President Donald Trump toured the devastation along the Guadalupe River in Texas on Friday, where at least 121 people have been confirmed dead and another 171 are still missing, after heavy rains caused the river’s banks to rise a staggering 28 feet (8.5 meters, or the height of a two-story house) in 45 minutes in the early hours of July 4th.
The president then took part in a press conference in Kerrville, one of the towns most significantly affected by the floods, along with state officials, politicians, and local stakeholders. “It’s hard to believe the devastation,” Trump said, adding that he had “never seen anything like this.” Photos and videos of the affected areas show pick-up trucks and large, old-growth trees buried in the sediment lifted by the rushing flood before receding. Trump said that he and Melania had just given their “warmest condolences” to families before the start of the briefing.
“We have some good people running FEMA,” Trump said, adding that “they fixed it up in no time” after devastating floods also ravaged North Carolina last year. At the time, then-candidate Trump and lambasted the Biden administration for what he deemed a lacking response to the emergency, and his management of FEMA in particular. FEMA’s activity is instrumental in the aftermath of natural disasters, organizing emergency food and shelter programs for those affected in the aftermath. Trump’s so-called “big, beautiful bill,” which he signed into law on the same day as the disaster unfolded in Texas, cuts FEMA’s budget by $664 million.
North Carolina is the site of yet more floods this week in the wake of another torrential downpour from Tropical Depression Chantal that has left six more people dead. Another flood in New Mexico has killed at least three people, two of them children. The increased frequency and intensity of severe weather events is a consequence of climate change that experts have been warning of for decades. Trump called climate change “one of the biggest scams” after the floods in North Carolina last year. Speaking on Friday, he again cast doubt on any link to climate change, saying “no one has any idea how and why a thing like this could happen.”
“My administration is doing everything in its power to help Texas,” the president said, remarking that federal aid was given “within about two minutes, maybe less” of Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s request. 400 first responders – made up of Customs and Broder Protection (CBP) agents, Coast Guard rescue crews, and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) response units – have conducted around 1,500 rescues since the day of the floods.
In the Kerrville press conference, Governor Abbott announced that he expected the state legislature to hold a “special session beginning in ten days” to address the crisis.
