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Texas flooding (May 2015)

Mom of 4 kids killed in floods: 'They were my heart'

Bradley Blackburn
WFAA-TV, Dallas
The family of a great-grandmother said she did everything she could to save her four great-grandchildren, before they were all swept away in a flood and lost their lives.

DALLAS - The mother of four children killed Saturday when floodwaters ripped through a neighborhood in Palestine, Texas, says she "doesn't know what to do" next.

"They were my kids. They were my heart," Kwanae Johnson said Saturday.

The children, were killed alongside their great-grandmother, who did everything she could to save the four children, according to family members.

The bodies of the five victims were found near one of the homes on their street in the early morning hours, according to the the Palestine Police Department.

City officials identified the victims as Lenda Asberry, 64, Venetia Asberry, 9, Devonte Asberry, 8, Von Anthony Johnson Jr., 7 and Jamonicka Johnson, 6.

"She made it out of the house with those babies, all four of em," said Toya Johnson, Asberry's daughter and the aunt of the four children.

Johnson said authorities told the family the water had risen up to Asberry's neck, as she struggled to get to safety.

Woman, four great-grandchildren killed in Texas flooding

"A tide of water came through, and it was just too much pressure for her with all those kids," she said.

All five were swept away in the waters. A sixth victim was located after an all-day search on Saturday. Giovani Olivas, 30, died after being swept into heavy flooding in Anderson County, Texas, near Palestine.

A car is submerged by flooding in Texas.

Asberry, known to almost everyone as Miss Peaches, was a loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. After raising four kids of her own, she was raising four great-grandchildren.

"Everybody loved my mom," Toya Johnson said. "If you needed her, all you needed to do was call. And she was gonna tell you the truth. That was my momma."

As the family tries to heal, they are also planning to bury Asberry with her great-grandchildren in Dallas. They've created a GoFundMe page to help pay for substantial and unexpected funeral expenses.

"It's really hard for us having to try to bury five people at one time, so we need all the support we can get. We are asking for all prayers," said Johnson. "It's just devastating."

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