More than four million Americans have been left without power after Hurricane Helene pummelled five states with heavy rain and strong winds. A number of people lost their lives as the storm devastated an area of 800 square miles,

The winds might have died down as Hurricane Helene dwindles, but dangerous storm surge and flooding rivers in Florida are still a concern.

Long before its landfall late Thursday, Hurricane Helene and its intense wind and rain were already threatening millions of people in four states.

Helene roared ashore Florida's Big Bend region as one of the most powerful storms to hit the United States, with officials fearing the hurricane would leave a trail of deaths and widespread destruction as it moved inland.

More than 700,000 homes and businesses remained without power Friday morning in Florida as Helene weakened to a tropical depression, a decrease from earlier in the day where more than a million people were without electricity.

Helene rolled into Georgia Friday from Florida as a tropical storm as it dumped life-threatening rain onto the state and South Carolina with strong enough winds to cause millions in power outages.