U.S. President Donald Trump assured Kerrville, Texas that the administration would hit the central part of the state last week, killing at least 121 people.
The president and first lady Melania Trump met local officials on the ground Friday — standing in front of a tractor trailer — to investigate the losses.
“I’ve never seen anything like that,” Trump said after the tour.
More than 12,300 volunteers gathered to help search for 161 people still missing across the state. The volunteers work 10 hours a day, officials said.
Kerr County was the first to face flooding when the storm damaged homes and killed residents throughout Central Texas.
Trump told officials gathered at the afternoon roundtable at the Kerrville Youth Center where he and the First Lady “expressed love and support, and the pain of our entire country.”
The first lady who usually keeps a low profile also visited the destruction. She said she hugged and prayed with the victim’s family during her visit.
“I have the deepest sympathy for all parents who have lost their beautiful young souls,” she said. “We are sad for you. Our country is sad for you.”
She also promised to visit again.
Among those who died in the storm, 27 young girls attended the Mystic camp, one of 18 summer camps that stretched out of the Guadalupe River.
Searchers in Texas are still sifting the debris to obtain dozens of missing persons. Authorities said they would not relax until everyone was explained.
“It’s a massive action that expands every day,” Rajeev Fernando, chief medical officer of relief group Heal Corps, told the BBC.
“All of these pieces drag the bodies onto the river, miles and miles. So, every day we get the latest updates, and we expand operations every day.”
Questions have been raised about whether adequate warnings were provided and why the camp was not evacuated before flooding.
Experts say many factors have led to the fatal effects of flash floods, including pre-dawn timing, location of certain houses, patchwork of cell services and their overall speed and severity.
Trump dismissed a media question on Friday, and could also warn residents, saying: “Only one evil person would ask one such question.”
He praised the search and rescue work for “heroism” and said it was “easy” to sit down and talk about something that could have been done differently.
The Guadalupe level rose to floods, roads and cars, which surprised many people.
A disaster happened a week ago before dawn. The river rose 26 feet (8m) in just 45 minutes. Young children and staff at summer camp, people in houses along the river fell asleep as the weather alarm collapsed.
Joe Rigelsky, founder of Christian Aid Upstream International, has been leading the search unit, combing fragments along the Guadelupe River along specially trained corpse dogs.
“You’re not here enough now,” Mr. Rigsky said during a mission with a dog Rocket on the BBC.
As his team followed the Rockets onto the river, his wife and Upstream International co-founder Sami picked up the lost items scattered in the debris.
She figured out the child’s necklace from the tree, picked up the baby cup that the snail was smeared on it, and stumbled upon a pillow throwing pillow engraved with “joy”.
She posted images and descriptions on a Facebook group called “Discovered on the Guadalupe River” where people can claim to be lost or use them to help identify missing items.
“In all the plans that come out here, it’s a small thing,” she said.
She added: “But someone plays this.”
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A wellness enthusiast and certified nutrition advisor, Meera covers everything from healthy living tips to medical breakthroughs. Her articles aim to inform and inspire readers to live better every day.
