>>> WELCOME BACK.
FEBRUARY'S BRUTAL DEEP FREEZE IN
TEXAS DIDN'T JUST TAKE A LARGE
HUMAN TOLL, IT ALSO IMPACTED
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF SEA
TURTLES.
THEY WERE LEFT COLD STUNNED BY
THAT COLD SNAP.
>> THANKFULLY, THOUGH, MANY WERE
RESCUED, NURSED BACK TO HEALTH
AND RETURNED TO THE SEA.
BUT THE RECOVERY PERIOD HAS BEEN
A LITTLE LONGER FOR ONE BIG
TURTLE.
>> AND THAT'S WHERE NBC'S KERRY
SANDERS PICKS UP THE STORY.
HI, KERRY, GOOD MORNING.
>> Reporter: WELL, GOOD MORNING.
YOU KNOW, THE INCREDIBLY NOW
WARM WATERS OF THE GULF OF
MEXICO ARE GOING TO BE HOME ONCE
AGAIN TO THIS AMAZING GREEN SEA
TURTLE, 150 POUNDS.
WE'RE ON SOUTH PADRE ISLAND
WHERE SEA TURTLE -- LET ME PUT
MY MASK ON AS I GET A LITTLE
CLOSER.
YOU CAN SEE THE VOLUNTEERS BACK
HERE.
THIS IS THE GUY RIGHT HERE.
HIS NICKNAME IS FALCON HEAVY AND
THAT'S AN HOMAGE TO SPACEX,
WHICH WE'LL EXPLAIN IN A MINUTE.
BUT REALLY EXCITING MOMENT
BECAUSE THIS IS ONE OF 5,000 SEA
TURTLES THAT WAS RESCUED DURING
THAT TERRIFIC, HORRIBLE FREEZE
BACK IN FEBRUARY.
THIS MORNING, ONE VERY RESILIENT
SEA TURTLE IS FINALLY READY TO
GO HOME.
>> IT'S GOING TO BE A VERY
EMOTIONAL MOMENT.
>> Reporter: IN FEBRUARY, THE
DEADLY TEXAS DEEP FREEZE LEFT
MILLIONS WITHOUT POWER, AND THE
GULF OF MEXICO BITTER COLD.
THAT COLD SNAP TRIGGERED A
HEART-BREAKING SCENE.
MORE THAN 5,000 SEA TURTLES
BOBBED TO THE SURFACE, SOME
WASHED ASHORE, COLD STUNNED INTO
SUSPENDED ANIMATION.
THE LAGUNA MADRE WATER
TEMPERATURES HAD PLUMMETED FROM
80 TO 37 DEGREES IN JUST FOUR
DAYS.
VOLUNTEERS FROM SEA TURTLE INC.
CAME TO THE RESCUE, MARSHALING
THE LARGEST COLD EFFORT IN
HISTORY.
ONE BIG PROBLEM.
THE COLD HAD KNOCKED OUT
ELECTRICITY NEEDED TO WARM THE
TURTLES BACK UP.
THEN A MASSIVE GENERATOR
ARRIVED, SENT BY ELON MUSK AND
NEARBY SPACEX.
>> THEY IN FACT PULLED THE
GENERATOR OFF THE LAUNCH PAD AND
THAT GENERATOR HAPPENED TO BE A
PHASE 3 GENERATOR AND IT
HAPPENED TO BE EXACTLY WHAT WE
NEEDED.
>> Reporter: DAYS LATER
CONDITIONS IMPROVED.
FOR MOST, A SLIDE BACK HOME.
BUT THE TURTLE NICKNAMED FALCON
HEAVY HAD TO STAY BEHIND.
>> HE HAD REALLY SWOLLEN EYES,
ALMOST LIKE A PREDATOR HAD
ATTACKED HIM.
SO HE REALLY NEEDED THE LAST FEW
WEEKS FOR MEDICATION AND A
LITTLE TLC.
>> Reporter: DURING THE FREEZE,
VETERINARY TECH NINA WORKED
12 18-HOUR DAYS IN A ROW, FALCON
HEAVY ONE OF HER TOUGHEST
PATIENTS.
>> HAD HE NOT BEEN BROUGHT HERE
AND GIVEN THIS TREATMENT --
>> UNFORTUNATELY I DON'T THINK
THAT TURTLE WOULD HAVE MADE IT.
WHOEVER RESCUED THAT TURTLE GOT
THERE JUST IN THE NICK OF TIME.
>> Reporter: AND NOW FALCON
HEAVY NAMED IN HONOR OF THE
SPACEX ROCKET IS READY FOR HIS
OWN LIFTOFF.
>> HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT FALCON
HEAVY RETURNING?
>> I HAVE NEVER BEEN HAPPIER TO
EVICT A PATIENT IN MY LIFE.
WE HAVE ALL RALLIED FOR HIM.
WE WISH HIM THE BEST AND IT'S
GOING TO BE BEAUTIFUL.
>> Reporter: AND SO HERE WE ARE
AT THE MOMENT.
READY?
3, 2, 1, LAUNCH!
OKAY.
SO HERE GOES FALCON HEAVY.
REMEMBER -- LOOK AT THAT.
WENDY IS HERE WITH US.
HE'S MAKING HIS WAY.
FIRST OF ALL, TELL ME HOW DO YOU
FEEL SEEING THIS MOMENT?
>> YOU KNOW, THIS IS WHAT SEA
TURTLE INC. IS ALL ABOUT.
THIS IS THE EPITOME OF OUR
MISSION AND IT IS SO
OVERWHELMING AFTER TREATING AND
RESCUING MORE THAN 5,300 TURTLES
TO WATCH FALCON HEAVY GO BACK
INTO THE GULF OF MEXICO.
IT'S JUST OVERWHELMING.
>> AND THE WATERS ARE WARM SO
IT'S WONDERFUL.
I'M SORT OF CURIOUS, WHEN WE'RE
LOOKING AT FALCON HEAVY WHO'S
PAUSED FOR A MOMENT.
A WILD ANIMAL IS NOT NECESSARILY
GOING TO RUN IN LIKE A PET
CHASING A STICK, BUT I'M
CURIOUS, WHEN THE TURTLES WERE
FOUND, MANY OF THEM YOU THOUGHT
WERE DEAD BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T
REALLY FIND A HEARTBEAT.
WHAT WAS THAT ALL ABOUT?
>> THAT'S THE INTERESTING THING
ABOUT SEA TURTLES.
WHEN THEY COLD STUN, THEY CAN
SLOW THEIR HEART RATE DOWN TO
ONE BEAT PER MINUTE SO IT'S
REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GIVE
THEM TIME AND A GOOD WARM
TEMPERATURE TO JUST HELP THEM
RELAX AND COME BACK TO IT.
FALCON HEAVY IS A PERFECT
EXAMPLE OF THAT.
HE JUST NEEDED A LITTLE
DOWNTIME, A LITTLE R & R.
>> Reporter: SO GREEN TURTLE,
ABOUT 150 POUNDS HERE.
APPROXIMATELY AGE?
>> HE'S ABOUT 20 YEARS OLD.
>> Reporter: HIS LIFE SPAN COULD
BE?
>> HE COULD GO 80 TO 100 YEARS.
>> Reporter: AND IS HE WALKING
ALONGSIDE OF THE BEACH BECAUSE
OF US AND THE CAMERAS?
ARE WE IN HIS WAY?
>> DON'T WE ALL LOVE TO WALK THE
BEACH?
THEY LIVE IN THIS BEAUTIFUL
OCEAN SO HE WILL MAKE HIS WAY IN
AND YOU'LL SEE HIM DO THAT.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR US
THAT WE ALLOW THEM AS BEST WE
CAN TO MAKE THEIR WAY BACK INTO
THE OCEAN.
>> Reporter: ONE THING THAT WAS
AMAZING IS DURING THE MOMENT OF
ALL THE RESCUES, THIS WAS NOT
JUST SEA TURTLE INC. BUT YOU
COORDINATED VOLUNTEERS.
HOW DID THAT HAPPEN, AND WHAT
HAPPENED TO THE COMMUNITY HERE?
>> YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST A PERFECT
EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE HELPING
OTHERS.
IT WAS A HERCULEAN EFFORT BY THE
COMMUNITY.
WHEN THEY SAW WE WERE IN NEED,
THIS WAS THE LARGEST RECORDED
COLD STUN IN HISTORY.
WE NEEDED HELP AND, BOY, DID THE
COMMUNITY RALLY TO GIVE US THAT
HELP.
THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CAME AND
SPENT 12 AND 14 HOURS A DAY
HELPING US RESCUE AND TREAT
THESE ANIMALS OVER 8, 10 DAYS.
>> DO YOU THINK FALCON HEAVY IS
JUST EXHAUSTED HERE?
HE'S PAUSING.
I THINK WE'RE IN THE WAY.
LET'S MOVE THE CAMERA OUT OF THE
WAY.
>> IT'S BEEN AN EVENTFUL
MORNING.
>> JOE, COME OVER TO THIS SIDE
HERE.
I'M WONDERING WHETHER WE'RE IN
HIS PATH.
SURE ENOUGH, THERE, WE'RE IN HIS
PATH.
>> KERRY, YOU HAVE A LITTLE
EXTRA TIME --
>> THERE HE GOES, YOU'RE RIGHT.
>> Reporter: I'M SIGNALING INTO
THE SUNSET, BUT GOING INTO THE
SUNRISE HERE.
>> IT'S BEAUTIFUL, KERRY.
>> THERE WE GO.
>> COME ON, FALCON.
>> A PRECIOUS MOMENT AND IT'S SO
IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT
ENDANGERED.
SO THE 5,300 THAT BOBBED TO THE
SURFACE AND WASHED IN, YOU GUYS
RESCUED SO MANY.
HAD YOU NOT, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN
A REAL LOSS.
>> YES.
SEA TURTLES ARE ON THE
ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST, SO THAT
MEANS THEY WERE DANGEROUSLY NEAR
EXTINCTION.
SO WITHOUT VOLUNTEERS AND THE
HELPERS FOR THESE 5,300 AND ALL
THE ONES THAT WE WERE ABLE TO
RESCUE, THIS WOULD HAVE HAD A
PRETTY CATASTROPHIC IMPACT ON
THE POPULATION HERE ON SOUTH
PADRE ISLAND AND COULD HAVE
EASILY WIPED OUT 30 YEARS WORTH
OF A LEGACY OF SEA TURTLES SO WE
ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THE HELP AND
THE PEOPLE THAT DEDICATED TIME
TO HELP FALCON HEAVY AND HIS
BUDDIES RECOUPERATE AND RETURN O
THE GULF OF MEXICO.
>> Reporter: WHAT A SURPRISE
THAT SPACEX AND ELON MUSK WERE
THERE AT THE READY WITH THE
EQUIPMENT PULLED FROM THE LAUNCH
PAD TO GET OVER HERE, BECAUSE
WITHOUT THE POWER, YOU WOULDN'T
HAVE HAD ANY WARMTH.
AND WITHOUT ANY ELECTRICITY TO
CREATE THAT WARMTH, WE WOULDN'T
BE WITNESSING THIS MOMENT RIGHT
THERE.
>> THEY CAME TO OUR AID IN OUR
DARKEST HOUR LITERALLY AND
FIGURATIVELY.
WE ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR THAT AND
THAT'S THE REASON WE NAMED
FALCON HEAVY, FALCON HEAVY.
>> Reporter: GUYS, IT'S REALLY
INTERESTING.
AS WE SEE FALCON HEAVY GOING IN
THE WATER HERE, YOU'D SAY,
SUCCESS, IT'S OVER.
THERE IS STILL MORE.
THERE IS ONE OTHER NAMED
STARSHIP WHICH IS IN RECOVERY.
SO STARSHIP SOON WILL BE JOINING
FALCON HEAVY BACK OUT IN THE
GULF OF MEXICO.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
STARSHIP HAS GOT A LITTLE BIT
MORE TIME TO GO BUT HE WILL BE
OUR NEXT SPACEX NAMED TURTLE
HOPEFULLY TO BE RELEASED.
>> >> Reporter: THERE WE GO,
GUYS.
MOVING AT THE SPEED OF A TURTLE
BUT MAKING HIS WAY AND REALLY A
SPECTACULAR MOMENT HERE.
>> WE WEREN'T EXPECTING A SPEED
DEMON HERE, IT'S A TURTLE, AFTER
ALL.
>> SUPER SWEET ABOUT THIS,
WATCHING THIS SLOW MOTION.
>> IT'S RELAXING.
>> HE'S TAKING HIS TIME AND
SAVORING THE MOMENT.
>> KERRY, WE'LL CHECK IN WITH
YOU ON MONDAY MORNING AFTER THE
FALCON HAS MADE FULL IMMERSION
THERE.
>> Reporter: WELL, BY THE TIME
HE'S FULLY EMERGED IN THE WATER,
I'LL BE JOINING HODA AND JENNA
IN THE FOURTH HOUR.
>> KEEP YOUR EYE ON HIM.
>> KERRY, THANK YOU.
>>> ALL GOOD THINGS COME TO
THOSE WHO WAIT.
>> HE'S MAKING HIS MOVE NOW.
>> LITTLE FALCON HEAVY IS JUST
SOAKING IN SOME GULF OF MEXICO.
WE LOVE WATCHING THIS.TART, INC
SOME NEW MUSIC FROM TAYLOR SWIFT
AND THE NEWEST HIT FROM DOLLY
PARTON.
FIRST, THIS IS "TODAY" ON NBC.
>> HE'S GONE.