1 00:00:01,360 --> 00:00:04,680 Speaker 1: Welcome. It is Verdict was Center Ted Cruz, Ben Ferguson 2 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:07,720 Speaker 1: with you. Traditionally you hear the show on Monday, Wednesday, 3 00:00:07,720 --> 00:00:11,200 Speaker 1: and Friday. We are coming to you on Tuesday. After 4 00:00:11,280 --> 00:00:16,439 Speaker 1: the just tragic flooding in Texas the centers. You've been 5 00:00:16,520 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: down there with the people in Currville and the surrounding 6 00:00:20,560 --> 00:00:23,920 Speaker 1: area's comfort. This is action an area that I spend 7 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:27,360 Speaker 1: a ton of time with my family at the Ranch, 8 00:00:27,480 --> 00:00:30,160 Speaker 1: and it has hit very close to home for us. 9 00:00:30,240 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: We also have friends who lost a daughter in this 10 00:00:35,200 --> 00:00:39,960 Speaker 1: flooding at the Christian camp that so many have talked 11 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:43,400 Speaker 1: about and you've seen in the media, and it is 12 00:00:43,640 --> 00:00:47,239 Speaker 1: just so sad and devastating to know that there are 13 00:00:47,240 --> 00:00:48,880 Speaker 1: people that are going to be going to that little 14 00:00:48,880 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 1: girl's funeral on Friday, and to see what it has 15 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:54,040 Speaker 1: done in Houston to people that knew so many that 16 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:57,680 Speaker 1: we were there. You were down there, and it is 17 00:00:57,760 --> 00:01:00,760 Speaker 1: obviously sad, but it is also encouraged to see so 18 00:01:00,880 --> 00:01:03,840 Speaker 1: many people coming together, so many Texans coming together, so 19 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,440 Speaker 1: many people rallying around these families, and it's just horrific time. 20 00:01:10,160 --> 00:01:12,440 Speaker 2: Well, Ben, you and I are recording this at twelve 21 00:01:12,480 --> 00:01:15,759 Speaker 2: thirty six am Monday night, and I spent the entire 22 00:01:15,840 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 2: day in the Hill Country starting at six am this morning, 23 00:01:19,480 --> 00:01:25,480 Speaker 2: and I visited with families who were grieving. I went 24 00:01:25,520 --> 00:01:30,760 Speaker 2: to Camp Mystic and saw firsthand the devastation. I will 25 00:01:30,800 --> 00:01:34,040 Speaker 2: tell you, there are not words to describe just how 26 00:01:34,120 --> 00:01:39,600 Speaker 2: much Texas is hurting. This is across the state and 27 00:01:40,200 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 2: across the country. People are grieving. They're grieving for the 28 00:01:43,280 --> 00:01:47,760 Speaker 2: moms and dads, this flooding. I'll tell you, In my 29 00:01:47,840 --> 00:01:50,320 Speaker 2: thirteen years in the Senate, I've seen a lot of 30 00:01:51,080 --> 00:01:56,200 Speaker 2: natural disasters, hurricanes and tornadoes and wildfires, and it's always difficult. 31 00:01:56,960 --> 00:02:02,960 Speaker 2: But this was something really different what happened in the 32 00:02:03,040 --> 00:02:09,440 Speaker 2: Hill Country. Right now, the fatality count it is over 33 00:02:09,480 --> 00:02:12,680 Speaker 2: one hundred. It is expected to keep growing. 34 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 3: Uh. 35 00:02:14,120 --> 00:02:19,080 Speaker 2: They are still searching for and finding bodies right now, 36 00:02:19,280 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 2: can't Mystic. We know of twenty seven kids and counselors 37 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: who lost their lives in the flooding. There are an 38 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 2: additional ten more girls and one more counselor who are missing, 39 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:35,400 Speaker 2: and so there are search and rescue teams that are 40 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,239 Speaker 2: searching for them right now. Obviously, every hour every day 41 00:02:39,280 --> 00:02:45,280 Speaker 2: that goes by the the the odds of a happy 42 00:02:45,639 --> 00:02:49,639 Speaker 2: outcome go down, but we are certainly praying that that 43 00:02:51,600 --> 00:02:58,240 Speaker 2: those those eleven girls are found safe and sound. You know, 44 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 2: I want to tell folks a little bit about what 45 00:03:03,400 --> 00:03:05,640 Speaker 2: what has happened on the ground and where this is. 46 00:03:05,680 --> 00:03:08,799 Speaker 2: So if you're if you're not from Texas, the Hill 47 00:03:08,840 --> 00:03:11,839 Speaker 2: Country is in central Texas. It's the center central part 48 00:03:11,840 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 2: of the state and and it is I think the 49 00:03:15,600 --> 00:03:17,480 Speaker 2: most beautiful part of the state. And I think most 50 00:03:17,480 --> 00:03:21,800 Speaker 2: most Texans agree with that. Uh. There are rolling hills, Uh, 51 00:03:22,080 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: there are beautiful rivers, and in particular Kerr County, there 52 00:03:30,200 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 2: are about forty summer camps. And and there's a long 53 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:38,800 Speaker 2: tradition of camps. It's an incredible tradition that goes back 54 00:03:38,840 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 2: one hundred years where people went and formed these summer 55 00:03:41,680 --> 00:03:45,480 Speaker 2: camps because the natural beauty was so extraordinary that it's 56 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,520 Speaker 2: it's it's an incredible place for girls and for boys 57 00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:53,200 Speaker 2: uh to come and spend typically a month at a time. 58 00:03:54,120 --> 00:03:58,720 Speaker 2: And and Camp mystic Is it's one hundred years old. 59 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 2: It is a Christian girl camp. And I will tell 60 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:07,920 Speaker 2: you Camp mystic Is is really an institution in Texas. Uh. 61 00:04:08,600 --> 00:04:17,680 Speaker 2: It is you see families from all across Texas who 62 00:04:18,960 --> 00:04:21,640 Speaker 2: at the end of of typically the month long camp 63 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 2: session that that there's a two day closing ceremony and 64 00:04:27,480 --> 00:04:32,000 Speaker 2: you'll see grandmothers and moms and daughters, three generations of 65 00:04:32,040 --> 00:04:34,800 Speaker 2: Texas women that are there, and and and it is 66 00:04:36,040 --> 00:04:39,480 Speaker 2: look for me, this is not abstract. Our girls have 67 00:04:39,480 --> 00:04:43,440 Speaker 2: have gone to camp in Hunt in Kirk County, UH 68 00:04:43,520 --> 00:04:46,479 Speaker 2: for a decade now. And and and actually just last 69 00:04:46,520 --> 00:04:51,040 Speaker 2: week Heidi was there picking up Catherine, our youngest daughter 70 00:04:51,080 --> 00:04:53,640 Speaker 2: from camp. And and and so this was literally a 71 00:04:53,640 --> 00:04:57,560 Speaker 2: week ago that that my daughter was there. She was 72 00:04:57,600 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 2: at camp that had been there for a month. And 73 00:04:59,120 --> 00:05:07,279 Speaker 2: I'll tell you these camp are they teach girls independence 74 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:12,840 Speaker 2: and responsibility and teamwork. And the friendships that are formed 75 00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:21,040 Speaker 2: are lifelong friendships. Catherine's best friend is a girl from 76 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,280 Speaker 2: the Rio Grand Valley who she would never have met 77 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 2: going to school and grown up in Houston if it 78 00:05:25,480 --> 00:05:28,760 Speaker 2: were not for that camp. And they are absolutely inseparable. 79 00:05:29,400 --> 00:05:32,680 Speaker 2: Those sorts of friendships you see at the closing ceremony. 80 00:05:32,760 --> 00:05:37,720 Speaker 2: You see women in their seventies and eighties with those 81 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:43,919 Speaker 2: same lifelong friendships. And when this flooding hit, it just 82 00:05:44,080 --> 00:05:48,600 Speaker 2: devastated camp Mystic, and not just Camp Mystic, but the 83 00:05:48,760 --> 00:05:52,920 Speaker 2: entire region. It was the Fourth of July weekend, and 84 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,200 Speaker 2: so you had thousands of thousands of people there celebrating 85 00:05:56,520 --> 00:05:58,720 Speaker 2: by the river banks. And the Guadalupe River is this 86 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:03,080 Speaker 2: beautiful river that I have have floated on and swam 87 00:06:03,120 --> 00:06:06,760 Speaker 2: in dozens of times. It's a gorgeous river. It's wonderful. 88 00:06:06,800 --> 00:06:10,239 Speaker 2: People love to swim in it, vacation in it, canoe 89 00:06:10,279 --> 00:06:11,919 Speaker 2: in it, and. 90 00:06:12,040 --> 00:06:15,240 Speaker 1: No, it's it's it's part of just the summers in Texas. 91 00:06:15,279 --> 00:06:17,960 Speaker 1: That and for people like you mentioned that are outside Texas, 92 00:06:18,279 --> 00:06:20,800 Speaker 1: floating the river is just so much fun because you 93 00:06:21,400 --> 00:06:24,200 Speaker 1: get I mean these basically they used to be back 94 00:06:24,200 --> 00:06:26,320 Speaker 1: in the day, the intertubes of tires. You get these 95 00:06:26,360 --> 00:06:29,840 Speaker 1: floats now and you float with your best friends. I 96 00:06:30,200 --> 00:06:33,920 Speaker 1: have a friend that actually met his future wife floating 97 00:06:33,960 --> 00:06:37,000 Speaker 1: the Guadalupe River. I mean, it's just a community. It's 98 00:06:37,000 --> 00:06:39,919 Speaker 1: a slow float, it's very safe. It is something that 99 00:06:39,960 --> 00:06:42,760 Speaker 1: you do. We've stayed on that river before, we floated it, 100 00:06:42,800 --> 00:06:45,800 Speaker 1: as you mentioned countless times. And on the Fourth of July, 101 00:06:45,920 --> 00:06:48,400 Speaker 1: a lot of people go down there camping. You can't 102 00:06:48,480 --> 00:06:51,920 Speaker 1: close the river. You bring your rv H and you 103 00:06:52,000 --> 00:06:54,400 Speaker 1: do that, and that's what people were doing. As you mentioned, 104 00:06:54,440 --> 00:06:57,600 Speaker 1: it was a fourth of July weekend. 105 00:06:56,960 --> 00:07:01,000 Speaker 2: Well, and you mentioned RV's the flo flooding. There were 106 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:04,560 Speaker 2: many RVs that were just swept into the river, and 107 00:07:04,600 --> 00:07:07,560 Speaker 2: we don't have a count. So I started this morning 108 00:07:07,640 --> 00:07:09,760 Speaker 2: by meeting with the mayor and the county judge and 109 00:07:09,800 --> 00:07:13,560 Speaker 2: the county commissioners and Texas DPS and the sheriff, and 110 00:07:13,600 --> 00:07:16,960 Speaker 2: just getting a report from on the ground. And one 111 00:07:16,960 --> 00:07:21,160 Speaker 2: of the challenging things. We have over one hundred confirmed fatalities. 112 00:07:21,960 --> 00:07:23,960 Speaker 2: There are a number of bodies that have been discovered, 113 00:07:24,000 --> 00:07:27,040 Speaker 2: both adults and kids, that have not been identified yet, 114 00:07:27,080 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 2: and bodies that have been in the water for an 115 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:33,120 Speaker 2: extended period of time can be difficult to identify visually, 116 00:07:33,200 --> 00:07:38,840 Speaker 2: and so they're doing DNA swabs. You know. When this 117 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 2: started happening, it was early in the morning on the 118 00:07:42,240 --> 00:07:44,720 Speaker 2: fourth of July. The National Weather Service put out an 119 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:48,440 Speaker 2: emergency warning just after one am. They put out another 120 00:07:48,480 --> 00:07:53,240 Speaker 2: emergency warning just after four am, and the waters rose 121 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 2: about thirty feet in less than an hour. Thirty feet 122 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:02,520 Speaker 2: is a lot for an order ordinary calm river to rise. Suddenly, 123 00:08:02,640 --> 00:08:07,440 Speaker 2: the flash flood was absolutely devastating. Now, Now, when this 124 00:08:07,600 --> 00:08:12,200 Speaker 2: was happening, within hours of the flooding occurring, I was 125 00:08:12,240 --> 00:08:17,600 Speaker 2: on the phone speaking with Governor Greg Abbott. I spoke 126 00:08:17,680 --> 00:08:22,080 Speaker 2: with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick. I spoke with Nim Kidd, 127 00:08:22,120 --> 00:08:25,160 Speaker 2: who is head of the Texas Department of Emergency Management, 128 00:08:26,160 --> 00:08:29,080 Speaker 2: and I called President Trump and I talked to President 129 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:33,080 Speaker 2: Trump on that first day and I said, mister President, 130 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 2: what is happening in Texas? That this is bad. It 131 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:43,360 Speaker 2: is all indications are this is really really serious. There 132 00:08:43,360 --> 00:08:47,040 Speaker 2: could be a lot of fatalities. Information was just starting 133 00:08:47,040 --> 00:08:49,520 Speaker 2: to come in, so it was it was hazy, but 134 00:08:49,600 --> 00:08:54,360 Speaker 2: I said, this could be really really bad. And President Trump, 135 00:08:54,360 --> 00:08:56,760 Speaker 2: to his credit, he said, ted, whatever Texas needs, the 136 00:08:56,800 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 2: answer is yes. Whatever federal assets you need, the answer 137 00:09:00,240 --> 00:09:03,200 Speaker 2: is yes. And that I passed on to the state officials, 138 00:09:03,200 --> 00:09:06,680 Speaker 2: to the local officials, and I'll tell you, Ben, Within hours, 139 00:09:07,360 --> 00:09:10,800 Speaker 2: I was hearing from families. I was hearing from parents 140 00:09:11,640 --> 00:09:15,600 Speaker 2: whose daughters weren't mystic and whose daughters were missing and 141 00:09:15,640 --> 00:09:18,240 Speaker 2: they were panicked, and they were saying, can you tell 142 00:09:18,320 --> 00:09:20,199 Speaker 2: us anything? Can you do you have any information? And 143 00:09:20,240 --> 00:09:23,560 Speaker 2: I was connecting them with the local sheriff, with with 144 00:09:23,640 --> 00:09:27,240 Speaker 2: emergency management. And look, you and I are both dads. 145 00:09:31,160 --> 00:09:35,400 Speaker 2: It is difficult to imagine the panic, the fear, the bewilderment, 146 00:09:37,040 --> 00:09:39,760 Speaker 2: everything those moms and dads were feeling as you get 147 00:09:39,760 --> 00:09:43,599 Speaker 2: the news that your daughter is missing. And many of 148 00:09:43,640 --> 00:09:46,120 Speaker 2: those parents just drove to Central Texas immediately got in 149 00:09:46,120 --> 00:09:50,199 Speaker 2: the car and drove. As I told you, we picked 150 00:09:50,280 --> 00:09:53,000 Speaker 2: up our daughter last week from right there. 151 00:09:53,800 --> 00:09:54,000 Speaker 1: Yeah. 152 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:57,880 Speaker 2: And Catherine said to me, said, well, why would the 153 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:00,040 Speaker 2: dads drive there? And I said, sweetheart, that's just that 154 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,840 Speaker 2: what you do if you're if your child has lost, 155 00:10:02,840 --> 00:10:05,319 Speaker 2: you just go. You'll move heaven and. 156 00:10:05,320 --> 00:10:10,480 Speaker 1: Earth it, just do whatever you can. I mean, this 157 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:13,600 Speaker 1: is the same conversation I have with my boys. And 158 00:10:13,640 --> 00:10:15,960 Speaker 1: in the ages here, you know, you see these little 159 00:10:15,960 --> 00:10:20,120 Speaker 1: girls that are missing, and one of my wife's high 160 00:10:20,120 --> 00:10:22,760 Speaker 1: school friend's daughter is one of those that lost your life. 161 00:10:23,120 --> 00:10:27,959 Speaker 1: And having that conversation with your kids or the same age. 162 00:10:28,000 --> 00:10:30,880 Speaker 1: My twins are six, they could have been at camp, 163 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,680 Speaker 1: and my oldest is eight, could have been at camp. 164 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:36,680 Speaker 1: And you put yourself in that situation of just what 165 00:10:36,760 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: would you do, and you're it's exactly what you just said. 166 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:43,640 Speaker 1: You just go. And there's been I also want people 167 00:10:43,679 --> 00:10:46,200 Speaker 1: to understand flooding in this region, because I think there's 168 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,200 Speaker 1: been a lot of misinformation, uh nationwide on this, so 169 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:51,760 Speaker 1: that people understand the Hill Country and kind of how 170 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,920 Speaker 1: it works. There's a lot of rock in the Hill Country, 171 00:10:55,040 --> 00:10:58,200 Speaker 1: and so when it rains, the water doesn't absorb into 172 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:02,040 Speaker 1: the land. It does in most places in the country, 173 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,800 Speaker 1: like when we get rain in Houston or when I 174 00:11:04,840 --> 00:11:07,960 Speaker 1: lived in Dallas, Like it rains and a lot of 175 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:10,840 Speaker 1: the water goes into the earth, and you don't have 176 00:11:10,960 --> 00:11:15,280 Speaker 1: this flash flooding, this massive, quick flooding in the Hill Country. 177 00:11:15,480 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 1: That's what you get when you get rain. But to 178 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:19,280 Speaker 1: be clear, in this part of the Hill Country, they 179 00:11:19,280 --> 00:11:22,080 Speaker 1: don't get a lot of rain. They can go hundreds 180 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:25,880 Speaker 1: of days without rain in this area. And so when 181 00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:29,160 Speaker 1: it you know, there's a reality of like when it rains, 182 00:11:29,200 --> 00:11:31,760 Speaker 1: the locals know that you're gonna have some flooding in 183 00:11:31,800 --> 00:11:33,559 Speaker 1: the low lying areas, and you kind of know where 184 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 1: those areas are and where the bridges are and where 185 00:11:35,640 --> 00:11:39,800 Speaker 1: the low areas are in the roadways. This is something 186 00:11:40,160 --> 00:11:43,679 Speaker 1: that no one had seen in their lifetime. There had 187 00:11:43,720 --> 00:11:47,960 Speaker 1: never been flooding like this in Kerrville or in comfort 188 00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:51,000 Speaker 1: the way that we are witnessing it now. And so 189 00:11:51,040 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 1: there's some people I think out there acting like, well 190 00:11:52,840 --> 00:11:55,480 Speaker 1: they should, you know, this is something that happened so common. 191 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:59,360 Speaker 1: I've seen comments like that this was catastrophic. You witness 192 00:11:59,400 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 1: it today. 193 00:12:01,200 --> 00:12:04,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, it was utterly unprecedented. I went up in a 194 00:12:04,800 --> 00:12:09,800 Speaker 2: Coastguard helicopter and I flew a significant portion of the 195 00:12:09,800 --> 00:12:13,760 Speaker 2: Guadalupe River, and I will tell you just looking at 196 00:12:13,760 --> 00:12:18,360 Speaker 2: the devastation. You know, water, when you have a fast 197 00:12:18,440 --> 00:12:22,800 Speaker 2: moving wall of water, nothing stands in its way. There 198 00:12:22,840 --> 00:12:25,720 Speaker 2: were cars strewn everywhere, and by the way, when a 199 00:12:25,800 --> 00:12:28,560 Speaker 2: car is being thrown and it crashes into a tree, 200 00:12:29,480 --> 00:12:34,560 Speaker 2: it destroys the car. But there were thousands and thousands 201 00:12:34,600 --> 00:12:37,240 Speaker 2: of trees that were just mowed over by the water 202 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:40,400 Speaker 2: because when water hits a tree, water's a lot stronger 203 00:12:40,440 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 2: than the trees. And the volume of you saw houses 204 00:12:43,840 --> 00:12:49,360 Speaker 2: just taking clean off their foundation and swept into the 205 00:12:49,480 --> 00:12:52,040 Speaker 2: river that we were talking about r vs. A lot 206 00:12:52,040 --> 00:12:55,080 Speaker 2: of people bring ur vs or in mobile homes and look, 207 00:12:55,120 --> 00:12:56,719 Speaker 2: if you're going to a campsidey, you know it's a 208 00:12:56,760 --> 00:13:00,480 Speaker 2: Fourth of July weekend, it's a great weekend. And the 209 00:13:00,520 --> 00:13:03,559 Speaker 2: problem is r v's and mobile homes are particularly vulnerable 210 00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:07,320 Speaker 2: in a flood or tornado or other natural disaster, and 211 00:13:07,360 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 2: so you just had multiple RVs swept into the river. 212 00:13:10,760 --> 00:13:12,720 Speaker 2: They don't have a firm count, they don't know how 213 00:13:12,760 --> 00:13:15,440 Speaker 2: many people they're looking for because many of the visitors 214 00:13:15,440 --> 00:13:18,640 Speaker 2: were not from Kirk County. And we're just there to 215 00:13:18,679 --> 00:13:24,959 Speaker 2: celebrate the Fourth of July. Going down flying that helicopter 216 00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:32,800 Speaker 2: and just seeing the extent of the devastation was massive. 217 00:13:35,200 --> 00:13:40,080 Speaker 2: And look, but I want to say this this, there's 218 00:13:40,200 --> 00:13:45,920 Speaker 2: so much grief in Texas. Our hearts are broken right now. 219 00:13:48,200 --> 00:13:52,920 Speaker 2: And their families from from Houston, from Dallas, from Austin, 220 00:13:53,000 --> 00:13:55,760 Speaker 2: from San Antonio, from every community in Texas and there, 221 00:13:55,800 --> 00:13:57,920 Speaker 2: and they're they're campers who come from all over the 222 00:13:57,920 --> 00:13:59,960 Speaker 2: country to come to Camp Mystic, but many of them 223 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 2: from cities in Texas, and many of them You and 224 00:14:03,080 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 2: I know we have multiple friends who've lost children. My 225 00:14:08,440 --> 00:14:12,079 Speaker 2: street at home, around the oak tree in our front yard, 226 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:15,760 Speaker 2: we have a big green ribbon for the girls. I 227 00:14:15,840 --> 00:14:18,320 Speaker 2: can't miss it. And if you look at tree after tree, 228 00:14:18,360 --> 00:14:21,400 Speaker 2: just going up and down our street, they're green ribbons 229 00:14:21,400 --> 00:14:27,160 Speaker 2: on tree after tree after tree. But I want to 230 00:14:28,160 --> 00:14:32,720 Speaker 2: I want to give some encouragement. Look, this is unbearably 231 00:14:33,760 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 2: hard and painful for the state, but in the face 232 00:14:39,680 --> 00:14:46,800 Speaker 2: of unspeakable pain, there's also unbelievable courage. And there were 233 00:14:46,920 --> 00:14:54,960 Speaker 2: over eight hundred and fifty rescues from that river. We 234 00:14:55,040 --> 00:14:57,280 Speaker 2: had early on when I got on the phone and 235 00:14:57,280 --> 00:14:58,880 Speaker 2: I worked to make sure that there were there were 236 00:14:58,920 --> 00:15:01,920 Speaker 2: federal assets. There went over a dozen helicopters in the air. 237 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:04,280 Speaker 2: We had Coast Guard in the air, we had National 238 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,360 Speaker 2: guardsmen in the air, we had DPS in the air, 239 00:15:07,440 --> 00:15:10,720 Speaker 2: we had Game wardens on the ground, and they were 240 00:15:10,800 --> 00:15:16,720 Speaker 2: rescuing people, pulling them out of harm's way. I met 241 00:15:16,760 --> 00:15:19,240 Speaker 2: today with a Coast Guard swimmer, and by the way, 242 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:23,479 Speaker 2: Coast Guard swimmers are incredible. You know. I have analogized 243 00:15:23,480 --> 00:15:27,800 Speaker 2: Coastguard swimmers before to kind of a blend of Navy 244 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:32,720 Speaker 2: seals and California surfers, and I've gotten to know several 245 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:34,840 Speaker 2: of these Coast Guard swimmers and Hurricane Harvey, I got 246 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,320 Speaker 2: to know them, and they're utterly fearless. These are guys 247 00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:41,000 Speaker 2: that jump out of helicopters into hurricane force winds and 248 00:15:41,080 --> 00:15:44,520 Speaker 2: waters and just swim and rescue people. And they kind 249 00:15:44,560 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 2: of you know, often will be just sort of dudes, 250 00:15:49,120 --> 00:15:54,520 Speaker 2: like surfer dudes, who are these incredibly fearless life savers. Well, 251 00:15:54,560 --> 00:16:01,040 Speaker 2: I met met this one one Coast guardsman who landed 252 00:16:03,920 --> 00:16:07,280 Speaker 2: at Camp Mystic. He was on a Coastguard helicopter. They 253 00:16:07,400 --> 00:16:10,960 Speaker 2: landed him there and he rescued one hundred and sixty 254 00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:14,560 Speaker 2: five girls and I talked with him. His name is 255 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:18,560 Speaker 2: Petty Officer Scott Ruskin. He's twenty six years old. He's 256 00:16:18,680 --> 00:16:22,800 Speaker 2: from New Jersey and it was his first mission as 257 00:16:22,800 --> 00:16:25,520 Speaker 2: a Coast Guard rescue swimmer. He's due to the Coastguard. 258 00:16:26,240 --> 00:16:28,240 Speaker 2: He did a lot of training, but they put him 259 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 2: on the ground there and it was the highest part 260 00:16:31,280 --> 00:16:34,160 Speaker 2: part of Camp Mystic, And then they brought in a 261 00:16:34,200 --> 00:16:37,320 Speaker 2: whole series of helicopters to helicopter the girls out because 262 00:16:37,320 --> 00:16:39,840 Speaker 2: all the roads were underwater, so you couldn't drive in 263 00:16:39,880 --> 00:16:42,520 Speaker 2: and get the girls because the roads were completely submerged. 264 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:45,040 Speaker 2: And so he was there. He spent three and a 265 00:16:45,040 --> 00:16:49,440 Speaker 2: half hours on the ground at Camp Mystic. Understand there's 266 00:16:49,480 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 2: torrential rains coming down. He's sitting there with girls, girls 267 00:16:54,880 --> 00:16:59,680 Speaker 2: who are terrified, who are crying, who are screaming, who 268 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:03,160 Speaker 2: are scared. Some of them were singing hymns and he's 269 00:17:03,200 --> 00:17:06,000 Speaker 2: trying to comfort them. They dropped him off, and he 270 00:17:06,080 --> 00:17:08,200 Speaker 2: was the one staying with them and trying to get 271 00:17:08,240 --> 00:17:11,920 Speaker 2: the girls that they would come and land helicopters and 272 00:17:11,920 --> 00:17:14,920 Speaker 2: they would load about fifteen girls and they'd take take them, 273 00:17:15,520 --> 00:17:17,280 Speaker 2: take them to a safe place. They'd come back and 274 00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:19,160 Speaker 2: pick up another load, and another load and another load. 275 00:17:19,240 --> 00:17:22,640 Speaker 2: So for three and a half hours, you know, when 276 00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,120 Speaker 2: I visited with him, and it's interesting. He's twenty six 277 00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:28,840 Speaker 2: years old. He has kind of short blonde hair and 278 00:17:28,880 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 2: a mustache, and it's you know, he's done some media 279 00:17:31,480 --> 00:17:34,280 Speaker 2: interviews today and one of them he said, I'm just 280 00:17:34,320 --> 00:17:37,120 Speaker 2: a dude, which is sort of what what I said 281 00:17:37,119 --> 00:17:41,359 Speaker 2: about like the and he was saying and he was 282 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:43,840 Speaker 2: kind of laughing and saying like like he talks to 283 00:17:43,840 --> 00:17:46,399 Speaker 2: his commanding officer and sometimes says, hey, dude, He's like, 284 00:17:46,400 --> 00:17:48,520 Speaker 2: oh wait, wait, you're a commanding officer. Sorry, But it's 285 00:17:49,080 --> 00:17:51,679 Speaker 2: it's kind of just how swimmers are. It's sort of 286 00:17:51,720 --> 00:17:55,320 Speaker 2: their culture. But he said he had just gotten off 287 00:17:55,320 --> 00:17:58,520 Speaker 2: the phone with a mom and dad and a girl 288 00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:00,639 Speaker 2: who he said, and he said they were crying and 289 00:18:00,680 --> 00:18:03,480 Speaker 2: he was crying because they said, you saved my daughter's life. 290 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:06,119 Speaker 2: She said that when she was terrified, you held her 291 00:18:06,160 --> 00:18:07,719 Speaker 2: hand and just held her hand as you put her 292 00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:10,639 Speaker 2: in the helicopter, and and and made her not be 293 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:17,480 Speaker 2: scared for a minute. And I that heroism was happening 294 00:18:17,640 --> 00:18:19,800 Speaker 2: over and over and over again. 295 00:18:22,119 --> 00:18:26,280 Speaker 1: It's it's incredible. It's the best part of the tragedy 296 00:18:26,400 --> 00:18:29,560 Speaker 1: is just seeing how quickly people came together. You know. 297 00:18:29,640 --> 00:18:32,399 Speaker 1: There there's also another aspect of this, and and I 298 00:18:32,440 --> 00:18:34,520 Speaker 1: do want to just take a moment and set the 299 00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:39,399 Speaker 1: record straight. There have been some people that have tried 300 00:18:39,480 --> 00:18:45,439 Speaker 1: to use this tragedy to score political points. I I 301 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,000 Speaker 1: it makes me sad that are that that there's people 302 00:18:49,040 --> 00:18:51,280 Speaker 1: on the media, and there's people on the left that 303 00:18:51,320 --> 00:18:56,879 Speaker 1: are just that vile and partisan. We even saw, you know, 304 00:18:57,800 --> 00:19:01,000 Speaker 1: a pediatrician that actually worked with Mike kids go to 305 00:19:01,080 --> 00:19:04,440 Speaker 1: a pediatrician who said that basically, the people deserve what 306 00:19:04,480 --> 00:19:06,280 Speaker 1: they get because they voted for Donald Trump in this 307 00:19:06,320 --> 00:19:08,720 Speaker 1: area of the country. You know, Thank goodness, it was 308 00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:13,440 Speaker 1: exposed and she was fired today for that. It is 309 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:18,560 Speaker 1: it is sad to see this happen. And I even 310 00:19:18,560 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 1: called her pediatrician's office, and I said, hey, like this, 311 00:19:21,920 --> 00:19:25,159 Speaker 1: I need to know that if there's an on call doctor, 312 00:19:25,200 --> 00:19:27,840 Speaker 1: they're not going to give my kid bad care if 313 00:19:27,840 --> 00:19:31,359 Speaker 1: they know what I do. And they said, watch our website. 314 00:19:31,400 --> 00:19:33,600 Speaker 1: You'll be getting an update soon. Thank goodness. They put 315 00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:36,960 Speaker 1: out there that this doctor had been had been fired 316 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:39,760 Speaker 1: from this job as a pediatrician. And you look at 317 00:19:39,760 --> 00:19:42,480 Speaker 1: these moments and it does make you sad, But I 318 00:19:42,520 --> 00:19:45,440 Speaker 1: also think we need to be clear about the record here. 319 00:19:46,560 --> 00:19:49,600 Speaker 1: There's a lot of rumors that this was all preventable, 320 00:19:49,680 --> 00:19:52,520 Speaker 1: that this was somehow Donald Trump's fault, this was the 321 00:19:52,560 --> 00:19:56,480 Speaker 1: fault of defunding of FEMA and different agencies and National 322 00:19:56,560 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 1: Weather Service. All that is a lie. They were staffed adequately. 323 00:20:00,440 --> 00:20:02,919 Speaker 1: There were warnings that went out. Can we learn from 324 00:20:02,960 --> 00:20:05,520 Speaker 1: this and do better? Absolutely? Can we put maybe a 325 00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:09,520 Speaker 1: warning system on the river banks? So they've talked about 326 00:20:09,600 --> 00:20:11,560 Speaker 1: seven years ago, but it was voted down because the 327 00:20:11,680 --> 00:20:16,480 Speaker 1: costs and Kirk County that these are things that we 328 00:20:16,600 --> 00:20:20,480 Speaker 1: can learn from. But the partisan politics of this and 329 00:20:20,680 --> 00:20:23,800 Speaker 1: just watching people try to somehow blame Trump for this tragedy, 330 00:20:24,480 --> 00:20:26,720 Speaker 1: it really makes me sad that this is still where 331 00:20:26,760 --> 00:20:29,679 Speaker 1: we are in this way when something like this happens. 332 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 1: I wish people could just learn this isn't political. This 333 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:36,639 Speaker 1: storm didn't care if you're a Republican or Democrat, or Agnostic, 334 00:20:36,760 --> 00:20:40,159 Speaker 1: or Christian or Jewish or Catholic or anything else. They 335 00:20:40,200 --> 00:20:42,399 Speaker 1: didn't care if you were rich or poor, black or white. 336 00:20:43,080 --> 00:20:46,480 Speaker 1: Everybody that was in the line of this flooding life 337 00:20:46,640 --> 00:20:49,560 Speaker 1: was in danger. That's what people should focus on and 338 00:20:49,680 --> 00:20:51,400 Speaker 1: the help we can do to give them, not trying 339 00:20:51,440 --> 00:20:53,240 Speaker 1: to say, all right, how do we use this to 340 00:20:53,359 --> 00:20:54,080 Speaker 1: make points? 341 00:20:55,560 --> 00:21:00,320 Speaker 2: Yeah, you see this unfortunately frequently after natural disaster, after 342 00:21:00,400 --> 00:21:03,800 Speaker 2: hurricanes or or tornadoes or in this case, flooding, that 343 00:21:04,000 --> 00:21:07,080 Speaker 2: that that partisans will try to attack their political opponents 344 00:21:07,119 --> 00:21:09,320 Speaker 2: and and and and score cheap points. And and there 345 00:21:09,359 --> 00:21:12,920 Speaker 2: are a bunch of folks online and both in the 346 00:21:13,000 --> 00:21:16,000 Speaker 2: media and and and on the left that are just 347 00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,440 Speaker 2: trying to attack Trump. And and you know, if there's 348 00:21:18,440 --> 00:21:21,639 Speaker 2: a hurricane, the hurricane is Trump's fault. And in this case, 349 00:21:21,720 --> 00:21:24,200 Speaker 2: the the sort of talking point of the left was 350 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:27,399 Speaker 2: that that Doge made reductions in different areas of government 351 00:21:27,480 --> 00:21:30,959 Speaker 2: and the National Weather Service, they say Doge gutted it. Now, 352 00:21:31,080 --> 00:21:33,920 Speaker 2: now we know that that that is not the case. 353 00:21:33,960 --> 00:21:36,520 Speaker 2: How do we know that? Number one, because the National 354 00:21:36,600 --> 00:21:38,959 Speaker 2: Weather Service in this case put out two warnings, one 355 00:21:39,000 --> 00:21:41,560 Speaker 2: as I mentioned, just after one am, one after four am. 356 00:21:42,280 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 2: UH that that was their job. We also know the 357 00:21:46,119 --> 00:21:49,680 Speaker 2: National Weather Service for this region UH was headquarters in 358 00:21:49,760 --> 00:21:52,000 Speaker 2: New bron Foals, which is another small town not too 359 00:21:52,040 --> 00:21:54,400 Speaker 2: far away from Curville, not too far away from Hunt 360 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:58,280 Speaker 2: and and and the night of of of of this flood, 361 00:21:58,600 --> 00:22:01,560 Speaker 2: they not only had full staff, they had three additional people. 362 00:22:01,640 --> 00:22:05,119 Speaker 2: Three extra people staffed that evening because they knew it 363 00:22:05,200 --> 00:22:06,720 Speaker 2: was going to be a difficult weather event, so they 364 00:22:06,800 --> 00:22:11,879 Speaker 2: deliberately staffed up. And lookie, I will say beyond that, 365 00:22:12,359 --> 00:22:15,560 Speaker 2: the National Weather Service Union, which has been very critical 366 00:22:16,160 --> 00:22:18,760 Speaker 2: of the DOZE reductions, as you would expect the union 367 00:22:18,800 --> 00:22:23,960 Speaker 2: to be, they publicly said that that the reductions through 368 00:22:24,080 --> 00:22:27,680 Speaker 2: DOGE had zero impact on the National Weather Service's ability 369 00:22:28,359 --> 00:22:33,000 Speaker 2: to predict what happened here. And given that they're they're 370 00:22:33,160 --> 00:22:35,520 Speaker 2: an entity that is naturally critical of those cuts, I 371 00:22:35,560 --> 00:22:39,000 Speaker 2: think that's that speaks volumes now, you know. I spent 372 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:41,040 Speaker 2: the day, I did a lot of a lot of 373 00:22:41,119 --> 00:22:43,520 Speaker 2: interviews with a lot of reporters today, and many of 374 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:46,200 Speaker 2: them were saying, okay, well, and they would ask this question. 375 00:22:46,280 --> 00:22:48,199 Speaker 2: Many of the reporters would say, well, isn't this all 376 00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,240 Speaker 2: Trump's fault? And so I tried to say, look, stop 377 00:22:51,320 --> 00:22:55,160 Speaker 2: politicizing a crisis that has broken the heart of our state. 378 00:22:56,520 --> 00:23:00,240 Speaker 2: But as you noted and listen, with any disag aster, 379 00:23:00,840 --> 00:23:06,560 Speaker 2: there's a natural order of events. The first phase is 380 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:10,680 Speaker 2: is search and rescue. It is crisis saving people's lives. 381 00:23:11,480 --> 00:23:13,960 Speaker 2: And we have been in that phase. We're still in 382 00:23:14,080 --> 00:23:18,480 Speaker 2: that phase looking for these these eleven still missing girls. 383 00:23:18,560 --> 00:23:20,960 Speaker 2: But but but that phase will soon come to an end. 384 00:23:23,040 --> 00:23:25,280 Speaker 2: The next phase is rebuilding. And then there are many 385 00:23:25,320 --> 00:23:27,679 Speaker 2: people who have who have lost their homes, have lost everything, 386 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:30,720 Speaker 2: and the and the rebuilding time phase will will take 387 00:23:30,800 --> 00:23:33,240 Speaker 2: It will take months, it may take years for some 388 00:23:33,359 --> 00:23:36,000 Speaker 2: of these some of these places to be rebuilt. But 389 00:23:36,200 --> 00:23:38,520 Speaker 2: but that's a process. That's a process that there will 390 00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:43,480 Speaker 2: be local assistance and state assistants and federal assistants at 391 00:23:43,520 --> 00:23:45,960 Speaker 2: the same time. We will when we get through the 392 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:51,399 Speaker 2: crisis period, there will naturally be a retrospective examination of 393 00:23:51,440 --> 00:23:55,560 Speaker 2: what happened, what was the exact timeline, and what could 394 00:23:55,600 --> 00:23:58,920 Speaker 2: have gone better, what what lessons can be learned and 395 00:23:59,000 --> 00:24:02,520 Speaker 2: we've seen that. Uh, for instance, with the many hurricanes. 396 00:24:02,560 --> 00:24:04,080 Speaker 2: You know, you and I both live in Houston. If 397 00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:05,320 Speaker 2: you live on the Gulf coast, you have a lot 398 00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:09,160 Speaker 2: of hurricanes. I will say unfortunately, Texas has gotten really 399 00:24:09,200 --> 00:24:11,959 Speaker 2: good with dealing with hurricanes because we have a lot 400 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:14,240 Speaker 2: of practice in it, and so we've learned lessons. We've 401 00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:17,560 Speaker 2: learned how to identify the most vulnerable areas, the most 402 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,159 Speaker 2: vulnerable populations when a hurricane is in the Gulf, to 403 00:24:20,240 --> 00:24:22,719 Speaker 2: get them out of there, to try to minimize fatalities. 404 00:24:22,760 --> 00:24:26,000 Speaker 2: And I think we can certainly learn lessons here, in 405 00:24:26,119 --> 00:24:30,840 Speaker 2: particular the the you know, you're putting out warnings at 406 00:24:30,880 --> 00:24:33,159 Speaker 2: one am and four am. Most people are sleeping at 407 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,199 Speaker 2: one am and four am, and every one of us, 408 00:24:36,280 --> 00:24:40,800 Speaker 2: if you and I, yeah, yeah, and actually with the 409 00:24:40,880 --> 00:24:42,680 Speaker 2: kids of the kids they don't have we knew people. 410 00:24:44,040 --> 00:24:45,879 Speaker 1: Yeah. And by the way, there was people that we 411 00:24:45,960 --> 00:24:49,200 Speaker 1: knew that were in Curville that received the notices on 412 00:24:49,280 --> 00:24:52,439 Speaker 1: their phones. They woke up to them and yeah, they 413 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:54,440 Speaker 1: didn't get them because they were asleep. 414 00:24:56,320 --> 00:24:58,800 Speaker 2: And the cell coverage, I will say, in that region 415 00:24:58,880 --> 00:25:01,560 Speaker 2: is is just lousy. Like every time we go for 416 00:25:01,680 --> 00:25:03,680 Speaker 2: can't pick up you. It's very hard to get any 417 00:25:03,720 --> 00:25:06,880 Speaker 2: cell coverage at all, just just given the topography, there's 418 00:25:06,920 --> 00:25:12,479 Speaker 2: not a lot of cell towers there. And it's also 419 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:19,679 Speaker 2: you know, the campers are not allowed to have phones, 420 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:23,280 Speaker 2: and so they leave their phones at home, so it's 421 00:25:23,359 --> 00:25:27,080 Speaker 2: just the counselors and adults that have phones. But look, Ben, 422 00:25:27,119 --> 00:25:28,720 Speaker 2: if you and I could step in a time machine 423 00:25:28,800 --> 00:25:32,359 Speaker 2: right now and go back to two or three in 424 00:25:32,400 --> 00:25:35,480 Speaker 2: the morning on the fourth of July, we would run 425 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,800 Speaker 2: into those cabins and pull those girls out and get 426 00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:40,760 Speaker 2: them out of there. Every one of us. We're just like, 427 00:25:41,840 --> 00:25:45,720 Speaker 2: dear God, get them the high ground. And so it 428 00:25:45,880 --> 00:25:50,000 Speaker 2: is perfectly reasonable to say, how can we improve the 429 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:53,440 Speaker 2: response from when an emergency warning gets out to make 430 00:25:53,520 --> 00:25:55,680 Speaker 2: sure that it is heard. And I'll tell you I 431 00:25:56,520 --> 00:26:01,040 Speaker 2: spoke today with Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick, tech legislator's coming 432 00:26:01,119 --> 00:26:04,719 Speaker 2: back for special session shortly, and I suggested to him 433 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:06,440 Speaker 2: this is something that should be on the call. The 434 00:26:06,520 --> 00:26:11,080 Speaker 2: governor chooses that, But Lieutenant Governor agreed that it made 435 00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:16,879 Speaker 2: sense to look at an emergency warning system along the 436 00:26:16,920 --> 00:26:19,800 Speaker 2: guadally Loopy River, much like we have up in the 437 00:26:19,840 --> 00:26:23,200 Speaker 2: Texas Panhandle. When there's a tornado, they have sirens that 438 00:26:23,359 --> 00:26:25,760 Speaker 2: go off. Because a tornado, like a flash flood, you 439 00:26:25,800 --> 00:26:28,680 Speaker 2: get very little warning. It can develop quickly, it could 440 00:26:28,680 --> 00:26:32,800 Speaker 2: be devastating, and so they'll set off the alarms. I 441 00:26:32,880 --> 00:26:35,080 Speaker 2: think it makes a lot of sense to consider putting 442 00:26:35,119 --> 00:26:37,280 Speaker 2: in a warning system like that. So at least if 443 00:26:37,359 --> 00:26:40,240 Speaker 2: you had a blaring alarm going off at one or 444 00:26:40,280 --> 00:26:42,960 Speaker 2: two or three in the morning, it would wake the 445 00:26:43,280 --> 00:26:45,320 Speaker 2: kids up and wake the counselors up and put them 446 00:26:45,359 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 2: in a position to get the kids out of harm's way. 447 00:26:49,240 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: No, I couldn't agree with you more in that one. 448 00:26:51,640 --> 00:26:53,119 Speaker 1: How does that when you when you look at the 449 00:26:53,160 --> 00:26:56,679 Speaker 1: response moving forward? Final question on this, because there are 450 00:26:56,720 --> 00:26:58,760 Speaker 1: people that say, hey, we want to make sure, as 451 00:26:58,800 --> 00:27:01,240 Speaker 1: you just mentioned this ever happened again. Is this a 452 00:27:01,320 --> 00:27:05,440 Speaker 1: cooperation within the State of Texas with the federal government? 453 00:27:05,520 --> 00:27:07,320 Speaker 1: Does the State of Texas come first? There's a lot 454 00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:09,760 Speaker 1: of people that asked that question. I'd love for you 455 00:27:09,840 --> 00:27:11,840 Speaker 1: to answer it. Where does that start? 456 00:27:12,880 --> 00:27:15,440 Speaker 2: So it'll be at every level of government. It'll be 457 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,320 Speaker 2: the local level, it'll be at the state level, it'll 458 00:27:18,359 --> 00:27:19,800 Speaker 2: be at the federal level, and I think at every 459 00:27:19,880 --> 00:27:22,639 Speaker 2: level we're going to have discussions about what can we do, 460 00:27:22,840 --> 00:27:27,840 Speaker 2: what makes sense, how do we keep people safe? And look, 461 00:27:29,119 --> 00:27:35,879 Speaker 2: this level of devastation, We've never seen anything like it. 462 00:27:36,840 --> 00:27:40,320 Speaker 2: But I want to go back to some of the 463 00:27:40,400 --> 00:27:45,160 Speaker 2: signs of encouragement. I met with with one family today, 464 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:49,200 Speaker 2: a mom and dad who had a young boy, a 465 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:51,879 Speaker 2: fourteen year old boy, who was at Lahunta, which is 466 00:27:51,960 --> 00:27:55,960 Speaker 2: another summer camp for boys. It's right right down right 467 00:27:56,040 --> 00:28:01,280 Speaker 2: down the river from Mystic and Lhunta also flooded, and 468 00:28:01,680 --> 00:28:05,479 Speaker 2: miraculously nobody was killed. But they said their fourteen year 469 00:28:05,480 --> 00:28:08,399 Speaker 2: old son was woken up about three in the morning 470 00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:11,639 Speaker 2: and the counselors were telling him, come, come help us, 471 00:28:11,760 --> 00:28:13,760 Speaker 2: Let's get the little boys out of harm's way. And 472 00:28:14,200 --> 00:28:18,000 Speaker 2: he said they were going and getting getting seven and 473 00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:20,160 Speaker 2: eight year old boy, pulling them out of their cabin 474 00:28:20,200 --> 00:28:23,639 Speaker 2: and having them swim through rushing water and rescue them. 475 00:28:23,680 --> 00:28:25,120 Speaker 2: And I got to tell you this, Mom and dad, 476 00:28:25,520 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 2: they were there just just hugging. I was hugging them, 477 00:28:30,280 --> 00:28:33,000 Speaker 2: and they had tears in their eyes and they were 478 00:28:33,119 --> 00:28:36,160 Speaker 2: just and and first of all, their son was alive. 479 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:40,400 Speaker 2: So I just said, praise God. But it was, you know, terrifying, 480 00:28:41,480 --> 00:28:44,440 Speaker 2: and and what I did say to the mom and dad, 481 00:28:44,440 --> 00:28:48,040 Speaker 2: I said, look that this this trauma, this experience, will 482 00:28:48,080 --> 00:28:50,840 Speaker 2: be with your son for the rest of his life. 483 00:28:50,920 --> 00:28:53,600 Speaker 2: It will be with both of you for the rest 484 00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:56,760 Speaker 2: of your lives. But I said, your son also has 485 00:28:56,880 --> 00:28:59,400 Speaker 2: the experience of knowing for the rest of his life. 486 00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:02,800 Speaker 2: That is a fourteen year old boy he helped save 487 00:29:02,880 --> 00:29:05,800 Speaker 2: the lives of these younger seven, eight, nine year old boys. 488 00:29:05,880 --> 00:29:10,200 Speaker 2: That there are there are boys and soon to be 489 00:29:10,360 --> 00:29:14,840 Speaker 2: men living because of his heroism in a time of crisis. 490 00:29:14,920 --> 00:29:18,000 Speaker 2: And that I heard another story of a counselor who 491 00:29:18,120 --> 00:29:21,240 Speaker 2: was in a cabin. The cabin was filled up with water. 492 00:29:21,360 --> 00:29:24,920 Speaker 2: His head was just barely sticking above the water where 493 00:29:24,960 --> 00:29:28,280 Speaker 2: he could breathe, and with each hand he was holding 494 00:29:28,400 --> 00:29:31,480 Speaker 2: up a mattress with a camper on the on the mattress, 495 00:29:31,520 --> 00:29:34,840 Speaker 2: and all three of them, the counselor and both campers survived. 496 00:29:36,040 --> 00:29:40,440 Speaker 2: Those sorts of acts of heroism happened over and over again. 497 00:29:40,480 --> 00:29:45,000 Speaker 2: There's stories of Eagle Scouts who were counselors rescuing young 498 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:49,160 Speaker 2: kids over and over and over again. That was happening repeatedly. 499 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:51,880 Speaker 2: But I'll tell you, Ben, the most difficult thing I 500 00:29:51,960 --> 00:29:56,880 Speaker 2: did today is. I went to Camp Mystic, and I 501 00:29:57,040 --> 00:30:00,080 Speaker 2: went and walked to the grounds at Camp Mystic, and 502 00:30:02,440 --> 00:30:04,520 Speaker 2: I think it may be the most horrifying thing I've 503 00:30:04,560 --> 00:30:10,280 Speaker 2: ever seen in my life. You walk through and actually 504 00:30:10,320 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 2: as you walk through, the river was calm and peaceful 505 00:30:14,040 --> 00:30:22,040 Speaker 2: and beautiful, but it rose, and it rose suddenly. And 506 00:30:22,720 --> 00:30:26,000 Speaker 2: I will say the press, I think has been less 507 00:30:26,240 --> 00:30:29,640 Speaker 2: than clear and honest about how Camp Mystic is it 508 00:30:29,880 --> 00:30:32,960 Speaker 2: is set up, because they've described it as saying, well, 509 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,400 Speaker 2: the camps for the cabins for the young girls were 510 00:30:35,480 --> 00:30:37,800 Speaker 2: down by the river bank and all of the other 511 00:30:37,920 --> 00:30:42,600 Speaker 2: cabins were up high. That's not accurate. And walking the grounds, 512 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:47,160 Speaker 2: the cabins are all hundreds of yards removed from the 513 00:30:47,240 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 2: river bank. There's a lot of distance between the river 514 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:52,120 Speaker 2: and where the cabin is and the cabins are all 515 00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:55,880 Speaker 2: about the same elevation. There's some differences, but not massive 516 00:30:55,920 --> 00:31:01,200 Speaker 2: differences in elevation between the cabins at Mystic. And I 517 00:31:01,440 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 2: was talking with one of the longtime employees there who 518 00:31:05,360 --> 00:31:08,480 Speaker 2: said there had been a flood decades before and it 519 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,040 Speaker 2: had gotten up, it had gotten up and crossed a 520 00:31:11,080 --> 00:31:13,240 Speaker 2: little bit of the ground and it had come to 521 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:17,080 Speaker 2: sort of the foundation of one of the buildings that 522 00:31:17,240 --> 00:31:19,320 Speaker 2: was not a cabin, but one of the buildings closer 523 00:31:19,360 --> 00:31:21,200 Speaker 2: to the river. But it had never gotten close to 524 00:31:21,280 --> 00:31:24,880 Speaker 2: the cabins. So that's one thing to understand. People say, well, gosh, 525 00:31:24,960 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 2: this is prone to floods. Yes, but in the one 526 00:31:29,600 --> 00:31:31,600 Speaker 2: hundred years of Camp missed It, there'd never been a 527 00:31:31,640 --> 00:31:34,200 Speaker 2: flood where the water had gotten to the cabins. And 528 00:31:34,360 --> 00:31:39,040 Speaker 2: in this case, the water was eight feet deep in 529 00:31:39,200 --> 00:31:43,400 Speaker 2: the cabins. Walking through and every building you could see 530 00:31:43,440 --> 00:31:46,360 Speaker 2: the water line, you could see the water line outside 531 00:31:46,400 --> 00:31:49,760 Speaker 2: the buildings, and it was eight feet deep. And in 532 00:31:49,920 --> 00:31:55,840 Speaker 2: the cabins the water shattered the windows, it swept the 533 00:31:55,920 --> 00:31:58,200 Speaker 2: furniture out. You looked in the cabins and every one 534 00:31:58,240 --> 00:32:03,040 Speaker 2: of the cabins, the furniture had been swept out, the 535 00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:06,800 Speaker 2: windows were all shattered. And I got to tell you, look, 536 00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:17,240 Speaker 2: there was one cabin, it's called the bubble in, and 537 00:32:17,360 --> 00:32:19,960 Speaker 2: it's a cabin at missed It where the youngest girls were. 538 00:32:22,400 --> 00:32:30,200 Speaker 2: And outside the bubble in were sixteen white crosses, and 539 00:32:30,360 --> 00:32:32,320 Speaker 2: on each one of those was the name of a 540 00:32:32,360 --> 00:32:37,600 Speaker 2: little girl, and their names that we've read in the paper, 541 00:32:38,560 --> 00:32:41,720 Speaker 2: their names of little seven to eight year old girls, 542 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:46,120 Speaker 2: third graders who lost their lives when one of the 543 00:32:46,200 --> 00:32:51,680 Speaker 2: crosses was for Dick Eastland, the camp director who drowned 544 00:32:51,720 --> 00:32:54,320 Speaker 2: trying to save the girls' lives. And he had spent 545 00:32:54,920 --> 00:32:58,680 Speaker 2: he graduated from ut fifty years ago and had spent 546 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:01,480 Speaker 2: fifty years of his life running this camp for girls. 547 00:33:02,640 --> 00:33:05,520 Speaker 2: And he was in his suburban. They showed me where 548 00:33:05,560 --> 00:33:07,120 Speaker 2: he drowned. It was a couple of hundred yards from 549 00:33:07,120 --> 00:33:08,640 Speaker 2: where I was standing. In the river. He was trying 550 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,080 Speaker 2: to save the girls in the water swept him away 551 00:33:11,120 --> 00:33:16,640 Speaker 2: and he drowned. And the sixteen crosses reading those names. 552 00:33:18,520 --> 00:33:25,720 Speaker 2: Two of those little girls go to school with my daughter. 553 00:33:26,560 --> 00:33:30,200 Speaker 2: There are third graders at our school. The parents of 554 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:33,720 Speaker 2: one of those little girls lives a block away from me. 555 00:33:39,440 --> 00:33:46,040 Speaker 2: And I'll tell you, I just knelt and wept. There 556 00:33:48,320 --> 00:33:54,640 Speaker 2: were families there. Ben There was a mom and dad 557 00:33:56,120 --> 00:34:03,800 Speaker 2: who was kneeling in front of those crosses, and they 558 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:08,160 Speaker 2: were kissing, kissing the cross and I stood back. I 559 00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:12,040 Speaker 2: didn't want to interrupt their grieving, but just watching them. 560 00:34:14,960 --> 00:34:19,759 Speaker 2: The mom came to that cabin, the bubble in and 561 00:34:19,920 --> 00:34:25,840 Speaker 2: she just broke down in tears in front of every cabin. 562 00:34:27,400 --> 00:34:32,759 Speaker 2: There were the children's belongings. There were trunks, there were 563 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:40,480 Speaker 2: electric fans, There were slippers and flip flops and crocs. 564 00:34:41,239 --> 00:34:43,560 Speaker 2: There were teddy bears. There were stuffed animals everywhere. These 565 00:34:43,600 --> 00:34:47,839 Speaker 2: are little girls, and many of them have their names 566 00:34:47,880 --> 00:34:54,319 Speaker 2: on them. And there were moms and dads picking through 567 00:34:54,360 --> 00:35:02,160 Speaker 2: the rubble looking for their girls belongings. And I don't 568 00:35:02,239 --> 00:35:05,680 Speaker 2: know which of those moms and dads lost a daughter. 569 00:35:06,760 --> 00:35:10,680 Speaker 2: We know of twenty seven who were lost, and there 570 00:35:10,719 --> 00:35:16,600 Speaker 2: may be more. There are eleven that are missing. And 571 00:35:16,719 --> 00:35:20,960 Speaker 2: there were girls picking through the rubble. I don't know 572 00:35:21,080 --> 00:35:24,680 Speaker 2: if those girls were campers themselves who had survived. I 573 00:35:24,719 --> 00:35:27,000 Speaker 2: don't know if they're siblings who had lost a sibling. 574 00:35:27,960 --> 00:35:34,239 Speaker 2: But everyone is walking around. Shell shock doesn't begin to 575 00:35:34,320 --> 00:35:40,000 Speaker 2: describe it. They're up on the field. There was a 576 00:35:40,080 --> 00:35:42,600 Speaker 2: field that was basically a parking lot for the cars 577 00:35:42,719 --> 00:35:49,800 Speaker 2: of councilors, and the waters had thrown the cars on 578 00:35:50,000 --> 00:35:52,200 Speaker 2: top of each other. It was like they were matchbox cars, 579 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:55,279 Speaker 2: just flipped over. You saw car after car after cars 580 00:35:55,280 --> 00:35:57,400 Speaker 2: stacked on each other, flipped on its side, flip the 581 00:35:57,440 --> 00:36:05,360 Speaker 2: over tossed around the dining hall. An entire wall of 582 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:08,840 Speaker 2: the dining hall had been ripped off. They had heavy 583 00:36:08,920 --> 00:36:11,480 Speaker 2: wooden tables that filled the dining hall. Every one of 584 00:36:11,560 --> 00:36:14,399 Speaker 2: them had been pulled out in the bubble in which 585 00:36:14,520 --> 00:36:20,239 Speaker 2: is where a large percentage of the fatalities occurred. The 586 00:36:20,440 --> 00:36:24,560 Speaker 2: water swept in and just pulled those girls out the 587 00:36:24,640 --> 00:36:34,560 Speaker 2: windows it seeing that, and I saw it first from 588 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:38,560 Speaker 2: the helicopter and you could see all their belongings spread out. 589 00:36:38,640 --> 00:36:46,400 Speaker 2: But then standing there and viewing it from the perspective 590 00:36:46,440 --> 00:36:49,240 Speaker 2: of a dad. You know, I have helped my daughters 591 00:36:50,440 --> 00:36:57,239 Speaker 2: pack their trunks. I've you know, can't pick up every 592 00:36:57,320 --> 00:37:00,960 Speaker 2: year you go and pick up your daughter's trunk and 593 00:37:01,080 --> 00:37:08,840 Speaker 2: it's a joyful time. Our state is more mourning right now, Ben. 594 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:14,520 Speaker 1: I tell you, for everyone listening and I say this, 595 00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:18,800 Speaker 1: just pray for the people that are affected. Pray for 596 00:37:18,960 --> 00:37:22,680 Speaker 1: the people in Texas. Pray for the families who are 597 00:37:24,200 --> 00:37:26,880 Speaker 1: still without their their loved ones. They're still trying to 598 00:37:27,000 --> 00:37:30,000 Speaker 1: find them. Pray for the moms and the dads who 599 00:37:30,080 --> 00:37:34,040 Speaker 1: are planning the funerals as we know people personally that 600 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:36,439 Speaker 1: are doing that and getting ready for that this week. 601 00:37:37,239 --> 00:37:40,759 Speaker 1: Pray for the moms. God, please pray for the moms. Yes, 602 00:37:41,680 --> 00:37:43,680 Speaker 1: and anything you can do to help with all of that. 603 00:37:43,840 --> 00:37:46,760 Speaker 1: There's so many different groups that are helping the people, 604 00:37:46,920 --> 00:37:50,279 Speaker 1: and Comfort and Kirk County and and and there are 605 00:37:50,320 --> 00:37:52,440 Speaker 1: people that need help. And we focus so much on 606 00:37:52,480 --> 00:37:54,400 Speaker 1: the kids, but there's a lot of elderly people that 607 00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:56,920 Speaker 1: have been affected by this. There are a lot of 608 00:37:56,960 --> 00:38:00,120 Speaker 1: people that lost their lives and all their belongings, and 609 00:38:00,440 --> 00:38:04,399 Speaker 1: and and help any way you can with with all 610 00:38:04,480 --> 00:38:06,880 Speaker 1: of the nonprofits that are getting involved, that are that 611 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:10,520 Speaker 1: are doing this, and and we're going to keep you updated. 612 00:38:10,760 --> 00:38:14,080 Speaker 2: But I would just and Ben, I want to say, 613 00:38:14,840 --> 00:38:16,840 Speaker 2: Ben I want, I want to say three more things 614 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:22,759 Speaker 2: of encouragement. So in Hunt, there's a store that's kind 615 00:38:22,800 --> 00:38:25,160 Speaker 2: of a focal point. It's called the Hunt Store, and 616 00:38:25,360 --> 00:38:28,120 Speaker 2: and it's right at the junction of two of the highways. 617 00:38:28,719 --> 00:38:30,440 Speaker 2: You go up one highway to go to one of 618 00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:32,120 Speaker 2: the big camps. You go up another highway to go 619 00:38:32,239 --> 00:38:34,760 Speaker 2: up to Mystic and Lahunta And actually Hunta's right across 620 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:39,080 Speaker 2: the street from the Hunt Store. The Hunt Store, the flooded, 621 00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:42,839 Speaker 2: the flood utterly gutted it. It's it's just ripped out 622 00:38:42,920 --> 00:38:47,160 Speaker 2: in a hollow shell. I went and stopped at the 623 00:38:47,239 --> 00:38:49,600 Speaker 2: Hunt Store and just just visited people who were there, 624 00:38:49,680 --> 00:38:53,080 Speaker 2: were gathering there, and they'd actually changed the sign where 625 00:38:53,080 --> 00:38:56,400 Speaker 2: it said Hunt Store and instead of Hunt Store, they 626 00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:04,719 Speaker 2: changed the sign to read Hunt Strong. And you know, 627 00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,000 Speaker 2: Heidi and Catherine were at the Hunt Store last week. 628 00:39:10,600 --> 00:39:14,360 Speaker 2: I mean it's I've been there dozens of times. The 629 00:39:14,680 --> 00:39:17,080 Speaker 2: owners were there. I just hugged them and they were 630 00:39:17,200 --> 00:39:22,200 Speaker 2: just like residents there who were just there mourning and grieving. 631 00:39:22,239 --> 00:39:23,800 Speaker 2: And I'll tell you there was set up. There was 632 00:39:23,840 --> 00:39:27,279 Speaker 2: a giant barbecue truck. All right. So this is a 633 00:39:27,320 --> 00:39:29,840 Speaker 2: story that is amazing that you're gonna like. It's a 634 00:39:29,920 --> 00:39:33,360 Speaker 2: barbecue truck from Rockport. Rockport is a town down on 635 00:39:33,440 --> 00:39:39,040 Speaker 2: the Gulf Coast and Rockport when Hurricane Harvey hit, it 636 00:39:39,280 --> 00:39:43,400 Speaker 2: devastated the Gulf Coast from from deep East Texas to 637 00:39:44,000 --> 00:39:46,759 Speaker 2: south all the way really to Corpus Christie. So that's 638 00:39:46,840 --> 00:39:49,200 Speaker 2: a lot of and Rockport is right in there. It's 639 00:39:49,239 --> 00:39:52,480 Speaker 2: by Port Ramsas and Rass Pass and Rockport was devastated 640 00:39:52,520 --> 00:39:57,359 Speaker 2: by Hurricane Harvey. Well, these guys, and these are big 641 00:39:57,440 --> 00:39:59,880 Speaker 2: old Texans with big old beards. They look like z 642 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:05,320 Speaker 2: Top And they said, well, you know when when Hurricane 643 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:09,279 Speaker 2: Harvey hit. There was a group from Hunt, Texas, little 644 00:40:09,320 --> 00:40:12,440 Speaker 2: town in the in the hill country that came down 645 00:40:12,520 --> 00:40:14,560 Speaker 2: to Rockport and set up a food truck and fed 646 00:40:14,680 --> 00:40:17,520 Speaker 2: us when we had lost our homes. And so they 647 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:21,080 Speaker 2: got in a truck and drove up this giant smoker 648 00:40:21,160 --> 00:40:24,560 Speaker 2: and griller and they were just giving away free barbecue 649 00:40:24,560 --> 00:40:29,040 Speaker 2: and one of the things that's really cool. I was 650 00:40:29,160 --> 00:40:33,920 Speaker 2: at in Rockport several times after Hurricane Harven. I was 651 00:40:33,960 --> 00:40:35,520 Speaker 2: in all the towns up and down the Gulf Coast, 652 00:40:35,800 --> 00:40:38,480 Speaker 2: but I was at that those food trucks. So I 653 00:40:38,880 --> 00:40:41,880 Speaker 2: don't recall visiting with someone and hearing that they were 654 00:40:41,880 --> 00:40:44,560 Speaker 2: from Hunt down in Rockport, but you know what, in Rockport, 655 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:50,480 Speaker 2: they remembered that. And that's something we see happening, just 656 00:40:50,719 --> 00:40:54,759 Speaker 2: Texans coming together. The Cajun Navy from Louisiana came and 657 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:59,320 Speaker 2: and we're there helping people out. That was incredible, And 658 00:40:59,440 --> 00:41:02,680 Speaker 2: I just had a chance. I visited with a family. 659 00:41:03,800 --> 00:41:06,360 Speaker 2: One dad who introduced me to two little boys and 660 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:11,760 Speaker 2: he said both of them lost some of their closest 661 00:41:11,760 --> 00:41:15,759 Speaker 2: friends of the flood, and I just I said, you know, 662 00:41:16,520 --> 00:41:18,760 Speaker 2: little kids, and they're not much older than your boys. 663 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:23,480 Speaker 2: They shouldn't have to deal with with death and loss 664 00:41:23,520 --> 00:41:27,040 Speaker 2: at that age. But I'll tell you, in that same 665 00:41:27,239 --> 00:41:31,440 Speaker 2: parking lot at the Hunt store, there was a car 666 00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:34,480 Speaker 2: that had written on the back of it a Bible 667 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:37,080 Speaker 2: verse written in like shaving cream on the back window, 668 00:41:38,760 --> 00:41:44,480 Speaker 2: and it was Isaiah forty three too that says when 669 00:41:44,520 --> 00:41:52,040 Speaker 2: you go through deep water, I will be with you, amen. 670 00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:56,520 Speaker 2: That is Look, you just asked folks to pray. Let 671 00:41:56,600 --> 00:42:00,640 Speaker 2: me just underscore that for the moms and dads who 672 00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:05,719 Speaker 2: have a yearning, gaping hole in their heart, I think 673 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:08,720 Speaker 2: there is no pain, no agony like losing a child, 674 00:42:09,640 --> 00:42:12,960 Speaker 2: and nothing will ever fill that hole. That pain will 675 00:42:13,040 --> 00:42:16,960 Speaker 2: never go away. But they need love, they need support, 676 00:42:17,080 --> 00:42:21,320 Speaker 2: They need friends, They need families to hug them, to 677 00:42:21,480 --> 00:42:23,840 Speaker 2: hold them tight, to just give them a shoulder to 678 00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:26,759 Speaker 2: cry on and to hold them up. And I got 679 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:29,560 Speaker 2: to tell you this is a time for the church. 680 00:42:29,719 --> 00:42:32,520 Speaker 2: One of the reasons Texas I think we are so 681 00:42:32,800 --> 00:42:36,840 Speaker 2: resilient when facing natural disasters is because the church is 682 00:42:36,920 --> 00:42:40,239 Speaker 2: strong in Texas and you see, you see church a step. 683 00:42:40,480 --> 00:42:42,759 Speaker 2: I started the day actually by visiting with a number 684 00:42:42,800 --> 00:42:45,840 Speaker 2: of chaplains who, look, you want to talk about It 685 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:48,399 Speaker 2: was brutal on the chaplains when you're dealing with moms 686 00:42:48,440 --> 00:42:51,600 Speaker 2: and dads who've lost their kids and they're just weeping. 687 00:42:53,360 --> 00:42:56,359 Speaker 2: Even a chaplain of a man or women of strong faith, 688 00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:59,640 Speaker 2: I mean, it rips your heart out to be with 689 00:42:59,719 --> 00:43:02,120 Speaker 2: a and who's lost a seven or eight year old daughter. 690 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:08,440 Speaker 2: And right down from the Hunt store there was a 691 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:13,000 Speaker 2: church that had a big sign free barbecue, lunch, and dinner. 692 00:43:13,120 --> 00:43:15,640 Speaker 2: All are welcome. And that's what the church should be doing, 693 00:43:15,760 --> 00:43:18,960 Speaker 2: is helping and clothing and comforting and taking care of 694 00:43:19,040 --> 00:43:21,640 Speaker 2: the needy, and that the church should always be doing that, 695 00:43:22,760 --> 00:43:27,399 Speaker 2: but especially in time of crisis. And and I want 696 00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:31,080 Speaker 2: to close this pod today, Ben with something I saw 697 00:43:31,160 --> 00:43:34,360 Speaker 2: on the internet, and it's a video that was recorded 698 00:43:35,800 --> 00:43:40,960 Speaker 2: in a bus that was driving a bus full of 699 00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:46,480 Speaker 2: campers from Catmestic after this flooding. And it's a video 700 00:43:46,680 --> 00:43:50,200 Speaker 2: recording and you can watch on x there's a video 701 00:43:50,239 --> 00:43:54,399 Speaker 2: of it's it's an iPhone or so that is going 702 00:43:54,480 --> 00:43:57,160 Speaker 2: along and showing the video as they're driving along and 703 00:43:57,239 --> 00:43:58,800 Speaker 2: you can see the wreckage and the wreckage and the 704 00:43:58,800 --> 00:44:02,800 Speaker 2: wreckage and everything. But the girls are singing hymns and 705 00:44:03,160 --> 00:44:06,360 Speaker 2: Mystic is a Christian camp. And these are girls that 706 00:44:06,480 --> 00:44:10,880 Speaker 2: have just been through hell, have been terrified, have lost friends. 707 00:44:10,960 --> 00:44:15,120 Speaker 2: Some of these girls have lost siblings. And I want 708 00:44:15,160 --> 00:44:19,720 Speaker 2: to close this podcast by just listening to the voices 709 00:44:19,760 --> 00:44:23,560 Speaker 2: of these girls singing. And I will tell you I 710 00:44:23,719 --> 00:44:27,279 Speaker 2: have a hard time listening to them singing without being 711 00:44:27,360 --> 00:44:31,360 Speaker 2: in tears. But I want you to hear them singing 712 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:33,600 Speaker 2: these hymns wounds. 713 00:44:34,160 --> 00:44:38,680 Speaker 3: I'll sort of from the mountain tops say, I want 714 00:44:38,800 --> 00:44:43,160 Speaker 3: my world to know the Lord has come to me. 715 00:44:43,840 --> 00:44:48,319 Speaker 3: I want to pass it on. I'll sort it from 716 00:44:48,520 --> 00:44:52,480 Speaker 3: the mountaintops, raise Scott. I want my world to know 717 00:44:53,280 --> 00:44:57,120 Speaker 3: the Lord of them has gone to me. I want 718 00:44:57,360 --> 00:44:59,600 Speaker 3: to pass as Gardron. 719 00:45:00,560 --> 00:45:02,080 Speaker 2: Tell me like, oh my god, oh my god. 720 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:21,319 Speaker 3: We ti and shoe mid nays get hoppy, hm oh 721 00:45:27,560 --> 00:45:38,400 Speaker 3: see that, uh uh anyone, as you know, I mand 722 00:45:41,920 --> 00:45:52,960 Speaker 3: me a section, oh try and te red days. 723 00:45:55,200 --> 00:45:55,600 Speaker 2: I'll be. 724 00:45:58,560 --> 00:46:09,800 Speaker 3: Say shoe me ooh you okay, down my five and 725 00:46:10,280 --> 00:46:16,040 Speaker 3: it is right chest masses and all these things shall 726 00:46:16,120 --> 00:46:21,840 Speaker 3: be out up to you all lady, our lady, be you. 727 00:46:23,400 --> 00:46:23,920 Speaker 2: So long. 728 00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:33,160 Speaker 3: And the five friend oh by three where the seeds 729 00:46:33,239 --> 00:46:37,120 Speaker 3: from them mount the God all that lady