The death toll from a devastating flood in Central Texas, the US rose past 100 on Monday evening, as the chance of finding more survivors faded on the fourth day of searching. Among the dead were at least 27 campers and staff members from a single summer camp, where 11 people were still missing, The New York Times reported.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick of Texas acknowledged on Monday that lives could have been saved if there were flood-warning sirens along the river, and said they needed to be in place by next summer. Kerr County officials had previously considered installing them but balked at the price tag, the media said.
The White House meanwhile rejected suggestions that budget cuts at the National Weather Service NWS could have inhibited the disaster response, according to BBC.
At least 84 of the victims -- 56 adults and 28 children -- died in Kerr County, where the Guadalupe River was swollen by torrential downpours before daybreak on Friday, the July Fourth public holiday.
In its latest forecast, the NWS has predicted more slow-moving thunderstorms, potentially bringing more flash flooding to the region.
Critics of the Trump administration have sought to link the disaster to thousands of job cuts at the NWS’ parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, per BBC.
Trump pushed back when asked on Sunday if federal government cuts had hampered the disaster response, initially appearing to shift blame to what he called "the Biden set-up", referring to his Democratic predecessor.
"But I wouldn’t blame Biden for it, either," he added. "I would just say this is a 100-year catastrophe."
原文地址：http://en.people.cn/n3/2025/0708/c90000-20337417.html