President Donald Trump, along with first lady Melania Trump, traveled to Central Texas on Friday, one week after sudden catastrophic flooding swept through multiple counties, killing at least 121 people and destroying homes and businesses.
The president and first lady flew into San Antonio and then boarded Marine One, which took them 60 miles northwest to Kerrville, Texas, the small town that took the brunt of the flooding last week. Of the 120 people who have been reported dead throughout the state, 96 of them — including 36 children — were killed in Kerr County, where Kerrville is the county seat.
.@POTUS and @FLOTUS arrive at Kelly Field in San Antonio, Texas pic.twitter.com/bqv0xsvGTX
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 11, 2025
More than 170 people are still missing in the region as search teams comb the devastated area. Responders are still searching for five young girls who were attending Camp Mystic and one counselor, CBS News reported.
“As a nation, we mourn for every single life that was swept away in the flood, and we pray for the families that are left behind,” Trump said at a press conference with emergency responders in Kerville, alongside Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott. “It’s amazing, the incredible spirit from those families. I don’t even know they do it.”
.@POTUS: “As a nation, we mourn for every single life that was swept away in the flood and we pray for the families that were left behind.” pic.twitter.com/SCN4YvuPDh
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) July 11, 2025
The president said that before the press conference, he and the first lady “spent a lot of time with” the families of victims. Trump also praised the first responders who saved hundreds of lives in the flood.
Over the weekend, Trump declared a major disaster in Texas, allowing federal assistance to flow to the state.
“Nobody ever saw a thing like this coming,” Trump told NBC News on Thursday. “This is a once-in-every-200-year deal.”
Floodwaters rose over 30 feet in an hour in some areas along the Guadaloupe River, giving many people staying near the river over the July Fourth holiday weekend little to no chance to evacuate before the water overtook them. At Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ summer camp in Kerr County, the devastation was unfathomable, with 27 campers and counselors dying in the flooding.
In the aftermath of the flooding, the Trump administration has faced criticism for cuts to the National Weather Service (NWS), with some Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), questioning whether an understaffed NWS sent flood warnings too late for many people in the path of the disaster. The White House shot back at such criticism. Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier this week, “Blaming President Trump for these floods is a depraved lie, and it serves no purpose during this time of national mourning.”
The National Weather Service Employees Organization, which represents NWS employees, also pushed back against allegations that Trump’s staffing cuts hindered the service’s ability to issue timely warnings.
“The WFOs [weather forecasting offices] had adequate staffing and resources as they issued timely forecasts and warnings leading up to the storm,” said Tom Fahy, the president of the NWS Employee Organization.
In a statement to ABC News, the National Weather Service added, “Flash Flood Warnings were issued on the night of July 3 and in the early morning of July 4, giving preliminary lead times of more than three hours before warning criteria were met.”
