PALESTINE, Tex. – A sixth victim of a flash flood in East Texas has been identified, adding to the tragedy of a 64-year-old woman and her four great-grandchildren who drowned early Saturday during a torrential downpour.

An all-day search found the body of Giovani Olivas, 30, Saturday evening in nearby rural Anderson County. Sheriff Greg Taylor said he had been swept underwater by the flood.

Lenda Asberry and her four great-grandkids, ages 6 to 9, were found within Palestine near their flooded home in a low-lying cul-de-sac neighborhood that was overwhelmed by water from a swollen creek.

Two of the children were found in the front yard of a home. Their great-grandmother and the other two youngsters were discovered behind two homes.

Neighbors said Asberry hurried to collect the children and wade to safety shortly after midnight Friday. They said she made it outside and started across the lawn toward the street. But two of the youngsters lagged, causing her to retreat to fetch them.

Then, in an instant, Asberry and the children disappeared, claimed by the surging waters.

“She tried hard to get the kids out,” said Tiffany Stephens, who lives across the street. “She was a good woman.”

Stephens said neighbors yelled to Asberry to swim or grab anything to hang on to. Stephens said she glanced away only briefly, and when she looked back Asberry and the children were nowhere in sight.

Police Capt. James Muniz said the victims didn’t have a chance.

“The water got up here extraordinarily quickly,” said Muniz. “With the enormous amount of rain we had, we had people tell us that within minutes, the water was waist deep.”

Muniz said several homes on the Timber Street cul-de-sac where Asberry lived were destroyed, forcing residents to climb to their roofs to safety.

Thunderstorms that started minutes before midnight Friday dumped more than 7 inches of rain within a few hours on Palestine, a community of 18,000. The deluge turned the normally placid creek into a raging flood that raced across the cul-de-sac homes.

Muntz said there were no other deaths in the neighborhood. Red Cross spokeswoman Anita Foster said between 20 and 30 residents were displaced by the flood. Temporary shelters were set up at the Palestine Mall.

Merta White said the rushing water “sounded like a toilet flushing” and woke her around midnight. She climbed onto the roof of her home from the porch when she saw a “bump” float by in the water.

“I thought it was a mailbox,” she said. “But then I realized what it really was (a body), and I started screaming.”

Another resident of the cul-de-sac said she was rescued just as the water reached her neck.

Asberry’s son, Doniell Hudnall, said his mother was a retired school teacher from Dallas, and the “cornerstone of the family.” He said she was “taking great care” of her great-grandkids while their parents looked for work in the Dallas area.

“She was our heart and soul,” said Hudnall. “We can’t imagine what we will do without her.”

The great-grandchildren were identified as Jamonicka Johnson, 6, Von Anthony Johnson Jr., 7, Devonte Asberry, 8, and Venetia Asberry, 9. The bodies were taken to Tyler, Texas, for autopsies.

Their drownings added to the rising death toll from disastrous flooding across Houston and other Texas cities last week. Authorities said at least 15 people have died, hundreds of homes were flooded and damage has climbed to at least $5 billion.

Martha Ashford, who has lived on the Timber Drive cul-de-sac in Palestine for 45 years, said she never imagined such a tragedy could happen on her street.

“This is something you see on TV and not here in Palestine,” she said. “The water was so fast it took off my grandbabies’ pants. This is just terrible.”

Details for this story were provided by the Palestine, Texas, Herald Press.