Hurricane Jeanne swept across southeastern US state of Florida Sunday, killing at least three and knocking off power to more than 1.5 million people at a state that has already been battered by three hurricanes in just six weeks.

With drenching rains and howling wind, Jeanne tore off roofs and hurtled debris through the air as it hit the same area assaulted by Frances three weeks ago.

Jeanne, which blasted ashore as a Category 3 hurricane with winds of up to 120 mph (about 190 kph) just before midnight Saturday, was downgraded to a tropical storm by late Sunday afternoon as it moved Northwest with sustained winds of 70 mph (about 112 kph).

No other state has been hit by four hurricanes in the same season since Texas more than a century ago. The four hurricanes, which also included Charley and Ivan, have so far caused at least 70 deaths in Florida.

These hurricanes also have prompted the largest relief effort in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's history, eclipsing responses for the 1994 earthquake in Northridge, California, and the 2001 terrorist attacks, local media reports quoted director Michael Brown as saying.

Insurance claims were already expected to be in excess of 18 billion dollars, without factoring in the damage from Jeanne.

Source: Xinhua