President Donald Trump on Wednesday touted his background as a real estate developer in helping to avoid a repeat of the huge flood losses Houston residents suffered from Hurricane Harvey last August.

"I'm the builder president – remember that – so, I understand this stuff," Trump said during a meeting with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other officials during a visit to Texas.

Trump said his administration would be looking into a more permanent solution to Houston's flooding problems which it has faced for decades.

"There is a method of doing it, and they've known it for 20 or 25 years, but nobody's ever done it," he said.

Trump did not specify what he was talking about, but engineers have long warned Houston should restrict development in flood-prone areas as well as build a better system of walls to hold back water in such catastrophic rain events.

The president said Abbott and Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick have been looking into a plan, and he believes the cost will be feasible.

"That would save a lot of money into the future, and it would also put a lot of people to work," Trump said. "Had it been built, much of what you went through would have been very small by comparison — perhaps almost nothing."

He also touted building first floors of buildings in flood area with "greenboard," a form of gypsum wallboard — known by the brand name Sheetrock.

It is used "around bathtubs and showers, and water has no impact on it," Trump said.

Greenboard is more resistant to water and can be used in lightly damp areas, but the website The Spruce notes it is not completely waterproof.

The Sheetrock website says it is for "interior applications in areas with limited water exposure."