President Donald Trump on Friday defended the National Weather Service’s advanced warnings of the heavy rainfall that caused catastrophic flooding in central Texas last week, killing over 120 people.
The local NWS office was “well stocked more than normal” and “gave a lot of warnings,” Trump told Fox News host Will Cain.
The interview comes as the federal government faces scrutiny over the weather agency’s staffing cuts. Of the roughly 4,200 people in the NWS workforce, about 600 were either laid off or retired this year.
Some have argued the Trump administration’s NWS cuts led to a forecast that underestimated the amount of rain in Kerr County, Texas. The White House argues the staffing reductions did not play a role in the flood’s outcome and accused Democrats of politicizing the natural disaster.
“The problem with the warnings” is that the flooding “happened so fast,” Trump said.
The agency issued flash flood warnings on the night of July 3 and into the early morning of July 4, providing lead times of more than three hours. But the heavy rainfall caused the Guadalupe River to rise 26 feet in 45 minutes, taking locals by surprise.
“It’s easy to blame the federal government, but the money was tremendous,” Trump said. “Everything was there, and they did a really good job. They actually had warnings the day before that there was going to be something, and they then had the warnings very shortly, right before this horrible, tragic event.”
“This was a case where the Weather Service really, supposedly, did a very good job. Plus, they had more people than they would normally have,” he continued. “It was very well stocked. Their warnings were early and consistent, and they kept getting more dire. They called it right, but it’s a tough thing to watch.”
As the federal government continues to aid Texas officials in response efforts, more than 170 people remain missing.
Of the total casualties, at least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic are either confirmed or feared dead. They were initially considered missing.
The all-girls Christian summer camp in Kerr County was among the hardest hit areas.
Before the interview aired, Trump and first lady Melania Trump participated in a roundtable event meeting with state officials to discuss the federal response to the fatal flooding.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX) hailed the emergency response led by the Trump administration.
“We would not have been able to do that the way that we have, had it not been for you, your commitment to Texas. I know you love Texas, and Texas loves you,” Abbott told Trump as the two sat beside each other. “We appreciate you showing up, and because of your swift and effective response, we are better positioned to deliver on all those commitments than ever before.”
Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which he has threatened to dismantle, is working hard.
“FEMA is deployed, multiple emergency response units,” he said, noting “good people” are “running” the agency.
Meanwhile, Melania Trump offered her condolences to parents grieving over their lost children.
“My deepest sympathy to all of the parents who lost beautiful young souls,” she said. “We are grieving with you. Our nation is grieving with you. We just met with the wonderful families.”
The first lady noted she had personally met “beautiful young ladies” who gifted her a bracelet from Camp Mystic in honor of the children who died in the flooding.
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Speaking on the federal emergency response with Cain, Trump said that “we’ve maxed out and will continue to max out” in aiding Texas following the tragedy.
“I think we’ve accomplished a lot in a short period of time,” the president said during the interview, “but being here was very important.”