Washington — President Trump expressed the “anguish of our entire nation” Friday after he and first lady Melania Trump met with families of the victims of last week’s deadly flooding in Central Texas.
The president and first lady surveyed the devastation in Kerrville, Texas, and met with first responders and local officials, as rescuers and families continue their search for the missing.
“We just visited with incredible families that, I mean, look, they’ve been devastated,” the president said in a roundtable with state, federal and local officials in Kerrville. “They lost their child, or two children. And, just hard to believe. I’ve never seen anything like it, a little narrow river that becomes a monster, and that’s what happened. But the first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood.”
Mr. Trump met with families behind closed doors, away from cameras.
“We are grieving with you,” the first lady said Friday. “Our nation is grieving with you.”
The first lady promised to return to Texas for the families.
The death toll in the state stands at 121, according to local law enforcement and Gov. Greg Abbott. The Trumps, along with Abbott, greeted first responders against the backdrop of a Kerrville firetruck and a pile of felled trees before the roundtable, receiving an update on the response to the flooding.
More than 170 people are still missing after flash floods consumed the region in the early morning of July 4. Drones, rescue teams and volunteers are combing through debris, hoping to find answers for the families of the missing. The majority of the confirmed deaths took place in Kerr County, where the Trumps visited.
“We’re filled with grief and devastation at the loss of life. And unfortunately they’re still looking. They’re still looking. There’s a lot of missing children,” the president said.
Jacquelyn Martin / AP
At Camp Mystic, a girls’ summer camp with cabins along the river in a rural part of Kerr County near Hunt, at least 27 campers and counselors died in what the camp described as “catastrophic flooding.” Some survivors said they woke up to water rushing through the windows.
The president praised the
The president landed in San Antonio on Air Force One before a short helicopter ride brought him and the first lady to Kerrville. He was accompanied on his visit by Texas Republican Sens. Ted Cruz and John Cornyn, members of his Cabinet and other Texas lawmakers.
“It’s a horrible thing, a horrible thing,” the president told reporters Friday before leaving the White House. “Nobody can even believe it. That much water, that fast.”
Jacquelyn Martin / AP 
Mr. Trump has avoided assigning blame for the deaths, saying on Sunday that it was “a hundred-year catastrophe, and it’s just so horrible to watch.”
The president said he would have visited Central Texas sooner but didn’t want to be “in their way” as rescuers continue their work. Mr. Trump has signed a disaster declaration for the region, allowing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to deploy its own teams to support local rescue and recovery efforts as those operations press on.
After the catastrophic flooding, the first lady wrote on X, “My heart goes out to the parents in Texas during this difficult time. I am holding you in my thoughts and sending prayers for strength, comfort, and resilience.”