US agency ‘ignored distress calls’, new claims emerge as Trump lauds Texas flood handling efforts amid criticism

“The people here — first responders, the sheriff’s office, all of police, law enforcement — they’ve done an unbelievable job,” Trump said.

Speaking about the “countless” volunteers, first responders, and others who rushed to Kerr County, Texas, to help, Trump said, “They’re talented and they’ve got a big heart … It’s amazing what you’re doing.”

“The people in this room and the people in this community have been unbelievable — what they’ve gone through… I just want to thank everybody here… It’s been incredible, the way they pulled together,” he said.

Thanking the first responders in Kerrville, Texas, Trump said, “This was a terrible situation but we appreciate the job you’ve done very much — very special people.”

Trump said the government is “taking historic action to ensure that such a nightmare never happens again… Earlier this year, I directed a sweeping review of the preparedness and critical infrastructure.”

Trump’s statement came amid mounting questions about the government’s response to the deadly deluge, and hopes of finding any more survivors were nearly extinguished.

Meanwhile, federal agencies faced criticism amid claims that they may have failed to warn residents quickly enough that a deadly wall of water was coming their way.

Key points of criticism:

1. National Weather Service (NWS) staffing & forecasting cuts

The deadly Texas storms has put the spotlight on Donald Trump’s weather agency cuts. Recently, the US Senate’s top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, asked a government watchdog to investigate whether cuts at the National Weather Service affected the forecasting agency’s response.

The NWS has, however, defended its forecasting and emergency management, noting it assigned extra forecasters to two Texas offices over the holiday weekend, Reuters reported.

Meanwhile, the Trump administration has said the agency was sufficiently staffed and responded adequately to “an act of God.” On NBC, Trump described the flooding as a “once-in-every-200-year event.”

2. ‘FEMA didn’t answer thousands of calls from flood survivors’

According to documents reviewed by The New York Times, the Federal Emergency Management Agency did not answer nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line on July 6 — two days after catastrophic floods roared through Central Texas.

The report cited sources as claiming that the lack of responsiveness happened because the agency had fired hundreds of contractors at call centers.

Sources told the New York Times that the NWS laid off the contractors on July 5 after their contracts expired and were not extended.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post reported on Friday that the Trump administration has backed away from plans to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), but administration officials continue to dodge questions about the agency’s future and many are still calling for serious reforms, potentially sending much of its work to the states.

What Trump has to say about criticism

Speaking to Fox News on Friday in Kerrville, Texas, Trump was asked about his opinion on those people who “are looking to blame politics for what just happened here [Texas].”

He responded: “”It happens any time there’s anything — ‘It’s Trump’s fault’… It’s just like a soundbite… They actually gave a lot of warnings… and they did a really good job.”

Trump reportedly criticised a reporter for asking for his response to those who say the warning alerts didn’t go out in time and that more people could have been saved.

“Only an evil person would ask a question like that,” Trump was quoted by ABC news agency as saying.

“I think this has been heroism. This has been incredible. Really, the job you’ve all done,” Trump added.

He said, “It’s easy to sit back and say, ‘Oh, what could have happened here or there, maybe we could have done something differently.’ This was a thing … that’s never happened before.”