Austin, US, July 11 (EFE). – United States President Donald Trump visited the Texas region affected by last week’s devastating floods, which left at least 120 people dead and more than 100 missing.
“I’ve never seen anything like it. I’ve seen a lot of bad ones. I’ve gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I’ve never seen anything like this. This is a bad one,” Trump said.
“Nobody has any idea how and why a thing like this could happen,” said the Republican president at a roundtable discussion with Texas Governor Greg Abbott and local officials.
Trump’s visit to Kerr County, the area hit hardest by the disaster, comes as questions mount about the local authorities’ response to the floods and the role the warning system’s shortcomings played in the tragedy.
Trump sidestepped the issue, focusing instead on praising state and local officials. He mentioned that they did an “incredible job” and acted “like professionals.”
First Lady Melania Trump participated in the visit as well, offering her condolences to the families of the deceased, including the families of at least 27 girls and young women from a Christian camp who died in the flash floods.
The disaster, triggered by heavy rains between July 3 and 4, left more than 161 people missing, at least 120 people dead, and miles of destruction in the Hill Country region outside San Antonio.
According to the National Weather Service, between 5 and 11 inches of rain accumulated on the day of the tragedy in Kerr, Bandera, Tom Green, and Kendall counties. EFE aaca/mcd
