hurricane irma slamming into florida. leaving hundreds of thousands w without power. the monster storm battering the keys with 130-mile-per-hour winds. and life-threat. ing storm surge, up to 15 feet. over 20 inches of rain expected in some areas. >> as new warnings come out about the potentially catastrophic category 4 hurricane. >> this is a storm of absolutely miss torque detruktive potential. >> people flee to hower ground. >> i was really scared. >> we have a mad house. >> thousands liping up waiting for hours to get in. >> we don't have any more space.

>> come on, boots. >> others hunkering down. >> even in car dealerships as they try to ride out this storm. >> this is the first time the sheriff ever came down our street. >> to order you out? >> yeah. >> cities in the path boarded up. the governor warning people to be on guard. >> this is clearly a life-threatening situation. the storm surge comes after the strongest winds. >> more than 1,000 americans rescued from st. martin, now sharinging their stories. some abandoned by hotel staff, facing armed robbers. our david muir and amy robach on the ground in florida. leading our team coverage. this is a special edition of "good morning america." hurricane irma, monster storm. good morning, everyone. as we come on the air, hurricane irma is bearing down on the state of florida as a massive category 4 storm. you're looking at live pictures

out of miami. the situation is deteriorating. >> the situation is worse down south. the storm is making a hit on the florida keys. look at the fresh images. this is the satellite imagery. we have video coming in. overnight, irma gained strength. it's bringing torrential rain and potentially catastrophic storm surge. on top of all that, tornadoes. >> this morning, more than 6 million floridians have been told to evacuate. more than 70,000 people are riding the the storm out in shelters. already, hundreds of thousands of people have lost power because of ir ma. >> as the storm moves up the west coast of florida, the fear of catastrophic and life-threatening damage. they're calling this the big one. we have team coverage led by david muir, on the ground in naples. and "gma's" amy robach in miami. >> our entire team covering

every angle across the storm zone. we're going is to start with our chief meteorologist ginger zee with where irma is right now. >> this is the crucial time in the cease. key west just had a 70-mile-an-hour wind gust. they put out an extreme wind warning for 115-mile-an-hour winds. it's not just one time. it will be for an hour or two hours. that's why that extreme wind warning goes out. to the radar, the northern part of the eye wall has looked a little more ragged. it's a good thing. it's not as strong. it doesn't matter. in this situation, you can still see sustained winds to 130. the right quadrant is where you see the storm surge. they could see five to ten feet in the florida keys. once it gets beyond the keys and the surge, it goes to the track. we have a new one in at 5:00 a.m. it looks like it stays or hugs

along the west coast. it will take time to get up to around naples by this afternoon. and this afternoon, through tonight, just south of tampa. early tomorrow morning, still a category 3. up to tallahassee by the time we get through monday into tuesday. >> many of these cities, especially tampa, these are really vulnerable, low-lying places. they're very vulnerable to flooding. >> storm surge. the right side. it will be the worst. cape sable to captiva. 10 to 15-foot storm surge. >> let's go to wplg reporter, a reporter from our affiliate in miami who is in hollywood, i understand you're seeing quite severe wind there is. tell us about it. >> what would 99 look like when you see those high level storm surnlgs approaching an area like that? >> i think we'll have breaking waves.

>> definitely feeling the impact. >> miami, where amy robach is standing by. the winds are picking up. >> they certainly are, dan. we have seen the winds increase significantly. i don't know if you can hear the howling, haunting wind. we're on a balcony six floors up in a fortifiy eied building by biscayne bay. i'm getting pushed now. the winds are fierce. throwing debris. i saw something fly off of this high-rise up here. so, this is really starting to get significant and serious here in downtown miami. no one here along the streets, thank goodness, that i can see. a lot of people evacuated. people decided to hunker down and ride this out. and believe me, they're hearing and seeing the strong winds.

gio benitez is in downtown miami, ermier this week, he was in key west chrks is getting pounded rite now. i know you evacuated with so many others. >> we had tens of thousands of people who evacuated, amy, before those orders were in place. that was unbelievable news. i went to key west quite a bit as a kid. we saw these storms come through. key westers don't like to leave in storms. in this case, it was a ghost town in so many parts. that famous street was just boarded up days before this hurricane was coming through. i want you to take a look. you were taunging, amy, about seeing things flying. there's no flying projectile. take a look at the trees. they've been going from side to side. branches flying off. the winds are really intensifying here in downtown, miami. we're seeing rain, too. the rain is just pelting us here

in downtown miami. it's a scary situation. if you are in a situationy you're not safe. here in this case, we are in a safe building. so are you, amy. but, people just have to be watchful and look at those reports. make sure there are no tornado warnings in the area. some local meteorologists are making sure people get into their bathrooms. if you're in a situation where the winds are too strong, where there is a tornado warning in your area, you get into the bathroom. amy, back the to you. >> that is incredibly important advice, gio. something everyone should remember. we have been lucky. we still have power. some of the lights are turning off. we know in miami-dade county, more than 250,000 people without power. back to you, dan and paula.

>> i know this is the case for you and gio. he was holding a tether so he does not get swept away. you're also taking a lot of precautions to protect yourself and your team. >> that's correct. we're in a very fortified building. on the sixth floor. i have some protection above me. and yes, i have this to hold on to as well. i lost my hat earlier. so far, that's the only calamity. we're being smart about riding out the storm. >> amy and gio, in miami, where it is dangerously windy. stay safe, both of you, and your teams. let's bring in david muir. who will be leading our coverage on the the ground. >> david is in naples. they're feeling the effects of irma and bracing for a devastating storm surge. up to 15 feet. david, good morning to you. >> morning, paula, dan, good to be back with you. a stunning number. they're forecasting 10 to

12-foot storm surges here in naples. up the west coast of florida. we're about five to seven hours before the peak of the winds here. what you're seeing with amy and gio, obviously, the right-hand side of the hurricane, as it crosses over south florida and miami, they're expecting winds here. sustained winds of on 130 miles per hour. that's over the course of several hours. test. test. once. it will be sustained for hours at a time. with wind gusts higher than that. we're several hours before we see that. i want to show you what we're seeing with the gusts. we're in the a building much like amy and gio on the fourth floor. a giant tree came down. this is a 100-year-old oak stree.

we have seen massive tree come down moments ago. people down there are checking out the damage. back to dan and paula. we'll be here all afternoon long. >> david, thank you. "world news tonight" anchor david muir in naples, expected to get hit very hard within the next few hours. let's bring in leyran livingston. >> our affiliate in miami. he's in hollywood. tell us about the conditions you're seeing on ground level. >> these conditions have been deteriorating since yesterday morning. when we first came here. in fact, a few moments ago, the the power went out in in neighborhood. there are more than 100,000 people without power in browawd county. this entire neighborhood is in the dark. more than likely, those numbers are only going to go up. we have been in and out of tornado watches and warnings all night long.

there were a couple reported tornadoes just north of us in this area. hollywood broad walk as its known here. a popular place for people to come. they jog, ride bikes, walk. the beach is right there. you can see how bad the surf is. we're about a 3 1/2, 4-hour drive north of key west. if this is what we're dealing with, i can only imagine what those folks are dealing with there as the eye and eye wall make the landfall there. our thoughts and prayers. people left the broad walk a long time ago. boarded up buildings and staunts. some of the shutters are starting to buckle. i walked down the broad walk before the sup came up. some of those shutters were dangling. hopefully, the winds hold. there is no one out here this morning. rightfully so. this area, still under curfew as well. you can see the palm trees.

starting to lean this way. not sure how high these gusts are here. it is intense wind. it's only gotten more intense as the hours have gone by. >> layron, in is ginger zee in new york. you're right next to the ocean. i'm looking at the radar. you're on the northern side of the hefty band. things are about to get worse. you have no friction. nothing to the east. that's why the winds keep coming in. do you have a place to be where debris won't hit you? that is the most concerning for me? >> the good news. we're parked. our live truck is right behind a pretty big massive building. so when we get back to the truck, everything is calm and still believe it or not because that wall is blocking a lot of the wind that we could be feeling. we parkd there for that very reason. you can see this rain.

a lot of it is sand coming in and piercing our faces. we parked over there for a reason. you don't want to be broadsided by the intense winds here. >> just to give our viewers a sense of your safety and vigilance. how long are you going to ride it out before oyou decide the situation might be deteriorating too much? >> i work with fantastic people. my bosses have laid down the law. your safety is more important. we pulled crews out of key west earlier this week because of the potential situation that was going to be there. most of our live shots last night, a lot of the reporters were not on air because the winds were so bad and so high. this morning, we have had a couple of lye shots. we'll hunker down.

no one's life and no one's safety is worth -- any of this. so to speak. we want to make sure. we want to let people know what is going on in the area. this is why they should not go out on the roads. not taking any unnecessary risk. because there is a hurricane right outside. >> layron, thank you. hollywood is north of miami. if it's bad there, you imagine how sit in key west. key west is where we want to go right now. bill south from the national weather service joins us from key west, via skype. bill, give us a sense, i know you're inside. a heavy fortified building. give us a sense of what it's like outside right now. >> you can hear a lot of trees rattling. the wind is really ripping. we're expecting about 115,

135-mile-an-hour winds through about 9:15 a.m. it looks like at the current radar, the island of big pine key takes the brunt of this eye wall. >> as ginger is reporting. the eye wall is now directly over you in the keys. bill, you are are a meteorologist. you decided to stay. you're in a fortified building that can withstand winds of 220 miles per hour that is made for situations like this. you decided to stay for the protection of others that decided to stick out out. >> yeah. um -- well -- our primary mission is national weather service meteorologists is to protect the lives and property of the american people. we take that seriously. i just like to thank our agency for getting this building built for us. it was built in 005. it's rated to withstand 165-mile-an-hour winds.

we have an internal storm bunker we would into in the case of an absolute emergency. we have a 400-pound steel door. we would lock yourselves in there. come out afterwards. >> many of us, myself included, have spent plenty of time in key west and love it. why is key west no uniquely vulnerable? >> it's an island chain. number one. first and foremost. the location of it, is right in the middle -- it's susceptible to hurricane season in two ways. this, with hurricane irma, this was a long-tracked hurricane. that formed over the atlantic. and ept eventually moved to the west and turned to the north right over the lower keys. this happens in late august, mainly september. hurricane donna, believe it or

not, september 10th, the same day, 1960, was one of those storms it was a category 4 that struck islemorada. on top of that, we have a peak, late season hurricane season where, we're susceptible to storms forming over the western caribbean and moving northward late in the season. october early november. >> and bill, it's ginger zee here. we recently visited with you and you gave us a tour of that facility. that bunker. and i'm so glad that you're safe. i know you're watching the radar like a hawk like i am. you saw that eye bobble a bit. become more oblong. big pine key taking the right side of it, to the east of you. could this be an eye wall replacement weaken. >> just define what eye wall replacement means. >> it happens regularly within a

hurricane. it can often mean and can mean intensification later. it's taking the thunderstorms that are on the outside of the eye, right, and then bring aing them, giving them life again. they're building back up. bill, you can chime in. i'm happy to do a science lesson with you. all of us have our eye on the eye wall as not just the keys are going to be impacted by what happens next. >> yeah, that's going to be a key component down the road. usually, a larger outer eye forms. and then eventually shrinks. it becomes a more compact storm. the main result of the eye wall replacement cycle is that the storm expands in size. the winds, pand in size, too. it backs much larger storm with much wider impact. >> with latitude, that happens. bill, thank you.

>> thank you, bill. we have heard accounts of those staying behind thapt know the grave danger. they've been writing their phone number, social security numbers on their arms. >> it's a good . i'm chris sowers, we're taking a look at storm tracker 6. we don't have anything going on, as a matter of fact, bright sunny skies, the exclusive accu-weather seven-day forecast, shows comfortable conditions, right through next week, highs in the 70's. mileage. 120 miles or so southeast of

naples. that will deteriorate. >> in the keys, they're getting the storm surge ahead of this and the backside. >> the whole west side of florida will see that. this thing rotates counterclockwise. it's a big spin. you get the front and then the back. >> you think you're out of it, think twice. we enkouj your to download the abc news app and sign up for breaking news alerts on hurricane irma. ginger, let's get back. we want to go to live pictures out of miami. back to the eye wall real quick. you said it wasn't concentric. does that mean it could be we weak weakening? >> like bill said. it could do either. hour ca hurricane force winds are 80 miles to either side of the eye. the hurricane force winds could reach from east to west. that's why you're seeing extreme

pictures out of miami. the last update, 63-mile-per-hour gusts. this is just the start. miami, by the afternoon, will start seeing 90 potentially mile per hour gusts. >> we see gio in the frame. give us a sense of the conditions right now. right there in miami. >> hey, there, dan. we're in a total whiteout here. we have covered a lot of blizzards. this is what that likes like here. we have the whiteout conditions. i don't know if the camera can see it. you can see the wind whipping around this building here. can you see that, louis? >> no. >> the wind is just wrhipping around. we're seeing branches, pieces of trees come from the sky. obviously, trees are not up there. a lot of trees are whipping around and coming around like that. ginger, if you're still here can

you explain this whipping condition. it feels like this wind this rain is coming from absolutely every direction. >> harrowing. gio benitez in miami, thank you. >> we're going the take a quick break. more of our coverage from hurricane irma coming up. we'll talk with the governor of florida, rick scott, coming up. and those seeking refuge. stay right here on "good morning america." we're right back. ♪ oh, look... another anti-wrinkle cream in no hurry to make anything happen. neutrogena® rapid wrinkle repair® works in just one week. with the fastest retinol formula available. it's clinically proven to work on fine lines and wrinkles. one week? that definitely works! rapid wrinkle repair®. and for dark spots, rapid tone repair. neutrogena®. see what's possible.

moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis was intense. my mom's pain from i wondered if she could do the stuff she does for us which is kinda, a lot. and if that pain could mean something worse. joint pain could mean joint damage. enbrel helps relieve joint pain, and helps stop further damage enbrel may lower your ability to fight infections. serious, sometimes fatal events including infections, tuberculosis, lymphoma other cancers, nervous system and blood disorders and allergic reactions have occurred. tell your doctor if you've been someplace where fungal infections are common. or if you're prone to infections, have cuts or sores, have had hepatitis b, have been treated for heart failure or if you have persistent fever, bruising, bleeding or paleness. don't start enbrel if you have an infection like the flu. since enbrel, my mom's back to being my mom. visit enbrel.com... and use the joint damage simulator to see how joint damage could progress. ask about enbrel. enbrel. fda approved for over 18 years.

♪ while other insurance companies just see a truck, we see something you've worked really hard for... so why not give it the protection it deserves. ♪

. 7:27 on this sunday, i'm nydia han. we're looking at sky 6 hd picture of center city, while florida is getting clobbered we're getting sunny skies let's go to chris sowers >> not even a cloud in the sky,

that's pretty much your entire day, wall-to-wall blue sky, gorgeous sunshine, 74 degrees mostly sunny, sun and clouds for tomorrow, little bit warmer but very comfortable up to state. crating clouds tuesday, 78 and maybe some of the remnant rains or remnant showers from hurricane irma move in tuesday into wednesday, 77. passing shower for thursday, 76. then friday and saturday, both look good. fall-like, highs in the upper 70's. >> thank you. >> that's it for action news right now, i'm nydia han, stay tuned for continuing coverage of hurricane irma. avenue off

welcome back to "gma" on a harrowing sunday morning. we're coving the breaking new this is morning. hurricane irma bearing down on the state of florida. it's a category 4 storm. making a direct hit of the florida keys. it will through the course of today and tomorrow move up the west coast of florida. bringing catastrophic wind and rains. and the storm surge. >> we want to go to david muir. i understand you have the governor of florida standing by. >> we do have the coverager back with us on "gma" this morning. governor rick scott of florida. governor scott, can you hear me, it's david muir? >> i can hear you in my hometown. >> i'm glad that you're with us this morning.

>> david -- >> you're watching this very closely. i wanted to ask you first about that report. obviously, from the national hurricane sent ferp eye wall reaching the florida keys. now we have to wait to see the damage coming in. what is your biggest concern many the keys right now? >> well, the first thing i ask everybody is to pray for us. i know a lot of people around the world want to help. the biggest thing you can do now is pray. you can donate. by texting disaster at 20222. or you can volunteer. we need volunteers. go to volunteer florida.org. this is hitting the keys. i talked to a friend in the keys. it's pounding them. it will pound my hometown of naples. what people don't realize is 10 to 15 feet of storm surge above ground level. that is just devastating. it will go all up the coast. we'll have storm surge all along the west coast.

pray for us. people are losing power. losing cell service. i can tell you our first responders will do everything they can to take care of you. but in the middle of this storm, we're going to try our best to make sure that you take care of everyone. i'm going to do everything i can to protect every citizen. we have great people, the value of florida sour people. we love our beaches and amusement parks. but it's the quality of the people here. >> governor, i can sassure you that the prayers of the nation with with you. you talked about your hometown of naples. it's where i am. the biggest concern is the storm surge. they're exexpecting 12 to 15 feet possible of storm surge here in naples. north of here, fort muers,

tampa, sarasota could see a significant surge as well. did enough people heed the warning to evacuate? >> i hope so. you know, i traveled the state all week. tried to get the message out. if you're in an evacuation zone, you have to get out. we prepared. there's always more you can do. i'm going to pray for everybody. i know our first responders are going to do everything they can to take care of everybody. and, we have over 400 shelters open. we worked with the health care industry, the nursing homes, assisted living. to make sure if people needed something, we got it to them. food, water, everything they need. i've checked the traffic cameras this morning. people are off the road. that's good. i hope they are all in a safe place. play for each citizen in our

state. >> governor scott, our thoughts are with the people of this state and with you as you ride out this storm, as well. you heard governor scott say, dan and paula, about the first responders. here in collier county, they have declared a civil emergency. just a short time ago. pulling all the first responders off the streets. i showed you the giant tree that came down. we're six to seven hours away from the catastrophic winds of about 130 miles per hour. they're expected to last for hours here. the weather service warning of tornado-like damage possible. when you reach wind speeds like that. we'll be here for that. we have plan for our team not the be out here. to be inside, if need be, and we'll be here throughout the afternoon with you. >> david, thank you so much. tough to hear what could possibly happen. especially to the southern part of the state. we want to check in with rob marciano in sarasota. what can you tell us, rob? >> irma will last the entire

state. david gets it about six to eight hours from now. we'll get it 10 to 12 hours. the east side of the state zbeting izbet i getting it, too. the rain shield. expansive. the tornado threat up towards the daytona beach area. the winds gusting across the midpart of the state. the core right now is hitting the lower keys. we got a report of a 90-mile-an-hour wind gust in key west at the national weather service. the waves will be a huge factor. not just here along the gulf coast. but really, you know, the the core of this is on the west side. the waves will be bigger across miami, and across palm beach as that shelf plays into the part of the waves being bigger. the surge bigger on the west. the waves bigger on the east. it will be a mess. the forecast track becomes less

important over times. that is a quick check i'm chris sowers, for us it's beautiful, nice and quiet, exclusive seven-day forecast, mostly sunny, 74, we do it all over again tomorrow, up to 78. may be a bit of a reach. i'm a perennial optimist. how much confidence do we have in the forecast? is there a chance the eye could move further west in a way that might make the damage mitigated for florida? >> you know, it's -- you move it west you get it farther out into the gulf of mexico. iffive moves west, it will

probably strengthen. at this point, dan, there's really no optimistic viewpoint. we're talking about a gat goir 4 storm hitting the west coast of florida. not good for anybody. >> no, it is not. rob marciano, thank you very much. we'll get back to you as the the show continues this morning. we'll be right back. and then the people go inside. do you understand charlie? mom? yeah? can i have a peanut butter sandwich? yeah, you sure can. can charlie have one, too? charlie can have one too. ♪ ♪ and one for charlie. (gasp) look mom! charlie took a bite. (with full mouth) unbelievable. feed his imagination, with the fresh roasted peanut taste he loves. where there's jif, there's love. need a fast absorbingd try nivea in-shower body lotion. wash. apply. it absorbs fast.

for 24 hour moisture. quickly rinse for smoother skin. ready to go! nivea in-shower body lotion. also available with cocoa butter. when it comes to planning trthe best routes,. nobody does it better. he's also a championship-winning football coach. look at that formation. but when it comes to mortgages, he's less confident. fortunately for andre, there's rocket mortgage by quicken loans. it's simple, so he can understand the details and be sure he's getting the right mortgage. apply simply. understand fully. mortgage confidently. my challenge is to be in sync with my body, myself, my life. it all starts with a healthy routine. begin the activia two week probiotic challenge by enjoying activia yogurt with billions of probiotics everyday. take the activia probiotic challenge! by enjoying activia yogurt with billions of probiotics everyday. essential for vinyl, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis.

because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in the stomach or intestines, low blood cell counts and higher liver tests and cholesterol levels have happened. your doctor should perform blood tests before you start and while taking xeljanz xr, and monitor certain liver tests. tell your doctor if you were in a region where fungal infections are common and if you have had tb, hepatitis b or c, or are prone to infections. needles. a must for vinyl. but for you, one pill a day may provide symptom relief. ask your doctor about xeljanz xr. an "unjection™".

♪ it isn't just about vision, it's about care. nobody cares for eyes more than pearle.

and welcome back to "good morning america." we have some serious damage that's been taking place here in downtown, miami. as the winds continue to whip here. i'm going to have you see. we have tree limbs that have been down and flying across the road. and the winds just keep whipping around the. we have had extremely strong bands come through. that's hen the trees started to come down. also, just over here. we had a downed power line. oh, no, this car is about to go through it. i hope it cease the power line. it turned in before. was we saw that hit the water and sparks going up everywhere.

more street signs flying across the road. the winds continue to whip. gusts over 60 miles per hour. hard to imagine double that in some areas. just in the last hours, things extremely, get extremely worse than they were before. so, this is a little bit calm, actually, for what we have been seeing. it's been whipping around. another area, not far from here, miami beach. extremely strong winds. our reporter is there. can you tell me what you're experiencing? you saw the band that came through about 15, 20 minutes ago. >> and we're still feeling it. for the last hour here on miami beach, yes, i can. i can hear you. and right now, it's getting much worse on miami beach. many the last hour, things have intensified. and this is a great example of how that wind, it's coming from the east.

we are at the shellbourne hotel. right past here is where the ocean is. the whind is whipping. you can see it against the pavement. in the trees. we have seen pieces of trees come down. this is before the winds started gusting. our meteorologist at wplg saying we're getting some gusts at hurricane-force winds. pieces of palm tree have come down. this is an evacuation zone. there are some people that chose to stay. we have man here that maybe did not have another option. he's been here for the entirety of the storm. this is just a bit of what we can expect. we know we have all of today to experience. we feel for our neighbors in the keys getting those real hurricane force winds closest to the eye of hurricane irma. >> all right, liane, thank you. here in downtown miami, we're

having another strong band come through right now as well. we just got alerts on our phone. there is a tornado warning. they're telling people to take cover. things are very serious here in miami. we'll be here throughout the morning to give you the latest updates. we'll be right back. parodontax, the toothpaste that helps prevent bleeding gums. if you spit blood when you brush or floss you may have gum problems and could be on the journey to much worse. help stop the journey of gum disease. try parodontax toothpaste. it's clinically proven to remove plaque, the main cause of bleeding gums. for healthy gums, and strong teeth. leave bleeding gums behind. with parodontax toothpaste. ♪

an epic flavor... it's cranberry. it's pineapple. and there's no. sugar. added. cranberry pineapple 100% juice. the next big thing to hit the juice aisle. the bathroom. when things go wrong here, you remember. quilted northern is designed to work so well, you can forget your bathroom trips. but sir froggy can never forget. "i used to be a prince.

but no princess would kiss me now."

welcome back to "good morning america" on this sunday morning. our special coverage of hurricane irma. these are live pictures right now from miami. you can see the situation there. they're facing winds 70 miles per hour. this, right here is palm beach. so, to some video from the east side of the state. we want to bring in amy, who is

in the florida keys. she is specifically in islamorada. joining us by phone. we know that the eye is to the west of you. can you tell us what the situation is like where you are right now? >> um -- it's really windy. there's a lot of downed trees. i live right on the canal. three boats have sunk down our street. it's pretty bad. i mean, i thought it was going to be worse, to be honest. but it's pretty bad. the wind gusts are going sideways. >> you are on what is called the dirty vid of the storm right now. the worst part of it. it could get worse few you. we were looking at a video you shot on your phone of your back deck. i have to ask you, because i'm sure a lot of people are wondering, hi did you stay? >> um -- you know, i -- everybody asked me that. i don't have a great answer. i feel safe in my home. it's a concrete structure.

concrete roof. i was raised in the key. my husband is a fisherman. our boat is here. that's hour lyely hood. once you leave the keys, you can't get back in. we can't wait two weeks to see if we have a livelihood. >> when you said it's not as bad as you thought, ginger said, it's going the get worse. >> definitely. right now, the storm surge is not where we live. i have a friend who i lovlives e florida bay. it's emptying out. the waeter is leaving the bay as we speak. where she lives. it's amazing to watch. we don't have the storm surge yet. we know it's coming. we're 12 feet off the ground. >> amazing to watch. scary, also. we're running out of time.

we want to wish you the best of luck. we understand why you decided to stay. we hope you stay safe as the storm moves up the coast of florida. this is just beginning. stay with "gma." we're going to continue our coverage of hurricane irma. we'll be right back.

♪ ♪ ♪ so many americans struggle with finances. starting today, state farm is here to help. giving us all the chance to simply sit down and learn. visit letsstarttoday.com or talk to an agent.

need a fast absorbing try nivea in-shower body lotion. wash. apply. it absorbs fast. for 24 hour moisture. quickly rinse for smoother skin. ready to go! nivea in-shower body lotion. also available with cocoa butter.

ostriches don't really stick their heads in the sand. a peanut is not a nut. and a real john deere... is actually real affordable. you learn something new every day. the surprisingly affordable john deere e series tractors. now you can own america's tractor for just $99 a month. learn more at your john deere dealer. you're danny? i'm steve. joseph, i'm steve. how are you? nice to meet you sir. no different from everyone else. they just want a job. they want respect and they want dignity. steve called fairly frantic. you know, he had a premature baby and i think he had just

been given the diagnosis that she had down syndrome. lauren brought out the best in me. she made me a different person. lauren's the spark that started the fire. the goal is keep places like this open so all people, regardless of disability, have an opportunity for employment. and we want to welcome you back to our special coverage. we want to check in with gio ma in miami. >> good morning. at the airport about half hour from here, wind gusts recorded of 72 miles per hour. key west, 90 miles per hour. we checked with our weather team here. we're now about 100 miles from the eye. 100 miles. and this is what we're feeling

here. we're nowhere near the eye. unbelievable wind. unbelievable rain. these trees are getting destroyed. the street, i'm seeing stuff fly all over the place. it's flying. i can't see what sit. that's what we're seeing right here. we're seeing all of this potential destruction that could come from these kinds of winds. amy mentioned a tornado warning. we're watching the skies just to make sure. if there is something in the skies, we're running in right away. these are some of the most intense winds that we have felt all morning long. paula? dan? >> gio benitez in miami. holding a tether to make sure she's safe. we want to emphasize, as gio did, this thing is just beginning. he's in miami. the brunt of this storm is will felt along the west coast of florida as this storm moves its way up from the keys, where it is right now, up the west coast of florida throughout the day.

we'll cover it every step of the way right here on abc. thank you for joining us on "gma." our coverage of irma continues throughout the day. 7:56, i. hurricane irma is pounding florida but it is really nice at the jersey shore this morning, let's go to chris sowers for more details in accu-weather >> it's pretty nice everywhere.

across delaware and lehigh valleys, the numbers will quickly warm. we're only up to 74 later. the normal is 82, fall-like out there underneath mostly sunny skies, sun and clouds, increasing clouds tuesday, 78. maybe a few showers from irma by we get wednesdays and wednesday night, i highs around 70 >> we'll be back at 8:27. stay tune for more good morning america and abc's continuing coverage of hurricane irma. so i want my glasses to be unique...

my girlfriend loves artists. and i need a conservative pair, cuz her parents hate artists! get up to 40% off a second pair of glasses. schedule your eye exam at pearlevision.com. z26vez z5yz y26vey y5yy

good morning, america. breaking this morning. direct hit. hurricane irma slamming into florida. leaving hundreds of thousands without power. the monster storm battering the keys with 130-mile-per-hour winds. and life-threatening storm surge, up to 15 feet. over 20 inches of rain expected in some areas. >> as new warnings come out about the potentially catastrophic category 4 hurricane. >> this is a storm of absolutely historic destruct ifrive potential. >> people flee to higher ground. >> i was really scared. >> filling shelters to capacity. >> we have a mad house. >> thousands lining up waiting for hours to get in. >> we don't have any more space. >> come on, boots.