President Donald Trump on Saturday called the deadly floods in Texas “terrible” and “shocking,” and said the federal government would be sending aid to support recovery efforts.
“They don’t know the answer yet as to how many people, but it looks like some young people have died,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Friday night as it flew toward New Jersey.
“We’ll take care of them. We’re working with the governor. It’s a terrible thing,” he added.
The president stated in a follow-up social media post that his administration is collaborating with state and local officials in Texas to address the “tragic flooding that took place [on Friday].”
“Our Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, will be there shortly. Melania and I are praying for all of the families impacted by this horrible tragedy,” he wrote on Truth Social. “Our Brave First Responders are on site doing what they do best. GOD BLESS THE FAMILIES, AND GOD BLESS TEXAS!”
Early Saturday, first responders continued searching for two dozen missing children from a girls’ summer camp, along with numerous others who disappeared after a surge of floodwater swept through the Texas Hill Country. The devastating storm has claimed at least 43 lives so far, Fox News reported.
Five young girls who were attending Camp Mystic, a private all-girls Christian retreat in Hunt, Texas, have been confirmed dead following the devastating flood.
Anne Hunt confirmed to Fox News Digital that her daughter, Janie, was among the victims. The nonprofit A Voice for the Voiceless identified another camper, Renee Smajstrla, as one of the deceased, Fox noted.
According to FOX 4 Dallas, family members also confirmed that best friends Lila Bonner and Eloise Peck—both recent second-grade graduates from Bradfield Elementary—were among those found dead.
A fifth camper has also been confirmed dead, though her family has requested that her name not be made public.
The fast-moving water that sped along the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet in just 45 minutes before dawn Friday, washing away homes and vehicles, the Washington Times added.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) described the destruction of Camp Mystic along the banks of the Guadalupe River in a post on X.
“It, and the river running beside it, were horrendously ravaged in ways unlike I’ve seen in any natural disaster,” the governor said of the camp. “The height the rushing water reached to the top of cabins was shocking.”
He added: “We won’t stop until we find every girl who was in those cabins,” Abbott vowed.
“The camp was completely destroyed,” 13-year-old Elinor Lester, one of hundreds of campers, told The Associated Press. “A helicopter landed and started taking people away. It was really scary.”
Noem, meanwhile, responded to inappropriate criticism over the lack of warning ahead of the flood, saying the administration is working to modernize the National Weather Service and NOAA’s outdated and “neglected” systems.
Drawing on her experience in Congress and as South Dakota governor, Noem acknowledged the challenges of forecasting severe weather but noted that both officials and citizens have repeatedly called for faster alerts and clearer communication before life-threatening storms strike.
“That is one of the reasons that, when President [Donald] Trump took office, he said he wanted to fix and is currently upgrading the technology,” Noem said during a news conference with state officials Saturday afternoon.
“The National Weather Service has indicated that with that and the [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration] (NOAA), we needed to renew this ancient system that has been left in place with the federal government for many, many years,” she added.