By Trevor Hunnicutt and Maria Alejandra CardonaKERRVILLE, Texas (Reuters) -President Donald Trump defended the state and federal response to deadly flash flooding in Texas on Friday as he visited the stricken Hill Country region,

State and local officials said they did their best to coordinate evacuations and rescues, but better cellphone service might help in future floods.

W ASHINGTON - President Donald Trump and Texas lawmakers on Friday defended the federal government's response to the deadly July Fourth flooding in Central Texas, claiming that aid was quickly dispatched to reeling communities after the floodwaters swept through.

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.

The federal response to the flash flooding disaster in Texas has come under scrutiny. President Trump, who has called for cuts to FEMA, praised the agency during his recent visit to Texas, but did not comment on his plans for its future.

Kristi Noem detailed how the federal government deployed resources and funds to Texas flood victims, signaling fundamental changes to FEMA under the Trump administration.

The Department of Homeland Security secretary defended the federal government's response and denied that policy changes slowed the agency's deployment.

Governor Abbott requests federal aid for Texas counties hit by floods, aiming to include them in a Major Disaster Declaration.

In the survey — which sampled 1,680 U.S. adults — 52% of respondents said that most of the deaths could have been prevented if the government had been more adequately prepared. Twenty-nine percent said the deaths were unavoidable, and 19% said they didn’t know.

Recent storms have slowed recovery efforts in central Texas following the July 4 floods that killed more than 130 people. About 14,000 volunteers are searching for at least 100 people still missing.