few days. what are you seeing on the ground there? >> reporter: i just talked to a woman who described the evacuation process as a noah as arc that started by boat and continued by high water vehicle and then by bus. why did she describe it like that? because it included people, pets animals and all coming here. let me show you around. this is the entrance where people are coming in. now this is a mixed population. authorities here have told us. there's a security check to make sure everyone is safe and secure in this facility. then you also see donation drops. people donating socks, pillows, towels, right now they're is asking for plus size clothing. they're in need of a lot of that right now. then they move on to a registration site and beyond this wall, that's where people are are sleeping. you see long lines back there because like you mentioned, 9,000 people. now, initially they had 5,000 cots here. they are bringing more.

bringing more supplies. what i just heard from the red cross is they are incorporated partners that will bring in kitchens to cook food for up to 20,000 people. ali alis alisyn, as we've been talking about all morning long, people coming in in droves by buses. one other woman who i talked to said that the community center where she was initially evacuated to flooded. and so some of these people have been moving to evacuation centers and then moved here because those flooded. excuse me those evacuation centers flooded. so a lot of stress. a lot of drama in this facility as well as people begin to figure out what to do next with their lives. >> is we can imagine. this is probably a good time to remind people that the red cross needs help financially, that people can make donations. our website also. thank you very much for all of that. so the death toll is rising as rescuers try to bring

thousands of people to safety. cnn's scott mcclain is live in the suburbs. where the rain continues to fall. what's the latest? >> reporter: hey, good morning. again. the rain is still very much coming down here. where i'm standing right now in northeast houston they're gotten nearly two feet of rain in the last two days. other parts have gotten more than two and a half feet. there is still more on the way. some estimates say there could be tens of thousands of people across the city still stranded inside of their homes. this neighborhood is no exception. sort of at the foot of it. you can see just how much water is back there. you can see the houses back there in the distance as well. that neighborhood goes back quite far. in fact there's a couple people i've spoken to that say their loved ones and friends are back in some of the farthest houses back there. some of wet, some are dry. thankfully, that are still in

need of rescue. you can also see dsh dsh i don't know if you can see this. there's two gentlemen getting into that truck there. i spoke to them earlier this morning or the guys driving. that's a big high water vehicle. and even it has stalled out. there are plenty of challenges in getting out there. last night, it was a constant rescue operation involving a lot of private boats go in in and out. and when the boats came out, they were bringing people under this underpass here for a little bit of shelter where people were coming and then getting on buses, trucks, things like that to be taken to local shelters. in fact i spoke to one gentleman who had a box truck that he said could fit about 30 different people in it at one time. he said he'd already taken about 200 people to shelters. >> one of the things we're learning is a bayou isn't like the gulf. it's a slow moving body of the water. it doesn't drain the same way.

and it creates a lot of opportunity for back flushing. the that's why we're seeing the levels going up and down. thanks to scott. now we have a different facet of the story. a tearful reun none of a father and son separated by the storm. aaron mitchell broke down during an interview with cnn. he had lost everything but what mattered to him was he couldn't find his father. we got good news. they're back together again. we're going to speak to the young man and his father in just a moment. but here is their story to take you up to their moment this morning. like far too many, aaron mitchell chose to ride out the hurricane. the wind and water took everything but he hopes not everyone. >> just lost everything i worked for. everything. the only thing i got it the clothes on my back and hopefully my dad got out somewhere. >> mitchell telling cnn's nick

valencia he traveled 12 miles on foot in the dark desperately searching for his father. but his house was empty. >> having gotten a told of anybody. if my mom and dad's watching i'm okay. >> what are their names? >> betty and brian. >> where were they last? zbli my mom's in oklahoma. there's no telling where my dad's at. >> mitchell couldn't know but his father brian had been evacuated first to a shelter in rockport but when that was flooded he was evacuated again, hours away to austin. the cnn crew using a satellite phone to help him connect with his father for the first time. hear here's the moment when he heard his father's voice. >> okay dad. i'm going to jump on a bus. i'll be there. are you okay? yeah. i'll jump on one.

dad, i love you. >> mitchell immediately jumping on evacuation buses bound for austin. cnn's new day was there to help bring them together in person. taking this photo just after the joyful reunion. aaron mitchell and his dad, brian join me now. gentlemen, it is great to see you this way. you're crying the best kinds of tears that there are in a situation like this. they are tears of joy, of knowing that what matters most has been found. how are you doing, young man? >> i'm doing -- i'm doing a lot better, you know? i'm really glad i actually found him. you know? i want to say thanks to nick, you know? >> nick valencia the reporter

was there, he was happy to help out. it's one of those small things you can do on this job. but brian, it's got to warm your heart to know that your stepson was looking for you that way and that the love was that real in that moment of need. >> it was. it really was. i was so concerned, and not hearing from him for a few days. he was supposed to show up earlier on friday and he didn't show, and then the police had come and asked me to evacuate at the behest of my family, so, it was hard to just leave knowing that he was going to be showing up, but i tried to leave messages and i guess they blew away. >> the fear of the unknown in a situation like this makes everything worse. aaron, it's so easy for people to say, hey, things don't matter. house doesn't matter. you can rebuild your life, it's people that matter. it's easy to say, it's hard to live. what have you learned from this experience so far?

>> you know, i've taken a lot of people for granted, you know? being wrapped up in materialistic stuff. i got a different outlook on things after harvey. my dad's my best friend. you know? i really don't know what -- i don't know. like i said, it's -- i'm little bit lost for words trying to even think about, you know, losing another person. >> god forbid you even have to think about it. sorry to put you on the spot. we all know how you feel. every father, son, parent out there knows.

brian, in a strange way we learn things of value in hard times. and to know that the love is real and that what your son wanted more than anything else, he knew his mom was safe in okay home okay -- he wanted to know you were okay. what does that mean to you. >> my dad's my hero. quite a bit that he was so concerned. you wonder about your kids sometimes, and we all have our little differences as we grow older, in our relationships become strained and changed, and it's just so much. it's overwhelming to think about the love between a father and son, and it's there, and that's what matters, and -- >> well, look. >> material things can always be changed.

>> they can. and everybody is living that in the worst way down there who are affected by the storm. you have each other. that's the building block for everything moving forward. unfortunately, it's going to be a tough road. any plans on what happens next, aaron? i know the storm's not over. i know more rain is coming. but, any thought yet? or are you just going to ride it out for now and fact ure it out once the rain goes? >> i actually -- i can't -- i can't really actually start thinking about what i'm going to do next. it's going to take me a little while to actually rebuild where i was at. i still don't foe what i'm going to do. i got to find another job. obviously the first thing.

i don't know. try to pick up the pieces and move forward. you know? because that's all that anyone's ever got. you know? just -- take the hits, pick yourself up and move on. >> well, it's tough to do, but you're going to be starting with the best foundation you could have, which is the love of family. and i'm glad you guys found each other. >> yes, sir. >> i know nick valencia was happy to help as was the cnn crew. of the i wish you pell going forward. we'll stay in touch. i know there are a lot of fathers and sons out there who are appreciating the bond you two are showing us. >> i have an aunt an uncle and cousin in houston, so my heart is out to them as well. >> lot of families are affected. i hope they make it through okay. and i wish you both the best going forward. >> can i say hi to my mom?

>> you just did. but go ahead. what do you want her to know? >> um, i love you. just we're safe. and just stay out of the weather. cat, hi. >> well done. gentlemen, be well. we'll stay in touch. that was beautiful. i'm so glad they found each other again. >> look, it is a hard way to have to realize what matters most. but nick valencia did god's work there helping them get in touch. sometimes it makes the difference. once you know everyone you love is okay, everything else is just a little bit easier. >> those guys seemed changed by that experience. we are following more breaking news for you. president trump has just issued a warning to north korea after their latest ballistic missile launch from the white house. yong yang we have this story covered.

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president of the united states himself. this sums 12 hour are or more after north korea launched that overflight that passed over japan and plunged into the ocean. here's the statement. the world had received the message loud and clear. for all mers of the united nations and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior finishing with some ominous language. all options are on the table. the statement says. the white house also indicating this morning that the president last night did speak with japanese prime minister abe, speaking to him briefly. the readout of that everything's the two leaders argued undergrounorth korea poses a grave threat. very different tone, of course, from some of the other statements we've heard from the president. also, important to add that this

all options are on the table language reiterates and reinforces a white house position that may have been in question after the departure of the president's former chief strategist steve bannon. back to you. >> joe, appreciate it. you have this war of words but then it's not just words because north korea just launched a missile. let's bring in cnn's will ripley, the only western journalist inside north korea live in pyongyang. you've been telling us about the pressure to deal with the united states from a position of strength. is your sense that even these provocative acts are just that, just the language of strength as opposed to a real threat of action? >> reporter: right, chris. because if north korea wanted to launch this missile at a city in japan, they could have done that. they've proven they have that technical capability but didn't

do that. it was likely a dummy missile that frightened millions of people who heard air ride sirens and messages on their phone saying they have to seek shelter. but it landed harmlessly in the pacific ocean. this was a demonstration of north korea's tech skal capabilities had they point the the missile south, this could have very gotten quite close to guam, but they didn't do that. likely, knowing that it would cross a red line for the united states. perhaps the u.s. would have been forced to act militarily. the united states didn't do that. japan didn't even shoot down the missile even though it flew over the airspace. north korea sends a strong message. they gain technical knowledge and also launched from the airport, here in pong yong. very close to a highly populated area. very unusual, but when it does, it sends a message to the united states that north korea doesn't have to just launch these missals from remote areas,

preemptive strike by the united states would be very costly potentially in terms of humanitarian catastrophe, lives lost if you united states were to try to bomb a missile launch site very close to any north korean city. they gain a lot with this. what have they lost? seventh round of sanctions has already passed. all right condemned for other launch the. the sanctions haven't even taken effect yet. what is the united states going to do? when the president says all options are on the table, what real options do they have in that is is a question the north korea's think they know the answer to. >> you're putting your finger on the balance. what is said versus what is done. le let's bring in the panel. ron brownstein and washington correspondent devkevin diaz. >> it is also a fres straiting situation for the united states

and the u.n. you did pass the sanctions. they just launched another missile. it wasn't at guam, which i guess theoretically would have been crossing a red line for the president of the united states, but what options does trump have? >> well, look, for over 20 years we have been in this box where the diplomatic options are limited. the economic pressure is limited, and applied mostly through china, which has its own restraint on how far it's willing to go and the military options h involve not only enormous damage in north korea but i think more to the point, the potential of catastrophic casualties and property damage in seoul. so, has always been extremely limited. but, on the other happened, what you saw her today, what you saw in kind of making this point in china -- excuse me, in japan, as opposed to guam was there is the capacity to draw that does seem to be the capacity to draw red lines that has at least some constraining influence on the

north korean behavior. this is a delicate and frustrating balance, but it may be one in which ultimately, some form of deterrence will be the best option that we have. only because to paraphrase winston churchill, all of others have been tried and are found lacking. >> look, i mean this is what's so confusing is just what the options are. will, as you explained z, steve bannon, the former top adviser in the white house had said quite clearly just two weeks ago in his interview to the american prospect that there is no military option. i'll read it for you. there is no military solution. forget it until somebody solves the part of the equation that shows me that 10 million people in seoul don't die in the first 30 minutes from conventional weapons, i don't know what you're talking about. there's no military solution here. they've got us. so, when today, president trump says all options are on the

table, it's hard to know what that means. >> absolutely. and that's exactly what north korea's trying to do here is to show that even though the united states is significantly more powerful and yes they may bring aircraft carriers back to the region, south korea conducted its own bombing drills to show they could try to take out north korea's supreme leader. don't have the power but have in their hands the kind of weapon that is just dangerous enough to prevent the united states and its alleys from doing something at the end of the day, saets exactly what the point is for yim yong un. it was the same goal for his father and the same goal for his grandfather before him. >> this has been going on a long time. we'll see if this current administration can figure out any new options seeing how they keep saying all are on the

table. the president just tweeted, leaving now for texas. kevin, that takes us down to your neck of the woods. the president wants to be there early. he says that the federal government is completely behind any needs for texas and tgulf region. bonded well with the governor. >> it this is credibly important. kbrorn how things are going to play out in korea, but if that story dies down, what happens here in texas and the federal 1307bs could go a long way. we'll see how these nrl disasters can turn into political cal lamty it is, that happened to george bush. he's under the spot light here, and a lot of people in texas are looking very closely how the federal government's going to respond. >> what are you expecting, ron? >> i think we have a two-stage kind of discussion that are with he a going to be having here

over the next several weeks. the first is the immediate response of the federal government, and state and local officials to this incredible calamity and catastrophic storm. and so far, they are getting primarily good ma marks for the response. as well as the public pitching in with these makeshift things. there are other issues looming around the bend. the once the immediate danger is passed, and that go is going to be paying the enormous price of reconstructi reconstruction. as you recall the vast majority of house and senate republicans voted against the sandy aid arguing it was spending which has been largely debunked and demanding offsetting budget cuts. including mcmulvaney. he's now the head of the omb. one step behind that, i think -- at some point there has to be a discussion of whether these sorts of events are becoming

more common because of climate change. scientists are reluctant to attribute any storm to a change in climate. i devote the former head of noah as saying this is a preview of the future. there is no doubt climate change makes storms like this more common. heavy rainfall in texas events have become much more common there as well. that is a discussion for around the bend and i think questions for this president to address at some point, once the immediate danger has passed. >> when we see why so many states move towards enforcing the strictures of the accord, the paris accord, even without the federal acceptance of it. it does seem as though we have 100-year storms every year or two. we have new live pictures from houston of the flooding from our affiliate ktrk. this is it. this is life on the ground there right now. you're seeing something that really captures the moment. uf he a he got your first

responders, have the people in need and have the citizens stepping up to help their own. and all the while, the situation continues to get worse. >> look at this little kid. a little child being taken obviously from a rescue off a boat, maybe mom or somebody there following him. and i mean it just continues. this has been going on for days. these folks are working 22-24 hours, because so many people are still trapped in their hopes. >> now whee mark the 12 year anniversary of katrina. the that was a very sif situation. there was a tremendous loss of life. the but you had a gulf and the mississippi that had an ability to absorb and divert water that you don't have with a bayou. it is a slow-moving body of water. that's why you're seeing levels go up and down. the it simply can't take this flow. look at this guy as boat. this guy's boat is underwater right now. 's ge to go have to try to figure out how to deal with it. >> thanks very much to the panel

as we continue to monitor all of this. >> all right. president trump is set to depart the white house any minute. he just tweeted as much. he's going to texas. up next, with ear going to talk to a texas congresswoman who has displaced herself because of harvey. what does the future hold? next. aa to me means peace of mind. we had a power outage for five days total. we lost a lot of food. we actually filed a claim with usaa to replace that spoiled food. and we really appreciated that. we're the webber family and we are usaa members for life.

all right. we do have breaking news. we continue to cover the dramatic pictures coming of everyday people, rescuing those stranded in h rising flood waters in houston. these are coming to us courtesy of our affiliate ktrk. you can see a flooded boat attempting to help people. that's that. those are those shots and simultaneously, 9,000 people are packed into the shelter this morning at houston's convention center. that is way over capacity. almost double capacity. so the question is where will all these folks go. the texas congresswoman represents downtown houston. her own home is inaccessible. she joins us now. we're sorry you're not able to get into your home. tell us what you're seeing there

at the shelter if you can hear us. >> i came to help as soon as the shelter opened early sunday morning. i'm seeing throngs of survivors coming in, people who have barely the clothes on their a back. belongings in their hand but they're rezsilienresilient. they have faith and they believe they're going to get help. that's an important message for those who now have nothing. and i think we have a real obligation to commit to them that they will have a future and that the resources will come. but the number one issue i think right now -- i just got off the phone with leadership team. we have the coast guard, the national guard, the director of the state. we have got to focus on rescue, and i believe there are certain pockets in this community,

betway and tid well and north side we need to continue to rescue people. >> for sure. we've been watching some live rescues. what level of aid and help and funding are you calling for this morning? >> about $150 billion. the aid need in h sandy was $70 billion. funding was about $51 building. i believe we need to put an aid package together for $150 billion. because this not only includes houston county area which is there is 6 million in the metro plex but all of the areas such as bow month, victoria and corpus and places in south texas, we don't know where else hurricane harvey will come and -- houston on tomorrow and the next day. >> i know it's hard to talk while you're getting those announcements for all of the people who are sheltering there at the houston convention

center. i hope you can still hear me. it's been pointed out. >> i can hear you. >> very good. it's being pointed out that a whole bunch of texas lawmakers voted against sending financial aid to the victims of superstorm sandy when they needed it in 2012 and 2013. the why didn't you vote at that time to help sandy victims? >> well at the time, we helped sandy victims. the democrats want the more money. we didn't get the all of the money we needed. and frankly, we did vote. i did vote on the maximum money: unfortunately, it did not pass. >> but explain the street just -- just so we're clear, why didn't you vote for hr 152? that was the identify appropriations act of 2013, that all sorts of texas lawmakers vote the against and you just did not vote. why did you skip that one?

>> as i said, i voted on legislation to help the sandy hook victims. >> sandy super storm. >> on many occasions, and sandy super storm voted on many occasions, as we go forward, i am hoping we will not have the kind of conflicts and the diminishing of monies that the texasians do need. that's what's important. the sandy hook vote took many times and my vote was for the max yum amount of money. i can account for those votes and therefore, the im important idea is to make sure that you voted when the money was need the. i did that. and i expect for the money to be voted on here in a bipartisan. the speaker, if the president is here in texas, i hope he comes here with a message of unity that he will not shut the government down and that he will in fact be able to provide that maximum amount of money. >> yes. >> that's what i think is very

important. >> the president sounds as though he's promising that but just so everyone ef everybody's clear, we're talking about super storm sandy. in 2012 and 13. just so we're clear, since you're saying you voted along with democrats, why did you skip that vote? the house hr 152? >> well let me be very clear. i voted on many votes. for sandy hook funding. i voted on the main legislation for sandy hook funding. and so i think it's important to focus on what was offensively done, and here, in houston and harris county and the state of texas, we're going to be on the offensive in introducing an aid package to make sure we have the funding for what is needed. i am asking all of those who are impacted, all of our departments first responders, police,

firefighters, state operations to provide the plmedical help tt is being so effectively given. st. joseph's hospital. we hope to put in an aid package. >> we thank you for being with us and just one last note. governor chris christie of new jersey says he is urging all of the new jersey house members to help texas, despite whatever happened in 2012 and 2013, he understands having lived through it, the texas really needs help. congresswoman, thank you very much for being here. obviously we're thinking of you. >> we thank governor christie and for those who may be hearing me if you are in need of rescue, please put a towel, a sheet, if you can outside your window so the rescuers can achieve what is most important and that is to rescue you. >> i'm glad you're mentioning that because believe it or not

some people do have power and are listening. thank you very much. congresswoman september saying sandy hook. she meant super storm sandy. the funding to give relief to new jersey and new york and all these other places that were hit by that storm. the now we're looking at the new reality. these are live pictures from our affiliate in houseson. ktrk. this is life in texas. there is this growing feeling that harvey is over. we're seeing the aftermath. that could not be less true. this is an unprecedented disaster for the state and it is far from over. the storm is regathering strength in the gulf, up to two feet of rain is still expected. we're going to talk to the police chief about the challenges on the ground. remember, there are ways for you to help those affected by hurricane harvey. go to cnn.com/impact. please, get involved.

all right. the president is on his way to take off and fly to texas. he's going to go to austin and

corpus christi. why not houston? because he wants the first responders to be able to focus on the people there and not worrying about him. that's the word from the white house. and the need is great. houston police chief has a message for survivors of hurricane harvey. hunker down and hold tight. the city's top cop says his force has completed about 2,000 rescue missions since the storm began. you are looking at live pictures from our affiliate ktrk of life in houston. rescues are the rule of the day. we have the chief on the phone right now. we know you're very busy, thank you for joining us. how are the first responders holding up? we know a lot of your men and women have their own families in crisis but they're working to help others. >> well, i can just tell you that we're really proud of those men and women. have not left.

hunkering down and sleeping on the floors, since friday. and not one of them has decided to go home and call it it kws. we're very prout of them. by the way you i heard about the president's not coming here. i just have to say thank you. he made the right decision. i don't think he needs to visit until after we're in recovery mode. we're proud of him for not coming here now. >> chief, how is that response going? how constant is the flow of need? are the signal calls being heeded? are you finding the white sheets and towels marking where people still are? >> we are finding them, but the challenge is that we've got reservoirs where the water's not being contained, and the spread of this flooding event is catastrophic. we're up to about 3600 rescues. thankfully, we have more boats here and more resources here,

finally, because we've been an island as a city. big cities turn into a series of islands. and we're still moving. the still operating, and we're going to not rest until we rescue our last person that needs help. >> what's your concern about harvey coming back through? there is talk that there would be almost as much more rain coming as you've already had. >> well, i'm watching live radar here. i'm in the a meteorologist but yesterday we had kind of a break. it seemed like the storm had a part in the middle but today seems like it's right around us. the problem isn't from keeping the rain from falling on top of us but the water flow coming from the rest of the state on its way to the gulf of mexico. you hit it on the head. we are continuing to be in a critical situation here and this is going to go on for weeks and

months, and the recover. >> chief, we put out your message that you want people to shelter in place, to wait for help, don't get on the roads, it's too dangerous, is there anything else you want people to know? >> i want people to know that we may be in response mode here, but we're also a law enforcement agency. some of the fools that are trying to burg rise and rob our community we've made many arrests, if they think they're going to just do whatever they want, they have something else coming at them. >> understood. it would be the worst among us to do something like that at the time like this. let us know how we can get the word out. stay safe and thank you. >> chris, we're hearing more and more stories of swivurvival. one family of ten was trapped for 12 hours in the house. the father in that family is going to be here to tell us what was going through his head and what it was like to get out.

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breaking news. the president trump and the first lady departing the white house moments ago. 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, joke mccomb. thank you very much for being here. tell us the situation on the ground. >> well, right now, the morning, it's the best looking morning we've seen in a week. got some sunshine and blue skies. but that hasn't been the case. we've got our operations people in full swing. we've got power restored to substantial part of the community. we lost about half power during the storm. we got our water treatment plants up and running, waste water treatment plant up and

running. most of our signalization on the streets so the traffic can be a little better controlled than just having intersections with no stop signs or signal lights. we're making a great deal of prog ses in corpus christi. some of our neighbors, they really took the brunt of the hurricane, and they don't have power, don't have waste water services. they don't have water. they let the people in during the daylight hours just to come see what the property is and then leave at night. so i'd inhabitable. >> yes. we ca imagine. mr. mayor, as we're speaking we're watching president trump lappeding. what are you expecting from the president? what can he do to help? >> well, i think he can encourage people down here because we're get noog days three and four, and it's

beginning to settle in this is going to be a long hall in terms of recovery. and we're going need to learn 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 you've heard stories of people trying one or 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 in foraid

and help and final assistance. in corpus christi in our area down here, we have a lot of people, as in many areas, they live from week to week on their paychecks, and trying to find money to live for three or four or five months until reimbursement comes really put the strain on them. i think he just wants to emphasize the need to be responsive and in a quick manner. we rlg appreciate him coming. >> as you're speaking, we're watching the president get off marine one. it's a rainy day in the washington, d.c. area. >> that's ironic. he's leaving rain to come down to sunshine. >> indeed. that's exactly right. we're happy to hear you're getting a respite there and there's sunshine. but when you say it's time for people to prepare for the new normal, what does ta look like? >> well, i really don't know. corpus christi relatively

speaking and i don't mean to be misinterpret tiv but relatively speaking to rockport, we really escaped the brunt of the storm in terms of this massive damage. but, like, those folks there, it's just going to take time to get their houses repaired, get back to their work. there's still some businesses that haven't opened because they don't have power, and that's some economic impact. the -- we can endure the inconvenience a lot of this stuff. our goal at the city level in corpus christie and emergency management operations was our number one goal of focus was public safety and protecting life. at the end of the day we had a cat 4 hurricane come through and we had zero fatalities and 0 major injuries, we feel like we really set a bench mark for ourselves in the future.

the teams i couldn't say enough good things about the teams in the state. federal and local levels that the plan together and i'm sure they felt like why do we go to all these practices and rehearsals and things when it came game day, they were on and delivered. >> 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. >> i better get out there and get ready to welcome. >> you've got a little bit of time but yes, you better get ready. mayor mac comb, thank you very much. >> thank you for having me. >> pleasure to talk to you. so the governor of the texas is activating every national guard member in the state. la mart clay and his wife and eight children are among those brought to safety in the past 24 hours. he 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, 13 years old, 14 years old, the 22-year-old and 25-year-old, all of you were trapped. tell us about how you got to safety. >> good morning. those sound like the right ages but i'm not sure. it's a lot of them. >> what was that like, mr. clay, when you in there with all of those kids, some of them your grandkids i believe. what wa z it like for those 12 hours you were trapped? >> well, it was pretty scary at first, because the rain started coming down, and started moving up so fast that we couldn't evacuate. and before you know it, the rain started pouring into the house, and a couple of hours we had close to a foot of water. so we called the emergency dispatch, and they said they'll get somebody out there as soon as they can. the priority was folks with single family homes or one story

homes. so we went upstairs and waited it out, and it was pretty scary. >> what were those 12 hours like? how were you keeping the kids calmed and how were you saying dot co calm? >> 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 new 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 started re-seeding. it got to be up to about two feet but once we prayed, the water in the house kept going out but kept going up on the outside. >> well, you have a direct line to god. and the power of prayer is strong today. obviously in texas.

and across the country. mr. lee mart, clay, we are so happy that you and all of those kids survived and you sound like you're in h got spirits today. we're wishing you the best and thank you so much for sharing with us. >> thank you guys for having me. >> all right. we wish you the best meanwhile. cnn's breaking news coverage continues right now on "newsroom" with john berman. >> good morning everyone. mun of the most devastating storms in texas history is making more history this morning. harvey is due to make hand fall again and drop even more rain. this could bring the total in some areas around houston to a staggering 50 inches, as much rain as they normally see in a year. and it has nowhere to go. at least one reservoir is expected to overflow any time now. the house to be conve