Flood waters overwhelm Brookshire infrastructure

BROOKSHIRE, Texas (FOX 26) - Tim Thibodaux has been at it for two days now. He's trying to salvage a house in Brookshire that has been in his family for the last three decades.

"Water came up inside over three feet, straight path through my home," says Thibodaux. The inside of his home is like a disaster area with a strong smell from the rainwater. Outside, his cars were submerged and he is far from alone in his neighborhood.

Brookshire Mayor Eric Scott says hundreds of homes in his city, with a population of more than 4,000 people, have been damaged. The city's infrastructure also took a pounding from the flooding on Monday.

Mayor Scott adds that Stalknecht Road has collapsed in two different areas and it had to be shut down. He explains that it's a major artery in Brookshire.

The mayor has already signed an emergency declaration to get federal funds from FEMA to help with the clean up that will go into the millions. He says the city's annual budget of $2 million won't even come close. in the meantime, the community is also mourning the loss of a resident who died near Brookshire on the day of the floods. That man was considered a fixture at Royal Junior High School.

"A beloved teacher, Charles Odum, passed away," says Mayor Scott, "It was after a car incident and flooding."

In the meantime, until federal help arrives, Brookshire residents are doing what they can to pick up the pieces --- a painful process after watching it all just wash away.

"As a man, it's a hard thing to deal with," says Thibodaux.