The Republican senator, who was on a planned family vacation, did not return to his state until 72 hours after the deadly disaster, which his spokeswoman said was as quickly as possible.

As the state quite literally froze over and his constituents went without basic necessities, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and his family booked a flight to Cancún, Mexico, and stayed at the Ritz-Carlton. The New York Times reported that in a group text with friends and neighbors, Cruz's wife, Heidi, revealed she wanted to escape their "FREEZING" house.

The National Weather Service issued several forecasts Tuesday through Thursday morning, warning of the risk of flash flooding.

NBC News' Ryan Chandler spoke with Texas Senator Ted Cruz about the floods and Cruz's stance on the importance of FEMA.

Sen. Ted Cruz rejected weather modification claims, saying there's "zero evidence" and calling such theories "crazy" following the flooding in Texas.