Latest News

Trump visits Texas flood site amid concerns about disaster response

The U.S. president Donald Trump will be in central Texas this Friday to assess the damage caused by the flash flood of July 4, which killed at least 120 and left many more people missing.

The government's response to the storm is a hot topic a week later, as first responders continue to comb through the mud and debris in the hope of finding more survivors.

In the early morning hours of Independence Day, torrential rains caused a massive wall of water to rage down the Guadalupe River. Independence Day. This is the worst disaster of the Republican President's six-month tenure in office.

According to a White House spokesperson, Trump will speak to family members of victims and emergency responders.

The county, which is the heart of the damage, will be the site for his visit. He will receive a briefing by local officials and also see the sites. The county is in "flash-flood alley", an area that has been hit by some of the deadliest floods in American history.

In less than an hour, more than a foot fell on the 4th of July. The river rose in height from a few inches to over 34 feet (10.40 meters) within a few hours. It washed away trees and other structures as it swept its way.

At least 36 children are dead, including many campers from Camp Mystic - an all-girls Christian retreat located on the banks.

Local and federal officials were questioned about their response. They also questioned whether they could've done more to warn the public of the rising floodwaters. Years ago, the county refused to install an early warning system because it could not secure funding from state grants to cover its cost. Officials say that their current focus is rescue and recovery.

In a special session, the state legislature will meet later this month in order to investigate and provide funding for disaster relief.

The Trump Administration has provided disaster relief through the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This includes funds for temporary housing, property damage, and disaster recovery.

Trump has mostly avoided questions about his previous plans to shrink or eliminate the agency, and to have its key functions carried out by local and state governments.

When asked about FEMA by a journalist on Tuesday, Trump replied: "I'll let you know another time."

Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the U.S. Senate, asked a government watchdog on Monday to investigate whether the National Weather Service's budget cuts affected its response. The NWS defended their forecasting and emergency planning, noting that they assigned extra forecasters in two Texas offices during the holiday weekend.

The Trump administration said that the agency had enough staff and was able to respond adequately to an "act of God."

A reporter asked Trump on Sunday if government budget cuts had hampered the response to disasters.

Trump replied, "It didn’t." Reporting by Nicole Johnson, Washington; editing by Trevor Hunnicutt & Cynthia Osterman

(source: Reuters)