Texas Flash Floods Claim Over 100 Lives; Trump Faces Criticism Over Cuts
More than 100 people, including children from Camp Mystic, are dead or missing after devastating flash floods struck Texas Hill Country. The Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes, catching many off guard. Rescues are ongoing, with 11 campers and counselors still unaccounted for.
Governor Greg Abbott called the destruction “horrific” and pledged to find every missing person. Questions are now being raised about whether earlier warnings could have saved lives.
Texas officials partially blame former President Donald Trump, citing earlier layoffs of 600 National Weather Service staff due to cost-cutting. They argue that these cuts weakened the state’s ability to issue timely flood alerts.
Trump denied responsibility, calling it a “100-year catastrophe,” and the White House labeled the accusations a “depraved lie,” asserting that the NWS issued proper warnings.
Trump has signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County and plans to visit Texas later this week.