new this morning, wind, power outages and flooding as hurricane isaac coming on shore on the gulf coast, and right in the middle of it all? new orleans. we'll have the latest on the conditions. fire creating a scare at a south bay nursery. while chemical concerns forced firefighters to let it burn. standing by his man, ann romney draws cheers and applause during her speech at the republican national convention. what she said that's resonating with the delegates. live outside on this early morning for a look over the san francisco bay. that is the bay bridge on this wednesday, august 29th. this is "today in the bay." there it is, hurricane isaac

whipping across the gulf coast this morning stretching from louisiana to parts of the florida panhandle. good morning. thank you for joining us. it is 4:31. i'm jon kelley. >> i'm laura garcia-cannon. more than 20,000 homes are without power. the storm is unleashing fierce winds, soaking rains, seven years to the day that hurricane katrina devastated new orleans. many residents say this time they trust the levees will hold. danielle lee has the latest on the conditions. >> reporter: isaac is coming ashore with a fury. vicious winds and rev rain are barreling down on coastal cities in four different states. it's knocking down trees and taking down power lines. in new orleans 300,000 have lost power by the early morning. violent waves hurling down along the coast and storm surges up to 12 feet high leave low-lying

areas under water. >> strong winds, heavy rain r long period of time could produce flooding well away from the coast. >> the storm is expected to last in new orleans at least 24 hours and could bring more than a foot of rain. >> we're in the heart of this fight and in the hunker down phase. >> reporter: on the mayor's advise, many neighbors are helping each other survive. >> it's about knowing who is here so if something bad happens, you know where you have to stop. >> you never know who you need in this world. >> reporter: lessons learned from a hurricane that struck exactly seven years ago today. this is a palm frond that was just ripped off a tree behind me. as this rain comes down, the threat of flooding intensifies in new orleans. i'm dan dwrel lee for nbc news. >> thank you. let's bring in christina loren to look at isaac's position.

>> they haven't experienced the worst in new orleans right now. let's show you where isaac is situated. still about 50 miles due south of new orleans. that's where the center of the storm is located. that's where the strongest winds are as well. we have max winds of 80 miles per hour and we get gusts up to 105 miles per hour. the biggest component of this storm is going to be the speed. it is moving a snail's pace, so if we head through the next six to eight hours through most of the day today they will experience hurricane-force winds and potentially just very, very big flood issues because there's a lot of rain coming down, up to 2 feet in some spots. we'll watch that tracking intensity. we'll have the latest upup date at 5:00 and we'll bring you the latest. that's a big storm and not going anywhere anytime soon. back to you guys. new this morning fire crews putting out hotspots at a popular south bay nursery that

went up in flames overnight. we're live where the flames were leaping into the air, marla. >> reporter: yes. hard video to look at if you're the owner of summer winds nursery. i'm going to step away to show you. if we can come back out live to show you what is left. not much left at all of summer winds nursery. this is right at the corner of branam omaden expressway. this building is completed charred remains this morning. it was gutted. it turned into a three-alarm fire. they're still on scene this morning economchecking for the hotspots. the captain joins us live this morning. great work in terms of letting it burn out. why was it big concern? >> this building is a nursery, garden supply store.

what you have is here pesticides, insecticides, fertilizers and other toxic chemicals in here. that's what they do for growing plants and sales. that was the complicating factor. they're highly toxic and flammable when they're on fire, and the fire moved very rapidly. it's 10,000 square feet, and within a couple minutes there was fire in the whole structure. our intent chs to control the fire, make sure we didn't realize many of the chemicals. we changed our tactics and allowed some of the those ins t insecticides and pesticides burn off. right behind here is the guadalupe river, so our concern was runoff. unfortunately the structure was severely damaged. >> this is a commercial area and neighborhoods surround it. are you concerned the toxicity got in the water? >> great question.

we have done surveys and they feel confident we kept it outside the river and the neighborhoods are safe. thankfully it was a low wind night so the smoke was directly up. so we were able to prevent the neighborhood from being affected. luckily due to the weather and good tactics this is mitigated as well as you can hope for. >> thank you so much, captain. he says, though, that the cause is under investigation, but he says it does not appear to be linked to any sort of criminal intent. that's the latest from here. we're live in san jose. cleanup continues in san francisco's visitation valley this morning after a massive water main break. the public utilities commission says two water pipes ruptured at sunnydale avenue and core street at 11:00. thousands of water pouring into the street. several homes, a church and school flooded. students evacuated from our lady of visitation school. they say their classroom filled

very fast with two feet of water. >> the water was like pulling it away, and then it go higher and higher every minute. so we had to move all our stuff into the front of the classroom. that way nothing got wet, and we had to evacuate. >> this morning the cause of that break remains under investigation. two dozen homes are still under evacuation order. we have a crew at that scene, and we will have a live report in the next half hour. now on to decision 2012. republicans have formally nominated mitt romney as their presidential candidate. it was voted from new jersey during last night's roll call. that's what the governor over the top securing the nomination. romney's wife, ann, addressed the convention last night painting a personal pictures of her husband rarely seen on the campaign trail. >> i met somewhere mitt and i have a storybook marriage. no, not at all. what we have is a real marriage.

>> ann romney told the nation their story is not one of privilege but of hard work and family. she also spoke of a battle with ms and breast cancer while raising five sons. several say her appearance could go a long way towards softening her husband's traditionally stiff image. >> i can't tell you what will happen over the next four years, but i can only stand here tonight aas a wife, mother, grandmother, as american and make you this solemn commitment. this man will not fail. >> you heard from chris christie as well. the keynote address was delivered by the new jersey governor. mitt romney will speak at the convention on thursday night. oakland police offers a reward for information leading to an arrest in a recent craigslist robbery.

a couple that thought they were buying a luxury car yesterday were held up along the side of interstate 580 and driven by the seller to a bank to get cash for that purchase. that's when the seller along with another accomplice pulled out handguns and demanded all their valuables. the good news here? nobody was hurt. san francisco city leaders dealing with a different kind of scam. they're cracking down on ghost scammers targeting elderly chinese communities pretending to rid homes of evil spirits. the suspects ask victims to hand over a bag full of valuables for a prayer service. when it was returned the jewelry was replaced with trash. they arrested three suspects who used the scam to steal more than $1 million worth of goods. the public meeting will be held at the geen mun senior center at 9:00 this morning. at the top the show we have

an update on hurricane isaac from christina loren. what's happening in our area? >> good morning. we are going to get another gorgeous day, and one of those days where san francisco will break into the 70s because it's so clear out there to start. we're at 58 degrees. good morning to you in san jose. good morning to you in sunnyvale at 65 degrees and 46 in novado. the future cast tells a story. we set it in motion. stop that clock at 7:00 a.m. at 7:00 a.m. when we it typical get socked in with clouds, that won't be the case. by 10:00 the beach cities will be mostly sunny, and we're talking about highs today at 76 degrees, and getting a little hot in some of your perimeter outlying cities. 92 for fairfield and 93 in livermore today.

we have changes and that weekend around the corner. we have that seven-day forecast in a few moments. i notice more and more traffic out there each morning. kids get back to school. >> there's a shift in the commute toward the beginning of fall and summer for these kids. we look to the east bay where this has nothing to do with school. this is an early morning accident. been there for over an hour blocking the slow lane at westbound 80 at willow avenue. eastbound shows slowing, but that may be a distraction north from highway 4. in richmond there's slowing because of that as well as construction. that's a big deal taking out three of four lanes an san pablo. a smooth drive through richmond and the berkeley area. 580 has a lane blocked. we look at the maze, and otherwise a smooth drive here. live look outside shows you a construction zone through pallilo aloe. here's 101 toward the

embarcadero exit. there's that southbound side with construction and no slowing and another live look out. it shows you the san mateo bridge. back to you. still aheaahead, new rules get rid of gas guzzlers on the road. president obama's ambitious goal for gas mileage on new cars next the. she's out to prove nobody is too old for technology. a 100-year-old woman keeping up with the times and kids online. have you heard of the new dialing procedure for the 408 and 669 area codes? no, what is it? starting october 20, 2012, if you have a 408 or 669 number,

you'll need to dial 1 plus the area code plus the phone number for all calls. o.k., but what if i have an 408 number and i'm calling a 408 number? you'll still need to dial 1 plus the area code plus the phone number. so when in doubt, dial it out!

this is "today in the bay." welcome back, everyone. what a beautiful, live look outside. embarcadero. sometimes you see a few runners and walkers this morning. a few cabbies waiting for us all. it is still early. how would you like to save a dollar a gallon off the price of gas? the white house says the new fuel efficiency standards announced this morning may just do that. for more of that we turn to kayla live at cnbc world headquarters. good morning. >> good morning, laura. we have stock market futures lower this morning. the dow slipped for a second day while the nasdaq edged it up on lower volume. there was a mixed bag of

economic data and they are looking cautiously ahead of aa speech by ben bernanke by friday. we get a revised look at second quarter gdp today as well as data on home sales and a report about regional economic conditions. the dow falls and the nasdaq closes up at 3077. the obama administration finalized new rules to have automakers double the average gas mileage on all new cars and trucks by 2025. they have to average more than 54 miles per gallon up from the current 29 miles per gallon. to meet these standards they have to adapt new technology to approve gas powered engines and morality native cars and trucks. physical add thousands to the sticker price it could be more expensive to buy the car. >> always something.

thanks. it's 4:46. let's check back in with christina loren. how is it looking out there? >> it's looking good now that you're back on the desk, mr. kelly. if you're getting your kids out the front door, dress them for two parts of the day. it will be hot inland today, but if you still have those kids home with you for summer, take them to the beach. what a treat today at the beach. we see mostly clear conditions. the only caveat is a little bit of a breeze. that will pick up as we head throughout the afternoon but you get abund ant sunshine even at the city by the bay today. it's crystal clear in san jose, and we start out comfortably at 58 degrees. through the next 48 hours you have two competing systems, an area of high pressure to the south mostly impacting the pacific northwest. there's a strong onshore flow and that keeps temperatures from soaring and keep that big ridge of high pressure in economic. gusty at the coast today and

peak heating tomorrow and we look at it a couple of degrees from today's highs. it works out like this in your city 72 in san francisco and right here in san jose getting warm depending on your tlesh hold for the heat. you might turn on the aac at 84 degrees. look at the difference between thursday and friday. the temps drop like a rock as we head through the beginning of the weekend. it's nice and comfortable as we head through the weekend. then as we head through labor day around the corner now, feeling average for this time of year. so you get that heat for all those things you normally associate with labor day. barbecues and picnics and i don't know what you do but something with your kids i'm sure. >> no doubt. always, every day. >> it is 4:48 right now. this next lady has been around for a very long time, and now she's an overnight sensation, so much so facebook ceo mark zuckerberg asked to be in her

picture. >> a 101-year-old woman from menlo park has taken a liking to facebook and this morning people from around the world are requesting to be her friend. george shows us what the buzz is all about. >> reporter: meet florence. she's 101 years old, and she's part of the world's largest social networking site. >> how come you're not on facebook? >> reporter: a question she asks of people who are not because at 101 years of age she's officially the oldest facebook user in the world. >> i can't make any calls, no big deal. >> reporter: she was born a few years before world war i even started. it's such a big deal facebook's head hohn hoe mark zuckerberg himself had to meet her, and he did. >> it was fun. he was very reserved, very pleasant, and stood by me and shook hands.

so that was nice. >> reporter: she joined facebook back in august 2009 and had a small number of friends, but after this was taken with zuckerberg yesterday, it says everyone around the world wants ton her friend. she spends most of her time now confirming requests including one from me. >> it got overwhelming. >> reporter: just don't say anything inappropriate on her page because -- >> if i don't think i like what they're saying, then i unfriend them immediately. >> reporter: she says she loves facebook because it keeps her connected to the world. >> getting the messages and looking to see which will be interesting and seeing what they say. >> reporter: to her fellow senior citizens who are not on facebook? >> why don't you? try it and see how you like it. >> reporter: george kityama

"today in the bay.." still ahead a produce recall that could affect your breakfast. we'll tell you what you need to know next. at the golden gate bridge, lots of flashing lights, some expected and some unexpected. we'll talk about a potentially slippery situation coming up.

this is "today in the bay." welcome back, everyone. we have a live look from new orleans where the flooding is happening and someone looks

like they're cleaning off the lenses. all the water comes down from hurricane isaac. move your hand. we're trying to get a shot. the streets are flooded. they've had over 300 people down there go without power, so this hurricane is moving very slowly right now. we have live reports and will continue to update that. mangos may be to blame for a salmonella outbreak that made more than 100 people sick, including several in california. the cdc is getting reports of sick consumers in california, washington state and up in canada. nearly everybody who has gotten sick reported eating mangos from mexico. federal officials are trying to determine how extensive this outbreak is. canada officials are warning consumers not to he'll daniellea brand mangos with the plu code 4959. they were sold between july 12th and august 14 tth. some lane closures in the east bay.

caltran will close up to three lanes of westbound interstate 80 when an oversized truck left a huge concrete hole in the on ramp. mcbride avenue offramp will also be shut down. the construction is scheduled every night from 9:00 p.m. until 5:00 a.m. through thursday. let's check in with mike to find out if there's construction or anything slamming into the morning commute. >> first of all, that note that laura gave upper east shore freeway still a couple minutes until the crew clears. over to the golden gate bridge. these flashing lights, it does lk like these folks are involved in moving the cones for the morning commute. coming out of marin county reports of oil and oil slick on the roadway as you approach the bridge itself about a quarter-mile. it sounds like they have it cleared up now, but chp says it's no longer a concern.

things are moving slowly though, and it's dry from waldo tunnel and larksboro. the accident at the upper east shore freeway has cleared now off the shoulder at willow avenue, and it should be a smoother drive now. we have that note that laura gave you clearing it up. boaters off the coast of southern california were treated to a rare appearance by a big hurch back whale. >> look at that. excellent. >> that's one of those you hope to see. >> double-kick to him. >> from a distance. off the coast of dana point. the whale was waving to them. >> how you doing there? >> actually, it's called lob tailing. that's when a whale lifts it's tail, flukes out of the water, and slaps it hard against the surface and put on a show. no one knows why they do it, other than to wave and say a little hi. >> showing off.

>> spectators are on the boat to watch the endangered blue whale feeding, but the rare appearance by the humpback really stole the show. >> that is really cool. 4:57 right now. on today in the back we track hurricane isaac as it lashes from the gulf coast from florida to louisiana. we'll get the latest in a live report now. we are keeping an eye on an overnight fire at a nursery. it certainly gave firefighters a tough challenge. for all the news, weather and traffic updates check us out on facebook. search "nbc bay area news."

new this morning, hurricane isaac leaving its mark on the gulf coast with power outages and flooding affecting residents from florida to louisiana. we'll have a live report in new orleans straight ahead. we received the latest advisory from the national hurricane center