In several towns on Florida's southwest coast, from West Palm Beach to Melbourne, electrical power lines dangled dangerously in flooded streets. Hundreds of trees were uprooted and roofs torn off buildings.

By mid-morning residents hunkered down in shelters, motels and boarded up homes began to go outside to investigate the hurrican damage.

President George W. Bush declared a "major disaster" in the five Florida counties on Saturday to expedite federal aid to the zone.

Florida Governor Jeb Bush -- the president's brother -- called on residents to be cautious, reminding them that most casualties happen after hurricanes have gone by.

"The minute it is safe to do so, the first responders will be on the ground providing relief, first to make the assessments of what the damage is, then to address that damage," the Florida governor said, speaking at the state capital of Talahasse.

"And just remember that you and your family are more valuable than your valuables. So don't go back to your home if you are in a shelter, don't think that you need to get on the interstate (highway) to go back to your community until you are told to do so," he added.

Bush is expected to visit the hardest-hit areas later in the day.

Ben Nelson, a metereologist with the Miami-based National Hurricane Center, said Frances was a Category Two hurricane -- on the five-level system -- when it made landfall late Saturday, but by mid-day Sunday had weakened down to Category One.

Frances however still packed sustained winds of 153 kilometers (95 miles) per hour, and the effects of the storm extend across most of the state, he said.

Nelson said authorities are expecting rainfall totals as high as 46 centimeters (18 inches), and considerable flooding.

Florida authorities had earlier ordered some 2.5 million people living in the area espected to be hardest-hit to evacuate the region. Most residents appeared to heed the call.

In West Palm Beach, Frances uprooted trees by the hundreds. Many of the palm trees that managed to survive bent and shredded.

Authorities declared a curfew in several areas, including St Lucie county, which was slammed the hardest, in part to prevent looting. Palm Beach police Sunday said arrested at least three alleged looters.

In Miami-Dade county, Mayor Alex Penelas declared a state of emergency and said any employer forcing staff to work could face charges of criminal negligence.

Late Saturday, he ordered police off the roads to ensure their safety and warned that anyone foolish enough to venture out during the storm could not expect immediate assistance if in trouble.

By Sunday afternoon southeastern Florida airports, including Miami International, reopened for business, but air traffic remained weak.

Forecasters expect Frances to enter the Gulf of Mexico Monday as a much weaker storm after crossing the Florida peninsula.

Parts of Florida are still mopping up from Hurricane Charley, which slammed the west coast of the peninsula three weeks ago, killing 27, destroying the town of Punta Gorda and causing 7 billion dollars in damages.