Florida assesses damage from Hurricane Idalia 

As Hurricane Idalia leaves Florida, residents are assessing the damage up and down the coast – with many believing the destruction could have been much worse. 

On Wednesday night, more than 225,000 people were still without power in Flordia and 230,000 in Georgia were in the dark. 

Up to 40,000 Florida power workers were on standby on Wednesday morning to move in and restore power once the storm passed. 

Idalia was downgraded to a tropical storm as it passed through Georgia, with coastal and inland flooding expected in parts of the state, as well as the Carolinas. 

Despite the downgrading, President Joe Biden warned on Wednesday that the storm is “still very dangerous”. 

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said on Wednesday that the state’s primary focus is now on recovery efforts.

“We’re still assessing what is all going on on the ground in the places that had the initial impact,” Mr DeSantis at a news conference he held in Perry.

Officials said Idalia is the strongest storm to hit this part of Florida in more than 100 years.