The White House announced that the government would pay 100 percent of the cost of emergency protection and clearing debris from the hurricane, which tore a path across Florida on Friday, leaving at least 17 dead.

The government had initially said it would pay only three-quarters of the costs but has faced mounting calls for help from the southern state.

Thousands of National Guard troops and police have been sent to the worst-hit parts of Florida to help with the relief operation.

They have been putting up tents, organising emergency water and food supplies and keeping order. The Red Cross has also set up enough mobile kitchens and feeding centers to serve up to 9,000 people.

Authorities have ordered a night-time curfew in Charlotte county, on the Gulf Coast, where the hurricane first hit Florida. The county includes Punta Gorda, which was the worst-hit district.

National Guard carrying M-16 rifles stopped people entering the county without a good reason and police admit there has been looting despite the 9:00 pm to 6:00 am curfew that is expected to remain in effect for at least another week.

Thieves took computers from Charlotte Harbor Fire Department while firefighters were out.

Police said that at one hotel, thieves were taking televisions and beds from the rooms.

Charlotte County Sheriff's Office spokesman Robert Carpenter said officers had to concentrate on caring for survivors rather than the many calls about looting.

And many residents are staying in their damaged homes to protect their valuables. Signs such as "Looters Will Be Killed" and "We Shoot Looters" are also appearing on houses and stores.

A spokesman for the Charlotte county jail said four people had been taken into custody for suspected looting.

Carpenter said 1,500 National Guard troops and up to 60 sheriff's department officers were patrolling the streets.

Profiteering, with up to eight dollars being charged for a bag of ice, is also a mounting problem, according to officials who have warned of tough action against those who exploit victims of the hurricane.

Black marketeers were seen selling off the backs of trucks 200-dollar generators for 650 dollars.

One elderly couple paid 11,000 dollars to have a tree removed from the roof of their house, according to Charles Bronson, commissioner of the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

The consumer department and state attorney general's office said they have received more than 1,000 complaints about post-hurricane scams.

The storm, the worst since Hurricane Andrew in 1992, wrecked thousands of homes, left more than one million people without power, blocked roads and tore through airports, flipping over planes.

Hurricane Charley will cost insurers up to 10 billion dollars, top catastrophe modelling agencies said. Expenses could double when uninsured losses are added.

"Our estimates now are in the range of six to 10 billion dollars for insured losses," said AIR Worldwide spokesman Mike Gannon.

Most of the insurance losses were incurred in a swathe of Florida stretching from Fort Myers on the Gulf of Mexico to Orlando inland.

TERRA.WIRE