Heavy Rains Leave Kaufman County Family With Constant Flooding
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - After spending two days trying to clean up flood damage at their home, Saturday's rain brought one Kaufman County family back to square one. Now, they feel like they're out of options.
"Everything that is not tied down is just floating," the homeowner's mom, Madonna Kearney, said.
In one week, Shannon Hall's property off Sunset Drive has seen two rounds of rain. The first came Thursday. She said it brought about an inch of water into her home, but by Friday, a lot of it had dried out. Shannon and her family left for a Mother's Day cruise, and her parents are watching over the house.
"We had high hopes that if it just didn't rain we could keep it," Kearney said.
Saturday more rain came -- for hours -- and now they say this house is unlivable.
"They've worked so hard to build it themselves," Kearney said. "Piece by piece. Their residence and my daughter has a gym in there. All these children come here to tumble, they can not be here in this mess. "
The family believes the floodwater is backing up from a watershed near the property.
"It can't accommodate all the water that is coming in," Hall's dad, Rick Kearney, said.
Rick said they've asked the city and county for help, but for now, they are going at this alone.
"Somebody is responsible for the land," Rick said. "Somebody is responsible for the drainage of it."
A representative for the City of Kaufman told CBS 11 that Shannon's property is outside of city limits, so this is the county's responsibility.
Precinct One Commissioner Mike Hunt said he's looking into the issue and making calls. He hopes to have an update in the coming days.