MIAMI (AFP) - US authorities combed through the rubble of shattered homes and toppled trees as remnants of what was deadly Hurricane Ivan -- which killed at least 35 people in the United States and 70 in the Caribbean -- dumped heavy rain on much of the US mid-Atlantic.
The monster storm slammed into the US Gulf Coast early Thursday, packing winds of up to 215 kilometers (135 miles) per hour, with a fury that wrecked houses and buildings and caused widespread flooding.
Authorities launched a huge relief operation Friday along the Gulf Coast even as Ivan's rains fell and flooding in the Appalachians claimed more lives from Georgia through the Carolinas.
They said the storm killed at least 14 people in northwest Florida, the so-called Florida Panhandle, including four who died when a tornado ripped into a mobile home park in Blountstown, northeast of Panama City. Pensacola, Florida also was dealt a devastating blow.
Louisiana reported four hurricane-related deaths, Mississippi two, Georgia three and Alabama one. Ten more people were killed in North Carolina in accidents from flash-flooding to falling trees as Ivan moved north, state emergency officials said. A Tennessee police officer also was killed in a storm-related accident, CNN television reported.
Thousands of homes were flattened by the third major hurricane to hit the southern United States in six weeks.
Insurance experts have estimated the cost at up to 10 billion dollars, making it one of the most expensive in US history.
President George W. Bush, who has declared Alabama, Florida, Louisiana and Mississipi disaster areas, was to skip weekend election campaign events to see relief work in Alabama and Florida.
At 1500 GMT, the National Hurricane Center said "remnants of Ivan will move off the middle Atlantic coast" later Saturday. Flood watches were in effect from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, southeastern New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island and New Hampshire, it said.
Meanwhile, deadly Tropical Storm Jeanne lashed the Bahamas Saturday and was expected to strengthen over the next day, the US National Hurricane Center warned.
Jeanne -- which already killed four people and caused widespread damage and flooding in the Dominican Republic, after pounding Puerto Rico, where it killed two others -- still packed plenty of force Saturday.
At 1800 GMT, the center of Jeanne was located just west of Great Inagua Island in the Bahamas. "However this position is highly uncertain and if a reconnaissance plane confirms this location... Jeanne may be weaker than indicated at this time," the center said.
Jeanne was moving westward near 7 mph (11 Km/hr) packing winds near 50 mph (85 Km/hr) (and) "strengthening is no longer anticipated today (Saturday)," the center said.
Bush designated Puerto Rico a disaster zone Saturday, freeing up federal emergency funds to help the US island commonwealth in its recovery efforts after Hurricane Jeanne's hit.