A Texas mother has described the devastating moment her four-year-old son was swept away from her during the torrential floods that ravaged the state.
Chelsey and Aaron Warren lost Lucas, their only child, after their car got stuck in rainwater on the way home from a friend’s house in the early hours of Sunday.
The family of three had been driving home on County Road 528 in Burleson, near Fort Worth, an area ravaged by catastrophic storms.
Chelsey said their car started to fill with water, so she grabbed Lucas and the three tried to flee on foot when disaster struck.
“The current came up really high and he just let go,” she said NBC5. “I haven’t heard from him, I think he just went under.”
A Texas mother has described the devastating moment her four-year-old son Lucas Warren (pictured) was swept away from her by floodwaters before he died early on Sunday morning.
His mother Chelsey Warren (pictured) said their car started to fill with water so she grabbed Lucas and the three tried to flee on foot when disaster struck.
Channelview firefighters and sheriffs prepare to help evacuate the area due to severe flooding, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Channelview, Texas
Chelsey said they were aware of County Road 528, which is prone to flooding, but officials normally close it when water levels get too high.
“Usually there’s a block in the road that says don’t go through there, or there’s a sign that says water running, please turn around, and there was nothing,” she said. “I’d seen someone else go through it.”
As they tried to plow their vehicle through the water, the car broke down and they soon became stuck amid the natural disaster.
“My car battery died and then the car started filling with water, so we got Lucas out of his car seat,” Chelsey said.
The devastated mother added that they tried to escape on foot but were swept off the road.
Her husband became separated from them and she treaded water, desperately holding Lucas for more than an hour.
At this point the current rose and they were torn apart.
Chelsey said Johnson County rescuers arrived in a boat minutes later and took her to the hospital before searching for her son.
The Johnson County Office of Emergency Management confirmed that Chelsey and Aaron were taken to a local hospital at approximately 5 a.m. Hours later, at 7:20 a.m., emergency responders found Lucas dead in the water.
Chelsey said the sheriff told her the horrific news while she was in the hospital, telling her that Lucas “looked very peaceful and that not all of his clothes were torn.”
“He looks like he just went to sleep,” she told NBC5.
The family also lost their car, phones and wallets in the tragedy. A GoFundMe launched by a family member has raised more than $23,000 so far for Lucas’ funeral costs
Chelsey and Aaron Warren lost Lucas, their only child, on Sunday after their car became stuck in torrential rainwater that ravaged the Lone Star State
Chelsey said the sheriff told her the horrific news while she was in the hospital, telling her that Lucas “looked very peaceful and that not all of his clothes were torn.”
Lucas was weeks away from his fifth birthday. Chelsey said her entire family is devastated by his death.
“He is my everything,” she said, adding that he was a miracle baby who spent weeks in the NICU after his birth. “I can’t sleep without him, I can’t, I do everything with him.”
“He’s the best,” she added. “He’s such a smart, sweet, wonderful, wonderful kid.”
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said a local resident saw what happened to the Warren family and called 911 at 2 a.m. Sunday to get help for them.
They notified emergency responders of a vehicle stuck in the water with three occupants on County Road 528.
The witness added that they were swept away while trying to escape the vehicle onto dry ground.
First responders rushed to the scene and began searching for the family, the office said, but it was too late for Lucas.
The family also lost their car, phones and wallets in the tragedy. a GoFundMe launched by a family member has so far raised more than $23,000 for Lucas’ funeral costs and to help them get back on their feet.
Johnson County Office of Emergency Management said the road was not closed because there had been no reports of high water there until the 911 call for the family.
“Commissioner districts generally close gates located on their roadways; That said, there was no high water on that road until the emergency call came in,” a spokesperson for the county’s Office of Emergency Management told NBC5.
“It’s called a flash flood because it happens very quickly.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks before heading in a helicopter to David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport to survey flood damage around the northern part of greater Houston, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Spring, Texas
A woman is seen fighting her way through brown floodwaters as she heads to an elderly resident in his RV in Channelview, Texas
Another driver was caught in the floods in Texas on Sunday – with shocking video footage of the moment their van plunged into the depths.
The driver is seen wearing bright neon yellow as he clambers out the window in a frantic attempt to escape the doomed vehicle on I-69 near Shepherd.
As the truck sank deeper and deeper, another truck zoomed past it, causing water to flow on both sides, and another vehicle also managed to wade through.
The driver eventually managed to escape after sitting on the hood of the car.
Part of Texas was inundated with rain this past week, with flooding increasing from Saturday through Sunday.
The heavy flooding has so far forced at least 400 residents to evacuate, while more than 100 homes have been destroyed.
Texas has also been hit by severe weather since early April, as dozens of tornadoes have hit the Panhandle all the way to the Gulf Coast.