Trump surveys injury in Texas as search efforts proceed for 160 lacking

US President Donald Trump has reassured Kerrville, Texas, residents that the federal government would assist rebuild after floods hit the central a part of the state final week, killing 120 individuals.

The president and First Woman Melania Trump met on Friday with native officers on the bottom – at one level standing in entrance of an upended tractor trailer – and surveyed the injury.

“I’ve by no means seen something prefer it,” Trump stated, after taking a tour of the devastation.

Greater than 12,300 volunteers have gathered to assist seek for the 161 individuals nonetheless lacking statewide. Officers stated volunteers have been working 10 hours a day.

Whereas storms broken properties and killed residents all through central Texas, Kerr County confronted the brunt of the floodwaters.

Trump advised officers gathered for a day roundtable at a Kerrville youth heart that he and the primary girl had been on the town to “categorical the love and help, and the anguish of our whole nation”.

The primary girl, who ordinarily retains a low profile, additionally toured the devastation. She stated she hugged and prayed with households of the victims throughout her go to.

“My deepest sympathy to the entire dad and mom who misplaced stunning younger souls,” she stated. “We’re grieving with you. Our nation is grieving with you.”

She additionally promised to go to once more.

Amongst these killed within the storms had been 27 younger ladies who had been attending Camp Mystic – one in all 18 summer time camps positioned on that stretch of the Guadalupe River.

Search crews in Texas are nonetheless sifting by way of particles for scores of lacking individuals. Authorities have stated they won’t relent till everyone seems to be accounted for.

“This can be a large operation, increasing daily,” Rajeev Fernando, the Chief Medical Officer for the aid group Heal Corps, advised the BBC.

“All of this particles drags our bodies additional down the river, for miles and miles. So day by day we get updates, and day by day it is actually increasing the operation.”

Within the wake of the lethal tragedy, questions have been raised about whether or not sufficient warnings had been supplied and why camps weren’t evacuated forward of the deluge.

Consultants have stated a lot of issue led to the lethal influence of the flash flood, together with the pre-dawn timing, the situation of some properties, the patchwork of cell service and its total velocity and severity.

Trump dismissed a media query on Friday what extra may have been achieved to warn residents, saying: “Solely an evil particular person would ask a query like that.”

He praised the “heroism” of search and rescue efforts and stated it “straightforward” to sit down again and discuss what may have been achieved otherwise.

The Guadalupe River ranges, which rose to flood properties, roads and vehicles, caught many without warning.

The disaster unfolded earlier than dawn every week in the past. The river rose 26ft (8m) within the span of simply 45 minutes. Younger kids and employees at summer time camps and folks in properties alongside the river had been asleep as climate alerts went off.

Joe Rigelsky, founding father of the Christian support group Upstream Worldwide, has been main search items combing particles with specifically educated cadaver canines alongside the Guadelupe River.

“You could not have sufficient of those canines right here proper now,” Mr Rigelsky stated on a mission the BBC joined with one canine, Rocket.

As his crew adopted Rocket down the river, his spouse – and Upstream Worldwide co-founder – Sami, picked up misplaced gadgets scattered among the many particles.

She untangled a baby’s necklace from a tree, picked up a child cup with a snail painted on, and stumbled upon a throw pillow that reads ‘JOY’.

She posts footage and descriptions of the gadgets on a Fb group referred to as ‘Discovered on the Guadalupe River’, the place individuals can declare the misplaced gadgets or use them to assist determine the lacking.

“Within the scheme of every little thing that is out right here, it is such a small factor,” she stated of recovering the gadgets.

“However any individual’s child performed with this,” she added, lifting the infant cup.