US storm Hermine: Eastern states warned

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption In Florida the clear-up operation has begun in earnest

US East Coast states are on alert for the strong storm pushing north-eastward as people take time off for the long holiday weekend.

The high winds have left a trail of destruction in the south-east of the US. They are the tail-end of the first hurricane to hit Florida in a decade.

One person was killed before Hurricane Hermine was reclassified as a storm.

Tens of millions of Americans on the Atlantic coast are still threatened, officials have warned.

The East Coast continues to face a mix of dangerously high winds and heavy rains, they say.

The storm caused considerable damage on Friday and Saturday morning in Florida and Georgia, cutting off power to hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses.

Image copyright Reuters

Image caption The high winds have left a trail of destruction across the south-east of the US

Image copyright AP

Image caption Hurricane Hermine caused a 9.5ft (2.9-metre) storm surge

Hermine remains a threat to Americans who live on the coast between South Carolina and Rhode Island, officials say, and is expected to bring widespread localised flooding.

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Storm conditions are expected to reach New York on Sunday.

Image copyright EPA

Image caption Businesses in Florida prepared well for the storm

Image copyright AP

Image caption Georgia was spared the worst, but many trees were uprooted and thousands of people were left without electricity

Image copyright Getty Images

Image caption The storm has hit as Americans take time off to celebrate the Labor Day weekend

"Hermine not only threatens to foil weekend getaways at the beach, but has the potential to cause damage in some communities and pose risk to the lives of those who venture in the surf or on the seas," meteorologist Alex Sosnowski told Accuweather.com.

The storm is predicted to make its way northwards along the Carolina coast before gaining momentum and moving into the Atlantic on Saturday, possibly reaching near-hurricane strength by late Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said.

The threat of severe weather has led to the cancellation of concerts over the weekend and the closure of beaches in several coastal communities.

The storm has also interrupted the Labor Day weekend plans of thousands of holiday-makers who traditionally visit beaches along the Atlantic seaboard. Florida"s tourism industry has been badly affected.

In the town of Cedar Key, waters rose more than 9.5ft (2.9m), among the highest surges ever seen, according to the National Weather Service.

In total about 150,000 households are without power in Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas, utility companies reported on Saturday.

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US storm Hermine: Eastern states warned
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