
President Trump, first woman Melania Trump and Texas Governor Greg Abbott meet with native emergency products and services team of workers as they survey flood injury alongside the Guadalupe River on July 11, in Kerrville, Texas.
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Chip Somodevilla/Getty Pictures
President Trump visited a storm-torn Texas on Friday because the destiny of the country’s best federal crisis company stays unsure.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and different native leaders praised the president for a swift reaction and for signing an expanded emergency declaration for the affected space after flooding killed greater than 100 other people, with many nonetheless lacking.
Trump and primary woman Melania Trump met with state and native officers, first responders, in addition to households of the sufferers in Kerrville.
“As a country, we mourn for each unmarried existence that used to be swept away within the flood, and we pray for the households which can be left at the back of. It is wonderful, the unbelievable spirit from the ones households. I do not know, I do not even understand how they do it,” Trump stated at a roundtable after assembly with households.
The primary woman stated the country is grieving with them. She stated they prayed, hugged and held palms, as they shared tales. She stated she used to be given a bracelet, which she wore on the roundtable, “in honor of the entire little ladies that … misplaced their lives” at Camp Mystic.

First woman Melania Trump speaks all over a gathering with native officers and primary responders in Kerrville, Texas, on July 11, following devastating flooding within the space over the July 4 weekend. Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP) (Photograph through BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP by the use of Getty Pictures)
Brendan Smialowski/AFP by the use of Getty Pictures
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP by the use of Getty Pictures
Melania Trump stated she promised to come back again.
Within the background of the emotional scene have been questions on how ready Texas communities are for flooding, whether or not caution programs will have been higher — and the way the government plans to way failures going ahead.
All over the roundtable tournament, Trump disregarded a query from a Texas reporter regarding whether or not locals have been correctly notified prematurely of the floods. When requested if he had a message for households who have been dissatisfied in regards to the alert machine, Trump stated, he concept “everybody did an out of this world task below the cases.” He later added, “Just a very evil particular person would ask a query like that.”
Whilst he praised the reaction in Texas, Trump did indirectly deal with his broader imaginative and prescient for the Federal Emergency Control Company. In a while after beginning his 2d time period, Trump stated he sought after to overtake the FEMA and put extra onus for emergency reaction on states.
Fatherland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem oversees FEMA and stressed out in Friday’s roundtable that the government used to be taking part in a supporting position on this effort.
Noem stated the management is “empowering the state and the native officers to make the most efficient selections for his or her other people, as a result of they know their other people, they know their group, and once they ask, then we are available in and fortify them.”
Abbott and U.S. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, additionally emphasised ways in which the state and native communities are spearheading rescue and restoration efforts. Abbott additionally famous that there could be group periods to believe answers for going ahead, together with doubtlessly other alert programs for long run floods.
“We are going to paintings on each unmarried resolution to ensure such things as this do not occur once more, now not simply on this group, however in different river basins around the state additionally. So we will be able to paintings to get it proper,” Abbott stated.
Roy referenced a Hill Nation basis that had raised $30 million. He criticized a query about whether or not the alert machine fell brief as needless finger-pointing.
“The folks on this group rallied round to assist other people,” he stated. “And that is the reason the iconic symbol — the ones little ladies from Camp Mystic who have been making a song hymns as they watched the wear as they left that camp popping out of there. And that is the reason who the folk of Texas are.”
Trump stated the government will proceed to fortify Texas with no matter it wishes.
“The billions of greenbacks that this nation offers away for issues that they should not be doing, and this isn’t billions of greenbacks,” he stated in a Fox Information interview as he used to be departing the state. “It is a moderately small amount of cash, however it is — it is numerous love, it is numerous love and numerous center. And so we are going to keep concerned.”
The management has indirectly stated whether or not it’ll observe via with plans to get rid of FEMA in its present shape once December 2025, as Trump as soon as instructed. A council tasked with recommending adjustments for the company, which incorporates Cupboard contributors, governors — together with Abbott, and emergency control professionals — were scheduled to make suggestions through mid-November and whole its paintings through Would possibly 2026.
FEMA offers billions of greenbacks in help to communities hit through failures, however regularly faces complaint for being too gradual to disburse assist and inefficient. Many emergency control professionals say FEMA performs a an important position in responding to failures which can be too huge and require too many assets for one state to care for.
NPR political reporter Elena Moore contributed to this record.