Story highlights It was Carson and Nielsen's first trips to the island as secretaries

Recovery has been slow since the September hurricane

San Juan, Puerto Rico (CNN) Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on Tuesday said Puerto Rico is recovering far beyond what he had heard, as he visited the island for the first time since it was devastated by Hurricane Maria.

Carson, new Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and a handful of other federal officials managing disaster response were visiting the island for a one-day trip.

"You know, interestingly enough from the reports that I had gotten, I had no idea that we had moved this far along," Carson said, speaking to staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Joint Field Operations Center near San Juan.

He reiterated the sentiment in a meeting with a smaller group of officials from FEMA, HUD and the Department of Homeland Security.

"I'm extremely impressed with the progress that's been made. It's better than what I had heard previously," Carson said. "And when I see the look in people's eyes ... it makes me even more determined to be with you to the very end."

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