Kerrville residents who turned out in force Friday to welcome President Donald Trump said his visit brought hope and comfort — and marked an important step in the town’s long road to healing and rebuilding.

"It’s hard to believe the devastation," Trump said. "Trees that are 100 years old just ripped out of the ground. I've never seen anything like this, and I've seen a lot of bad ones."

President Donald Trump toured the devastation from catastrophic flooding in Texas and lauded local officials amid mounting criticism that they failed to warn residents quickly enough that a deadly wall of water was coming their way.