To all of the public officials and pastors who have been leading prayers for rain in their respective gatherings, the lake is full. I repeat, the lake is full. You might want to quit praying for a week or so.

Thunderstorms covered Cedar Creek Lake and surrounding areas Mother's Day evening May 10. Four inches of rain fell in one hour on the west side of the lake between Seven Points and Kemp off Highway 274. Residents at locations all around the lake reported similar heavy statistics.

Estimated total rainfall for the lake area ranged from between six and 10 inches.

The storms accompanied by massive thunder and lightening strikes hovered over the lake area for at least four hours. The rain continued even after the thunder and lightening ceased.

Severe weather warning and flood alerts appeared on television and radio broadcasts and via cell phone text messages throughout the night. Some residents returning to the lake area from Mother's Day visits found themselves unable to get home because of flooding country roads.

One woman traveling with a baby and a dog stopped at Seven Points Scottie's Exxon at about midnight to ask for the use of a phone because her cell phone lost service. The woman called her husband to tell him she was afraid to drive through flowing water on a road leading home so she planned to spend the night at a friend's house.

The entire Northeast Texas area experienced flooding in various locations, and a tornado tragically devastated Van, a small community east of Cedar Creek Lake in Van Zandt County. Officials reported two people dead, dozens injured and several people still missing the day after the tornado hit.

Weather forecasters predicted more rain later in the week with the possibilities of thunder storms returning by week's end.