Texas turns to faith as Gov. Abbott declares 'Day of Prayer' amid devastating floods
"I urge Texans of all faiths and religious traditions and backgrounds to offer prayers on that day for the healing of individuals, safety of our first responders and public safety officers, rebuilding of communities, and restoration of the region struck by this disaster," Abbott said in a proclamation.
And over breakfast tacos in Kerrville on Sunday morning, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, posted a video of a restaurant streaming a First Baptist service. "Only in Texas… Great is thy faithfulness, indeed," Roy said.
"Prayer works," Abbott said Sunday morning.
And across the political aisle, a former Texas congressman and 2020 presidential candidate, Democrat Beto O'Rourke, encouraged prayer and donations for those impacted by the floods.
"Please pray with me while over 500 first responders continue their search for those still missing. Pray we find survivors," Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, said as he encouraged Texans to join the day of prayer.
Texas is one of the more religious states in the U.S., particularly in the South, according to the Pew Research Center's Religious Landscape study released in 2024. The same study found 67% of Texans are Christian.
"Please pray right now for everyone in the Hill Country, especially Camp Mystic," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas., said Friday.
Camp Mystic is a private Christian summer camp for girls. As of Monday afternoon, at least 27 young girls who were staying at Camp Mystic were confirmed dead. There were 750 attendees when the wall of water slammed into the camp.
Like many in Texas, Camp Mystic has turned to prayer during the tumultuous time for the young community.
"Camp Mystic is grieving the loss of 27 campers and counselors following the catastrophic flooding on the Guadalupe river. Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly," according to a statement on the camp's website.
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick told Fox News Channel that at Camp Mystic, "The water was at the door. The camp counselor took a rock and smashed out the window. They climbed out the window in bare feet and nothing but a night gown on, in neck-high water."
"Please continue to pray for the families affected by this tragedy," Patrick urged Texans.
And Attorney General Ken Paxton said, "Texans are praying for these families. God be with them during this time of unimaginable pain and suffering."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
6 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump Cuts Deal With Rupert Murdoch Related To WSJ Lawsuit Over Epstein Story
Donald Trump and Wall Street Journal owner Rupert Murdoch on Monday struck a deal related to the president's lawsuit against the paper over its publication of a story detailing a 'bawdy' birthday message Trump allegedly wrote to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2003. While Trump had initially sought to have Murdoch deposed swiftly, citing, in part, his advanced age and long-standing health issues, the president has now agreed to remove that request, according to a Monday court filing first reported by Politico's Josh Gerstein. Trump sued Murdoch, the Journal's publisher and the reporters who authored an article the newspaper published last month reporting that the president wrote a lewd message to Epstein as part of an album British socialite Ghislaine Maxwell compiled for the disgraced financier's 50th birthday in 2003. Epstein died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Trump has denied writing the letter, attacking the newspaper for publishing its story and taking legal action over the report. Monday's agreement stipulates that until the 'Defendants' Motion to Dismiss the Complaint is adjudicated, the Parties agree not to engage in discovery.' The filing, though, notes that if the defendants' motion fails, Murdoch shall be deposed in person within 30 days of that decision. The document states that Murdoch has three days from when the court approves the agreement to provide Trump with a sworn declaration describing his current health status. 'Defendant Murdoch has further agreed to provide regularly scheduled updates to [Trump] regarding his health, including a mechanism for him to alert [Trump] if there is a material change in his health,' the document states. 'Failure to provide updates in the agreed-upon manner as set forth in the Abatement Agreement shall result in an expedited deposition of Defendant Murdoch.' Trump last week told reporters Murdoch wanted to settle the case. 'They are talking to us about doing something but we'll see what happens,' Trump said. 'Maybe they would like us to drop that, so we'll see ... yeah, they're having, they want to settle it.' 'When I get treated unfairly, I do things about it,' he added. Related... Trump Wants Murdoch Swiftly Deposed Over Epstein Story Because Of Age And Health Trump Sues WSJ Reporters, Murdoch For Libel After Epstein Birthday Card Story Trump Lashes Out At Rupert Murdoch Over WSJ Epstein Bombshell
Bloomberg
9 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Trump Lets His Friends Fight It Out Over Key Texas Senate Seat
Both US Senator John Cornyn and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are angling for an endorsement from Donald Trump in their already contentious and consequential primary campaign. But in a race that could ultimately determine control of the Senate in 2026, Trump is being uncharacteristically quiet. Paxton, long plagued by scandal, is a Trump acolyte who is leading with primary voters. Cornyn, a Washington institution with a track record as a dealmaker on Capitol Hill, stands a better chance in a general election against what promises to be a well-funded Democratic challenger.
CBS News
9 minutes ago
- CBS News
Sen. Tammy Duckworth demands answers from FAA on airplane evacuation safety
Following the dramatic video of an American Airlines flight evacuating on a Denver runway last month, Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois is sending a letter to new FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford demanding answers on evacuation safety. "The FAA needs an evacuation standard that reflects the reality of flying today," Duckworth told CBS News in a statement. "The American people deserve to know whether the FAA is taking this responsibility seriously and complying with the law to ensure the flying public can be safely evacuated from an aircraft during an emergency." Duckworth, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Aviation Subcommittee, is concerned about the ability to evacuate an airliner in 90 seconds or less. "Video showed passengers exiting with carry-on bags and, according to at least one passenger, the process took 10 to 15 minutes — the latter estimate exceeding FAA's 90 second evacuation standard by 10 times," she wrote in her letter to Bedford. The senator is seeking details about three recent evacuations. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating after American Airlines Flight 3023, traveling from Denver to Miami, experienced a landing gear issue during takeoff with 173 passengers and six crew members on board. The Boeing 737 Max 8 was going nearly 150 mph when the pilots slammed on the brakes. As passengers used emergency exit slides to evacuate, flames could be seen coming from the landing gear on July 26. "We heard a loud boom, and I said 'That's not good,'" passenger Mark Tsurkis recounted. "Most of the people evacuated safely, except a few people who decided to take their luggage with them and that kind of, you know, that endangered others and endangered them." In April, a Delta A330 in Orlando experienced an engine fire, prompting passengers to evacuate. Kyle Becker, who was sitting in row 35, said he opened the window as soon as he heard people yell "fire!" "There was a fire on the engine," Becker told CBS News senior transportation correspondent Kris Van Cleave at the time. "[It] was a little scary… just never had happened to me before. Start thinking, like, OK, what are the next steps. Trying to remain calm." This incident also prompted an FAA investigation. And in March, another American Airlines Boeing 737 experienced a fire stemming from an engine issue while it was parked at a gate at Denver International Airport. Passengers filled the wing of the plane trying to escape the smoke. "Everyone was screaming, 'There's a fire. There's a fire,'" Helen Prager, who was on the plane, recalled. "Literally at the gate and I was screaming, 'Get the doors open.'" The FAA and NTSB are looking into the fire. "While FAA has yet to disclose how long any of the referenced passenger evacuations took, these incidents once again raise serious questions about FAA's 90 second evacuation standard as well as FAA's assumptions about how evacuations occur in real world conditions (such as the assumption every passenger will comply with instructions to deplane without carry-on bags)," Duckworth wrote in her letter. She wants the FAA to disclose how long the evacuations took and how many passengers took their bags with them, as well as how many children, seniors and passengers with disabilities were on board each of the flights. The senator is also seeking an update on evacuation testing that Congress mandated the FAA complete within one year of the FAA's reauthorization bill passing. That deadline passed in May. The updated testing was to replace a series of tests the FAA conducted in 2019 that did not include any real-world scenarios such as luggage in the cabin and passengers who were children, seniors or not able-bodied. Last year, Duckworth told CBS News she did not believe she could get off a plane during an emergency in under 90 seconds. "Not at all confident, not at all confident. I often fly where I'm not wearing both my artificial legs," said Duckworth, who lost both of her legs while serving in the Iraq War. "I don't think it's realistic anymore. … Conduct a real test and let's see what the realistic standard is." Duckworth asked the FAA to respond to her letter by Aug. 12. "We need answers. Are the current [plane] evacuation standards, are they adequate?" former NTSB chair and CBS News transportation safety analyst Robert Sumwalt said. "It's definitely time for the FAA to go back and reassess what standards they're using for evacuations. It's been almost 35 years since those standards were published." Kathryn Krupnik contributed to this report.
