Hurricane Michael: President Trump and first lady visit Florida Panhandle, headed to Georgia next

President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump flew to Florida on Monday to meet with survivors and assess the damage from Hurricane Michael in the state's heavily-hit panhandle. The Trumps will travel to a recovering area of Georgia the same day.

What are the details?

After landing in an airport outside Panama City, the president took a helicopter ride to witness first-hand the destruction caused by the storm. The media followed as Trump flew over the devastated Mexico Beach community, and heavily-damaged Tyndall Air Force Base.

Back on the ground, President Trump told reporters, "It's hard to believe when you are above it in a plane and to see the total devastation."

.@POTUS on Hurricane Michael damage: "It's hard to believe when you are above it in a plane and to see the total devastation." pic.twitter.com/52gX9WgUu0

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 15, 2018

Trump made a disaster declaration for six Georgia counties over the weekend, after previously declaring a major disaster in eight Florida counties.

Standing next to Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) in Lynn Haven, the president said, "We've called for maximum relief. We are doing everything we have to."

.@POTUS on Hurricane Michael damage: "We've called for maximum relief. We are doing everything we have to." pic.twitter.com/WJp6TCKqIS

— Fox News (@FoxNews) October 15, 2018

What's going on with the search for victims?

Search crews continue to comb through debris for the missing in Mexico Beach, where earlier in the day the police chief declared that as many as 35 people were unaccounted for. By mid-afternoon, that number was down to just three.

On Sunday, FEMA released a report on the coordinated response effort by government and private agencies to assist victims. It noted that more than 19,000 people have registered for disaster assistance in the wake of Michael's destruction. FEMA has 14 Disaster Survival Assistance teams deployed in Florida, and 17 Points of Distribution established in Florida and Georgia to provide necessities like food and water.

In additional to several federal agencies, assistance is being provided by the American Red Cross, The Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Disaster Relief and many others. Airbnb announced that 900 homes have been made available to displaced survivors for free in Florida and adjacent states.

As of Monday morning, the death toll from Hurricane Michael was at 18.