President Donald Trump is headed to Texas today to survey the damage from recent flash flooding.
The death toll stands at 120, and 173 people remain missing. Among the missing are five children and one counselor from Camp Mystic.
First Lady Melania Trump is expected to accompany the president on the visit. Trump has pledged to provide relief to Texas to help the state recover from the devastating floods.
Earlier this week, he signed a major disaster declaration for Kerr County.
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White House Deputy Press Secretary Harrison Fields told reporters that President Trump will be involved in briefings and will witness the aftermath firsthand.
"This government will be there as a helping hand up through this tragedy and this president and the entire administration is committed to working with the state and local leaders to make sure that we bring this area back to its glory," Fields said.
The visit comes as the Trump administration faces continued questions over cutbacks at the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and uncertainty over the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Questions are mounting about preparation ahead of the storm that caused the flooding. Some residents said they never received emergency alerts, even though several were sent out in the days and hours ahead of the storm.
Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security are calling for investigations into the issuance of weather alerts and FEMA’s response.
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President Trump mentioned the possibility of installing warning systems to respond to future flooding.
“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 on Thursday, during an interview on NBC News' "Meet the Press."
Although President Trump and his administration have openly discussed eliminating FEMA, Fields said there is still a role for the federal government in disasters like the one in Texas.
"If you look at FEMA, it's an organization that, unfortunately, is not run efficiently, and we're trying to get it to become a more efficient resource on behalf of the federal government," Fields said. "We understand that the states can do this better, and they should do it better. They understand the topography, they understand the landscape, they understand the people that they're serving, because they are the constituents of that particular state or region.
"So, we just want to make sure that we bring the resources and the leadership closer to the people that are needing assistance. That's not to say the federal government will not play any role, but we understand that the states and local governments are the best people to control the disaster response, and this is what the president wants to do."
