Prominent Baptist minister and civil rights activist Al Sharpton has questioned whether the Texas floods in which at least 23 people have died were related to climate control or to "God's rebuke".
A lively debste on his Keeping It Real radio show was sparked by a tweet to his 459,000 followers:
#KeepingItReal QOTD: Do you think the #TexasFlooding is related to climate control or God's rebuke?Call 8775325797 or tweet me your thoughts
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 27, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Ted Collins @PartyPuma was among those who criticised the civil rights activist.
He tweeted:
@TheRevAl #keepingitreal you r the biggest idiot and bigot on earth. If the #texasflooding is god's rebuke as you say, you don't know God
— Ted Collins (@PartyPuma) May 28, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Keith @Megoptera said:
@TheRevAl #TexasFlooding #KeepingItReal Definitely climate change influence but nice to believe Karma plays part ie Repubs denial! Jus sayin
— Keith (@Megoptera) May 27, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Texas Wildflower asked:
Is #TexasFlooding is an act of Al Sharpton's "God"? #DoesABiggerIdiotExist? I have one word for the "rev" - #Katrina https://t.co/TxE2nVEXV8
— Texas Wildflower (@Bexofeasttex) May 28, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">JJ Robinson II tweeted:
.@TheRevAl Not ready to attribute #TexasFlooding to an angry God. Sharpton, on the other hand, must be a punishment for something or other.
— JJ Robinson II (@EverydayEagle) May 28, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Sharpton responded:
Interesting dialogue on my radio show QOTD abt the #TexasFlooding.Though I don't agree w/ many,the discussion must continue.Tune in weekdays
— Reverend Al Sharpton (@TheRevAl) May 27, 2015 " data-caption="null" data-credit="null">Some members of well-known local Christian families were still missing in the floods after the body of one was found and another survived when the holiday home they were staying at on the Blanco River in Wimberley was swept away over Memorial Day weekend.
Matt Kennedy, Rector at the Anglican Church of the Good Shepherd in Binghamton, NY, posted news on Facebook that he had received from the family: "Such horrible news: We have just been notified by authorities that Michelle Charba was found and did not survive. As you can imagine, our family is absolutely devastated. We ask for your privacy as we grieve as a family and continue to pray for the swift recovery of our other loved ones."
Kennedy wrote: "May God grant consolation and comfort to her family. I am grateful to know that Michelle was a believer in Jesus Christ, justified by his shed blood, and that she now rests with him where sorrow and pain are no more."
Michelle Carey-Charba, 43, was committed to working with the American Cancer Society and was on the committee for the local fundraiser, the Cattle Barons' Ball. Her in-laws, the Carey family, are also heavily involved in charity work, especially the Larry and Pat McNeil Foundation.
She was one of eight people staying in the house who swept away and have yet to be found. A ninth person, Jonathan McComb, a friend of the family, managed to battle his way out of the torrent but suffered a collapsed lung, a broken sternum and broken ribs.
McComb's wife, Laura, and their two children, Andrew, 6, and Leighton, 4, Carey-Charba's husband, Randy Charba, their 6-year-old son, Will, and her parents, Ralph and Sue Carey, were all still missing last night.
Julie Shields said her sister Laura McComb's last words words to her over the phone were: "We are in a house that is now floating down the river. Call mom and dad. I love you. And pray."
A state of disaster has been declared in more than 40 Texas counties.
