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How belief helps us endure natural disasters

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How belief helps us endure natural disasters

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Record-breaking floods inundated Texas, submerging homes, displacing families, killing at least 100 people and prompting widespread evacuations. 

Natural disasters often shake our deepest beliefs. It’s only human to cry out and ask why would a loving God allow such unrelenting suffering. Especially when it comes, not through human cruelty and free will, but from the forces of creation itself.

But paradoxically, it’s that same faith that many rely on in the aftermath. Far from being a crutch, faith often becomes a critical lifeline, helping people cope, recover and rebuild.

Parents, students, school faculty and community members come together at Sinclair Elementary for a vigil in honor of the missing student Greta Toranzo, who attended Camp Mystic and was among the missing after catastrophic flooding, on Saturday, July 5, 2025, in Houston. (Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images)

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Online, others shift the blame to politics. During the flood, a version of Elon Musk’s AI chatbot blamed budget cuts to NOAA for the rising death toll. Some point to Texas’ energy policies or “Mother Nature’s revenge.” 

AMERICA IS REDISCOVERING ITS SOUL AND REVIVING THE SACRED

These reactions mirror old religious blame – just with new villains. Same fire-and-brimstone tone. Same absence of comfort. It may offer outrage, but it rarely offers comfort. And it certainly doesn’t help the displaced rebuild.

Science backs this up. A study on survivors of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami found that “religious faith and practices” and “cultural traditions” significantly aided emotional recovery. In fact, the loss of faith itself was linked to worsened trauma

As the researchers concluded, stripping away that spiritual framework left individuals without a “culturally rooted means of making sense of misfortune” – compounding their suffering instead of alleviating it.

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I’ve seen this up close. My brother Asher is a Chabad rabbi on the island of St. Thomas. During Hurricane Irma, he sheltered in a medical building with his kids as 185 mph winds snapped telephone poles and tossed trees like tumbleweed. A metal roof from a nearby resort crashed into their home. By all accounts, it was apocalyptic.

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They survived. But much of the island’s infrastructure did not. He spent days providing food, generators and spiritual support to the displaced. And over and over, he saw the same thing: faith not just as comfort, but as fuel. A force that allows people to keep going, even when everything else has washed away.

This isn’t unique. After Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, Maria, Dorian, Ida, Ian and now the latest flooding in Texas, faith-based organizations are often the first on the ground. Groups like the United Methodist Church, the Southern Baptist Convention, various Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas, and Chabad’s disaster relief fund don’t just pray, they mobilize. 

USA Today once correctly described these religious groups as “integral partners in state and federal disaster relief efforts.”

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That doesn’t mean you need religion to cope with trauma. Non-religious people find strength in community, love and meaning too. But faith offers a distinct framework – a spiritual map that helps people find direction when the terrain has suddenly collapsed. For some, belief in a higher purpose can be the difference between despair and resilience.

As Texans confront this catastrophe, many will draw strength not from outrage or blame, but from faith. We will never understand why – but faith gives us the tools to endure it. Politics points fingers. Faith extends a hand.

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12-year-old allegedly alive underwater for minutes before fatal scuba class failure: lawsuit

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12-year-old allegedly alive underwater for minutes before fatal scuba class failure: lawsuit

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The grieving parents of a Texas girl who drowned during a scuba certification class have filed a lawsuit against two agencies alleging the child’s death was preventable. 

On Aug. 16, 2025, 12-year-old Dylan Harrison attended a private open water class purchased by her parents from Scubatoys, a local dive-shop, according to FOX 4. 

When the family reportedly arrived at The Scuba Ranch, a scuba training lake located in nearby Terrell, they were told their daughter would be placed in a group of seven students. 

The lawsuit also alleges the divemaster assured Dylan’s parents ahead of the class, telling them, “I will not take my eyes off your daughter.”

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COLLEGE FRESHMAN DIED AFTER FRATERNITY HAZING LED TO ‘HORRIFIC’ ABUSE, FAMILY SAYS

12-year-old Dylan Harrison drowned while attending a private open water class in Terrell, Texas on Aug. 16, 2025, according to a lawsuit. (Dylan Harrison)

At the time of the class, Assistant Chief Deputy for the Collin County Sheriff’s Office William Armstrong was employed part-time as a scuba instructor, and had previously worked a full day as a deputy followed by a full overnight shift as a security officer at an investment firm, FOX 4 reported. 

As Dylan and her 12-year-old swimming buddy entered the water, Armstrong allegedly did not check if Dylan was properly weighted, the lawsuit reportedly states. 

Dylan was last seen alive when the class initially entered the water at 9:36 a.m. and resurfaced at 10:12 a.m. after a miscommunication with a student.

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CRUISE SHIP CHAOS MOUNTS AS DEATHS, CRIMES ON BOARD SHATTER ILLUSIONS OF SAFETY AT SEA, EXPERTS WARN

Dylan Harrison died in a scuba diving accident while taking a class at the Scuba Ranch in Terrell, Texas on Aug. 16, 2025, according to a lawsuit. (Google Maps)

The lawsuit alleges that emergency services were not called to the scene until about 15 minutes later. 

“Based on the amount of air left in [Dylan’s] scuba tank on the surface before she went missing and the amount of air left in the tank when she was found, it can be surmised that [she] was alive and breathing off her tank for several minutes after she was last seen,” the lawsuit revealed, according to FOX 4. “During this time, [Dylan] was alone, in poor visibility, and unable to reach the surface.”

Following the incident, Armstrong resigned from his position with the Collin County Sheriff’s Office.

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FAMILY OF BRIANNA AGUILERA SUES OVER ALCOHOL SERVICE AHEAD OF DEATH

The private open water class was reportedly purchased from Scubatoys in Carrollton, Texas, according to the lawsuit. (Google Maps)

The 40-page lawsuit alleges Dylan’s death was preventable and the result of multiple failures after the industry turned a blind eye to safety concerns for several years.

Attorneys for the Harrison family reportedly point to a 2017 video of a staff meeting, in which Scubatoy owner Joe Johnson allegedly made dismissive comments about the safety protocols within the company’s classes, FOX 4 reported.

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“All I know is we’ve killed, what? 4 people? 5 people? And we’ve never even done a deposition,”  Johnson said in the video. “Our insurance company just settles. John Witherspoon says we can kill two people a year and ‘we are fine.’”

Scubatoys, NAUI, PADI, the Scuba Ranch and the Harrison family’s attorney did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Fox News Digital was unable to immediately locate an attorney representing Armstrong.

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Trump reacts to NBC host Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy’s mysterious abduction

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Trump reacts to NBC host Savannah Guthrie’s mother Nancy’s mysterious abduction

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President Donald Trump vowed on Tuesday to personally call NBC “Today” co-host Savannah Guthrie and offer additional federal assistance following her mother’s apparent abduction in Tuscon, Arizona.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her home at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday, and was reported missing by her family around noon Sunday, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

While officials did not immediately elaborate on the circumstances of her disappearance, they said they believe Nancy Guthrie was either kidnapped or abducted, and noted blood was found outside the home.

During a Q&A session in the White House Oval Office Tuesday, Trump said he is considering sending additional federal agents to assist with the investigation.

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Savannah Guthrie and mother Nancy Guthrie pictured on “Today” in 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

‘MORNING JOE’ HOST FIGHTS BACK TEARS WHILE DISCUSSING NEWS OF SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’S MOTHER’S DISAPPEARANCE

“I think it’s terrible,” Trump said. “I’m going to call [Savannah Guthrie] later on. I think it’s a terrible thing. … Very unusual situation, but we’re going to find out.”

Despite the pair’s showdown in an October 2020 NBC town hall, Trump added, “I always got along very good with Savannah.”

During the Miami town hall, Savannah Guthrie pressed Trump on his administration’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, and his social media reposts questioning Osama bin Laden’s death.

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At one point, she accused Trump of “sending a lie” to his followers, comparing him to “someone’s crazy uncle.”

NBC’S SAVANNAH GUTHRIE TO PULL OUT AS HOST OF WINTER OLYMPICS OPENING CEREMONY AS MOTHER REMAINS MISSING

While the Pima County Sheriff’s Department and FBI continue to investigate Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, officials on Tuesday confirmed they are “aware” of reports of a possible ransom note.

“We are aware of reports circulating about possible ransom note(s) regarding the investigation into Nancy Guthrie,” the sheriff’s office wrote in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Anything that comes in, goes directly to our detectives who are coordinating with the FBI.”

An undated photo of Nancy Guthrie and Savannah Guthrie provided by NBC in repsonse to the disappearance of the 84-year-old mother of the Today Show host. (Courtesy of NBC)

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SAVANNAH GUTHRIE ASKS FOR PRAYER AS HER MOTHER REMAINS MISSING: ‘WE NEED YOU’

News outlets TMZ and KOLD 13 News announced on Tuesday they received unverified ransom notes demanding money for Nancy Guthrie’s return.

The note received by TMZ reportedly demanded millions in Bitcoin cryptocurrency, with the outlet verifying the Bitcoin address was “real.” 

TMZ said the letter, which was sent to authorities, included unreleased details about her disappearance and had a deadline.

Exteriors of missing person Nancy Guthrie’s home on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026 in Tucson, Arizona. Nancy Guthrie, mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, is suspected of being abducted from her home earlier this week. (Derek Shook for Fox News Digital)

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It is unclear if the notes received by TMZ and KOLD are identical.

Anyone with information on the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie is asked to call the tipline at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

NBC did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News Digital’s Adam Sabes and Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

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Arizona man accused of human smuggling shot by federal authorities after firing at helicopter, agents: FBI

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Arizona man accused of human smuggling shot by federal authorities after firing at helicopter, agents: FBI

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An Arizona man suspected of smuggling illegal immigrants was shot Tuesday by federal officers during a gunfire exchange Tuesday after he opened fire on a law enforcement helicopter, authorities said. 

The shooting happened around 7:30 a.m. near the town of Arivaca, Arizona, just miles from the southern border, after agents recognized a vehicle that belonged to a suspect related to a possible human trafficking incident from hours earlier in which everyone in the car fled during a stop, Pima County Sheriff Chris Nanos told reporters. 

Hours later, agents spotted the same vehicle and made another traffic stop. The suspect, identified as Patrick Gary Schlegel, 34, fled the vehicle on foot, Nanos said. 

NARRATIVES CLASH AFTER TRUMP AND VICTIM’S FAMILY REACT TO SECOND MINN,APOLIS ICE SHOOTING

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U.S. Border Patrol Search, Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) agents from the Tucson Sector and Air and Marine Operations (AMO) participate in a demonstration of the rescue of a migrant lost in the Brown Canyon desert near Sasabe, Arizona. Authorities on Tuesday were investigating a shooting involving the Border Patrol in Arizona.  (HERIKA MARTINEZ/AFP via Getty Images)

At one point, he allegedly shot at a U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) helicopter and at agents, said Heith Janke, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Phoenix Division.

“The individual fired at an Air and Marine Operations helicopter and fired at USBP agents,” a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told Fox News Digital. “Agents returned fire striking the driver.” 

Schlegal, a U.S. citizen from Arizona, was rendered aid and taken to a hospital where he was recovering after undergoing surgery. He is expected to survive. No one else was harmed, authorities said. 

Schlegal has a “significant criminal history,” Janke said, which includes an active federal arrest warrant issued in 2025 by the U.S. Marshals Service for an escape related to a previous federal alien smuggling conviction. 

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He is expected to be charged federally with assault on a federal officer, alien smuggling, and being a felon in possession of a firearm, authorities said. 

FORMER VIKINGS CAPTAIN SAYS MINNESOTA LIBERAL RESIST ICE BECAUSE ‘WE’RE DEPORTING THEIR VOTERS’

This photo shows a US Border Patrol patch on a border agent’s uniform in McAllen, Texas, on January 15, 2019. (SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)

Nanos said he wasn’t sure if the Border Patrol agents involved in the shooting were wearing body cameras. He said multiple shots were fired, but was not sure how many. 

“In Pima County, we’re not tolerating any abuse of a law enforcement officer… any type of abuse, but that goes for our citizens as well,” the sheriff said. 

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Fox News Digital has reached out to the fire district, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the Department of Homeland Security.

The sheriff’s department is conducting a parallel investigation and is leading the use-of-force investigation involving the agent, officials told the news outlet.

“Such requests are standard practice when a federal agency is involved in a shooting incident within Pima County and consistent with long-standing relationships built through time to promote transparency,” PCSD said. 

Tuesday’s shooting was the second involving Border Patrol personnel in recent days. Alex Pretti, 37, was fatally shot by USBP agents during a confrontation in Minnesota as federal authorities were conducting enforcement operations. 

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It also came weeks after Renee Good was shot and killed by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent while allegedly attempting to ram him with her vehicle in Minneapolis. 

Both deaths have triggered citywide protests and unrest, and violent confrontations between federal authorities and anti-ICE agitators. 

In Pima County, Nanos said his department doesn’t enforce immigration law. Border Patrol agents fired weapons in eight incidents during the 12-month period through September 2025, 14 times during the year before that and 13 times the year before that, according to The Associated Press. 

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