President Trump tours Michael-ravaged areas, says 'we just left Florida and the people there are thrilled with our people and our talent'
Hurricane Michael slammed through the Florida Panhandle and into Georgia last week. President Donald Trump surveyed the hurricane-torn areas of Florida and Georgia on Monday, Oct.15, declaring that "nobody has seen anything like this" as crews continued to restore power and residents grappled with the devastation.
"Many of these people have no-they have no homes," Trump said after arriving at Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle.
Trump praised the work of emergency responders and law enforcement at the briefing alongside Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
"The job they've done in Florida has been incredible," Trump said, and described Scott as a leader who "steps up in the biggest emergencies, the biggest problems, and he gets it done."
"Every time I called, he's come through and done exactly what he said he was going to do," Scott said on Trump's response to the destructive storm.
Trump visits Florida and Georgia after Hurricane Michael
AP Photo/Garret Fischer
First, at vero eos et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui blanditiis praesentium et accusamus et iusto odio dignissimos ducimus qui voluptatum.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump board Air Force One for a trip to visit areas affected by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Andrews Air Force Base, Md.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Lynn Haven, Fla.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Lynn Haven, Fla.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump tour a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Lynn Haven, Fla.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott, tour a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Lynn Haven, Fla.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump greets a Lynn Haven, Fla. resident, left, during a tour of a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Lynn Haven, Fla.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
A Lynn Haven, Florida, homeowner talks with FEMA director Brock Long, Florida Gov. Rick Scott, President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Lynn Haven Mayor Margo Anderson as they tour an impacted neighborhood on Monday, Oct. 15.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump hand out water during a visit to areas affected by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Lynn Haven, Fla. Florida Gov. Rick Scott is right.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump meets with farmers impacted by Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Macon, Ga.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump meet with volunteers for the American Red Cross to thank them for efforts responding to Hurricane Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, Macon, Ga.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
President Trump speaks with Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Gary Black, and Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal during a briefing with state and local officials on the response to Michael, Monday, Oct. 15, in Macon, Ga.
Trump observed some of the worst-hit areas during a helicopter tour in Florida's Panama City and Mexico Beach, near where the storm made landfall. Severe damage was visible in the tour, including many trees were ripped out of the ground and homes that had been completely ripped from their foundations.
"Some of them have no trace of a home," Trump said. "It just got blown right off the footing."
The president stated that the government's immediate priorities are food, water and safety for storm victims.
The president also surveyed a street in the badly damaged community and visited a FEMA aid distribution center in Lynn Haven, Florida. He spoke with victims that were devastated by the storm in the area.
He stated that those involved in the recovery efforts are "doing more than anybody would have ever done."
"We've called for maximum relief," Trump said.
TOGETHER, WE WILL PREVAIL! pic.twitter.com/C1TLMVkDmt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018
He then traveled to Macon, Georgia, for a briefing at an American Red Cross building with federal and state officials.
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, the former Georgia governor, said pecan and cotton crops were particularly hard-hit. FEMA administrator Brock Long said that the area is going to see major agricultural losses.
Trump visited with a couple of farmers and sought to reassure them.
"We just left Florida and the people there are thrilled with our people and our talent," Trump said later during the briefing. "What they were not thrilled with was this hurricane."
