[Camerota:] Breaking news. President Trump and the first lady departing the White House moments ago. Here's the video. The president heading to flood ravaged Texas to assess the extent of the damage and rescue operations. The president is heading to Corpus Christi and Austin this afternoon. Joining us now on the phone is the mayor of Corpus Christi, Joe McComb. Mr. Mayor, thank you very much for being here. Tell us the situation on the ground in Corpus Christi.
[Mayor Joe Mccomb, Corpus Christi, Texas:] Well, right now, the morning, it's the best looking morning we've seen in a week. We got some sunshine and we got some blue skies. But that hasn't been the case. But we've got our operations people in full swing. We've got power restored to a substantial part of the community. We lost about half the power during the storm. We got our water treatment plants up and running. We've got our waste water treatment plant up and running. Most of our signalization on our streets so the traffic can be a little better controlled than just having intersections with no stop signs or signal lights. So we're making a great deal of progress in Corpus Christi. Some of our neighbors, Port Aransas and Rockport, they really took the brunt of the hurricane. And they they don't have power. They don't have waste water services. They don't have water. They they let the people in, you know, during the daylight hours just to come and see what the property is and then they've got to leave at night. So they're just it's inhabitable, uninhabitable.
[Camerota:] Yes, yes, yes, we can imagine. Mr. Mayor, as you're speaking, we're watching President Trump, he's landing in Marine One at Joint Base Andrews to get on Air Force One to come in your direction and come and visit you. What are you expecting from the president? What can he do to help?
[Mccomb:] Well, I think he can encourage people down here because we're getting into, you know, days three and four on and it's beginning to settle in that this is going to be a long hall in terms of recovery. And we're going need to learn that we've got a new normal. We can't go back to the way it was. That's just not going to happen. But it would be reassuring for the communities down here that, one, that he's concerned about our safety and our well-being, and he's also concerned about wanting to make sure that the aid and support that is available to us through the federal and state programs is available on a quickly responsive basis as possible. I think we've heard stories of, you know, people trying one, two years after a storm to still be trying to get help. And I think he's just wanting to really emphasize the need to be pay attention and be serious about helping the government side in responding when applications are formed for aid and for help and final assistance. I mean in Corpus Christi in our area down here, we have a lot of people, as in many areas. You know, they live from week to week on their paychecks and, you know, trying to find money to live for three or four or five months until some reimbursement comes really puts a strain on them. And so I think he just wants to emphasize the need to be responsive and be responsive in a in a quick manner. So we really appreciate him coming.
[Camerota:] Yes, as you're speaking, we're watching the president get off Marine One. It's a rainy day in the Washington, D.C., area.
[Mccomb:] Well, that's ironic. He's leaving rain to come down to sunshine, so
[Camerota:] Indeed. That is exactly right. And we're happy to hear that you're getting a respite there in Corpus Christi and that there's sunshine. But when you say that it's time for people there to prepare for their new normal, what does that look like?
[Mccomb:] Well, I really don't know. Corpus Christi, relatively speaking, and I don't mean to be misinterpreted, but relatively speaking, compared to Rockport, and Port Aransas, we really escaped the brunt of the storm in terms of this massive damage. But, like I said, Port Aransas and those folks there. But, I mean, it's just going to take some time to get the get their houses repaired, get back to their work. I mean there's still some businesses that haven't opened because they don't have power. And so that's an economic impact. But, you know, the we can we can endure the inconvenience of a lot of this stuff. Our goal at the city level in Corpus Christi and the emergency management operations was, our number one goal and focus was public safety and human life, protecting life. And at the end of the day, we had a Cat four hurricane come through Corpus Christi and Nueces County and we had zero fatalities and zero major injuries. So we feel like we really set a benchmark for ourself for the future. The teams, I couldn't say enough good things about the teams in the state, federal and local levels, that put the plan together. And I'm sure they felt like, you know, why do we go to all these practices and these rehearsals and things.
[Camerota:] Yes.
[Mccomb:] But when it came game day, I mean they were on and they delivered wonderfully.
[Camerota:] Well, we are sure happy to hear that. That is a really encouraging story, Mr. Mayor. And we've just watched the president and first lady board Air Force One headed in your direction. So, Corpus Christi mayor
[Mccomb:] Well, I better get out there and get ready to welcome.
[Camerota:] You you've got a little bit of time. But, yes, you better get ready. Mayor McComb, thank you very much for being with us.
[Mccomb:] Thank you for having me. Appreciate it.
[Camerota:] A pleasure to talk to you. All right, so the governor of Texas is activating every National Guard member in the state to help victims of Hurricane Harvey. Lamart Clay and his wife and eight children are among those brought to safety in the past 24 hours. And Lamart Clay joins us on the phone from Katy, Texas. Mr. Clay, we know you've had a rough go of it with you and your family. I understand there were ten of you. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you have kids in there from seven months old, three years old, 11 years old, 12 years old, 13 years old, 14 years old, a 22-year-old and 25-year-old. All of you were trapped. Tell us about how you got to safety.
[Lamart Clay, Survived Hurricane Harvey:] Hey, good morning. Those sound like the right ages, but I'm not sure. It's a lot of them.
[Camerota:] But what was that like, Mr. Clay, when you were in there with all of those kids, some of them your grandkids, I believe. What was it like for those 12 hours that you were trapped?
[Clay:] Well, it was it was pretty scary at first because the rain started coming down and it started moving up so fast that we couldn't evacuate. And before you know it, the rain started pouring into the house. And in a couple hours we had close to a foot of water. So we called the emergency dispatch, and they said, hey, they'll get somebody out there as soon as they can. The priority was folks with single family homes or one story homes. And so we went upstairs, hunkered down and waited it out. And it was pretty scary.
[Camerota:] And what were those 12 hours like? I man how were you keeping the kids calm? How were you saying calm?
[Clay:] Well, on the inside I was nervous. On the outside, I knew I had to be calm because if I showed weakness or any kind of nervousness, it would make the rest of the house follow me. So, I just knew that Jesus would safe us. I knew that once I prayed, that everything would be all right. And we prayed as a family together. And, ironically, after we prayed, the water outside kept getting higher but in my house it re- seeding. It got to be up to about two feet. But once we prayed, the water in the house went out but it kept going up on the outside.
[Camerota:] Well, you have a direct line to God.
[Clay:] Absolutely.
[Camerota:] And the power of prayer is strong today obviously in Texas and across the country. Mr. Lamart Clay, we are so happy that you and all of those kids survived and you sound like you're in good spirits today. We're wishing you the best and thank you so much for sharing your story with us.
[Clay:] No, thank you guys for having me.
[Camerota:] All right, we wish you the best. Meanwhile, CNN's breaking news coverage continues right now on "NEWSROOM" with John Berman.