Trump to visit Texas flood site amid questions about disaster response
by Nicole Johnson reuters · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- President Trump is set to visit the Texas flood site after the Fourth of July disaster killed 120 people.
- Focus intensifies on government response as first responders search for survivors.
- The Trump administration supports disaster response with FEMA funds and resources.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump is heading to central Texas on Friday to survey damage from the July 4 flash flood that killed at least 120 people and left dozens more missing.
His visit comes amid intense focus on the government response a week after the storm and as thousands of first responders comb through muddy debris, with hopes diminished of finding additional survivors.
Torrential rains sent a wall of water raging down the Guadalupe River in the predawn hours of the Fourth of July. The disaster is the deadliest of the Republican president's nearly six-month term in office.
Trump is expected to speak with family members of the victims and emergency responders, according to a White House official.
He will also receive a briefing from local elected officials and see sites in Kerr County, the center of the damage. The county is located in what is known as "flash flood alley," a region that has seen some of the country's deadliest floods.
More than a foot of rain fell in less than an hour on July 4. Flood gauges showed the river's height rose from about a foot to 34 feet in a matter of hours, cascading over its banks and sweeping away trees and structures in its path.
The dead include at least 36 children, many whom were campers at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer retreat on the banks of the river.
Local and federal officials have faced scrutiny for their response, including questions about whether they could have done more to warn people of the rising floodwaters. The county declined to install an early-warning system years ago after failing to secure state grant money to cover the cost. Officials have said their current focus is on rescue and recovery.
The state legislature will convene in a special session later this month to investigate the flooding and provide disaster relief funding.
The Trump administration has supported the disaster response through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, sending funds for disaster recovery, temporary housing and property losses.
Trump has largely sidestepped questions about his prior plans to shrink or abolish the agency and for its key functions to be carried out by state and local government.
"I'll tell you some other time," Trump said on Tuesday, when asked by a reporter about FEMA.
On Friday morning, the Washington Post reported Trump's administration has backed away from abolishing FEMA.
No official action was being taken to wind down FEMA, and changes in the agency would probably amount to a "rebranding" that would emphasize state leaders' roles in disaster response, the Washington Post reported, citing a senior White House official.
Reuters could not verify the report and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Monday, the Senate's top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, asked a government watchdog to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected the forecasting agency's response. The NWS has defended its forecasting and emergency management, noting it assigned extra forecasters to two Texas offices over the holiday weekend.
The Trump administration has said the agency was sufficiently staffed and responded adequately to "an act of God."
On Sunday, Trump was asked by a reporter whether government cuts hobbled the disaster response.
"It didn't," Trump responded.
Contributing: Shivani Tanna
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