[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 121 (Tuesday, July 15, 2025)]
[House]
[Pages H3306-H3312]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
REMEMBERING THE VICTIMS OF CAMP MYSTIC
(Under the Speaker's announced policy of January 3, 2025, Mr. Roy of
Texas was recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority
leader.)
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, earlier today here on the House floor, I rose
to lead the Texas delegation, my friends, and this entire body in a
moment of silence for all of those who have been affected by the floods
in Texas, particularly those that were affected in the district in
which I am proud to represent in central Texas.
It has always been an honor, as I often say out on the campaign
trail, to represent the best part of the best State in the best country
in the history of the world. That particular part of the State is, as
one of my staffers describe it, Heaven on Earth. At least that is how
many of us have viewed it historically.
For now a century, it is the reason why there have been multiple
camps for children along this beautiful part of the Texas Hill Country,
the centerpiece of which is the Guadalupe River.
Those people who live along it cherish it. Those people who go there
for camp cherish it. We have been experiencing the tragedy and the loss
of life that now so many across the country have associated with it.
I will turn time over to my colleagues because I have certainly been
able to express a lot of my views about this. I want to say just a
couple of things in kicking this off.
I view things through the lens of the stories of heroism, the stories
of courage, the lives that were saved, the people that were airlifted,
the Coast Guard that responded, the sheriffs and the local law
enforcement that showed up, the first responders that helped, the State
that was on the scene, the camp counselors who showed up, the camp
directors who gave their lives, all of the people who showed up and the
spirit and the strong faith of a community bonded together by faith
that now endures.
That, to me, is the enduring legacy. I tend to look through that
lens. From those of us who understand Texas best, I don't think we
should miss this moment for the people of this Nation to understand how
horrific this truly was.
When I went on the scene--and several of us were there quickly for a
variety of reasons, which we will all hear about in a minute. When I
went on the scene on the night of July 4 and then again on the 5th and
the 6th, and then driving out to go look at the damage and meet with my
constituents and meet with people affected, it looked like an F5
tornado had just rolled down the river.
Mr. Speaker, 100-year-old trees were leveled and flattened. Houses
were totally destroyed and lifted off the foundation. There was debris.
Pickup trucks were fully buried with a little part of them sticking out
of the ground.
Of course, as we have been talking about, there is the extraordinary
loss of life. We are now at well over 100 individuals who are now
deceased that are officially known in Kerr County, but many more are
expected. There are well over 100 individuals who are missing.
Of course, now somewhat of note for the entire country are these
wonderful little girls associated with Camp Mystic. My children are 15
and 14. They are a rising sophomore and freshman. Many of their
schoolmates and many of their friends go to Camp Mystic or go to Camp
La Junta or one of the other wonderful camps up and down this area and
this part of Texas.
It is hard to put into words how much this is a part of the fabric of
our community in central Texas but really particularly the entire State
of Texas and even nationwide.
Many of our colleagues were impacted by this. We have colleagues from
Georgia and other colleagues across the entire Nation. I had colleagues
from Alabama reach out because they had constituents who were lost. It
is a wonderful vacation spot that was obviously turned on its head.
The extraordinary impact is going to be felt for a long time, and we
are going to have to rebuild. We will have to take the time and the
energy necessary to do it. It is, as I believe, the spirit of the
entire community that will endure.
As I said earlier--and I will talk about more of this later--it is
for me the enduring image of those little girls leaving the camp,
singing hymns, while they surveyed the damage.
It is the people who showed up with crosses and the people who showed
up in prayer groups. It is the people who showed up from churches.
They are the Samaritans and first volunteers who showed up within
days to clean out mud and the people who have rallied around this
community.
They are the people across this country who have done so through
faith and belief and the power of what these little girls represent and
the charm bracelets that they wear. These bracelets were made by the
local jewelry store, James Avery, which is a part of the rich history
and tradition.
I could go on, but my colleague from West Texas has personal
experience with this because his family has been associated with these
camps for generations. I am going to let my friend, Mr. Pfluger, fill
in a little bit of the personal nature of this. I look forward to
hearing from the remainder of my colleagues.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Pfluger).
Mr. PFLUGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for yielding time.
Mr. Speaker, I want to say that he has done a great job of
representing in a very tough time. It is easy to lead when times are
good. When times are tough, we see character. Mr. Roy has done a very
nice job, an extraordinary job, in leading in a very challenging
situation.
It is with a heavy heart that I rise today to honor all of the lives
that were lost during this devastating and tragic series of floods that
swept through central and west Texas last week and to recognize the
bravery and the selflessness of the heroes who stepped up when they
were needed most. I will start by honoring the memory of the 11 lives
that were lost from my district.
They were: Officer Bailey Martin, Bobby Martin, Amanda Martin; and
Jayda Floyd from Odessa. Lost from Midland were Michelle and Cody
Crossland; and Joel, Kyndall, and Tasha Ramos; Tanya Burwick from
Blackwell, who worked in San Angelo for many years; and Steve Edwards
from San Angelo.
{time} 1740
These lives were lost far too soon, selfless individuals, leaders,
officers in the police force, and people whom we
[[Page H3307]]
will miss dearly. We will continue to pray for the many more whose
lives have been lost and for those families that are still searching
for them, hoping and praying for a miracle.
I sent my young girls to Camp Mystic for a couple of reasons. Number
one is because, for young women, this was a place where they didn't
have access to the digital world. They had access to relationships.
They were taught about faith. They were placed in cabins with other
young girls where they learned how to develop friendships. They learned
things like horseback riding, archery, swimming, and camp craft.
My girls are fourth-generation campers at Camp Mystic. I learned
about this when I was a kid and went to many closing ceremonies as a
young child, watching my sister and her friends. Now, I have had the
opportunity to watch my own girls for the last 10 years attend this
camp.
I want to say that my wife, Camille, and I are eternally grateful
that we are reunited with my two daughters who were present at the camp
during this tragedy. While we rejoice their safety, and I will be
forever grateful to God for sparing their lives, we are mourning and
deeply grieving the many families who are having to say good-bye to
their loved ones and to their daughters up and down the river, campers
who were there for the Fourth of July to celebrate our Nation's
independence and to celebrate being with families.
It is just unimaginable the grief. It is unimaginable the heartbreak,
especially those young kids and those young girls specifically at Camp
Mystic.
I want to honor Dick Eastland, who was the owner of Camp Mystic. He
was a man whom I have known my entire life, a man who gave his life
trying to save campers at Camp Mystic.
The Eastland family for years has poured their lives into young
women, building these young women and these young ladies to be women of
faith, to be women of character, to be citizens of this great Nation,
and to raise families in a way that we would see the character and the
strength of their faith.
Dick Eastland and the entire Eastland family are like many other
families throughout this country who run camps. Whether they are Boy
Scout camps, Girl Scout camps, YMCA camps, summer camps, or church
camps, it doesn't matter. These camps are important to our Nation. In
ways that sometimes parents can't always do, these camps represent a
place where these kids can come to learn how to be better citizens,
better friends, and better community members. They are important.
Camp Mystic was important. The image that I will never forget in my
mind as I walked the camp just 2 days after this tragedy is where my
young daughter stood getting away from the flood that was rising very
rapidly, and where she had her head bowed, praying for safety. They
were singing songs, knowing that there was a really tragic event
unfolding in front of them. They were praying for their friends and for
their safety.
My middle daughter said that this was a family. Everybody knew
everybody, and this family is deeply grieving right now.
I hope that this serves as a wake-up call for our Nation and that it
serves as a wake-up call for us to congratulate and celebrate the
countless heroes, some of whom gave their lives. We will never know
their stories.
We celebrate the fact that we live in a country where we can freely
worship and where we can stand firm on our faith. Camp Mystic was a
place like other places throughout this country that taught that to
these young, innocent souls. It taught them to lean on their faith and
taught them to lean on their friends, their relationships, and their
families. It taught them the core values of what this great country
affords.
I hope that this serves as a wake-up call for all of us to get back
to that foundation, that we can take a lesson from this tragedy and
build on it in a way that we do good and honor the memory of almost 130
people now, and rising, those that tragically lost their lives.
We won't ever forget. This green ribbon serves as a reminder here
today.
Again, I thank my friend here, Chip Roy, for representing during this
hard time and for calling this hour to recognize that memory.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from west Texas. I appreciate
his sharing with the country and with all of us and our colleagues the
testimony of his little girls and his family and their connection to
Camp Mystic. He has been an extraordinary representative of Camp Mystic
and those camps and has shown great leadership himself as we are all
looking forward to finding ways to make sure that these camps rebuild.
Mr. Speaker, before I recognize the next speaker from Texas, Coach
Roger Williams, I want to note that our colleague, Buddy Carter, is in
Dallas as we speak at the funeral of a little girl in his family. Buddy
Carter represents Georgia down there in Savannah. His grandniece is
being buried in Dallas-Fort Worth, and he is there with his family now.
To show how far-reaching this was and how many people it touched,
Buddy's granddaughter was also at Camp Mystic but survived. This is
touching almost everybody in this Chamber in one way or another.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Williams), who
is my esteemed coach and friend.
Mr. WILLIAMS of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank Chip for his leadership.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the Texas flooding victims.
On July Fourth, what should have been a day of celebration turned
into a day of tragedy as catastrophic flooding struck central Texas,
devastating our communities and claiming far too many innocent lives.
My prayers remain with the victims, their families, and those
affected by this heartbreaking disaster. As emergency crews continue
recovery operations, I remain committed to supporting our fellow Texans
in any way I can.
In the face of immense devastation, we have also witnessed our
neighbors stepping up to help one another, showing the Nation the true
spirit of Texas and what it means to be a part of a great community.
I extend my deepest gratitude to President Trump, the brave first
responders, State and local officials, and the countless volunteers who
are working tirelessly to bring relief and hope as we navigate this
unimaginable loss, and I again say thank you to Chip for his
leadership.
While there is a long road ahead, I know Texans will continue to be
on the lookout for one another and recover together.
On a personal note, my 4-year-old granddaughter called today and
wanted to know if it was okay if she prayed for the little girls and
could she make bracelets for the victims' parents. All she had was a
rope with a string to do it with.
Texas is a big State, but Texas is a small State.
In God We Trust.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend for his remarks.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Crenshaw), my
friend from Houston and my congressional classmate.
Mr. CRENSHAW. Mr. Speaker, what happened in Kerr County was not a
typical flood. We know floods in Houston. We know worst-case scenarios,
and this is one of them.
More than 6 inches of rain fell in just a few hours. In some areas,
the Guadalupe River surged over 30 feet in just 45 minutes, and we lost
dozens of lives, including 27 at Camp Mystic. Children and counselors
were caught while they were sleeping.
Entire communities were hit before sunrise with not enough time to
react, but in the face of devastation, Texans rose up. Local responders
acted immediately, some without any sleep and without any backup.
In one case, Petty Officer Scott Ruskan saved 165 people.
{time} 1750
Dick Eastland, owner of Camp Mystic, gave his life saving his
campers. He was found shielding them. Emma Foltz bravely led her
bunkmates to safety. Julian Ryan sacrificed himself for his fiancee and
children.
There are so many more stories of heroism. These are just a few, but
it is good to know that there are still heroes in America. You never
know if you are going to be one until the time comes. These are
unmistakably Texan stories of courage and sacrifice.
[[Page H3308]]
I am proud of the Trump administration declaring a disaster within 48
hours, making sure that FEMA and the Coast Guard mobilized quickly and
help was on the ground fast.
This is a rare and devastating event, but it will stay with us. We
will mourn, but we will never forget.
We pray that we can prove worthy of those we have lost and prove
worthy in our own lives of those heroes and those survivors.
I can't help but think of what I saw just a few days ago. Thousands
of people lined the streets in my district in Kingwood as they brought
back the Wilson family. Shiloh Wilson, a 12-year-old boy, was out there
for a rodeo competition. He and his parents were all lost. Now they can
rest together because of the volunteers and the first responders that
got them back home. What an amazing sight to see, thousands of people
back home lining the streets awaiting their arrival.
These people will never be forgotten. I am proud to stand here with
my colleagues today to make sure that doesn't happen.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from Houston and appreciate
his sober remarks in recognition of so many heroic actions.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Self).
Mr. SELF. Mr. Speaker, I thank Mr. Roy and Mr. Pfluger for those
personal memories. I thank Morgan Luttrell, our Texas colleague, who
has been in the river recovering bodies.
When I look at the Texas flag, I see more than a symbol. I see a
legacy: a legacy of grit, resilience, and people who never fail to
rally when faced with adversity.
The devastating floods that swept through Mr. Roy's district brought
unimaginable loss. Homes were destroyed. Families were torn apart.
Entire communities were forever changed.
In the midst of destruction, Texans are still standing tall. We
remain strong, as we always have, even in the face of overwhelming
hardship.
My wife, Tracy, my team, and I continue to pray for the victims and
the families affected by this tragedy.
As Christians, we are called to be there for one another.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 reminds us: ``Two are better than one, because they
have a good return for their labor: If either of them falls down, one
can help the other up.''
In the wake of this disaster, our Texas communities embodied those
verses. Neighbors helped neighbors, strangers became friends,
legislators became volunteers, local businesses donated millions to
support recovery, and ordinary Texans became extraordinary heroes.
More than 12,000 volunteers have flocked to Kerr County to help with
search and recovery efforts. Together, we lift one another up.
Texans have always exhibited an undeniable gift and a deep-rooted
spirit of resilience. In the face of tragedy, we do not break. We
build. We rally. We rise.
As we begin the painful process of moving forward, let us never
forget the lives that were lost, their families, their stories, and
their names.
I pray that when their sorrows begin to ebb, that cherished memories
will begin to offer comfort, that all of us will remain mindful of the
fragility of life and the strength found in the unity forged by the
bonds of grief.
May the peace that passes all understanding be felt by those whose
hearts are broken, and may all Texans find hope in the unwavering
spirit that binds us together.
Finally, let us remember that the Lone Star State is not only defined
by its wide open spaces and rugged land but by its people and by the
guiding spirit and will of our creator.
We will rebuild, we will recover, and we will remain Texas tough.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend and appreciate his kind
remarks.
I am going to ask Judge Carter from my neighboring district just
north of Austin to come deliver a few remarks. His district has also
been directly impacted by flooding, and I am sure he will have
something to say about that.
Right before he begins, I do want to reiterate something that I
believe Mr. Self referred to and maybe Mr. Crenshaw. That is our
colleagues who have stepped up, guys like our friend Morgan Luttrell,
who has not been in front of cameras. He has not been doing anything
other than his training to do diving and looking for bodies in the
river. Morgan is doing the hard work and joining in and stepping up. I
believe his brother is with him and other great patriots who have
joined that effort. There have been people from all over the country
who have joined that effort.
Our friend, Mr. Clay Higgins from Louisiana, came over. He engaged as
a former sheriff who has training that was on point. We have had a lot
of folks from our community step up to try to help, and I am deeply
grateful.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Carter).
Mr. CARTER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I agree with everything my friend
said. Mr. Luttrell is an amazing guy.
I rise today with a heavy heart on behalf of the people of Texas, the
31st District, and the Hill Country of Texas, the most beautiful part
of our State.
Over the last 12 days, Texans have witnessed horrific tragedies,
incredible acts of bravery, and the unwavering spirit of our State.
In my district, we lost eight souls and one remains unaccounted for.
These people were friends, neighbors, mothers, and fathers. My deepest
condolences go out to the families mourning these unimaginable losses.
This tragedy has made its mark on every corner of our State, but
especially Kerr County. More than 130 people were lost--I understand it
is lower than that now--but still more than 100 lost their lives and
over 160 people remain unaccounted for. My heart goes out to every
family that will never be the same.
It is hard to imagine dropping your kid off at camp, feeling
comfortable about going home, and getting the news of something like
this disaster. I have four children and seven grandchildren, and it is
just unimaginable to me.
In the face of this disaster, Texans have shown the world exactly who
we are: strong, faithful, and steadfast in our belief that we can take
care of each other.
We have seen first responders bravely rescue hundreds of Texans, and
we have seen them bear the weight of recovery efforts. We have seen
volunteers band together to support those who lost everything.
The road ahead will be long, but I want Texans to hear that you are
not alone. We mourn together, we will rebuild together, and we will
carry each other forward because that is what we do as the people of
Texas.
May God bless each and every one of you and comfort you in your loss.
For those heroes among us and for this great State of Texas,
blessings and grateful thanks.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank Judge Carter for his leadership and for
representing his district so well and looking out for those impacted by
the storms and the floods in his own area. I deeply appreciate his
remarks.
Mr. Speaker, next is a colleague of mine who is deeply familiar with
storms and flooding because he represents the southeast part of the
State of Texas, although that is a different kind of flooding
typically.
I want to personally offer my thanks and gratitude to my friend,
Brian Babin. All of my colleagues have stepped up and called and
offered support and help. In particular, I would say my friend, Mr.
Babin, and his team have been there picking up phone calls from our
office, helping out, doing whatever is needed, and offering guidance.
They have experienced this kind of thing a little more often than we
have, but we are deeply grateful.
{time} 1800
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Babin).
Mr. BABIN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, it is an anguishing thing to have to come up here and
talk about some of our friends and colleagues who have gone through
this. Chip has done a wonderful job here with this Fourth of July.
My family and I dropped off four grandsons and a granddaughter back
in May at Camp Mystic and at Camp Stewart for Boys. My history with
this area goes way back, 60 years or better.
I served as a counselor at Camp Stewart under Uncle Bill James, who
sold that camp later on to the Ragsdale family. Kathy Ragsdale and I
have been talking on the phone recently, and what a loss she sustained.
She lost her daughter, Jane.
[[Page H3309]]
Mr. Speaker, spending a couple of days out there in that beautiful
country, probably the most beautiful in the entire State of Texas, with
the crystal-clear, green Guadalupe River canopied by 100-plus-foot
Cyprus trees, some of them 10 feet in diameter, it is just unbelievable
beauty, tranquility, and peacefulness. To think that, within a span of
less than 1 hour, that thing came up 30-plus feet and became a raging,
raging torrent--a demon, if you will--wiping out wonderful, wonderful
families, children, and turning that place into a devastating desert.
I thank the first responders, our President, our Governor, Chip Roy,
and a number of my colleagues for their help. I am the chairman of the
Science, Space, and Technology Committee. NASA itself offered aircraft
and imaging technology to come out and help in the search and rescue
efforts.
Quite frankly, it touched lives. My district is literally probably
250 miles away from this one, but I have to mention names. My district
lost Aiden Heartfield, Joyce Badon, Ella Cahill, the whole family of
John and Julia Burgess and their two little boys, Mary Grace Baker from
Beaumont, and Reese Manchaca. So many others were touched by this in a
way that we will never ever forget.
Yet, Texas is tough. As Chip said, we are no strangers in my district
to disasters. I have been in office now going on my fifth term. I think
we have probably had seven disaster declarations in my district because
of tornadoes, floods, and hurricanes, as well.
We have a Texas spirit. It is unbreakable. Quite frankly, we are
going to rise above this. We want to let these families that are out
there know that they are in our prayers. We are going to do what it
takes to make this place whole again, keep these camps going, and keep
this wonderful tradition that we have. The cultural, patriotic--you
name it--the Christian environment of these camps are going to have to
be sustained, and they will.
Mr. Speaker, I just say before I close how much we appreciate all of
the people who absolutely sacrificed. My own son was out there the last
2 or 3 days with his chain saw. He brought his 10-year-old son out
there. People were coming and stepping forward. We heard about the
Luttrells; our colleague, Morgan Luttrell. They are out there finding
some of these victims.
This thing is turning out to be much bigger than we had thought. At
first, we thought maybe there would be a couple of dozen people lost
here, but we are looking at close to 300. By the time it is all done, I
am just not sure how disastrous this thing is going to be.
Yet, Lord, we want to thank You for Your blessings, Your love, Your
mercy, and we are going to rise above this because we are Texans. We
pull together, and we keep our faith in our Heavenly Father.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his steadfast
leadership and friendship.
Thank you, brother. I appreciate you.
Mr. Speaker, I am going to invite another friend of mine, no stranger
to floods, from the southeast part of the State, my friend, Randy
Weber.
As the gentleman is coming up to the microphone, I point out the
extent to which this delegation, I know, is grateful for the leadership
of our Governor, Governor Abbott; the head of the Texas Department of
Emergency Management, Nim Kidd; the countless individuals and public
servants affiliated with the Department of Public Safety and its head,
Freeman Martin; the folks who are associated with the Sheriff's
Department in Kerr County and throughout the region, the other areas
affected by floods. I can't name everybody.
The city manager in Kerrville has done a fantastic job. We have just
had so much fantastic leadership of people in the State of Texas
stepping up and, as Brian said, so many volunteers from across the
State. We continue to. We want to be very clear. All of this is current
and present. The search continues. It continues today. They are engaged
right now, and we are deeply appreciative for it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Weber), my good
friend.
Mr. WEBER of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, our hearts are breaking across the Lone Star State,
especially for our dear friend and colleague, Congressman Chip Roy, and
his beautiful district as they recover from unimaginable devastation
caused by those Fourth of July floods.
In the dead of night, the Guadalupe River surged more than 20 feet in
just 45 minutes. Think about that--20 feet. Families were forced to
fight for their lives. Homes were overtaken. Children at summer camps
ran for safety. It was the worst-case scenario and one that was
unfolding in total darkness.
Mr. Speaker, down on the Gulf Coast, we are no strangers to
disasters, as Chip mentioned. We know hurricanes. We have weathered our
fair share of storms, but this--this was something else. It was sudden,
swift, and heartbreaking. This was the very center of Texas, the very
part of the heart of the center of Texas, and Texans across the Nation
felt it.
Many knew someone who was impacted. We have all seen the images, Mr.
Speaker. We have heard the stories. The pain is real. The loss is deep.
Yet, through it all, our God is still great. Even in the midst of
destruction, the light of faith and courage shone through and still
shines through.
Children gathered were heard singing hymns. Neighbors rescued
neighbors, Mr. Speaker. Total strangers became heroes.
Our first responders and our great Coast Guard saved countless lives.
Everyday Texans are stepping up, Mr. Speaker, helping with cleanup and
recovery, giving comfort where it was needed the most.
Sadly, Mr. Speaker, we also mourn the lives lost. From my district,
five precious souls along with the countless, as was said, maybe up to
300. District 14 lost five precious souls: Mary Grace Baker, attending
Camp Mystic, whose young life was so tragically cut short; Ella Cahill;
Joyce Catherine Badon; and Aiden Heartfield, all from Beaumont, my
district, celebrating Independence Day together; and Brad Perry, a
volunteer firefighter from League City who, together with his wife, was
swept away in his RV by the floodwaters.
His wife, Tina, was miraculously rescued after clinging to a tree for
5 hours.
These were the mothers, the fathers, the daughters, the sons, and
friends. Their loss is felt deeply not just in our hometowns and their
hometowns but across Texas and beyond.
We do thank Governor Abbott and President Trump for coming and
supporting and making a way and making sure that we had every resource
that we needed.
Mr. Speaker, it has been said here that Texans are tough. We rally,
we rebuild, and more than anything, we pray. We pray for Congressman
Chip Roy's district. We pray for every grieving family. We pray for
healing, for strength, and for the peace that only God Almighty can
bring.
May we, Mr. Speaker, as leaders never forget our duty to stand beside
them not just in words but in actions. I will end, Mr. Speaker, by
saying God bless Texas, and may God bless the families walking through
this storm.
{time} 1810
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend Randy Weber for his
leadership and his kind words.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to Nathaniel Moran, who represents a good number
of my family in east Texas and is just one of the great lights in our
delegation, a good man and friend with whom I am very proud to serve.
Mr. MORAN. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Mr. Speaker, I rise today with a heavy heart to honor and to remember
those whose lives were lost and who were impacted by the catastrophic
floods that struck central Texas in the early morning hours of July
Fourth, when children and families were abruptly awakened by the
terrifying sounds of water rushing into their campsites and homes,
overtaking them in a matter of minutes. It was an unthinkable tragedy.
One that has scarred, no doubt, the sorrowful soul of so many in Texas
and beyond.
As we have come to understand, many of those who were lost were
simply children enjoying their time at summer camp, children not unlike
my two children, who went to summer camp this year. It is a place meant
for joy and laughter and for friendship and lasting memories, but
instead brought destruction.
[[Page H3310]]
Mr. Speaker, 132 precious lives have been lost to date, and with so
many more individuals still unaccounted for. The physical and emotional
destruction has been overwhelming. Lives have been lost, homes and
businesses have been washed away, lifelong belongings destroyed, and an
entire community, State, and Nation are left in anguish and in shock.
Mr. Speaker, we are heartbroken for the families who lost precious
family members. No words can fill the void that these loved ones left
in their homes and in their communities. We pray for peace, for
comfort, for healing, and for understanding during the long and hard
road of grief ahead. We acknowledge, though, that in our humanness we
may never fully understand why such tragedies happen, but in that same
moment, we acknowledge fully that we serve a great God above who does.
I will also take time to extend my deepest gratitude to the
courageous first responders as well as our local and State officials
who acted swiftly and selflessly in the face of this devastation to
save so many other lives. Their dedication and bravery saved countless
lives in the face of this devastation. Equally inspiring were the
countless Good Samaritans, ordinary citizens who became heroes, risking
their own lives to help both friends and strangers in need.
Texans are remarkable. As has been said today, in the midst of
tragedy, we will see and we do see and we have seen the immense
character of the people of Texas, particularly the people of central
Texas.
In the days and weeks ahead, we pledge to stand in prayer and in
sorrow and solidarity with the families who have lost their loved ones
and the people of central Texas, particularly those in Kerr County that
have been so intently affected by this devastating flood.
Mr. Speaker, our prayer today is for hope and for peace for all of
those in the difficult days ahead. I am privileged to be able to stand
here alongside so many great men and women of character that serve our
delegation in the State of Texas.
I thank Mr. Roy for his leadership during this time of devastation
and tragedy in his district and to say we stand with those families. We
ask for God's blessings and peace on each one of them. May God bless
them.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I thank my friend from east Texas for his
remarks.
Mr. Speaker, while I wait for my friend Mr. Gill to come up to the
microphone, I do want to note--because there has been so much
unnecessary politicization of all this and finger pointing. I will have
more to say about that in a minute, but I just will be very clear that
on Friday, July Fourth, I called the President to tell him what was
happening in the district that I represent, that I am proud to
represent, the flooding and it was terrible, because we were going to
have a bill signing that day. The President could not have been more
gracious. He could not have offered more in terms of his willingness to
act quickly. I called that same day over to the Secretary's office,
Secretary Noem, and she got back to me within 15 minutes offering us
anything we needed. She had folks on the ground. She moved quickly to
get the Army Corps of Engineers activated, moved quickly to get fixed-
wing aircraft mobilized--this is all prior to a disaster declaration--
and then had the boots on the ground ready to go when the disaster
declaration was ready.
There is a lot of stuff flying around, so let's be very clear. In a
nonpolitical statement, but just the reality of what has happened, this
administration was on the ground in the district that I represent
helping people. I think that should be noted. I think that the record
should be clear. The people that I represent are deeply grateful for it
and are deeply proud to acknowledge it.
Mr. Speaker, I yield to Brandon Gill, who represents the district in
the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area and just a little North of that. I
deeply appreciate his service as a freshman member of the delegation
and his strong words of encouragement throughout this.
Mr. GILL of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the Texas Hill Country is well-known
as one of the most beautiful regions in the State and it just witnessed
one of the most horrific disasters in our State's history.
I saw it last week myself when we went down to Kerrville, and you
could see homes gone and roads shattered and families broken. I met
first responders who pulled neighbors from waters that just destroyed
lives.
I heard the stories like that of Jeff Ramsey and his wife, Tanya, two
constituents from Texas-26. They were Texans, and they were parents
trapped in their camper at Hill Country Campground as the flood
swallowed everything around them.
In those final moments, Jeff picked up his phone and he said good-bye
to his kids. ``Hey, buddy, I love you so much. I think this is it for
us. Tell Rache-y I love her.''
Mr. Speaker, what do you say to that? What do you say to a son who
lost his father or to a daughter who only has her father's final words?
What we are going to say is that we will never forget them. That we
will honor every life lost, including Jeff, Tanya, and every other life
taken by those unforgiving waters. We will honor and remember the young
girls and staff at Camp Mystic and the vacationing families enjoying
their Independence Day weekend.
This flood stole lives and stories and futures and Texans. Today, we
mourn them and we honor them and we will remember them. We will carry
their names and their stories, but we also thank the first responders
who jumped into this mess in dangerous conditions and who are still
working to clean up the flood.
I think, in particular, of our colleague Congressman Morgan Luttrell,
who is out working right now, as well as Mr. Roy who has been working
around the clock for his district over the past 2 weeks.
Mr. Speaker, God bless Kerrville, God bless Texas, and God bless the
U.S.
Mr. ROY. Mr. Speaker, I deeply appreciate and thank Brandon for his
kind words and remarks, his presence and that of the entire delegation.
There were a number of other of my colleagues who wanted to be here
this evening, but they couldn't make it because they had other
obligations. We don't always get to control the timing of the House
floor. I thank those individuals for their support during this whole
time.
{time} 1820
I want to conclude with a few thoughts. I gave way earlier to make
sure that all of my colleagues had a chance to speak.
I want to give some flavor to what we have experienced, particularly
in Kerrville and in the Hill Country and that part of our great State,
over the last 10 days or so.
Remember that, on July Fourth in Kerrville, there is an area in the
center of town, a park where thousands of people go every year to
listen to music, to Texas country music, typically. Robert Earl Keen is
a local artist from Kerrville who plays every year, typically.
My children, my family, my wife and I, we have been going there every
year for the better part of a decade. You will sit down there on the
river and canoe and tube up and down the river while you are waiting
for the concert. Then, the concert is at night with fireworks down
there at the park.
It is often attended by the people who are coming down to camp on the
Guadalupe, just a little west of Kerrville, in the area that has now
become more known, for people across the country, in Hunt, Texas, where
these kids' camps are located.
There are about 18 or 20 camps right there on the water and 40 camps
or so in that general area for kids in the summer. Many of these camps
have been there for decades, some as long as a century.
Camp Mystic is one of those that would celebrate its 100th
anniversary next year. That is an all-girls camp, as my colleagues have
noted. My colleague August Pfluger's daughters were there last week. It
is an all-girls Christian camp.
Camp La Junta, right down the river, is also a Christ-centered camp.
That is an all-boys camp. It had massive damage, massive flooding.
Fortunately, they had no loss of life.
There are multiple camps. I can go through it. I am going to leave
some out if I keep going up and down the river.
[[Page H3311]]
People ask why. People ask these questions of me and say: Why are
these camps, all of these houses, all of these campgrounds so close to
the river? Well, because the river is awesome. I mean, why are there
houses on the beach? Because people like to be on the beach.
This is not something that should be that surprising, and it
shouldn't be something that we shift away from. It is a great blessing
that the Lord has given us this part of the country that you can go to
and experience and live with these clear waters and the limestone that
is cut through there after thousands of years. This whole area was an
area where the Comanches were known to collect, in that part of the
country, and also take part and enjoy those particularly beautiful
waters and springs.
It draws people from all over the country, and that is why these
camps are there.
I noted earlier on the floor, when we had the moment of silence, the
extent to which faith is the central part of everything we are
experiencing. It is the reason these camps, for the most part, exist.
It is the reason for the spirit that we have seen coming out of
Kerrville, as so many people mourn and so many people across the
country are taken by the stories of these little girls.
Fredericksburg is also an awesome town, just down the river from
Luckenbach, from the famous country song.
The fact is, Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, when you come into
Kerrville and are coming in on Highway 16, coming down from
Fredericksburg, you come in on 16 into Kerrville. Up on the hill as you
enter, Mr. Speaker, there is a giant cross, and there is a garden
there. It is filled with a bunch of the important symbols of our
Christian faith, not just the cross, but other things. It was all done
by an artist named Max Greiner, and he has done a fantastic job laying
it out. It gets hundreds of thousands of visitors every year.
This cross sits up on the hill over Kerrville. I noticed, and I said
this in an interview this weekend, that there were numerous crosses
just showing up throughout the town. There was an interview one of the
reporters was doing on the river, and there were three crosses sitting
on the bank of the river.
I was driving down the highway, Highway 39, which goes from Kerrville
out west through Ingram and then Hunt and out by where these camps are.
I went out to Camp La Junta after the President came in. It was my, I
think, third or fourth journey over the last 10 days.
I noticed the changes from the days I first went over there, when the
floods had just occurred, all the damage, debris, and cars, and just
absolute devastation that destroyed houses, the roofs. The flood lines
were 30 feet up in these tall cypress trees. You couldn't even believe
it.
There were trees stuck in the tops of trees. There was metal roofing
that was up in the tops of these trees. There was a dumpster wrapped
around a tree.
When I was down in Kerrville, the stage from the Fourth of July setup
was wrapped around trees probably 500 yards down from where the stage
had been set. This is a massive, heavy stage on a truck bed. That was
where the President got his briefing. Mr. Speaker, if you saw the
pictures, that is where the President was located. That was a stage,
that rubble that was there.
There was a massive dumpster wrapped around trees, a heavy metal
dumpster, just shredded like aluminum foil. That was the force of this
water.
Somebody told me that it was 1.6 million gallons of water per second
rushing through this corridor. That is what we were dealing with.
Going back to the cross, Samaritan's Purse showed up on the ground
immediately. It is a great organization headed by Franklin Graham out
of North Carolina. They show up to deal with disasters all across the
country and all around the world. Here they are in my own backyard, not
something I had necessarily anticipated.
This organization is there cleaning out mud from the Lowe family's
house. They are a fantastic family, and I had known them. We went and
visited. I can't say that I participated in the clean-out. I intend to
do that when we get out of this session in August.
We were going around and looking at the damage. They were explaining
and walking through it for the average viewer out there asking how this
could happen. They looked down and saw the flooding waters, but they
were way down. They woke up at 1 in the morning to some alerts. They
kept listening and watching the water come up. Then, they realized they
had to move.
By the time they realized they were going to move, it moved from 15
feet below the level up to the level of their house in a matter of
minutes. It just came rushing in. They were able to get out just before
and get up to high ground.
Another family friend of mine whose kids were there--there were about
30 of them. There were several families, parents, and kids from my
kids' school. They were all on a piece of property with three houses.
Same thing--they woke up at 3-something in the morning. The river was
way down a good 15 or 20 feet below the house. They were watching the
water rush and go: Well, maybe we ought to think about moving.
They started moving people out of the three houses on the piece of
property, these rental properties. They were sitting there and cleaned
out the first house, got the kids ready. By the time they did that over
15 or 20 minutes, thinking they had hours, the water was already up to
the house.
They moved to the second house, and the water was up to their knees.
The third house, the water was up to their waist. They had to get up
and ride the storm out for 3 hours on top of another house, 30 people,
including kids.
They were fortunate to survive, and they are okay. All seven of their
cars are down the river. The remaining of their houses are down the
river.
When I went to the Lowe's house, they were explaining it to me. They
are great people of faith. Next to their house was a foundation, all
that was left of a home. There were several of those in a row.
There was one man sitting out in a chair by that foundation. That
man, I was told, was the father of a 20-year-old boy who he had lost.
He was trying to find him, trying to find his body.
They had found three girls who had been there in their vacation home.
The dad wasn't there. He was back home in Houston.
I walked over. I saw the man and offered him my condolences and
listened to his story. This was maybe 4 days after it happened. He
walked me through how, at 4 in the morning, the son had called him and
explained that it was a bad spot. The water had already engulfed the
house. It had come up so quickly. He was walking through it and trying
to figure out how to get out. The son was trying to get the three girls
out of the house.
He is talking to his dad and then hands the phone off to one of the
girls. The son is trying to get the other girls out of the house and
get through the water. About that time, a very large cypress tree--
huge; I saw the remnants of it still there--came through, hit them and
the house, and took it out.
The one girl who was left on the phone saw it and basically said to
the young man's dad: ``Tell my parents I love them.'' That was the last
thing she said and the last thing he heard.
There are dozens of these stories. People act like something should
have been done differently. Maybe it should have. Maybe there can be
better systems. We will go through all that, and we will figure it out.
That is what we do as people. We don't point fingers.
I will close with this, going back to the cross, going back to the
spirit of the people of Kerrville and of the Hill Country who showed
up, the first responders who have shown up, the people of the State,
the Governor, the Texas Department of Emergency Management, all the
prayer warriors, all the churches, and the now $30 million to $40
million of contributions that have poured in and millions more, all the
people showing up, bringing food--every single food vendor called my
phone. Thousands of people said: What can I do to help? Morgan Luttrell
used his training, along with his brother and others, to go into the
water to try to find people.
Important are the stories of these camp directors and camp counselors
who did everything they could to save lives. Dick Eastland lost his
life trying to save those little girls.
[[Page H3312]]
I spent time with his daughter, Mary Liz, over the last week. I met
Mary Liz in a church, Trinity Baptist Church, in Kerrville on Saturday
night, the day after July Fourth, on July 5. I didn't know Mary Liz.
Mary Liz asked me for my number. I gave it to her. We started talking,
and I realized that she was Dick's daughter-in-law.
{time} 1830
Mary Liz was there in the church with all of the families who still
hadn't found their little girls. Mary Liz wasn't running away from it,
as the director of the camp, or one of the remaining directors of the
camp after Dick had passed away. Mary Liz was there.
Mary Liz has been constantly on the phone with all of these families,
trying to find everything they can. We have now found every one of
those little girls except for one, and they are not going to rest until
they find her. They are not going to rest until they find the other 100
who are still missing.
This is the message that comes out of this: The power of community,
the power of faith, the power of the cross that brings people together,
the enduring legacy of the little girls singing the hymns as they left
Camp Mystic looking at the damage.
The people who will now know the power of Christ because of these
little girls' stories, the stories of the charm bracelets, the stories
of the James Avery jewelry store, the stories of a century-long
tradition where children come together to learn the power of the
gospel, to spread the gospel, and to learn that there is more to life
than these things. There is more to life than the temporary things of
life as opposed to friendship and as opposed to being one with what God
gave us. That is what these camps are about.
My staff, I learned, worked at Camp Mystic. The young man who is
sitting down here next to me right now worked as a cook in the back of
Camp Mystic 4 years ago. He told me that Dick Eastland was like a
grandfather figure to him, that Dick Eastland helped teach him how to
fish, fly fish, and the basics of life.
That is what every person affiliated with these camps has told me,
that is what Dick Eastland and all these other camp directors, like
Jane Ragsdale, did. I said earlier that Jane gave her life to save
several little girls before she lost hers. I ran into her pastor just
randomly on the side of the river. He walked me through her story. It
is extraordinary. You heard some of my colleagues talking about it.
The fact of the matter is that is what is touching everybody about
this because this spirit is unique, and it transcends, and it will be
the enduring story of all of this.
These camps are going to be rebuilt. They are going to reopen. I said
on the radio I would send my kids there next summer because that is
what we should do. These camps, these things, these people, this
community are more important than fear. Because those of us who have
faith in the Lord Almighty and have faith in the Lord's son Jesus
Christ, we don't fear earthly loss because the thing that transcends
that is our faith in our Lord and Savior and the need to spread that
message, and for people to know that.
I am so deeply and profoundly grateful for all of the outpouring of
support from this Chamber, from my Texas colleagues joining me here on
the floor. I am deeply appreciative for all the people who have been
risking their lives to help others, to save others, to find these
bodies, to find closure for the families.
We are going to continue to do that. We are going to continue to
heal. It is just the beginning.
Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
____________________