McCain gets briefing on Tropical Storm Fay

[August 18, 2008]  WINTER PARK, Fla. (AP) -- John McCain on Sunday was briefed on Tropical Storm Fay, which scuttled a political fundraiser and is threatening to reach Florida as soon as Monday.

McCain, the Republican nominee-in-waiting, visited the Orange County Emergency Operations Center near Orlando shortly after flying from Long Beach, Calif. Speaking to a pool of reporters, he was optimistic that local and federal officials will work together if the storm strikes.

"The good news is, obviously, no state is better prepared or organized to deal with whatever comes this way than the state of Florida," McCain told reporters after his briefing.

McCain said he hoped the storm wouldn't permanently hurt central Florida's tourism industry, which includes theme parks like Disney World and Universal Studios.

"You'll be in our thoughts and prayers. I am very impressed by what you're doing and what you're prepared to do. Coming from a state that is not often hit by a hurricane, I'm incredibly impressed," the Arizona senator told local officials.

McCain has long criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency's reaction to Hurricane Katrina, which inundated New Orleans and much of the Gulf Coast, blaming poor leadership in the storm's aftermath.

On Sunday he asked what would have to be done to mobilize federal help if Tropical Storm Fay strengthens into a hurricane and slams into parts of the Keys and South Florida as expected late Monday or early Tuesday.

So far, there is no FEMA involvement, officials said.

"We have assumed that for the first 72 hours we should rely on no one but ourselves. Because that's how long it takes for help to come," said Orange County Administrator Ajit Lalchandani.

McCain and Democratic rival Barack Obama are in a tight race in Florida, with polls showing the contest is within the margin of error despite Obama spending millions of dollars on television advertising.

McCain was scheduled to speak in Orlando on Monday to the Veterans of Foreign Wars. Obama was scheduled to speak on Tuesday, followed by President Bush on Wednesday.

The storm canceled a Sunday evening McCain fundraiser in Miami. McCain said the move was made out of "an overabundance of caution."

Fay, the sixth storm of the 2008 Atlantic season, picked up some momentum Sunday afternoon as it headed toward Cuba, and could be a hurricane by the time it reaches the island's center, forecasters said. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 50 mph.

Fay has already killed at least five people after battering Haiti and the Dominican Republic with weekend torrential rains and floods.

Republican Sen. Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, a close McCain friend, also joined him in the briefing. Also present were Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., and Independent Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, a potential McCain running mate and chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee.

"We hope this storm does not turn into a hurricane, but if it does, the damage will be minimal," McCain said.

[Associated Press; By PHILIP ELLIOTT]

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