Dramatic pictures from southern US show scale of Hurricane Helene devastation

Hurricane Helene is one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the United States with wind gust speeds of 140 mph (225 km/h) and heavy rain.

The storm made landfall in Florida overnight on Thursday as a category four hurricane but was downgraded to a tropical storm as it moved rapidly more inland.

It was the strongest storm on record to hit Florida's Big Bend, and it moved north into Georgia and the Carolinas.

At least 45 people have died and millions have been left without power.

Insurers and financial institutions say damage caused by the storm could run into the billions of dollars.

In Horseshoe Beach, Florida, an aerial view shows debris from damaged houses. One resident from the area told Reuters that although the risk of hurricanes is the "price you pay for wanting to live on the coast", there is a point when "enough is enough"

A home furniture shop in Valdosta, Georgia, is destroyed. The shop, called Chez What, posted a message on Facebook, saying their hearts were "heavy"

A man, Nash Harris, looks for some salvageable clothing in his home in Steinhatchee in Florida's Big Bend

Children walk past the collapsed portion of a bridge after flood waters destroyed it in Boone, North Carolina

A local resident helps free a car that became stranded in a stretch of flooding road on the outskirts of Boone, North Carolina

Members of the fire department's water rescue Team help a man in Atlanta, Georgia

Across the region many would wake to find damage from flooding.

Flood waters wash over Guy Ford Road bridge on the Watauga River as Hurricane Helene approaches the North Carolina mountains

Flood waters in Tarpon Springs, Florida

Peachtree Park Apartments resident Candice Ocvil (left) and Jibri Tolenrow KAYAK through flood waters in Peachtree Creek, Georgia

In Peachtree Creek some residents took to boats to navigate the flood water while another set about cleaning up.

Peachtree Park Apartments resident Andrea Palese begins to clean up

A home in Pinellas County, close to Tampa in Florida, was badly hit by the storm

Power lines and fallen trees lay on the ground in Crawfordville, Florida

As the flood water receded along the west coast of Florida, it left behind damaged or destroyed buildings.

An oak tree fell on a home in Anderson, South Carolina.

Emergency teams, like these Marine deputies, were on hand to rescue those who required assistance.

Below an airboat transports residents rescued from flood waters due to storm surge in Crystal River.

Off the coast of Florida, a man and his dog were rescued by the US Coast Guard, while in St Petersburg a capsized boat washed ashore.

Even before its arrival, the storm had caused power outages for more than one million people and severe flooding in several areas.

Trucks belonging to Duke Energy were pictured in line waiting to repair damage once the storm had passed.

Ahead of the Hurricane many residents moved to shelters like this one at a school in Tallahassee.

President Joe Biden and state authorities had urged people to heed official evacuation warnings before Helene hit, though some chose to stay in their homes to wait out the storm.

People boarded up windows and prepared their properties as best they could.

Those who chose to stay stocked up with food to wait out the storm.