Trump visits Irma victims in hard-hit southwest Florida

Sept. 14 (UPI) -- President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Vice President Mike Pence all visited storm-flattened southwest Florida Thursday afternoon -- to see recovery efforts and meet with those hit hardest by Hurricane Irma.

It was Trump's third hurricane relief trip in a little more than two weeks, after Irma devastated parts of Florida and Hurricane Harvey caused massive flooding in Texas.

"I want to thank everybody. I don't want to see you next week. We've seen you enough," Trump joked. "We've seen the devastation. We're going to see some more today, unfortunately."

The death toll in the United States related to Irma has risen to 31, officials said Thursday.

Trump flew into Fort Meyers on Florida's southern Gulf Coast, and his party arrived in Naples via helicopter, where he visited residents of a trailer park whose homes were destroyed during the severe storm earlier this week.

Speaking in front of a Coast Guard helicopter at one of the rescue staging areas, Trump thanked first responders for their efforts during and after Irma -- the most powerful storm to strike the United States since Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005.

The president was also given an in-person briefing on recovery efforts by federal, state and local law enforcement upon arriving in Fort Meyers.