Hurricane Irma gave Florida a coast-to-coast pummelling with winds up to 130 mph on Sunday, swamping homes and boats, knocking out power to millions and toppling massive construction cranes over the Miami skyline.
The 400-mile-wide storm blew ashore in the mostly cleared-out Florida Keys, then marched up its western coast, its punishing winds extending clear across to Miami and West Palm Beach on the Atlantic side.
Irma was nearing the heavily populated Tampa-St. Petersburg area late on Sunday, though in a much-weakened state.
While it arrived in Florida a Category 4 hurricane, by nightfall it was down to a Category 2 with winds of 100 mph (160 kph). Meanwhile, more than 160,000 people waited in shelters statewide as Irma headed up the coast.
President Donald Trump has said the US may have got a "little bit lucky" after Hurricane Irma veered from its original course and headed west along Florida's coast.
He said Irma may not have been quite as destructive as a result, but that things will play out over the next several hours.
Mr Trump addressed reporters on Sunday after returning to the White House from Camp David, the presidential retreat in Maryland where he spent the weekend monitoring the storm.
Irma will cost "a lot of money," he said, but he isn't thinking about that right now.
"Right now, we're worried about lives, not cost," he said,
Here is the current, real-time satellite view of the storm
As the storm ripped through Miami waist-deep water surged through streets at least three blocks from the shore.
Roads in the downtown area were turned into rivers as water raced between office buildings and blocks of flats, while street signs swung crazily.
More than 3 million homes and businesses across the state lost power, and utility officials said it will take weeks to restore electricity to everyone.
Two construction cranes collapsed in the high winds. No injuries were reported. One of them was left dangling perilously over a partially constructed high rise building.
Miami's deputy fire chief Joseph Zahralban said people in nearby structures should move somewhere safe but there was nothing else emergency services could do to help.
He said: "The weather has deteriorated to the point where we're not comfortable even sending anybody out to even evaluate the situation. So our only concern right now is the protection of life, not property."
The crane was one of more than 20 in Miami that were unable to be dismantled in time and there were fears others could come crashing down.
One woman in Miami had to deliver her own baby girl during the storm as emergency services were unable to reach her. A fire service spokesman said: "We weren't able to respond. Dispatch told her how to do it and she's stable at home."
Among at least three people reported dead as Irma hit was sheriff's deputy Julie Bridges who died alongside another in a car crash about 60 miles from Sarasota.
In a separate accident, a man lost control of a truck in strong winds in Key West.
Irma made landfall in Florida on Sunday morning at Cudjoe Key with sustained winds of 130 mph, the National Hurricane Center said.
It was expected to bring up to 25 inches of rain in some parts of the Keys.
Some 6.4 million Floridians had been ordered to evacuate, more than a quarter of Florida' population, amid warnings they would be "on their own" if they stayed. Of those who stayed 100,000 were in shelters, but some chose to remain in their own homes.
The Republican governor said on NBC that he spoke to President Donald Trump, and "everything I've asked out of the federal government, he's made sure he gave us."
Once the storm passes, "we're going to need a lot of help," Mr Scott warned.
But he also described Florida as "a tough state. We're going to come through this."
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