Florida coast battered by Hermine

Wind and rain from Hurricane Hermine toppled trees and power lines along Florida's northern Gulf Coast, inundating coastal areas with storm surges before it weakened to a tropical storm over land and plowed toward the Atlantic Coast yesterday.

Hermine made landfall early yesterday near St Marks, Florida, 20 miles south of the capital of Tallahassee, dumping heavy rains and packing winds of 80 mph, leaving tens of thousands of households without power along Florida's Gulf Coast.

No injuries were immediately reported. It was the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma more than a decade ago.