President Donald Trump said his administration will take “historic action” to prevent another devastation like the Texas flash flooding, which has claimed more than 120 lives, including dozens of children.
Scores of other victims remain missing and unaccounted for, local officials say.
“We’re going to look and see how something can happen like this,” Trump said at roundtable Friday. “They could say it’s 100-year; somebody said it’s a 500-year event. We’re not going to let a thing like this happen again where it can wreak this kind of devastation.”
Trump traveled to Kerr County, Texas, to survey the damage, meet with first responders and local officials, and visit with families who lost children.
Trump honored the young girls who lost their lives at Camp Mystic, a Christian girls’ camp on the Guadeloupe River.
“As we grieve this unthinkable tragedy, we take comfort, and God has welcomed those little, beautiful girls into his comforting arms in heaven,” the president said. “We believe that. Have to believe that, and we do. And we lost some wonderful people beyond the little girls, who lost some very brave men and women that tried to save the girls as our nation, we mourn for every single life that was swept away in the flood, and we pray for the families that are left behind.”
Trump praised a Coast Guard rescue crew that saved 169 children at Camp Mystic.
“The camp staff was also incredibly courageous,” he said.
First lady Melania Trump also extended her condolences to the families who lost children.
“We just met with the wonderful families. We pray with them. We hug, we hold hands,” she said. “They share the stories. And I met beautiful young ladies. They gave me this special bracelet from the camp in honor of all of the little girls that they lost their lives.”
“So, we are here to honor them and also to give the support help, and I will be back,” she promised. “I promise to them, and I just pray for them and giving them my strength and love.”
[Editor’s note: This story originally was published by The Daily Signal.]