Donald Trump announced the declaration of a “major disaster” in Kerr County, in Texas, following the rise of the Guadalupe River that has claimed the lives of at least 59 people in that county and a total of 70 in the state.
Furthermore, there are still dozens of missing people, including 11 girls and a camp instructor who were by the river.
Authorities have confirmed 59 deaths in Kerr County, including 21 children; four more in Travis County; three more in Burnet County; and two more in Kendall Counties; one in Tom Greene, and one in Williamson County.
What did Trump say about the state of disaster?
“I just signed the Declaration of Major Disaster for Kerr County, Texas, to ensure that our brave emergency services have the resources they need immediately,” Trump commented on his Truth Social account.
The President of the United States spoke about the families who are living an “unimaginable tragedy” with so many deaths and missing persons. “The Trump Administration continues to work closely with state and local leaders,” the president emphasized before mentioning that the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, visited the site on Saturday with Governor Greg Abbott.
“Our amazing coastguards and emergency services have saved over 850 lives. God bless the families and God bless Texas,” concluded the president.
The governor takes the opportunity to deliver a religious message
Abbott himself posted a message on X in which he emphasized that “praying works.” “Thanks to all who throughout the country and the world have prayed for the people of Texas in this challenging time. Many of those prayers have been answered. As the Bible teaches, pray giving thanks to God,” he stated.
Abbott, in a press conference, stated that “the most repeated word in the last 36 hours has been ‘pray’”. The Texas governor even believes that “it could have been the reason why the waters stopped rising” and thus saved a house or a cabin, “which could have caused the entire building to float.” “We ask you to keep praying as the search efforts continue and to pray a lot for the families who have lost a loved one, who are going through a tough time,” he added.