Kerrville, Texas - President Donald Trump spoke Friday of seeing devastation like he'd never before experienced as he toured parts of Texas hit by devastating flash floods that have left at least 120 people dead, including dozens of children.

The Republican leader and First Lady Melania Trump were in the Hill Country of central Texas to meet first responders, victims' families, and local officials, a week after a rain-swollen river swept away houses, camp cabins, cars, and people.

"This is a tough one. I've never seen anything like this," Trump said at a roundtable meeting in Kerrville, in the worst-affected Kerr County.

Donald Trump US State Department starts carrying out layoffs of more than 1,300 employees

Donald Trump Trump surveys Texas flood damage, meets rescuers as scrutiny over official response mounts

"I've gone to a lot of hurricanes, a lot of tornadoes. I've never seen anything like this. This is a bad one."

Trump lashed out at reporters for questioning authorities' response to the disaster and said he wanted to focus on solidarity with emergency workers and volunteers.

"All across the country, Americans' hearts are shattered," said Trump, speaking at a table draped in a black banner with the message "Texas Strong."

"I had to be here as president. The first lady wanted to be here."

He compared the suddenly rising floodwaters to a "giant wave in the Pacific Ocean that the best surfers in the world would be afraid to surf."

Earlier, the Trumps were met by Governor Greg Abbott near the Guadalupe River in Kerrville, in an area with numerous downed trees and an overturned tractor trailer.

They were briefed by Texas Emergency Management and Kerrville Fire Department officials, and greeted by 30 or so rescue workers and Coast Guard members.

The search for more than 170 missing people, including five girls who were at summer camp, was in its eighth day as rescue teams combed through mounds of debris and mud.

But with no live rescues reported this week, worries have swelled that the death toll could still rise.

Politicians Sen. Thom Tillis expresses regret over his vote for "amateurish" Pete Hegseth

Politicians Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's wife mysteriously files for divorce "on biblical grounds"

Trump has brushed off questions about the impact of his cuts to federal agencies on the response to the flood, which he described as a "100-year catastrophe" that "nobody expected."

On Thursday, Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem, who was with Trump in Texas, defended the immediate response as "swift and efficient."

But Texas officials have faced questions about why emergency evacuation messages to residents and visitors along the flooding Guadalupe River reportedly were delayed, in some cases by hours.

Trump expressed support for a flood warning system in a telephone interview with NBC News on Thursday.