Texas floods newest: Trump departs for county the place Camp Mystic is situated as loss of life toll reaches 121
Donald Trump has departed the White House on a visit to Kerrville, Texas, to survey the devastation left by flash floods that swept through the centre of the state, killing at least 121 people and leaving 170 missing one week on.
As Texas lawmakers face growing scrutiny over the state’s flood warning systems, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump will meet with top state officials, emergency responders, and survivors before taking an aerial tour of the flood-ravaged Guadalupe River region.
Before boarding Marine One, the president said: “It’s a horrible thing, a horrible thing. Nobody can even believe it, such a thing that much water that fast, without a dam break … But we’re going to be there with some of the great families and others, the governor, everybody.”
Kerr County remains the center of the disaster after the Guadalupe River overflowed last Friday. Officials said Thursday that at least 96 people in the county have died, including 36 children. Many others are still missing in the area.
A New York Times report revealed that county officials were repeatedly denied funding for an emergency flood warning system, despite telling FEMA in October that deadly flooding was “likely” to occur within a year.
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Read on…
House Democrats seek documents and comms on Texas flood response
Democrats on the House Oversight Committee are requesting additional information regarding the federal government’s response to recent flooding in Texas, seeking documents and communications to better understand the handling of the disaster and prevent reoccurrences.
The initiative is spearheaded by the committee’s newly elected ranking member, California Representative Robert Garcia, alongside Texas representatives Greg Casar and Jasmine Crockett, who also sit on the panel.
A central concern revolves around alleged changes to agencies such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), part of the Department of Homeland Security, which lawmakers suggest may have hampered preparedness.
A letter sent to FEMA expressed deep concern that “Secretary [Kristi] Noem may have effectively crippled the agency’s ability to respond to this crisis, but also that she failed to personally act to ensure a timely response.”
Democrats have also raised questions about reported failures in early warning systems across the affected regions, sending separate letters to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Commerce Department’s inspector general regarding these alleged failures.
With reporting from the AP
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Who is accompanying Trump to Texas?
Traveling with President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump on their visit to Kerrville, Texas, are:
- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins
- Housing & Urban Development Secretary Scott Turner
- Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler
- Senator John Cornyn
- Senator Ted Cruz
- Rep. Wesley Hunt of Texas’s 38th District
- White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles
- White House Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair
- Policy Adviser Robert Gabriel
- White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Strategic Implementation Nick Luna
- White House Communications Director Steven Cheung
- Speechwriter Ross Worthington
- Dep. Sec. of HUD Andrew Hughes
- Director of the White House Office of Legislative Affairs James Braid
Newsnation reports that joining them in Kerrville will be Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose remit includes FEMA. This will be her second visit to Texas since the flooding.
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Trump departs White House
President Donald Trump said to reporters about the catastrophic flooding in Texas: “It’s a horrible thing, a horrible thing. Nobody can even believe it, such a thing that much water that fast, without a dam break. You think a dam would have to break to have it so terrible. But we’re going to be there with some of the great families and others, the governor, everybody.”
Trump extends major disaster declaration to more Texas counties
President Donald Trump on Thursday approved Governor Greg Abbott’s request to extend a major disaster declaration for flood-ravaged Central Texas. This expands eligibility for direct financial assistance to eight additional counties beyond Kerr County, aiding their recovery and rebuilding efforts.
Governor Abbott thanked President Trump and his administration for their “swift and continued support.”
He added: “Texas will continue to deploy all available resources and support to help those impacted until the job is done.”
FEMA noted that more counties could be added to the declaration as further damage assessments become available.
Source: independent.co.uk
