President Donald Trump told Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Brock Long that he was “doing a great job” Saturday morning, as Hurricane Harvey weakened but was still expected to bring “life-threatening, catastrophic flooding” to southeast Texas.
“You are doing a great job – the world is watching! Be safe,” Trump tweeted Saturday, sharing a tweet Long posted Friday morning about preparing for the storm to make landfall. Trump later added: “Closely monitoring #HurricaneHarvey from Camp David. We are leaving nothing to chance. City, State and Federal Govs. working great together!”
Trump also responded to Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who on Friday told Trump to “keep on top of hurricane Harvey” and urged him to be more prepared than President George W. Bush was for Hurricane Katrina in 2005. “So far, so good!” Trump said in response on Saturday morning.
Hurricane Harvey made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 storm but was downgraded early Saturday to Category 1. Weather officials said flooding is still expected to become “catastrophic” over the next few days.
“Citizens of TX, this is now turning into a deadly inland event,” Long tweeted Saturday morning. “Thoughts and prayers are with you.”
More Must-Reads From TIME
- The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
- The Revolution of Yulia Navalnaya
- 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
- What's the Deal With the Bitcoin Halving?
- If You're Dating Right Now , You're Brave: Column
- The AI That Could Heal a Divided Internet
- Fallout Is a Brilliant Model for the Future of Video Game Adaptations
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
Write to Katie Reilly at Katie.Reilly@time.com