The difference between Donald Trump and his predecessors, in four photos

Local officials have so far reported at least 30 confirmed and suspected flood-related deaths in the aftermath of hurricane Harvey in the city and surrounding areas of Houston, Texas.

As the tropical storm continues to pour around a year's worth of rain in a week on the Texas city, emergency workers continue to rescue people from their houses following evacuation orders.

The Houston Police Department report that 3,500 people have been rescued from flooded areas, while the city's fire chief, Samuel Peña, reported their department had performed 400 rescues.

President Donald Trump visited the recovery effort in Corpus Christi, before surveying some of the damage on Tuesday, around 30 miles from the most severely affected parts of the Gulf Coast.

He visited emergency management officials, and spoke at an impromptu rally outside the Corpus Christi firehouse.

US President Donald Trump waves while speaking outside of the Annaville Fire House after attending a briefing on Hurricane Harvey in Corpus Christi, Texas on August 29, 2017. President Donald Trump flew into storm-ravaged Texas Tuesday in a show of solidarity and leadership in the face of the deadly devastation wrought by Harvey -- as the battered US Gulf Coast braces for even more torrential rain. (Picture: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

He urged federal officials to make a better response model for the future, having removed flood protection laws just days before the hurricane and having previously proposed budget slashing federal government provisions for local communities' disaster prevention and relief programmes:

It’s a real team, and we want to do it better than ever before.

We want to be looked at in five years, in 10 years from now as, this is the way to do it.

In a statement the White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that the team surrounding the President were not focused on optics:

The president wants to be very cautious about making sure that any activity doesn’t disrupt any of the recovery efforts.

I don’t know that we will be able to get to some of the really damaged areas.

Picture: Getty Images, edited by indy100

People on Twitter have been criticising his response to the disaster in comparison to previous Presidents:

There has been a long track record of Presidents or Presidential candidates meeting with victims of disasters in the aftermath as a show of support.

UK Prime Minister Theresa May was heavily criticised for not meeting victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in the days following the incident.

Here are a few examples in images of how previous presidents and candidates have responded to hurricanes.

Barack Obama, Hurricane Sandy, 2012:

US President Barack Obama comforts Hurricane Sandy victim Dana Vanzant as he visits a neighborhood in Brigantine, New Jersey, on 31 October, 2012. Americans sifted through the wreckage of superstorm Sandy on Wednesday as millions remained without power. The storm carved a trail of devastation across New York City and New Jersey, killing dozens of people in several states, swamping miles of coastline, and throwing the tied-up White House race into disarray just days before the vote. (Picture: JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

US President Barack Obama hugs a woman inside the distribution tent as he tours a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in the aftermath of Storm Sandy on Staten Island in New York on November 15, 2012. (Picture: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

US President Barack Obama (C) talks to residents on 31 October, 2012 as he visits a neighborhood in Brigantine, New Jersey hit by Hurricane Sandy. Americans sifted through the wreckage of superstorm Sandy on Wednesday as millions remained without power. The storm carved a trail of devastation across New York City and New Jersey, killing dozens of people in several states, swamping miles of coastline, and throwing the tied-up White House race into disarray just days before the vote. (Picture: AFP PHOTO/Jewel Samad)

US President Barack Obama hugs a woman as he visits a Small Business Administration tent as he tours a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center (DRC) in the aftremath of Storm Sandy on Staten Island in New York 15 November, 2012. (Picture: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

George W. Bush, Hurricane Katrina, 2005:

U.S. President George W. Bush hugs hurricane victim Sandra Patterson whose home was destroyed 2 September, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Bush visited the town of Biloxi, in parts completely devastated, during his tour of the Gulf Coast to view damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. (Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. President George W. Bush (L) sits with Patrick Wright on the steps of what was his parents' house 2 September, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Wright's parents survived the storm despite being inside the home while it was destroyed. Bush visited the town of Biloxi, in parts completely devastated, during his tour of the Gulf Coast to view damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. (Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. President George W. Bush (L) sits with Patrick Wright on the steps of what was his parents' house September 2, 2005 in Biloxi, Mississippi. Wright's parents survived the storm despite being inside the home while it was destroyed. Bush visited the town of Biloxi, in parts completely devastated, during his tour of the Gulf Coast to view damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. (Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. President George W. Bush places his arms around hurricane victims Kim (L) and Bronwynne Bassier (R) on the street where their destroyed home used to be September 2, 2005 in Biloxi, MS. Bush visited the town of Biloxi, in parts completely devastated, during his tour of the Gulf Coast to view damage caused by Hurricane Katrina. (Picture: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

U.S. President George W. Bush (2nd-L) consoles Kevin Miller (R) and sisters Bromwynne (2nd-R) and Kim Bassier (L) while touring Hurricane Katrina damage in Biloxi, Mississippi, 02 September, 2005. Bush toured areas devastated by Hurricane Katrina on foot for the first time Friday and acknowledged that early results of relief efforts were 'not acceptable.' Kicking off a day-long visit to Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, Bush expressed astonishment at the destruction, saying: 'It's as if the entire Gulf Coast were obliterated by the worst kind of weapon you can imagine.' AFP PHOTO/Jim WATSON (Picture: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Bill Clinton, Hurricane Andrew, 1992:

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton gets a kiss from three-year-old Mercedes Williams (L), while holding two-year-old Glenn Moore Jr. 03 September, 1992. The children were at an aid station 03 September, in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew, where they met Clinton who was touring the devastated areas of South Florida. (Picture: ROBERT SULLIVAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Democratic presidential candidate Bill Clinton visits with people standing in line for relief supplies at Richmond Heights Middle School in southern Dade County, Fla. 4 September 1992. (Picture: Rick Bowmer/AP)

More: The one photo that shows the devastation of Hurricane Harvey