Hurricane Nicol: At least 2 killed in Florida

Tragedy struck after Hurricane Nicole hit the eastern shores of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Thursday morning, with two deaths reported.

Hurricane Nicole weakened to a tropical storm shortly after making landfall, but brought with it heavy rains and high winds that damaged power lines and flooded homes.

On Thursday, as many as 350,000 homes and businesses across Florida remained without power.

Florida governor says ready to tackle impact

"We're ready and resources are available for the post-storm needs," Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference.

DeSantis was re-elected as Florida's governor two days ago as voters chose their representatives at the US midterm election.

"This is still a large storm, and it is impacting much of the state. Winds are the main concern with Nicole," he said.

Residents along coastlines evacuated before hurricane struck

Residents had been evacuated from coastal areas as high winds brought tidal surges and flooding on Wednesday night.

But buildings and boardings were extensively damaged along coastlines, and officials said they were still assessing the extent of the damage.

Though warnings for storm surge have been discontinued, the National Weather Service issued a tornado watch for parts of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina until Friday 1 a.m. local time (0600 GMT).