Sen. Cruz: Today We Celebrate the Grit and Perseverance of the Hill Country

KINGSLAND, Texas - U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) today spoke at the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new RM 2900 Bridge over the Llano River arm of Lake LBJ. Following the October 2018 flooding, Sens. Cruz and Cornyn sent a letter to President Trump urging him to issue a federal major disaster declaration for severe weather and flooding in Central Texas.

"This is a day of celebrating the incredible perseverance of Texans," Sen. Cruz said. "I remember just seven months ago, when this community was hit by devastating floods. I was here the day after the floods. I remember standing right there and looking out at what used to be a bridge that was completely swept away as if by the hand of God. I remember seeing all the families that suffered loss. But I got to tell you - one of the incredible things, one of the real blessings of representing the state of Texas is you get to see Texans on the other side of disaster. You get to see Texans on the other side of terrible tragedies and what is consistent over and over and over again - whether it's Hurricane Harvey or the flooding here - is that in times of trouble, Texans come together."

Sen. Cruz's remarks may be viewed here and below:

"This is a day of celebrating the incredible perseverance of Texans. I remember just seven months ago, when this community was hit by devastating floods. I was here the day after the floods. I remember standing right there and looking out at what used to be a bridge that was completely swept away as if by the hand of God.

"I remember seeing all the families that suffered loss. But I got to tell you - one of the incredible things, one of the real blessings of representing the state of Texas is you get to see Texans on the other side of disaster. You get to see Texans on the other side of terrible tragedies and what is consistent over and over and over again - whether it's Hurricane Harvey or the flooding here - is that in times of trouble, Texans come together.

"The day after the flooding, I remember seeing men and women just with your sleeves up, rolled up, starting to clean up. I remember seeing the girls basketball team out here just helping clean up the mess. That is the character and true grit of the people of Texas. That is the character and true grit of the people of Llano County and Burnet County.

"Now after the flooding it was announced that we were going to rebuild the bridge. And people were laying out projections that it was going to take a year to rebuild the bridge. Well anyone making those projections doesn't know a whole lot about Texas. Because this bridge was started and completed in just seven months.

"RM 2900 -- I got to say we've got to do something about that name. I'm going to suggest a new name for the bridge, which is the ‘Perseverance Bridge.' Because when the entire bridge had been washed away, the people of Texas knew we would rebuild. That a momentary challenge can't hold the people of Texas down.

"And this is a celebration of that spirit, that spirit that ties us together, that fighting indomitable spirit that makes us Texans. And I am proud to stand with the men and women of the Hill Country celebrating the perseverance of this community as we move forward together."

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