Virginia’s First Lady, Suzanne Youngkin, was stranded along the rising Guadalupe River in Texas Hill Country for several hours on Friday as flood waters raged.
Gov. Glenn Youngkin was in Virginia as his wife and members of his family were on vacation last week.
Heavy rains overswept the Hill Country region early Friday, causing the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in a 45-minute period in the early-morning hours, resulting in flooding that has, to date, led to 110 confirmed deaths, with more than 160 people still unaccounted for.
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“My family was there along with friends, and by the grace of God, my family was safe. I have to say, there were moments when they weren’t. They ended up being safe during the day,” the governor said on Tuesday.
The remarks to reporters on Tuesday were the first from Youngkin acknowledging the danger to his wife and family members.
On Sunday, the governor announced that he was sending Swift Water Rescue Teams from Bristol and Virginia Beach to assist in the ongoing recovery efforts.
The deployment, according to a press release from the governor’s office, was made at the request of the Texas Division of Emergency Management through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
“Our hearts go out to the families and communities in Texas who have been devastated by these historic floods,” Youngkin said in a quote included in the press release. “We stand in solidarity with the people of Texas, and we are committed to offering any and all support requested during this critical time.”
Now we know that the issue was personal for the governor as well.
Texas officials, Youngkin said Tuesday, offered to airlift his family out of harm’s way on Friday, but he declined the offer, because he had been able to make contact with family members and knew they were safe, and he wanted emergency teams to focus on rescue efforts related to young summer campers who had been reported missing.
Youngkin made his way from Virginia to Texas later in the day on Friday.
“That evening, the Swift Water Rescue Crews and the Texas National Guard were able to go in and get my family,” Youngkin said. “I went with them and was just grateful, incredibly grateful, that they were able to do that.”
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Chris Graham
