Donald Trump moved centre stage of flood recovery efforts in Texas on Tuesday, thanking emergency workers for their efforts and reassuring affected residents that everything was being done to help restore shattered lives.
He and Melania Trump, the first lady, began their visit in Corpus Christie, close to where Hurricane Harvey made landfall on Friday.
Their motorcade passed shredded trees and broken fences as they travelled to a fire station for a briefing with local officials.
Mr Trump’s handling of his first major natural disaster marks the biggest test of his time in office so far and critics will be watching to see whether he can master the language of unity needed in a time of crisis or whether federal recovery efforts come unstuck – as they did for George W Bush in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina.
The president sensed as much when he addressed a room of local officials, saying he did not want to congratulate anyone yet.
Instead he said he wanted the Texas response to be seen as a model for the future.
“This was of epic proportions,” he said, as if using the language of his Trump brand to stamp his authority on the disaster.
“We want to do it better than ever before. We want to be looked at in five years, in 10 years from now as, ‘This is the way to do it.’”
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The president wore a black rain jacket with the presidential seal on his chest and a white cap that said "USA" for the trip.
His wife sparked a huge online backlash when she was photographed before flying to Texas wearing a flying jacket, aviator sunglasses and stiletto heels. By the time she arrived in Corpus Christi she had changed to a sensible pair of white training shoes and a baseball cap with the logo “Flotus” - acronym of the first lady of the US.
Critics have already raised concerns that the visit may divert resources from crucial lifesaving efforts elsewhere. But officials pointed out he had avoided Houston, where emergency services are still overwhelmed by calls for help, as a result.
One neighbourhood to the south of the city set a record this week, receiving 1.29 metres of rain – the heaviest deluge from a tropical storm since records began.
Already as many as 15 people are feared dead, with officials saying that number will rise as waters recede and their searches turn to recovery rather than rescue.
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This photo made available by NASA shows Hurricane Harvey over Texas on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, seen from the International Space Station. Jack Fischer / NASA via AP -
A car is crushed by a huge tree after Hurricane Harvey struck in Rockport, Texas.Rick Wilking / Reuters -
Michael Scott uses his smartphone to livestream the rain and storm surge of Hurricane Harvey from the 59th Street rock groin in Galveston, Texa. Jennifer Reynolds / The Galveston County Daily News via AP -
Toppled boats hang in the debris of a boat storage facility that was damaged by Hurricane Harvey in Rockport, Texas. Eric Gay / AP Photo -
A driver works his way through a maze of fallen utility poles damaged in the wake of Hurricane Harvey in Taft, Texas. Eric Gay / AP Photo -
A man looks at boats damaged by Hurricane Harvey in Port Lavaca, Texas. Charlie Riedel / AP Photo -
A car abandoned on a coastal highway near Port Lavaca, Texas, rests against debris from Hurricane Harvey. Charlie Riedel / AP Photo -
Debris from the charred remains of three Bolivar, Texas, beach cabins, destroyed by a fire that broke out when Hurricane Harvey made landfall, lies on the ground. Fire officials are investigating the cause of the accident. No injuries were reported during the blaze. Guiseppe Barranco / The Beaumont Enterprise via AP -
Michael Thomas and his brother Deeantre try to collect belongings in their Saltgrass Landing apartment complex, destroyed by Hurricane Harvey, in Rockport, Texas. Courtney Sacco / Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP -
A damaged car sits outside a heavily damaged apartment complex in Rockport, Texas, after Hurricane Harvey struck the area. Courtney Sacco / Corpus Christi Caller-Times via AP -
Lisa Rehr holds her four-year old son Maximus, after they lost their home to Hurricane Harvey, as they await to be evacuated with their belongings from Rockport, Texas. Adrees Latif / Reuters -
Irving Lebleu helps Keshia Walker push her car out of a flooded intersection after Hurricane Harvey made landfall on the Texas Gulf coast, in Houston, Texas. Nick Oxford / Reuters
On Tuesday, Sylvester Turner, mayor of Houston, confirmed that Sergeant Steve Perez, a police force veteran, died after getting trapped in his car as he drove to work.
Rescuers are still trying to reach many more who remain stranded since the hurricane, now downgraded to a tropical storm, came ashore.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders, White House press secretary, told reporters traveling with Mr Trump that the president's visit was focused on coordination among different levels of government and laying the groundwork for what is expected to be a lengthy recovery effort.
"The president wants to be very cautious about making sure that any activity doesn't disrupt the recovery efforts that are still ongoing," she said.
Throughout the operation, the nightmare of Katrina has loomed large in news coverage and the minds of local and national officials. The name of the hurricane became a byword for federal mismanagement as almost 2,000 people died during its aftermath.
Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, talked up the shelters that have been established for those who were forced to evacuate the storm, assuring the public the shelters were well-organised and well-stocked.
“Let me be clear, this is not the Superdome,” he said, referring to the New Orleans football stadium that descended into chaos when it was used as a makeshift shelter after Katrina.
After his briefing, Mr Trump stood between two fire engines and addressed a crowd of hundreds of people outside.
“What a crowd. What a turnout," he said, adopting the style that has become well known at his campaign rallies.
“This is historic. It's epic what happened, but you know what, it happened in Texas, and Texas can handle anything.”
