>> whoa! >> that's the roof. >> yep. there it is. >> listen to your local firm -- officials. >> people are scared right now. >> it will be a long road ahead if it hits us. >> that's the roof. the roof is about to come. yep, there it is. jonathan: this storm is a ferocious violent monster. the power of a category hurricane hitting st. thomas. the roof of bluebard castle blown off. nancy: barbuda, 90% of the homes in the country have been decimated by the killer storm. michelle: we're on the florida coast. the calm before the storm. this is miami beach. the folks soaking up the last bit of sunshine before things change. 700,000 ordered to evacuate. states of emergency declared there, south carolina and hours ago in georgia. jonathan: today on abc7, we are going to suve

and also look ahead for where the storm is moving. michelle: we have team coverage now. nancy: we are live in florida and tracking the storm from the stormwatch7 weather center. jonathan: also with evacuees driving to virginia and farther north. let's start off with marci gonzalez in new smyrna beach. so far, the destruction has been horrific. marci: hi, irma is now 600 miles wide. large enough to impact this entire state. so now with the last couple of days of sunshine people are getting prepared. especially now as they see some of the incredible damage the storm is already leaving behind. hurricane irma tearing through the caribbean. the deadly category five storm's 175-mile-per-hour winds leaving utter devastation. from martinez to -- st. martin to barbuda. 95% o

tiny island are damaged. >> the country has been decimated. i have never seen anything like this before. marci: now florida bracing for what governor rick scott warns could be more disastrous than the worst hurricane to hit the state. >> this storm is bigger, faster and stronger than hurricane andrew. marci: mandatory evacuations are in place in low-lying coastal part of south florida. everybody in the keys is ordered out. >> if you stay and are being irresponsible don't expect us to risk lives of our first responders because of your irresponsibility. marci: floridians heeding the warning. traffic stretching for miles. lines for gas in some places hours' long with stations running out. >> i'm very nervous. i have been driving around for 30 minutes and my car is on e for the last hour. marci: lines for plywood and water. many store shelves left empty. the rush to get ready ahead of the monstrous storm. >> part of

busy boarding up the homes. others plan to do so tomorrow when many schools and some businesses will be closed to give families time to prepare and evacuate. in new smyrna beach, florida, marci gonzalez, abc7 news. doug: thank you. the florida coast of south florida flu the islands, it's all about irma. this powerful storm with sustained winds 175 miles per hour, gusts over 200 moving north/northwest at 16. drawing near the turks and caicos and bahamas and south florida. with the winds it's pretty spectacular. the effects here of how wide out the hurricane force winds have gone. 60 miles and the storm force, the tropical storm force winds past that. the spaghetti plots to give you possibility of the computer models where it will go. as we show you the model, you can't finesse the spot yet. because this is a wide possibility, already hurricane warnings through the bahamas, hurricane watch for south florida. and also a storm surge watch in that

the official track which will be updated in 50 minutes still has the center line close to south florida moving north and perhaps coming inland. along the coast, we find brad bell and josh knight. josh, i hear it's a bit breezy there. josh: that is right, doug. it is getting a bit breezy. but what is even more interesting is how empty it is around here. we are in west palm, a place that is usually busy. the marina is normally full with boats. let me show you a picture i snapped from google maps. i want to give you an idea of where we were. if you look at the picture, you can see the boats that are all over the place. that is some folks at the bar up the street. they are saying that looks busier than the normal day. still this place is normally jammed. one of the reasons all the boats are out of here is because of the storm surge that we are now under. expecting a storm surge in some places in a worst case scenario between five and tn

purple area goes around the entire southern tip of florida fromvenita beach to the east coast near jupiter. exactly who gets the worst still depends on the track. with the storm surge potential between five and ten feet, everybody is taking it seriously. that has led to big changes around here. brad, you are familiar with this area. have you seen it like this? brad: no. it's absolutely empty. that is startling. we are talking about the storm surge five to ten feet. we are both six feet so you if you carry it over it's on the shore. the other concern is the wind. look at the water here from west palm. you are looking at palm beach island. you can see the building, the equipment. they have been putting up storm shutters to make sure all the glass there is covered. we are seeing that everywhere across this region. it se

doing today. getting ready. protecting windows. >> we are trying throw them up as fasts a we can. bras buying gas where it can be found. standing in line at a.t.m. for cash and getting what they can at a grocery store. >> i'm past scared. never seen a hurricane before. i don't know what to do. i'm just trying to use common sense. >> it's a beautiful day along the south florida coast. on the beach at fort lauderdale, there are those catching rays and hoping for the best. the sense of forboding is unavoidable. on the same beach, andrew houseman scooping sand to bags. >> honestly the strategy today is prepare for the worst, hope for the best. you know, there is storm surge, that is what we are doing the sand bags for. for rain and wind we can only hope the houses hold up. brad: they can only hope the houses hold up. i have actually never seen that before. on the beach, scooping up sand making their own sand bags. who is going to stop

back live, looking at the development here on the east coast of florida in west palm beach. so many big buildings. all of the buildings, all of the glass, all the people that live there now in jeopardy. we are going to be here throughout the storm. we will be back at 5:00 are more about what people are doing to get ready in west palm beach. brad bell, abc7 news. michelle: thank you. when it comes to evacuating florida, look at this. the moment critical patients from the florida keys arrive in alabama. this is to ensure they are able to receive healthcare without concerns of hurricane irma. at least 11 patients arrived yesterday evening to a city about 60 miles northeast of birmingham. nancy: meanwhile the route up i-95 passed with floridians as they head up to our area and farther north. putting irma in the rear-view mirrors. but not out of the thoughts. northern virginia bureau chief jeff goldberg at the dale city rest stop. you are with people who brought all they could with

them. jeff: no question about it. we have been at the dale city rest stop in prince william county all day. it's been a noticeable sight. look at it there. florida license plate, florida license plate, another one over here. they are everywhere. one car leaves with a florida plate. another one comes in. people fleeing hurricane irma, heading to see family and friends in the d.c. area or points farther north. they say leaving home was definitely a tough decision but they had no choice. helen and her family left fort lauderdale last evening at 5:00 and has been on the road since. >> i'm exhausted tired. yeah. jeff: helen, her 10-year-old son anthony -- >> scared. jeff: and sister christina and daughter destiny stopped in dale city on the way to stay with loved ones in new york. watching irma barrel to south florida they decided they had no choice but to fill up the gas tanks, pack up the car

>> i don't know what is going to happen. i just leave it to god. the most important thing is to save my life and my son and my family. jeff: with evacuations in place for portion of south florida, millions of people are fleeing the sunshine state. boarding up homes and hitting the road. >> grabbing whatever can fit. momentos, pictures. jeff: valerie and james have been driving for more than 24 hours after leaving their home. >> monroe county, florida keys. jeff: where evacuations are now mandatory. they and their son and dog will stay with family in maryland following irma's path closely waiting and worrying. >> uncertainty, whether or not we'll have somewhere to go back home. jeff: that is a big car of so many people. this is the car of tyler matthews from orlando.

storm headed to see family in new jersey. for so many people we have spoken with today, one of the big concerns, obviously they are glad for their own safety and the homes that they are hopefully expecting to be there and be in good shape when they get home. but mainly they are thinking about the family and friends who stayed behind in florida to ride out the storm. live in prince william county, jeff goldberg, abc7 news. jonathan: very smart. the governor said they can repair homes. they can't repair people. a lot of folks in florida are not taking chances and for good reason. they are crowding the airports and the service plaza racing to get out of the town for the weekend. maxine bentell joining us live from the palm beach area, turnpike and the conditions going on now. what is happening down there? >> it's very busy. so busy, in fact, take a look. there is a line of cars so long we have the florida state troopers here tonight directing traffic. the drivers are starting to get stressed out as they prepare to head north away

>> if i didn't have her, i probably would have stayed. my decision was based on her. >> latrice and her 7-year-old daughter london are heading to alabama from florida. >> i see maybe two more storms behind this storm. it's like let me just get out of here. i'd rather be safe than sorry. >> she packed up the car and hit the road. >> bottles of water, of course. blow up bed. business cards. just in case i can't go back home. start my business somewhere else. >> hello. >> she wasn't alone at the west palm beach service plaza where dozens of cars were waiting to fill up with gas before fleeing florida. travelers were also scrambling to get out of town. >> one of the friends called the airport. i need to go anywhere. >> anywhere? >> he said send me to utah, nebraska. get me out of florida. >> governor rick scott activated 3,000 additional national guard members

ahead of irma. >> look at the size of the storm. it's huge. it's wider than the entire state and could cause major and life threatening impacts on both coasts. coast to coast. regardless of which coast you live on be prepared to evacuate. >> a message that she is taking to heart. >> this one is a little more serious. fuel is limited to vales only tonight. you -- vehicles only tonight. you can't fill up any extra gas cans at the gas station along the turnpike in west palm beach. michelle: thank you. we are several days away here from any potential impacts of the storm in our area. maryland governor larry hogan says this is a good time to make sure you have an emergency preparedness checklist. good advice regardless of the time of year. he posted it on the facebook page. stay with abc7 for updates on hurricane irma. in a few minutes a look at a passenger track flight right through the storm at on

the strongest points. also coming your way an update to the forecast. wait until you see the view of irma from the space station. you can stream us live and get updates at wjla.com or download the stormwatch7 weather app for alert based on your location. jonathan: just in the past hour, the senate now passed a $15 billion hurricane harvey aid package with a short-term debt limit increase and federal spending measures to avoid a shutdown. michelle: also ahead in our area, changes already at the national cathedral. removing confederate imagery from historic stained glass windows. we will show you what it looks like now. nancy: who could forget this? united airlines passenger violently removed from the plane in chicago. we'll let you know why united won't face punishment. jonathan: destruction in the british virgin islands. you can see how strong irma was as it passed through the area. we will

lines flight that flew through the storm, escaping puerto rico just in time.

michelle: the national cathedral took down stained glass windows that featured generals robert e. lee and

the move comes after the recent violence in charlottesville. the cathedral chapter said the racial oppression associated with the generals goes against their mission to serve all people. jonathan: a step forward in the congressional investigation in russian's meddling in 2016 election. donald trump jr. speaking out today behind closed doors. reports from the meeting he said he was open to receiver information about hillary clinton's fitness, character or qualifications. when asked about the meeting with a russian lawyer at trump tower he was adamant there was no collusion. michelle: dramatic shift of behavior for a man charged with murdering three little girls. nancy: antonio williams had to be restrained in the first court appearance. today he was subdued. stephen tschida reports and he takes us inside the courtroom. stephen: 25-year-old antonio williams is charged with killing three little girls under the ages of 10. including his 6-year-old sister. now, williams wa

shortly after the killings last month in clinton. he had an initial court appearance. at that time he babbled incoherently. sheriff deputies had to restrain him. the judge ordered a psychological evaluation. competency evaluation. today williams was back in court to face charges. after listening to a criminal psychologist, the judge deemed williams competent to stand trial. this came after prosecutors argued there was no history of mental health problems in williams' medical records. >> there is absolutely no history whatsoever. documented history of mental allness with this defendant. no history of it at all. so there is nothing at this point to support that this defendant has a history of any kind that has been documented of mental illness. stephen: williams will be back in court september 18. in deeming him competent to stand trial the judge did say that thi

that his competency finding could change later on. stephen tschida, abc7 news. michelle: today we learned the transportation department will not punish united airlines for allowing security to drag a personal off overcrowded plane in april. the department says it didn't find evidence united violated his civil rights or rules for bumping passengers. ad vo cassy groups flyer -- ad vo cassy group released an air line in may. jonathan: abc7 tracking hurricane irma. the last flight to and from puerto rico to help visitors get off the island, you can see the flight track going in under heavy rain. that is an outer band of the storm. then the pilot guides it through the bands of irma and back to new york. that will be some flight. they fly c-130's through the th

pilot and stay with the wind is okay but landing impaled a problem. nancy: get ready for turn lens. this is the nasa go 16 satellite showing hurricane irma and jose. jose is a category two storm a few miles east of irma. the winds topping 100 miles per hour. there are two different paths but there are a couple of areas that could see effects of both storms. doug: the main concern are the northern islands. barbuda and anguilla. they are both under hurricane watches from jose. it looks as though the center of the worst part will stay offshore of the islands, but they still get hurricane forced wind. a couple days out saturday is when we make the closest path. michelle: i bet they are saying no way, jose. they don't want that. jonathan: they lost the roofs and now get all the rain. this is complete destruction. doug: you can see jose and katia in the g

gusty winds and rain that will go plowing to the east coast of mexico near veracruz. climb up in elevation. possibly some mudslides and the related flooding issues there. the story is irma. not our weather. today, tomorrow, saturday, sunday, monday, sunny and warm. done. now talk about irma. here is the story as we look forward. 175-mile-per-hour sustained winds gusting to 215. the latest fix from the hurricane center. they will have a complete update package released before 5:00. we will bring you pressure up and down and milibar or two but a huge powerful storm. turks and caicos, just moving in to the eastern part of the turks and caicos chains. southern bahamas and florida. the exact pinpoint of where the eye will go nobody can tell you for sure. what we can do is pass along guidance from the national hurricane center and give you an indication. but because there is still a question at that hour, a wide hour of south

jupiter and naples, under a hurricane watch. storm surge watch across south florida. to give you an indication of how important it is, exactly where the center winds up is that it is the wind direction and the surge. you take it in the west coast, it comes up that way and the big surge problems are there. if it comes up anywhere in between then that means the entire state and the south part of the state could wind one hurricane force conditions. this is a difficult situation. closer we get to saturday the closer we will get to a firm track of where we expect it to go. the spaghetti models are helpful and interesting. it just highlights the possibilities. they are similar until we get to friday night. and then it will make the turn. everybody has the turn but slightly different variations. everybody eventually takes it back inland and farther inland in the southeast united states. two models that we watch a lot. e

the g.f.s. is the american model in blue. european model in pink. they are together now but going out the next few days there is divergence here. where we have the center of the g.f.s. model to the right. and the european model to the left. so we will see how it winds up. everything comes together in the future with a possible second landfall. georgia, south carolina and then it moves inland. weakens and becomes a big rainstorm for much of the bigged a lan tick. this is the official track -- the mid-atlantic. this is the official track. when we get the results from the hurricane center update coming up in 25 minutes or so. the day planner tomorrow, spectacular. the weekend forecast for the area is spectacular. as we go through the next ten days more beautiful weather. monday night, tuesday and wednesday is when we see any effects from what is left of irma. nancy? michelle? michelle: thank you. so much talk about irma but folks in southeast texas still cleaning up, still recovering from hurricane harvey. that is j

ahead at abc7 news at 4:30, houston is being sued. the decision the city made that put some neighborhoods under water. jonathan: first a local public art project in alexandria and how people across the area leaving their mark in an abc7 stor

michelle: new inf

alexandria that captivated the delmarva community. the installation was up for weeks and the response was enormous. jay korff takes a look at what thousands of people left behind. jay: this sumer a local business owner with the help -- this summer, a local business owner with the help of a supportive community remarked on a pull it will art project called "soar." >> when we soar, we feel like we are flying. jay: the installation built in the bustling dale city neighborhood. thousands came to visit on what is inspiring and sobering. >> i see all the things holding people back. self-doubt. >> you select a rock. you think about something you are ready to let go of. you write it on the rock. when you are ready to let it go you put down the rock and hang origami bird to symbolize

jay: we will show you a story months in the making. >> i'm incredibly grateful that this exists. >> from start to finish find out how the project came to be. see what people wrote in an effort to find peace in their lives. meet the people touched by finding the courage to soar. >> i think i can move forward from here on out. i mean just even writing it down, i just kind of felt like a sense of heaviness lifted off my shoulders. >> jay korff, abc7 news. jonathan: devastation across the caribbean. next on "abc7 news at 4:00" -- harvey's destructive path and an update on its path. lisa: i'm lisa fletcher live in the "7 on your side" phone bank area. the susan g. komen race for the cure, we are a sponsor of that on saturday. in advance we are taking your questions live for the next two hours. if you have anything you want to ask a doctor

someone associateed with the issues about breast health or female health, give us a call. 703-236-9220. michelle: as we go to break a live look at miami beach as irma approaches the florida coast. boy, this is the calm before the storm. it looks gorgeous out there. a lot of people sunbathing but pretty soon the picture will change. the storm is on its way for florida.

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jonathan: tracking irma, a view from the international space station looking up to the powerful hurricane. look how well-defined the eye is. passing right by the eye looking into it as the storm continues its stretch west. michelle: buildings ripped to shreds. this is what it looks like across several islands in the caribbean. jonathan: abc7 monitoring irma's track. it's moving closer to florida each day. michelle: up and down florida's southern coastline. a race to get out and stock up. we go back to stormwatch7's meteorologist josh knight in west palm beach. landfall in florida is possible. but not necessarily for significant damage.

josh: that is a good point. right now we have hurricane force winds extending 60 miles outside the eye of the storm. tropical storm force winds about 185 miles outside of the eye. let me show you the latest track, what is going on here. you will get a look at the cone. you really have to look at the entire cone. i know it's so easy to focus on if center line and where the hurricane logos end up. would the storm be anywhere in the cone. it could be on the west side or the east side or stay in the ocean. but right now the best guess is that it is likely to make landfall or close to making landfall as a category four around miami and work its way up the coast. weakening as it goes but a major hurricane close to daytona.

tomorrow morning you will want a jacket heading out the door. one of the coolest morningsingso far. tomorrow, a good bit of sunshine. afternoon will feel great. as we get into tomorrow evening we are settling in to another cool pattern. this road, a few cars but this is a busy place. we are ona1a, the road along the beach in fort lauderdale earlier today. that is the easiest drive i have ever had on the road today. you start to run into traffic trying to get away from the beach, trying to head east. getting on the highway and heading north. that is the idea that a lot of people have. i'm glad to see that many people doing it. michelle, back to you. michelle: that is good to hear. thank you. stay with abc7 for continuing coverage. if you have to step away from the tv we have updates onli

you can get notifications based on your location by downloading the storm watch 7 weather app. >> the city of houston isn't just dealing with the mess left behind by hurricane harvey. now it may also have a legal mess to deal with in court. some residents are suing the city for releasing water from reservoirs in harris county. essentially flooding their homes. the lawsuit claims the city knew the risks and failed to take measures to prevent it from happening. >> they are entitled to just compensation for the damage done to their property and a loss of the use of the property due to the floodwater. jonathan: this as you can imagine could be a massive class action lawsuit against the city. michelle: this weekend we have complete coverage of the susan g. komen race for the cure. right now, 7 is on your side when it comes to your health. lisa fletcher is in the abc7 help center with volunteers taking your calls. lisa? lisa: the race for the cure this saturday, wjla is a sponsor at

downtown. if you have questions about the race go to wjla.com. if you have questions about breast health and women's health, call right now and talk to the experts on the phone banks. 703-236-9220. some things you can ask. what do you do if you find a lump? what are typical symptoms of breast cancer? some of the questions you might be armed with when you go to visit your doctor. they can hook you up with local resources and support groups. give them a call. we are open until 6:00 tonight. 703-236-9220. jonathan: all right, lisa. thanks. the trump administration looking to reform the new way that schools and the universities handle allegation of sexual harassment. today secretary of education betsy devos making the announcement. and concerns over protection for the accused is what we are talking about. richard that is right. betsy devos not mincing words today. she called the current title ix

everyone loses. no specific ideas from her today. but one idea is to take the program off college campus completely. there were protesters out there. let's show you video. they were here. 50 people. mostly activists. some students as well voicing concern that the votes will scrap the education department so-called dear colleague letter. the 2011 memo requires colleges to investigate complaints even if there is a separate criminal investigation. unlike the criminal courts where guilt must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt, colleges judge students based on where it is more likely than not that they committed sexual misconduct. supporters say the policy is protecting students. they pressure colleges to fast tracking action against accused students. the boss says the survivors need to be taken seriously but that the accused must know that guilt is not predetermined. >> through intimidation and coercion, the failed system has clearly pushed school

overreach. with the heavy hand of washington tipping the balance of her scale. >> i was able to stay on my campus. she provided reasonable accommodations. my scholarship was moved. i received counseling and no contact order so i could continue to be a student on campus. richard: again, the opt out idea bringing it on campus, an idea seen floating around. coming up at 5:00, what an assault victim thinks of all of this. reporting live, richard reeve, abc7 news. michelle: thanks. coming up at "abc7 news at 4:00" -- it's not just about the race for the cure. how about karaoke for a cure? >> i hate breast cancer. michelle: she hates breast cancer so she is doing something about it. meet the survivor whose program is raising money for the breast cancer battle. jonathan: plus, the next bachelor. >> come on out. jonathan: there he is. that would be t

bachelor. ari is back and what he is looking for in search for love that has michael strahan calling him "smooth" and the audience swooning. michelle: here is a first look at how you can start your friday with "good morning washington." >> thanks, guys. tomorrow on "good morning washington," all eyes on irma. its devastating path of destruction closing in on florida. the very latest track on how close the killer cyclone could get to the d.c. area. >> plus join me live on the set and behind the scenes live with kelly and ryan. >> keep it here for traffic and weather every ten minutes tomorrow morning on 4:25 a.m.

jonathan: another season of the "bachelor" on the way. who is handing to out the roses? ari. michelle: a fan favorite. there is now a chance to find love. what is he looking for? >> somewhere for everybody out there wonderingering what your ideal woman is give us three characteristics of the ideal woman? >> independent. strong. but still gentle. a little mix. >> you hey,

you're good. [laughter] michelle: smooth operator. this will be the 22nd season of "the bachelor." jonathan: strong and gentle. all right. there you go. michelle: courting amazon, next maryland governor larry hogan's sales pitch to amazon to bring a $5 billion 50,000 job headquarters to the state. >> she calls it karaoke for a cure. i'm mike carter-conneen. meet the inspiring woman behind a unique fundrais

born and raised incian, dr. rrural virginia went to vmi. trained at johns hopkins. an army doctor who treated soldiers seriously wounded in the gulf war. eighteen years as volunteer medical director of a children's hospice. as lt. governor, he's fighting to expand healthcare in virginia. he'll get it done as governor. ralph northam: i'm ralph northam, and we need to provide access to affordable healthcare for all virginians, not take it away.

jonathan: when you think of breast cancer you probably don't think of karaoke. lisa: i'm lisa fletcher and we are taking questions about breast health. this is ramping up for the susan g. komen race for the cure happening saturday in northwest d.c. abc7 is a sponsor. i want to talk to doris, a registered nurse. a lot of people are calling in with

a common misnomer is i don't have a family history so i'm not at risk. is that true? >> all women over 40 will have risks. >> what are the warning signs? >> you need to get to know your breasts. take a look at the breasts. see what they look like. do you notice any lumps or dimpling, or change in the skin texture? do you feel any pain? >> if you see any symptoms go to a doctor? >> yes. a primary care or gynecologist to do a clinical breast exam. they will determine ordering an ultra sound or a mammogram after that. >> thank you. thank you for talking to us. we will be here until

give the panel an experts? jonathan: i jumped the gun. if you think of breast cancer you don't think of karaoke. michelle: you think of the race for the cure but tonight, mike carter-conneen introduces to us a local person raising thousands of dollars for the komen organization one song at a time. >> lisa was diagnosed with staple two breast cancer in the year 2000 she walked in the first komen race for the cure receiving breast cancer. >> i hate breast cancer. >> she has found creative ways to raise $20,000 for the komen organization. even though she is not fond of singing in public they came up with a annual karaoke fundraiser. >> she a fighter. always volunteering. willing to help anybody. >> today she is

but all the years later she is just as determined fighting the disease. >> money we raised for komen a lot of it stays in the community for the underserved women. >> this is the third year for karaoke for a cure event where they can donate $5 to sing and $5 to nominate someone else or $5 to avoid singing. >> you are a guaranteed donation. >> guaranteed donation. >> then friends of friends came last year. >> this year, complete strangers showed up. >> lisa and her husband organized raffle and sell tickets to support the cause. >> in the past is 2 months that have been under 40.

>> that is not acceptable to me. i have to keep doing that. >> in alexandria, mike carter-conneen, abc7 news. michelle: tomorrow at 4:00 we'll have another story that is leading up to the race for the cure. we have the coverage on the sister station newschannel8 and website wjla.com. check in now with larry smith at the "live desk" and what is new at 5:00. >> we will get a first look at the updated track for hurricane irma. we are working to get help to the south as needed. plus -- >> no, no, no! >> a major update on the deadly shooting involving two police officers. what prosecutors are saying now. and we now know what caused a steam pipe to explode outside camden yards and we have more on hurricane irma when we see you at

michelle: irma is talk of the town. a special day for bob irlic. the i.c.c. is named in his honor. jonathan: amazon looking to build a second headquarters in the u.s. to match the sprawling headquarters in washington state. maryland governor larry hogan said his state is making the quite the sales pitch. there is already a million square foot facility there. amazon says it is looking to complete a $5 billion project to employ 50,000 people. good one to get. michelle: we are tracking hurricane irma as it moves through the caribbean. the center tracking north of hisp

you can see the massive waves in the distance. when the tide rushed in, the tide is there. jonathan: the force with irma is unbelievable. michelle: the latest update came in. steve: it came in earlier than expected. the storm is shifting west. michelle: not good. steve: not good. we hoped earlier today it was going to maybe 30, 60 miles off the coast. that is not the case. look at the winds. still a category five storm. the max winds of 175 miles per hour. wind gusts of 215 miles per hour. hurricane watch in effect. west palm beach to the keys.

and naples. that is where we have the hurricane warning for areas in red. bahamas. that is why so many cruise ships have discontinued the service or move away from the storm to stay safe. if you look at this cone from the eastern edge to the western edge the storm may go anywhere in the region. if you see miami it's not a direct hit on miami. as we move to the early morning hours of sunday we are talking midnight, 1:00, 2:00, 3:00. it could be a category four storm. winds upward of 140 miles per hour. this is likely to bring rain for us. the weekend is awesome. the race for the cure. early saturday morning. bright sunshine for the redskins game sunday afternoon.

of year 83 degrees. keep you updated on the storm moving through the next couple of days. michelle: all right. thank you. the art of the deal with democrats. next, president trump worked across the aisle to fund the government and raise the debt limit. will the political fallout help or hurt his own party?

michelle: president trump working with democrats. abc7 chief political correspondent scott thuman with a deal on the hill. scott: as another storm bearing down on the u.s. a different kind brewing in washington and president trump trying to ride it out. to the surprise of republicans he struck a deal with democrats, securing aid for storm victim and extending budget and borrowing limit for three months. not the 18 months some g.o.p. leaders reportedly asked for. this is not positive as usual. it's the trench warfare, better for the republicans and hurts democrats. >> professor in says trump has desire for instant accomplishment even if it rankals the top teammates on the hill. >> does it

sensitive or a delicate relationship with republicans? >> how much worst can it get? he spent the month of august in a sweet war with his senate republican leader. >> some see this as a signal that they may be at times allegiance over a party. >> i welcome reaching over the aisle. we could have a healthcare fix. we can have a tax reform bill if they are bipartisanship. >> he says a wakeup call. >> the republicans realize now if they can't play ball with donald trump he will take the ball and find someone else to play with. >> in washington, i'm scott thuman.

that is the roof. >> there it is. >> running out of time. the time is now. listen to the local officials. >> never seen a hurricane before. i don't know what to do. >> it will be a long road ahead if it hits us. >> there it is. larry: roofs torn away with ease in the british virgin islands. we are told as many as ten people killed across the caribbean. dozens more hurt. nancy: row after row of destruction. we are told that nearly every building on the islands is damaged or destroyed. you saw just a sample of the power and the destruction that irma has left in the wake. >> now the storm has the sights set on the mainland. we have team coverage from the coast of florida to the district. >> we begin with chief meteorologist doug hill h

the national hour center. what does it say now? doug: the same story as far as intensity and speed. category jose was category two but now upgraded to major hurricane, category three. it could have implication of the islands deavor stated by irma 35, 36 hours ago. that is the story. now irma, top winds of 175 miles per hour. gusts to 215. moving to west/northwest. that speed hasn't changed. milim . bar 922 about the same as all day. it's affecting the outer part of the strong storm across the turks and caicos and then bahamas and south florida. let's plug in what we expect to happen.