I gave an address and presented a certificate proclaiming Lt. Kielty an Honorary Texan.
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Texas Insider Report) — Earlier this week, I took to the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives with a certificate signed by Governor Greg Abbott to extend my thanks to Lt. Jack Kielty (Ret.) of FDNY. Back in March, Lt. Kielty came to Franklin, Texas to present a mortgage-free personalized smart home to Sgt. Maj. Sid Hamid, USA (Ret.), through the Tunnel to Towers Foundation. At the event, Lt. Kielty shared the story of the founding of Tunnel to Towers by the siblings of firefighter Stephen Siller, a hero who gave his life rescuing others on 9/11.
Lt. Kielty has dedicated his life to public service through his career as a firefighter.
Now as a board member with the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, he supports those who have served our great country as first responders or members of the military such as Sgt. Hamid, who now suffers various handicaps resulting from his time as an Army Green Beret and 40 years of military service. His home was renovated for him by the Tunnel to Towers Foundation to uniquely meet his needs, and I was honored to participate in Lt. Kielty’s ribbon-cutting presentation of the home to the Hamid family.
I was touched by what Lt. Kielty and Tunnel to Towers did for Sgt. Hamid and their service to veterans and first responders. In recognition of his kindness, I gave an address and presented a certificate proclaiming Lt. Kielty an Honorary Texan.
- To learn more about the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, visit t2t.org.
- To read more about the incredible life of ongoing service of Sgt. Hamid, click here.
Hurricane Beryl
Thousands of homes and businesses in the 17th Congressional District of Texas were without power, cellular, or internet access in the wake of Hurricane Beryl this week, including my Huntsville and Lufkin Field Offices. Outages left many Texans exposed to the heat. The hurricane has greatly impeded Trinity County’s recovery efforts following the storms earlier this year.
In Walker County, the Walker County Storm Shelter is offering disaster food boxes as well as overnight shelter.
Residents without power in Nacogdoches, Angelina, and Trinity Counties are encouraged to seek shelter from the heat and drink plenty of water to decrease the risk of heat-related illnesses.
Texans are resilient to storms such as Beryl, and power restoration efforts have greatly reduced the number of outages.
My affected offices are back to business as usual and available to assist constituents.
