US President Donald Trump marveled at the roofless homes and uprooted trees he saw Monday while touring Florida Panhandle communities ravaged by the force of Hurricane Michael.

Trump toured devastated coastal communities by air, land and foot before he and the first lady helped hand out bottled water at a Federal Emergency Management Agency aid distribution center, where the needy signed up for temporary housing and picked up clothing, diapers, water and other supplies.

The president said someone described Hurricane Michael to him as being "like a very wide, extremely wide, tornado."

"Look behind you. I mean, those massive trees are just ripped out of the earth. This is really incredible," Trump said.

Trump narrowly won Florida over Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, boosted by strong voter turnout in the Panhandle.

The state is important to Trump not only for his hopes of being re-elected in 2020 but also as he campaigns aggressively to help Republicans expand their slim 51-49 majority in the US Senate. Fellow Republican and Florida Gov. Rick Scott is running for the Senate, partly at Trump's urging, and is in a close contest against Democratic incumbent Bill Nelson just weeks before Election Day. Scott shadowed Trump throughout Monday's visit.

Trump and his wife, Melania, initially saw uprooted trees and houses topped with blue tarps after his helicopter lifted off from Eglin Air Force Base near Valparaiso, his first stop after leaving Washington. But the severity of the damage worsened significantly as Trump approached Mexico Beach, which was nearly wiped off the map after taking a direct hit from the hurricane last week.

Many of the houses in the town of about 1,000 people had no roofs. In some cases, only the foundations were left standing. A water tower lay on its side, and 18-wheelers were scattered in a parking lot like children's toys.

More than 190,000 homes and businesses in Florida were without electricity as of Sunday.

AP