HOUSTON - US President Donald Trump will visit Texas on Tuesday to survey the response to Tropical Storm Harvey, the first major natural disaster of his White House tenure.
The slow-moving storm has killed at least eight people and paralyzed Houston, the fourth most-populous US city, with unprecedented flooding.
It had also roiled energy markets and caused damage estimated to be in the billions of dollars, with rebuilding likely to last beyond Trump's current four-year term in office.
“My administration is coordinating closely with state and local authorities in Texas and Louisiana to save lives, and we thank our first responders and all of those involved in their efforts,” Trump told reporters at the White House on Monday.
Trump will arrive on Tuesday morning in Corpus Christi, near where Harvey came ashore on Friday as the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in more than 50 years. The president will later go to the Texas capital, Austin, to meet state officials, receive briefings and tour the emergency operation center, the White House said.