Trump back in Texas to meet Harvey survivors

Donald Trump has returned to Texas to meet volunteers and victims of Storm Harvey, which brought record rainfall and catastrophic flooding to one of America's largest cities.

The president touched down in Air Force One with First Lady Melania Trump as he prepared to see the devastation wrought by the tropical storm.

He and four other cabinet ministers will visit Houston, the state's biggest city, and Lake Charles in neighbouring Louisiana. Both have seen mass evacuations because of the historic flooding.

Trump's first stop was a shelter, where he visited a section reserved for child survivors and listened to their stories.

He spoke of seeing "a lot of love" and "a lot of happiness" after high-fiving one boy and picking up and kissing a girl.

Trump also praised the "fantastic" cooperation between officials leading the rescue effort, and said of the damage: "There's a lot of water, but it's moving out."

Before his departure, Trump had tweeted: "We will see you soon. America is with you!"

Billions for Harvey relief

In his weekly radio address, the president also declared: "We are with you every single step of the way.

"We will help you recover. We will help you rebuild. We will support you today, tomorrow, and the day after."

Trump was criticised after his first visit for not meeting those directly affected by the storm, which has so far killed 50 people and left one million displaced.

But the White House said he did not want to get in the way of the relief effort.

The president has asked Congress for an initial US$7.85bn in disaster relief in the wake of the storm.

White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said the request is a "downpayment on the president's commitment to help affected states recover from the storm".

Further funding requests are expected to address longer-term rebuilding needs as the full impact of the storm becomes clear.

Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to hit Texas in half a century - dumping unprecedented amounts of rain across more than 300 miles (480km) of the state's coast.