As wildfires raged across Los Angeles, killing at least 24 people and destroying thousands of structures, some people sought to contrast emergency response to the fires to disaster response that followed deadly hurricanes that battered the southeastern U.

U.S. President Donald Trump visited disaster-hit western North Carolina on Friday and was traveling later to Los Angeles, promising help while stoking partisan tensions with Democratic rivals over recovery efforts.

President Trump landed in Los Angeles on Friday to survey the devastation from the firestorms that swept through the county.

President Donald Trump landed in Los Angeles Friday afternoon to survey the devastation from the firestorms that swept through L.A. County. It was his first presidential visit since taking office — and a potentially contested one after his repeated threats to withhold federal aid to California.

The president cited the disasters during his inauguration speech Monday as examples of an insufficient federal response to communities in need.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is heading to hurricane-battered western North Carolina and wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles on Friday, using the first trip of his second administration to tour areas where politics has clouded the response to deadly disasters.

The rain that is expected to hit the scorched Los Angeles landscape this weekend may bring relief to the fire fights, but it could also bring flash floods and mudslides. Although forecasts show that the risk is relatively low, local officials are taking the warnings seriously.

The president was greeted by Gov. Newsom in L.A. Friday afternoon for a brief trip where he announced that the state will receive full federal backing to rebuild.

The devastating wildfires in Los Angeles carry a warning for western North Carolina: It could be next. Ironically, it’s a hurricane that has raised the fire risk. Hurricane Helene toppled trees over 820,000 acres of forest in western North Carolina in September. Now that debris could dry into kindling.

President Donald Trump said he's considering "getting rid of" FEMA as he hit the road for the first time since his second inauguration, visiting victims of Hurricane Helene and the California wildfires.

With parts of Los Angeles County still smoldering from wildfires, the expected rain this weekend would seem like a welcome relief. But how the rain falls could make the difference between a disaster respite or a disaster repeat.