please pray for us i'm begging y'all. my baby is only four months old. please pray for us >> dorian is on a slow and devastatingly march towards the united states as the outer bands are already hitting florida and multiple strikes on the bahamas overnight. get ready for days of danger from dorian. >> on the heels of odessa's mass shooting, we are learning more about the victims. seven people lost their lives and more than 20 were injured in america's latest massacre. >> actor kevin hart suffers major back injuries in a car

incident in his 1987 barracuda and others were hurt in the crash. >> the vatican needed firefighters to save the day a busy day ahead "early today" starts right now >> good monday morning i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. hurricane dorian delivering a catastrophic blow to the bahamas with unprecedented strength, packing 185 mile per hour winds. the category 5 is one of the most powerful atlantic storms on record flood waters rushed through the streets of the abaco islands submerging homes there, parts of paradise left completely devastated as the storm advances north, hurricane hunters pointers share this incredible video flying inside the eye of the storm. some forecasters warn dorian could change the geography of the island forever morgan chesky is in the bahamas with the latest. >> reporter: historic devastation. >> this is my neighbor >> reporter: and dorian isn't even done yet. the category 5 hurricane

shredding the northern bahamas winds topping 200 miles an hour, and a storm surge towering two stories high on abaco island, a paradise turned nightmare >> please pray for us. please, i'm begging you. my baby is only four months old. please pray for us >> reporter: she and her infant one of nearly 70,000 people caught in dorian's path. their only option, stay together and survive. >> this is probably the most saddened and worst day of my life to address the bahamian people >> reporter: the island's prime minister said it could take days before the total damage is known. the center of the storm now headed right for grand bahama, where many have already sought shelter. >> i have brought everything but my house, which i still don't think i brought enough but we don't know how long we're going to be here >> reporter: no one does which is why the first glimpses of dorian's aftermath brings the

biggest concern of all >> loss of life. there is no doubt about it that we are frightened to death at the potential consequence of such a severe storm. >> reporter: and this morning we are already seeing evidence dorian may change the geography of the bahamas forever the tiny islands to the north have already been inundated with 20 feet of water because they're so low lying, when dorian leaves it could change it completely, changing this coast line forever. phillip? >> parts of the beach swallowed up there morgan, thank you. >> it is looking like florida's fate lies in a handful of miles as dorian dances off the coast residents are expected to feel the effects later oday officials in daytona have dozens of power trucks on stand by and residents are taking no chances after brushes with hurricane irma in 2017 and matthew in 2016 as for holiday travel, over 600 flights were canceled. several major airports will also be closed including orlando international, daytona beach,

west palm beach and fort lauter daily. gabe gutierrez has the details >> reporter: it got the attention of many people up and down the florida coast now mandatory evacuations are underway >> mandatory evacuation as of 1:00 p.m. >> reporter: along parts of florida's east coast, the rush is on to get out >> this storm at this magnitude could really cause massive destruction and do not put your life in jeopardy by staying behind >> reporter: in palm beach county, donna kirby is evacuating her parents, both in their late 80s >> it doesn't take that turn north, it's coming straight in here a category 5, so you have to act >> reporter: president trump visited fema's headquarters. >> i'm not sure i even heard of a category 5 i knew it existed and i've seen some category 4s you don't see them that much

but a category 5 is something. >> reporter: yet during his administration, three hurricanes impacting the u.s. were category 5s at one point. irma, maria and michael. for dorian, preparations are stretching up to georgia and the carolinas. nbc's kag nbc's kathy park is in charleston >> reporter: one of the highest tide levels of the year, dorian can only increase the risk of extreme flooding >> reporter: back in florida, businesses banking on labor day weekend rushed to board up as doerian intensifies. >> it's something we're counting on this time of year came at a bad time, this storm >> reporter: here? stuart, florida, many businesses have already boarded up, and just to our north more mandatory evacuations are expected to labor day. frances? >> all right, gabe gutierrez for us, thank you. >> let's get the latest from meteorologist bonnie snyder tracking dorian. good morning >> good morning, phillip and frances. dorian has been hammering the

bahamas. it made three land falls to date and watch as the eye continues to work its way ever so slowly over grand bahama. the first time ever a category 5 storm made landfall there. the movement has slowed down so much, this is the latest advisory down to the west, at 2 miles per hour so barely moving notice the winds dropped just a bit to 175, but it's still a category 5 what's happening is the storm is undergoing what's calledn eye wall replacement cycle where one eye wall collapses and the other takes over it weakens the storm slightly, but it also spreads the wind field out so the storm is larger you can see that it is going to get close to florida as early as tonight into tomorrow. hopefully it won't make landfall, but look at this we have the cone of uncertainty covering parts of florida and then close to the carolinas, including wilmington, charleston, that area, but thursday so there is still a lot of uncertainty as we lo towards the days ahead as we continue to watch dorian just to let you know, speaking of watches, we do have some advisories along the u.s. coast

line dorian has been a top storm to forecast let's hope it stays offshore >> keeping fingers tightly crossed on that one. bonnie, thank you. a texas shooting spree left seven dead and over a dozen more injured saturday the gunman led police on a harrowing chase through two cities, opening fire on bystanders along the way authorities say it could have been even worse. nbc's almaguer has more from odessa >> oh, god, they're shooting right there. >> reporter: as gunfire erupted, this was the scramble to stay alive. >> get down, get down, get down. >> reporter: through the chaos and carnage, authorities hunting down a killer in west texas. >> that windshield is shot out >> reporter: a gunman on a shooting spree, mowing down 29 victims seemingly at random cutting a deadly paths of terror through two advertise and ten miles of interstate. during the rampage, seven

killed, 22 wounded, three law enforcement. among the survivors, a 17 month old baby shot in the face. hayden carnegie called her dad as she huddled on the ground >> hayden is telling me, daddy, i can see the gunman i don't know if he's pointing this way or not. and you're thinking, that's the last time i'm going to see my daughter it's going to happen right in front of me. >> reporter: it all started with a routine traffic stop outside midland. the gunman identified as seth atore opened fire with an assault-style rifle. as an officer approached his vehicle. after hijacking a mail truck he began shooting acivilians all over odessa. >> oh, [ bleep ] >> reporter: snishlly fearing multiple gun men, law enforcement tracked the suspect to this movie theater and opened fire >> what's going on >> there's a shooter >> reporter: the 36-year-old

killed during the gun battle, authorities offering no motive but saying they believe the theater may have been a possible targ >> why go to the theater if you're not planning on entering the theater. >> help! >> reporter: the blood shed comes just four weeks after the massacre at a walmart in el paso with 22 killed there, texas is reeling again. this morning authorities have still not officially released a motive for the shooting, though two law enforcement sources tell nbc news, the suspect, the gunman, was recently fired from his job. meantime many people are still fighting for the fighting for their lives in the hospital in critical condition frances? >> thank you >> hundreds attended a vigil for the victims on sunday, including the mayors of both odessa and midland. several more vigils and prayer services are scheduled throughout the week. meanwhile we are learning more about those who lost their lives in the shooting and those who barely escaped

nbc's joe fryer has their stories. joe? >> reporter: phillip, many of those who were injured in this shooting are still recovering, most of them at the hospital behind me here in odessa while other families are remembering those who lost their lives. as bullets flew aimlessly across texas roadways, rudolfo arco was driving his semi truck home if from work. the wife says her husband of 20 years, the father of her three kids was struck and killed >> i don't want another little girl without a dad like my girl. >> reporter: arco was one of seven people killed along with mail carrier mary granados who was preparing to celebrate her 30th birthday with identical twin rosie >> she was special i don't know what i'm going to do without her i guess i'm not going to see her any more >> reporter: among the injured is 17 month old child anderson davis. she was hit in the chest and face by bullet slhrapnel but is

expected to make a full recovery the family said they hurt so badly for those whose loved ones didn't survive the tragedy we are thankful for our beautiful baby girl and uniting her with her twin brother soon, one of many close calls. >> i don't know how he didn't hit me >> reporter: shawna said she was at a stop light when the gunman pulled beside her car and fired. >> there were three more shots i'm pretty sure they were for me but he missed. he missed us entirely. >> reporter: isaac eaton was also caught in the chaos >> it was like a war zone. there were cars everywhere accidents, people trying to see what was going on, slamming into each other >> reporter: the company's tow truck helped clear cars off the roads. he use the the cars to bill a texas-size tribute along the highway that is now a memorial as of sunday, a dozen survivors were still in the hospital we have also learned the youngest victim to pass away is

15-year-old lela hernandez relatives say her older brother was also shot and is still recovering from his injuries phillip? >> an awful story there. joe, thank you >> let's check back in with bonnie schneider as dorian makes its way to the united states good morning >> good morning again. a category 5 storm with maximum winds at 175, and dorian is now part of history. really, this is the first time in four years going back to 2016 we've had category 5 storms consecutively. it's really just an incredible record dorian also shattered the record as the strongest storm, second strongest storm in the atlantic. n doriantied with th temperatures will be in the 80s. we'll watch for impacts. so ,

slow excruciatingly slow movement over bahamas out of the west at 2 miles per hour barely moving, that expected turn tonight into tomorrow >> bonnie, thank you for watching it for us thank you. >> a teenage girl got the surprise of her life this weekend. lili jordan got a visit from the jonas brothers she's a huge fan of the group. she missed the concert because she's in the hospital going through cancer treatment when she posted about it on social media, the guys surprised r right there in the hospital. so as you can imagine with everything she's going through, nothing like having her spirits lifted and then having a big smile brought to her face. >> looks like that's prynka chopra, too, right behind. a touching moment at the u.s. open between two of the bigges names in tennis. and comedy star kevin hart is revengrom jocori fmar injuries after a weekend car crash.

an update on his condition next on "early today. fight for blast offs fight for piggyback rides fight for 7 am makeouts. every year, walgreens helps millions of people fight the flu. fight to protect the ones you love. walgreens. be a flu fighter. get your free flu shot today at your neighborhood walgreens. did you know you can save money by using dish soap to clean grease on more than dishes? try dawn ultra. dawn is for more than just dishes. with 3x more grease cleaning power per drop, it tackles tough grease on a variety of surfaces. try dawn ultra. you sure you don't want me to come with you? i'm very sure. because i can. make good choices. you make good choices. i am. fiber is good for digestive health. good choices never tasted so good. raisin bran ( ♪ )

only tylenol® rapid release gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast, for fast pain relief. tylenol®. pronamel repair can actively help repair weakened enamel. it takes minerals and it drives it deep into the tooth's surface. pronamel repair takes it to the next level. pronamel repair takes it just between us, you know what's better than mopping? anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee

>>ing the news, actor kevin hart is recovering from major back injuries this morning after being involved in a very serious car crash. officials say the comedian and two others were riding on a california highway in his 1970 plymouth barracuda when it rolled down an embankment trapping them inside tmz capturing the photos from the scene. nbc's sarah harman has the latest >> the car went off right there. it was kevin hart. >> reporter: kevin hart in a car with two others. you can see the afrz math from tmz. they were driving the extremely winding mullholland drive in los angeles when they veered off the road, over an embankment and rolled down a hill this photo from tmz shows just how crushed the car was. hart and the driver, 28-year-old jared black, were rushed to hospitals. the california highway patrol reports both suffered, quote, major back injuries. hart is one of the biggest

comedians in the country, the highest-paid stand-up comedian of the past two years. >> you do the same thing every day. yep, yep, yep, whatever you need earn >> reporter: and the star of block buster ride along. >> i was invited to a hostile situation. >> reporter: and night school. >> can you give me a job >> reporter: the car they were driving was a 1970 plymouth barracuda. seen here in a video posted earlier in the day according to tmz, it was a gift he gave himself for his 40th birthday in july according to highway patrol, the driver was not under the influence. sarah harman, nbc news blast detergen t... ...she loved it. her son loves it. and her husband loves it too. and the delivery woman... ...awkward. new gain scent blast.

love it or hate it, it's intense. yof your daily routine.lf so why treat your mouth any differently? listerine® completes the job by preventing plaque, early gum disease, and killing up to 99.9% of germs. try listerine® and for on-the-go, try listerine® ready! tabs™ hey great dog. what do you feed them? blue buffalo lizzie gets purina dog chow ever read the ingredients? could you read a few? sure. of course. deboned chicken whole grain corn chicken meal meat & bone meal brown rice corn gluten meal barley animal fat oatmeal soybean meal while both foods provide complete and balanced nutrition. 9 out of 10 dog chow feeders prefer the ingredients in blue buffalo. and get your dogs delicious blue treats. the tasty treat you'll feel good about giving. take prilosec otc and take control of heartburn. so you don't have to stash antacids here... here... or, here. kick your antacid habit with prilosec otc. one pill a day,

24 hours, zero heartburn.

there's an assassination attempt on the president >> he's being charged with the attempted murder of the president of the united states >> george butler's angel has fallen scored another weekend box office win with over $11 million. raunchy comedy good boys raked in $9 million. and disney's lion king roared adding to the $16 million gross. >> the chaotic demonstrations in hong kong, pro democracy groups blocked access to the international airport there on sunday leaving thousands of travelers stranded at the terminals. this follows saturday's violent clashes with police that included throwing explosives and setting barricades on fire >> pope francis was laid to sunday prayers in st. peter's square sunday. he's known for being prompt so

the crowd was naturally concerned. when he finally showed up, the 82-year-old pontiff told them he got stuck in an elevator for nearly half an hour. he apologized for the delay and thanked god for firefighters who helped get him out >> heard his prayer. up nt rrexhuicane dorian and upset of novak djokovic. you're watching "early today." the utter delight of free wi-fi... . oh man this is the best part. isn't that you? yeah. and the magic power of unlocking your room with your phone. i can read minds too. really? book at hilton.com. if you find a lower rate, we match it and give you 25% off that stay. expect better. expect hilton. diarrhea?! new pepto diarrhea to the rescue! its three times concentrated liquid formula coats and kills bacteria to relieve diarrhea. the leading competitor only treats symptoms. it does nothing to kill the bacteria.

treat diarrhea at its source with new pepto diarrhea. wit looks like jill heading offe on an adventure. jill has entresto, a heart failure medicine that helps her heart so she can keep on doing what she loves. in the largest heart failure study ever, entresto was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. it helps improve your heart's ability to pump blood to the body. don't take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. don't take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren or if you've had angioedema with an ace or arb.

the most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. ask your doctor about entresto, for heart failure. where to next? entrust your heart to entresto. you sure you don't want me to come with you? i'm very sure. because i can. make good choices. you make good choices. i am. fiber is good for digestive health. good choices never tasted so good. raisin bran good choices never tasted so good. sfx: upbeat music a lot of clothes you normally take to the cleaners aren't dirty dirty. they just need a quick refresh. try new febreze clothing quick dry mist. it eliminates odors and refreshes lightly-worn clothing. breathe happy febreze... la la la la la. one creative way to banish your blues, step among fire. this new mexico crowd burned old

man gloom in a healing ceremony on friday. kicking off the annual santa fe fiesta the statue is filled with gloomy items like divorce papers and photos of x's. the people there described feeling at peace as they watched their worries and cares go up in flames >> wish we could do that with the hurricane. >> nice to do that >> let's go back to meteorologist bonnie schneider for the latest here. >> we're watch being for impacts from dorian along the florida coast line and potentially another landfall that's potential for later this week in the carolinas on thursday there i there's already been three landfalls for dorian in the bahamas. as we look to the northern upper midwest, cloudy, cool and a little rainy all eyes on dorian at this time. >> bonnie, thank you when we come back, tennis lessons, the eradiryxtorna moment when two young pros show

the world how the game should be played here's another cleaning tip from mr. clean. cleaning tough bathroom and kitchen messes with sprays and wipes can be a struggle. there's an easier way. try mr. clean magic eraser. just wet, squeeze and erase tough messes like bathtub soap scum and caked-on grease from oven doors. now mr. clean magic eraser comes in disposable sheets. they're perfect for icky messes on stovetops in microwaves and all over the house. for an amazing clean, try mr. clean magic eraser, and now, new mr. clean magic eraser sheets.

a shocker in new york as the number one ceded novak djokovic bows out of the u.s. open. last year's winner had been battling a shoulder injury throughout the tournament and after going down two sets to stan what rinne ka, during the third round match djokovic called his trainer to work on it a little bit a few points later novak called it quits warinka moves on to the quarterfinals. they did not like his decision to bow out a couple of perennial favorites also taking the court, advancing with straight set victories, roger federer handily takes care of david.

things were dicey for serena williams who went down early with an ankle injury, but eventually she recovered for the 6-3, 6-4 victory >> the women's draw is moving on to the fourth round. naomi osaka took down 16-year-old phenom coco gauff. here's blayne alexander with what happened when the match ended. >> reporter: in sports, it's a familiar formula a win. >> there it is >> reporter: and a loss. only one gets the glory. but saturday's u.s. open showed us a different way coco gauff, the 15-year-old fan favorite bested by the best in the world, naomi osaka but the real magic is in what came next in her moment of victory, naomi chose to share her spotlight. and with the world watching --

>> mary jo, going to interview both of them >> reporter: two tennis sensations poured out their hearts >> she did amazing and i'm going to learn a lot from this match and she's been so sweet to me, so thank you for this. i don't want people to think i'm trying to take this moment away from her because she really deserves it. so thank you >> embraced by the one who brought her u.s. open run to an end. then naomi's turn, sending her love directly to cocoa's parents. >> i remember i used to see you guys training in the same place as us. for me, the both of us made it and we're still working as hard as we can. i think it's incredible. >> reporter: and for millions, an incredible moment from tennis legend billie jean king, we've witnessed the dawning of a new era in women's tennis. a master class on the court and a lesson for life. blayne alexander, nbc news >> that's a new way the game is played now >> it really was a sweet moment of acknowledgment and respect

you don't tend to see like that. they both got really emotional it's a lot of hard work that paid off i love she acknowledged the parents. so much goes into that >> the sacrifices they've made, great to be able to see that thanks for watchin

could really cause massive destruction and do not put your life in jeopardy by staying behind. >> deadly serious, hurricane dorian pounding the bahamas overnight with 200 mile-per-hour wind gusts as the monster storm crawls toward the u.s. >> then to odessa texas, as seven lost their lives and 20 were injured. >> next, hong kong experiencing some of the most chaotic demonstrations in weeks with new