A Texas mother described the devastating moment her four-year-old son was swept away by torrential floods that devastated the state.
Chelsey and Aaron Warren lost Lucas, their only child, after their car got stuck in rainwater while returning from a friend’s house in the early hours of Sunday.
The family of three was driving home on County Road 528 in Burleson, near Fort Worth, an area that has been devastated by the catastrophic storms.
Chelsey said her car began to fill with water, so she grabbed Lucas and the three attempted to flee on foot when tragedy struck.
“The current came up really high and he just let go,” she said. NBC5. “I didn’t hear from him, I think he just went under.”
A Texas mother described the devastating moment her four-year-old son, Lucas Warren (pictured), was swept away by floodwaters before dying early Sunday morning.
His mother Chelsey Warren (pictured) said her car began to fill with water, so she grabbed Lucas and the three attempted to flee on foot when tragedy struck.
The Channelview Fire Department and deputies prepare to help evacuate the area due to severe flooding, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Channelview, Texas.
Chelsey said they were familiar with County Road 528, which is prone to flooding, but officials typically close it when water levels get too high.
“Usually there’s a block on the road that says keep out or has a sign that says flood water, please turn around, and there was nothing,” he said. “I had seen that someone else had passed by.”
As they attempted to push their vehicle through the water, the car stopped and they quickly became trapped in the middle of the natural disaster.
“My car battery died and then the car started taking on water, so we got Lucas out of his seat,” Chelsey said.
The devastated mother added that they tried to escape on foot but were dragged off the road.
Her husband separated from them and she treaded water while desperately clinging to Lucas for more than an hour.
It was at this point that the current increased and they were torn apart.
Chelsey said Johnson County rescuers arrived by boat minutes later and took her to the hospital before beginning the search for her son.
The Johnson County Office of Emergency Management confirmed that Chelsey and Aaron were taken to a local hospital around 5 a.m. Hours later, at 7:20 a.m., lifeguards found Lucas dead in the water.
Chelsey said the sheriff broke the horrible news to her while she was at the hospital, telling her that Lucas “seemed very calm and that his clothes weren’t all 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 so far raised more than $23,000 for Lucas’ funeral expenses.
Chelsey and Aaron Warren lost Lucas, their only child, on Sunday after their car got stuck in rainwater hitting the Lone Star State.
Chelsey said the sheriff broke the horrible news to her while she was at the hospital, telling her that Lucas “seemed very calm and that his clothes weren’t all torn.”
Lucas was weeks away from turning five. Chelsey said his entire family was devastated by his death.
“He is my everything,” she said, adding that he was a miracle baby who spent weeks in the NICU after being born. “I can’t sleep without it, I can’t, I do everything with it.”
“He’s the best,” he added. “He’s such a bright, sweet, amazing, amazing guy.”
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office said a local saw what happened to the Warren family and called 911 for help at 2 a.m. Sunday.
Officers were notified of a vehicle trapped in flood waters with three occupants inside on County Road 528.
The witness added that they could be seen being dragged as they tried to escape from the vehicle towards dry land.
First responders responded 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. TO GoFundMe launched by a family member has so far raised more than $23,000 for Lucas’ funeral expenses and to help them get back on their feet.
The Johnson County Office of Emergency Management said the road was not blocked because there had been no reports of high water there until the family called 911.
‘Commissioners’ precincts typically close gates that might be on their streets; That being said, no high water had been reported on that road until the rescue call came in,” a spokesperson for the county’s emergency management office told NBC5.
“It’s known as a flash flood because it happens so quickly.”
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo speaks before boarding a helicopter at David Wayne Hooks Memorial Airport to assess flood damage in the northern section of greater Houston, Saturday, May 4, 2024, in Spring, Texas.
A woman is seen wading through brown flood water as she heads to check on an elderly resident inside her mobile home in Channelview, Texas.
Another driver was trapped in torrential flooding in Texas on Sunday; A shocking video captures the moment his truck sank into the depths.
The driver dressed in bright neon yellow is seen climbing out of the window in a frantic attempt to escape the doomed vehicle on I-69 near Shepherd.
As the truck continued to sink deeper and deeper, another truck sped by, sending water gushing to both sides, and a different vehicle also managed to plow through it.
The driver finally escaped after landing on the hood of the vehicle.
A wide region of Texas, from Houston to the rural east, was inundated by rain over the past week, with flooding intensifying further Saturday into Sunday.
So far, intense flooding has forced the evacuation of at least 400 residents and destroyed more than 100 homes.
Officials said the Houston area received approximately four months of rain in just one week.
Texas has also been hit by brutal weather conditions since early April, when dozens of tornadoes struck from the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast.