ATLANTA -- The storm system known as Frances was downgraded to a tropical depression Monday night as it dumped heavy rain in Georgia.

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View: Frances' Location and Projected Path

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The National Weather Service office in Atlanta placed northern and central Georgia on a flood watch until Wednesday morning, although the depression's winds subsided to about 35 mph.

Crews worked to restore electricity to about 22,000 customers in southern Georgia who lost power in stormy weather related to Frances.

According to weather forecasters, Alabama is also next on the depression's hit list, but experts say it is expected to weaken more as it moves farther inland.

The storm blew ashore for a second time in the Florida Panhandle Monday afternoon, as people in central and south Florida began cleaning up. Millions remain without power.

The storm is blamed for at least seven deaths in Florida. They include a grandson and a former son-in-law of Florida State University football coach Bobby Bowden. The pair died in a collision on a rain-slick highway.

On Monday, a school employee died in Ocala after falling from a ladder while checking the roof of a middle school for damage.

A man in the Fort Myers area died Sunday while walking his dog when he was struck by flying debris. A Gainsville woman was killed in her living room when an oak tree crashed into her mobile home. Two other people died in traffic accidents.

At 11 p.m. EDT Monday, the center of Tropical Depression Frances was crossing the coast in the vicinity of latitude 31.3 north, longitude 84.6 west, or about 30 miles southwest of Albany, Ga.

At that time, Frances was moving north-northwest near 12 mph, and a turn toward the north was expected during the next 24 hours.

Rainfall amounts of 6 to 10 inches are expected in portions of the southeastern United States. Isolated tornadoes are possible over portions of northern Florida, eastern Georgia, and central and eastern South Carolina.

A tropical storm warning was discontinued for the Florida gulf coast from the Suwanee River to St. Marks, but residents were still warned to be cautious until winds and seas subside.

State officials are urging Floridians to stay where they are. They say there's the possibility of more flooding and that motorists will have trouble finding service stations that are operating.

As the depression moves northward, Florida residents are checking out Frances' damage. The huge storm caused flooding and knocked out power to about 6 million people Monday in central and southern Florida.

Frances dumped more than 13 inches of rain along Florida's east coast, leaving 4 feet of floodwaters in some areas.

In its wake, the storm left boats mangled, trees and power lines toppled, and gas tanks running on empty because of tapped-out service stations.

People looking for gas and ice have been waiting in lines as long as 5 miles at some service stations. About 1,500 people waited in line outside a Palm Beach County Wal-Mart.

A state official who oversees the insurance industry said it appears that the damage from Frances is about "a couple of billion dollars." Frances' path crossed some of the area hit three weeks ago by Hurricane Charley, which killed 27 people and caused an estimated $7.4 billion in damage.

One risk-assessment company estimated insured losses from Frances could range anywhere from $2 billion to $10 billion.

One woman buying tarps, batteries and a generator in Port St. Lucie Monday morning said she felt "very, very fortunate" the damage to her home wasn't worse.

In Miami, businesses were starting to pull down their shutters and reopen. Hotels and bars on Ocean Drive in Miami Beach welcomed tourists and residents who began to venture out after the storm.

Meanwhile, President George W. Bush has formally asked lawmakers to help Floridians hit hard by the two hurricanes.

Bush has signed a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, asking for $2 billion in extra aid to Florida in the wakes of Hurricanes Charley and Frances.

The White House says it will ask for more money as Frances' full impact becomes clear.

Aides are working on plans for Bush to visit parts of Florida on Wednesday.

Experts: Unusual Number Of Storms Due To Chance

Storm experts say it's not bad luck that has caused three big storms to hit Florida in a short span. The National Hurricane Center's chief says it may be that the law of averages is simply catching up with the state.

Other experts say the number of storms forming in the Atlantic isn't much above average. They just say that Florida's been lucky in recent years with several relatively calm hurricane seasons.

Gov. Jeb Bush says Floridians have had "hurricane amnesia" going into this summer, but added that's no longer the case.

Frances Doesn't Spare Kennedy Space Center

No storm in history has done more damage to the Kennedy Space Center than Hurricane Frances did.

Officials at the Florida facility say the storm tore about 1,000 exterior panels from the Vehicle Assembly Building.

James Kennedy, the director of the space center, said the missing panels have left 40,000 square feet of "open window" on two sides of the building. But he said he's relieved that the space center was spared even worse damage.

No space shuttles were inside the damaged building, but Kennedy said he's afraid the damage could set back NASA's plans to resume shuttle launches next spring.

Flights Resume

Airports in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa and elsewhere that had been closed by the storm have reopened. But Tallahassee International Airport was closed as Frances approached the Panhandle.

Passengers arrived at Orlando International Airport before sunrise Monday, hoping they would be lucky enough to catch a flight out of Central Florida. Ticket counters reopened at 10 a.m., with flights resuming at noon.

It could take several days to get a huge backlog of passengers to their destinations.

A handful of airlines said they won't be flying in or out of OIA Monday, and they hope to resume service Tuesday. Those airlines include Southwest Airlines, Aeromexico, Air Jamaica, British Airways, CanJet, Cayman Airways, Condor-Thomas Cook, Copa, Martinair-Holland and Virgin Atlantic.

Hurricane Ivan Makes Tracks For Barbados

Residents of Barbados are stocking up on supplies and hammering down storm shutters as Hurricane Ivan nears.

Hurricane warnings have been issued for Barbados and several nearby islands. Ivan is the fifth Atlantic hurricane of the year. It has weakened slightly, but remains a Category 3 storm.

The National Hurricane Center says Ivan is a much smaller storm than Hurricane Frances was. That means the eye of the storm would have to pass directly over the islands before causing any "extensive damage."

Nevertheless, Barbados Prime Minister Owen Arthur said the storm poses a "serious threat" and has called an emergency cabinet session.

At 11 p.m. EDT Monday, the center of Hurricane Ivan was located near latitude 11.2 north, longitude 57.2 west, or about 210 miles southeast of Barbados.

Its top sustained winds have decreased to about 105 mph, but the National Hurricane Center says Ivan is expected to strengthen as it nears the Windward Islands.

Ivan is moving west at about 21 mph and is expected to gradually turn toward the west-northwest over the next 12 to 24 hours.

The hurricane is on track to reach the Windward Islands by Tuesday morning and Barbados by late Tuesday. Meteorologists say it's too early to tell if the storm will threaten Florida, but an emergency official in south Florida said people may want to think twice about taking down the hurricane shutters.