Texas floods latest: Search for over 170 victims paused due to heavy rain as Trump argues Texans got ‘a lot of warning’

Rosie O’Donnell fired right back at President Donald Trump after he threatened to revoke her U.S. citizenship after she criticized the administration’s handling of the Texas flood disaster.

Trump made the threat on Saturday after the talk show host blamed his administration’s handling of weather forecasting agencies in the wake of the deadly Texas Hill Country flash floods, the latest salvo in a years-long feud the two have waged over social media.

“Because of the fact that Rosie O’Donnell is not in the best interests of our Great Country, I am giving serious consideration to taking away her Citizenship,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, invoking a deportation rationale the administration has used in attempts to remove foreign-born protesters from the country.

In a blistering response to his threat, she called him “King Joffrey with a tangerine spray tan,” a reference to a much-hated, sadistic, authoritarian character from Game of Thrones.

Read her full reaction here:

A flash flood warning has been issued for Kerr County, Texas, the centre of last week’s flooding.

The National Weather Service says do not travel unless you are escaping floodwaters or under an evacuation order. Roads can wash out in minutes. Rain is falling fast here in Kerrville — and the situation can turn deadly in moments.

After a week of being missing in action, David Richardson, the acting head of FEMA, is on the ground in central Texas.

The agency tweeted a series of pictures on Saturday evening showing him meeting with officials from the Texas Division of Emergency Management and taking a helicopter tour of damage from the July 4 floods.

It is unclear where Richardson has been all week, while Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, has taken the lead on the federal response.

Noem has stressed in interviews this week that President Donald Trump’s vision for FEMA is for it to support state responses to disasters rather than lead them.

Kerr County officials reportedly failed to activate a powerful public alert system that could have saved lives before last week’s devastating flood, leaving almost 100 dead and over 160 missing in the county. The Washington Post revealed that despite having the technology to turn every mobile phone in the river valley into a loud alarm, local authorities did not deploy it as the Guadalupe River swelled to record levels on July 4, inundating campsites and homes.

As the river began to flood, county officials eventually sent text message alerts, but only to pre-registered residents. Even as a federal meteorologist warned of worsening conditions and extreme risk, the more potent notification system, previously used for flood alerts, remained inactive. The National Weather Service, however, began sending its own alerts through this system from 1:14 a.m. on July 4.

The Integrated Public Alert & Warning System (IPAWS) is a mass notification programme used by National Weather Service meteorologists for imminent threats. Like Amber Alerts, IPAWS warnings force phones to vibrate and emit a unique, jarring tone, provided they are on and have a signal. It also enables local officials to send targeted messages.

Abdul-Akeem Sadiq, a University of Central Florida professor researching emergency management, told The Post that residents are more likely to trust messages from local government. He suggested the alert could have made a significant difference, despite patchy mobile service and many likely asleep as floodwaters surged.

For years, Kerr County officials have discussed a more robust flash-flood warning system, including the installation of expensive sirens. Lacking that infrastructure, they adopted IPAWS, which cost nothing, to alert more people.

IPAWS had been activated by Kerr County twice before, most recently in July 2024 for flash floods. Just two days after this year’s deadly storm, amid further thunderstorms, county officials did use IPAWS to warn of another potential round of river flooding.

Emergency crews in central Texas suspended their search for victims of catastrophic flooding on Sunday morning, as new warnings of surging waterways forced a halt to operations. This marks the first time severe weather has paused the search since the initial deluge earlier this month.

Ingram Fire Department officials ordered search teams to immediately evacuate the Guadalupe River corridor in Kerr County, warning of high flash flood potential. Search-and-rescue teams have been looking for those missing since the July 4 weekend floods, which killed at least 129 people and left more than 170 unaccounted for.

As heavy rain fell Sunday, National Weather Service forecasters warned the Guadalupe River could rise to nearly 4.6 metres (15 feet) by Sunday afternoon. This is about 1.5 metres (five feet) above flood stage, enough to submerge the Highway 39 bridge near Hunt. “Numerous secondary roads and bridges are flooded and very dangerous,” a weather service warning said.

With reporting from the AP

House Democrats addressed a letter to President Donald Trump and weather infrastructure officials on Friday, expressing “deep concern” about the flooding in Kerr County, Texas, and the “structural shortcomings at the federal, state, and local levels that contributed to the tragic loss of life.”

The body of a 22-year-old man has been recovered in the Texas Hill Country after devastating floodwaters inundated his family’s river cabin on July 4, his father confirmed.

Aidan Heartfield was with three friends when they were caught in a sudden deluge that saw water levels inside the property rise from inches to several feet in moments.

The tragedy unfolded around 4 a.m. when Thad Heartfield received a frantic call from his son, Aidan, who was at the cabin in Hunt with his girlfriend and two friends, NBC News reports.

Aidan reported four inches of water inside the property, but within seconds, the water surged to approximately four feet. Mr Heartfield urged his son to escape to the highway, but the rapidly rising waters swept away their cars.

Aidan then told his father he needed to help his girlfriend, handing the phone to one of the other girls. Within moments, she told Mr Heartfield that his son and the others were gone, before the line went dead.

Thad Heartfield confirmed on Saturday to KFDM/Fox 4 News that Aidan’s body had been recovered. His longtime girlfriend, Ella Cahill, and friends Joyce Badon and Reese Manchaca, both 21, were also found deceased.

“I want to thank everyone in the community for their prayers and support,” Mr Heartfield said. “It has meant the world to us and sustained us through this difficult time. I know it has been important to all of the affected families. This is an important step toward closure.”

While Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has denied that her $100,000 spending policy slowed down the response on the ground in Texas, it appears to have had a knock-on effect for survivors.

Two days after severe floods hit Central Texas, nearly two-thirds of calls to FEMA’s disaster assistance line went unanswered, according to documents obtained by The New York Times.

The lack of response was due to the agency firing hundreds of contractors at call centers, a person familiar with the matter, speaking anonymously, told the paper.

The contractors were laid off on July 5 after their contracts expired and were not renewed, based on the documents and the source’s account.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA, has introduced a new rule requiring her personal approval for expenses exceeding $100,000 and delayed renewing these contracts until Thursday, five days after they expired.

The report of unanswered calls on July 6, which had not been previously revealed, coincides with increased scrutiny of FEMA’s flood response efforts and questions about the agency’s future.

A spokesperson for DHS told the Times: “When a natural disaster strikes, phone calls surge, and wait times can subsequently increase. Despite this expected influx, FEMA’s disaster call center responded to every caller swiftly and efficiently, ensuring no one was left without assistance.”

Individuals impacted by disasters can apply for various types of financial assistance from FEMA, including a one-time payment of $750, which can help cover their immediate needs, such as food or other essential supplies for those who have lost their homes.

On July 5, as floodwaters started to go down, FEMA received 3,027 calls from disaster survivors and responded to 3,018, or about 99.7 percent, according to the records. Contractors from four call center companies handled most of the calls.

However, Noem did not renew the contracts with the four companies, and hundreds of contractors were fired, according to the documents and the person briefed on the matter.

The next day, July 6, FEMA received 2,363 calls and answered 846, or about 35.8 percent, according to the documents. Things got worse.

On Monday, July 7, the agency received 16,419 calls and answered 2,613, or approximately 15.9 percent, according to the documents.

Some FEMA officials grew frustrated with the lapse in contracts and the delay in Noem’s response, according to the person briefed on the matter and the documents.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem claims that a policy she instituted, where she had to personally sign off on any expenditure over $100,000, did not slow down the response to the Texas flood.