US President Donald Trump surveyed the damage from Hurricane Michael and met with survivors on Monday, saying food and housing were the top priorities for those hit in Florida's storm-ravaged Panhandle.
Trump travelled to Lynn Haven, a city of about 18,500 people near Panama City in northwestern Florida as his first stop.
Trump and first lady Melania Trump passed out bottles of water at an aid centre after taking a helicopter ride into the hardest hit area from Eglin Air Force Base about 100 miles (160km) to the west.
US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump hand out bottles of water as they tour damage from Hurricane Michael in Lynn Haven, Florida. Source: AFP
At least 18 deaths in four states have been blamed on Michael, which crashed into the Panhandle last Wednesday as one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the continental United States.
Trump was accompanied by Florida Governor Rick Scott, a fellow Republican who is running for a seat in the US Senate against an incumbent Democrat in the Nov. 6 congressional elections in which their party is fighting to retain control of Congress.
Before the helicopter tour, Trump and Scott offered words of mutual praise.
The Trumps also planned to visit part of neighbouring Georgia that was hit by Michael before returning to the White House on Monday evening, the White House said.
