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Hurricane Ivan made landfall near Mobile, Alabama, battering coastline towns.

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The enormous storm, seen here in a satellite image with its eye just south of the Alabama coastline, is also affecting Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana.

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Hundreds of homes have been damaged, including this one which caught fire after a tree branch knocked a power line on to its roof.

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The full extent of the damage emerged at dawn.

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There are fears that some people could have been killed in their cars and mobile houses by falling trees and flying debris.

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Some curious locals had been testing themselves against gusts set to reach 135mph (217km/h).

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But most had headed inland to spend the night in emergency shelters.

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Other residents had been filling sandbags in preparation.

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Warnings of Ivan's impending arrival sent New Orleans residents scurrying out of town for safety. Luckily, the town escaped with little visible damage.

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In total, more than two million people in three states - including here in Florida - were told to evacuate.

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Hurricane Ivan is the region's third hurricane in a month, and it has been wreaking havoc in the Caribbean since last week.