Hurricane Helene made landfall as a powerful Category 4 storm in Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday evening, slashing power to millions of residents and causing massive flooding as it moved across Georgia and the Carolinas.

As wind and flood damage is assessed in Florida, focus on the storm is now shifting north to Georgia, the Carolinas, and other states.

Learn more: How Helene compares with past storms.

At least 22 deaths have been reported. More than 4.5 million people in six states, including Tennessee and Virginia, have lost power.

Helene arrived with 140-mph winds about 10 miles west of Perry, Florida, at about 11:10 p.m. ET Thursday. It’s the first Category 4 storm to hit the Big Bend region since 1851, USA TODAY reported.

States affected by power outages

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Helene quickly weakened as it moved inland. It was categorized as a tropical storm with sustained winds at 45 mph at 11 a.m. ET Friday, the National Hurricane Center said.

At that point, the storm was 30 miles southwest of Bryson City, North Carolina, and 105 miles north-northeast of Atlanta.

Helene's path over Florida, Georgia and beyond

How Helene compares to past U.S. hurricanes to hit Florida

Hurricane Helene flooding

Residents of Newport, Tennessee, were ordered to evacuate at 2:56 p.m. Friday after the Waterview Dam failed following rising waters caused by Helene. Officials in Cocke County were evacuating residents along the Pigeon and French Broad rivers, the Knoxville News Sentinel reported.

Helene's heavy rain is also causing floods in North Carolina. Evacuations have been ordered with the expected failure of the Lake Lure Dam.

Nearly two dozen Category 4 hurricanes since 1920

Helene is the 22nd Category 4 storm in the U.S. since 1920. There have been only four Category 5 hurricanes in the same time period.

How much damage can a hurricane cause?

It will be a while before all damage caused by Helene can be assessed. Past hurricanes have caused billions of dollars in damages related to flooding, structural damage and electrical outages.

This story was updated with new information.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, Trevor Hughes, Thao Nguyen, Gabe Hauari, USA TODAY

Source: USA TODAY Network reporting and research; Reuters; National Hurricane Center; National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration