>> hurricane matthew hours away from striking florida and tonight it is strengthening. >> you need to evacuate and you haven't, evacuate. this storm will kill you. >> millions are racing to get out of the way. we have a live report from florida and the storm's track. and drones, how it could be a vital tool in the hours and days following a hurricane. right now hurricane matthew has grown into a massive category 4 storm. look at the size of it right here. look how close it is now to florida. the strongest storm ever to hit that area of the state. this storm slammed into the bahamas and left behind a trail of damage across the caribbean and blamed for the deaths of 114 people, mostly in haiti. sunshine state now in the storm's crosshairs. we will look now as the east

coast begins to get battered with rain and wind and this is only the beginning. we have team coverage tracking hurricane matthew. >> the center of the storm is over freeport in the bahammas as a category 4. the hurricane hunters went in here and found the winds at 140 miles per hour. moving to the northwest at 14 miles per hour. there is freeport. the center of the storm is over freeport. freeport dealing with the heaviest rain out of this and the strongest winds. the northwest movement will put it on the coast of florida in the next 12 or so hours and then florida will be dealing with the worst. you see the rain bands extending

across the state of florida. there is freeport in the bahammas. we see more of that northwest direction now. florida will keep dealing with a lot of rain and wind as the storm is getting closer. we are looking at the east coast waves near 10 feet and gusts close to 35 miles an hour. if we take a wider zoom out, 80 miles from the closest coast line. the track will make all of the difference to what florida will expect over the next 12 to 24 hours. >> it is bad news. the farther left it goes the

greater the threat of it making landfall. this is our future radar hour-by-hour. the resolution in the computer models is incredible. as we go through the night tonight, a little after midnight, this is the eye between west palm and fort pierce. all of the strongest winds of the storm right there coming right on the shore. barrier islands there in new jersey with sandy, remember, that kind of thing is likely to happen if this eye goes on shore. cape canaveral. areas never hit in a storm like this. there it is. 11:00. on shore.

right up the coast. this is not just a quick hit by a perpendicular storm. it rages, right across the coast lineup to charleston, south carolina. more on the path of matthew and our weekend forecast is not affected by this coming up. >> glenn, we will see you in a few. florida, under the state of emergency. the dlngovernor did not mince words. randy joins us live. what are conditions like there where you are? >> jim, since we saw you an hour ago at 5:00 we moved from the inland beaches to the intercoastal water way.

it is much windier. the intercoastal water way. not the ocean. we will zoom in and you can see they have broken off and been taken in to the water. the water is so rough out here right now. the barrier islands are mandatory evacuations. but a lot of people here are saying they are not going anywhere. >> actually did not borard up te house. >> homes, restaurants, people are shipping out. >> i don't trust the sturdiness of the building. >> the florida governor issuing a stern warning.

>> this storm will kill you. >> i am a thrill seeker. i came out here to see what was going on. >> people riding out the storm, cleaned out area storms. >> water. food. generator. yeah. yeah. we got all of that stuff. >> disney world and the theme parks closed until at least saturday. only the fourth time ever the park has shut down. the time to get ready for matthew is over. if people have not left yet it is far too late. hurricane matthew ready to strike in just hours. and back here live you can see the palm trees and the american flag whipping in the wind. you can see the water getting ripped up. we are expecting gusts of 100 mile per hour.

we are go to move back inland. but you did see the people out here taking pictures. we will be joining them in a few minutes. >> risky thing to do. we will check back with you tonight at 11:00. hundreds of flights between philadelphia and florida are cancelled. fort lauderdale and miami all closed. orlando will shut down at 8:00. local help is on the way. nbc 10 as an american red cross team headed south, loaded up a truck with food and water and they will wait for orders on where they are needed. they say they will monitor conditions seeing if they need to send even more volunteers. coming up ted greenberg looks to see how drones could be a help

keeping cell phones working during the height of storms. 2016 decision, the push for pennsylvania has vice presidential candidates in the keystone state today. tim kaine began with a stop there at spring garden elementary school in north philadelphia. pennsylvania is a state that has its fair share of issues with education and a battle ground state. >> it is really important, the keystone state is key. we have liked what we have seen so far. pennsylvania, like every other state. we do not take anything for granted. >> after the morning stop in philly tim kaine headed for a speech at the university. mike pence spoke in gettysburg. 33 days to go before the

election pence knows the pivotal role p.a. will play. donald trump pushes for support there women. he spoke out during a campaign stop in nevada. >> i think i am go to do very well with women. i see married women are way up right now in the polls. >> plane polls show hillary clinton has a large lead when it comes to voters. >> some of the women will be speaking on the stage behind me. we came here to talk to the power of the women's vote in next month's presidential election. most of the women are on their career paths, we met one who hopes to start theirs soon. >> what is your biggest hope? >> finding a job. being secure.

paying off student loans. >> skylar, a college senior will enter the workforce after graduation this spring and that is why the election is so important for her and her first time in the polls. >> it is really important. >> jobs and the economy are shown as the most important issue in the election and more women are getting to the polls than men. take a look at the numbers from 2012 presidential race. >> more young women are going to college and graduating. young men are the ones falling behind. the polls reflect women being more proactive in the business world. >> more than ever i understand that every vote counts. >> this election is not about a man versus a woman. it is more about choosing

someone that best represents her ideals. >> i have a fear that the candidate that i won't be voting for could potentially win. >> pretty soon you will be labeled a -- [ bleep ]. >> eagles player that allegedly carried a gun into the airport faces criticism from the coach and signalled from the sky could help people communicate in the wake of a devastating hurricane. glenn. >> tracking the latest on the path of hurricane matthew. what area will be hit the hardest?

hurricane matthew bearing down on the state. you see the rain on the lens. palm trees blowing in the lens. the worst of the storm expected along the coast in hours. a state of emergency has been declared as millions have been told to get out. keeping the lines of communication open for emergency crews during and after disasters like hurricanes, that is the goal of new testing using

drones. ted greenberg shows us how it works from high above. >> it is a drone launch aimed at keeping first responders connected. >> communications are the first thing to go out. >> a quarter of the cell towers were knocked out during sandy four years ago. >> this is the first time in history a test like this has been conducted. >> hurricane matthew takes aim at the southeast, researchers converged on the airport tested technology in a simulated emergency using the unmanned aircraft to restore cellular service when most needed. >> hurricane matthew points to the criticality of the development of this capability. >> the drone has a 17 foot wingspan for this trial it flew with verizon lte equipment on

board. >> the care craft would be connected back to the satellite to the verizon network. >> unlike consumer drones this one can stay air born up to 15 hours. >> able to stay in contact with the first responders is the most important thing. >> experts call today's test a success and they are go to employ the same equipment in florida soon as this weekend. >> testing there all too real right now for florida. glenn is back. what kind of damage can we expect with the winds? >> the intensity and the size of the storm and the track, i think we will be talking of tens of billions of dollars by the time it is all cleaned up. you are not going to see the worst damage in the morning. it will take a while before you

will see the worst. people can't get the cameras in there and get the pictures out. here is the track moving to the northwest. farther west it goes more likely it is to make landfall in florida. that makes things even worse. the eye is about 120 miles southeast and the general area here where we are talking about landfall. gusting up to 43. west palm beach. 41 in vero beach. daytona beach. long, long period of time of gusty winds. hurricane force wind gust from palm beach county all the way up

the coast to cape canaveral to jacksonville. through georgia. in to south carolina. hundreds of miles hit by the hurricane force winds. if it came straight into the coast it would be just a small area. 140 mile an hour winds at the last report moving to the northwest at 14 miles an hour. the pressure dropped last night. it was one of the most intense drops in just 12-hour period that we have ever seen. the ocean temperatures out here are very high. way above normal. that did not help. here it is. middle of the night, close to landfall. jacksonville. category 3. category 2 saturday morning. then a weird curve happens.

we told you the right turn would save and protect us from getting hit. it could make a circle and hit florida again. there is no way that this comes straight up the coast to us. there is a gold front coming down and going to push it. we have got beautiful weather today. we are go to have beautiful weather tomorrow. and then some of this action from the midwest comes in with showers on saturday. that is the day we are going to see showers. friday is warm. sunday is cool. left over showers possible at

the jersey shore. that is about it. then next week looks pretty dry. >> jim schwarz does not mince words and prepared to return to his former home as well.

i survived breast cancer. if the doctors hadn't caught it early i might not be sitting here. so i'm outraged that pat toomey voted to defund planned parenthood... which thousands of pennsylvania women depend on for cancer screenings. pat toomey was even willing to shut down the federal government to eliminate funding for planned parenthood. shut down the government over planned parenthood? i think we ought to shut down pat toomey. senate majority pac is responsible for the content of this advertising. this is sports desk. >> eagles continue preparation for the lions today. nigel bradham will play despite his recent arrest, charged with battery for an incident in july and he was arrested for carrying

a loaded gun into an airport in miami. jim schwarz was asked about it today. >> facts are facts. you do dumb [ bleep ] things pretty soon you will be labeled a dumb [ bleep ]. it takes away from the nigel that we see every day. a good teammate. a hard worker. trustworthy player on the field. >> on another note it could be a big week for schwarz as he returns to the city where he once coached. >> the eagles' defense has been dominant this year giving up the fewest points in the nfl but a lot of the players were there in detroit last year when the lions ruin their thanksgiving, blew them out 45-14. this season jim schwarz has turned around the defense. he was the lions coach for five years. when he went back to detroit he held the lions to 14 points and won the game. his bills' players carried him

off of the field. his defensive players said he hasn't said much about it this week, but you know that he really wants to beat the lions. >> it gives us a chance to go 4-0 against an nfc team. as far as the lions, i think you would be surprised how much i root for the lions. as long as it is not in direct conflict with the eagles, you want those guys to win every week. you have relationships that don't go away when you leave or a player leaves. those guys had my back. i had their back. i am sure that will continue. not this sunday though. >> one guy to watch, theo riddick. he has been targeted in the red zone more than any lions player. >> sixers tonight against the

wizards. you can see the game at 7:00 on comcast sportsnet. nerlens noel will not play tonight. that is it for sports. we will be right back. tory on p. on background checks for gun buyers... toomey has shown the courage few others have... toomey steps up on checks... toomey is on the right side... state leaders should follow toomey lead. no wonder leading pennsylvania police organizations endorse pat toomey as best to protect our families. independence usa pac is responsible for the content of this advertising. i think my strongest asset, maybe by far, is my temperament. i'd like to punch him in the face, i'll tell you. i would bomb the [bleep] out of 'em. i could stand in the middle of 5th avenue and shoot somebody and i wouldn't lose any voters, okay? and you can tell them to go [bleep] themselves.

get him out of here! get him out of here! get the hell out of here! priorities usa action is responsible for the content of this advertising. priorities usa action is responsible katie v/she stays late.rd. but she gets paid 21% less than her male coworkers. pat toomey has voted time after time against equal pay for women, against pay that helps hard working families get ahead. katie o/c: for my daughters and yours, i'll fight for equal pay for women. families need it; you've earned it. katie v/o: i'm katie mcginty, and i approve this message because it's your turn to get ahead.

i would support legislation in pennsylvania that would ban abortion and i would suggest we have penalties for doctors who perform them. would you put people in jail for performing abortions? at some point doctors performing abortions i think would be subject to that sort of penalty. dscc is responsible for the content of this advertising.

we continue to follow the top story, florida bracing for hurricane matthew now. a live picture on the right of your screen. in the zone that could bear the brunt of the huge storm. glenn is back now with a final word. >> it is a huge hurricane as opposed to hurricane andrew that hit just a part of one county in florida in 1992 causing tens of billions in damage there. there is the latest radar picture. our weather looks good. we have showers on saturday. a cold front coming through. cooling down, dry early next week and don't see another raindrop there until next weekend.

>> yeah. we have nothing to complain about. glenn. thanks for watching. nbc nightly news is next. breaking news tonight, life-threatening danger here on the florida coast. millions are bracing for disaster. a category 4 monster closing in. >> this storm will kill you. time is running out. >> late today, urging pleas for residents who are refusing to leave, get out, acuate before it's too late. tonight forecasters warning of widespread devastation. an unprecedented system threatening to wreak havoc for 60 straight hours up the eastern seaboard. states of emergency and mass evacuations all the way to the carolinas. tonight we're with families who are ignoring warnings to evacuate, with those who have fled. our team is in place. we have extensive coverage. alroker