The death toll after the horrifying flash floods in Texas has risen to over 100. What really happened and why people weren’t notified will be investigated.
But as of now, President Donald Trump has come under fire from Texas officials for being a part of the tragedy, as 600 people from the National Weather Service were laid off or retired earlier this year. Now, the White House has responded to what they call a “depraved lie.”
The horrifying flash flood in Texas has now claimed more than 100 lives. At least 104 people are dead, and many are still missing after the flooding hit the Texas Hill Country. Rescues are taking place all along the Guadalupe River, which rose 26 feet within 45 minutes on Friday.
The citizens include 27 children and counselors from the Christian girls’ camp, Camp Mystic. On Monday morning, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said 10 campers and one counselor are still unaccounted for.
“Our hearts are broken alongside our families that are enduring this unimaginable tragedy. We are praying for them constantly,” the camp wrote in a statement on their website, adding that they are in contact with local authorities, continuing the search for “missing girls.”
“We ask for your continued prayers, respect, and privacy for each of our families affected. May the Lord continue to wrap His presence around all of us,” the statement ended.
Texas officials ‘blame Donald Trump’ for Texas floods
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott described the devastation at Camp Mystic as “nothing short of horrific.” He visited the site over the weekend.
“It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster,” Abbott wrote on X. “The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking. We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins.”
Although the Guadalupe River turned into a deadly flash flood within an hour, questions are being raised about whether lives could have been saved. According to The New York Times, Texas officials have claimed that the National Weather Service’s (NWS) failure to issue sufficient warnings to emergency services about the rainfall could have been a factor in why people didn’t receive the warning in time.
“Crucial” positions at the local NWS offices were not filled due to the cost-cutting methods used earlier this year by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Donald Trump gets the blame. The New York Times further reported that local officials had avoided installing more advanced warning systems due to the high costs associated with them.
In a brief interview at a New Jersey airport, Donald Trump was asked whether he would investigate whether cuts to the federal government left vacancies at the National Weather Service or in emergency coordination.
“They didn’t. I’ll tell you, if you look at that, what a situation that all is – that was really the Biden setup, that was not our setup. But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it either. I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe and it’s just so horrible to watch,” Donald Trump said.
Karoline Leavitt says blaming Trump for Texas floods is “depraved lie”
The White House has now responded to claims about blaming Donald Trump. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said, “Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie and it serves no purpose in the time of national mourning.”
She added, “That [the floods] was an act of God. It’s not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did, but there were early and consistent warnings and, again, the National Weather Service did its job.”
On Sunday, President Donald Trump signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County. He told reporters on Monday that he plans to visit Texas on Friday, although it’s unclear at this point where exactly he will go.
“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.”
Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by the devastating Texas floods.
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