hi, everybody. good morning. welcome back to msnbc's continuous coverage of what can only be described as nothing short of a miracle. over the last six hours, six miners have been successfully brought to the surface in chile. we are talking about the rescue attempts that are currently taking place. here is a brief look back over the highlights of what we have seen. >> reporter: 30 chilean miners trapped for 69 days. >> there it is. bravo, success! he has made it to the surface. >> reporter: finally, the first miner reaches the surface and straight into the loving arms of his family. with that, the parade of miners

to the top was on, mario sepulveda was the second to safely emerge handing out rocks to chilean president and channeling the crowds adrenaline rush. with made-for-tv characters, more than 700 journalists and camera crews at camp hope are ready to capture the dramatic action 33 times over. hugs all around this morning in chile where we intend to watch more of these beautiful and emotional reunions coming all day long. hi, everybody. i'm thomas roberts. we appreciate you spending time with us as we continue to bring you live, breaking news out of chile. it was back in august when these miners became trapped. 33 of them trapped for 17 days, not knowing if anybody on the surface knew if they were alive or dead. they were eating just small rationed bites out of tuna fish

cans and peaches until finally they realized the people on the surface did know the men were alive and they started working effortlessly to reach them. now, that day has come where the men are being brought out by the phoenix, the special capsule designed to pull them out one by one. sandra lilly is an nbc news producer. she joins us from the news roochl. she has been monitoring what's been happening on chilean television all night. give us an idea of what's been happening as they have been covering this. what we have seen is certainly emotional for the families involved in all of this. >> absolutely. it seems they have had a blend of humility and pride. the broadcasters kept saying it went better than they thought it would go. when the first rescuer went down, they thought he would go down and check things out and come back up but it wasn't the case. they were able to take the first miner. there was a real mixture of

pride everything had gone so well. they kept saying 1 billion people, 36 countries watching. there was genuine surprise at how well it had gone and how positive the coverage was. >> sandra, for all of us as we have been watching this vested for two months and as you pointed out, so many other countries are watching this. over 1 billion people have been casually tuning in and out of this coverage, some hooked more than others shall the technology involved with all of this in terms of the coverage as we are seeing these live pictures that are coming to us from inside that mine all the way up to the top there is absolutely amazing but the one thing that i think all of us can see out of this in and the coverage, indeed, shows is how proper and cautiously they are working to bring these men out. >> i think you are absolutely right. there is a level of sophistication technical in everything, even the demeanor of the miners. they have been trained so well. it was surprising for most of us to see. you could tell for the

broadcasters in chile how calm these men were after such an ordeal when they came out. it just seemed they really had trained them so well. technically, even the chileans were so pleasantly surprised how everything did go without a hitch. >> sandra, they have this perfectly unique system they have designed to get the men out. i call it the phoenix capsule that's pulling the men out through a small snakelike tunnel that's pulling them to the surface. when they get to the top and they are giving back to the loving embrace of their family members, is everything going according to plan there. there were some medical concerns for some of the men and coming back to the surface having to deal with the light with their eyes. are they sticking to the plan once they get top side? >> absolutely. it was a very pleasant surprise for most people to see how well they had come out that they didn't seem to have a lot of

problems. some of them, sepulveda, didn't look like he wanted to go anywhere. with the seventh one we are waiting for, he does have hypertension and diabetes. the first ones were the healthier ones. now, i think it could get a little more complicated. there was a pleasant surprise at how everything went well and, in kt fa, it is almost like they are forcing them to go to the hospital where they are only going to be allowed to be with three family members that they chose to try to, as they said, in chilean decompression, not only physically but mentally from all the stresses that they had. >> when we talk about the capsule, the phoenix, as it were, they recently changed the wheels off of the vehicle, correct? that's typical of what they are supposed to be doing during the entire operation. >> the mining minister made sure. he was talking to families when that was occurring. he made sure to tell them that was total routine. they expected they would have to do that. they are very small wheels. it almost remind immediate of

the rollerskate wheels for such a big structure. he said it was par for the course. >> sandra lilly, thanks so much. we appreciate your insights and we will probably talk soon. >> any time. now, for a look at the national weather. we want to turn to pete meet, bill karins. he joins us with our weather forecast. great news out of chile. give us good news when it comes to hurricane paula. >> not bad news out there. we still have this hurricane we are dealing with. south florida still has its eyes on it. that's the only concern. it is a category 2 hurricane, a pretty serious storm. only ten miles wide where the hurricane force winds are. here is the brand new forecast, just out from the hurricane center. taking the storm toward the western tip of cuba and weakening it, thursday into friday. as of now, we are keeping it out of florida. it is still going to rain in south florida over the next couple of days. a couple of our computers, those

are the skigly lines, do take the storm through the florida straights. that's the only concern for everyone heading to work or school. you will need your umbrella in the ohio valley. that's where we are going to get showers and thunderstorms this afternoon. not so bad it morning. there in south florida, a look at heavier rain from key west into miami. it looks like a pretty calm wednesday out there. >> we'll take it. bill, thanks so much. we are going to take a small break but stay with us as we continue to watch the amazing and emotional rescues for these families. the chilean miners have been rescued some 2000 feet below the earth. stay with us right here below msnbc. [ female announcer ] any hair shines in the spotlight.

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good morning and welcome back. the big news is the rescue of the miners in chile. natalie morales filed this report a short while ago. >> reporter: it has been a very long and a very emotional an historic night here in chile as the miners are being pulled one by one by one in this rescue operation now several hours into it. the first to be pulled out was floor ensee yo avalos, a father greeted by his seven-year-old son. he was in tears when his father gave him his big hug. you can imagine what that hug must have felt like to him after more than 70 days underground. next was mario sepulveda.

he actually had a very funny moment, because he then launched into tears and had all of the rescue teams cheering and chanting, chi, chi, chi, le, le. then we had juan and jimmy sanchez, the youngest of the group, 19 years old. one by one by one, a historic and incredibly remarkable evening here. the rescue that seemed almost impossible, that seemed like it would never really happen, finally underway as family members now are getting that opportunity to be reunited with their loved ones, giving them hugs, crying those tears. it has been a journey for all of these 33 men. it seems over the next couple of hours and probably over the next day or two, this is a scene that's going to be repeated over and over and over again here in

copiaco, chile. back to you. >> we want to bring in richard lui. tell us about the seventh guy, jose ojeda. >> as we get to meet each and every one of those coming up from the mine, really compelling stories. personal stories. jose ojeda, 45 years old, he is a grandfather at 45. some of the issues. he has one child at the moment. he does have some medical issue, suffering from kidney problems, on medicine for diabetes. a happy day for him, no doubt, today, will be in the matter of the next 15, 20 minutes as we watch that wheel turn. he should be coming out of that mine. monday was also a happy day for him, because they sang him happy birthday and promised to bake him a sugar-free cake once he is out. we have been mentioning the religious part of this story for

many. it has been said that he did receive a bible that was about seven centimeters wide, about four-inches wide that fit through some of the palomas that they are calling them. he sent a letter thanking the seventh day adventist pastor that sent him that bible. thomas, you know, many learning about religion, although they may not have been religious at that time. jose ojeda about to come up. started at 11:00, about six hours ago, this process of the 33 coming to the surface. you know, what's really interesting is when they do come out of the mine, the first couple of seconds, how they react. you really get a sense of their personality. >> as you bring up what you were saying about jose ojeda and the time they spent down there, i think jimmy sanchez, the youngest of the group, who is only 19 years old who had written that letter to his

family talking about how he has been through so much and he wants to move on and that god has led him in this situation and he wants to make the best of it once he gets back out to his young daughter. amazing they have had so many time to process and think and now they are ready to get back topside. >> that was something you and i had spoken about three hours ago as you were reporting on the story about jimmy sanchez. he had a lot of time to think. he has changed a lot. so how they have changed, what we will learn about the 33, they have also been media trained. how they will express those ideas, those concerns that they may have. the whole world, no doubt, is watching. >> they are coming out to possible endorsement deals, coming out to possible money being handed to them for giving the first interviews to reporters that are on the scene there. >> thomas, they actually received, according to "the new york times," a media training booklet that they had received in the well itself and they had sent it up.

throughout the last day or so, they have actually been signing flags and other items that will be given away to people. they have been trained how to deflect certain questions too. they have certainly been trained and aware of what they may be encountering as they see all of those lights, hundreds and hundreds of journalists that sit at the surface. >> hopefully, they are happy to see their families and worry about reporters a long time from now. richard, thanks. i want to invite all of you to stay with us for our continuing coverage of these amazing and long-awaited mine rescues that are happening as we speak right now in chile. don't go away.

hi, everybody, good morning. welcome back to msnbc. i'm thomas roberts. we continue to follow breaking news out of chile where we are monitoring a seamless rescue of the 33 trapped miners. one by one, the men are getting their first taste of fresh air after spending more than two months trapped 2,000 feet underground. joining me is homer hiccomb.

his name may sound familiar. he is the author of rocket boys also made into the movie "october sky." homer, great to have you with us. you have been helping are our coverage. the viewers are most intrigued about the capsule, the fenix designed by the chilean navy. it was your dad that actually started the design for this, isn't that correct? >> well, that's true. amazingly enough, back in 1951, my dad had an idea to use ventilation holes for escape for miners. he designed a tube that looks almost exactly like this one. a 700 foot hole. he got stuck and they almost drown him. they got him out. he modified the tube.

they put him down. he went down to the bottom, got out, got back on, up he comes. he was a big hero. he had invented this wonderful device. he went home, didn't exactly get a heroes welcome from my mom. she slapped him hard, knocked him all the way down the basement steps. he said, what was that for? i was just doing my job. i was walking past. my mom reached out and grabbed my by the collar and said, don't ever do anything that stupid again. >> homer, as you watch this, you obviously have a very historic connection with what's going on here with your family being so involved with the mining town where you grew up and your history. explain what you think when you watch this and how meaningful it is to see these men coming back to the surface when we have never had a story like this before. >> it reminds me very much how very strong miners typically

are. considering what they have been through, look at them, they are in absolutely great shape, not only great shape physically but psychologically. so i think in order to become a miner, you almost have to weed yourself out before you ever go down there. there are certain things that you have to have inside of you that makes you tough and makes you courageous. on top of that, these guys are not just pick and shovel guys. not too many miners like that in the world anymore. they are very well technologically trained. they are used to being around heavy machinery and operating heavy machinery. they can take a little and do a lot with it. they could give macgyver a run for his money. it doesn't take much more coal miners or all miners to take what they have and construct things out of it that will help them mine whatever they are mining and also to keep them safe. i am really proud of these guys. i am proud of the managers topside that obviously could have rushed this thing and even

now, they seem to be taking it step by step, very carefully. this is a sign that some really good managers and engineers in control of this program. >> in doing so, we are watching right now these are live pictures for those of you just joining us, watching live as the seventh miner, who has been trapped now for 70 days, 2000 feet underground has now returned to the surface. there he is holding up the chilean flag that the men have signed from underneath. his name is jose ojeda. he is number seven to come up. the first was florencio avalos, followed by mario accept pel vary da, juan yanez, carlos, the only person not from chilly, jimmy sanchez, osman. oria and now the rate of speed they are going is probably about

six hours into this, are you surprised at -- i don't want to say this is going slowly. are you surprised it isn't a more rapid pace? >> i'm happy that it isn't. that indicates these folks topside are not getting excited. they are resisting the pressure from the media and everybody else. the government officials probably. let's get them up. it is working, let's go, let's go. they know, slow in this case is better. make sure every time that that capsule comes up, give it a good check before sending it back down. that's their plan. they are sticking to it. so far, it's working and my hat is off to them. >> there we go. 26 more of these fantastic rescues to go through as we see the hugs that are being exchanged there that is jose ojeda. he is the seventh miner who is now safely rescued from below the surface there, 2,000 feet

below the surface. homer hickam, thank you for joining us with all your insithsi insights. we ask you to stay with us. >> will do, thomas. we ask you to stay tuned on msnbc throughout the morning as we continue to watch these reunions with 33 of them planned. it really is incredible. it is emotional. this is the scene in copiaco, chile, a long-time coming. these families have been waiting patiently. they didn't know if they would be found dead or alive. 17 days later, they learned their loved ones were still alive. now, here we are on day 70, these mens are being safely returned to the surface and the loving arms of their families. keep it here on msnbc. we will be back after this. ♪ ♪

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31-year-old florencio alvalos, the first of 33 miners to be rescued. six more have followed since as the world watches the men emerge from the mine where they have been trapped since august the 5th. the question is, when is the next guy coming up? we'll have live coverage for you. meanwhile, back here in the states, california gubernatorial candidates, jerry brown and meg whitman meet face to face for the first time since horrorgate. how did brown address the word? two stars enter,