SCOTT SIMON, HOST:
Now, just over a week since the waters of the Guadalupe River broke their banks in Texas, at least 129 people have died in the flooding, and more than 170 remain missing. President Trump visited Kerrville yesterday to see the aftermath. Steve Futterman is in the city and joins us now. Steve, thanks for being with us.
STEVE FUTTERMAN: Good morning, Scott.
SIMON: What did the president see yesterday?
FUTTERMAN: Well, the president yesterday spent around four hours here. He and first lady Melania Trump saw some of the damage and destruction, both on the ground and from the air, as they helicoptered into Kerrville on Marine One. They also met with people who are grieving. Afterwards, there were some heartfelt words from Trump.
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PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: Dozens and dozens of precious children taken from us with such - I looked at the pictures of almost all of them, and it's terrible.
FUTTERMAN: And the first lady spoke as well.
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MELANIA TRUMP: To the community, to everybody who lost a loved one, we are grieving with you. Our nation is grieving with you.
FUTTERMAN: Now, at the end of the day, Trump got a bit irritated by a question from a reporter who said that she had spoken with some families who were upset that flood warnings had not gone out earlier and felt that if they had, some people might have been saved. The president clearly did not like that question.
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D TRUMP: Only a bad person would ask a question like that, to be honest with you. I don't know who you are, but only a very evil person would ask a question like that. I think this has been heroism. This has been incredible, really, the job you've all done. It's easy to sit back and say, oh, what could have happened here or there, you know? Maybe we could have done something differently. This was a thing that has never happened before.
FUTTERMAN: Now, throughout this week, we have seen officials defensive, a bit thin-skinned when asked questions about what may have gone wrong. And while this was a once-in-a-century event, over the years, safety concerns have been raised at various times. But a bit later, the president actually did say there does need to be a better system in place. And remember how Trump has been so critical in the past of FEMA, even suggesting that it might be dismantled? Well, now that criticism may be softening a bit. Yesterday, he said, we have some good people running FEMA.
SIMON: Steve, how many people do we know to be still missing, and how's the search going?
FUTTERMAN: Well, there are more than 170 people missing, Scott. The search is going on with no immediate end in sight. The search area has an enormous footprint, covering miles and miles, and the numbers have not moved much in the past few days. The crew simply are not finding many additional bodies. It is possible that some of those missing may never be found. I think that reality is beginning to set in here. Last night, a vigil took place at a makeshift memorial that's been set up. I spoke with Kerrville resident, Gage Greer (ph).
How's this area dealing with it? I mean, no one deals with stuff like this well.
GAGE GREER: It's just a silent - it's silent around town for the last week. It's just - you go into the store, and there's just no - you just lost the words, you know? You just don't know what to say. I mean - but we're dealing with it good. We're coming as a community, and we're coming together, and we're being as strong as we can, helping each other out.
SIMON: And, Steve, for those who have lost loved ones, the funerals are beginning to take place, aren't they?
FUTTERMAN: Yeah, this ordeal is not probably ever going to be over for them. Yesterday, there was one funeral in the Dallas area for 8-year-old Hadley Hanna. She attended Camp Mystic. Today, several additional funerals are taking place, including one here in Kerrville for another Camp Mystic camper who was just 9 years old.
SIMON: Steve Futterman in Kerrville. Steve, thank you so very much.
FUTTERMAN: Thank you, Scott. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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