good morning, everybody. >> ms nbc world headquarters. it's 5:00 a.m. in the west and 2:00 a.m. in the east. hurricane irma is a category 5 storm as it made landfall on cuba late friday. fierce winds pounded the nation with storm surges up to ten feet expected on the coastline. thousands of residents and tourists have been evacuated from low-lying area.

the storm within 300 miles of maechl. the outer bands invisible from the keys. irma predicted to travel along florida's west coast with hurricane force winds expected across the entire state before heading inland towards tennessee, over 5 million people in florida are under a mandatory evacuation order, many standing in long lines to get into shelters like this one, in miami, that you see on your screen right here. county officials from miami they had are expecting at least 100,000 evacuee, governor scott urge, those who have nom evacuated to leave immediately. >> we are running out of time. the storm is almost here. if you are an evacuation zone, i need to go now. this is a at that time strofk storm our state has never seen. -- catastrophic storm our state has never seen. >> governor scott asking for 100 red cross volunteers and nurses.

this is a massive operation. florida is not the only state preparing for irma's wrath, even north of florida, georgia governor ordered 540,000 residents on the coast to start evacuating at 8:00 a.m. some heeding that sooner than others, joining people towards atlanta. >> we hear hurricane irma is now a category 4 hurricane downgraded from a category 5. we know that difference. >> it could be a couple miles perhour. >> absolutely. irma has already left a deadly path of destruction in its wake. at least 23 people dead throughout the caribbean. barbuda was left nearly uninhabitantable after irma destroyed 90% of the building there, according to prime minister, downed power lines left nearly 1 million people without rooves. they were torn off buildings and trees, three died on that island as well, in haiti, entire

neighborhoods were left flooded in the impoverished nation. residents returning home to save whatever was left of their belongings. for many in the caribbean, the worst may not be over with hurricane jose now closing in. >> all right, so gas stations as you can imagine are running dry across the state as millions pack up and head north try to get out of the storm's path. philip mena is at one of those station, obviously, the sentiment and anxiety adding to people's fears as they try to get out of the storm's path. how is it playing out at gas stations? are gas stations able meet the demands of folks trying to evacuate these areas? are they struggling as well? >> reporter: well, even the good news is, is there aren't too many people here to try to get gas at this point. we have been here all through the night and to set the scene, i am on ocean boulevard, which is ocean drive rather, which is

usually bustling if it weren't for this evacuation him now it's pretty much a ghost town at this point. this is a 7/11. it had pass the for ten minutes before they finally came out and shut down the pumps saying there is no more gas here. all we seen is a few stragglers here and there, trying to get last-minute supplies to hunker down and ride out this storm, right in place. we talked to one of them earlier. here's what he had to say. >> friend said they had to place to go. we got there it wasn't a place to go. i called my boss, he has a three-story apartment, over there he let me stay in there. the last second i have to grab what i can grab. >> reporter: it's hard to find anything. >> there is nothing over opened at this hour. this is the only place opened at this hour. >> reporter: what did you need to get in. >> sandwiches, thing like that,

in case the fire goes out. i have water, plenty of water. just enough to keep me going a couple of days until this subsides, hopefully. >> reporter: yeah, the options are running thin here. this seven-11 is pretty much the thing around here, even the guy working says they will close in a few hours, no gas here, so there aren't vehicles that have come by. people that have decided to leave for the most part as far as we've seen have already made that decision. they have already hit the road, so only a few bake convenient store pumps u ite store items and that will be shut down as hurricane irma comes in this direction. >> i have been wondering, you have these gas stations, wal martz before hurricane irma comes through that area. what about the workers there, have you been talking to them? how have they getting out? are they staying through to help

residents? >> reporter: well, we went to a couple of wal martz as soon as we got here in ft. lauderdale as well as the publix the first two wal-marts we went to, they had shut down earlier in the afternoon. there were only police out there guarding the doors against looting and the publix we went into, they were going to be closing at 9:00 p.m. it said they are going to try to open again as soon as possible at the end of the weekend possibly monday or tuesday at the earliest. even those stores that were opened, filled with people trying to get last-minute items, the water wasn't there, the bread shelves were empty, so those essential items were already gone and so i talked to a few of the people who worked there and, yeah, they had to be there for that night. they're not going to be going into work any time this week. they will be hunkering down, bracing, hoping for the best. >> obviously, the question on everyone's mind now is the condition of the hurricane, what's the path? where is the eye of the hurricane likely to make

landfall? and now it has been downgraded to a category 4 does that at all change any of the dynamics we seen play out on the ground. some of those questions, bonnie schneiderman, sometimes we talk about it. but it's just a matter of miles per hour difference. >> right. >> it's not by any means lessening. >> a category 4 is a massive hurricane. category 5 is very rare. it's possible irma could become a category 5 once again, you can see it's been battering cuba for hours. i have been watching this. relentless torrential downpours, destructive winds. the eye has been riding the periphery of cuba. we've watched it kind of move a little more to the northwest. that's exactly where the storm position is right now. let's take a closer look. i want to show you, we have brand-new information, a new advisory came in moments ago. this gave us a better idea to break it down for you.

here's cuba. i mentioned that eye, you can see it working to the west-northwest. plus we are getting some of those bands coming into the keys. so taking a closer look at the latest coordinates, 245 miles southeast of miami, florida, getting closer, maximum sustained wednesday at 155. that's a five pile per hour difference. not much movement. west-northwest at 12. that's a shift from the last advisory we have. we are starting to see that turn gradually. boy, there are so many unknowns with this storm. let's talk about what we do know. the bands of the rain, the outer bands, those are coming through the keys. they're producing heavy downpours, we are getting strong winds sustained at marathon at 44 miles per hour. we are getting the strong winds, this is the beginning of the system building into as we go forward across much of the region. let's take a look at the track, notice the landfall. it looks like there are potentially two landfalls

happening, sunday morning on the florida keys, potentially through monday. things have slowed down with this system as it continues to work to the west and eventually turn to the northwest t. cone of uncertainty is uncertain where that eye will work its way through t. computer m. the computer models have been trending westward. so it looks like there is a better chance for that eye in the eyewall to pass through that region. but remember, this is a massive, massive hurricane. when you put the state of florida on top of irma, it covers the whole thing, so everybody really coast-to-coast will feel the effects of irma. >> bonnie, is it rare at this point in the turn in the cycle we wouldn't know the path of hurricane irma consider tack landfall is set to take place sometime tomorrow morning or mid-day tomorrow? will we know the path? >> it's interesting, landfall has been potentially delayed. the storm has slowed down.

we do have an idea of the path. the reason that we are being so precise is if this is a very heavily populated area in south florida the difference in the width of it is just 100-140 miles, every 25, 30 miles makes a difference i want to make one quick thing the danger of storm surges that's when the water from the ocean piles up very high and in parts of southwest florida, because the track has shifted to the west, we could see that go up to 12 feet. it's a serious situation. that's why many have been evacuated. >> just because the shift of the eye of the hurricane doesn't necessarily mean we will get a storm surge up the east coast of florida which is important to know. >> it sure is. there is a starm surge from miami, keilar go, the potential of southeast florida ten feet. i want to point out since yesterday things have changed, that storm warning for southwest florida could potentially bring a greater storm surge. this is one of the biggest

dangers in hurricanes. >> we will be checking in with you all morning long. so much focus of course on miami and florida the east coast, the west coast is also preparing for the worst. ft. meyers mayor randall henderson is joining us. i very much appreciate it. i know you have a lot on your mind. we appreciate the time to talk to us. so from what you can hear from bonn ie our meteorologist, the focus shifted to the west coast, squarely to your area. how are you guys dealing now with the preparations? >> we certainly have a heightened sense of alert. we are moving out to make sure that citizens are transported to safe places, inland shelters. many citizens on their own have taken action to move north starting several days ago, for which i am pleased with. we are concerned about the storm surge and we are concerned about wind damage. >> mayor, let me ask you, fimay,

about the concern that this hurricane is being extended at least the hurricane warning are being extended all the way to the state of georgia. so where is it going to be safe for the residents of south florida and, in particular, ft. meyers? where is safe for them to go right now? >> citizens have to move away from the water. 96 to that, they need to seek out shelters that the county emergency medical -- emergency management operations have provided in the way of shelters, many citizens are doing that. the concern is to move away from water, make sure they're in fortified buildings. >> with this new track, mayor, have you had to take additional measures now, considering what you could be facing ahead in the next two days or so? >> we are executing on the plans that were in place, if, indeed, irma were to shift west, she is certainly doing that. so we're executing on those

plans. >> you certainly have a significant retirement community in your area as well if ft. meyers, florida. those people not necessarily having the resources that some people have, the younger folks have, people that are able drive themselves and their families out of the area. how are you handling those people? >> we are moving people around with public transportation and in our region, we have the lead tram. they have been running 24/7. obviously, they're not paying -- checking fares, we're in full emergency management operation. so we are providing transportation that way. there are numerous volunteers that are providing transportation and we are moving citizens in that way? mayor, if i can ask you quickly, is there anything in your initial assessment before this hurricane makes landfall that you and officials there in the county and the city feel that they need that they may not be getting? are you getting enough support right now? i know there was some concern last week because of hurricane harvey, some of the fema resources on the federal level

have been diverted there. is it now making its way to florida? >> it is going to be tenuous, getting it into the state. i have been walk u talking to o our delegation, they are highly engaged that fema has access to florida. they are getting military and police escorts to bring provisions in. there will be a time irma will move closer to us, it will not be safe to do. that things will have to stop and they'll pick back up. i can tell you that there is plenty of focus on getting provisions to our area from the federal, state and certainly local governments. we're doing our part and there is massive communication going on and cooperation. >> yeah, that will be obviously a big concern. mayor henderson, our thoughts and prayers are with you and everyone in that community. we'll be in touch with you, sir, throughout the course of the day. god speed to everyone down there. >> thank you.

>> i want to turn to julia bagg in florida, of course, tracking hurricane irma as well. julyia give us sort of your perspective from what you have been seeing out there. >> reporter: well, yes, in just the last few minutes, we've had kind of on eerie pause, we are in between some bands here in south florida. where i am south of miami, i'm actually at one of the last gas stations before you lit the overseas highway, towards the keys. 24 hours ago, the place looked very different. it was packed with people coming here for gas. they're not expecting any more shipments, though, they have this all wrapped up ready for irma. we can tell you that the governor had asked gas stations in evacuation zones to stay opened as long as possible to allow people to get gas. this area here not an evacuation zone, certainly along an evacuation route. this right here is u.s. 1, very quiet right now. if you look you may see some

going northbound. that's where the overseas highway begins beyond those signs. people making last-minute escapes from the keys from the lower keys, from key west, coming up north. this is the route they have been taking. but very few people out and about right now. i can tell you the keys right now, why it's such a damage russ place to be. -- dangerous place to be. mandatory evacuation orders for the entire stretch. it's 100 miles from keilar go to the mainland. there are no hospitals. all the hospitals are closed. if anybody gets into trouble. somebody has to go to the emergency room, they don't have that available. in fact, administrators with upon row county where the keys are, they told me most emergency rooms, of course on the first floor are susceptible to flooding which could be a major problem with irma. one of the reasons they can't

keep hospitals opened. also, there are no public shelters in the keys. they do not have shelters for storms stronger than a category 2. they told me they don't have buildings strong enough to be able withstand a major hurricane like irma that they can open up to make it a public shelter. so that's why they have been so stressing for everyone to get out of the keys. now this morning, where we are here in florida city, we've seen some debris here and there. we've seen some light rain. we've also had some power out annuals in along the turnpike. one neighborhood that we were in, we talked to a family of five who are in their apartment. they're on the third floor and they said just after some light rain at about 1:30 local time this morning, the lights went out. we can tell you that at one point here in south florida the past couple hours, as many as 10,000 families were without power. the good news is crews have been able bring that down now to just above 6,000. >> very much appreciate it.

we will be talking to you throughout the next couple of hours, thanks so much. be sure to tune in tuesday for hand-in-hand for hurricane relief. a star studded telethon to benefit the victims of hurricane harvey and irma. it begins at 8:00 have been 7:00 central. when we come back, millions have been told to evacuate. some suggest gas shortages, so how are people actually able to get out without gas? more on that in a moment. >> i don't want to stay for a whole week without electricity, internet, food, especially when you have a baby, it's harsh. >> ten minutes before boarding time, they cancelled the flight without giving us explanations, everyone will tell us, get yourself a shelter. >> we ended up having to pay a thousand dollars to go to dallas and on to l.a.. >> it's been awful. we knew as soon as we landed that we never should have gotten on the plane in england. we can hear officials asking us

why we have come to florida.

welcome back, everyone, this morning, we're watching the gas shortage all across the state of florida as hurricane irma approaches. >> reporter: take a look behind me. all of those headlights. this is what an evacuation looks like on a saturday morning when a catastrophic hurricane is on approach. you can see, these people are all waiting for gas. most of the people i have been

able to make contact with, they say they are coming from the keys. they made that final decision. i was talking with the guy earlier, maybe he will talk to us really quick. you say are you from monroe county. that's keys, by the way. most people i have been speaking to have been from the keys. you guys are the ones that pushed it to the last minute. >> yes, i was planning on staying in key west. when i saw the eye potentially hitting key west, i decided to come to miami, find a shelter as soon as possible. >> reporter: is this as far north as you will come? >> hopely, hopefully, yes. >> reporter: you really don't want to leave home? >> not really. i will head back as soon as i can. that's the plan. >> reporter: what do you think about all this? how long have you been living in the keys? >> over ten years. >> reporter: over ten years, so what do you think about it? >> i was around for will massachusetts that took us a couple years to recover from. that hopefully, this won't be as bad. >> reporter: fuel shortage has been a huge problem, long lines have been wrapping around gas

stations all over south florida. now trick, really, one, finding a gas station that's still opened. two, finding a gas station that's still opened and actually has fuel. >> that is the challenge here, and a lot of people, they've bought the to try more than once. it takes them three or four times until they find the gas that they're looking for. we seen in self gas stations tempers flare, in some instances, cops had to be called, you know, this is a very tense time. people are stressed out. they're trying to figure out what they want to do and get to safety. so emotions are pretty high right now. so this is the situation here. as you can tell, tons of people trying to get gas, really trying to get out of irma's path. >> all right. thank you, jamie ga rollo with that report. millions in the path of irma. the red cross is already joining us, a public affairs officer with the red cross, thank you so much for joining us on this saturday morning. obviously the state spent days

preparing for this massive hit that's about to take place in the next 28 to produce-to-48 ho. so how does the red cross feel? >> we have made this a priority. we have been making sure the evacuation centers are opened and staffed. i'm here in the orlando headquarters office of the red cross where volunteers have been coming in and as we're opening those shelters and staffing them, they are being bussed into those areas, i have a couple volunteers on a transport down to miami. they touched base with me. i saw some beautiful pictures of some children who are happy and warm and safe. >> that makes us feel so good. people are really taking heed. they are going to the shelters and working with us to make sure that their safety is our priority. >> can you give us a scope of how big this operation is? a sense of the scope i should say how big it is for the american red cross? how many shelters? how many volunteers on the

ground as of now? >> so we have over hundreds of volunteers and over 30 and up to 40 shelters that are red cross shelters. one of the great things about what we're doing here is that we are partnering with our communities leadership, the government, all of the people are working together. this is so massive, there is not one single agency that could ever do it alone. i have been watching the coverage and our partnership with salvation army with your local officials. we really are working hard to make sure everyone has a safe place to be and i'd like to make sure people are able to get that access, by downloading the american red cross emergency app, a free app, you will have a list of shelters that are near you. but also gives you information about what to bring to a shelter, if you are evacuating. few haven't yet gone, make sure have you those items that will make you comfortable, make sure you are taking your prescription medications. if you have children, baby supplies, bottles, pets even, once the evacuation centers, the tropical storms get that forced

wind beginning, we're not going to turn anyone away, we want to make sure people bring what their pets, food, a collar, a leash, a carrier, make sure everyone is safe. >> do you get a sent that these shelters are reaching capacity or do you know what their conditions are as of now in terms of occupancy? >> you know, i haven't seen those numbers yet. ki get that update for you. i do know as far as what i'm seeing, people are taking heed and they are there and red cross is there to make sure that those people are being cared for. >> how do you plan to keep the people safe in the shelter. we understand the shelter is structurally sound and irma could face a category 4 or 3 or downgraded. we don't necessarily know because the way things are changing so rapidly. what we saw from hurricane harvey was there was a shelter there that started to flood during hurricane harvey. people had to be evacuated from that shelter and taken somewhere else, so how do you plan to deal

with that, if, in fact, worst case scenario that happens to some of your shelters in florida? >> you know, this is really a science. whenever you think about where we are putting shelters. we don't intentionally ever put shelters, open shelters in buildings that are not rated for a shelter and we're working with our emergency managers to identify they're identifying these spaces, we're working together to make sure they are in places that are not in flood plains and that their precautions are being met. really when you think about what can happen? disaster can do anything. we can't control. that what we can control is we have other facilities and places on stand be i that we would relocate people if that need comes up. >> i think the word you keep hearing oempd and over again from officials and volunteers and aide workers is this is unprecedented in terms of the scale, as well as the nature of the hurricane. that's adding eastern more to the inside. >> as we hear from nigel, they are basically saying we're as prepared as we can be.

thank you very much for joining us. good luck to you. >> thank you. >> thanks for your work. next up, everybody, not one, but three hurricanes are now active in the southeast. up believable. right? we will tell you how big of a threat they may be when we come back. take a look at. that unbelievable.

welcome back to ms nbc headquarters, everybody. we are closely tracking irma as

it approaches the florida coastline. at this hour it is a category 4 poised to make landfall in 24 hours. many waiting in long lines for shelters like this one in miami. >> and georgia governor ordering 540,000 people on the coast to leave. residents are heeding those warnings. now, taking no chances after irma's devastating power killed at least 23 people across the caribbean islands. gas stations running low on fuel across florida as millions head north. we find philly mena once again forced at a gas station outside hollywood, florida. obviously, this is one of the only ways for people to get out is through, by taking roads, filling up a gas station. give us a quick update on the demands and supplies at these gas stations? >> reporter: well the gas station we were at had long since run out of gas. in fact, moments ago we saw an

employee wrapping the entire pump, prooi trying to secure it in case the extreme winds don't have it flying away, making sure everything is hunkerred down so there is no gas anywhere in our area that we have been able to see, they are opened for business just for a few more hours, to buy some much-needed supplies or whatever else that people might need, but we are expecting this hurricane to really affect this area, so much so, that they're under a mandatory evacuation. i'm next to a crown plaza, that sign on the door says they have been closed since thursday, you can see the sandbags on the door, i'm not quite sure how that will help when there is torrential winds starting to kick up around here, it is eerie to know this area which is usually bustleing is now for the most part deserted. we have seen police more than any other cars around here,

they're on patrol, trying to make sure people aren't taking advantage of the situation, looting in the areas, we saw road blocks, blocking off residential areas. they said 80% of the people that live there have already evacuated. so there are not too many people left around here, people here are bracing and hoping for the best. >> i know you have covered a lot of hurricanes if your reporting career. can you compare the prepared naz you have seen so far? i know you have been there for only 24 hours or so, compare the preparedness in florida to other hurricanes that you have seen? >> reporter: well, ki tell you by just speaking to the people that live here, that are used to these storms that come and go, that for a person that doesn't live in this area it would terrify them normally. they're usually able to kind of scoff at the notion of another one coming. this is very different. this has struck fear into the hearts of most people that live here so much so they have heeded

the warnings and started to evacuate. we have not seen too many people left here. they have skipped town, rightfully so. >> thank you. we will check back in with you at the top of the hour. we are talking about the gas shortages, which is a big concern for the florida keys as they face the brunt of hurricane irma. i want to go to julia bagg standing by for us down there. julyia what do you got? >> reporter: hi there yes, i just spoke with police. i want to let you know, no gas for the next 20 miles where i am, florida city. this is the first stop on the mainland. there is virtually nothing opened. we are south of miami. we are in an area absolutely devastated by hurricane andrew 25 years ago when you think about, you know, hurricane andrew, you think miami. but this is the area, homestead, florida city that just has never been the same. so that's something that is a

reason why it's dead quiet here. people have gotten out. people have hunkered down in their homes and gone to shelters t. roadway you are seeing right now. >> that is the beginning of the overseas highway, so we've seen some cars still coming northbound, very few going in the direction of the peck-up truck you see headed southbound now. most people getting out, because in the florida keys, keep this in mind, there are 42 bridges between here and key west. so what monroe county emergency managers have pointed out is, hey, any 81 of those 42 bridges goes out and you're stuck. that's what makes the keys such a dangerous place to be. also, all the hospitals there are closed and they've said, listen, if you stay in the keys, despite emergency evacuation orders that have been in place for days, don't expect first responders to risk their lives to come save you if you have an emergency. now, asmin and aymon, i can tell you rain is starting to fall as

these bands move through here to the south of miami where we are. >> let me ask you quickly about a point that we brought up. the evacuation of hospitals, particularly in the last couple of weeks with hurricane harvey, now here, you say they have evacuated the hospitals in the florida keys, have they given you a sense of where they've moved those patients to? where is it going to be safe? we have been talking to people in southern florida. they are also trying to move folks further north? >>. >> yeah. >> reporter: yeah, a lot of people evacuating from hospitals but coming up forth have had plans to drive far north, perhaps tampa or the west coast. so the word is now to get, to move inland. not to try to outrun this storm, whether it's moving patients or just people who have been trying to get out of the way of the storm. in fact, florida's governor have been saying listen you do not have to get out of state. you do not have to drive 100 miles to be safe. you have as to move inland.

miami county opened up many more shelters. my family is in a shelter now. as you say, as the track changes, just a few days ago, nobody thought the west coast of florida was going to be under threat. so things change hour by hour and so the best move is to move inland, not to try to go to a particular place. >> thank you very much for that, julia. we will be checking in with you throughout the course of the day. let's pick up on that, bonnie the fact that the track of the hurricane has shifted hour by hour, obviously, that will have an impact on the response, we heard that from the mayor a short while ago. give us an update on what we think is going to happen with the eye of this hurricane, where is it going to hit? >> it looks like we potentially could see two land falls, programs in the florida keys and along the west coast of florida. one of the reasons it's difficult to track as we approach landfall, particularly on the peninsula is the angle at which it's approaching. we have been watching it pummel cuba. i have for many hours now. it's been kind of moving, that's

what these storms do, they're not a stable force like a car on a track that goes perfectly. it will week and wobble. i will show you the latest information. where is the storm? where is irma? it's a giant storm, really. and it's getting closer to florida. in fact the latest advisory came out a short while ago. it says it's 245 miles southbound east of miami, florida t. maximum winds are at 155. this is a category 4. remember, i know would be talking about a category 5. they're unusual. category 4s are as well. this is a dangerous storm. the storm shifted the movement west northwest at 12. i noticed that watching it as the eye sort of worked its way over the periphery of cuba. now we get those rain bands, you sa from our reporter there, it is raining across the florida keys. pretty heavily with strong winds in marathon at 44 miles per hour. here's the latest track t. cone of uncertainty is not an exact

science. we get closer. we hone in on the west coast of florida. the computer models trended west. why have they trended west? the ridge of high pressure keeping irma to the south and the west was strong enough to do that. if it had weakened, we would have saw the turn happen sooner. but that's not the case. that's the things we were watching in the dynamics of the atmosphere that change moment by moment. this has been a challenging one. here's the computer models. notice the cone kind of right around it. so these models are getting a much better consensus that many of thooem them are predicting a landfall along the florida keys and interaction with the west coast of florida t. precise location of the eye as i mentioned, that will be a tough one to forecast, because of which the angles coming in, in the meantime, i'm glad people are evacuating in the low lying areas because of the threat of the storm surge. i want to point out how narrow the peninsula of florida this

is. this is irma, florida behind it. the eye, itself, is about 35 nautical miles wide. it's pretty big. you also have hurricane force winds extending outwards 60, 70 miles. even if it's on the west coast the east coast will feel it because of the size and strength of the storm. the other factor that's a deadly one is storm surge. and things have changed, if you are just waking up and joining us now t. strong winds that pushed the water on the shore lean, the advisories for that with that ocean water coming right in, it can go miles inhappened, that number has increased to potentially up to 12 feet in southwest florida because of that shifting track. so storm surge is something i'm very concerned with as we get closer to that storm working on shore. >> i feel from you sort of in that path, a major question one would have if you did decide to hunker down. we hope a lot of people did not. how fast will it be moveing? say you are in your home in ft. pliers or in miami-dade county,

somewhere if that area, have you the storm coming through, it's 11:00 a.m. on sunday morning, how long you do have to wait it out? >> you know, it's funny, my family is in south florida. they asked me that same question, i told them. you are looking at hurricane force winds six, 12, longer in terms of hours, yes, the storm may pick up in speed. remember, it's so large, it's so massive, florida, particularly south florida is so densely populated. so i think it will take a while. i don't want anyone to venture out until the storm is all clear because of the duration of the force of the battering of hurricane force win. over and over again, up with gust could maybe tilt the tree. another could knock it down. so take it seriously, to note, this is what i was talking about eight to 12 feet potentially for storm surge? you get a sense from bonnie the assessment of how dire it is for anyone storming it out. thank you for that update. >> a big concern for the florida keys as they face the brunt of

irma t. florida keys are starting to get a little bit of rain and wind there. we are tracking hurricane irma now, such a dangerous category form, downgrading from a category 5, of course, a five-mile-per-hour difference, negligible from 160 to 155. all right. we'll be back, everybody.

>> it's 5. 48 south of miami, you can see the train is trickling in. you can check that out. those are pictures from key west we showed you earlier in the program. the city of coral gables is preparing for the worst. joining us on the phone is the safety manager. mr. fernandez, it's great to have you with us this morning. i know you are busy.

it's been a long night for you and everyone you are working with. if you can, bring us up to speed for efforts if coral gables to prepare for hurricane irma. what are your major concerns, what are your major needs? how are folks responding to the evacuation orders? >> we have been very busy the last three days. thank god the residents have heeded the warning. many have evacuated on the eastern seaboard next to the bay. we have been busy going street by street, block by block, making sure the information got out. to our best information, we believe the residents in those evacuation centers have left. we have our officers out. our police officers and our firefighters will be the last ones out of the neighborhood and the first ones back if. as a public figure, that's what we do. our biggest concern is storm surge. we are prepared to mit get to those as we can. i think right now to talk about is power outages will be something that is common in

these storms. people may not know what is happening throughout our after the storm. i think it's important for them to know that after the storm to be extremely careful. there are many people that get hurt after the storm downed power lines or other dangerous situations that could get them hurt, and sometimes the result is -- >> mr. when is it you tell them, hey, get off the roads if you are staying? you got to bear the bankrupt of the storm, stay in your homes? what is your advice?

they could feasibly be stuck in a traffic jam when this thing hits if they decide to go too late? >> certainly, no one should be traveling anywhere at this point t. conditions here are getting worse. you can see the weather conditions moving in. no one should be traveling. you should be lunk u hunkered down. at this point few haven't found the location, you could head to an immediate shelter and there are many throughout miami-dade county. at this point we told residents, continue with usually, you know, identifiable cases, you will weather out the storm in a hurricane-proof billing and that should have been done yesterday. today is the day where you settle down, you know, get comfortable where you will be at. you will be there for several -- for probably over a day until this storm subsides. >> so mr. fernandez, i want to make sure i understand this correctly. if anyone has stayed behind now, it's almost too late now to try to leave to get out of the path

of hurricane irma? >> that is correct. trying to outrun the storm will not do anyone good. you need to hunker down, identify a safe location. >> that should have been done yesterday. that's a repeated message that's been going out throughout miami-dade county for the last several days. all right. when we come back, everybody, the police are getting ready to provide safety and security during and after this storm. we will get details after this short break.

welcome back. we are having special continuing

coverage of hurricane irma as it bears down on florida, southern florida, and then moving up that state into georgia as well. we have bonnie schneider joining us at the top of the hour to give us an update on what's happening with that hurricane and the path of the hurricane, telling you what you need to know right now. if it's too late to get out, if you decided to hunker down. we're going to give you everything you need to know. we have correspondents fanning across the state. also, telling you all the happenings that are going on in florida. all that and more when we come back after the break. keep it here, everybody. msnbc. we'll be right back.

good morning. >> msnbc world headquarters. it is 6:00 in the eastern. 3:00 a.m. out west. here's what's happening. hurricane irma now a category four storm as it comes within 275 miles of miami. the outer bands already visible from the florida keys. a storm now predicted to travel up florida's west coast with hurricane force winds across the entire state before heading inland towards tennessee. >> over five million people in florida are under mandatory evacuation orders. many standing in long lines to get into shelters like this one here in miami. county officials from miami dade are expecting at least 100,000 evacuees. governor rick scott urging residents not to take any chances. >> if you are told to evacuate, leave, get out quickl