President Trump visited North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Florence, and thanked officials for handling the crisis in a Twitter video Trump Visits North Carolina, Calls Florence 'One of the Wettest ... from the Standpoint of Water’ As the death toll from Hurricane Florence grew to at least 37, President Donald Trump arrived in North Carolina on Wednesday to survey the wreckage that has also displaced thousands. Ahead of his visit, the president tweeted a video Tuesday night thanking those involved in the relief efforts. Get push notifications with news, features and more. “I just want to thank all of the men and women who’ve done such a great job in helping with Florence. This is a tough hurricane, one of the wettest we’ve ever seen from the standpoint of water,” said the commander in chief, 72. The president continued: “Rarely have we had an experience like it, and it certainly is not good. But the people of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, all of the areas affected, you’ve been incredible. There’s been a loss of life. May God be with them and their families. That’s a tough one — it’s tough to understand, but this has been a really difficult period of time for a lot of people.” Tropical Weather Trump, New Bern, USA - 19 Sep 2018 Donald Trump | Credit: Evan Vucci/AP/REX/Shutterstock Trump went on to praise the work of FEMA, the coast guard and law enforcement, who’ve saved “so many lives” since the storm made landfall on Friday. He also advised residents in the area to continue listening to state and local authorities and to “be patient and alert” because “the waters are still rising.” During Wednesday’s visit to North Carolina, the president spoke at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in the eastern part of the state, near New Bern, one of the towns most devastated by Florence, The L.A. Times reports. US-WEATHER-ENVIRONMENT-HURRICANE-TRUMP Donald Trump | Credit: Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty He received a briefing from state and local officials and gave another statement about relief efforts, according to National Public Radio. Trump, Havelock, USA - 19 Sep 2018 Donald Trump | Credit: Evan Vucci/AP/REX/Shutterstock “We’re ready … to do whatever we have to do to make this perfect,” the president said, adding, “Nearly 20,000 federal and military personnel are supporting response efforts… More than 1.6 million meals have been delivered.” RELATED: 3-Month-Old Baby Dies After Tree Falls on Mobile Home During Hurricane Florence Trump continued: “People don’t realize how a very difficult phase is beginning today, with the beautiful sunshine… We’ll have it all taken care of.” Tropical Weather Trump, New Bern, USA - 19 Sep 2018 Donald Trump | Credit: Evan Vucci/AP/REX/Shutterstock According to the Los Angeles Times‘ Jackie Calmes, Trump reportedly asked an official during the briefing, “How is Lake Norman doing?” After he was told it was fine, the president reportedly responded, “I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area.” As Calmes noted, there is a Trump National Golf Club on the lake. Also at Cherry Point, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper spoke of a state in deep mourning, according to CNN. “Our people are still reeling,” Cooper said. “We have lost 27 lives officially so far, and more are under investigation. We mourn their loss.” Tropical Weather Trump, New Bern, USA - 19 Sep 2018 Donald Trump | Credit: Evan Vucci/AP/REX/Shutterstock The governor continued, “We have weathered storms before in our state. Mr. President, [but] we have never seen one like this. This one has been epic. It has been disastrous. And it has been widespread.”<doc-sep>(CNN) — President Donald Trump arrived in flood-ravaged North and South Carolina on Wednesday to assess the federal response to Hurricane Florence, which drenched the state last week. Inside an airplane hangar at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, situated along the bloated Neuse River, Trump lauded emergency workers in North Carolina even as he predicted a costly clean up. “The job you’ve done has been incredible. They’re talking about it all over the world,” Trump said. “We want to keep it going that way. Some of the hard work is now.” “Even though it’s nice and beautiful and sunny,” there are still dangerous conditions for Carolinians, Trump said. At least 36 people have died as a result of Florence, which made landfall in the Carolinas on Friday. He told those who lost loved ones that the country was in mourning with them. “America grieves with you and our hearts break for you. God bless you. We will never forget your loss,” Trump said. “To all those impacted by this terrible storm, our entire American family is with you and ready to help. You will recover.” After presentations from local authorities, the President made a personal inquiry, asking about conditions in the area around Lake Norman, near Charlotte. The Trump National Golf Club is situated on the shores of Lake Norman. “I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area,” Trump said. Lake Norman was not affected in a major way by Hurricane Florence. Trump also traveled to Conway, South Carolina, where floodwaters are expected to rise again as early as Friday. He surveyed flooding and received briefings from local officials. “It’s going to get rough for South Carolina,” Trump warned ahead of the expected flooding, speaking to first responders at the Horry County Emergency Operations Center. “You’re going to have a rebuilding process and we are behind you from day one,” Trump said, calling this the “calm before the storm because you’re going to have a lot of water.” Joined by a group of local and state officials, Trump promised the full support of the federal government. “Washington is with you, Trump is with you, we are all with you 100% and we’ll get through it,” the President said, adding, “Anything you need, you know how to call me.” A day earlier, the President reiterated the strength of the federal response, though imbued his statement with a sense of political grievance. “Right now, everybody is saying what a great job we are doing with Hurricane Florence – and they are 100% correct,” he tweeted. “But don’t be fooled, at some point in the near future the Democrats will start ranting that FEMA, our Military, and our First Responders, who are all unbelievable, are a disaster and not doing a good job. This will be a total lie, but that’s what they do, and everybody knows it!” After storms last year, Trump made quick visits to the damage zones in Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico. He was accused at moments of appearing overly congratulatory, even as conditions remained dire. On his first visit to Texas after Hurricane Harvey flooded parts of Houston, Trump met with no storm victims, choosing instead to receive high-level briefings from state officials. He later returned to the state to meet with displaced families. When he visited San Juan after Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico, Trump lobbed rolls of paper towels into a crowd at a church – an image that has since come to illustrate what his critics say was a lackluster approach to the island’s destruction. Presidents have long sought to use natural disasters as a way to project executive leadership, often in a setting where politics are set aside. But pitfalls have abounded, including in 2005 when President George W. Bush faced intense criticism for his response to Hurricane Katrina. CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.<doc-sep>When Mabrey Smith heard on Wednesday that President Trump might pass by the used-car dealership he runs with his girlfriend here, he dug through his belongings and emerged with two lawn signs from the 2016 campaign — “Trump-Pence.” Then Smith placed them along the road and waited for Trump’s motorcade to head to New Bern so the president could view damage from Hurricane Florence. While Trump has continued to face criticism for his administration’s flawed response to Hurricanes Maria and Irma in Puerto Rico last year — and more recently for his false claims that the island’s 2,975 death toll has been exaggerated by Democrats to damage him politically — Smith, 57, had no doubts about the president’s dedication to the Carolinas. “He would walk through fire for us,” Smith said. Florence has killed at least 37 people in North and South Carolina since making landfall on Friday, and officials have urged evacuees to stay away from damaged areas while the emergency response continues. Some neighborhoods remain flooded and rivers are expected to rise even more in the coming days. Advertisement Trump arrived on Air Force One at a North Carolina military base, where he got a briefing from state and federal officials. He praised the recovery efforts as “incredible” and then lapsed into his typical hyperbole: “They’re talking about it all over the world,” he said. Trump appeared to have his business on his mind as well. At one point, he asked a state official about the status of Lake Norman, which is near Charlotte, more than 200 miles away. “I love that area. I can’t tell you why, but I love that area,” the president said. His company owns the Trump National Golf Club on the lake. After leaving the military base in his motorcade, Trump’s first stop was a church near downtown New Bern. Accompanied by Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, Trump handed out packages containing hot dogs, peas and apple sauce to people affected by the storm who slowly drove by for the free meals. “Hi, everybody, how’s your house?” he said to people in one car. Mabrey Smith, 57, watches President Trump’s motorcade speed past in New Bern, N.C., on Wednesday. (Chris Megerian / Los Angeles Times) The city of 30,000 was one of the hardest hit by Florence, and repairing the damage promises to be an arduous process. At a law office downtown, workers have been ripping out wood flooring that was damaged from water that bubbled up from below when the sump pumps failed. The office manager, Sissy Chesnutt, 61, fears crucial paper records could become moldy, adding to the storm’s toll. “It’s more loss and more loss,” she said. Advertisement Trump’s motorcade headed toward a neighborhood near the Neuse River, which spilled over its banks during the storm. The contents of people’s flooded homes have been dumped in mounds on sidewalks — candy-colored carpet padding, wooden furniture, upholstered chairs, electronics, mattresses. Trump hugged one woman and spoke to a man who told the president he named his dog after him. “That’s nice,” said Trump, who famously doesn’t like pets. The visit was not without its awkward moments. At one point he gazed at a yacht that had washed ashore onto an older man’s property. Trump said to the man with a smile, “At least you got a nice boat out of the deal.” “They don’t know whose boat that is,” Trump said afterward to reporters. “What’s the law? Maybe it becomes theirs.” Advertisement<doc-sep>At a briefing in Conway, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster thanked President Trump for coming, and warned that the danger was not yet over. “We have not had a disaster like this before,” McMaster said. “The rain and the water that you see out there now is just the beginning. The worst is yet to come.” Pool President Trump also warned that the flooding would likely continue, noting that "you've broken all records -- this is going to add 4, 5, 6 feet of water all over the state." The President praised the “absolutely incredible” response efforts and coordination, and promised his support in the "exciting" rebuilding process.<doc-sep>
President Donald Trump has visited North and South Carolina to reassure residents that the government is doing everything it can to help following the devastation brought by Hurricane Florence, which hit the coast last week and brought torrential rains to the region which has caused major flooding Mr Trump promised after landing on Wednesday to make sure that officials in North Carolina have all of the support that they need to continue their rescue and response operations, and that he would make sure the state continues to receive help as it begins to rebuild. “We’re ready … To do whatever we have to do to make this perfect,” Mr Trump said during a briefing with state and local officials at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in eastern North Carolina. “Nearly 20,000 federal and military personnel are supporting response efforts. More than 1.6 million meals have been delivered.” Recommended Tornadoes reported in North Carolina as Florence brings major rains The president said that Florence – which made landfall on Friday in North Carolina as a Category 1 hurricane before coming to a virtual stall over the US east cost – was “one of the most powerful and devastating storms ever to hit our country”. “Our hearts break for you. God bless you. We will never forget your loss. We will never leave your side,” Mr Trump said. “We are with you all the way. And to all those impacted by this terrible storm our entire American family is with you and ready to help and you will recover.” Since landfall, Florence has dropped torrential rains, leading to hundreds of emergency rescues in places like New Bern, which was one of the first parts of North Carolina to be hit hard by the storm. The official death toll from the hurricane has reached at least 37 . As this week progressed, heavy flooding persisted – and officials on Wednesday continued to warn that flooded rivers continue to crest – and sunshine found its way to the state. What it showed was lingering debris from the storm, and the floodwaters that surrounded homes and businesses in the area. “Our state took a gut punch, Mr President, and our people are still reeling,” North Carolina governor Roy Cooper said during the briefing in eastern North Carolina. He continued to note the magnitude of the challenge ahead of his state. “We have a lot of power that has been restored but there are thousands of people that are still waiting to get their power back. I know that this state has a great economy, a great education,” Mr Cooper said. “We are a beacon in the south and we have weathered storms before in our state but Mr President we have never seen one like this. This one has been epic, it has been disastrous, and it has been widespread. It is a storm like no other.” Workers in the state are rushing to get power back in the state for the quarter of a million people who lost their connections last week. It may be a while before the total cost of the storm is known – and, of course, how long the recovery process may extend. In South Carolina, Mr Trump said the state is in for a “rough few days” in the aftermath of Florence. The president spoke at an emergency management centre in the city of Conway, near Myrtle Beach. He told South Carolina residents that “all that water is coming your way.” Soon after the storm hit into the Carolinas, Moody’s Analytics estimated that the storm could leave an estimated $17bn to $22bn in damages, or higher. That firm indicated that Florence was likely to be one of the top 10 costliest hurricanes in US history. Reports from North Carolina indicate that residents view the president’s trip to the state as a sign that he is taking the storm seriously, and that he is prepared for a hands-on approach to righting the ship now that Florence is in the rearview mirror. In New Bern, NPR reported that residents largely viewed Mr Trump’s visit in a positive light. Truck drivers told that radio station’s reporters that the trip shows that Mr Trump is on top of his efforts, and that he is going to be there with help when needed.