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United States First Lady Melania Trump is under fire for a social media post about the devastating floods in Texas that have killed a minimum of 67 people, among them are 21 children. The fatal disaster has provoked a deep national response, with rescue crews continuing to search for missing girls from a summer camp as the tragedy enters its third day.
What did Melania Trump say?
In the meantime, Melania Trump tweeted on Saturday. “My heart goes out to the parents in Texas during this difficult time. I am holding you in my thoughts and sending prayers for strength, comfort, and resilience”. she tweeted.
Netizens were disappointed by her message. Social media users have blamed the Donald Trump administration’s previous policy moves. Critics have also said that Melania made only “empty words” while turning a blind eye to the reported involvement of the administration in diluting the nation’s disaster preparedness.
Several users also noted that the Trump administration had earlier suggested reducing disaster relief and weather forecasting projects. Experts, at least 5 former directors of the National Weather Service (NWS), had cautioned about the elimination could risk lives during extreme weather conditions.
In a CNN interview,T exas Rep. Joaquin Castro had repeated those warnings and said, “When you have flash flooding, there’s a risk that if you don’t have the personnel to do the analysis and forecasting properly, it could lead to tragedy.”
The backlash on social media has been furious and fast. One of the social media users wrote, “Prayers don’t rebuild houses. Empathy doesn’t restore what your husband destroyed.” Another user posted, “Where were your voices when policies were ripping apart families? Thoughts and prayers won’t repair systems. Action will.”
Netizens have also mentioned old videos of Melania from earlier years, criticising her for being out of touch with public pain.
Reacting to the flood crisis, President Donald Trump has made a major disaster declaration. The Department of Homeland Security said that FEMA is activated and assisting local responders. The U.S. Coast Guard also lent the use of helicopters and aircraft for search and rescue missions.
