>> right now on newschannel8 at 5:30. >> could this be florida's future? we are getting a closer look at the devastation left behind in the caribbean. good evening, i'm jennifer thanks for being with us tonight. let's get right to hurricane matthew. the slow moving storm should start affecting florida as early as tomorrow. schools in polk, highlands, sumter counties will start closing thursday and friday. let's go to chief meteorologist steve jerve for an update on matthew's path. >> 120 miles an hour winds for hurricane matthew. lit continue to move on the northwesterly path. warnings in place for the bahamas. we have heard what has happened

category 4 hurricane. it is category 3 right now. but strengthening again. this is showing a lot of resilience. it is impressive in that way as well. 130 miles an hour winds on friday. at 2:00 a.m. you can see that movement, right along the east coast of florida, the space coast, from palm bay through cocoa beach all the way up to daytona beach. 130 miles an hour winds. keeping in mind as we have said, the strongest part of the storm in terms of winds will be on the eastern side of the eye. most of the bay area is located. that is the weaker side, but still, if you are close to that eye wall, the winds could be very, very intense. that is why the folks in some of the inland areas are under the tropical storm warnings. long term, a lot of questions. the model trend was to loop this storm today. this was the current thinking but i guarantee you, this will change. but stay tuned on that forecast path. these are the warnings. tropical storm warning meaning within 36 hours you could see

inland spots, sebring, avon park, lake placid. lakeland, hinter haven. there is a watch issued for coastal areas including all the coastal counties. that's a watch. conditions within 48 hours could occur. we are talking wind gusts. not water problems, but primarily wind with this. so it is a good idea to take in the outdoor plants, anything that could fly around with the wind gusts. storm continues to move to the northwest showing convection growth and strengthening so this is a formidable impressive major hurricane that will continue to move toward the state of florida. for that within, we need to watch very closely, though we are on the weaker side of the storm. there could be great effects in the tampa bay area. >> thank you steve. we will check back in a few minutes. we are getting a look at the path of destruction in haiti. this is video from southern haiti. you can see a boat in the middle of the street.

watch for some of the tampa bay area with connections to the island nation. candace mccowan joins us live. you spoke with folks who are desperate to help. >> reporter: yeah, jen, good evening. haiti is one of the poorest nations in the western hemisphere. i talked to two women who volunteer there. they tell me they feel helpless watching at a distance. >> it is like my heart is there. >> reporter: this woman visited the earthquake in 2010. she was there just last week. >> i wish i could be in two places at the same time. >> reporter: biera's heart is broken as she awaits updates from haiti. she is watching, depending on the news an hoping for updates from the orphanage where she volunteers. >> normally, you don't have a good connection in the internet over there. it comes and goes. so, every minute you keep your phone next to you. >> reporter: she has gotten a few messages learning that kids like samuel who she sponsors

tammy is sals trying to wrap her head around the destruction she is seeing. she runs people for haiti. a group who provides medical missions. >> unfortunately, the six years of progress haiti has seen since the earthquake, much of that is going to be negated by this hurricane. >> reporter: dimbo is trying to determine the medical need, but the rain is making it hard to know the scope of the damage and injuries. >> as of yesterday, we thought we might have to go as early florida are bracing for matthew, these women are waiting and watching haiti. >> they don't know where their next meal is going to come from. they don't know how to find shelter. >> reporter: you know, and unlike when a hurricane hits here in the united states, these people in haiti have nowhere to evacuate to. many of them have homes that are made out of mud that they fear might have been washed away. jen? >> these folks are encouraging people to help right? >> reporter: absolutely.

they say don't forget haiti. they will be suffering from this for even months, maybe years after the storm is gone. jen? >> we certainly have seen that in the wake of the earthquake. six years ago. thank you, candace mccowan reporting live for us. as hurricane matthew closes in on florida, newschannel8 will have crews all over the state bringing you the latest updates. candace, ian oliver, jeff patterson, peter bernard, and ryan hughes will be lye from the east coast of florida starting tomorrow. new information massive sewer spill in palm harbor. an estimated 1 million gallons of untreated sewage rushed out of a gushing pipe. chip osowski joins us now with what they are calling a smelly situation. >> reporter: smelly and very hazardous to your health. what is happening behind me is the county is currently using huge tanker truck to cart all of that raw sewage away to a nearby treatment plant while

reported, drone 8 flew over the affected neighborhood, nasty, untreated sewage creeping into a number of backyards. >> the raw sewage was up to here. >> reporter: gus was one of them. >> is it a concern to you? >> yeah, it is a concern. i have young kids. and i mean, you can still, you know, obviously, you can still smell, you know, the aftereffects. so, definitely not good stuff that is pouring through here. >> reporter: the county hack ling the problem installing hoses to pump it out of the area limiting exposure to neighborhoods and waterways. >> our crews have set up pumper trucks around the entire sewer shed. >> reporter: pinellas utilities director randy kim explains the water is being trucked to the treatment plant rather than pumped. until the pipe is repaired.

to door to each of the residents to determine if any of the spill encroached on any of the other backyard. we have a list of other residents and the maintenance folks are going out this morning to disinfect the areas, wash them down. >> reporter: she believes the one thing that doesn't stink about all of this, the county's quick response. >> i made a couple of phone calls to pinellas utility. they kept me informed. they are supposed to, you know, follow up >> reporter: and the county is hoping to have this pipe pixed some time later today or first thing tomorrow morning. as you might imagine, josh, people in this area are crossing their fingers and covering their noses. >> i bet. chip osowski, live for us in palm harbor, thank you chip. if you haven't registered to vote in the upcoming election, you have until october 11 to do it. >> coming up next, we are going live to our 8 on your side phone bank to get answers right

november 8. >> and hurricane season is far from over. as we are seeing right now. why october can be a particularly dangerous month. >> we'll have that and more coming up. you're watching newschannel8, the station that is always on your side. what if one of the biggest challenges we face down here... could be solved... simply by looking up there? what if unlimited, clean power was at your fingertips? what if it was good for consumers,

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>> the general election will be here in a matter of weeks. are you election ready? 8 on your side is help to to help. rod carter joins us at the call center. >> reporter: the number to call is 1-800-528-0808.

here. the elections office from pasco county, hillsborough county. the number is 1-800-528-0808. the number is right there on the screen. they can answer your questions about the upcoming election. anything you need to know about voting. maybe, where your precinct is. we have craig latter here. bryan corley. so first question, what is the biggest concern that maybe people have about the election? is it one g worried about? >> i have heard people say what about the lines. the easiest way to avoid lines is vote early. vote my mail. you know, in hillsborough county in 2012, 62% of our voters voted prior to election day. it makes for a smooth election day. we want to encourage people to get out, vote early. you have ample opportunity. we have 14 days of early voting from 7:00 to 7:00 in hillsborough and pinellas county.

the return postage. it doesn't get much easier than that. >> reporter: people don't have to stand outside. so when the whole complaint of it raining, it goes away in your home. so tell me one thing people need to know. the most important thing about this election and getting out to vote. >> when in doubt, reach out to your election supervisors. know what your options are. vote my mail, election day. know what your polling place an day. reach out today, preferably rino supervisor visier of elections so we can make sure you are ready for election day. >> reporter: thank you very much for being here guys. and most important, too. vote. you need to do that. right? again, these folks will be here until 6:30 tonight answering your calls. 1-8 un-528-0808. i think every is on the phone now, but, just give them a call. they are ready to answer those calls jen. >> thank you very much rod. we are keeping a close eye on hurricane matthew as it

so let's take a live look now at palm beact there. we expect it to look very different in about 24 hours. hurricane matthew is a vivid reminder that though we are in october, we are still in hurricane season. the last time tampa bay was hit by a major hurricane was 1921 and it happened in late october. as leigh spann shows us, this month can be time. >> anything that looks like it is coming into the gulf of mexico probably is my worst nightmare. >> reporter: hurricanes are the kind of things that keep sally bishop up at night. >> at the emergency operations center. >> reporter: bishop is the emergency management director for pinellas county. during a storm, she and leaders from all over the country convene in this category 5 rated fortress. >> it is much easier to coordinate operations when you have people here face to face.

one message for you, it is this. stay prepared for storms even as it gets cooler. >> it is actually the month to be the most prepared for hurricane season as far as i'm concerned. it is our best opportunity to see a big storm land on the west coast of florida. >> reporter: here is why. the strong atlantic high pressure can steer a hurricane through the warm waters of the caribbean and gulf allowing the storm to strengthen. what makes october unique is that cold fronts push into the gulf of mexico and can quickly turn the coast of florida. >> but what can i be doing now in october to sort of stay ready? >> besides the fact, i'm thinking this is a good time of year to go out and look at some of the biggest projects you might want to tackle. >> reporter: new roofs, garage doors, window coverings, even do it yourself options. >> there are more and more on the market options for window protection. that a homeowner can manage

meteorologist leigh spann. hurricane season is not over until the end of nove. defender world's most powerful radar. anforecast with chief meteorologist steve jerve. >> we are happy to have our million watt s band doppler online now. you can see the sweep reaching out. the next couple of days we will see a lot of activity from the east to the west. you can see a lot of scattered showers drifting to north of eagle lake. auburndale, a few showers here, some of the inland areas as well. the northern sections of highlands county have seen a few thundershowers. we don't see much in the way of lightning activity at the moment. there are certainly a few showers out there. as we see on the camera imagery, famous tate, 85 degrees. mostly clear skies. plenty of sunshine out in brandon at the moment. it is 89 degrees. it is is a hot day. and some of the showers, the

the radar. we want the heat to enhance the showers. a beautiful view at ennis brook. lakewood ranch, 88 degrees there with a north wind at 8 miles an hour. so, overall, a nice looking sky down in the southern part of manatee county. in 9:00 p.m., a lingers shower possible. 78 degrees at 7:00 a.m. 88 degrees at 4:00 p.m. we expect temperatures will be warm the next couple of days. and especially as we get into temperatures inland. we will likely get some sunshine. it could help to enhance some of the rain bands that may come off the western side of hurricane matthew as it makes contact or very close to the east coast of florida. 90 degrees now. it is hot in tampa international. dew points 75 degrees. 88 in saint petersburg. we are expecting drier air up the road. a lot of dry air aloft. you see just to the west, that is tampa there. that is miami. but look at all the moisture associated with the hurricane at the moment.

relatively quiet because of the dry air aloft. but we will see the influence in the deep moisture coming along with hurricane matthew here over the next 24 hours. a few showers, thunderstorms popping up. rolling up. we will see later tomorrow, the banding kind of showers that roll off of these tropical systems. especially when they are intense as this one as a category 3 storm. the 5:00 advisory from the national hurricane center, these are hurricane warnings in place for the bahamas. extends up florida's east coast all the way down into the northern part of the keys. keep in mind, this is a category 4 hurricane in the forecast with 130 miles an hour winds. this can change. every time you see one of these tracks, know that. every computer model run that comes out that offers guidance to make the tracks changes as well. so slight adjustments are still possible. which is why they put this cone of air in here to know that the storm can fluctuate over the long haul.

winds are very, very intense. and that is what folks along the east coast are concerned with. high seas, coastal flooding but it is mostly the winds. because we are generally on the western side of this counterclock wise circulation. rather interesting computer models turning the storm back around. potentially looping it. we saw the computer model rend the last 24 hours. we will see. stay tuned on that models. you can see they are all over the place. what we do know. 24 to 48 hours. that is the most dangerous time for the hurricane impacting the east coast of florida and the inland areas talk about as we mentioned the tropical storm warning for polk county and highlands county. there you see that deep convection going on. the cooler cloud tops. the influences and area of high pressure to the north of us, the upper ridge that helped to guide the system to the north will weaken into friday. so, that will allow matthew to

we have influence from the tropical storm nicole that is not going to make contact with land playing a portion on that. we also have a trough in the upper atmosphere curving the system to the northeast. but, kind of gets a little more high pressure building in. the trough sort of flattens out. so it is sort of on its own wandering around. that is why the computer models have ripped onto that circular pattern long term for the system. these are the forecast winds. these are all tropical storm force winds colored in everything is coming counterclock wise, our winds coming east, then northeast, then eventually north as it comes up the coast with the hurricane force wind gusts. you can see, very close to coastal areas. the space coast. indian river. brevard county. volusia county. daytona beach. that whole area as it continues to move to the north. our winds will shift. as they do, we will have to bring in drier air to chase in some of the high humidity for a short period of time. we hope that will be a long term trend, but we have to see how the trend plays out for

around. warm, muggy for us. that is tomorrow morning. later in the day. we start to see banding coming off the northwest side of this system and enhanced somewhat as i mentioned with the heating of the day that can create energy. and there is the precipitation. most of it to our east. folks inland. watch for higher wind gusts. that is our big concern for the tampa bay area. especially those inland counties. rain chance 30% for thursday. 40% for high temperatures in the mid to upper 80s . overnight lows will take a bit of a dip and we will continue to see how the tropical system will play out as i mentioned beyond 5, 6, and 7-day period. but let's focus on the next 48 hours and its effects on the tampa bay area. especially inland counties and we will keep you posted guys. >> we are watching. all right, thank you steve. >> okay. >> and remember, you can join jenn holloway, julie phillips,

from 8:00 to 9:00. we'll be right back. >> ahead tonight, we are covering the scramble to get out of hurricane matthew's line of fire as it takes aim at the southeast samsung is feeling the heat after a smoking galaxy note 7 phone triggers a plane evacuation. plus, why some health insurers will stop covering hundreds of commonly used drugs. wife: our electric bill just keeps going up and up... we're doing everything we can... but it looks like duke energy's not doing theirs. husband: paying for a plant that's never going to be built

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...unless you vote no on amendment 2. >> now to what's making headlines. freight train derailment in new york in a freight yard in high point in the bronx area. no one was hurt, but amtrak's northwest regional and ex suspended. newschannel8 at 6:00 is up next. >> hurricane matthew creeping closer to florida. >> we have live team coverage as the east coast gears up for what could be a destructive storm. we are awaiting an update from governor rick scott. >> plus, being in the cone of uncertainty. why people are not taking any chances. >> 26 million and what do you

wall. windows installed up site down. it is all here. and you paid for it. >> those stories plus your storm team 8 forecast and sports with dan lucas coming up on newschannel8, the station

>> tonight, bracing for impact as hurricane he toward florida. >> if matthew directly impacts florida, there will be massive destruction we have not seen in years. >> the fierce deadly storm has already decimated towns in haiti and cuba. it could strengthen before it reaches the east coast. now, live team coverage of hurricane matthew. >> good evening. i'm keith cate. >> i'm stacie schaible. thank you very much for joining us. the entire state of florida is under a state of emergency

evacuations in barrier islands in brevard county. you are looking at a live picture. people are heeding the warning and they are making their way out of the islands. we are seeing volunteer evacuations in port saint lucy. >> polk and highland county schools are closed. and more closing information is at the bottom of your screen. jerve is joining us now, though, with the latest on matthew. steve? >> keith, this has winds of 125 miles an hour, so a category 3 hurricane. but it is scheduled to become a category 4 hurricane. we have threats in some of our inland areas primarily wind gusts. hurricane warnings are in place, obviously, for the bahamas. they are now under the effects of hurricane matthew as of 5:00. northwesterly movement at 12