Texas men among survivors of Concordia

AUSTIN, Texas KXAN) - An Austin couple who survived a cruise ship accident off the coast of Tuscany talked to NBC’s Lester Holt Sunday morning on the Today Show.

Steve Garcia and Blake Miller described what it was like on the Costa Concordia Friday night when the ship started to list.

"We were getting instruction, but we were getting conflicting instructions. We had originally been in one of the bars and were planning on going to see a few more, and then the ship started to list. And that's when we went back to our cabin, and waiting there was when we heard the horrible scraping sound. And we decided to run out for the life boats. And, fortunately, we had read where the life boats were because we weren't told anything... some of the crew was telling us to go up, and we saw people running down, so we kind of figured that's where we needed to be, and that's how we found the life boats," Garcia said.

More than 4,200 people, including 125 Americans, were on board at the time.

"Well it actually listed to one side, to the left, while we were in our cabin with the balcony, and then when we got down to the life boat it righted itself, and we thought everything would be fine. Then it started listing again to the other side that it eventually sank on," Miller said. "And, it, it really, I honestly did not have a true understanding of, of, how bad it was until we were on the life boat and looked back and saw the first row of windows underwater and people screaming that couldn't get on a life boat, still on the boat. And that's when we realized how much it was really tilting."

The pair recounted a very volatile situation and how the ships passengers came together and helped each other, some not even speaking the same language.

"It was horrible. The only thing that worked for us was the passengers. It's amazing that none of us spoke the same language, but we knew how to take care of each other, but the crew couldn't figure that out," Garcia said. "We had shop keepers that opened up for us, a school opened, a church."

Miller said the people of Italy, in particular the residents of Giglio, made survival possible and compared their hospitality to his hometown Capital City of Austin, Texas. "We had nuns, nuns in the school that were giving us sheets for those of us that didn't have jackets, and then there was the church as well. But, the people of Giglio were really beyond compare, really what I would expect from my own hometown of Austin, Texas. Um, it was very comforting to have them there."

By chance Miller happened to notice his name on a clipboard and asked the woman holding it why his name was listed. "I spoke to the embassy this morning, finally, and they had been trying to find us, apparently. And Costa had no information. They called hotels. They had no information of where we were. And I just happened to see a lady with a clipboard in the lobby this morning, and I saw my name, and I said is my name on there for a reason? And she said we're looking for you. And I said, well I'm checked into the hotel, maybe you should cross-reference. And being in the hotel business myself, it's such a common thing that you would do. The lack of duty of care to their customers... but yes, the embassy has definitely reached out to us, and they're open until four o'clock Rome time, and we're going over to get our passports after this interview."

Miller and Garcia will meet with US Embassy officials in Rome and work on getting replacement passports for the ones lost in the shipwreck.

Connie Sadowski, a friend of Garcia's said he is a teacher for Round Rock ISD. The men were celebrating Garcia's 50th birthday.

KXAN News contacted Governor Perry’s office asking what the state of Texas was doing to assist the shipwrecked Austinites but as of publishing time the governor's office had not responded.

In an attempt to reach management at the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin , where Miller is the Director of Business Travel, KXAN News was told there was no comment but a member of their sales staff would contact us.

Five deaths have been confirmed. Three people have been rescued off the ship, and the search continued Sunday for those who remain unaccounted for.