ROCKPORT — Vice President Mike Pence met with survivors of Hurricane Harvey's destruction on Thursday at a battered church, donned work gloves to haul debris, and issued hug after hug on a tour of storm damage.

Examining the impact zone by air, foot and motorcade, he vowed over and over that Washington will invest whatever it takes, for as long as it takes, to ensure a full recovery.

"We promise you, we're going to stay with you every step until we bring Southeast Texas back bigger and better than ever before," he said at a Rockport church before helping to clear brush in a nearby neighborhood.

Pence headed straight to Rockport after landing in Corpus Christi, five cabinet secretaries in tow, to emphasize the focus the administration is putting on the disaster. A crowd gathered hours ahead of time at First Baptist Church. Gov. Greg Abbott was waiting at the tarmac and joined Pence's tour, with the local congressman, Rep. Blake Farenthold.

The hands-on approach stood in contrast to President Donald Trump's trip to Corpus Christi and Austin two days earlier, when the president never encountered displaced Texans as he received briefings and met with state and local officials. Trump will return to Texas on Saturday, likely in the Houston area.

.@SecretaryPerry snaps photos of Rockport, Texas, during aeriel storm damage tour #harvey. Photo by print pooler @katieleslienews pic.twitter.com/DDGyy8KDg3 — Todd J. Gillman (@toddgillman) August 31, 2017

Pence and his group later boarded Marine V-22 Ospreys for an aerial tour of the damaged region, landing in Victoria, where they met with 250 or so volunteers handing out food, water and other supplies.

At the Rockport church, Pence shook hands and offered private encouragement before and after taking the microphone. He said he spoke with Trump during the flight to Texas and asked what message to convey.

"Just tell 'em we love Texas," he recounted, prompting a woman in the crowd to shout, "We love Trump!"

"You've inspired the nation by your resilience and by your courage. We've just come to commend you and encourage you," Pence told the 150 or so people baking in the sun outside the church.

The U.S people will stand w/ you every day until this city, state & region rebuild bigger & better than ever before. https://t.co/mxtQi8uMlf — Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) August 31, 2017

It was a message he repeated throughout the day, and one that Abbott echoed.

"There is no storm that is as tough as the people of Texas. We will rise again and we will rebuild this town," Abbott told the crowd in Rockport. "It's important that we remember that the greatest power that exists is the power of God. ... It was the power of God that was able to pull people out of the water and literally to save them."

He announced and signed a proclamation declaring Sunday as a day of prayer in Texas.

In 2005, as a congressman, Pence insisted on budget cuts to offset spending on disaster aid after Hurricane Katrina. Asked Thursday if Congress should make budget cuts to offset spending needed for Harvey recovery — which could easily top $100 billion and perhaps far more — Pence demurred.

He was proud to have worked on finding a fiscally responsible approach back then, he said, but it's now up to Trump and Congress and in any case, he said, the key point is that "the resources will be there."

#Rockport residents sing Amazing Grace in front of destroyed First Baptist Church #PenceInTX pic.twitter.com/sNLpkgtSpR — Julie Garcia 💙💜💗 (@reporterjulie) August 31, 2017

1 / 3Vice President Mike Pence, with his wife Karen by his side, shares a hug as he tries to encourage residents affected by Hurricane Harvey during Thursday's visit.(Eric Gay / The Associated Press) 2 / 3Vice President Mike Pence helps move debris during a visit to an area hit by Hurricane Harvey, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Rockport, Texas. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)(Eric Gay / AP) 3 / 3Louis Naro waits with his family for a visit from Vice President Mike Pence, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2017, in Rockport, Texas, an area that received heavy damage from Hurricane Harvey. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)(Eric Gay / AP)

The crowd sang "Amazing Grace" while awaiting Pence, and "God Bless America" as he pressed the flesh.

The Rev. Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan's Purse and a top evangelical supporter of Trump, opened the brief ceremony at the church by sharing a parable of Jesus guiding disciples through a storm.

"You've gone through a storm," he said, assuring the crowd that Jesus is still with them.

After a half-hour at the church, Pence was off to see flattened and badly damaged homes where volunteers from Samaratin's Purse were helping.

He soon joined the work, as did Abbott, who from his wheelchair handed Pence and acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke wood to haul away from a white mobile home.

Mattresses, drywall, chairs and lights were already piled and waiting at the curb, the remnants of lives disrupted in modest single family and mobile homes along the street. Pence heaved a number of large branches onto piles.

"It means a lot" for Pence to visit, said Brittney Naro, who fled inland with friends and family to Temple during the storm. The governor cradled her 2-week old son, Wyatt, at one point. "They didn't have to come. What more can you ask for?"

As Pence removed debris, Todd Taylor, a disaster relief official with Graham's ministry, lauded the high-level attention. "Anytime you can get one of our public officials, especially men that love this country like the vice president and Governor Abbott, the attention he can bring to this area will really help people be in the know as to what's going on here," he said.

The Pences wore jeans for the trip. Karen Pence wore loafers, a contrast to the stylish stilettos the first lady wore as she boarded Air Force One on Tuesday. Melania Trump traded them for walking shoes by the time she arrived in Texas.

Energy Secretary Rick Perry, the former Texas governor, and Anita Perry, the state's former first lady, joined Pence for the day, along with the chiefs of the labor, veterans affairs, transportation and homeland security departments.

Pence's visit put him in contact with hundreds of Texans impacted by the storm, a far different itinerary than Trump's two day's earlier.

The White House said the president didn’t want to serve as a distraction to emergency responders still grappling with massive flooding, particularly in the Houston area. But that didn't fend off criticism for appearing aloof and unwilling to embrace the downtrodden. Trump is more likely to encounter impacted Texans when he returns on Saturday.

Perry defended the president's decision to avoid disaster areas and storm victims on his first post-Harvey visit.

"The president went to the right place at the right time," he told reporters en route to Corpus Christi.

"He wanted to go Monday. And he really wanted to be where there were citizens being affected" Perry said, who indicated he and others urged the president to stay clear of such areas. "He literally and figuratively waved the flag. The American citizens and Texans know he cares, he's paying attention."

.@VP huddles with cabinet secretaries Perry, Shulkin & Chao before heading to Texas on AF2 pic.twitter.com/RlepSVtO1x — Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) August 31, 2017

Air Force Two landed in Corpus Christi at about 11:15 a.m. and departed 6 1/2 hours later. Before leaving, Pence declared that "the sights and sounds and conversations we had today were just overwhelming. The resilience of the people of Texas has been inspiring."

At Victoria's Faith Family Church, Pence spent about a half-hour with Convoy of Hope volunteers using the parking lot for operations. They had set up shop under a red, white and blue striped tent, with large crates and boxes filled with supplies.

Having Pence visit is "like a once-in-a-lifetime deal that somebody would come to our small little town," said the church's outreach pastor, Mark Longoria. "It means a lot that our president and vice president cares about even the smallest places in our country."

"Texas is inspiring America," Pence told the volunteers, speaking through a bullhorn. He reiterated the pledge he'd made in Rockport — that the federal government will see them through the recovery.

"The best days for Victoria and the best days for Texas are yet to come," he said, adding, "God bless Texas."

Katie Leslie reported from Corpus Christi, Rockport and Victoria. Todd J. Gillman reported from Washington.