By Trevor Hunnicutt and Maria Alejandra CardonaKERRVILLE, Texas (Reuters) -President Donald Trump defended the state and federal response to deadly flash flooding in Texas on Friday as he visited the stricken Hill Country region,

"The first lady and I are here in Texas to express the love and support and the anguish of our entire nation in the aftermath of this really horrific and deadly flood," Trump said as he spoke at a roundtable event with first responders and local officials.

Kristi Noem detailed how the federal government deployed resources and funds to Texas flood victims, signaling fundamental changes to FEMA under the Trump administration.

President Trump and first lady Melania Trump visited Central Texas Friday to survey the devastation wrought by last week's deadly flooding.

"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."

The Buffalo Newspaper Guild canceled an event on Thursday after editorial cartoonist Adam Zyglis sparked backlash with a cartoon depicting a Trump supporter in the Texas floods.

Joined by first lady Melania Trump and officials, Trump surveyed the devastation and met with victims' families and emergency responders.

Mr. Trump and Abbott promised to rebuild the devastated region, although the president recognized that what was lost can never be recovered.

Pastor Joe Taylor and his daughter Hannah join ‘America Reports’ to discuss their donation drive for flood victims in Texas and reflect on President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump’s visit to the disaster response site.