Two Dead
Tropical Storm Idalia is barrelling through Georgia after its fierce winds and torrential rains lashed Florida, where it was blamed for two deaths.
Idalia, which landed as a powerful hurricane in Florida's Big Bend area, still poses a major flood threat. Roads and towns were submerged in knee-deep water, and the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of "rising water moving inland from the coastline".
Emergency crews are working to rescue trapped residents and clear debris.
At 17:00 EDT (21:00 GMT) Idalia was packing 70mph (110km/h) winds over south-eastern Georgia and tracking in a north-easterly direction.
Some 470,000 customers in Georgia and Florida were without power, according to the PowerOutage.us tracking website.
Across the Big Bend region, some communities were cut off by floodwaters and fallen trees, with people seen wading and canoeing to safety.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported two deaths on Wednesday related to the storm:
In Alachua County, a 59-year-old Gainesville man died after his pick-up truck hit trees in "extremely rainy conditions"
A 40-year-old man from Spring Hill "lost control" of his Ford Ranger in Pasco County and struck a tree.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said all eight of the state's urban search-and-rescue teams had been deployed, while some 5,500 National Guardsmen were helping clear roads of debris and thousands of repairmen were working to restore power.
At least 27 of the state's 67 counties were under some form of evacuation order, including 13 mandatory orders in western and central Florida.
Major airports and tourist attractions including Walt Disney World suspended operations as well.
But there were widespread reports of people refusing to evacuate and being trapped in their homes, with emergency crews working to rescue them.