By Darlene McCormick Sanchez
President Donald Trump visited Central Texas on July 11 for a first-hand look at damage from a devastating flood that claimed the lives of more than 120 people statewide, including more than 35 children.
A handful of people gathered at various points along the presidential motorcade’s route, waving and recording Trump’s visit.
The motorcade stopped at an area near the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, Texas, where an overturned tractor-trailer was surrounded by a tangle of downed trees and debris.
Flanked by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and First Lady Melania Trump, the president received a briefing from officials in front of a map and a Kerrville Fire Department fire engine.
At a meeting in Kerrville, Trump said he and the First Lady were there to show their support and that of the nation.
“I’ve never seen anything like this. This is a bad one,” Trump said, noting the “young angels” whose lives were lost at a Christian camp.
“As we grieve this unthinkable tragedy, we take comfort in the knowledge that God has welcomed those little, beautiful girls into his comforting arms in heaven,” he said.
Melania Trump described holding hands and praying with the families she met, noting that she had been given a “special bracelet from the camp in honor of all the little girls that lost their lives.”
Texas Republican Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz traveled with Trump to the site.
Republican Rep. Chip Roy, who represents Kerrville, was on hand as well, along with other national, state, and local officials.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem spoke briefly about FEMA being on the ground to quickly help residents rebuild.
Noem said the families she spoke with were grateful for Trump’s visit.
The president signed a major disaster declaration for the hardest-hit area where he is visiting, according to a FEMA notice issued on July 6.
About 45 minutes before daybreak on July 4, the Guadalupe River that runs through much of Kerr County rose 26 feet, washing away homes, RVs, and vehicles.
More than 160 people remain missing in the area as recovery efforts continue along the river, which officials said rose so quickly the morning of July 4 that little could be done to save those in its path.
The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning at 1:14 a.m. on July 4 to cellphones and weather radios—more than three hours before the first reports of flooding at low-water crossings in Kerr County at 4:35 a.m. The warning was upgraded to a flash flood emergency at 4:03 a.m.
The alert included Hunt, the small town that is home to Camp Mystic. At least 27 campers and counselors from Camp Mystic, the all-girl Christian camp located on the banks of the Guadalupe River in Hunt, died, Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha said on Wednesday.
Business owner Vinnie Mifsud, who operated a kayak business along the Guadalupe River, told The Epoch Times he received a CodeRED alert at 6:30 a.m. on July 4 and noticed it had been issued an hour earlier.
Mifsud said he had originally planned to spend the night along the river that night, but went back home with his teenage son after they quarrelled, a decision that likely saved their lives.
If there had been a siren or some advanced warning when the water rose sharply in Hunt, perhaps the hardest hit area of the county, that was hit first, then maybe it could have made a difference, Mifsud said.
During a press conference earlier in the week, Leitha was asked about an alleged delay that occurred after an Ingram Volunteer Fire Department commander asked a Kerr County Sheriff dispatcher to issue a CodeRed alert.
Leitha said the county’s response would be examined, but for now, the focus would remain on recovering the missing.
“Those questions are going to be answered,” he said. “I believe those questions need to be answered … to the families of missed loved ones, to the public, to the people that put me in this office.”
Abbott said in a July 9 statement that flood warning systems will be considered as part of a special legislative session agenda set to begin July 21.
State lawmakers will consider legislation that improves early warning systems and other preparedness infrastructure in flood-prone areas throughout Texas.
