PORT ARTHUR, Tx. (KLFY) – Many prominent figures have helped in light of the floods in Texas…some known on a more local level.

Thomas Kinlaw is councilman of District 3 in Port Arthur.

On Monday, both he and his family had to evacuate their home due to water levels rising to their shoulders, but that was only the start of the trouble.

Kinlaw’s family was moved to the Port Arthur Civic Center which within hours experienced massive flooding as well.

Kinlaw said 500 people were staying at the center until the flooding led them to evacuate there as well.

Kinlaw added that even though he can only move forward… when he looks back… it was a traumatizing experience.

“It was kind of crazy. We were caught off guard a little bit because of the flood waters and how it came about. In a matter of hours, we are talking about maybe a foot of water to about 3 to 4 feet of water and it’s scary. It was a scary process of getting my family out to a military armored vehicle. The whole night it just rained. It rained for hours and hours and so much rain in a short period of time caught this city off guard,” Kinlaw recalled.

Kinlaw has been going with rescue groups to try to save as many people as he can. He can do that with the peace of mind knowing his wife and child are safe.