President Trump, First Lady Tour Storm-Battered Florida Panhandle

President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hand out bottles of water as they tour damage from Hurricane Michael in Lynn Haven, Florida

President Donald Trump and the first lady visited the Florida Panhandle and Georgia to survey the damage and destruction caused by Hurricane Michael. Trump commended the relief efforts, praising Florida Governor Rick Scott for stepping up during "the biggest emergencies and the biggest problems.”

"Rick Scott, your governor, has done an incredible job, and all of your people have been amazing — working with FEMA, working with the first responders, and always law enforcement,” Trump said.

The Trumps got an aerial tour of the devastation aboard the presidential helicopter, Marine One. They flew over the epicenter of the storm, Mexico Beach, which was basically washed off the map when Michael roared ashore with winds of 155 miles per hour, before landing in nearby Panama City. 

“To see this personally is very tough - total devastation,” Trump told reporters after touring the storm-ravaged areas.

After landing, the Trumps' motorcade drove through streets littered with downed trees, power lines, and other debris until they reached a distribution center in Lynn Haven, where they helped hand out supplies and spoke with locals. Trump told them he was shocked by the amount of destruction caused by the hurricane. 

“These are massive trees, that have been just ripped out of the earth," Trump said. "We’ve seen mostly water. And water can be very damaging, and scary, when you see water rising 14 or 15 feet. But nobody’s ever seen anything like this. This is really incredible.”

According to Bloomberg, damages from the hurricane could top $25 billion, and only about half of that cost will be covered by insurance. Private insurance is expected to cover between nine and ten billion dollars, while three billion will be covered by the national flood insurance program.

Photo: Getty Images


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