Texas, Trump and FEMA
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Ex-FEMA officials say it’s unclear how the response differs from FEMA’s typical role in disasters, which is to support states through coordination and funding.
The governor was quick to request federal assistance last week after devastating floods hit the Texas Hill Country.
Q: Is it true that if President Donald Trump hadn’t defunded the National Weather Service, the death toll in the Texas flooding would have been far lower or nonexistent? A: The Trump administration did not defund the NWS but did reduce the staff by 600 people.
President Donald Trump has avoided talk of scrapping the federal disaster response agency after the catastrophic flash flood in Texas that killed more than 100 people, including children at an all-girls camp.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz said he doesn't believe the West Wing is aware of the "damage" Noem has caused to the agency.
At least 120 people have been found dead since heavy rainfall overwhelmed the river and flowed through homes and youth camps in the early morning hours of July 4. Ninety-six of those killed were in the hardest-hit county in central Texas, Kerr County, where the toll includes at least 36 children.
Some governors and mayors are concerned over how current or potential cuts to agencies will impact how the government can respond in the future to major weather events.
The White House also says he’ll visit the state emergency operations centre to meet with first responders and relatives of flood victims. Trump will also get a briefing from officials. Republican governor Greg Abbott,
President Donald Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency chief has thrown his weight behind right-wing conspiracy theories that have spread online in the wake of the Texas floods.