Air Force One will be landing at the newly reopened Corpus Christi Airport, today, as part of a presidential visit to some of the areas hardest hit when hurricane Harvey roared ashore, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"Many people are now saying that this is the worst storm/hurricane they have ever seen. Good news is that we have great talent on the ground," President Donald Trump said via Twitter, before announcing plans to visit Texas.
While his exact plans have not been made public, it's likely he'll see the area around Port Aransas and Rockport, which were devastated last week when the storm made landfall. Winds reached 130-miles an hour, flattening home and businesses in the beach communities.
On social media, City Manager David Pearson said that most all structures are compromised to some level.
But Beth Tatum, who heads the Coastal Bend Disaster Recovery Group, tells 1200 WOAI news, when the president arrives, he'll see the best that humanity has to offer.
"Texans help each other out. We're a community and we're going to survive," she says. "The America that I know and love is people working together even in the hardest situations."
As they begin to assess damage, and plan a long term recovery, she's been touched by neighbors helping neighbors clean their property. Which is something the federal government will play a role in, as well.
After hailing the first responders, President Trump says he will seek more funding for FEMA. The agency's director, Brock Long, said this week that they have dispatched 8,500 federal staff members to assist in the state’s recovery. About 1,100 of those employees are conducting search and rescue efforts.
"We're not at recovery yet," he said.