More than 125,000 people were left without power in South Carolina Sunday as Tropical Storm Gaston swept ashore with near-hurricane-force wind, knocking down trees and flooding roads and streets.

Gov. Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency and encouraged people to stay in their homes because streets were strewn with power lines. One person was injured in a suburban area of Charleston when a tree fell on a house.

Gaston bore sustained winds of 70 mph (112 kph) and gusts exceeding 80 mph (128 kph) when it sloshed ashore earlier Sunday. As much as eight inches of rain had fallen along some parts of the coast by midday.

The tropical storm weakened along the way as it moved north about 8 mph (12.8 kph) toward inland South Carolina. Forecasters said it could reach North Carolina by Sunday night.

Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Hurricane Frances had sustained winds of 135 mph (216 kph) about 550 miles (880 kilometers) east of the Leeward Islands in the southeastern Caribbean.

The Hurricane center said Frances was expected to become a top level Category 5 storm capable of causing catastrophic damage and hit land this week.

Source: Xinhua