good morning. get out now. florida residents on the run this morning as hurricane irma makes a slight shift to the west overnight. now putting the state's west coast in its cross hairs. >> hurricane irma continues to be a threat that is going to devastate the united states. >> still no one safe. the monster storm wider than the sunshine state itself. fears of catastrophic form surges and mass destruction. popular areas look like ghost towns as people heed the warnings to get to safety. officials warning key west residents that nowhere is safe. tens of thousands pour into evacuation centers. between five and six million people told to evacuate. a quarter

on major highways. >> we're running out of time. the storm's going to hit. >> as irma hammers cuba overnight, the death toll rises in the caribbean with yet another monster hurricane, jose, telling close behind. and it's just a matter of hours before irma makes landfall. today, saturday, september 9th, 2017. >> from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today: hurricane irma." with sheinelle jones, dylan dreyer, and craig melvin. >> welcome to "today." i'm sheinelle jones. >> glad to have you with us. i'll craig melvin. in less than 24 hours, irma is expected to make landfall in florida. the keys are expected to be the first part of that state to get hit. we have been saying it for days now, but again, this is a monster storm. it's packing

miles per hour as it batters cuba right now. >> let's get to the latest headlines overnight. the storm's path has shifted slightly, taking a small turn away from miami and toward the west. and now florida residents on the state's west coast are in the direct path of irma. >> more than a quarter of florida's population has been told to evacuate. 5.6 million people were warned over the last several days that they should leave their homes and get to somewhere safer. >> the death toll is rising. so far at least 23 people have been killed in the caribbean, and police in broward county, florida, say one man died when he fell off a ladder while putting up storm shutters. we have more from al roker onstorm's path. -- on the storm's path. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, we've been watching and waiting for the storm to make its turn. it has yet to happen. we feel more confidence about where it's headed. let's show the exact location where irma is now.

currently it's a category-4 storm. just a couple of miles per hour below a five. it's 245 miles south/southeast of miami. it is moving west/northwest at 12. it continues at a snail's pace at this point. we are going to watch it skirt along the cuba coast and then get to the florida straits where water temperatures are close to 90. that may add to strengthening. sometime sunday morning into early afternoon, southwest florida will see 150 miles per hour winds possible, eight to 12-foot surge. 10 to 20 inches of rain. along the southeast coast from west palm beach to key largo, 50 to 75 mile-per-hour winds, five to ten-foot surge, 8 to 12 inches of rain. then it makes landfall right around where we are, ft. myers, sometime sunday afternoon and into the evening hours, with 100 to 125 miles per hour winds, three to eight-foot storm surge, 10 to 15 inches of rain. it traverses the state as a category-3 storm. moving southeast monday

tornado threats all along its path. storm surge is the thing that kills most people. here's what we see as far as the storm surge. from tampa all the way down to key west and back to melbourne, anywhere from 8 to 12 feet. as you get to tampa bay, three to five feet. southeastern florida and the keys, five to ten feet. we also have a surge map that shows you where we expect the surges of nine meet or more stretching from naples all the way down into the everglades. again, that's where we see the most deaths out of those surges. again, as we said, 10 to 15 inches of rain. the problem, guys, is that with it slowing down, it looks like it's going to come on shore with those surges at the worst time, around high tide says. that could make the devastation even greater. >> goodness. thank you, al. >> as al showed, cuba and the bahamas feeling irma's effects right now. time running out for florida's residents to get somewhere safe before irma makes

there. lester holt is in miami beach this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, craig. miami beach under a mandatory evacuation order. the winds howled all night. certainly not hurricane force, but we're feeling the storm. though it has taken a westward shift, this area not out of the danger zone. they are anticipating that water is going to come rushing in here at some point as a storm surge. we've talked about what's happening in the caribbean. cuba got hit when the storm went to a category 5 briefly last night. great destruction now in the caribbean. more than 20 people are dead, and entire islands without power. this is what's headed for florida. irma tore through cuba overnight as a category-5 hurricane. 155 mile-per-hour winds battering the island's northern coast. the

storm surges there could reach a devastating 20 feet. irma has left a trail of death and destruction through the caribbean. new pictures coming out of the virgin islands reveal catastrophic damage. it may take years to rebuild all that's gone. >> i can guarantee you that i don't know anybody in florida that's ever experienced what's about to hit south florida. >> reporter: in florida, it's time to get out of irma's way. >> we don't want people on the road when the storm starts to hit. >> reporter: the rush to get out has created massive traffic jams. it's one of the largest evacuations in american history. about 5.5 million people ordered to leave, more than a quarter of the population of the entire state of florida. and getting gas proving a challenge. >> long lines. this is the first one that had a decent line. >> taking about two, three hours to get gas. >> reporter: flying is no longer an option. south florida's major airports closed last night. thos

flight out fear losing all they left behind. >> you never expect this to happen to you, you know. and when you lose everything, you lose -- you lose your possessions. you lose like -- separated from your family. it's hard. >> reporter: as for those who rema remain, an estimated half million people are heading to the more than 40 emergency shelters that have been set up. >> i had to bring my two elderly parents here because i'm just afraid for them. >> reporter: not only are residents of miami beach being asked to leave, the fire department making its own preparations to relocate equipment, fire trucks, and ambulances off the island. you don't want to put your people in harm's way. >> right. exactly. we definitely do not want to put them in harm's way as much as they'd like to be here. >> reporter: despite all the warnings, some people will not leave. >> i'm one of those people that you can call stupid or whatever. this is my home. i feel safe

and this is where i'm going to ride out the storm. >> reporter: under the circumstances, it probably goes without saying, but major college football games in the state are canceled this weekend, including home openers for the university of florida and florida state. back to you in new york. >> lester holt there with quite the ominous sky behind you at miami beach. a virtual ghost town. thank you. as irma shifts slightly west, some residents who thought they would be spared from the storm's worst are now planning for catastrophe. kristen dahlgren is in in ft. myers with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. to give you an idea of how attitudes here have changed, yesterday during the day i saw people out on their boats, out on the beach. i went to a shelter last night, it doesn't open until 10:00 this morning, there were already people lined up to get in. along florida's west coast, there is new urgency. what many thought was a miss has models

>> we're not as far away from the center as we had originally thought. >> reporter: grace and frank mazzarella scrambling to finish storm proposals sanibel island. >> my family wants us out of florida totalen. that's a little bit difficult to do right now with traffic, airlines are booked up. >> reporter: officials going door to door to make sure residents, especially the most vulnerable, weren't lulled into a sense of security. >> i'm just thinking about my family. >> reporter: the biggest issue may be a storm surge. a wall of water coming ashore leaving all of these low-lying homes under water. search and rescue teams are ready for anyone who doesn't get out in time. >> pretty much anything that's going to help us gain access to something or someone is on this vehicle. >> reporter: route 75, the major highway on florida's west coast, backed up for miles. gas supplies are dwindling. some places are running out of

is evacuating but couldn't find a place to go. >> all the hotels in gainesville, ocala, lake city, they're all booked. we had to sleep at a rest area with our kids. >> reporter: while others can only hope they didn't wait too long. >> by the grace of god we'll survive it again. >> reporter: so almost two million people call southwest florida home. when you add in tourists, guys, that number goes way, way up. officials have been telling people here for days don't pay attention to that center line, you're still in the cone of uncertainty. their hope now is that enough people got that message early enough. >> thank you. let's attorney florida governor rick scott, dealing with the hurricane that's going to impact his entire state. good morning to up. thanks for your time. shelters are set up. the national guard has been activated. i heard you practically begging residents to get out of florida yesterday. here we are less than 20 hrs

>> we've worked very hard to help get people out of evacuation areas. i hope everybody's doing it. if you're on the west coast and not on the road by early morning today, it's going to be too late. we're continuing to open shelters all around the state. we're going to do everything we can to get people to safety. the keys will get hit this morning with the winds. the big thing i'm worried about is the storm surge. unbelievable storm surge. up to 12 feet of storm surge. they're not going to survive it. if you're in an evacuation zone, get out now. this is a great state. people are resilient, they work together. they're strong. they help each other. we're going to make it through this. >> we want to help you out this morning. we understands you're asking for -- we understand you're asking for volunteer nurses? >> absolutely. we've got a lot of people in shelters. we need about 1,000 nurses. i've got a website,

bprchdpreparedness@flhealth.gov. we need about 1,000 nurses and need 1,000 nurses in our shelters now to help take care of those that, you know, the special needs and others who need help. nobody can come and help us do that, we appreciate that. >> i was going to ask, logistically, how's that working? there are so many people trying to head out. are you asking for people maybe in the area to just go to the shelters instead? logistically, how would this work? >> absolutely. yeah. absolutely. if you're in the area and off to evacuate but you can come to the shelter and help these individuals, that would be outstanding. so we need about 1,000 nurses, and hopefully we'll get them. >> governor, we've got the information, by the way, for folks at home. the information at the bottom of the screen, that website, e-mail you mentioned. late morning, you're saying that's sort of the deadline for folks to get out. does that mean you guys are going to start contra-flow at that point? all lanes will then ld

florida? >> we're making sure we get the fuel there. we're working diligently to get fuel to the highway. we've opened the shoulder from wildwood to the georgia line to add more lanes there. we've got 1,700 troopers working to keep the traffic flowing. we've got local police and sheriff's office help keep the traffic moving. it's getting late. if you're not on the road, on the west coast by noon, you need to get to a shelter, get to a friend's house if you're in an evacuation jozone. get off the road. >> this is catastrophic. i know you've been talking to the media, trying to get out. in this moment, do you feel prepared? >> absolutely. we have great emergency management team, great first responders. the federal government, i've talked to president trump pretty much every day. fema's here. i've got all the resources of the federal government, they're committed. we have all of our resources, i've called up 7,000 members

the national guard. the big concern i have is are individuals listening and getting out of harm's way? you've got to get out of evacuation zones, get to higher grounds, get to safety. the shelters are in safer locations. you've got to keep doing that. we're prepared. we're resilient. we're strong. we're going to help each other, and we're going to get through this. >> florida governor rick scott. thank you very much for your time, and good luck. as we've mentioned, irma hit cuba and the bahamas overnight after leaving a swath of destruction across the caribbean. nbc's rehema ellis is in the bahamas. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning to you. as the day begins here in nassau, the skies are gray, and that pretty much reflects the mood of so many people in the caribbean. nowhere is that more true than in cuba where hurricane irma slammed into the nation overnight. winds of 150 miles per hour. it's expected to linger there during the day with the

island. people have tremendous reason to be afraid of what's happened because of what the storm has already shown it can do. 23 people have been killed as a result of this storm in the caribbean. the island of barbuda was essentially devastated, flattened by the storm. other islands of st. john, st. thomas, st. maarten, homes leveled. pretty much nothing for people to hang on to anymore. in the southern bahamas, southern bahamas pounded by irma over the last day. there may not be much for folks there to go back to when they have the opportunitying to n and assess -- opportunity to go in and assess the damage. here a hurricane warning remains in effect for northeast and central bahamas where i am. we're expecting tropical storm-force winds. we've had lightning and rain overnight. while people may say we haven't had the worst of

not out of the storm yet. back to you. >> the pictures are still devastating. thank you. it almost seems hard to believe, but there's actually another major hurricane on the horizon. it could prove to be a double whammy for those just battered by irma. dylan is in palm beach monitoring hurricane jose. good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, guys. yes, hurricane jose is a huge concern for especially an island like bar duda. i'll show you the track in a second. here in palm beach, the ocean is getting much more churned up. this is a different frequent what we saw yesterday. the town itself is a virtual ghost town. there are not that meany people who decided to stay and ride out the storm. driving along some of the main drags in this area, everyone has boarded up shop. we certainly have seen restaurant and shops and everyone storm shutters their windows.

less than 24 hours away. we've seen the westerly shift, so this area will not be hit by the brunt of the storm. still, we are going to see hurricane-force winds and dangerous storm surge. there's reason to be concerned. it's good that people have left the area, boarded up and taken precautions. let's focus on hurricane jose. bar buckey barbuda was 90% destroyed by hurricane irma. it's interesting to note that without a lot of communications on the island, they might not know the next sto

should take the storm seriously. with his cabinet at camp david trying to show it's all hands on deck. at camp david this morning, president trump tracking irma while trying to reassure the public just before leaving the white house, telling reporters -- >> we're prepared. we're prepared at the highest level. >> reporter: in his weekly address, urging everyone to take the storm seriously. >> i ask everyone in the storm's pap path to be vigilant and hee

officials and law enforcement. nothing is more important than the safety and security of our people. >> reporter: later this morning, the president will get briefed on the storm as he convenes a meeting with his entire cabinet for the fourth time since taking office. in addition to irma, the white house is monitoring another hurricane -- jose -- and grappling with the ongoing fallout from friday on. friday the president's homeland security adviser said the government has the resources to handle multiple disasters and the president's readi, too. >> i'm extremely comfortable with president trump's capacity to do so. he's demonstrated an ability to demonstrate issues of complexity on a regular basis. >> reporter: more help is already on the way for hurricane harvey victims. on friday, the president signed a $15 billion aid package for them that was overwhelmingly passed by the house. the three-month deal includes funding for the government and an increase in the debt limit. the president stunned members of his own party by striking the deal with democrats. mean,

specifical specifically, his mar-a-lago first alert palm beach, the place he calls the white house. the estate shut down friday. everyone there and in the surrounding area told to get out. mar-a-lago has withstood powerful storms in the past. in fact, it's weathered four major hurricanes with very little damage. there are concerns for the president's estate in st. maarten, in the path of irma. a spokesperson for the trump organization declined to comment on the status of the property but said the trump organization is monitoring the situation. >> thank you. in other news this morning, mexico has been dealt with a deadly one-two punch with hurricane katia making landfall overnight as a category-1 storm on the eastern gulf coast one day after an 8.1 earthquake struck the country's south pacific coast. around 70 aftershocks have since been recorded. that quake the strongest to hit mexico in more than a century. at least 61 people have died in the twin national

with the death toll likely to rise. all eyes north korea this morning with fears that nation would celebrate its founding anniversary with another intercontinental ballistic missile test. so far no movements have been detected. it comes one week after the rogue nation conducted its sixth and most powerful nuclear test. in response, the united states is calling for a vote monday on a u.n. resolution that would impose the toughest-ever sanctions on north korea. this morning the ntsb is investigating a helicopter crash that killed country music star troy entgentry. it went down near medford, new jersey. it happened hours before a scheduled montgomery gentry concert in new jersey. the pilot on board was also killed. troy gentry was 50 years old. it will be an all-american final at the u.s. open today with madison keys and sloane stephens squaring off in the title for a $3.7 million cash

prize. overnight, rafael nadal moved into the finals with a sweeping victory against argentinian juan martin del potro. he will go head to head with kevin anderson on sunday. let's head to palm beach for a check of the rest of the country's forecast. dylan? >> reporter: guys, looking across the rest nothing to worry about today out there. beautiful conditions. temperatures low- to mid-70s with plenty of sunshine out there today. we continue to see sunny skies tomorrow. i know it's a little chilly right now but we'll continue to have those temperatures warm on up. another chilly night overnight into sunday morning. but sunday we're looking good, monday increasing clouds,

late monday night. tuesday and wednesday, that will be from what is left of irma moving our way with rain showers in t that's your latest forecast. guys? >> all right. we'll come back to you in a bit with lots more on hurricane irma's path coming up, including major flooding fears in miami beach where residents -- residents there gets concerned even on a sunny day. and disney world is about to shut down, as well. first, this is "today" on nbc.

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>> announcer: this is a "news 4 today" newsbreak. hi, everybody. the time right now is 7:26 on this saturday september 9th. i'm angie goff. in the news right now prince george's county police say two people are dead following this car crash in front of fairmont heights high school. a look at the scene around 3:00 this morning. we're told the driver and passenger died at the scene. no other information has been released. police in montgomery county are processing the suv of mother to be and teacher laura wallen. her suv was found late thursday just blocks away from the wilde lake high school where she teaches. police have also searched her condo for any clues as to where she might be. wa

labor day. and a look at your forecast that's coming up next. stay with us.

now time for a check on our weekend weather and lauryn ricketts, chilly out there this morning. >> i know. i was just thinking that, angie. i was looking at these temperatures. look at shenandoah valley, luray coming in at 45, d.c. at 57. annapolis on the water at 61. it is chilly especially if you had your windows open last knit tonight joy the beautiful evening we did have. no rain out there now, no rain in sight today. enjoy it. if you need to get outside, get fitness in or whatever you need to do today looking good, temperatures low- to mid-70s. maybe headed to redskins eagles game for tomorrow 1:00 start time. looking good for that as well. a beautiful weekend in store. increasing clouds on monday ahead of irma, then we will have some rain from the remnants

tuesday, wednesday, possibly thursday. >> thank you, lauryn. we'll we are back on this saturday, september 9th. a live look at the satellite image of hurricane irma. she is a category-4 storm right now. a monster storm. nothing like we have seen before. we're being told by the national weather service, hurricane irma topping our look at the headlines this morning. the storm made landfall overnight in cuba as a cat 5. it's currently hammering both cuba and the bahamas. the path shifted slightly to the west, meaning florida's west coast residents could face a more direct hit than they originally thought. al and dylan will have much more in a few minutes. and in mexico, residents are recovering after a different hurricane made landfall there. hurricane katia roared ashore as a te

it's a one-two punch for residents after friday morning's earthquake and now the hurricane. at least 61 people have been killed throughout the country. and the d.c. classroom that got a surprise visitor on friday. former president barack obama stopped by. the high school students at mckinley tech were settling into a new year of classes when the former president stopped by to welcome and encourage them. the former president and first lady make frequent visits to schools around the world while in the white house. of course, we start with hurricane irma this hour. the category-4 storm sets its sights on the sunshine state. back to al in ft. myers. al, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, guys. it belies what's coming to be this beach. in 24 hours, this is going to be a lot different scene. give you the coordinates and what's going on with irma right now. currently still a category 4 storm. but just barely below a 5. it

mile-per-hour winds. it is moving west/northwest at 12 miles per hour. we'll get an update coming up at 8:00 from the national hurricane center. and right now, let's give a futurecast of the winds. you see they first hit over 80 miles per hour key west, marathon key, and continue along the western coast of florida. finally making landfall sometime in the afternoon. you see miami at 55 miles per hour. marco island, 105. they continue to make their way up and on into the state of florida. the surge, of course, also going to be a big, big concern. that's where the most deaths occur. we're looking at surges anywhere from 3 to 12 feet before it's all over. the new surge graphic map that comes from the national hurricane center shows that basically from naples to the everglades, nine feet or more. that's where the heaviest surge is going to be above ground. so

to 15 inches in spots. it's a lot going on in the state of florida. it's not a quick mover. it's going to be on the ground causing problems for about 24 hours. during that period of time, the threat for tornadoes will increase greatly especially here in southern florida. >> really quickly, i know initially there had been thinking that as the storm passed over cuba it might get weakened a bit. is that no longer the case? >> reporter: that normally is the case. however, between cuba and here in southern florida, there's a swath of 90-degree, almost 90-degree water temperatures. i would not be surprised if this doesn't restrengthen and possibly become a 5 again. it is not out of the question. >> all right. al roker for us there if in ft. myers. florida's world-famous theme parks are shutting down ahead of irma. katy b

world with that part of the story. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, yes, it is exceptionally rare for walt disney world to close its doors. this is only the fifth time since the resort opened in 1971 that they have done so. it is not just walt disney world. it is universal studios and sea world. they'll be closed sunday and monday while the worst of irma is headed through orlando. they simply say that park-goers are not safe under these conditions and feel it necessary to close the attractions. as for hotels in orlando, they remain open and full of evacuees. at this point disney has said if reservations need to be canceled or rescheduled, there will be no fees for that. but getting out of orlando could be tricky because the airports here are closing at 5:00 today and also will remain closed through the duration of the storm. perhaps the only silver lining for disney is that this time of ye year, between labor day and october 1st, is the slowest period at the theme park throughout the entire .

this hit during the busy season. guys? >> i guess that is true. catie, thank you. dylan dreyer's in palm beach with a look at the rest of the country's forecast. dylan, in terms of how it looks there now versus how it looked when you initially got there? >> reporter: >> reporter: the sun's up now, and you can see the sunrise here. the water has gotten a lot rougher since we visited this spot yesterday. the winds are picking up. the air is very, very humid. you know that the atmosphere is primed for the torrential downpours we'll see once this gets here. things are changing. there's a different feel in the air than we felt yesterday. elsewhere, let's look at what's going on.

we've got temperatures in the 50s and 40s. head to shenandoah valley you find temperatures in the 40s. make your way out the door, a little chilly. by this afternoon absolutely beautiful. temperatures low- to mid-70s san diego-type weather. chilly morning, sunny and dry out there. you want to do some late summer grilling feel free as we head spot evening. tomorrow looks fantastic and that's your latest forecast. guys? >> all right. thank you. you be safe. just ahead, parts of florida flood even on sunny days. this morning, how miami beach is preparing for the worst case scenario as hurricane irma approaches. first, when i first started working with capital one, my dad called them up and asked for "the jennifer garner card"

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we are back on a saturday morning with one of the serious concerns that south florida faces as irma roars closer to shore. >> among them, miami beach which floods even on sunny days. what's going to happen when hurricane irma arrives? nbc's kerry sanders is in miami beach this morning. good morning to you. >> reporter: well, good morning. whether you accept or don't what scientists say, that global warming is raising our world's oceans, there's an undeniable fact on miami beach -- they've had to raise the sidewalks and roads from where i'm standing now up here because each on sunny days, as you pointed out, when there's a full moon there's a thing called a king tide. much of miami beach goes under water. miami residents are bracing for hurricane irma. the monster storm expected to dump massive amounts of water in a short amount of time. it's a worst-case scenario, officials say, for a city that already has a major problem with flooding. even, believe it or not, on

>> can't believe you're walking through this. good doggy. >> reporter: up the state's east coast. flooding. >> it is atrocious. >> reporter: the leading cause -- it's not rain. it's that full moon visible even in the daytime. its gravitational pull aligned with the sun creating what are called king tides. the water level in south florida more than a foot and a half above normal. amplifying the king tides, say experts, melting glaciers which add even more water to the oceans. erin davey co-authored a scientific report projecting the growth of king tides. >> we've seen nine inches of sea level rise over the last years. >> reporter: nine inches? and it's continuing? >> it is continuing to rise. at a certain level every year. >> reporter: and because the franconia see of these events is also on the rise, governments in south florida are now plan, actually hoping that

beat mother nature. here on miami beach which is a barrier island, they're trying to build their way out of the floods by raising the roads higher than the highest tides. miami beach is seven-miles long and one-mile wide. the city has budgeted $400 million to lift about half of miami beach roads two feet higher, to lay as much as 80 miles of storm pipes hooked to pumps, and to build up seawalls as much as five feet. those walls designed to keep the water that's pumped out from flowing right back into the city. >> anybody who says global warming isn't happening is an idiot. >> reporter: it's a phenomenon facing coastal cities from miami to boston. and on the west coast, from washington state down to san diego. still even with irma on the horizon, the mayor of miami beach knows the limitations of preventive efforts. >> we've done everything we can to protect against flooding. with a hurricane of this strength, the potential tidal surge could be 8, 9, 10, 12

surge looks like -- >> reporter: likely worse than what we saw during hurricane matthew in jacksonville beach, florida, last year. and many people in the storm's path don't have flood insurance which is sure to be a problem once irma hits. >> only between 15% and 20% of people along the gulf have insurance. that's a serious problem. they're not going to be able to get insurance money. they're only going to be able to get low interest loans as disaster relief. and they'll have to pay that back along with their mortgages. >> reporter: a scary thought as irma takes aim for florida and the east coast. the city has budgeted about $500 million, a half a billion dollars, to try to solve this problem. they've been checking the pumps here this morning. with the roads raised as they, even with all of that, the storm surge will likely slosh over miami beach. >> kerry, you don't just cover florida. we know that you live there, as well. you also have the distinction of being one of our correspondent that's actually

compare preparations for this storm to preparations back then, if you can. >> reporter: it is so much better. people are actually doing what they need to do. so many lessons have been learned from andrew. got to remember andrew was a last-minute turn. nobody knew it was going to turn as it did and devastate homestead. but people didn't evacuate and didn't take the hurricanes as seriously as they do now. i think that there's a much more professional leadership, all the way from the federal government to the state emergency operations centers. andrew was a wake-up call, and now the test is about to come. >> those pictures are devastating. thank you. coming up next, how you can help, how you can help the people in hurricane irma's path. that important information right after these messages. to most people, i look like most people. but on the inside, i feel chronic, widespread pain. fibromyalgia may be invisible to others, but my pain is real.

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we're back on a saturday morning. as florida braces for irma, you might be wondering what you can do to help. you might think that because people could essentially lose anything they'll take anything. that's actually not the case. >> let's show the central for international disaster information. it says in times like these the best thing you can do is to send money to trusted relief and charitable organizations. >> so why sends cash instead of stuff? for starters, survivors' needs vary. also, remember this -- there are no transportation costs or fees when you're taking money, when you're talking about money, rather. cash also allows organizations to spend their time providing aid rather than managing goods. >> while people donate with the best of intentions, things like clothe, food, and other household items not only clog up the supply line, they can often go to waste. this actually surprised me. look at

this was the scene at a donation center after the massive 2004 indian ocean tsunami. the contributions -- look at this -- they sat and rotted. and eventually all of this that you're looking at had to be destroyed. >> if you are not sure where to donate, check the legitimacy of charities on sites like guidestar and charitynavigator.org, as well. charitynavigator has already compiled a list of trusted groups for hurricane irma relief. >> there's also local organizations. they understand their communities' needs, and donations will ultimately help stimulate the economy. so it's a lot to think about. so you can go to today.com, and we have all the information that you need. >> we can all do something. we have much more ahead as we track hurricane irma's path. we will head back to florida where residents are getting ready for landfall again. we're talking about roughly 20 hours from now. first, this is "today."

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still to come, we'll go live to florida where lester, al, and dylan are standing by. less than 24 hours before irma makes landfall. we'll have the latest on irma's path as the storm currently hits cuba. also, lessons from hurricane andrew. what has florida learned in the 25 years since that massive storm flattened parts of south florida? we'll get to that and lots more. first, these messages. whens with nasal congestion on notice... find fast, all-day sweet relief behind the pharmacy counter with claritin-d. strut right on past that aisle... and tell your stuffed up nose to stuff it with non-drowsy claritin-d. a steroid free allergy medicine that contains the best oral decongestant. it starts working in as little as 30 minutes. so you can get back to living the good life. live claritin clear with claritin-d. at carmax, we buy all the cars. uh, all the cars? all the cars. old cars? yes. new cars? oh, yeah. sports cars? indeed.

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good morning. irma takes aim. a monster category-4 storm shifting its path slightly overnight, out inning florida's west coast in the cross hairs. residents scrambling as the storm heads right toward them. >> i'm not as far away from the center as we had originally thought. >> more than five million people told you have to get out. that's more than a quarter of the state's population. >> we're running out of time. this storm's going to hit. >> overnight, the storm hammering cuba and the bahamas as the death toll rises in the akron. and another huge storm, hurricane jose, follows right behind. islands devastated already right in its path. now, the

takes aim at florida with landfall expected in less than 24 hours. today, saturday, september 9th, 2017. >> from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today: hurricane irma." with sheinelle jones, craig melvin, and dylan dreyer. live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning. welcome back to "today" on this saturday morning. i'm craig melvin. a look there at some of the images that are starting to come in. >> you can feel it already. i'm sheinelle jones. all eyes are on hurricane irma this morning. check out the category-4 storm. it is massive. wider than the state of florida, and bringing top winds of 130 miles per hour. >> here's the very latest on the storm. overnight the path shifted slightly, putting florida's west coast in peril. of course, storm surge from the east to the west coast is a huge concern this morning. >> cuba and the bahamas are

now. the storm made landfall in cuba overnight as a category-5 storm. already at least 23 people have been killed in the caribbean. and while miami's national airport remains open this morning, there will be no flights coming in or going out of that airport. there's so much to get to this morning. our team covering it all. let's start with al roker. he has the very latest on irma's path. where is it, where is it headed now? >> reporter: guys, a big change just in with the 8:00 update from the national hurricane center. irma being over land in cuba has taken some of the wind out of its sails. it's still a category-4 storm, but now its winds are at 130 miles per hour. the latest location, 225 miles south of miami, florida. it is moving west now at 12 miles per hour. so -- it's still going to have to come out over land. i should say over those 90-degree water temperatures between

could see some restrengthening again. probably will still make landfall sometime sunday morning, southwest florida, causing up to 150 mile-per-hour winds. 10 to 20 inches. rain and 8 to 12-foot storm surges. in the southeastern part of the state, more of the same, although the wind's not as strong and the storm surge not as strong. as we move into sunday afternoon, it makes landfall into the evening hours. 100 to 125 mile-per-hour winds from sarasota, ft. myers, all the way to naples. rainfall, 10 to 15 inches. it stays a category-3 storm as it makes its way into georgia with temperatures -- i should say with temperatures 50 to 75 miles per hour. and the storm surge is going to be the big story. that's where the most damage and deaths can occur. we we're looking at storm surges from tampa all the way down do key west, back to melbourne, anywhere from 3 to 12 feet. to . now with it slowing down, the good news is that it will probably come on shore a little after high tide.

looking at a wide swath that will see storm surges well over nine feet. and we're looking at rainfall amounts anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of rain. craig, sheinelle? >> al roker in ft. myers, thanks. more than 5.5 million florida residents were told to evacuate. a large majority of them heeding the warning. lester holt is in miami beach with the latest on where irma is and how florida is preparing. lester, it looks like conditions are getting a bit worse by you there. >> reporter: yeah. they are deteriorating by the minute. we have gotten frequent rain bands, and the winds continue to pick up. in the last hour they've recorded up to 60-mile-an-hour gusts here. we've heard al and others talk about the shift to the west of the storm. officials fear that people may hear that and think they're safe on this side of florida. they are not. again, the width of the storm so broad, this entire state is at risk. this is what's

florida. irma tore into cuba overnight as a category-5 hurricane. 155 mile-per-hour winds battering the island's northern coast. the monster storm slamming the bahamas, as well. storm surges there could reach a devastating 20 feet. irma has left a trail of death and destruction through the caribbean. new pictures coming out of the virgin islands reveal catastrophic damage. it may take years to rebuild all that's gone. >> i can guarantee you that i don't know anyone in florida who's experienced what's about to hit south florida. >> reporter: in florida, it's time to get out of irma's way. governor rick scott spoke to us in the last hour. >> if you're in an evacuation zone, you've got to get out now. >> reporter: the rush to get out has created massive traffic jams. it's one of the largest evacuations in american history. about 5.5 million people ordered to leave.

population of the entire state of florida. and getting gas proving a challenge. >> long lines. this is the first one that had a decent line. >> thinking about two, three hours to get gas. >> reporter: flying is no longer an option. south florida's major airports closed last night. those lucky enough to get a flight out fear losing all they left behind. >> you never expect this to happen to you, you know what i'm saying? when you lose everything, you lose -- you lose your possessions. you lose -- you're separated from your family. it's hard. >> reporter: as for those who remain, an estimated half million people are heading over to the more than 40 emergency shelters that have been set up. >> i had to bring my elderly parents here because i'm just afraid for them. >> reporter: not only are residents of miami beach being asked to leave, the fire department's making its own preparations to begin relocating its equipment, fire trucks and ambulances off

people in harm's way. >> right. exactly. we definitely do not want to put them in harm's way. as much as they'd like to be here. >> reporter: despite all the warnings, some people will not leave. >> i'm one of those people that you can call stupid or whatever. this is my home. i feel safe here. in is where i'm going to ride out the storm. >> reporter: we are nearing the point that the first responders here will make the decisions as to whether and when to pull units au we did see a couple of police cars, so they are still out here. again, conditions continuing to deteriorate here even on the east coast of florida. craig and sheinelle, back to you. >> and that change happened quickly. lester, thank you. with the shift overnight of irma's path, florida's west coast residents who may have thought they'd be spared are now getting ready for the worst. kristen dahlgren is in ft. myers. what's the scene there? >> reporter: hey, guys. this is exactly where you pay attention to that whole cone of

have been told you're in the cone. it could possibly hit. you need to get ready. the big question for officials now is whether or not they did that. what we are looking at potentially is one of the biggest issues, the storm surge. take a look. you see just how flat this part of southwest florida is. and that's the issue. we're looking at potentially 6 to 12 inches of storm surge coming through. that would fill up first-floor homes. that would float cars. people need to finish those preps. throughout the day yesterday, we saw them getting ready. we saw them getting out. let's talk about gas. still available in some places here. it is running out. some stations completely closed down. they have their pumps shrinkwrapped. not available. i talked to a couple who is now in georgia. they said the traffic wasn't that bad as they were evacuating, but there are no hotels. no place to go. people are having to rely on shelters. i went to a shelter last night. it's opening at 10:00. this is an extra shelter that officials have had to open since

last night people were already lined up to get in there at 10:00 this morning. it's an 8,000-seat arena. there is room for a lot of people. officials really saying you've got to do it this morning. get out, get to safety this morning. pretty soon it's going to be too late, guys. >> kristen dahlgren for us in ft. myers. thank you. dylan's in palm beach this morning with how the south is preparing. and there's another big concern for the caribbean with hurricane jose. >> reporter: yes. certainly for barbuda which was really destroyed by hurricane irma. we'll show you hose in a second. we are here in palm beach. you see the surf is getting much rougher than what we saw yesterday when the storm was still very far away. now that we're within the 24-hour windows of the storm approaching, things are changing. winds are starting to pick up. we're going to see scattered downpours with thunderstorms on the extreme outer bands of the storm. so we do have a 3:00 c

so everyone who is still saying here needs to be indoors after that point. conditions will rapidly deteriorate. driving around the main drag here in palm beach, everything seems to be boarded up. there are a couple of looky looses here trying to take pictures before the storm hits. everything is shuttered up, shops and restaurants, they all have their metal shutters on to protect against the storm once it does get closer. we did just mention that hurricane jose. and i want to point out barbuda, which was an area that has reports of 90% destruction to their buildings from hurricane irma. now this storm that is approaching is a category-4 hurricane with winds up to 145 miles per hour. barbuda again under a hurricane warning. same goes for antigua, with that storm moving through today. conditions there are deteriorating. the good news is if there is an upside to hurricane jose, it is not taking the same path as irma. it is going to turn to the north and turn to

and even spare the island of bermuda. we are going to see that storm have no impacts on the united states. but in the meantime, of course, we are bracing for irma. guys? >> thank you. other headlines this morning, mexico has been dealt a deadly one-two punches with hurricane katia making landfall overnight as a category-1 storm on the eastern gulf coast. that's happening one day after an 8.1 earthquake hit the country's southern pacific coast. around 70 aftershocks have since been recorded. that quake, the strongest to hit mexico in more than a century. at least 61 people have died from both disasters so far. the death toll is expected to rise. and it will be an all-american final at the u.s. open today with madison keys and sloane stephens squaring off for the title. and $3.7 million cash prize. meantime, overnight, rafael nadal moved into the finals with the sweeping victory against argentinian juan martin del

nadal will go head to head with south african kevin anderson on sunday. back to palm beach now. dylan's standing b in the southwest that monsoonal moisture to produce heavier pockets of rain. weak cold front bring rain to the extreme pacific northwest. as they need it through oregon and montana where fires are so large, it is going to unfortunately stay dry in those areas. that's a look at the weather across the country, now a peek out your window. a little on the cool side, low 60s excellent day to do that, whatever you need to do this afternoon taking full stride temperatures in the upper 60s by 1:00. then we're going to

low- to mid-70s this afternoon with all sunshine so nothing to worry about there. again, we'll continue to have sunshine through the day tomorrow as well. temperatures in the 70s for tomorrow and monday. next chance of rain tuesday and wednesday with remnants from irma. >> that's your latest forecast. guys. guys? >> thank you. still ahead this morning, lessons learned. 25 years after hurricane andrew. is florida ready for irma? >> that's after these messages. hi. oh, hi! welcome to the neighborhood. i brought you this pie to see if you're weird. wow, that smells intrusive. it is. did you want to come in, maybe snoop around a bit? that's why i'm here. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? ooh, i smell onions! the citi® double cash card does. only citi lets you earn 1% cash back when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double.

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♪ 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. ♪ for people who lived through hurricane andrew, preparing for irma feels all too familiar. this time, irma is expected to be even worse. >> we have more from homestead on that part of the story. good morning. >> reporter: that was hurricane andrew 25 years ago. whether it ripped through this town -- when it ripped through this town, it leveled almost everything in its path. people here hoped they would never see something like it again. here they

this is why so many people in south florida are nervous this morning. hurricane andrew. 25 years ago, andrew tore through the area just south of miami, flattening almost everything in its path. marcine coney was 23 when the storm slammed into his family's home. >> the storm hit. it was crazy winds. we didn't have shutters. we had tape on the windows. >> reporter: this time around irma could be even more devastating. put the two side by side. hurricane irma is enormous, much bigger than andrew. all of florida could feel the effects of irma. >> this storm is wider than an entire state. >> reporter: nbc's kerry sanders was out reporting on andrew when the monster storm hit. >> reporter: laying on the floor of the car. the winds are gusting outside our car up to 165 miles per h r hour. the car shaking as if there are ten people on either fender bouncing it up and down. >> reporter: andrew was the most destructive hurricane ever to hit florida.

even more catastrophic. as it approaches the southern tip of the state this morning, it's already been named the most powerful atlantic hurricane ever. >> you need to stay in that enclosed room there. >> reporter: weather channel meteorologist brian norcross was working at wtvj in miami during the time, comforting scared viewers for 24 hours straight. he says irma is likely to be worse. >> this is going to travel for hundreds and hundreds of miles up the state where andrew only cut a path 25-miles wide. >> reporter: a secuquarter of a century after andrew, homestead is complete rebuilt. homes and businesses are safer. the science for forecasting hurricanes is better. for people in irma's path, as the storm moves closer, the prospects of what's to come is still terrifying. now one thing that's important to note, hurricane andrew was never supposed to hit homestead as much as it did.

now as we see hurricane irma tracking west, no one here is ready to let their guard down. they are all preparing for the worst. >> that's a good point. >> yeah. reporting from homestead, florida. so many changes in building codes the last 25 years. hopefully it pays off. we'll find out soon. thank you. coming up, we'll take one last look at hurricane irma's papth. first, this is "today" on nbc. fios is not cable. we're a 100% fiber optic network. and with the new fios gigabit connection... you get our fastest... internet ever. with download speeds up to 940 megs - 20 times faster than most people have. switch to fios gigabit connection with tv and phone for $79.99 a month online for the first year.

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back now on a saturday morning. we want to check in with al one more time. dylan dreyer and al. let's start with you and the latest on irma's path. >> reporter: irma at 130 miles per hour, knocked down during its time over cuba. there's the 90-degree swath of water between cuba and florida. we could see restrengthening. sunday morning it hits the keys. then it continues along.

there's where it makes landfall, you've got to be careful no matter where you are in that cone. it could be affecting you directly. make sure you stay really, really vigilant. we could see another wobble and the east coast could be in play again, as well. guys? >> good advice, al. dylan? >> reporter: as al just mentioned, that's right, this storm still has a chance to wobble. in palm beach where the wind has picked up in the last ten minutes or so. we are based on the latest forecasts going to try to move a little farther to the west. we are still going to see some significant effects here with storm surge and very gusty winds. perhaps as high as 80, 90 miles per hour. it will be interesting to see how that wobble plays into the role that florida has in this whole storm. guys? >> thank you. you be safe. that does it for us on this saturday morning. stick with nbc news all weekend long for complete coverage of hurricane irma. al will be reporting from florida with the latest on

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"news 4 today," all eyes on hurricane irma. laurence, you're watching it track? >> yes, we are. we're going to have to watch it once it makes landfall which should be in the next 24 hours in florida. after that, we'll have to see what kind of rain it brings us here next week. we're tracking that and all that and more coming up in a little bit. >> from ft. lauderdale, things changing as hurricane irma makes its way through the bahamas. >> we'll be following that every step of the way. >> all that and more joining us behind the sense with "news 4 today." >> back in just a moment.

ft. lauderdale, only going to get worse. >> we have team coverage for you this morning as we monitor irma's path every step of the way. >> all right. good morning, everybody. >> announcer: news 4 begins now with storm team 4. >> good morning, everybody. i'm chris lawrence in for david culv culver. he's on assignment in florida. >> we were hoping for the live short in ft. lauderdale but what we're looking at is the live shot swirling over cuba in the crosshairs. watching irma's path right now, an update. this thing, lauryn, is bigger than the state of florida. we're talking huge impact? >> absolutely. that's why not only the west coast is i

east coast. if you cut a hurricane down in quadrants, it is going to be the upper right-hand corner that is going to be the most active in terms of the most dangerous. i'm sorry, my producer said something in my ear. this is the scene in ft. lauderdale. thanks. this the send in ft. lauderdale. can you see the camera shaking. we're starting to see winds pick up, gain strength throughout the day. eventually they are going to have some hurricane force winds. not sure what winds are right now. as we go through the middle part of the day, tropical storm force winds are impacting on the outer bands right there. that means 35 or more. again, the winds in irma right now are 155. it is a cat 4, downgraded slightly. this water right here really warm, so could intensify a little bit. we also have katia, jose as well. again, we're going to continue to watch this. already moving parallel to the northern side of