'This is some big monster': Donald Trump wish to visit Hurricane Irma hit Florida

Washington: US President Donald Trump called Hurricane Irma "some big monster" as it battered the Florida coast, saying he wanted to go to the state very soon and praising emergency officials for their efforts to protect people.

"The bad news is that this is some big monster," Trump told reporters at the White House, saying damage from the storm would be very costly.

"Right now, we are worried about lives, not cost," Trump said after returning from Camp David, the



presidential retreat in Maryland where he monitored the storm and met with his Cabinet.

The path of the storm, tracking the west coast of Florida, meant it might be less destructive than it would otherwise have been, Trump said, noting the next five or six hours would be critical.

"I hope there aren't too many people in the path," he said. "You don't want to be in that path."

The US House of Representatives canceled votes scheduled for Monday because of the hurricane.