The devastating floods sweeping by way of central Texas have claimed not less than 119 lives, with over 160 individuals nonetheless unaccounted for, reviews CNN. The disaster has triggered contemporary scrutiny of the nation’s emergency response mannequin, particularly as US President Donald Trump, who lately proposed phasing out the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA), is now touting a swift federal response to the disaster.Emergency planning questionedIssues are additionally mounting over whether or not correct precautions have been taken within the days earlier than the floods. Data obtained by CNN present {that a} state inspector had cleared Camp Mystic, the place 27 individuals died, as having an emergency plan simply two days earlier than the catastrophe. The revelation has sparked new questions on how successfully that plan was adopted.Governor Abbott, who toured the affected areas lately, stated the state’s emergency alert system can be reviewed in a particular legislative session this month.Trump administration backs FEMA responseRegardless of Trump’s earlier statements about desirous to “wean off of FEMA” and shift duty to states, his administration is now highlighting how rapidly FEMA has responded to the Texas catastrophe. The president authorised Governor Greg Abbott’s request for a significant catastrophe declaration inside a day, unlocking federal help for affected residents and native authorities.In a Cupboard assembly, Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem advised Trump, “We’re slicing by way of the paperwork of the outdated FEMA, streamlining it, very similar to your imaginative and prescient of how FEMA ought to function.” She added that the federal assist to Texas resembled the “state block grants” mannequin championed by the president.Nonetheless, former FEMA officers argued the company’s present involvement displays its conventional position fairly than any substantial shift. “It is a defining occasion that may assist them realise {that a} Federal Emergency Administration Company is crucial,” stated Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of workers below Presidents Obama and Biden. “Think about if an occasion like this occurred a yr from now, after FEMA is eradicated.”
