Donald Trump and running mate Mike Pence traveled to a flood-ravaged section of southern Louisiana on Friday to survey the damage that killed at least 13 people and displaced thousands more.
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About 40,000 homes have seen damage and more than 70,000 have registered for FEMA assistance, the White House said earlier this week.
People like Bourgeois, whose homes were not in designated high-risk flood zones, were especially unprepared for the rising water.
Hillary Clinton, Trump’s Democratic rival in the November 8 presidential election, said in a Twitter post earlier this week she was closely monitoring the situation and directed people to the Red Cross.
Shortly after arriving, Trump’s motorcade drove through the hard-hit community of Central in East Baton Rouge Parish, where ripped up carpet and flooring, furniture and the entire contents of homes were piled on the curb.
“You’re all going to be fine, you’re going to be fine”, Trump told one group. “It’s a way to say, “I’ve been there before, ‘ and ‘We’re gonna make it through this” without saying a word”.
Security detail could divert resources, causing more harm than good for the people of Louisiana..
“Right now, the relief effort can’t afford any distractions”, said the statement.
Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, said ahead of Trump’s visit that he wouldn’t be involved, adding that Trump is welcome, “but not for a photo-op”.
“Climate change has already been shown to increase the amounts of rain falling in the most intense events across many parts of the world, and extreme rainfall events like this week’s Louisiana storm are expected to grow increasingly common in the coming years”, Bob Henson and Jeff Masters explained over at Weather Underground.
After they met with volunteers, Pence and Trump spoke with a Florida couple, Jimmy and Olive Morgan, who told them about their experience with the flood.
Trump supporters, meanwhile, contrasted the visit with the fact that President Obama has not traveled to the area.
The flooding, which began last week after record-breaking rains of more than 75 centimeters, has been described as the worst USA disaster since Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Trump consoled residents – even hugging two – as several Louisianans noted they have felt left out of the national spotlight.
Obama has been vacationing in Martha’s Vineyard with his family and was criticized by some in the state for not making the trip sooner.
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In an uncharacteristic move at a rally in North Carolina on Thursday night, Trump said that he regrets some of the caustic comments he’s made in “the heat of debate”.
