Texas gov praises Harvey response; Trump meets and tweets
WASHINGTON » Texas Gov. Greg Abbott loaded heavy praise Sunday on President Donald Trump and the federal government for its response to Hurricane Harvey, describing an “A-plus” effort with the storm only just beginning to take its catastrophic toll.
Trump agreed his administration was handling its responsibilities well, approving of the effort in a series of weekend tweets that showcased his personal involvement. He marveled over the size of the storm like a TV host and, in a tangential aside, hawked a book on race and crime in America written by a supporter.
Trump, who spent most of the weekend at the presidential retreat at Camp David, promised to travel to Texas “as soon as that trip can be made without causing disruption” and convened a Cabinet meeting by telephone Sunday with Vice President Mike Pence.
The devastating storm has dumped more than 2 feet of rain, sending thousands of people in Houston to rooftops for rescue and prompting a warning from Federal Emergency Management Agency director Brock Long of a “landmark event” that could require years to get damaged areas back on track.
“I’ve got to tell you, I give FEMA a grade of A+, all the way from the president down,” Abbott said. “I’ve spoken to the president several times, to his Cabinet members, such as secretary of homeland security, such as the administrator of FEMA, such as Tom Price, the secretary of health and human services.”
“All across the board, from the White House to the federal administration to FEMA, they’ve been very helpful,” Abbott said.
Harvey made landfall along the Gulf Coast on Friday night as a Category 4 storm near Corpus Christi, and moved northeast along the Texas coast over Houston. Abbott said he expected heavy rain “for days to come.”
The governor commended Trump for being “extremely professional, very helpful” in moving quickly to grant his request Friday for an immediate disaster declaration, which triggers additional federal assistance to aggrieved areas.
Abbott said the focus was on rescue in the Houston area, citing multiple high-level vehicles sent in late Saturday night that were being manned by the National Guard, but that boats and helicopters will be available all across east Texas for swift water rescue. Still, in many areas, Houston officials were reporting flooding so widespread that rescuers were getting too many calls to respond to each one and had to prioritize life-and-death situations.
“We’re measuring rain these days not in inches but in feet,” Abbott said.
In his tweets, Trump praised Long for “doing a great job” and touted the “great coordination between agencies at all levels of government.” He also tweeted Sunday morning about his Cabinet meeting to address Harvey. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, is currently without a secretary.
“Major rescue operations underway!” he wrote.
Trump’s tweets also had their oddities and non-sequiturs. “Wow — Now experts are calling #Harvey a once in 500 year flood! We have an all out effort going, and going well!” he tweeted.
He also tweeted about the North America Free Trade agreement, the need for a wall along the U.S.Mexico border and tax cuts. He also found time to promote a book by Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Sheriff David Clarke, a Trump supporter often on television discussing his conservative views of race, crime and law enforcement.
The White House released a summary of the Cabinet conference call, saying Trump “continued to stress his expectation that all departments and agencies stay fully committed to supporting the Governors of Texas and Louisiana and his number one priority of saving lives.”
The Trump administration efforts seek to offer a contrast to President George W. Bush’s response to Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans in August 2005 and left more than 1,500 dead. The mismanaged response of Bush’s FEMA administrator, Michael Brown, to that hurricane, as well as Bush’s praise of Brown for doing a “heck of a job” in the immediate days after, dogged Bush for the rest of his presidency.
On Sunday, Long said FEMA is now “vastly different” than in 2005 and that he has the power he needs to mobilize forces and coordinate staffing. He said the agency was already preparing to handle the aftermath in Texas for the next couple of years.
“This disaster’s going to be a landmark event,” Long said. “While we’re focused on the response right now and helping Texas respond, we’re already pushing forward recovery housing teams, we’re already pushing forward forces to be on the ground to implement national flood insurance program polices as well and doing the inspections that we need.”