atlantic grows stronger as irma heads for the u.s. as area power crews head south once the storm hits. crews head south once the storm hits. that's next. huh? oh, gus! we didn't see you there. yeah. we were just playing gus. gus. the new scratch-off from the pennsylvania lottery. yeah... with top prizes of a hundred grand. you know, you're much cuter in person. aww... (giggling) keep on scratchin'! valley's leading news program with jim gardner. >> this is what a category five

hurricane looks and sounds like with a direct hit. this is one of the strongest recorded storms in history. this is our first look at the damage by hurricane irma in barbuda where the prime minister says 90% of the buildings have been destroyed. it's going to get worse before it's better, irma is just getting started. the big story on "action news" is the path of destruction carved out tonight by hurricane irma. puerto rico was not taking a direct hit but with the eye 55-miles northeast of san juan, the island feels under assault. 600,000 people lost power, 50,000 are without water. on the u.s. mainland florida is getting ready for landfall sunday. the governor plans to activate

7,000 guard troupes. the path is uncertain but the miami could be a bulls eye. people are emptying store shelves and filling their gas tanks. 2500 people have evacuated the keys. farther north, evacuations are mandatory. cecily, the wind are potentially catastrophic. >> we have a worst case story developing. irma is getting stronger and bigger. it's about the size of texas. we have the story from the national hurricane center, 185 miles per hour an hour, 130 miles per hour for hours. it looks like a buzz saw, 315

mimes southeast of grand turk. it's passing north of the dominican republic tomorrow. they'll be scraped with tropical storm force winds. it will not weaken. it will hit the turk and cake coast islands tomorrow night, direct hit. a storm surge up to 20 feet and enter the waters north of cuba. these are deep and very warm, temperatures in the upper 80s. even the storm will be interacting with land masses. that water is like jet fuel. it helps it maintain strength, category five hurricane strength right into the southern bahamas and could weaken to a category four but the latest track has it makes two landfalls, one near miami and another near hilton ahead, south carolina. that could spread the impact. i have more details in the

accuweather forecast. jim? >> cecily, thank you. "action news" reporters christie ileto and dann cuellar have stories of anxiety and generosity. first christie. what about members of the puerto rican community and worry about their homeland? >> jim, some relatives spoke with their loved ones prior to the power being knocked out. family members are waiting petrified over images their loved ones sent them. >> from the front door monica's cousin documents the 185 miles per hour winds racing down his block in puerto rico. suddenly, the transformer explodes knocking out power. he yells in spanish -- it's gone, referring to the electricity and feve feverishlys

inside. >> what is running through your mind? >> will i see them? >> the north side of the island is bearing the brunt of hurricane irma. residents brace for heavy winds and rain. >> it breaks my heart. i wish i was there, even if it sounds crazy. i'm tied. i can't do anything but watch from here. >> unfortunately, with storms, there is nothing you can do. you have to hunker in, do the best you can and wait. >> family members miles away in philadelphia wait not just for irma but hurricane jose to spare their loved ones. >> with another hurricane to follow up, it will hit the entire island. >> the possible one-two punch from mother nature is added concern for family members waiting to hear from their relatives. they don't know how long the wait will be.

christie ileto, "action news" at 10:00, jim? american airlines is canceling flights to sarasota and west palm beach, 640 fghll. as we saw, extra capacity is being added to get residents out of florida and those in path but tickets are becoming expensive for these last-minute flights. reporter dann cuellar is live in plymouth meeting tonight, headquarters for the company stepping up in advance of irma. dan, what's that story? >> jim, when you think you need a help hand you can count on someone from across the delaware valley. we have a live 2k3wr50u 2k3wr50p of electrical workers putting their lives on the line. >> a hundred men in bucket trucks packed up and headed for

florida. >> be safe. >> the company got a call about 8:00 this morning that they were going to need help. >> we had less than 12 hours notice, get them here properly tooled and trained. >> through the years they have responded to just about every major storm that might knockout power across testify u.s. >> we ask the linemen to leave for could be months with little to no notice. >> sandy was a big one. i was there six months. >> there is a good paycheck in it, of course, but something else drives these men. >> it's a joy to help people. you get down there and see people that lose everything. they lose their houses. they lose their cars. their life is in disarray and we can help them. it's gratifying.

>> task force one, search and rescue efforts in post irma florida among those going, four canines with crucial skills. >> they are looking for a particular odor. like a dog sniffing out heroin, our dogs sniff out live human scent. that's all they are train today do. >> tonight, while many are headed out of hir ma's path, they are headed in ready to respond. dann cuellar, channel6 "action news." >> thank you. you can track the path of hurricane irma on the "6abc" app. the storm continues on its journey. the app is a free download forever your mobile device. >> a 54-year-old pedestrian is in critical condition after being dragged by a car 8:45. that driver tells police he didn't strike the man saying the

victim was already on the road on branch street near holly. police are trying to sort out whether the man was assault #-d or hit by a prior vehicle. >> upper dare was the site of a home invasion where a one says she was of tied up this afternoon. the victim was treated for unspecified injuries. a $25,000 reward is being offered to help law enforcement solve a murder. a woman and her niece were stabbed to death in march. investigators returned to the scene of the crime today in hopes of getting new leads in the case. >> the north philadelphia woman admitting to trying to join isis will go to jail for eight years. she was sentenced after pleading

guilty to attempting to providing material support to a terrorist location. the mother of two wanted to travel to syria and volunteered by a suicide mission. she said she was not evil, she was misled. >> robert menendez was in court for his trial. he sold his lifestyle for a life he couldn't afford bicepping luxury vacations and gifts from a wealthy doctor in exchange for political favors. menendez said, i have not once dishonored by hub office. >> and still to come facebook's role in russia's meddling. >> and president trump strikes a deal with the democrats. a south jersey veteran and his

family get the keys to his brand new home, their tree ne free ne. cecily? >> we have rain, the heaviest pushing out. we are tracking brighter days ahead but we also track irma in the five-da seven-day forecast. >> splash time is fun for families, but could it be holding a dirty secret? we have the results coming up. and jamie apody with the eagleeagles practicing for the t snap, when "action news" continues. ♪ ♪ ♪

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>> seemingly out of nowhere, president trump today struck a deal with the democrats infuriating his republican cohorts. at a white house meeting trump sided with truck schumer and nancy pelosi agreeing to their terms to keep the government

running and raising the debt limit. he dismissed the objection of paul ryan and mitch mcconnell and brushed off his own treasury secretary. paul ryan called testify democratic demands ridiculous and disgraceful. >> facebook notified federal authorities that russia used fake accounts to buy a hundred million dollars worth of ads during the presidential campaign. facebook says the ads did not endorse a candidate but used devicive social and political messages. >> 15 states sued today to block president trump's plan to end daca the obama deferred action child program. >> students heading to their

first day of school this year were treated like superstars in trenton today. police officers and other leaders lined the hallways of the academy to cheer on the children as they returned to class from the summer. they wanted the students to know they had their support throughout the year. it was also the first day for camden schools at the community school, the superintendent and mayor welcome arriving families. a district wide pledge tried to incentivize students for perfect attendance this year with gift cards and a chance at sixer tickets. >> health check at 11:00, it was a staple for many families. the days of running through splash parks are over but an investigation may have families thinking twice about next summer. registered nurse ali gorman is

here with results of the tests. >> we found some splash parks may not be what you want your kids playing in. some have the potential to make someone sick. >> it's a sprinkle of relief on a hot summer day. splash parks are spread throughout philadelphia. >> all of the kids running around the water. it's comfortable being here. >> she's having a great time today. >> what's in the water? jamie schafer, suburban testing labs to find out. august 4th, we took samples from six splash parks and this pool testing ph levels and looking for signs of bacteria. >> .77-grams a liter.

that's perfect. >> most checked out fine, including mr. city, and roberto playground but the results from three sites are concerning. the interactive fountains at bildilworth park had an unacceptable amount of chlorine and chloroform associated with unsant tay yi tary conditions. >> the state limit of tota is to bacteria per 100-milliliter. results from dilworth park show 165. from heroin's playground, 43.

the sister city rock pool tested 66. it's possible we caught the sites on a bad day but with the levels, if doesn'tly swallowed, the water may make you sick. >> i can tell you without a doubt my kids drink the water despite their dad telling them not to constantly. >> sister cities and dilworth park are managed by the center city district. in a statement they said staff test the water twice a day each park to ensure no health and safety problems, and they say an independent agency tests once a week. >> philadelphia parks don't require additional testing because they say they are connected to the philadelphia water department. in a statement the water at splash pashes may or may not be

supplied by the philadelphia water department and in all cases is treated and monitored separately. while the water coming from the spray park should not be used for drinking water, the levels shown should be acceptable for recreational activity. we have a full statement on "6abc".com. we have not heard of illnesses reported. >> so much of life sf risk-reward. the rewards are spectacular. >> i don't want to ruin it for the kids. it's pure joy for kids, but you want to hold people accountable too. >> and you have to be careful. >> despite set backs, habitat for humidity welcomed an army family to their new home. the project was jeopardized by burglars that stole thousands of dollars worth of tools from the site. the johnsons are moving in right

away. time for accuweather with cecily tynan. >> i want to show you sky 6 taking a look at center city skyline. you can't see william penn. we have a lot of low clouds, fog developing and there are lingering showers. storm tracker 6 double scan showing the steadier rain has lifted off and we have the back edge of rain moving through the western suburbs. we have rain across chester county. reading dealing with rain. you see how it's moving north and east and it's clearing out through the overnight hours and tomorrow looking better. today, definitely cool and damp. take a look at temperatures right now. this is where they have been stuck, really all afternoon in the 60s after yesterday's high nearly 90-degrees. right now, philadelphia 62. allentown 60.

wilmington 61 and cape may also 61-degrees. satellite and radar showing clouds, light moisture but again, the whole stalled system is on the move finally. it will be pushing off the coast tomorrow. high pressure building in bringing a return of sunshine mixing with sun and clouds. we have self destructing sunshine building in the afternoon. generally mix of sun and clouds. 2:00, 71, the high 74-degrees. average high this time of year in the low 80s. in the atlantic, we have a tropical trio. we have hurricane jose. a lot of people have been asking about the storm. that is no immediate threat to land. it's open atlantic. we have hurricane irma, big and strong as a tropical storm can get. we also have hurricane katia. this, if you notice, south of

texas, a front moves through keeping texas safe from the storm, slowly drifting into mexico. all of the focus is on irma. tracking irma, you have to look at the cone, not just the center of the forecast map. looks like irma can hit western peninsula florida, the east and outer banks of north carolina, the entire southeast coast of the united states has to be aware. the best thing that could happen, the trough would kick it out to sea. looks like it's not strong enough to pick it up, instead high pressure moves in keeping it from our latitude. once it makes landfall it will be siphoned to the west following the past of least resistence so we could see remnant rain but not a lot here. clouds and sun tomorrow.

73-degrees, 73 friday. 71 saturday. sunday, 74. monday, 76. it stays dry through tuesday, clouds up 74-degrees. wednesday, light rain with a high of 74. a new update from the national hurricane center tomorrow morning at 4:00. >> competition is over for the women competing in atlantic city to become the next miss america. miss texas won the proud part and swimsuit competition after sending love to her hometown of texas. >> you can join us sunday night at 9:00 p.m. on channel6 to rooo takes home the crown of miss america. ♪ ♪ before they can stand tall...

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switch to fios gigabit connection with tv and phone for $79.99 a month online for the first year. plus hbo for one year and multi-room dvr service for two years, all with a two-year agreement. and switching has never been easier. get out of your contract with up to a $500 credit to help cover your early termination fee. go to fiosgigabit.com >> they are gaining on us. >> you can see the anticipation in the air. it's game week after a long game of baseball. today the eagles had the first wentz day of september. carson wentz getting ready for the second season, against a team that beat him five straight

times. is it a must win? >> they are all must wins. quite honestly, the opener is a very important game. you can set the tempo for the rest of the season. >> we are, i believe, ready to go and start the season off right. >> the dolphins were here practicing with the eagles a couple of weeks ago looking forward to their opener. their first game canceled because of hurricane irma. it won't be made up until november 16th. >> phillies and mets bottom of the first, 1-0. make that 3-0, travis part of the halliday deal, home run. nick williams, two run shot made it 6-3. then the rain came of the after

an hour long rain delay it was an official game mets win the phillies. we have more sports when we return. we sip, we peel,

-and we slide! -whoo! nah. like this. grab a large or extra large freshly ground, freshly brewed hot coffee for your chance to win. get your celebration ready. dunkin' donuts. this is coffee. this is winning. dunkin' donuts. this is coffee. >> the football starting basketball never too far behind. sixers opening training camp. anything short of the plaifs playoffs will be a disappointment. >> how can it not be? i look forward because our players feel so good about themselves.

that's a great thing. we'll help them achieve their goals. when they talk like that, you have a platform to remind them, you know, this type of action doesn't equal playoff performance. >> history at the u.s. open. madison keys won in straight sets to reach the finals all american woman's final four first time that happened at the u.s. open since 1981. i was three years old. where were you in 1981? >> right here. >> this same chair? >> no. all right, come on. we are not going to -- "jimmy kimmel live" live in the case on channel6 followed by "nightline." dr. phil, mike tyson guests. for the "action news" team, i'm jim gardner. goodnight. ♪ ♪

tonight on an all new "jimmy kimmel live" -- guillermo is a security guard who has had enough. >> guillermo: jimmy pays me crap. and he made me work four days a week! i'm through. i'm done. >> but while guillermo claims he's a victim, he's also hiding a shocking secret. >> so guillermo, are you telling me you've been drinking on the job every day for the last 15 years? >> guillermo: a little bit. >> are you [ bleep ] kidding me? >> coming up next on "jimmy kimmel live." >> dicky: from hollywood, it's "jimmy kimmel live"! tonight, dr. phil mcgraw, mike tyson, and comedian martin urbano. and now sit back. here's jimmy kimmel!