Donald Trump visited Texas on Friday July 11, 2025 to see the effects of a catastrophic flood that hit the middle part of the state. The flood, referred to by Trump as a "hundred-year disaster", caused at least 120 deaths, including many children, and over 160 people are still wanted. The most affected area is Kerr County, where approximately 95 bodies were found, including 36 children.
Trump: "I've never seen anything like it."
During the visit, Trump and First Lady Melanie met with the victims' families and local emergency services and officials. The president expressed compassion and support for the victims, emphasizing that the whole nation is united in pain and solidarity with the people of Texas. He described the destruction as hard to believe, pointing out that he had seen many bad things, but never such things. — Hundred-year-old trees were torn from the ground and the landscape was severely destroyed.
"Melania and I pray for all families affected by this terrible tragedy. Our brave rescuers are here and doing what they do best." — Donald Trump.
Trump's visit also had a political dimension, especially in the context of his earlier suggestions to limit the role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Trump suggested that crisis management should be more centralised at the state level rather than the federal level, which met with the support of some local politicians, including Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
Texas underwater. Emergency actions are underway
In Texas, in just a few hours, between 4 and 7 July, it fell to 500 mm of rain, which accounted for over a third of the annual total rainfall. The water surprised sleeping residents and camp participants, which made evacuation and rescue much harder. The flood changed the valley of the Guadalupe River unrecognizable and sank more than 100 residential buildings, resulting in mass evacuations and loss of shelter by many residents.
Texas authorities, including Governor Greg Abbott, stress that The search continues and will not rest until each person is found. Emergency services and local communities carry out extensive rescue and relief activities.
