us clothes, and even hugs when we needed them.”

Jeanne is extremely grateful for the Red Cross, during the storm she lost her walker and the Red Cross was able to provide one for her so she is able to move around and feel free.

“The Red Cross put a roof over our heads, they keep our bellies full, and provide entertainment for the kids,” said Dustye. “Even our dogs, Bubba and Zoe, found a temporary home at the shelter.”

In a relieved tone, Dustye added, “Without the Red Cross, we would be utterly lost.”

The American Red Cross is there to help during times of crisis. Nine out of 10 Red Cross workers are volunteers. Our volunteers provide a safe shelter, hot meals, snacks, water, emergency kits and a warm hug for those that need it the most. Volunteers provide emotional support and are always ready to listen when you are going through a hard time. They truly help those in need on the road to recover. If you would like to be part of this amazing volunteer team and make a difference in someone’s life sign up at redcross.org/Texas and to help flooding victims like this family please go to redcross.org/Texas to donate today.

Story By: Francisco Philibert