As of early Sunday, Hurricane Matthew has been downgraded to a post-tropical cyclone, but the storm still poses a serious threat. There are reports of major power outages and a surge in floodwaters.

Despite the downgrade, which means Matthew has “lost its tropical characteristics”, it’s still considered as dangerous as a category 1 hurricane.

The storm is expected to continue pummeling the eastern US seaboard with heavy rain and winds before moving out over the Atlantic.

Winds in North Carolina were still at a reported 79 mph (120 kph) on Sunday morning and the rise in water levels from storm surge indicates further floods are imminent.

Hurricane Matthew was just barely a hurricane as it made landfall, with winds of 75 mph.

At least 11 people have been killed by the storm in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina, according to Reuters, however the number of fatalities may already be as high as 15.

In contrast, the storm roared into Haiti with winds of 145 mph. Initial reports say 877 people were killed in Haiti, and a further 13 people have died there following outbreaks of cholera post-Hurricane Matthew. Over 60,000 people are still staying in emergency shelters.

 

READ MORE: Over 870 killed, 350,000 in need of urgent aid in hurricane-stricken Haiti (VIDEOS)

Widespread power outages affected 2.2 million households across the Carolinas, Georgia and Florida

The power outage was photographed from space by NASA’s Earth Observatory.

Matthew made landfall as a category 1 hurricane late Saturday morning, hitting South Carolina and parts of eastern Georgia before making its way up the coast to North Carolina where record breaking rain fell at 7 inches per hour.

READ MORE: NASA gives 3D look into Hurricane Matthew (VIDEO)

As the most powerful storm to hit America since 2007, begins to pull away from the coast and weakens as it make its way towards the Atlantic, there are fears of Hurricane Matthew circling back and smashing into the Caribbean and Bahamas.