President Trump visits Carolinas to see Florence damage, recovery

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Gov. Roy Cooper talks to President Donald Trump during a briefing on Hurricane Florence at Cherry Point Air Station on Sept. 19, 2018. (Photo: Pool/ABC News)

HAVELOCK, N.C. (AP) – The Latest on President Donald Trump’s visit to the Carolinas to review Hurricane Florence damage (all times local):

11:55 a.m.

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President Donald Trump has arrived at a North Carolina church that is serving as a distribution center for supplies after Hurricane Florence.

Trump is visiting Temple Baptist Church in New Bern. The area suffered significant damage, with branches down and piles of debris.

Church volunteers have containers of hot dogs, chips and fruit and have been handing out food to people in need.

The president is visiting the region Wednesday after the powerful storm left widespread destruction and flooding. Officials cautioned that the flooding is not over yet.

Trump stressed his sympathy for the victims of the storm and pledged resources for recovery during an earlier storm briefing at a nearby marine base.

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11:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump is pledging to help the people affected by Hurricane Florence as he arrives in North Carolina to survey damage wrought by the powerful storm.

Trump says during a briefing by local and federal officials, “We will be there 100 percent” following flooding he described as “epic” and “hard to believe.”

He says, “There will be nothing left undone.”

Trump at times has struggled to project empathy during national crisis. But on Wednesday he offered comforting words to families who suffered losses, saying, “America grieves with you and our hearts break for you.”

When the state’s governor asked for federal support, Trump declared: “I’ll be there,”

Trump is also praising first responders during his visit to a coastal marine base, the first of several stops on his schedule.

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10:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump has arrived in storm-ravaged North Carolina to take in the devastation left by Florence.

Trump traveled south Wednesday as the state was still grappling with massive recovery efforts. He was heading to a briefing at a Marine Corps air station where Air Force One landed in the coastal town of Havelock, one of many communities hit by the torrential rains.

Trump told reporters as he departed the White House that he will also visit South Carolina before he returns to the White House later Wednesday.

The president says he wants to say “hello” to everyone from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the military that are working hard to help residents recover from the storm.

Adds Trump: “I think it will be an incredible day.”

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