Trump visits Texas flooded area, dismissing criticism on alerts

Source: Xinhua

Editor: huaxia

2025-07-12 07:35:15

Volunteers load boxes of food into a car in Kerrville, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025. U.S. President Donald Trump visited central Texas on Friday, clapping back again at the criticism of his policy and federal response to the July 4 major flooding that left at least 121 dead and more than 150 others missing. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

HOUSTON, July 11 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump visited central Texas on Friday, clapping back again at the criticism of his policy and federal response to the July 4 major flooding that left at least 121 dead and more than 150 others missing.

The search is continuing, though no survivors have been found since July 5, according to officials from the hardest-hit Kerr County in central Texas.

More than 2,100 responders from local authorities, 20 U.S. states and several federal agencies joined the search and rescue.

The local, state and federal governments have done an "incredible job" in managing the flooding response, rescue and recovery, Trump said in Texas after surveying the damage.

"We just were making a little tour of the area. It's hard to believe the devastation. Trees that are 100 years old, just ripped out of the ground. I've never seen anything like it. I've seen a lot of bad ones," Trump said.

"This has been incredible, really, the job you've all done," Trump said at a roundtable event. "I've gone to some real bad ones; I've never seen anything like this."

Asked by a reporter for his reaction to those who questioned why there were no earlier alerts ahead of the flooding, Trump fired back: "I don't know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that."

Trump later attacked Democrats who slammed his administration's response and demanded an investigation into it. "All they want to do is criticize," the president said. "The public's wise to it."

Accompanying Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott praised the federal response to the Texas flooding as "swift and effective."

Earlier this week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer questioned whether the staff cuts at the National Weather Service under the Trump administration hampered forecasting of the heavy rains and alerts of the flash floods.

CNN reported Wednesday that search-and-rescue crews from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had not been authorized for deployment until more than 72 hours after the flooding began due to new spending approval requirements imposed by the Trump administration.

"This would be an unmitigated, unforced disaster, and it would certainly exacerbate the toll of extreme weather events," a group of House Democrats wrote in a letter Wednesday to FEMA and the federal agency in charge of the National Weather Service, calling for congressional hearings on the flood response.

Trump blasted the then-Biden administration's response to a major flooding killing at least 103 people in September during the 2024 presidential campaign, and California's Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom and other local Democratic officials over the California wildfires earlier this year.

The flash floods across at least 20 counties in central Texas will cause an estimated 18 to 22 billion U.S. dollars in total damage and economic loss, U.S. weather forecasting service AccuWeather said in a preliminary estimate. ■

Rescuers search for bodies among mangled trees along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

U.S. President Donald Trump visited central Texas on Friday, clapping back again at the criticism of his policy and federal response to the July 4 major flooding that left at least 121 dead and more than 150 others missing. (Photo by Nick Wagner/Xinhua)

A person patrols among mangled trees in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

The phrase "Hunt Strong" is spray-painted on a house's windows in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

Volunteers prepare lunches in Kerrville, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

A mangled vehicle sits abandoned in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

A vehicle lies upside down among fallen trees in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

Rescuers take a boat to search on the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

Workers collect belongings of campers at Camp Mystic in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

Rescuers search for bodies among mangled trees along the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

The frame of a building stands near the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

Pieces of a road lie among fallen trees in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

Debris remains tied up on a wooden fence in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

Volunteers load fuel into a tanker trailer to fuel equipment used in the cleanup of the aftermath of the floods in Ingram, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

A mangled vehicle sits abandoned in a field in Hunt, Texas, the United States, July 11, 2025.

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Trump visits Texas flooded area, dismissing criticism on alerts

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