President Donald Trump congratulated Texas officials on what he called a "great" response to the flash floods that swept through the state over the weekend, insisting that the death toll could have been higher.
Trump commended both Texas and federal law enforcement and first responders for their rescue efforts, calling them "real pros" during a Tuesday Cabinet meeting.
"I think a lot of lives have been saved. As bad as it was, you could've lost double or triple. It was just really horrible. Congratulations on a great job," Trump said.
The president's statement comes just as the death toll for the flash flood passed 100, with 108 confirmed deaths as of Tuesday, according to CNN. In Kerr County, Texas, alone, 87 people have died in connection to the flooding.
Although various political figures have applauded rescue efforts and the work by weather experts to warn people before the floods swept through, previous decisions by policy makers have led critics to question if the disaster could have been better prepared for.
Earlier this year, funding for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and National Weather Service (NWS) was slashed 30% and staffing saw 17% cuts as a result of efforts to decrease federal spending.
The move was met by protest from former NWS directors, who wrote in an open letter to the Trump administration in May that they worried the cuts could lead to a "needless loss of life."
However, current NWS employees have defended the warnings it issued prior to the flash foods, saying they delivered them with adequate time for residents to evacuate, NBC News reported.
Though local officials note that numbers may vary, about 18 people are believed to still be missing. At least 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic, a girls summer camp decimated by the flooding, have died, and at least five girls and one counselor remain missing.
Originally published on Latin Times
