President Trump met Saturday with survivors of Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Texas, on his second trip this week to the storm-ravaged region and praised Texans for their determination to bounce back.
At a church in suburban Houston, Mr. Trump predicted Texans will beat the forecasts that recovery from the storm and massive flooding will take two to three years.
“Because this is Texas, you’ll do it in six months, I have a feeling,” the president said to cheers.
The president said one neighborhood that he traveled through was already showing signs of rebounding, with floodwaters receding and a cleanup underway.
“We have a long way to go, but the water is disappearing,” Mr. Trump said to more cheers. “Today it’s all swept up and cleaned up. You have a lot of hard-working people.”
Speaking on a stage with Gov. Greg Abbott and Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Mr. Trump reminded people that he has declared Sunday a national day of prayer.
“Go to your church and pray, and enjoy the day,” he said.
Earlier at a hurricane relief center, Mr. Trump and first lady Melania Trump greeted families, hugged children and helped to serve lunch to those displaced by massive flooding. The president promised that nearly $7.9 billion in federal aid will be approved quickly for the devastated Gulf coast.
“Things are working out well,” Mr. Trump told reporters. “I think people appreciate what’s been done. It’s been done very efficiently, very well, and that’s what we want. We’re very happy with the way everything is going. There’s a lot of love.”
The president said families expressed to him that they are “happy” with the recovery efforts.
“We saw a lot of happiness,” he said. “As tough as this was, it’s been a wonderful thing, I think even for the country to watch it and for the world to watch. It’s been beautiful.”
He said the flood waters are “leaving pretty quickly.”
As the president and first lady posed for pictures with survivors and members of the military, people called out comments such as “You rock!” and “We voted for you!”
“It raises the morale,” said Kevin Jason Hipolito, 37, an unemployed Democrat whose first-floor apartment in Houston was flooded. “When he went to Corpus [Christi, on Tuesday], I was like, man, he just forgot about us. This shows a lot of support. It perks up morale.”
Construction worker Devon Harris, 37, was skeptical about the impact of the presidential visit.
“Is he going to help?” Mr. Harris said. “I lost my home. My job is gone. My tools are gone. My car is gone. My life is gone. What is Trump going to do?”
Upon their arrival on Air Force One, Mr. Trump and the first lady were greeted at a military reserve base by Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. Four Cabinet members traveled with the president, including Education Secretary Betsy DeVos and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
Before departing Texas later in the day for a stop in Louisiana, Mr. Trump spoke with several lawmakers at a military airfield, including Democratic Rep. Al Green of Texas, who has co-sponsored articles of impeachment against the president, and Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee, another harsh critic of Mr. Trump. Reporters said the president chatted amiably with Mr. Green for several minutes, and they shook hands several times.
The White House asked Congress Friday night for $7.85 billion in disaster aid for Texas and Louisiana. In addition to the emergency spending, the administration supports Congress authorizing another $6.7 billion from early fiscal 2018 funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s disaster relief fund for Harvey recovery aid and other natural disaster assistance.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
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