President George W. Bush on Sunday assured Floridians help was on the way to ease their suffering after a devastating hurricane, as he toured the wreckage of a state critical to his re-election. Accompanied by his brother and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Federal Emergency Management Agency director Mike Brown, Bush assessed the damage in hard-hit Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda along Florida's Gulf coast. Bush had already issued a disaster declaration for the area, freeing up federal emergency funds for the state. Charley, a powerful category 4 storm which bore down on Florida on Friday with 145 mph (233 kph) winds, took many people in the southwestern part of the state by surprise because of its intensity and its path of movement. Bush traveled through areas where flipped mobile homes lay next to broken trees and roofs had been shorn from many homes. "A lot of people's lives have been turned upside down," observed Bush, standing outside the home of Gary Nickols, a 57-year-old utility worker. Nickols had evacuated to a nearby church, but returned to his home on Saturday without any water or electricity. He said he felt fortunate because his home had been relatively unharmed compared to many others in the area. --More 2231 Local Time 1931 GMT
