President Trump has rejected questions about flood warnings and preparations as he visited a Texas community that was devastated by floods last week.
Pets were rescued after floods in Texas overwhelmed shelter
Floods in Central Texas keep pets stuck as shelters and volunteers rush to rescue them and rehoff them.
President Donald Trump praised his recovery efforts in central Texas and pledged full federal support as he visited the state a week after the devastating floods destroyed the community.
Trump said his administration is doing “all of its power to help Texas” after the July 4 flood last weekend killed at least 120 people, but the search still leaves 160 other 160 people missing.
“It’s tough,” Trump said on his July 11 trip he kicked off a 47-minute debate in Carville, Texas with local, state and federal officials. “It’s hard to believe in destruction. A 100-year-old tree has just been torn off the ground. I’ve never seen anything like this, I’ve seen a lot of bad things.”
Trump said he met parents who lost their children in the flood. “No one is thinking about how and why this happens,” he said, recalling the “young angels” who died while staying at Camp Mystic, a girl’s camp.
“The hearts of Americans are shattered,” Trump told the community
The president’s visit to Texas sought to blunt criticism from Democrats who claimed that the president’s National Weather Service cuts may have slowed the agency’s weather forecasts and flood warnings to reach residents on the morning of July 4th.
Trump said the federal government deployed more than 400 first responders, allowing 1,500 rescues during the flood.
“The people here – the first responders, the sheriff’s office, all the police, law enforcement, they did an incredible job,” Trump said.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump investigated the damage near the Guadalupe River in Carville, which contains capsized tractors, several fallen trees and plastic debris as the president was briefed by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and local officials.
Putting on a white “American” hat, Trump nodded his head as he listened to the staff. Along the site, residents stand in front of a strip mall and those living at the intersection where they were dumped when a Trump convoy rolled.
“American hearts are shattered across the country,” Trump said. “All beautiful souls. We are full of sadness and devastation over the loss of life. And unfortunately, they are still watching. There are many missing children.”
Melania Trump provided “deepest sympathy” to everyone who lost their loved one. “We are saddened with you. Our country is saddened with you,” she said, pointing to the bracelet she received from the camp in honor of the deceased girl’s campervan. “I’ll be back. I promise.”
Trump snaps to reporters asking about the flood warning system
Trump avoided playing a denunciation game in response to the Texas flood disaster, taking a dramatically different approach in a Republican-led state compared to the Los Angeles wildfires in January, and he has now pinned mainly to Democrat government Gavin Newsmom. Last year, Trump accused President Joe Biden of slow response to Hurricane Helen’s devastation in North Carolina.
“They screwed us up in North Carolina, but when we entered January 20th, they fixed it right away,” Trump said of FEMA.
He challenged a reporter who asked about concerns about the community’s flood warning system.
“Only evil people will ask such questions,” Trump said. “I think this was heroism… It’s easy to look back and say, ‘Oh, what happened here and there.’ ”
CNN has reported new cost management rules that have delayed FEMA’s response to Homeland Security Secretary Christie Noem in Texas. DHS challenged the report. The new DHS policy requires NOEM to personally sign off all contracts over $100,000 issued by FEMA and other departments in her division.
Democrats, led by House Oversight Committee Texas officials and Rep. Jasmine Crockett, sent a letter on Friday asking for a “answer” from the Commerce Department general and the National Maritime and Atmospheric Administration, which oversees the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“The tragic loss of life underscores the urgent need to understand what contributed to this disaster and how we can prepare for future disasters,” their letter to NOAA reads. “Strict surveillance is needed not only to provide answers to the sadistic community in central Texas, but also to save lives in future extreme weather events.”
The White House says FEMA has enough funds to help with recovery
On his way to Texas in Air Force 1, Trump was joined by Abbott and two Republican US senators from the state, Ted Cruz and John Cornyn. Rep. Wesley Hunt, whose Congressional district is near Houston rather than flooded areas, has joined the president. R-Texas Rep. Chip Roy joined the president at the roundtable.
At one point, Trump gave the microphone to television personality and loyal supporter Dr. Phil.
White House budget director told reporters early Friday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had the funds to support flood recovery efforts, even if the Trump administration spoke about the removal of FEMA.
Russ Vert, director of the White House Management and Budget Office, said FEMA has approximately $13 billion in reserves to pay the costs needed in Texas.
“The president told Texas he got whatever it needed,” Vought said.
Earlier this week, Noem continued his call for FEMA to be “excluded to exist today” in order to have more control over the hands of local and state authorities. Her push comes when FEMA deploys hundreds of experts and distributed supplies to flooded areas in Texas.
Noem called the flood “an unprecedented event,” and she joined Trump in Texas and added that she had never heard of a flood “which happened this way.”
Reach Joey Garrison with X @joeygarrison.
