US President Donald Trump travels to Texas on Friday (July 11) to visit areas affected by recent serious floods.
The number of victims from catastrophic floods in Central Texas on Tuesday (July 8) climbed around 100, with Kerr County only at least 87 deaths. The catastrophe, which hit Friday in the first hours of Friday, was described as a “100 -year disaster”.
Camp tragedy: Children among dead
Among the victims were at least 27 girls and camp advisors at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, which was placed around 750 people when the waters rose at a destructive speed.
“The river came 26 feet in just 45 minutes,” said Judge Kerr County Rob Kelly. “No one has seen it.”
“Pitch Black Wall of Death”
The survivors told scary scenes as flood water rose before dawn. Many of them said they did not get any warning before the water flooded the houses and swept the whole structures.
“It was the playground of the black wall of death,” one survivor told reporters. “There was no warning. We had no time.”
Trump: “Absolutely terrible”
Trump spoke from his golf club Bedminster and called the flood “terrible thing” and defended the local reaction.
“That was the thing that happened in seconds. No one expected it. No one saw it,” he said. “Very talented people there and they didn’t see it.”
Soon flood alerts and agencies under control
Initially, the meteorological service released a flood counseling on Thursday, followed by a number of Flash flood warnings soon on Friday, eventually escalating to flare of flood emergencies.
Despite these warnings, officials and local leaders said they were not ready for extreme rainfall. Some residents said they were not receiving any warnings at all.
Meanwhile, meteorologists and former federal officials were concerned that the years of peeing the staffing under Trump’s administration could weaken the agency’s ability to supply early and accurate warning against the disaster.
Declaration of disasters and help femo
Trump signed the main statement for Texas on Sunday, unlocked federal emergency funds, and activated Fema to help with reaction and recovery.
Despite previous comments that indicate that the reaction to the disaster should be managed, Trump emphasized the support: “We are busy with work. It is absolutely terrible what happened.”
The White House is pushing back to the blame
Asked if the floods revealed the weaknesses when preparing for the administration disaster, the secretary of Karoline Leavitt called the “corrupt lie” claim.
“It’s a time of national sadness, not fingers,” she said on Monday. “President of President Trump does not serve any purpose.”
Cuts for forecast agencies
Hundreds of employees in the highest US agency responsible for climate and climate research have been released so far as part of Trump’s efforts to reduce the federal government.
At least 880 employees were cut off from the National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) – which oversees the National Meteorological Service and provides critical data to commercial forecasts – according to Senator Maria Cantwell, the Senate Committee.
Trump also suggested mowing or removing Fema and Noaa.
When it was pushed to decrease the staff’s reaction to the disaster, Trump turned away and referred to his democratic predecessor.
“The situation for the water, that’s all and it was really a biden setting,” he said. “But I wouldn’t blame Biden for that. I would say it is a 100 -year disaster.”
When he asked, he said he didn’t plan to fix them. “I would think no,” he said. “That was the thing that happened in seconds. No one expected it. No one saw it.”
Rick Spinrad, former head of Noaa, warned that the reduction of staff “inevitably worsen the ability of the agency to supply accurate and timely predictions”.
The Minister of Internal Security Kristi Noem, whose department oversees Fema, admitted that the early warnings “did not fully pretend the seriousness of floods” and said that President Trump promised upgrades to weather forecast systems.
Also read | Texas Povodes: Deaths overcome 100; Trump to visit the disaster Tagstotranslate Texas Flooding (T) Donald Trump Visit
