Texas Floods: Donald Trump on the Ground to Be with “Super Families”

It took him a week to deign to travel. Donald Trump arrived this Friday, July 11, in Texas, which was devastated by floods that caused the death of at least 120 people on July 4. The American president and his wife are making a visit of a few hours to this southern American state where the authorities still count more than 170 missing persons, while the responsiveness of local and federal authorities is being criticized .

Central Texas was hit by torrential rains on Independence Day, triggering flash floods , surprising many residents in their sleep. At least 120 flood-related deaths have been reported. Kerr County was the hardest hit, with 96 deaths, including 36 children. Donald Trump arrived there today to "be with some of the great families" of flood victims, he told reporters before flying out of Washington, calling the natural disaster "horrible."

A Christian summer camp for girls in the town of Hunt, on the banks of the Guadalupe River, paid a heavy price: 27 children and counselors died in the disaster.

The US president's visit comes as questions grow more pressing about local authorities' handling of the crisis and the impact of budget cuts, sought by the Trump administration, on warning and rescue systems. Asked shortly after the disaster whether he still intended to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Donald Trump replied that now was not the time to discuss it.

The Republican leader, who previously stated that disaster relief should be handled at the state level, also quickly signed a disaster declaration to provide Texas with federal resources. Washington's immediate response to the floods "was swift and effective," Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem insisted Thursday. But CNN reports that FEMA's relief efforts have been delayed by bureaucratic hurdles following a new rule the secretary adopted aimed at reducing spending.

This week, the White House already had to respond to criticism that budget cuts to the National Weather Service had undermined the reliability of forecasts and warnings. Its spokeswoman, Karoline Leavitt, affirmed that the US National Weather Service (NWS) had issued "accurate and timely forecasts and warnings."

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said he was alerted "around 4 or 5 a.m." by calls for emergency services. According to Texas station KSAT, a local firefighter requested "Code Red" alerts at 4:22 a.m., an emergency message sent to the phones of residents of Hunt, the hardest-hit community, as the Guadalupe River, fed by torrential rains, rose dangerously high.

However, according to this local CNN and ABC affiliate, the sheriff's office asked the firefighter to wait while they obtained authorization from a superior. The "Code Red" alerts were reportedly sent at least 90 minutes later, around 6 a.m., and the message took up to six hours to reach some Hunt residents, according to KSAT.

Asked about it several times this week, local authorities have deflected the question. More than 2,000 rescuers, police officers, and dog teams, supported by helicopters, have been searching the area tirelessly for seven days trying to locate the missing, even though the chances of finding them alive are now slim. The last person alive was rescued on July 4, the same day the flooding occurred, according to authorities.