US President Donald Trump on Friday defended the federal government’s response to the catastrophic flash floods in Texas that claimed at least 120 lives, including dozens of children, during a visit to the stricken Hill Country region.
Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, the president toured Kerr County — the epicentre of last week’s disaster — and participated in a roundtable briefing with emergency responders and officials.
Praising both Governor Abbott and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, Trump described the government response as “an incredible job under the circumstances.” He made the comments as search teams continued scouring debris-laden banks of the Guadalupe River for dozens still listed as missing.
Tensions ran high during the briefing when a reporter questioned whether enough had been done to warn residents ahead of the flash floods that struck in the pre-dawn hours of July 4, a national holiday. Visibly irked, Trump snapped: “I don’t know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that.”
The president’s remarks came amid mounting scrutiny of his administration’s proposed budget cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Critics say these reductions may have weakened disaster preparedness, although administration officials have rejected the claim, stating the cuts had no impact on forecasting capabilities.
Kerr County officials have also come under fire after it emerged that the county declined to install an early-warning system due to lack of state funding. Longtime Kerrville resident Lawrence Walker, 67, said local authorities had long neglected disaster prevention measures. “It’s been fine since the water was at 8 feet,” he said, reflecting frustration shared by many in the community.
Texas Governor Abbott, however, dismissed suggestions of official negligence, branding them “the word choice of losers.” The state legislature is expected to convene a special session later this month to investigate the flooding and allocate emergency relief funds.
The disaster, which unfolded when over a foot of rain fell within an hour, sent a torrent down the Guadalupe River, raising water levels from one foot to over 34 feet in just a few hours. The floods, which tore through communities and washed away homes, are now considered the deadliest natural disaster of Trump’s current term.
Among the victims were at least 36 children, many of whom were attending Camp Mystic, a nearly century-old Christian summer camp for girls located along the river’s edge. Kerr County is part of what meteorologists call “flash flood alley” — a region notorious for rapid and deadly flooding events.
As Trump received a situational briefing near the riverbank, search crews — clad in hard hats — continued combing through wreckage under clearing skies. No survivors have been found since the initial day of flooding, though officials caution that the list of more than 160 missing may be inflated due to duplicate reports.
Not all residents criticised the government response. Jon Moreno, 71, whose property was spared, said he believed the tragedy was largely unavoidable due to risky construction along the river. “All those people along the river — I wouldn’t want to live there… it’s too dangerous,” he said.
Yet anger persists in some quarters. In Kerrville, a local gas station was spray-painted with a message accusing Trump’s recent budget bill of cutting emergency funding. The president signed the sweeping legislation — which includes major tax and spending cuts — on the same day the floods struck Texas.
Despite growing calls for accountability and systemic reform, President Trump sidestepped a question about his administration’s broader plans for FEMA, saying only: “I’ll tell you some other time.”
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