good morning. 11:00 a.m. eastern, 8:00 a.m. pacific. i'm jose diaz-balart in bradenton, florida, where daylight has come and sunlight is exposing the destruction left in ian's wake. governor ron desantis putting

the devastation in very direct terms. >> the impacts of this storm are historic and the damage that was done has been historic and this is just off initial assessments. >> take a look at fort myers, close to where ian made landfall. you see the downed trees and the boats tossed around like toys. storm surges as high as 7 to 10 feet swept through surrounding areas making streets look more like oceans. ian has left more than 2.5 million floridians without power. folks who were in shelters are leaving to see if they even have a home to return to. the focus is now on the people who did not evacuate. >> finding a lot of the roads are impassable. we have a lot of power lines down, a lot of flooding going on. i don't want to speculate on fatalities, but we have had some reports being called into us in

reference to potential bodies being found. >> right now the storm is moving eastward through florida with the carolinas and georgia in its sights with flash flooding a major concern. you can get an idea of just how dangerous these surging waters can be. take a look at this intense rescue in naples by the fire department as they fought floodwaters, broke windows to save people trapped inside their cars. they got to go through the back door to get to the front door. that car is quick going deeper and deeper into the water. in moments, i'll speak with the founder of the cajun navy whose team is in fort myers. the federal government is mobilizing as well. president biden heading to fema headquarters this hour. we will see if he speaks on his way there. of course, we'll hear from him if he speaks. we'll get an idea from the

former head of fema about how the agency mobilizes in disasters like this one. we start with the latest on where ian is going and the devastation left in its wake. bill karins is tracking the storm, blayne alexander is in orlando, florida, and steve patterson in saint petersburg, florida. bill, let me begin with you. just because ian has weakened to a tropical storm doesn't mean it's any less dangerous. >> it's not the catastrophe that we've seen in those pictures. those are the first images that i've had a chance to look at where the worst of the storm surge was. that's unfortunately what i was afraid of when we knew a category four was going to make a landfall. the causeway there, the bridge collapse, they can't get anything out there. all you can see is aerial pictures out there right now. that's the only way out of the island. the new update from the hurricane center, it's back over water. they made it over the warm

waters of the atlantic. it's been a rough morning north of orlando, the lake mary, sandford area, daytona beach. still gusting to 71 miles per hour. there's some storm surge. we're approaching high tide. it's not pretty in northeast florida this morning and the hurricane center just brought this back up to 70-mile-per-hour winds. we're almost back to hurricane strength. and that's because we've had this persistent band here. we've had 60 to 70-mile-per-hour winds in daytona beach for three straight hours and they've had a foot of rain this morning alone and it's still pouring in that area. at the beach, we're getting power outages because of those gusty winds. here's the forecast from the hurricane center. the big change, it's only a 5 to 10 mile address. right over the top of charleston. it's a low-lying area. if they get a ton of rain, it's

going to loosen up the soil, you're going to get wind gusts, you're going to have a lot of tree damage if we get this straight in the charleston area. and then the storm will weaken friday evening. that will be a landfall sometime friday afternoon around charleston and then the storm weakens and heads up to the north. as far as our computer models, they're narrowing in, savannah to charleston, myrtle beach, that's the wiggle room right there. as you said, just because we're seeing all the dramatic pictures in southwest florida, there's still damage to come up the coast. >> yeah, and then just the thought that it's back to soon hurricane ian. gosh. blayne, homes in the orlando area have 1 to 2 feet of water pouring in. what are you seeing and hearing there. >> i'll say, jose, the rain is less intense than the last time you and i spoke but it is just as steady. and that's really what officials are concerned about.

those reports of flooding that are becoming more and more frequent as we hear -- not just flooding. some reports of water going into businesses, water going into some homes. but roads completely -- highways that are shut down. a large stretch of the florida turnpike is closed. we just got video from the fire and rescue here in orlando where they are having to go one by one and rescue residents from a senior living facility that's not too far from here. we spoke with a pio who says they have about 100 or so residents that they have to evacuate. they've done 60 so far. they're going in as these floodwaters are creeping into this building. they're having to do through and make sure that these residents can get out and get to safety. that's just one area that they've had to rescue. we also know they've had to do some rescues in some residential areas. people who didn't evacuate. people who believed they could ride it out, ended up calling for help and officials had to go

in and remove them from their homes, take boats in in some cases to get them out safely. let's talk about the rainfall that we're seeing. we're already seeing record rainfall. and the rain is still coming down and it's going to come down for several hours to come. we know that already what we've seen in many places is about 2 inches of rain. some places as high as 16 inches. just to put that into context for you, that's more than double the amount of rainfall that this area typically sees in the entire month of september. already, much more rain than is expected here and we're looking to hear from the mayor in 30 minutes, jose. >> i mean, the entire state of florida is supersaturated with water because of the rainy season. steve, what are you seeing in st. petersburg? there's a lot of coastal areas that -- while they didn't get a direct hit, i'm sure they were affected. >> yeah, jose, this area did not get a direct hit from the hurricane, but the storm sure as heck did directly hit this

place. this is pinellas park. a great example of the damage that is on the ground here. this massive tree, you see it here coming across, taking down this power line. i'm going to walk, but not too far. this is a live, active power line coming across here and then destroying that house, into the house. so many scenes like this, downed power lines, trees, wires into the streets, roofs sheared off in this area. you have to think about the order of operations. number one, search and rescue. thankfully, that hasn't been something that's been so necessary in that area. the storm missed as far as flooding, as far as severe damage. but there's so much scattered damage. two would be cleaning up dangerous scenes like this, crews are out here as we speak, they're on their way. they have this roadblocked off. three would be getting an assessment of the damage. a true assessment that hasn't

happened yet. the teams are out in force and then, of course, you have to think about restoration of power. still about 170,000 people without power in pinellas county alone. but you have to account for the fact that there are still wind gusts in this area, we're seeing 30-mile-per-hour wind gusts. remember, 40,000 line workers in the state of florida, a lot of them trying to get to some of these scenes. because the winds are so strong, more than 30 miles per hour, they can't go up in those buckets. so a lot of people are still going to have to kind of wait it out as they can kind of do their work. but the word from the mayor, from the city, from the county, from people who are in this area is to try to stay indoors. not because there's a massive storm brewing on the other side of this, but because there's essentially a storm of crews that are going street by street, trying to assess the damage, trying to do the work of cleaning up scenes like this and we're seeing it happen all over the county. jose? >> steve patterson, blayne

alexander, and bill karins, thank you so much. it looks like it was leveled in many parts. as i mentioned, urgent rescue efforts are under way. take a look at this. this is santa bell island. look at the two roads that go in and out. take a look at some of the structures destroyed. what i can describe is just if a bomb went off. there's nothing, everything has been leveled. we're talking concrete, wood, masonry. things are just on the ground. there's some concrete pilings that held a house, but the house just got blown out. that's in santa bell island. that includes, for example, fort myers where the storm surge peaked over 7 feet. the mayor tells nbc news there that he has met several dozen people who stayed behind in need of assistance. with officials overwhelmed for calls for rescues, groups like the cajun navy are stepping up

to help. i want to bring in bob gaudet. i'm wondering when you're out and about, how does this compare to other storms you've been at? >> this one was scary. it was a slow-moving storm. we've been watching for a week and our team has been having planning calls for about a week. >> what kind of rescues are your teams undertaking? >> we're doing water rescues. we've been out since about 3:00 a.m. the team -- the communications have been off and on. but our team has been out helping people get out of homes or off of -- since just after midnight when it was safe to go out and do so. they're down in fort myers.

i'm on my way down there myself. we are going to be setting up a -- what we call a safe camp. a place for the community to gather, volunteers, non-profits to gather and begin to go out to the community and provide assistance to those who need it. >> rob, why do you do what you do? why do people like you go do this? chb. >> you know, i will tell you why, because if instant information of technology, sitting here watching television provides a sense of urgency that we've had throughout human history. this isn't the first time that a hurricane has affected us as a community or citizens, but it's really -- it's a new -- it's the new model where we have instant access to information and people that are very capable take action and want to get involved and that's what the cajun navy is. we are in a way a media organization that tells stories and drives good qualified

citizens to get involved not only in rescue, but we actually stay. our plan is to be here for probably about six months and continue to help in these communities. there's so much work to do. when the water goes down, these homes need to be cleaned out. the roads need to be cleared. these folks are going to need a lot of help regaining stability in their lives and it's a very -- it's a very bottom-up model. the systems that exist are just overwhelmed and that doesn't change during rescue, it doesn't change in the relief or the recovery effort. there's not some big -- it's truly -- >> rob gaudet -- >> -- to make it happen -- >> i'm sorry. i'm losing your -- i kind of lost you at the end. but i want to thank you for being with us. for what you and your group is doing, the fact that you're

thinking about staying there for six months to help the people is really extraordinary. rob, thank you for being with us. >> yes, sir, thank you. >> if you look at the numbers, more than 2 1/2 million homes and businesses in florida do not currently have power. that number is growing. the majority of the outages are along the southwest coast where hurricane ian came ashore. particular the area spanning from pinellas county all the way to colyer county. the winds were so strong that one of the state's main power providers says they need to rebuild parts of their system. not just restore. here's governor desantis from earlier today. >> lee and charlotte are basically off the grid at this point. charlotte and lee reconnects are going to likely have to be rebuilding of that

infrastructure. and so there are linemen, crews that are on their way down right now. but that's going to be more than just connecting a power line back to a pole. >> joining me now is peter robins. thank you for being with us. let's start with the update on the parts of the system that will have to be rebuilt. >> the governor is right. we're going to have to rebuild some portions of our electrical infrastructure in those hardest-hit areas. we're doing those assessments today. it's going to be difficult to access some areas because of the floodwaters. electricity and water do not mix. in some cases, we'll have to wait for waters to go down. we have drone next, though, that we can fly over those areas to take picture of damage so when the water goes down, we can start restoration a little faster and get to folks a little faster. certainly there were some areas that were hit hard that are going to require a big investment in the infrastructure and a rebuild there. >> so, peter, it's really

striking for many -- i mean, just last night, we spent the entire night here and this is, you know, the sarasota bay. and there were moments where it was just pitch black and early this morning we're seeing some of the lights being restored. how is that process working and how massive of an undertaking is this? >> jose, so we started planning for this storm, you know, days and days ago in trying to preposition our resources so we can restore power as soon as it's safe to do so. we've restored more than 800,000 of our customers. most of those were in southeast florida where we got the heavy bands from the storms earlier in the week. we're working to restore power. we have 20,000 people who are here in florida who are going to be focused on power restoration. they're from more than 30 different states as far away as minnesota and they've come here to help us get the lights back

on and try to get folks reconnected. some areas are going to take longer than others. but the restoration effort has already started and as the bad weather continues to leave the state, we'll be out there working around the clock and getting everybody reconnected. >> peter, there's a nuclear power plant down there in south dade. how are those power plants equipped to deal with a massive event like a cat four or a cat five hurricane? i know that in 1992, i mean, andrew passed real close to that. >> well, actually, yeah, in 1992, our nuclear plant took a direct hit from hurricane andrew and went right over the top and the nuclear components were not damaged. those plants are built from the very beginning to withstand the worst weather imaginable and the critical components inside like the reactor are protected by a structure that's three to four feet thick of steel reinforced concrete. they're among the most robust

structures in the entire country. we have another one near homestead and another one near saint lucy. they monitor the storm very, very well. fortunately we did not feel the full brunt of the storm's impact at those two facilities, but we were ready. >> peter robins, thank you very much for being with us this morning. >> thank you. the ongoing dangers from the storm. i'll talk to the mayor of daytona beach about his message to residents on how to stay safe. plus, much more on the urgent rescues this morning and how quickly federal aid is getting to florida. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." ster ever . tony, the new outlaw's got double pepper jack and juicy steak. let's get some more analysis on that, chuck. mmm. pepper jack. tender steak. very insightful, guys. the new subway series. what's your pick?

the immediate danger from ian has shift today the gulf coast to the central part of the state. this is video from the daytona beach fire department. take a look at that. the national hurricane center

says parts of northeastern and central florida could see up to 30 inches of rain. i want to bring in mayor derrick henry of daytona beach. what are you looking at right now? what's the biggest danger in northeast florida? >> well, water, water intrusion is the biggest danger. wind is a factor, but it is not the factor that water would be and that is our concern. we've tried to prep our residents as best we could and we're just hoping for the best at this point. >> what are your concerns, your main concerns for the next couple of hours? >> it would be the amount of water that residents are faced with. we've got unprecedented flooding issues in areas that we are concerned about and then we want residents to remain safe. we don't want them to make any bad decisions in terms of exiting their homes. the conditions are uncertain.

and, frankly, very dangerous. making good decisions and hunkering down to the best of their capacity is what we're calling for at this time. >> and mayor, one of the things that many of us have been struck by is the extraordinary level of communication and assistance and planning between local government, state government, and even the federal government. how have you seen that cooperation and do you think that you need more right now? >> well, i couldn't ask for more. the communication has been a-plus. i've received calls from the white house area, myself personally and from all across the state, elected officials are making sure certain that we have what we need. and we're accustomed to these sort of situations from a local level. our county and local officials are working hand in hand to make sure that we execute the plan.

and it seems to be going well. we just want residents to make the best decision because at the end of the day, safety is the biggest priority in bringing everyone through the storm. you know, physical assets we can replace. but lives can't be replaced. >> daytona beach mayor derrick henry, thank you so much for being with us this morning. appreciate it. up next, we'll get an update on the storm's path and the areas along the atlantic coast still bracing for storm surge. take a look at that track. it's scary to see the numbers back up on category one hurricane. what we know about the recovery efforts along the gulf coast that are just getting under way right now. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports" from bradenton, florida. ok, so what exactly does it mean for you? out of pocket costs for drugs will be capped. for seniors, insulin will be just $35. families will save $2,400 on health care premiums. energy costs, down an average of $1,800

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>> i got to go home and feed my husband and clean him up and start my day as a caregiver, take my trusty flashlight and go down my job.

yesterday i wasn't a very good caregiver. most of the day i hid as he was scared and i wasn't there to comfort him. i was hiding. i was coward. >> i think everybody can understand you did so much for your husband. >> but now it's time to be his wife again and go back and do what he needs. >> extraordinary humanity. love, passion and compassionate from a woman 66 miles south of where i am. she's protecting her paralyzed husband from the storm with pillows with zip ties and a life jacket. right now, ian is baring down over northeast florida. ian is approaching hurricane strength once again. winds are at 70 miles per hour and it could continue to intensify as it passes over the warm atlantic waters.

heavy rains are now a major fear in those upper regions. we're already seeing major damage in jacksonville. teams with the city's fire and rescue department were out early clearing massive trees that had fallen into roads. cities like fort myers are assessing the damage this morning. that city's mayor talked about the storm's sheer power this morning on "today." >> i came here in the mid-'70s. i was on the police department for almost 25 years. saw a lot of storms here. this is by far the worst storm i have ever witnessed. >> joining us now, shaquille brewster in jacksonville where ian is swirling now and metrologist bill karins with the latest on ian's path. shaq, what are you seeing now? >> you hear the wind gusts coming through and there's rain that's coming down at varying intensities. the best depiction i've heard

about how jacksonville is dealing with this storm came from a local metrologist who said it's not that jacksonville got what they were expecting or what they feared in terms of the intensity of this storm, but he said the worst of this storm and the biggest impacts could still be yet to come. their main concern is not that the wind is going to get to crazy levels or there will be a significant amount of rain, there will be a significant amount of rain, but it's what the wind does to the water in this area and specifically in the st. johns river behind me. we're minutes away from that high tide point, for the point when the river will be the highest point. jacksonville is an area that florida regularly that saw significant flooding with previous storms. you heard the mayor mention hurricane irma, for example, where the entire downtown area was flooded. while they don't think they will get those levels, their concern is that as that storm surge continues to grow, as we approach that high tide point, that flooding could continue and come back. that's why in jacksonville you

have volunteer evacuations, you have mandatory evacuations, shelters are open. there were downed power lines and downed trees, but all -- what you hear from local officials, the consistent message is don't let up, don't let your guard down just because things appear to be okay right now. keep an eye on those water levels because we'll be minutes, hours away from really seeing the true impacts of now tropical storm ian as it continues up the coast of florida. >> and, bill, i got to tell you, following you on twitter as i do, you've been so spot on and you're so clear in your warnings and just letting us know how dangerous things can be. you were talking about where the storm is heading. so georgia and the carolinas, how are those places looking and what is your warning? >> it will be a different beast when it gets there. it's not going to be what it was. we're not going to see houses destroyed to splinters, but we

will be seeing a lot of tree damage and we'll have the potential for flash flooding and that water to be in homes. can we put back up that picture from the jacksonville area if we have that tower cam, please? right now we're at high tide approaching at the next hour. that water that you see there on the right in the middle of your screen, that's not a pond or a lake. that's the ocean surge that's coming in and it looks like it's knocked down the dunes, it's crossed the first roads there and now a block into town. i was looking at a title gauge there and it's almost a top ten all time. the storm surge right now is around 2, 2 1/2 feet. this is on top of the high tide right now. and so this water level is high and dangerous right along the coast from volusia county, and what you're looking at here in downtown jacksonville. the camera is obviously bouncing around with the 50-mile-per-hour winds. but that water you see there, that's not supposed to be there. that's coming in from the ocean.

when the camera was tilted a little higher up, that has water on it further north. there's still water damage occurring. this is not where it made landfall. this is northeast florida. this is the opposite side of the state now. we were showing you pictures earlier, the devastation that we were so afraid that we would see that we saw after ike, that we saw in mexico beach when michael was a category five where there's not a lot left. sadly, those are the pictures we're getting from sanibel island. only thing that's remaining are areas that were concrete and, like, steel. that was it. and it makes sense. these are the pictures that we were talking to you about. that was a barrier road there. i can't tell if there are supposed to be houses to the left or not. but these structures were pummelled and when we had that 10, 12 -- we'll figure out how high that storm surge was. again, the only storms we've had stronger than this, michael,

andrew, camille, labor day hurricane, ian tied with charlie and ida. from the pictures we've been showing you today, we're going to get up in the numbers. where is this going now? we showed you pictures from jacksonville. they're still about roughly 100 miles north of the center of the storm now coming over water. we're taking this north. this is the new forecast from the hurricane center. not what you wanted to see. if you're in hilton head island, heading into the myrtle beach area, you don't want this heading over you. you don't want to deal with a hurricane. if you're on the backside like savannah, winds will be lighter. if you're on the front side of it, that's the areas that could have enough wind damage to knock out power for a week or two. there's so many trees in this area. even a category one could do that. with that landfall have the potential for significant flooding. we have a moderate risk of flash

flooding. myrtle beach, charleston, pretty much the entire state of south carolina. into the mountains, that's going to be a big issue. we're at least estimating 4 to 8 inches locally a foot of rain is possible wherever the storm comes inland. all of our friends in south carolina, the message to you is, listen to your emergency managers and do exactly what they're saying. even those barrier islands, they could be asking some people to leave and evacuate. >> bill karins and shaquille brewster, thank you so much. as of this morning, about 200,000 people in polk county, florida, did not have power. the video of a store in the city -- the city of lakeland shows just how bad the wind damage is there. emergency crews are out trying to clear down trees and power lines off the roads. i want to bring in shawn sherrouse, city manager of lakeland, florida. thank you for being with me this morning. now that you've had a little bit

of time to reassess and assess the extent of the damage, what are you seeing? >> yeah, good morning. we've started our damage assessment early this morning at about 7:00 a.m. most of our assessment crews were able to mobilize around 9:00 a.m. and our biggest concern right now is power outages. we have an electric utility in lakeland that the city owns and operates and we're presently at about 57,000 customers that are without power. that was at a high -- first thing this morning out of about 63,000. we have been able to get some power restored. we're continuing to work very hard and quickly to try to get everyone's electricity back up and running. >> and how long do you think it's going to take to get, for example, power restored? i know that all of you from the local, state and even federal level were really kind of

prepositioning and strategizing. how long do you think this process is going to take in your part of florida? >> it's probably going to be through today and tomorrow at least and certainly even some more over the weekend. we are going to be assisted through a mutual aid arrangement that we have with some restoration crews that are located -- or from texas. last night they were staged near the florida/georgia line and they're on their way to us now. once they arrive, we'll mobilize those crews as well out in the community and restoration will happen much quicker. >> it's amazing the governor was talking about 42 linemen ready at 30 different locations throughout our state of florida. thank you, manager shawn sherrouse, for being with us this morning. it's been designated as a

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this morning president biden declared a major disaster in the state of florida as it grapples with the aftermath of this massive storm. the president is set to visit fema next hour where he'll get the latest briefing on the state of hurricane ian. let's bring in white house correspondent carol lee and former fema administrator brock long. the president tweeted out this picture before he spoke with governor desantis this morning to discuss the response. what can we ascertain from the president's meeting with fema today? >> well, we know that the president spoke with the governor this morning and that's the second time they've spoken this week to discuss the federal response to the hurricane in florida, and part of that is going to be the president heading to fema any minute now, really, he's supposed to leave the white house. we expect that he'll receive a

briefing and get updated on the federal response, meet with employees there who are coordinating this response and also speak publicly and what you can expect to hear from him is an update on what the federal response exactly is. you mentioned that major disaster declaration, that's something that allows the federal government to surge resources and makes funds available to nine counties that have been affected by the storm. and that's something that the administration says could continue to grow as that damage assessment continues to unfold. and so what the president is trying to do is show that he's on top of this, that this is a front and center issue for him. he's spoken with mayors in the region, the governor twice, and this is something he's going to continue to focus on. so he's also sending the fema administrator to florida tomorrow. that's another step that the president is likely to highlight that he's taken and we've heard from the president just in the last 24 hours say he's going to

do all it takes to help florida recover. jose? >> the entire florida delegation, both republicans and democrats, sent the president a letter early this morning urging him to approve that and it's very clear that the president immediately acted on it. is there any word, carol, if the president is planning to come to florida? >> it's a great question. the white house has not said whether the president has plans as of yet to go to florida. look, this is something that the president has done in the past, if past is prologue, he will eventually make a trip to florida. but i think from the white house's perspective, this storm is still a very active storm. it's perhaps not the right moment for him to go at this particular time. it's worth noting, he was supposed to be in florida this week to hold a campaign rally and an event -- an official white house event and that trip was obviously canceled. but you can expect at some point the president is likely that he would go to florida. >> brock, this is one of the

strongest storms we've ever seen hit the u.s. former fema director called ian probably the worst storm southwest florida has ever faced. what kind of damage are you expecting to see in the next couple of days as we get to areas that right now are just not able to have access? >> the damage is going to be twofold. you're going to see a tremendous amount of amounts that were built before 2001 damaged. the reason i say 2001 is there were significant building codes put into place by the state of florida after 2001. typically buildings that were built after that time frame perform pretty well despite a major hurricane impact. the other side of this is going to be the infrastructure damage. along the coast in lee county and charlotte county, what you're going to see is roadways and bridges punched out and you're going to see massive amounts of damage done to the bulk water systems which are going to be -- is going to take

a tremendous amount of time to overcome. and this disaster, unfortunately, while the media may move away from this disaster in a couple weeks, unfortunately, the good people at fema and the good people working with florida and the local emergency managers are going to be dealing with this for many years to come. and the importance of the disaster declaration is, not only to free up resources from the federal government down through governor desantis ultimately to the command level, but what it does is it opens up the disaster relief fund in multiple categories to be able to help with the cost reimbursement of all the uninsured losses that are going to be experienced. >> brock, after the 24th of august, 1992, when hurricane andrew slammed into south florida causing billions and billions of dollars to the infrastructure, of course, costing a lot of lives as well. changes occurred. in the building codes in south florida, post-1992 and they've been evolving since. do you think this is something

this level of storm could cause statewide changes on issues like building codes, where places are allowed to build? >> yeah, and i think, you know -- in the face of a changing climate, in the face of the disasters that we've seen during my time in office since 2017 to today, it's time to have an honest conversation that building new buildings to the minute standard of every state right now, and we've built a lot of new homes in the state in the last two years, the standard is unacceptable. congress needs to sit down and look at the stafford act and the communities that step up to the plate and do proper land use planning should be rewarded, you know, for doing so into the future and i think that's the conversation that congress has got to have. we are smart enough to build

communities so they can with stand the hazards that are going to be thrown at them in the future, even with a changing climate. but we have to have the mind set and work collectively across party lines to get stuff done and do this correctly. >> yeah, i mean, what south does is it continually evolves its building codes. even in 2016 there were changes to beef up the strength of the roof. that's something that should be seen as a national model. thank you so much for being with us. up next, it's not just florida homes under water, but small businesses as well. i'll talk to a restaurant owner about the damage and the road to recovery. you're watching "jose diaz-balart reports." can too by asking your healthcare provider if an oral treatment is right for you. oral treatments can be taken at home and must be taken within 5 days from when symptoms first appear. if you have symptoms of covid-19,

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good news, pal. i'm not detecting any of the six most common arrhythmias. what next? let's get some fresh air. been cooped up for too long. yeah... ♪♪ get kardia mobile card at kardia.com or amazon. ♪♪ subway's drafting 12 new subs for the all-new subway series menu the new monster has juicy steak and crispy bacon. but what about the new boss? it looks so good it makes me hangry! settle down there, big guy the new subway series. what's your pick? back now with this dramatic video of the widespread damage at ft. myers beach. take a look at this. you can see the extent of the destruction after ian swept through yesterday. joining us is congressman donalds, whose district includes ft. myers. it's a pleasure to see you.

thank you for your time. what's your assessment of the damage? >> it's very, very extensive. i've been on a call with the county manager in lee county. the sanibel causeway is devastated. we are counting five major breaches. there's a bridge to an island, two breaches in that. we are having serious water issues right now being able to deliver water to lee county. right now, the sewer lines are holding up. the generators are working for the sewer system and a lift system. we need to restore power as quickly as we can. as the governor has been saying, with the electric grid in lee county, parts might have to be rebuilt. that's going to take an extensive period of time, reattaching downed lines. >> congressman, the cooperation, communication and planning between local officials, state

officials and even federal officials has been really remarkable here. what is it that you think your area needs desperately right now more than anything? >> the primary thing right now is we need to be able to find a way to stand up our water systems. get them up and restoring power. that is number one and two. search and rescue teams are out right now doing a bunch of search and rescue. those numbers are still coming in as we speak. there are resources on the way, as you said. coordination between local, state, federal has been, frankly, the best i have seen. i have never seen it like this. i think there's always learning when you go through storms. the last time was hurricane irma in southwest florida. things were good. the situational status right now has been better. we are trying to get help to everybody that we can. we know there are people who want to provide aid and provide help. the biggest thing we want to say

is, coordinate with the united way or local officials before you just come into the area. there's a lot of damage. we want to make sure that if people are deploying resources, that it's being deployed in an area that's safe the residents can get to. >> congressman, i thank you so much for being with us this morning. appreciate your time. i know how busy you have been. >> thank you. sarasota county was spared the brunt of hurricane ian. the area here is still suffering intense rain and dangerous winds until just about two hours ago. right now, city officials still out assessing the damage, trying to get a sense of how many homes and businesses were badly damaged. i want to bring in one of the small businessowners. his family owns multiple restaurants in the area, including owen's. thanks for being with us. how did your restaurants do? >> you know, remarkably well.

downtown sarasota, we seem to be a little insulated here. lots of debris. my crew is cleaning up right now as we speak. potentially, we will get open tomorrow night. honestly, our thoughts and prayers are with the people south of us. serious devastation down there. it's hard to feel good up here about being kind of missed again. sarasota seems historically to take these -- we always get missed. they go north, south, but we are thinking about the people down south here. some horrible stories down there. hoping for the best. >> yeah, just thinking of the areas around sarasota that are so low lying. i'm thinking long boat key, siesta key. places that are so fragile. yet, they held up. how is the power situation in sarasota? how do you see it going forward? >> i know -- i'm hearing a couple hundred thousand people

are out of power right now. downtown, it's hit or miss. i think we have power here. it comes and goes. it's a crap shoot. my house is out of power. we will push ahead. we have done this before. we're grateful, again, that we didn't get the serious damage here. >> unfortunately, so many people did just south of us. >> could have been -- >> thank you for being with us. >> absolutely. >> i appreciate it. that wraps up the hour for me. you can reach me on twitter and instagram. follow the show. thank you for the privilege of your time. andrea mitchell picks up our coverage next. you? out of pocket costs for drugs will be capped. for seniors, insulin will be just $35.

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right now on "andrea mitchell reports," hurricane ian now a tropical storm, leaving

chaos in its wake. millions of florida residents now without power or water. people stranded as roads and bridges are wiped out by the storm. >> the back end was? >> awful, awful. long lasting, as powerful as the front. you could hear the chimney get ripped off. >> the chimney came down? >> yeah. i was afraid it was going to come through the roof and crush me. >> today, ian still ripping through the state, packing powerful winds with flash flood warnings for northeast florida and parts of the georgia coast. the unimaginable devastation left behind, now a painful reality for millions of residents returning home to see what's left. this hour, we will have the latest from our meteorologists and the national hurricane center, along with local florida leaders about rescue operations and the long road ahead. good day, everyone. i'm