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 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.

Texas’ junior senator was visiting Greece Friday when the Texas flood turned deadly. Cruz, who did not return until Sunday night, communicated with officials from Athens.