President Trump told reporters Monday that he planned to visit Texas on Friday after deadly flash floods swept through central Texas over the weekend. At least 100 people are dead across six counties, including more than two dozen counselors and young campers from a Christian summer camp for girls.
“That was a terrible event, terrible event,” Trump said. “Texas was just absolutely, so badly hurt by something that was a big surprise late in the evening.”
It’s not clear yet where Trump will visit. The floods occurred along Texas’s Guadalupe River, roughly an hour’s drive northwest of San Antonio. Torrential rain from Thursday to early Friday morning resulted in deadly flash floods in towns such as Kerrville, Ingram, and Hunt, along with summer camps including Camp Mystic.
Democrats have pointed to Trump administration cuts to the National Weather Service as a potential reason why flood victims did not receive better warnings. The New York Times has reported that local officials had avoided installing more sophisticated warning systems due to cost and that several key nearby Weather Service offices were vacant at the time, although some openings predated the current administration.
The White House said Monday that blaming Trump for the floods was a “depraved lie.”
Trump signed a disaster declaration Sunday, freeing up federal funds and programs to assist with the response.
More rain was scheduled to hit the region Monday. The National Service extended its flood watch through Monday night for much of central Texas.
