Emotional Ted Cruz describes Camp Mystic devastation: 'Every parent's worst nightmare'

WASHINGTON - Sen. Ted Cruz had an emotional opening to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation meeting on Wednesday morning.

The Texas senator chairs the committee that was holding a confirmation hearing for Neil Jacobs, President Donald Trump's pick to lead the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

Cruz opened the hearing with remarks on the tragedy in Texas, specifically the flooding at Camp Mystic, an all-girls' Christian camp in Hunt, Texas. The camp says 27 campers and counselors died.

What they're saying:

"I'm the father of two daughters," Cruz said. "When I think of those little girls that were lost at Camp Mystic, it's every parent's worst nightmare."

Cruz toured the camp with other Texas leaders on Monday.

"The devastation in that 100-year-old beautiful girls' camp that has helped raise generations of girls and women in Texas. The devastation was the most horrific thing I've ever seen."

Cruz's daughter was at another Kerr County camp the week before

Cruz said his youngest daughter, Catherine, had attended another camp in Kerr County just a week prior to the floods.

What they're saying:

"My wife, Heidi, was there the week before picking Catherine up," Cruz said. "We had been celebrating because Catherine had won canoe war, where the girls race in canoes against other girls in the camp."

Cruz recalls damage to Camp Mystic

"There's one cabin, the cabin where the youngest girls were in called Bumble Inn. The water blew out the windows in that cabin and swept all of the girls and the counselors out," Cruz said. 

"Outside that cabin are 17 single white crosses, with the names of the girls written on it," Cruz said. "On the 17th cross, the name written on it is Dick Eastland, who for 50 years had been the camp director at Camp Mystic and likewise lost his life in those early morning hours in his suburban driving through high water, trying to rescue his girls."

Search and rescue in Kerr County

Cruz called those searching for people in the floods heroes and said they showed extraordinary courage.

"Texas, our heart is broken," Cruz said.

Cruz also recalled meeting Coast Guard Petty Officer Scott Ruskan, who is credited with saving more than 150 people in his first rescue mission.

"When I saw him, he had just hung up from talking with a mom and dad and with their daughter, and they said,'You saved our daughter's life and when she was there, terrified out of her mind, you held her hand and told her it would be okay,'" Cruz said.

Improving severe weather alerts

"Look, every one of us looking at the flooding in Texas, if we could step into a time machine and go back to 2 or 3 in the morning on July 4th, we would rush into those little girls' cabins and get them the hell out of there," Cruz said.

The National Weather Service issued two warnings in the early morning hours of July 4, one around 1 a.m. and another around 4 a.m.

"But the problem is, most people are asleep at 1 a.m. and 4 a.m., so those little girls never heard the warning," Cruz said.

Cruz said that while an alert system along the Guadalupe River makes sense, the question is what lessons can be learned from the event.

"There's no mission that is more important, particularly concerning weather-related events, than early detection," Cruz said. "Knowing what is happening and improving the ability to notify people in harm's way and get them out of the way."

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