PUNTA GORDA, Florida, Aug 15 (AFP) - President George W. Bush on Sunday toured the Florida town worst hit by Hurricane Charley, which killed at least 16 people and left billions of dollars of damage.
Bush cut into a presidential election campaign tour to go to Florida, where his brother Jeb is the state governor.
They flew over the stricken town of Punta Gorda and later went into the streets where the president said that "people's lives have been destroyed" with their homes.
The president said that federal aid was being rushed to the disaster zone as fast as possible.
"We choppered over and saw the devastation of this area," Bush told reporters in Punta Gorda. "A lot of people's lives are turned upside down.
"We have ice and water moving in, trailers for people to live in are moving in. The state is providing security so that people can have peace of mind that there neighbourhood is safe.
"There is a lot of compassion moving here. The Red Cross is here. What I am saying is that there is a lot of help moving into this part of the world -- it is going to take a while to rebuild it."
Bush flew from Seattle, Washington state on Air Force One to Fort Myers and from there joined his brother on a helicopter to fly over the stricken coastal town of Punta Gorda and other badly hit areas.
The president declared parts of Florida a major disaster zone within hours of the hurricane striking Florida on Friday, so that it could receive federal aid.
Bush denied that his gesture to visit Florida was an election ploy targeted at a state that could play a key role in the November 2 vote.
"Yeh and if I didn't come they would say I should have been here more rapidly."
A spokesman for Bush's election campaign, Scott Stanzel, said "it's important for the president to survey the damage and to get an assessment of how the recovery efforts are going but they are taking great pains to make sure they're not getting in the way."
The Democratic contender for the White House, Senator John Kerry, said he would not go to Florida because he did not want to distract attention from the rescue operation. He has urged supporters to help relief efforts.