Ivan devastates US Southeast

Remnants of Hurricane Ivan dumped rain on the U.S. Southeast as it moved inland, posing the risk of flash floods in 12 states from Alabama to Pennsylvania.

The center of &to=http://newsfromrussia.com/world/2004/09/17/56118.html' target=_blank>Ivan, which weakened into a tropical depression, was near Chattanooga, Tennessee, the National Weather Service said today at 5 a.m. New York time. Flash-flood warnings were posted for the area where Tennessee, Georgia and Alabama meet. Nine other states had flash-flood watches. About 6.5 inches (16.5 centimeters) of rain fell on parts of Alabama and up to 7 inches more is likely within 24 hours along the storm's path.

More than 1.6 million people were without power late yesterday in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Ivan made landfall along Alabama's coast, causing floods and spawning tornadoes. The storm's sustained winds slowed to about 20 miles (32 kilometers) per hour today from as high as 135 mph early yesterday, forecasters said.