Trump to visit hard-hit Texas county
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Here’s what else you need to know to get up to speed and on with your day. In an escalation of his trade war, President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened a 35% tariff on goods imported from Canada.
Follow for live updates in the Texas flooding as the death toll rises to 120, as rescue operations start to shift to recovery phase
Renee Smajstrla, a 8-year-old straight-A student from Ingram, Texas, who had played a role in her school’s production of “The Wizard of Oz,” was one of the victims who died in the flash floods at Camp Mystic, her family said.
As a climate scientist who calls Texas home, I can tell you that the Hill Country of Texas is no stranger to flooding. Meteorologists often refer to it as “Flash Flood Alley” because of its steep terrain, shallow soils, and its history of sudden and intense rainfall.
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More than 111 people have died across six counties after flash flooding from heavy rain began affecting the state last week.
The state leaves building zoning and permits up to the individual counties. And in most non-city counties, such as Kerr, which had 96 deaths as of Thursday due to floods, some officials tend to be lenient towards building owners with restrictions, some state leaders and environmental experts told ABC News.
14hon MSNOpinion
This has played out on social platforms as well, prompting some liberal commentators to speak out against the dehumanization of Texas communities. Political trolling online is nothing new, but its spillover into blaming victims and survivors of disaster is a dangerous new low.
The grim task of searching for the scores of people missing from the devastating flood that struck Texas Hill Country nearly a week ago is taking an agonizing toll on searchers.