Melania Trump and President Trump were scheduled to visit a region of Texas on Friday that was ravaged by the severe flash flooding that occurred over the weekend and claimed over 120 lives.
In addition to meeting with survivors and emergency personnel, the president and first wife were scheduled to visit some of the disaster areas along the Guadalupe River in Central Texas, close to Kerrville, which has turned into a center for search and recovery efforts, during their brief visit to the state.
Earlier in the week, Mr. Trump declared his plan to visit, but he stated that he wanted to wait until enough time had gone so as not to interfere with anyone’s plans.
The president has called the Texas flood a “hundred-year catastrophe” and an inevitable act of nature, but his administration has come under fire for its lack of preparation and response, including issues at the Federal Emergency Management Agency and vacant posts at local National Weather Service offices.
Since taking office, Mr. Trump has discussed dismantling FEMA. Approximately 25% of the agency’s employees, including some of its most seasoned officials, have left. The Department of Homeland Security is in charge of it.
FEMA implemented a policy demanding direct approval from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for all expenditures exceeding $100,000, including the deployment of search and rescue teams. There have been concerns expressed over whether Ms. Noem’s choice caused emergency help to be delayed.
Ms. Noem stated that FEMA was stronger under the current administration, while Mr. Trump commended the agency’s efforts during a cabinet meeting at the White House on Tuesday.
FEMA has been put into action, and we’re going through the previous FEMA’s documentation and simplifying it in accordance with your idea of how FEMA ought to function, she added. Helping these families get through this awful predicament has been a far better approach.
However, Ms. Noem went on to say that search and rescue efforts had to be continued immediately.Following the flooding, officials reported that over 170 individuals were missing. At Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, 27 children and staff members were reported killed, while numerous more were still unaccounted for.
According to Ms. Noem, we are still searching for numerous young girls and other family members that camped beside that river.
