this picture stars you and savings. but mostly savings. out there with a better way. now, that's progressive. i'm in the situation room. happening now, hurricane irene lashes virginia beach with violent winds and pounding rain. at least eight people are confirmed dead. more than a million homes without power as this monstrous storm marches up the east coast. maryland is in the next city in line. the mayor holds out that this is not a hurricane party. buses, subways, and commuter rail all halted in new york as hundreds of thousands are evacuated from the city now bracing for irene's impact. we have reporters standing by all along the east coast of the united states. i'm wolf blitzer with a special edition of "the situation room."

we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. we're watching this hurricane unfold here in the united states. let's go right to ocean city, maryland. cnn's jeanne meserve is standing by. it's beginning to feel the wrath of irene. what's going on? >> reporter: the winds have become strong, so strong that the mayor has told the police to stop patrolling the streets of this town. he says if emergency calls come in, they will be considered on a case-by-case basis. what they're really worried about here is the water. you can see it behind me. the waves are simply immense. ordinarily, there's about 30 feet between the sand dunes and the high tide mark. right now, the water is right up against the dunes. it's an extraordinarily rough -- sometimes it is coming it halfway up the dunes. you can see some of it bursting through a snow fence right now. the mayor says that already

there is some flooding in downtown ocean city. he expects that to get worse as the storm gets closer, and as high tide approaches. that is scheduled for about 7:30, about a half-hour from now. most of the people have indeed left ocean city. there were about 200,000 people here. most of them did evacuate. the mayor estimates that less than 300 are here now, but he had a very clear message for them. >> my message is it wasn't a good decision, but if you're here, stay inside. do not venture outside. this is not a hurricane party. this is a very serious storm. i think everybody's reacted responsibly up and down the coast. we urge them to do the same. be safe, keep yourself safe, and do not put our emergency personnel in danger. that is a mistake. >> reporter: that was the mayor of ocean city here. once again, most people have left.

the mayor is saying don't come back even after the storm passes until you get the okay from city officials. they want to go around and assess just how much damage this storm does. it's really just kicking up here hard now. they're expecting to get much worse, probably the worst won't hit until midnight or a little bit after. back to you. >> be careful over there. our viewers are obviously worried when they see you holding on for life in ocean city, maryland, now. be careful. we'll stay in close touch with you. our national correspondent, jason carroll, is standing by live in atlantic city, new jersey. it looks a lot better there, but i'm sure it's not going to be that much better in the coming hours. jason? >> reporter: you know, wolf, it's been getting steadily worse with every passing hour. if you just look at what we see here. that was a landing that just a few hours ago was clear. there was no water there. now you see how the ocean has rushed in and has taken that landing. right now the only thing protecting the casinos that you see over here which are boarded up is the sand dune that i'm

standing on right now. this is the reason why new jersey's governor, chris christie, has been repeatedly saying that if you're not heeding the mandatory evacuation, you should have gotten out. and if not now -- now is definitely the time to get out. but obviously there are still some people who are still here. in fact, there are a number of seniors who are still here, still holding out. we actually found an apartment building where 92 seniors, wolf, are still holding out saying they have no intention of leaving. >> we come from hearty stock. we ain't moving. >> reporter: you're not moving? >> no. >> reporter: clearly that is the case. >> that's it. there's the best reality show you're going to get. >> reporter: but in all serious not, are any of you concerned about the storm? >> no. >> not whatsoever. >> reporter: sorry, what? >> only my children. my son says he's going to have me committed. but he lives in georgia, so what does he know? >> we're not frivolous about this. we take this very seriously. but the alternative is a

nightmare. >> reporter: the alternative being -- being in a shelter? >> not only a shelter, not knowing where we will be. not knowing where we will be. our health does not permit -- most of the opportunities that have been offered to us. and i think that's serious. we haven't heard anything from the top level that takes that into account. >> reporter: so wolf, you heard from the seniors there. they have no intention of leaving. we're going to keep checking in throughout the night. they feel as though they're safer where they are now than rather be taken to a shelter that might be an hour or more away. but of course this is exactly what emergency officials do not want to hear, wolf. they want everyone who's in these low-lying coastal areas to get out. but clearly, that won't be happening for all the residents here in atlantic city. wolf? >> and there's nothing authorities can do to force these elderly to leave? >> reporter: absolutely, wolf.

the authorities have been by that apartment building at least four times today telling these seniors that they've got to get out. and telling them that where they are may not be safe. but again, you heard what these seniors said. some say that they have been through many storms in the area, and they feel as though they are safer where they are, which is the reason why they're not leaving. and in fact, governor christie specifically mentioned the seniors who are here in atlantic city who are refusing to leave. and that group that we found of 92 may in fact be some of those seniors that he was referring to. >> i assume all the casinos in atlantic city are shut down, right? >> caller: absolutely correct. let me show you, wolf, if i can. you can see where some of the casinos here are boarded up. all of the casinos in the city have been shut down. 11 casinos. that's only happened two times in history, wolf. once in 1985 during hurricane

gloria. and once during 2006 during a government shutdown. that is the only two times the casinos in atlantic city have ever been shut down. now you can add hurricane irene to the list. >> jason carroll's going to get a lot of wind and rain and flooding in the coming hours. we'll stay in touch with you, as well, jason. thanks. let's bring back our meteorologist and severe weather expert chad myers at the cnn hurricane headquarters. update viewers who may just be tuning in now where the storm is, where it's heading. >> it has just exited north carolina very close to the southern end of virginia beach. and so this is the hardest weather you're going to get in virginia beach. this is the peak gusts. these your peak winds now. eventually the eye will go by, and your winds will shift directions. it will come from this way in about three hours as the eye goes by. and this is going to be the case, wolf, all up and down the coast when the eye gets close to

you. that's your peak wind. and all the way up even from cape may, you'll go across delaware and all the way up to sandy hook and then eventually into new york city. so that's the potential and that's where that eye will be. that's where your surge will be the biggest. and right now the surge in the chesapeake close to hampton roads and norfolk, chesapeake, right at five feet. and this is bringing water up very high in that naval air station area. the water is not getting all the way up to baltimore and into d.c. because the surge will be pushed back the other way by the winds coming this direction. something that i just found out on the map right down here behind me is that we do have a brand new flood warning now for baltimore. and also all the way through d.c., anne arundel p.g., parts of montgomery county, into northern virginia. flash flood warnings means warnings -- flooding is happening. you cannot be driving around because sometimes the flooding will just take over the car.

it will take over a roadway. and so they're asking you, please stay off the roads. just stay home tonight. find a good book, find a movie. just do not go out in this flash flooding. here's the tick tock, we call that every hour by hour, we'll do it every three hours. saturday, now, 8:30, moving on up. so is the eye. ocean city, you're already going to get in about the next hour, 50 to 60 mile-per-hour winds. that's where jeanne meserve was. getting to atlantic city, there's some just offshore winds of 60 to 70 mile-per-hour winds. there's new york city. you get 60 to 70, and that happens at 5:30 in the morning. there are even -- orange here, that's sandy hook. that's a 70 mile-per-hour sustained wind moving right up into new york city. and wolf, when all of this wind at this point when it's very close to -- about i guess north of wildwood, south before long branch. this is when all of that water is going to pour into new york harbor. we're already up one foot, we just started. and i believe that the surge in the city, in the battery park

area, especially into the east river area because water will be coming in the sound, as well. and those two things will converge in the east river. some of that surge could be eight or more feet. we don't know yet. we have to still watch. but the surge in new york city will be significant. >> what's left of irene after it goes through new england i assume will head into canada. how worried should the folks in canada -- in canada should be? >> sure, let's -- we have it through here. boston, you'll get 60 mile-per-hour winds. that will be 2:30 tomorrow afternoon. it's going to move right on up into nashua, to portland. yufl see -- that's 60 to 70 along the coast there. kennebunkport through portland. into canada, this is monday night. that's how it continues to move monday night from about almost into halifax, although i think you're probably 30 to 40 miles per hour, then up into newfoundland and then it gets cold enough that it dies off. >> a lot of viewers in canada will be watching this closely, as well. thank you very much. president obama's closely monitoring this storm.

he addressed his concerns during a visit today to fema headquarters here in washington. >> a long 72 hours. and obviously a lot of families are going to be affected. what we heard, the biggest concern i'm having right now has to do with flooding and power. it sounds like that's the -- the enormous strain on a lot of states. and that means eight days, even longer in some cases depending upon what the track of the storm is. we're really going to have to stay on top of the recovery -- response and recovery phase this thing. >> the historic hurricane. i think it's fair to say, also an unprecedented evacuation from new york city. you're looking at live pictures now from times square. rain's coming down. this hurricane is on its way to the big apple. [ female announcer ] this is not a prescription. this is kate. [ kate ] can't believe i have high blood pressure. what's that thing? another medication.

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new york city, you see the statue of liberty. it's getting dark. unprecedented evacuation including at the hospitals. let's bring in our senior medical correspondent elizabeth cohen. the hospitals in lower manhattan, elsewhere, they've basically been evacuated, right? >> reporter: right, wolf, it is called zone a. that is the zone of new york city. we're talking lower manhattan, places like staten island, coney island, where there could be flooding. and so they evacuated those hospitals. wolf they got the e-mail from mayor bloomberg's office yesterday morning and were told by 8:00 friday night, in other words about 12 hours, you need to have your patients out of

there. and i must say, i watched the evacuation from from one of them, and it was quite orderly. they were bringing people out in stretchers. they were bringing people out from the intensive care unit. they were bringing premature babies out in those little isolettes and bringing them to other hospitals. as you can imagine, this is difficult for the hospital. also traumatizing for the patients. you know, obviously they're already sick, and now they having to to see another hospital. and we caught up with one woman whose brother has a brain tumor. and he was about to start a brand new therapy to get rid of the cancer when he was told that he would have to leave the hospital. let's take a listen. >> it just feels like what else can you throw into this? it's bad enough to live with the diagnosis and try and get the medical help. then, you know, it's everything that you try to do, you keep getting slapped back down. so -- but you know, we'll get him to a hotel tonight.

and have an aide and we'll just weather the storm there. >> reporter: now this woman's brother, he had to leave nyu hospital. wolf, to our knowledge, this is the only hospital that actually kept some patients. fewer than ten, but the doctors decided that these patients were so critically ill that to move them was way more dangerous than to keep them there. and i want to show you where the hospital is in relationship to the east river. there's the river. there's fdr drive, and then there's this hospital. so it is quite close. so if there are storm surges that go over the highway and come into the hospital, their generators are in the basement. of course i know they have a backup plan, but that hospital is really close to the water. we'll keep up with them to see how the patients are doing, not to mention the doctors and nurses who stay to take care of them. >> heroic efforts. i applauds what they're doing, doctors, nurses, and hospital

administrators. we'll stay in close touch with you. as this hurricane begins to bear down on where i am right here in washington, d.c., the nation's capital, i'll speak live with the mayor, vincent gray. he's here in "the situation room." [ cherie ] i wanted to make a difference in my community. [ kimberly ] the university gave me the knowledge to make a difference in people's lives. [ carrie ] you're studying how to be an effective leader. [ cherie ] you're dealing with professionals, teaching things that they were doing every day. [ kimberly ] i manage a network of over a thousand nurses. [ carrie ] i helped turn an at-risk school into an award-winning school. [ cherie ] i'm responsible for the largest urban renewal project in utah. [ kimberly ] and university of phoenix made it possible. learn more at phoenix.edu. on our car insurance. great! at progressive, you can compare rates side by side, so you get the same coverage, often for less. wow! that is huge! [ disco playing ] and this is to remind you that you could save hundreds!

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we're reporting from washington, d.c. you're looking at live pictures of the u.s. capitol. it's been raining for hours. it's only going to get worse.

there were some wind gusts, already 30, 40 miles an hour. joining us is the mayor of washington, d.c., vincent gray. we're standing out here on our balcony overlooking the u.s. capitol. we've got -- look at how empty the streets are, mayor. there's no one on the streets basically here in the nation's capital. what is the forecast? what are you bracing for here -- you have 600,000, 700,000 people who live in d.c.? >> we do. 600,000 people who live here. we're bracing for a lot of rain. we expect a lot of rain, up to maybe four inches the next few hours. we're expecting winds up to 35, 40 miles per hour. and of course with that we'll have some flooding perhaps and tree limbs coming down. and then i'm sure some power outage associated with that. >> probably a lot of power outages. what about flooding? there's always concern the potomac river could overflow. how worried are you about that? >> i'm less worried about that than i am about the power outages. you know, maybe some flash flooding with our, you know, our drains and whatnot here in the city. one of the good things is we

were able to give out 6,000 sandbags to people. so people who may live in areas where there's a water problem, they'll be able to augment what they have with the sandbags. >> especially in georgetown, we've seen flooding in georgetown over the years. >> we have. >> you don't think we have to worry about that? >> i don't think it will be as pronounced as some of the other issues we'll face. we've got the anacostia river, the potomac river. and we will see water coming up in those areas. but that's a small part of the geography of our city. >> what about the whole issue of the emergency -- you've declared an emergency here in d.c. has the president approved emergency aid to washington, d.c.? >> we have not gotten any official word on that, but i have every reason to think that that will be approved. i was on a conference call with the president yesterday morning. and he was -- he pledged his full support to those governors and the mayors that were on the phone. i think he will be with us all the way.

i'm glad he has come back in order to be a part of our effort to battle irene also. >> this may be the nation's capital, but as you and i know, a lot of homeless people live in washington, d.c. we see them all the time. what have you done with these people? >> we've opened up the shelters. normally the shelters for individuals are open from 7:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. we've indicated that the shelters will stay open 24/7 during this time. we've also opened up a few additional buildings. we've got some recreation centers in the city that have been opened up. not only for people who are homeless, but if families find themselves inside distress, as well. >> you know this because we've spoken. i'm worried about the elderly here, the sick, who may not have any loved ones who are taking care of them. have you gone house to house to make sure that they're okay? >> you know what, we have. i checked in with our office of aging services. not only have they been in contact with many of our seniors, but they've actually taken sandbags out to the homes of some seniors who could be in

a situation where water would become a problem. we've connected with as many people as we can. we will continue to do that, and we ask people, you know, if they find themselves in any distress to pick up the fphone and call 311. >> 311. no sleep for you tonight? good luck. keep up the good work. >> thank you very much. new york city also bracing for irene's impact. there's been an unprecedented evacuation. all transportation service for all practical purposes has been halted. i'll speak with new york city emergency management commissioner when we come back. e i have high blood pressure. what's that thing? another medication. ♪ i really should have taken my shoes off before i got weighed. [ female announcer ] you've got a lot on your mind. that's why every walgreens prescription goes through a 10 point safeguard check that reviews your current walgreens health record for allergies and potentially harmful drug interactions. [ kate ] i can do this. [ female announcer ] the 10 point safeguard check from walgreens. there's a way to stay well.

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new york city bracing for hurricane irene. let's go to new york right now. it's tracking or we're tracking the hurricane as it pushes up the east coast. closer to us here in washington, d.c. the storm is only 35 miles south of norfolk, virginia, packing winds of about 80 miles per hour. eight deaths have now been confirmed. more than a million people are without power. new york officials are warning several thousand people under evacuation orders to get out now before the storm is expected to hit the big apple tomorrow. >> new yorkers, we like to think we're tough and we can handle anything. we are tough, but we're also smart. and we're smart enough to know that we don't mess with mother nature, and we are prepared for the storm. we'll be prepared for the

aftermath, but during the course of the storm, new york should either evacuate or stay indoors. >> let's go to cnn's mary snowe in new york, at one of those evacuation shelters. what's going on over there, mary? >> reporter: rain coming down a little bit harder, wolf. and we are in lore manhattan, in the evacuation zone. i don't know if you can see it, but in this park which is virtually empty except for a police car coming through. it's been going around this area with a loud speaker telling people that they should evacuate. warning them about hurricane irene. just want to show you the water now in the hudson river. it's going to be high tide in just about half an hour or so from now. and those rising waters, again tomorrow morning, is what is the big concern because it will be high tide at 8:00 a.m. the real brunts of hurricane irene, though, the impact of it is expected to be felt tomorrow morning. the winds are expected to pick up tonight. virtually the city has been so eerily quiet with the mass transit shutting down earlier

today. subway and bus system that carries millions of people, this has been an unprecedented shutdown. also people just really preparing for the storm. and stores seeing lines with people waiting in line to buy supplies. here in lower manhattan, people were told to evacuate by 5:00 p.m. there are some that took the mayor's words very seriously, including this couple who left earlier today. >> when the mayor announced that we had to evacuate, we kind of knew that we were already going to evacuate. so we were prepared. and then we went to whole foods, got a bunch of food. and we just got a hotel. it's just a day and a half. i don't think it's going to be this bad. >> reporter: one other thing, wolf, is an area of concern are the high winds. they are expected to pick up later. if those winds reach 60 miles per hour, bridges out of the city will also be shut down. and also, you know, power is a

question and a concern. there is the possibility that new yorkers have already been warned that power may be shut down at some point because of this storm. and as a precaution here in lower manhattan, buildings have stopped running their elevators. there was concern if power went out that people would not be able to get out if they were stuck in an elevator. now there are buildings that are not in the evacuation zone that are being told that they, too, will see this happen later on as this storm approaches new york city. that buildings are not going to be running elevators for the fear that somebody might get stuck in them. >> mary snow from new york joining us, thank you, mary. let's stay in new york. joining us is the commissioner for new york city's office of emergency management, joseph bruno. mr. bruno, thank you very much for coming in. are you ready in new york for irene? >> well, we're