By the Associated Press:

Hurricane Sally has lumbered ashore near the Florida-Alabama line with 105 mph winds and rain measured in feet, not inches. The storm swamped homes Wednesday and forced the rescue of hundreds of people.

Now weakened into a tropical storm, Sally is pushing slowly inland for what could be a slow and disastrous drenching across the Deep South.

Authorities in Pensacola, Florida, say 200 members of the National Guard will arrive on Thursday.

The storm cast boats onto land or sank them at the dock, flattened palm trees, peeled away roofs and blew down signs. More than 540,000 homes and businesses are without electricity in the stricken area.