Pence goes hands-on clearing debris in Texas

Vice President Pence on Thursday joined volunteers to clean branches and debris scattered by Hurricane Harvey from a road in Rockport, Texas.

Pence, wearing work gloves and blue jeans, carried large branches downed in front of a white mobile home to a gravel curb, according to the White House pool report. The officials — including Pence, second lady Karen Pence and acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke — made several passes picking up large branches.

Pence helps clean up debris from downed trees in Rockport. pic.twitter.com/ThKVmQqTM5

— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) August 31, 2017

Wearing work gloves, @VP helps clear debris from Rockport home damaged by Harvey. pic.twitter.com/gznt3v0UHP

— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) August 31, 2017

The vice president and his wife arrived in Texas Thursday and met earlier in the day with other victims of the hurricane. Alongside Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), Karen Pence led the crowd in prayer for the victims over a microphone after an introduction from her husband.

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Pence told reporters that President Trump, who first visited the state on Tuesday, would return Saturday along with first lady Melania Trump. 

The president said on Tuesday that he wants his administration to be remembered for its effective response to Harvey, which made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 hurricane.

“We want to do it better than ever before,” Trump said Tuesday. “We want to be looked at in five years, in 10 years from now as, this is the way to do it.”