White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt appeared visibly caught off guard and confused during a press briefing when a reporter pressed her on why urgent flood alerts in Texas were issued at a time when most people were likely asleep and unaware.
Hearst Television White House correspondent Kalyn Norwood questioned Leavitt about why Texas flood alerts were issued while many residents were likely asleep.
"Knowing that [the alerts] did go out, but the warnings [were] coming out in the early hours, so while many people were likely sleeping,” Norwood said. “Can you share just details [about] what you know why those alerts were sent out while people were likely sleeping and then what the administration is doing that these alerts come out sooner.”
Leavitt appeared irritated by the line of questioning, especially as left-leaning media outlets have been quick to criticize the Trump White House’s preparedness and communication efforts. Still, Leavitt pushed back firmly, emphasizing that the appropriate agencies issued flash flood warnings in a “timely” and proper way, and that the timing of the flooding itself was beyond the administration’s control.
"Well, the alerts were imminently sent out before the flood when people were sleeping because the flood hit in the very early hours of the morning,” Leavitt responded. “So, people were sleeping in the middle of the night when this flood came. That was an act of God; that was not the administration’s fault that the flood hit when it did.”
Leavitt proceeded to outline the timeline, highlighting the multiple flash flood warnings that were issued days and hours ahead of the flooding in the affected areas. She said that early and consistent warnings were issued by the National Weather Service, starting July 2 with initial flood risk notices. On July 3, alerts escalated throughout the day, including a flood watch at 1:18 p.m. and a warning from the Weather Prediction Center at 6:10 p.m. about heavy rainfall and a high chance of flash flooding.
The flash floods that struck during the Fourth of July weekend wreaked havoc across six Texas counties, resulting in the tragic deaths of 90 people, including several children at an all-girls Christian camp. President Donald Trump issued a disaster declaration on Sunday, authorizing federal relief and recovery assistance in the affected areas.