By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – US President Donald Trump on Friday visited central Texas, dismissed the criticism of his policy and federal response to the July 4 major floods that left at least 121 dead and more than 150 others missing, according to local officials and media reports.
Media reported that the search is continuing, though no survivors have been found since July 5, according to officials from the hardest-hit Kerr County in central Texas.
Over 2,100 responders from local authorities, 20 US states and several federal agencies joined the search and rescue.
The local, state and federal governments have done an “incredible job” in managing the flooding response, rescue and recovery, Trump said in Texas after surveyed the damage on Friday.
“We just were making a little tour of the area. It’s hard to believe the devastation. Trees that are 100 years old, just ripped out of the ground. I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve seen a lot of bad ones,” Trump said.
He added “This has been incredible, really, the job you’ve all done,” at a roundtable event. “I’ve gone to some real bad ones; I’ve never seen anything like this.”
When asked by a reporter for his reaction to those who questioned why there were no earlier alerts ahead of the flooding, Trump fired back: “I don’t know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that.”
Trump attacked Democrats who slammed his administration’s response and demanded an investigation into it. “All they want to do is criticize,” he said. “The public’s wise to it.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the federal response to the Texas flooding as “swift and effective.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned whether the staff cuts at the National Weather Service under the Trump administration hampered forecasting of the heavy rains and alerts of the flash floods.
Media reported that search-and-rescue crews from the Federal Emergency Management Agency had not been authorized for deployment until more than 72 hours after the floods began due to new spending approval requirements imposed by the Trump administration.
“This would be an unmitigated, unforced disaster, and it would certainly exacerbate the toll of extreme weather events,” a group of House Democrats wrote in a letter to FEMA and the federal agency in charge of the National Weather Service.
They called for congressional hearings on the flood response.
Trump blasted the Biden administration’s response to a major flooding killing at least 103 people in September during the 2024 presidential campaign and California’s Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and other local Democratic officials over the California wildfires earlier this year.
US weather forecasts service AccuWeather said in a preliminary estimate that the flash floods across at least 20 counties in central Texas will cause an estimated $18 to $22 billion in total damage and economic loss.
