Kerr County was hit the hardest, with at least 106 deaths, including 36 children. President Donald Trump signed a disaster declaration for the county and the Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the ground there.
President Donald Trump is on the ground in Texas to witness the destruction from the floods.
Donald Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Melania Trump meet with local officials and first reponders following devastating flooding that ocurred in the area over the July 4 weekend, in Kerrville, Texas, on July 11, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Donald Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and First Lady Melania Trump meet with local officials and first responders near the Guadalupe River following devastating flooding that ocurred in the area over the July 4 weekend, in Kerrville, Texas, on July 11, 2025.
Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Trump and Gov. Greg Abbott met with first responders on the scene before Trump's roundtable event with local officials.
Trump is joined on his trip by Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, the state's two Republican senators.
Sen. Ted Cruz, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins and Sen. John Cornyn arrive at Kelly Field air base in San Antonio, Texas, en route to observe flood damage in Kerrville, Texas, July 11, 2025.
Jacquelyn Martin/AP
Jul 11, 2025, 6:05 AM EDT
FEMA maps underestimated risk in catastrophic Texas flood, data shows
The risk of the catastrophic flooding that struck Texas Hill Country as people slept on July 4 and left at least 120 dead was potentially underestimated by federal authorities, according to an ABC News analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data, satellite imagery and risk modeling.
Search crews from Oklahoma Task Force One look for missing flood victims in Center Point Texas, July 10, 2025.
Ashley Landis/AP
Some of the youth camps and recreational areas most devastated by the extreme weather were established on land designated by the FEMA as "special flood hazard areas" or in the river's floodway, making them especially vulnerable to the July 4 flash floods that exceeded some federal estimates for a worst-case scenario.
At some points, water extended for hundreds of feet outside the Guadalupe River's banks and beyond FEMA estimates, according to satellite data. First Street, a risk modeling company, told ABC News that the company believes that more than double the 8 million homes nationwide that are designated by FEMA to be in flood zones are actually at risk, finding that government models are outdated and fail to consider extreme weather events.
-ABC News' Kerem Inal, Peter Charalambous and Gaby Vinick
Jul 11, 2025, 5:15 AM EDT
Trump to head to Texas after catastrophic flooding
President Donald Trump travels to Texas on Friday amid growing questions about how local officials responded to the devastating floods, as well as questions about the federal response -- including FEMA's fate -- that he has so far avoided.
The White House is pictured, Thursday, July 10, 2025, in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP
Trump's visit comes a week after heavy rainfall caused the Guadalupe River in Kerr County to rise 26 feet in less than an hour, killing at least 121, including dozens of children at the nearby Christian summer camp, Camp Mystic.
He and first lady Melania Trump will visit flood-affected areas, according to a statement from the first lady's office.
President Donald Trump expressed support for flood alarms in Texas while also praising the work being done by those responding to the flood disaster in the state.
The president made the comments in an interview with NBC on Thursday.
"After having seen this horrible event, I would imagine you’d put alarms up in some form, where alarms would go up if they see any large amounts of water or whatever it is," Trump said.
"But the local officials were hit by this just like everybody else," he added.
President Donald Trump listens as African Leaders deliver remarks during a multilateral lunch in the State Dining Room of the White House July 9, 2025 in Washington.
Win McNamee/Getty Images
As questions swirl surrounding the timeline of who was notified about the flooding and if more could have been done, during a news conference this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott punted on reporters’ questions about emergency notifications.
When asked who is to blame, Abbott said, "That is the word choice of losers."
Responding to Abbott's comments, Trump said, "It’d be easy to blame them. I wouldn’t blame them."
The president continued, saying, "I think from the standpoint of the future, you’d have to have some kind of an alarm and lighting system, maybe."