The president and the first lady were set to tour areas devastated by flooding in Central Texas. The administration has faced scrutiny over its level of preparedness and its disaster response.

As of Friday, the Central Texas flooding has claimed the lives of 18 Houston-area residents, including a family of three.

President Donald Trump will visit central Texas on Friday for a firsthand look at the destruction caused by deadly floodwaters, as the administration faces controversy over its push to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Some governors and mayors are concerned over how current or potential cuts to agencies will impact how the government can respond in the future to major weather events.

Max Chesnes is the Tampa Bay Times' environment and climate reporter, covering public lands, water quality, wildlife and everything in between. Reach him at [email protected] or follow him on Instagram @MaxChesnes. Anyone can view a sampling of recent comments, but you must be a Times subscriber to contribute. Log in above or subscribe here.

Bubble Inn saw generations of 8-year-olds enter as strangers and emerge as confident young ladies equipped with new skills from the great outdoors and lifelong friends – bonds that would one day prove vital in the face of unfathomable tragedy.

Follow for live updates in the Texas flooding as the death toll rises to 120, as rescue operations start to shift to recovery phase

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday ordered state legislators to convene a special session on Monday as the death toll rose to at least 120 people and 172 reported missing in Fourth of July flooding in the Hill Country.

At least 120 people have been found dead since heavy rainfall overwhelmed the river and flowed through homes and youth camps in the early morning hours of July 4. Ninety-six of those killed were in the hardest-hit county in central Texas, Kerr County, where the toll includes at least 36 children.

More than 100 people have died across six counties after flash flooding from heavy rain began affecting the state last week.