Governor Abbott And Vice President Pence Visit Texas Gulf Coast
Governor Greg Abbott and Vice President Mike Pence today visited the Texas cities of Rockport and Victoria as these communities begin the recovery process in the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey, which made landfall near Rockport on Friday, August 25.
“We are so pleased to welcome Vice President Pence, and his wife Karen to Texas,” said Governor Abbott. “The damage Texas has suffered from this storm is unimaginable, but the Vice President and I were both encouraged and inspired by the resiliency of the Texas spirit we saw in these communities today. I thank the Vice President, as well as all of our federal partners for their work on behalf of the people of Texas during this difficult time.”
The Governor and Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott greeted the Vice President and Second Lady of the United States, Karen Pence, at the Corpus Christi airport where they then departed to First Baptist Church in Rockport. Governor Abbott and Vice President Pence attended a prayer circle with Reverend Franklin Graham and Pastors Scott Jones and Jeff Lanningham of First Baptist. During their time in Rockport, Governor Abbott also issued a proclamation designating Sunday, September 3rd as a Day of Prayer in Texas for first responders and residents affected by the storm.
Governor Abbott and Vice President Pence also visited with victims of Hurricane Harvey across the city of Rockport as they surveyed the damage, participated in clean-up efforts, and heard first-hand accounts of the storm from residents.
“President Trump sent us here to say, ‘We are with you. The American people are with you. We are here today, we will be here tomorrow and we will be here every day until this city and this state and this region rebuild bigger and better than ever before,’” said Vice President Pence. "It's a long way to go. It's not months, but it's years. The challenges will be great. But we know that the generosity and the prayers and the faith of the people of Texas and the American people will be greater still."
From there, they traveled to the City of Victoria, where they volunteered with the Convoy of Hope, which is distributing food and water to victims in the area.
They concluded the day visiting first responders who have courageously been on the front lines assisting those impacted by the storm and working to rebuild and begin recovery efforts.