Floods Wash Away Ft. Worth Trailer Parks

HALTOM CITY, Texas - Heavy rain caused rapidly rising floodwaters at two mobile home parks before daybreak Monday, forcing families to their rooftops and dragging away a 4-year-old girl, authorities said.

The waters unleashed by an overnight storm flooded about 100 mobile homes along a flood-prone creek in Haltom City, washing many from their foundations, emergency officials said.

Authorities were searching for the 4-year-old girl. At least one mobile home burned, and gas leaks were reported, said Haltom City Deputy Fire Chief Fred Napp.

The pre-dawn flood in this Fort Worth suburb left confusion as neighbors gathered in children from other families fleeing the flood, making it hard to account for all, he said.

As daylight broke over the area, the search intensified for Alexandria Collins, 4.

Her mother, Natasha Collins, said her family was climbing into a boat to escape the rising water.

"We were in the boat when the boat capsized," she said tearfully. "The current swept her from my arms."

Emergency officials waited for daylight to make a more comprehensive search and accounting of residents of the Skyline and White Creek Ranch mobile home parks. A police helicopter swept the area with a powerful searchlight just before dawn.

Ray Fletcher, emergency management coordinator for Cooke County, said water covered the service roads along Interstate 35 south of Valley View, but the interstate remained open. Low-water crossings in the area were also flooded.