good morning, breaking news, irma arrives. the most powerful atlantic hurricane ever lashing southern florida right now. the storm strengthening overnight back to a dangerous category 4. >> this is a life threatening situation. >> 135 miles per hour winds and rain battering the florida keys. hundreds of thousands already without power. a potentially catastrophic storm surge going up and down the coast. more than six million people, a third of the state's population, evacuat evacuated. we have corsp

the region as this historic storm bears down. today is sunday, september 10th, 2017. from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today hurricane irma" live from studio 1a in rockfeller plaza. good morning, everyone. welcome to this special edition of "today" on a sunday morning. we're going to be with you for a long time this morning because irma is not going anywhere fast. lester and al made their way to tampa overnight and we'll check in with them in a few seconds. hurricane irma has come on and gained strength if is now a category four with 135 s.

>> as conditions worsen, widespread power outages are being reported including nearly 200,000 customers in miami-dade county. >> with the storm shifts further west, new evacuation orders are still being issued, and more than seven million people have been evacuated in florida and georgia. >> in the caribbean the death toll from irma is rising. sitting at 23 so far. let's start with miguel who is in florida city just south of miami, good morning to you. for the last 12 hours or so we have been feeling the effects of irma. the strong rain and winds. sleeping at city hall, we heard what sounded like the roof beginning to peel off. it did

starting to lose parts. it is intensifying here. the storm surge is a major concern. we're told there is flooding in the area at about two feet. all across the southern tip of florida we're getting hit with the heavy bans of rain and the strong wins. as the sun comes up here we're seeing more devastation. here in florida city where there is a mandatory evacuation we have seen nobody out on the streets. first responders are telling us in these conditions they will no longer venture outside. if someone calls for help and needs help, they simply won't be able to respond because they don't want to put their crews in jeopardy. the streets are empty, the trees are beginning to bend over sideways and we expect the condio

deteriorate in the next several hours. we will check in now with gadi schwartz who is driving around. >> we're seeing some of the winds kick up as well. it looks like electric arches, and then all of a sudden the street in front of us will go dark. and then it will light back up and it will go dark again. this whole area has been under basically nonstop wind since last night. you're starting to see some debris in the road here. you're seeing what looks like possibly lightning or transformers blowing in the distance. we're seeing tree that's have fallen and signs fallen, but no catastrophic damage so far. this area was rocked by hurricane

they have been tracking this storm very, very closely. they see it going west, which is letting them breathe a little sigh of relief, but everyone is keeping their guard up. >> we do see the electricity in the air. >> yeah, going west as he said and going up the west coast of florida, that is where lester holt is, he is in tampa, good morning to you. >> good morning matt, we travelled from miami to ft. meyers and now up to tampa. what we're seeing is what forecasters have been warning all along. don't focus on the eye of the storm, it is affecting the entire peninsula of florida. you're seeing it in miami and the west coast. we're getting the first bans of showers here as some win in the tampa area. i want to bring in al

you've been saying don't focus on the eye. >> yes, it's so big it will affect the whole state multily. let's show you exactly where irma is right now. it is a category 4 storm. we told you it would get over the warm waters and it would intensify and it is. it is 40 miles south southwest. winds 130 miles per hour and those may intensify yet get. moving northwest at 8 miles per hour. it has begun it's forward speed. this is what we can expect in the next several hours. key west right now, 100 to 25 miles per hour winds. their storm surge five to ten feet of storm surge. when you look on the southeastern part of florida, 50 to 75 miles per hour winds. the storm surge three to five feet, that will be sunday by 2:00 p.m.

naples and ft. meyers midday to today. 100 to 125 miles per hour winds. high today this evening. tampa bay tonight, 100 miles per hour winds. five to eight foot storm surge. monday morning at 2:00 a.m., 115 miles per hour winds and it moves into jacksonville tomorrow with winds of 75 miles per hour. four to six foot storm surge. a high tide at 12:01 p.m. it continues into atlanta at a tropical storm. they have tropical storm watching for atlanta for the first time since 2000. you can see the winds as the day wears on and this system makes it's way up the coast. you're going to see winds and wind gusts getting well over 75 to 80 miles per hour. all of the way to monday afternoon. a big problem and that storm

big story coming out of this. not just the wind, but the storm surge that is when we get the most damage and death. tampa bay, five to eight feet. you get down to southwest florida. 10 to 15 feet in naples. and it continues up the coast into georgia and south carolina of storm surge of four to six feet, that is really unheard of. >> we have seen storm surges, it's easy to focus on the wind, but the water is the most deadly thing, and to see it happen, even after the winds, it keeps pouring in. >> yes, and the debris in the water, the power of water, it only takes two or four inches moving 4 miles per hour to knock you off your feet, this can be unimaginable. >> we're above it here in tampa but this remains in the track. >> all right,

>> we want to bring in the city manager of key west. you're in the area that they talked about of 10 feet of storm surge. >> i'm in the key west city hall building in the middle of town in key west. >> what are conditions like outside? >> well, it is quite windy obviously, and fortunately if there is anything to be fortunate about, this morning, we're on the weak side of that eye wall. we expect the intensity to increase seven to ten feet, but that is about two

we're on the western side of the eye wall and after 8:00 this morning the eye will be north of us and we expect conditions to, at least from wind force, to lessen overtime. tropical storm winds into early tomorrow, but right now we have been pretty fortunate through the night. lots of wind damage, lots of trees down, lots of debris. we did lose power here just today at 5:30 p.m., but back up generator has been working, so we have power, but our communications have been intermittent. we don't have at times an ability to look at weather products directly. but we're obviously going to ride out the rest of the storm and then commence the recovery process. >> what about evacuations.

mandatory evacuation warning. do you think many people decided to hunker down and ride it out? >> first, a lot of people did heed the evacuation warning. i think at least from those that have been here their whole lives say that this is the biggest evacuation they have ever seen as far as the numbers of folks who actually left. we still had a significant number of folks that stayed here in town. we're certainly concerned for their well-being. the refuge ofkey west high school was opened at 7:00 in the morning yesterday, and the last headcount i got there was 450 folks sought refuge there. >> a lot of people spent time in the keys. they go there to enjoy vacations. you been there a long me

foot storm surge will do to that area? >> a ten foot storm surge would be devastating, but we are fortunate again to be on the weaker side of the storm, but very close here with the eye, but this is a forecast that has been worst case scenario, five to ten feet of storm surge across the entire florida keys. right now our elevation of our building is just above eight feet of sea level and we have not had any flooding at all, still have not. i got a report from a public works building there was three feet of water in a very low area of town. the weather service, matt rizzo said to expect another one to two feet of storm surge as the e

will not have the severe inundation of the storm surge. it's hard to know the exact amount, but some areas of town are flooded, but it is not overwashing the island. >> we'll keep our fingers crossed for you. the southern tip of florida feeling the hurricane force winds including naples. the late westward shift put them directly in the hurricane's path. and that is where we find gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: we have seen heavy rain and winds at time, but we have not seen the destructive power yet that irma is expected to bring. the city of naples is expected very destructive conditions. storm surge is a major c

officials had to evacuate some of their emergency personnel to different buildings because no government buildings can withstand a category four or five storm. we're at the emergency management center where many have hunkered down for the night. something that surprised people in this part of florida, which we saw yesterday, many told us they decided not to evacuate, but when it took a sudden shift to the west, they all decided they had to get out and with few options going up north, they decided to go to an emergency shelter. the shelters are packed here in this county and throughout the state. more than 100,000 people are in emergency shelters. 430 of them throughout the state. people were waiting more than five hours to get into a shelter outside of ft. ye

are at capacity. we're here in naples where we're expecting conditions to deteriorate significantly in the next few hours. >> stay safe, gabe. >> very few people more experienced at covering hurricanes than kerry sanders, this is his 60th for nbc. you're in naples? >> yes, they clocked some gusts at 65 miles per hour. these are the tropical force winds coming ahead of the hurricane force winds. i'm on the peer here just below me on one of the concrete pillars, they set up storage surge monitor, but the truth is the storm surge should wash over that and come up even higher. we're talking about a storm surge here, probably based on

of 12 plus feet. that is certainly well over here and it pushes inland, the distance unclear, but certainly block after block after block. you know, i have been hearing about hurricane donna which swept through near 1960 taking this peer out since i was a little kid. my grandmother lived up the way here in ft. meyers beach, and the power of the hurricane that people are about to experience is twofold. it is the tremendous wind and the storm surge. there is little understood, but when something like a telephone pole is in the storm surge, if you're in the water, it can hit you and take you down if you can even stand. if there is tropical force winds, those that waited until the last minute and they're scared as they're waking up this morning and

state officials say do not be fooled, get in your car and try to race this out by going somewhere else. do not get on the road. you are where you are. we may see this really with hurricane force winds sometime after noon. don't get lulled into the belief that you have a little window of opportunity to escape, it is too late. >> so many times we have covered storms in the past and you hear from people who say i thought i could ride it out and a half hour into it and then i realized i made a terrible mistake and they're out of options. >> and first responders cannot come out because it is not safe to them. >> let's go to dillon who is in sarasota. it is the storm surge we expect to be the story of this storm. >> reporter: it certainly is, guys, i'm in sarasota, and most of the county has been evacuated incl

islands. they are designed to protect the mainland, but the barrier islands are so developed right now. so there will be major loss of property because of the storm surge on those islands. so here we are forecasting about a six to ten foot storm surge and i describe the storm surge as like a squigee the other day. right now it is moving at 8 miles per hour. you will see the water rise several feet in just a few minutes and it inundates certain areas along the coast. six to ten feet is well over my head and it will cause significant damage n. that is why we're very concerned in coastal florida. the next high tide is about 4:30 this afternoon. the storm itself, the center of the storm, expected toe

that should help things a little bit along the coast. now gabe mentioned down in naples the shelters are full. we just heard there are five shelters open in sarasota and two are pet friendly. there is still places to go and so there are still places to go but conditions will deteriorate rapidly in the next few hours. >> let's talk to phillip levine, the mayor of miami beach. is there some relief on your part that it made more of a westward shift? >> there is a little bit of a relief, but our thoughts and prayers are with all of those on the west coast of florida. i have been in contact with three or

saying we're willing to offer assistance. i'm at city hall right now where i slept last night, and hopefully going to make my way to the emergency operations senor in a little bit. >> really that early warning made such a big difference. i think we spoke to you friday on "the today show" and we were looking at the streets of miami beach at that time and there was basically nobody on those streets and that was a great job on the part of everybody in the city. >> thank you, we went very early with the mandatory evacuation. we wanted to make sure our residents and visitors were told to please leave miami beach and i think we have been relatively successful. >> on some occasions, miami beach

>> our people can't go out right now because the winds are incredibly strong, but so far, no major reports of flooding at this time around the city. we're sitting here, and we know it could be a storm surge, so we're watching incredibly closely. you said you told people in counties to your west that you might be able to offer assistance. are you roughering to suppli -- referring to supplies you have stockpiled? >> we have an incredible fire department, we know some of them will need help, so i reached out to the mayor of naples, saras a sarasota, ft. meyers, tampa.

willing, and will help any way we can. >> our thoughts are with all of you. keep in touch with us. >> president trump tweeted that fema is ready. tom costello is at their headquarters and it is a busy place? >> yes, it is 24/7 around the clock here. they are repositioning the resources into the disaster zone or just outside of the zone so they can respond quickly. anything from food, water, to generators. they want them immediately outside of the zone so they can rush in if needed. the army corps of engineers is also ready to rush in and

infrastructure if necessary. a total of about 19 -- make that 12,000 federal employees on the ground coordinating with employees as well. airplanes are closed now, so if the resources have not already been positioned and staged, at this point they need to wait until the storm passes. fema has been inundated with rumors that they're trying to debunk. for example, among the rumors out there that pet shelters, pets in shelters and hotels, if there are reports that mrnl she -- emergency shelters are required to accommodate service animals and pets, and shelters is true, but hotels are n

be ware of scammers that are already moving into the area. guys, back to you. >> as we mentioned before, tampa has not seen a major hurricane in a century, but that is exactly what the city is bracing for. last night, the city's airport had to be closed, jill foe frye there for us. >> in the downtown tampa area, folks will tell you it will flood after a routine thunderstorm. you have the storm surge, you have a lot of rain and high tide. a lot of people here are concerned, especially for a region that has not seen a major hurricane since 1921. they knew they were due for a big sto

they know the low lying areas where folks will need to evacuate. we spend some time across the bay here. they have seen may jr. hurricanes threaten the area before. this one worries them, they're right on the water, they know the storm surnl could be high. if it is as high as feared, they will evacuate and get out of here. >> this category 4 fostorm is n battering the keys. >> yes, it is going to cross that warm stretch of water and across florida, we'll have more special coverage on hurricane ir ma on this sunday

are you taking the tissue test? yep, and my teeth are yellow. time for whitestrips. crest whitestrips whiten... ...25x better than a leading whitening toothpaste. nice smile! thanks! i crushed the tissue test. crest. healthy, beautiful smiles for life. when you don't get enough sleep, and your body aches, you're not yourself. tylenol® pm relieves pain and helps you fall fast asleep and stay asleep. we give you a better night,

and for your daytime pain relief, try tylenol® extra strength.

been trying to prepare for this day... and i'm still not ready. the reason i'm telling you this is that there will be moments in your life that... you'll never be ready for. your little girl getting married being one of them. ♪ ♪

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

good morning, everybody. welcome back to this special edition of "today." that is a live look at florida city, florida. they're starting to really feel the effects of hurricane irma. >> we're tracking this storm as it makes it's way to florida. let's get you caught up on the latest. packing winds of 130 miles per hour. the next hurricane update, we'll get that in about an hour and a half. >> while the storm has been tracking to the west, there are still

florida's west and east coast about a potentially catastrophic storm surge as high as 15 feet in some places. >> it's because of that and the dangerous winds that irma lead to the largest evacuation in the state of florida's history. hundreds of shelters are open across the area. >> we want to go to gadi schwartz who is driving around the area. >> reporter: good morning, the winds are powerful, very powerful but not at what we'll see later today. they have not reached their peak yet. straight in front of us, this is highway 1, u.s. 1, we're creeping down it and it's the main artery that connects homestead, south florida, down to the keys. wow, did you see that

the left there. we're starting to see the power grid start to fail and take hits as the winds start to whip up. here along 1, this will be a critical area for emergency crews as they work their way down to get aide into the keys. we're probably going to see some damage and destruction as far west ascii west. key largo yesterday, we were there last night, checking in with emergency responders who were hunkering down through the night and through this morning. until they could go out and safely assess the damage. they anticipated seeing damage from storm surges and high winds. that is some of what we are seeing starting now. >> let us also check back in with miguel almaguer. >> it is still dark here,

the big concern is when the sunrises and more destruction will be seen across the area. many of the cities were boarded up and they seemed as prepared as possible. but where the eye would roll over they were expecting very serious and catastrophic conditions. the conditions will deteriorate more and more. we lost power out here through part of the city. we had power surges, transformers explode, and power go out in the city streets. as the wind picks up here, it is a clear indication that much of the city will remain in the dark for quite some time. they're in the dark without

for several days. while that may not be the case, they're expecting more. >> yeah, you see with miguel there at times it seems fairly calm and then he will be blasted by a gust of wind. >> let's check in now with ottis wallace. good morning to you, hope you're okay. tell us about the conditions there. >> as was said earlier, the conditions are steadily deteriorating. it is hard to believe that being so far from the eye, that we're feeling the types of winds that we are feeling. the winds are very significant. the people of florida city expected that. they are hurricane hardened and they took the appropria

precautions, but even with those precautions, this wind is fierce, you can probably here it in the background, but we're doing fine. >> i'm looking at pictures, mayor wallace, and i see power on in the background, that is a nice commodity to have at this time. is it fleeting? >> yes, it is flickering on and off, i don't expect it to get better, it will not get better with age. >> i know there is a westward trajectory now, but is storm surge still a concern in your area? >> several is a concern, it's so large and fierce it's like you're being punched from every direction. the surge is probably not as big of a deal here as it would be closer to the coast. the water is not

and i'm still very concerned about it. >> i imagine you have a very good team around you. cities have to stay up and running aem people like you and first responders have to stick out storms like this. >> yes, that's the mission and we signed up for it and we're happy to do it, but at times like this, it is very trying. >> i'm sure and i know you recommended evacuating to your citizens, did most people heed that warning? have you been getting calls from people who didn't? >> most people did not. i think a lot of people got a false sense of security and with the preparations of boarding up their homes they thought they would be fine, and i hope they're right, but i would have preferred more people to evacuate. >> i'm sure, these are tense moments, we appreciate you sharing your time in

good luck, mr. mayor. let's go back to gadi schwartz who is driving through the streets of florida streets, and you had to pull over because things were getting hairy there? >> yeah, i don't know if you can see us right now, but the familiarity facing camera there, there was a transformer starting to spark and go, we're taking refuge under a overpass. to the right the power has gone out, we're going to turn around here and go back over to the bridge because we kind of crept out of it, but it is interesting to see how this hurricane works as this rotation and the outer spirals and bans hit us, things will get very, very powerful and then we'll get a little repri e reprieve. you're going to see this bridge up ahead. this is our

we fall back when things get a little too hairy. down the way that you're seeing, that is facing south and that is where the power is out. behind us is facing towards florida city and homestead where we're seeing the power grid just starting to fluctuate and fail. for now we're going to just hunker down underneath this bridge and see what we see forward and backwards, but we'll probably just stay put for the time being. >> all right, gadi, thank you. let's go back to lester holt in tampa where they're bracing for this. information is power, folks in the keys got to see what happened in the caribbean, now folks in places like naples and tampa get to watch what happens in the southwest coast of the state. >> reporter: that is exactly what is happening, we're further north. it is likely to come on monday. their

on this side of florida in general. we were all focuses on miami and the east coast. we were told the storm would encompass the entire state. that may caused later evacuation. the worry of course is the storm surge. let's talk more about that now with al roker who is joining me. >> the life of this hurricane is almost like a living or gganism. there is an interesting phenomenon going on right now, as is zooms in, you notice there is an eye and then there is two eyes dancing around each other just about there. and then the eye collapses. this is when the eye wall is regenerating itself, and we expect to see that now in the next several frames in the next hour or two, you'll start to

that eye come back out again. you'll see two, then they collapse and by sunday, 2:00 in the afternoon, 130 miles per hour winds, by 2:00 a.m. near tampa with 115 miles per hour winds. it continues into tallahassee as a category 1 storm and into georgia, and we're still tracking the system as a tropical storm into tennessee and then it becomes a tropical depression, but it continues. there are also tomorrow watches, you see the feeder bans now coming in. the heaviest rain, miami still in the heavy thunderstorms all of the way down to the south. tornado watches in effect right now and through the next several hours. we talk about the storm surge, this is a big deal. tampa five to eight. ten to 15 footo

on the east side of florida, three to five feet. miami beach to jupiter, as you get up to the coast, georgia and the south carolina coast get involved as well. the rain, we're talking eight to 15 inches locally though, 20 inches, and in the eastern florida panhandle, the keys will be the big losers with 25 inches of rain. the people who want to come out and see the storm. we have video that may seem c comical at first. this is key best. look at that guy standing on the sea wall. this could have been a lot worse. we don't want people going out to see the power of the storm. we're out, we'll show it to you, stay inside, stay safe. that could h

worse. >> we saw cuba put the brakes on the storm a little bit. >> that is a speck, it will keep moving, it's forward motion will keep it building and growing. i think we could see a little more intensification of this system as it goes forward, and it will not be until it gets up here that it may really run into some major land mass that starts to knock it down a little. >> all right, al, we'll continue to talk to you throughout the morning. i want to bring in bob buckhorn now who is joining us on skype. you have the luxury of seeing what is to come. watching the images we're seeing so far out of the keys, how are you doing in your preparations? >> we're doing okay, lester. i just drove past your

on my way early early this morning. i live right behind you on davis island. my family has evacuated. we prepare all year long. we have not had a direct hit in 90 years. we train for this, it is game day for us. we're going to execute on the plan. we have hundreds of thousands counting on us. we fully expect to deal with surge, and pretty significant winds. we were hopeful that we'll remain on the good side of this storm, but i can't predict that, but we're going to hunker down throughout the night, and we'll get ready to take care of our people tomorrow morning. >> in 2010, there was a drill, and you lost a

people and thousands of homes were taken. >> we learn from everyone that goes to those. whether it is harvey or new orleans, we study every storm and what took place. what was done well, what needed improvement. we incorporate that into our plan. d we do a worst case scenario. the surge at five to eight feet will largely inundate the area you are standing. the islands behind you, harbor island and parts of downtown as well as the base shore. i think most of the people have tried to get away and you don't need to move to georgia, you just need to go to another flood zone level that could be six blocks up the road. a lot of people have hunkered down in the city, but just not in a level a flood zone. >> do you think pe

taking somewhat offguard by the we westward shift we saw in the storm, and seeing that the west coast was more at risk? >> i think so. we planned on going to help phil levine in miami beach. we were ready to help the east coast. this storm has a mind of it's own. our preparation time was shorter than our friends on the east coast, we have plans in place, but i never thought i would be quoting mike tyson when he said everyone has a plan until you're punched in the face. we're going to be punched in the face, but i -- we have a plan and we're ready. right now let's go back to new york, matt and savanna. t

satellite image of the storm back up. we're talking so much about the fact that it was moving west, and that was going to be better news for the southeastern coast, but let's put up live images from the city of miami, if you think it is good news, look at the conditions. that is mike seidel. look what she goihe is going thn miami. >> that's not the eye of the storm, and look at mike seidel. we were just talking to the south beach mayor who said things were decent there, but now we can see that the ban of storm has come through, you have mike seidel holding on to a

there. >> if that is what is happening 100 miles to your east, brace yourself for what this storm will bring to your communities. >> we can see the water rolling in there on the streets and the storm urge, of course, is one of the primary concerns here. >> there was concerns of a foot to two feet of water in the streets of miami, and that is where they're not expecting the highest storm surge. kerry sanders in naples this morning, that is not where you are yet, but something to be looking at. what is happening where you are? >> i think that is the greatest concern. you see mike getting beaten up so you have an idea of what is coming. i'm in naples on the city peer. the wind and the water are the two greatest threats. to give you an idea of what i'm talking about here, predicted storm surge here is 15 feet. if it reaches 15 feet south of here in the

everglades city, most homes are built on stilts and they're 10 feet up. at 15 feet, that means there will be five feet of water in the home that's are 10 feet up. the storm surge will be the greatest life threat here in the western region of the state. basically from everglade city to punta gordo. they went door to door and said folks if you're close to the coast, you have to go inland. as you heard earlier, supreme had paralysis and not moving, the delayed reaction of people to leave their homes and make their way to sheer

into a crisis. collier county, charlotte county, so many people started showing up. they didn't have enough room in all of those shelters. unfortunately they started here in this city saying look, if you can't get a shelter, go knock on someone's door that has shutters up, and see if they will let you in. so the anxiety that brings, knowing what is coming and watching the pictures of mike seidel right now. it all combines to say it will be a very miserable couple days and weeks here. >> all right, kerry, thank you so much. that was the shot a few moments ago in miami. his shot has since gone down. that's what it looked like a few moments ago. and that brings us to the fire chief for miami beach. chief

can't see the images, but it looks like you're getting intense waves of the storms right now? >> yeah, we're getting pretty intense gusts. about 2:00 in the morning we stopped responding. so pretty much we're waiting for the gusts to die down so we can go out and do some assessments. >> anything that happens in the next couple hours, people are pretty much on their own, but since you're a barrier island and you asked for mandatory evacuations, they should not be there anyway. >> that's correct and i think that for the most part everyone heeded the warnings that we would not be able to go out. we do have quite a few calls going into that time where we just cannot respond any more. >> chief hernandez, are you able to see or hear what is

there is no visual for you? >> no, i can see. i have a pretty good view of what is going on in the area. and it does seem pretty good. >> chief, how long have you been in miami beach? what kind of storms have you lived through. >> i lived through hurricane andrew and wilma, athena, and honestly i have never seen it like this before. >> we'll, we wish you and the folks in your department the best, and stay hunkered down, there is no other place to be than in the safest building you can find. thank you veterry much, we'll ck in later in the morning. >> thank you for checking in on us. >> it is incredible see how miami is getting battered and that is n

intense part of the storm. let's go to dillon in sarasota. she made her way there overnight. good morning. >> good morning, guys. i'm in sarasota as you mentioned. it's an hour south of tampa. we started off this trip to florida in west palm beach, and as the storm took the west ward shift we moved to the west side of the state. as we were driving here yesterday, there was a huge line of traffic trying to move eastward. everyone on the west side of the state was trying to move east once the storm took the west ward track. we noticed they punched holes on the billboards and they lowered the light posts so they did not become flying debris, but here in sarasota you can see there is not a lot going on just yet. we're still hours away from the storm approaching the area.

we will tap into the heavier bans of rain. we're also looking at the eye of the storm at 9:00 or 10:00 tonight. that is a time of low tide. that should certainly help with the storm surge. that being said, we're on the dirty side of the storm, means the eastern side of the hurricane. that is why we're looking at six to ten foot storm surge which will inundate this area and that's why evacuations have been posted for the barrier islands and coastal areas in sarasota county. >> dillon, i don't know if you have a monitor, but going back to miami where mike seidel's camera is back online and that section of that city is getting buffeted by extremely high winds from the storm. one of the bans coming through, lots of ,

that is an area where they're not expecting the worst of this storm. we want to go now to the north about 15 miles north of tampa to a town called bonita springs. mr. simmons is joining us, good morning to you. >> good morning, how are you? >> we're doing okay. >> this has not come to you yet, give people not familiar with your city, bonita springs, of where you lie. is it a very low lying area? >> it is, we're immediately north of naples florida and we're immediately south of where al roek sere in ft. meyers. we're in southwest florida and we're gearing up. we have wind gusts right now up to 40 miles per hour, but they're not sustained. it is raining moderately. our first r

responding, but at any moment, the winds above 40 miles per hour and travel conditions and the first responders will be pulled. >> you're cutting out a little but we do still hear you. were some of your residents caught off guard that the storm ends up bearing down on your side of the state? >> well, we certainly saw the theme that it was going east. we have been in constant contact with governor rick scott. he has been here in bonita springs because we had flooding from rain last week. and everybody has been hands on. we have been urging all

you can replace your home, your possessions, but you can't replace your family. >> governor scott of florida saying yesterday to people thinking about staying, you will not survive, and nose words should be ringing prestige creams not living up to the hype? olay regenersit shatters the competition big hype. big price. big deal. olay regenerist hydrates skin better than creams costing over $100, $200 and even $400. for skin that looks younger than it should. fact check this ad in good housekeeping. olay regenerist. ageless. now, boost your regimen with olay regenerist concentrate. you wouldn't do only half of your daily routine, so why treat your mouth any differently? complete the job with listerine® help prevent plaque, early gum disease,

eath and kill up to 99.9% of germs. listerine® bring out the bold™ i ...prilosec otc 7 years ago,my doctor recommended... 5 years ago, last week. just 1 pill each morning, 24 hours and zero heartburn. it's been the number 1 doctor recommended brand for 10... ...straight years, and it's still recommended today. use as directed.

ore you wake up. when life keeps you up... zzzquil helps you fall asleep in less than 20 minutes. because sleep is a beautiful thing. ralpand i sponsoredralph northam, canthis adfor governor narrator: ed gillespie says dr. ralph northam doesn't show up? dr. ralph northam was an army doctor and a volunteer medical director at a children's hospice. he passed the virginia law requiring concussion standards for school sports. the smoking ban in restaurants. and dr. northam is working to connect veterans to good paying jobs in virginia. ed gillespie is a washington dc corporate lobbyist. he shows up for whoever pays him. there's the view. there's more to life than the climb. you've got to stop... ...and look around a little. remember who you are. let the child inside you out to play. come... shed life's layers in asheville. visit lonely planet's best destination for 2017.

asheville. discovery inside and out. been trying to prepare for this day... and i'm still not ready. the reason i'm telling you this is that there will be moments in your life that... you'll never be ready for. your little girl getting married being one of them. ♪ ♪

edition of "today" on a sunday morning as hurricane irma batters florida. >> let's get right to the weather channel's mike seidel. mike is doing his show for the weather channel at the top of this hour. he's in miami getting battered. let's listen in. mike, can you hear us? apparently we're having some audio problems listening to mike, though it doesn't look like he's speaking right now. he's speaking to someone back in the studio, again anchoring his show from the streets of miami which, as you can see

have about six to eight inches of water. >> let's listen, see if we can hear. >> reporter: here on the east coast of florida we're getting battered by hurricane irma. we have a long way to go. these winds here are running 40 to 50 miles an hour. we've already had a gust up the coast at deerfield beach in broward county at 75 miles an hour. that's hurricane force right there. the rain is stinging. what you see in. front of me is what happens when it rains too much and the drainage system can't handle it. power is down here but about 15% of residents in miami-dade have lost power based on numbers from florida power and light. the other concern is surge. now we have backed off on the surge numbers here because the track has changed. couple days ago we thought it would be up to ten feet. now we've cut it back to five. in the next hour or so when we get daylight we'll go over 30, 40 yards from here to the miami river as it goes into downtown miami. we'll

and white caps and just how nasty it is out on the water here. there's also the tornado threat. we've got a tor:con of 8, meaning there is an 80% of a chance within 50% of a point. that's going to be the same all day. the current watch goes until noon for the southern part of florida. >> why don't we do this, as we continue to watch what's happening around mike seidel in miami, let's tell you the very latest on this storm. it's packing quite a punch. it is slamming southern florida. right now it is a massive category 4 storm with 130-mile-per-hour winds. >> as expected, power outages are widespread this morning. growing by the hour. nearly 400,000 customers across the state of florida have the lights out. >> in all, this is a huge number. more than 7 million people evacuated in the states of florida and georgia, and hundreds of shelters are open but we have word from a lot of those shelters that they are nearing capacity. >> that's right. we've got complete coverage this morning. we are

let's start with nbc's national correspondent miguel almaguer. he's in florida city. this is south of miami. little further inland. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning. we continue to get pelted with sideways rain for the last 12-plus hours here. but i got to tell you, the big concern out here remains those powerful winds. we continue to get surges on and off, at times it is even difficult to stand outside. inside the city hall and police department they lost power several times. there were power surges. you could hear the building beginning to slowly come apart, for the most part though it remains intact. we have shutters over the windows. it is an eerie feeling being inside not being able to look outside but being able to hear what is the hurricane bearing down on this area. winds here continue to pick up this morning as we continue to get later on into the day. first responders tell us in these conditions, they simply will not go outside. it is much too dangerous for them. this is the rn

about everything over. we've seen transformers explode here over the last several hours. in fact, behind me you'll see these trees are beginning to also bend over sideways. there's power poles and power lines that are also beginning to sag. that will be a concern for first responders going out to check this area, downed power lines. they say conditions here will only deteriorate more. the mayor has told us not everyone -- most folks in this city did not evacuate. he says they are hurricane-hardened. they are likely hunkering down at home. we have seen a few cars out here driving for the most part, but at this hour it does remain a fairly precarious situation out here, guys. >> miguel almaguer in florida city, thank you very much. not far from miguel is gadi schwartz, he's been driving around the city this morning. now he's out of the car and in the thick of it. good morning. >> reporter: we got out of the car and took refuge underneath this bridge

the road there were some transformers that were blowing. i don't know if you can see but the flickering lights down there is where the electricity grid is starting to fail. you've got one side of the street that still has electricity, you have the other side of the street where it comes off and there are some transformers down there that keep throwing out a tremendous amount of sparks. this over here, this over here has been blowing palm froms into the street. we're headed that way towards the florida keys at some point. we want to make sure there is still a passageway into the keys. that's what emergency crews will be using to get a lot of that aid down into key west and down into key largo. but right now you see the winds keep hammering us. they let up, then they hammer, then they let up, then they hammer. we expect these to become more sustained over the next

right now we were just talking to some of the people in key largo. this is what they are also seeing. they were expecting to see it throughout the night. we'll check back with them in just a bit. >> the weikeys are really getti. >> over on the other coast and much further north is tampa. they're beginning to feel the first effects of this storm. the coast guard has now closed ports there. the airport shutting down last night. that's where we find "nbc nightly news" anchor lester holt this morning. lester, good morning again. >> reporter: good morning, matt. they are battening down the hatches here watching what's coming toward them. it will be monday before this city feels the full effect of the hurricane. but as al has pointed out, it is remaining just a little offshore so it will have a lot of strength as it comes through here. we drove over from miami yesterday to ft. myers, talked to people there who were

they were, in many cases, preparing to help out east coast of florida only to find themselves defending their own homes right now. al roker joins us again. you've been tracking this thing. right now it is going just as forecast. >> and what we talked about the was the fact that this is going to be so large that it was going to be affecting both sides of the state. you can see right now, miami is getting hammered. we're starting to see the keys getting hammered as well. right now it is only 15 miles -- irma is only 15 miles from key west. once it passes key west, it will mark the first time two category 4 storms have struck the united states in the same season. we've never had that before. 130-mile-per-hour winds, moving northwest at 8 miles per hour. here are the effects. what to expect. key west right now up to 125-mile-per-hour winds, storm surge five to ten feet. we also look at what's going on in miami. in the southeastern part of the state, we're going to be looking at winds

hour. that storm surge, three to five feet. it is going to just continue to grow as the afternoon moves on. as we continue into the afternoon and evening hours, midday, naples, ft. myers, 100 to 125-mile-per-hour winds. big storm surge there, 10 to 15 feet. and with the strong winds, it is just going to get even worse. as we move up into the past sarasota and tampa, that's late tonight in the tampa bay area. up to 100-mile-per-hour winds. a five to 8-foot storm surge. then as we move into the panhandle, we're going to see those winds and rain continue. we look for jacksonville, storm surge everof four to six feet oe eastern side. in tallahassee, you'll have heavy rain, heavy thunderstorms, strong winds, and it continues on up into parts of georgia as well. the winds are just going to continue to howl, sustained winds of upwards of 70, 100 miles per hour in the keys all the way to miami.

going to see wind gusts off and on that will be between tropical force and hurricane-force winds as this makes its way into monday and tuesday. we'll still be talking about this -- really the system will last into the end of this week coming up. and the storm surge. again, that's where the most deaths and most damage occur, anywhere from 5 to 15 feet depending on where you are. it goes all the way up to the georgia-south carolina border, lester. we were worried about miami with all the cranes. we're standing across from two cranes over here, two construction cranes. that's one of those things i know they've got to be very, very concerned about. >> i have to ask you, the images of harvey and beaumont and houston are still fresh, 50 inches of rain. this will be a rain event, on that kind of scale? >> no. this is moving relatively quickly. harvey, it just stopped and just kept dumping rain. this will be anywhere from 20 to 25 inches for

inches generally but upwards ever 20 inches in some spots. but sandy soil, hopefully drains out pretty quickly. >> all right, al, thanks very much. let's send it back to new york now. lester and al, thank you so much. florida's governor rick scott says this is the most catastrophic storm his state has ever seen and he sounded the alarm all week for people to get out of its way. governor scott is with us now. governor, good morning to you, sir. >> good morning. well, it is starting to hit us. i talked to a friend in the keys this morning and they're getting pounded there. it is going to go up my hometown, naples, florida, and all up the west coast. what's really scary is this storm surge. we prepared all week, although there's always something else you can do. my job is to protect everybody. i'm going to do everything i can, spare no resource, to make sure everybody's as safe as possible. >> you think the west coast was as ready as they should have been considering i think a lot of folks thought this was headed to the east coast of your

don't be complacent on the west coast because you never know where these things are going to go. we have now over 400 shelters open. people are -- i looked at all the traffic hammers this morning. people are off the roads, i think they're hunkering down now, they've gotten to our shelters. i know a lot of people around the world and around the country want to help us. text 20222 and make a $10 donation. we still need volunteers. you can go to volunteerflorida.org. people are resilient here, they're strong, and the most important thing we are -- we have are not our beaches or our parks. they're our beautiful people. >> governor, we've been looking in on mike seidel on the weather channel. that city right now in miami is getting absolutely buffeted by high winds and some heavy rains. over on the other coast, i want to mention, you mentioned your home near pl

talking about that ten-foot storm surge. i guess you moved your family, gotten them up to tallahassee where you are. but your neighborhood in naples is going to take a lot of the brunt of this. >> it's going to be horrible. yeah. i looked at some cameras this morning and the waves were already up in the naples beach. it's going to be 10 to 15 feet above the ground level. that's going to be devastating. we've worked to get everybody to evacuate. i hope everybody has. you've got to hunker down now. we need everybody's prayers. but we're a resilient state and we're going to take care of everybody, and we're going to spare no expense. the federal government's here. state government's here. local government's here. we're going to do everything we can. we have great first responders. we'll take care of everybody. >> governor, as a guy who lives in naples, walk us through what ten feet of water might mean to that city

>> well, if you go along the beach area, the typical house that's been there for any period of time is typically about 11 feet above high tide. it doesn't really matter anymore though because what they're saying is 10 to 15 feet above the ground level. what everybody thought was, that's not bad because it is based on high tide. it is not. it is based on ground level and this is a pretty flat town. the question is going to be how far it goes in but it will be devastating to all tose homes on the beaches. the question is going to be how far inland it goes. my goal all week is people evacuate. people in the evacuation zone get out. now we have to hunker down and watch out for each other. we've got to pray for each other and we know people will. >> there have been so many storms your state has dealt with, hurricane andrew still looms rg

could be worse in terms of its damage? >> well, if you look at the side of it, it is so much bigger than andrew. i was in the hospital business when andrew hit. i evacuated hospitals. i had a hospital completely demolished. it looks like on the east coast we're not going to get the storm surge but they're getting buffeted by all the winds. 1 130-mile-an-hour winds is dev state offi ia devastating to our own state. now it is going to affect the panhandle. don't anybody in the state be complacent. it will hit all the way up to tampa, even up to tallahassee where the capital is. >> you mention that. that's one of the problems, too, because it is going to go south to north throughout much of your state, all those responders, all those fema resources are staged north of here, and they've got to wait until that storm goes completely through until they can start making their way on whatever is left of the

need that stuff. >> it's fema. it's our utilities. it's moving water and food. all those things. you've got to wait until it passes. i do daily phone calls with all of our utilities, try to get as many assets down. they've committed from out of state 23,000 people are coming down to help get our power back on. we're going to lose a lot of power. we do have a lot of resources already in orlando so as it passes orlando, we'll be able to get those trucks on the road and get them south. but it is going to take a while. that's why we've said all week, three days of water, three days of food. understanding that we're going to do everything we can to help you. we've got to save everybody first. then we'll be able to do everything we can to make your life more convenient. because it is going to be inconvenient. it is inconvenient to be at a friend's house or in a shelter. but if you wonder what i'm worried about the most -- it is the storm surge. andrew didn't have a storm surge like this. 10 to 15

it is hard to believe anybody will survive that if it comes through your house and just -- flushes in, and flushes out. that's going to be very difficult to survive. >> governor, we hope people heeded your warnings. they've been repeated all week long. governor, good morning, thank you so much for being with us an keep in touch, would you? >> okay. good morning. governor scott mentioned naples. let's take a look there now. kerry sanders is in the city of naples. what's it like there now, kerry? >> reporter: well, guys, i'm just a short distance from the governor's residence. we've only had some strong gusts and consistent rain. one gust was clocked at 65 miles per hour. so the real threat here is one of also timing. the governor was just talking about storm surge of 10 to 15 feet. if the timing of irma is what we think it is going to be off of naples, the high tide here at around

which is going to cause that storm surge to be higher. and so to give you an idea, 10 to 15 feet, just consider this. south of here in everglades city, mostly a fishing village, very popular resort to go to, homes are on stilts about ten feet up. so the storm surge means if you're in a home there -- that place is a ghost town, everybody's gone -- there would still be five feet of water if the house. and a storm surge is very violent. the amount of water that comes in, it is not something that anybody could perhaps swim in. certainly you can't stand in it. it's got all sorts of debris in it, so it would hit you, perhaps kill you before you would even drown. so the real threat here beyond the wind -- we already see trees down from the gusts -- is going to be that storm surge. that's why this community and counties along the coast here have urged so many people to move inland to the shelters. of course, the shelters are at capacity. inst

were so anxious about trying to go somewhere that they kind of played the system, dialed 911 last night and the reports are that when they dialed 911, they said they needed to go to the hospital. and so ems was taking them to the hospital and the hospitals are not shelters. but nobody's going to be turned away. until the winds hit a consistent 45 miles an hour. once the winds are at 45 miles an hour, dialing 911 will do you no good. nobody's coming to you, guys. >> that's true. kerry, thank you very much. just a short time ago, irma's northern eyewall reached lower florida keys or the lower florida keys. captain cory bryan is with the monroe county sheriff's department on isla marada. it is difficult for us to get any of our broadcasting resources down there, so to try to be the eyes and ears for our viewers, what's going on? >> reporter:

everything's pretty good. we are experiencing 90 miles per hour miles an hour winds. we are in a category 5 building. gadi was down here yesterday. we spoke to him real quick. but so far our building is holding up without any issues. we have a little bit of water leakage at windows and stuff but for the most part everything is good right now. we do have strong winds still and the rain is picking up. the storm surge, i got to be honest with you, we're not really able to tell. from what we're understanding it is only going to be three to six feet is what we are hoping for. >> did you get most residents out or are folks staying and trying to weather it? >> reporter: we did get most of the people out. i think a quick count last night was about 700 people. we've got shelter of last resorts up here and i believe there are 29 to 30 people that were staying there. >> captain, have you been through a lot of storms in the past in the keys? and how would this compare so far? >> i have, actually. i have. i've been here for 31 years. this is actually the worst one. i told my wife this morning

through all these, this is -- i've never really had to shelter in place like this. i got to tell you, the winds are just -- they're unbelievable. but again, the building that we're in, you wouldn't even really know that you're in a storm by sitting in here. >> is there any view out of that building or are you just kind of hunkered down so much that you can't see? >> no. what we've done is we sent a couple guys out this morning just to check for damage and stuff. that's when we realized we had a couple leaks at the windows in our vestibule area. but checked to make sure antennas were still up and everything. all of our lights are still up. we've just got some debris like trees an limbs down but the building is in very good shape. >> we hope it stays that way, captain. we really appreciate your time on what we know is a really busy morning. >> thank you, guys. let's go to dylan. she's been all over the state over this weekend. she's in palm beach 24 hours ago, now she's in tampa. now she's in sarasota because that's where the storm seems to be headed,

>> reporter: it certainly does. it is not really going to get bad here for another several hours, so we are under a mandatory evacuation for coastal areas in sarasota county and there is still -- there are still a few more hours left to kind of clear out from the coastal areas. looking just beyond that building, that's where the barrier islands are located. there are six barrier islands. they were all under a mandatory evacuation. keep in mind the barrier islands are there and protect the mainland from these big storms, but the barrier islands are so developed and there is so much tourism on those islands that that area faces a huge danger from the storm surge because it is designs to protect the mainland. so the way the storm surge works, as the storm makes its way up the west coast of florida, it bushes all of this water on shore and it moves forward at the rate that the hurricane moves forward. in this case it is about 8 miles per hour. so it moves in very, very quickly. we could see a six to ten-foot m

area. again that water rises very quickly in just a few short minutes so it is very important to evacuate these coastal areas before the storm moves in which is going to be closer to about 9:00, 10:00 tonight. guys? >> dylan, it is the water but also the debris that gets swept into that water that can be very, very dangerous. let's go to key west mayor craig cates on the phone with us. he is literally in the eye of the storm right now as it hits the keys. mayor, good morning. just give us a report of what you're seeing, what you're hearing and what you're experiencing. >> well, we're in the eyewall right now. i don't know what the winds are but they're forecast there could be gusts into 150. obviously it's unbelievable. but maybe on the other part of the island there might be some water but everybody's hunkered down and hopefully everyone is in their shelters and strong

houses. i'm praying for everybody for their safety. >> mr. mayor, people have to understand just how vulnerable those keys are. key west, we spent a lot of time down there. from side to side, width wise, how wide is key west? >> two by four miles. depends which direction you go. east and west it is about four miles. north and south, about two. >> so is there a fear that water coming from one side actually just gets through and kind of makes its way across? >> yeah, absolutely. well, not only across, but the way the storm is coming, the wind -- the water wouldn't come all the way across. obviously anything that's right on the water is very, very vulnerable and hopefully nobody is in a boat or marina or a house or the water. hope they got inland as much as

in a storm building. >> mr. mayor, how does this storm compare to others you may have experienced there? >> well, there's quite a few. obviously this is the worst hurricane to ever hit key west, i think, or right up there with it. you know. but so far, i see a lot of the buildings i can see doing well. there's going to be a lot of damage when we get out there, but everybody's boarded up, you know, and we're doing the best we can and hoping for the best here. >> mr. mayor, the people of key west are individuals. i think that's the best way to put it. they take pride in the fact that they have been there, done that, and seen just about everything. was it difficult to get people in to the frame of mind where they would get in their cars a couple of days ago and simply get out? >> i think the vast majority did evacuate. some waited until the last minute and evacuated the night before the storm was supposed to t.

that stayed and obviously some of the government and first responders and all, we stayed to be able to be prepared and get this place up and running, help anybody that needs help after the storm. so being that being said, i hope everyone that stayed are in safe places. we'll see what damage is done. >> key west mayor craig cates, sir, thank you so much for your time this morning. it bears repeating, he's in key west. that is where the eyewall is as we speak. but we hope most of the residents heeded warnings and got out. we'll have an awful lot more of special coverage of hurricane irma ahead on this sunday morning. but first, a look at these messages. crohn's disease. you're more than just a bathroom disease. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us.

stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion, and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. we're fed up with your unpredictability. remission can start with stelara®. talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®.

it'samerica's #1 is a status earned in every wash. and one we re-earn, everyday. #1 trusted. #1 awarded. it's got to be tide.

if you'd have told me three years ago... that we'd be downloading in seconds, what used to take... minutes. that guests would compliment our wifi. that we could video conference... and do it like that. (snaps) if you'd have told me that i could afford... a gig-speed. a gig-speed network. it's like 20 times faster than what most people have. i'd of said... i'd of said you're dreaming. dreaming! definitely dreaming. then again, dreaming is how i got this far. now more businesses in more places can afford to dream gig. comcast, building america's largest gig-speed network. now more businesses in more places can afford to dream gig. born and raised incian, dr. rrural virginia went to vmi.

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

7:30 on this sunday morning, the 10th of september, 2017. and this is a sunday morning when florida is feeling the full force of hurricane irma. high winds, heavy rain, conditions are only going to get worse as this storm moves to the north. and we're looking at a video right there, those are images from miami, which is on the better, if there is one, better side of this storm. >> not even at the center of the storm. actually irma is right on top of the florida keys right now, the eye reaching there in the last hour, sustained maximum winds, 130 miles an hour. this is a major category 4 storm. we're going to get a new update on its projected path at the top of this

rain, the storm surge is the story. that is a huge problem associated with this storm. they're saying it could be as high as 15 feet in some places. >> already the storm has led to the largest evacuation in florida's history. more than 6 million people there. hundreds of thousands more told to flee in parts of georgia. shelters in both states are filled to capacity. >> let's start this half-hour with nbc's miguel almaguer in florida city, south of miami. things have gotten worse over the morning for him. miguel, good morning. >> reporter: hey, savannah and matt, good morning to you guys, both. conditions here continue to deteriorate over the last several hours here. this is downtown florida city. for the most part it is a ghost town. we're just about eight miles inland. they say the storm surge here is not a huge concern, though it is something they worry about. really, this is a rain and wind event here. over the last several hours here the rain has gotten really bad. these palm

bending in the wind the last several hours. so have the power lines across this region. this is an issue everywhere here, they're worried about losing power. down the street here is the only vehicle we've seen in some time. a police cruiser alone doing patrols in this area. they tell us they are not responding to emergency calls because it is simply going to become too dangerous, potentially catastrophic for first responders to go out. over the last several hours we've seen transformers explode here. the trees are blowing in the wind. power lines are beginning to sag. so the situation here is certainly becoming much more precarious. we're not far from the keys where gadi schwartz has been reporting from earlier this morning. he's been feeling the brunt of this storm. it's working its way towards here. first responders tell us that most of the city -- about 80% of the residents here -- have remained here. they say they are hurricane-hardened. but they are going to have to certainly batten down the hatches now. it is too dangerous to go anywhere so folks

>> we've seen it get worse for you, miguel, as the morning goes on and for all the folks in florida city. let's go diagonally across the state to the north and west to tampa, florida where lester holt is standing by, standing by because that's where this thing is all headed. lester. >> reporter: you bet, matt. 1921, the last time tampa was hit by a major hurricane. they have some evacuation orders in place. they're closing bridges. essentially battening down the hatches. i want to show you a quick picture just across the river from us, a couple of cranes. these are the things they'll be looking for here and other big cities across florida as those winds begin to pick up. they're only about 18 miles an hour now. we're of course a bit farther north of the storm watching it come at us. they have a little more prep time here but it is going to hit here. al roker, it is going to hit as a sizable hurricane. >> that's right. and to give you a sense of how big and how powerful and how long this is going to stay a tropical entity, the city of atlanta was just issued arm

because they expect this to stay a tropical entity in to tuesday and wednesday. first time they ever had a tropical warning since they started issuing them inland since 2000. here you can see right now, the regeneration of that eye. it is about ten miles from key west. you watch -- we told you last half-hour, you see that double eye, then it dropped out? and now the eye has reformed. 130-mile-per-hour winds. it is moving northwest at 8 miles per hour. this thing is going to rewrite history books when it is all said and done. let's track it for you and show you what we are looking at. right around ft. myers 2:00 this afternoon with 130-mile-per-hour winds and a massive 10 to 15-foot storm surge. overnight tonight, here in tampa, 115-mile-per-hour winds and up to a 10-foot storm surge. as we continue up through the panhandle, tallahassee, around monday, tuesday, 1:00 a.m., it is into georgia with 45-mile-per-hour nd

continues on into thursday as we get up into kentucky with strong winds and heavy, heavy rain. we've also got a tornado watch in effect. we're watching that into the afternoon and evening hours as the system pushes north. we have the risk of strong storms and tornadoes out of this thing. and of course, the storm surge. all that water being pushed in to the land by the wind from southwest florida to 10 to 15 feet. the keys, 10 feet. miami beach, one to two feet. we've already seen two to three-foot surges. we may have to update that as we get on throughout the day. georgia, south carolina, four to six feet, northwest florida, a four to six-foot storm surge as well. rainfall amounts, keys will see upwards of 25 inches of rain. the florida peninsula generally about 8 to 15 inches. we could be looking at 20 inches. as we said, the eastern florida panhandle mayk

inches of rain. lester -- the science of this is really kind of fascinating as well. i've heard about this effect, but i've never seen it. we got some video, this is down in long island in the bahamas. because the intense low pressure, water is sucked up in to the hurricane. look at what happens. the ocean is literally sucked dry. >> goodness! i've never seen that. >> there is no water. it is now, in 24 hours replenished itself. but because of the combination of winds being pushed away from the shore and the sucking motion of the low pressure, it literally drained the ocean all around the island. >> that is incredible. you and i were speaking of something else yesterday. this hurricane is fed by warm water. >> right. >> i don't think folks -- i certainly didn't appreciate how warm. we're talking bath water. >> it is bath water. the water between cuba and the florida straits is 85 to 90 degrees. sometimes it is kind of a shallow layer. this thing goes down way, way lower than it normally

over, you have what's called up-welling. it draws up water from the lower levels. usually that draws up cooler water, and that cools the water down and cuts off the energy source. this thing keeps drawing up from underneath. very, very warm water. >> that video, i've never seen anything like that. al, we'll of course check with you as we continue to ride this thing out. it is not here yet. it will be a while for tampa. >> we've got another couple hours before we get into the soup again. >> but it is coming this way. >> lester, al, thank you very much. let's go over to washington now. nbc's tom costello's spending his morning at fema's headquarters with new information on the storm and the response. tom, good morning again. >> reporter: good morning. so this is the fema command center. among their many concerns here is that millions could be without power depending on where the storm slices through the state. fema coordinating with the state authorities have already set up what they call p.o.d.s., points

of distribution centers across the state. there is a big center in groveland florida. but they're also positioning resources outside of the state and outside of the zone. maxwell air force base in alabama is a major staging zone. also, north carolina and georgia. one of their many concerns here is the number of people in the storm zone who may not have evacuated and who are elderly, who may not be able to get out, who may not be mobile, who may have medical issues or alzheimer's. how many of those people hunkered down and stayed in their homes? that's going to be a priority with the state authorities to try to check on those people as soon as the storm in fact clears. among those concerns, or among the resources that they're working on, is ensuring that they have search and rescue capabilities ready to go, food and water and generators and cots. and, if necessary, tents. all of that prepositioned youths side of the state. as you know, they told people, if you're hunkering down, or, for that matter, if you are going to a shelter, you need three days of medications with you, at least. if y'r

home, even though they may have suggested against it, three days of food and water. so the question is, how long will people be cut off from their food, from water and also potentially roads washed out and electricity being out. those are all the issues that they're dealing with right here at the fema command center in washington. guys, back to you. >> tom, thanks very much. we talked about this on friday. if you've ever covered these storms, it's actually really impressive when those prepositioned resources get rolling. you start to see highways where heading into the storm zone, just truck after truck after crane after power truck. just in a line sometimes 200, 300, sometimes 400 vehicles in a row heading in to try to start the work of recovery. >> they're waiting for the moment the storm passes, they come in. let's not forget what they've been dealing with in southeast texas with the response to harvey. nbc's kerry sanders is in naples, florida. kerry, getting any of the effects yet? >> reporter: well, we're starting to get the wind. you can see the gulf of mexico behind me.

but we know by this afternoon it is going to be a different story. as we come underneath the pier here, and you can see up, it is about ten feet here. consider that it could actually be a 15-foot storm surge. one of the ways it will be measured is by the u.s. geological survey. you can see, they say do not disturb. they have a storm surge censor in this location so they'll be able to determine ultimately how the storm rose and how quickly it came. when a storm surge comes, it usually comes really quickly. so the problem is, we're looking at a possible bad confluence of events of a high tide at around 4:00. irma maybe being here around 2:00. it is the back side of irma that will cause the storm surge to come up here along the beach. you can see some beautiful homes right there on the beach. some of the other homes are sort of concealed by the foliage here, but that storm surge will come in. that's why all of the homes here several blocks in have

evacuated. among those homes, we should note, is the governor of the state of florida. has a home right here. and those people who have evacuated have gone to storm shelters which have reached capacity. so here in naples, in collier county, there was no more room at the inn. in fact, they started telling people, look, we can now no longer accommodate you. if you see a home that's inland and you see storm shutters up, see if you can knock on the door last night and maybe the strangers will let strangers in. . because there's just no more room in the shelters, guys. >> kerry, we look at where he is standing right now. if they get the storm surge, they're talking about, that place will be underwater. kerry, thank you. we have some video -- a lot of the video we're getting from the keys right now actually comes from social media because it is just so difficult to get broadcast resources there. but here's key biscayne. you can see they are getting those winds, those rains, conditions worse rni worsening eyewall making landfall right now. >> you wonder

capturing those images should have gotten out because it looks pretty gnarly. mayor wallace, the mayor of florida city, thanks for joining us. so far the most dramatic video we've seen this morning is from miami as a band of this storm is going through there just to your north. what's it like in florida city? >> well, florida city looks like it is settling down a bit. i hope that's going to be on a permanent basis. but just when you think it's settled down, it comes roaring through again. but it looks like from what i can see, we appear to be in pretty good shape. i'm about to permitting, and do a survey of the damage and see just what my city looks like. but right now it's just been dicey trying to get out because the winds come roaring back and it can be very dangerous. you drop a dime and all of a sudden it is roaring again. >> we've been watching some video

you're further inland so storm surge is not the biggest problem for you but wind damage. is there power in your community? >> there is some power. not a lot. most of that's gone down. we don't appear, from what i've seen so far, to have a big problem with water or flooding but power is definitely an issue. a lot of power lines down and that sort of thing. but structurally, from what i can see, from my vantage point right now, i'm elevated right now, it looks like the buildings are holding up pretty well. certainly a lot better than they did with andrew. >> we've been seeing our correspondents who are actually in your town right now. there's been a bit of a light show, lightning, it appears, tra transponders blowing. as they tell it, most of your residents decided to stay because, as we mentioned, you are somewhat inland. >> yes. most of them did. but they did seem to board up and shutter their homes really well. they did the best you can do deciding to stay. look l

them. that, along with the westerly form of the storm. those factors put together, we may just be okay. >> we certainly hope so, florida city mayor, otis wallace, careful as you get back into it and keep us posted, sir. >> thanks, mr. mayor. >> no problem. thanks. as irma's destructive rains and winds pick up, the storm has also spawned several tornadoes and some waterspouts across florida. nbc's jo ling kent is in ft. lauderdale with the latest on conditions there. jo, good morning. >> reporter: hey, matt, good morning. we are currently under a tornado watch here in broward county. as you can see behind me, these streets are entirely empty. that's not only because of the tornado watch but because of the evacuation orders here in the ft. lauderdale area. even though we are no longer in the eye of the storm or the path of the eye of the storm, what we are now feeling are some very significant wind and rain bands coming in this way. police officers are actuallyow

they will not be able to respond to emergency calls, 911 calls, because these wind gusts are really picking up. about 100,000 people, matt and savannah, have no power in broward county. 200,000 people in miami-dade. i want to go back to the wind that we're feeling. this has caused a lot of folks here to seek shelter. red cross shelters that we have visited are completely full. and a lot of those residents are certainly not celebrating the fact that they're not in the eye of the storm, because what we're starting to feel is this intensity. they have been through these hurricanes before and they say they are just glad that they were able to prepare earlier, unlike some of their west coast, gulf coast counterparts here. so, matt and savannah, the wind and rain really picking up hooer here in ft. lauderdale. the band of this hurricane is very strong, certainly not going anywhere fast. >> jo in ft. lauderdale, thank you very much. dave price, our

warning. >> this tornado warning covers i guess miami beach, then kind of in a northwesterly direction up through sunrise, florida. so a pretty wide area where they are looking out and telling people, be careful, that there could be tornadoes in your area. >> one of our correspondents is there, nbc's mariana, what's it like there. >> reporter: savannah, matt, you can just see the wrath of hurricane irma and this storm isn't even here yet. beach is about a mile to my left left. you can just see how wind is picking up incredibly fast. that storm surge is the biggest threat here in miami beach. but already you're seeing signs that have been toppled. trees that have been toppled. i'm walking alongside the iconic ocean drive. these streets are usually bustling can tourists and people. it is a ghost tow

we're told 95% of the power lines in this city are above ground. we've also seen those flickering power lines that are down. the power grid in miami beach is down at the moment. again, these are barrier islands, a coastal city. with irma 400 miles wide, even if it is not a direct hit, you're going to feel it in the next couple of hours. it is crucial and first responders tell us they cannot be out on the streets. these winds are going to pick up incredibly fast. something else that they're concerned about is that because miami beach isn't getting a direct hit people might think they're out of the woods, they can be driving around. that is not what first responders want to see. still an incredibly dangerous

storm. everybody should be hunkered down and taking shelter right now. >> mariana, for you as well because the winds are really picking up there in miami beach. >> here's the aforementioned dave price, our meteorologist standing by this morning. just talking about that tornado warning. what we're seeing time and time again here with mariana there and others in miami beach, mike seidel, your colleague, is that that is where the action is right now, even though looking at the satellite track of this storm, it has it tracking further to the west. >> we talk about the dirty side of the storm. i don't know if we can bring the cameras over. just want to show you real quickly what we mean by that. the dirty side of the storm is the half of the storm on the right side of the trajectory of the storm. so this storm beginning to work its way up the coast. so, matt, savannah, as we take a look at where we're talking about, the area

miami beach, stretching all the way up to pembroke pines. they're absorbing all of that weather right now. that's the sloppy storm. watch out for wind bands, rain debris. this is a category 4 storm, 15 miles to the south of key west and winds 130 miles an hour right now. so we talked about this pretty much all week. it doesn't matter where you are in the state of florida. you are going to see some effects of this storm. and i think a lot of folks in sections of southeast florida breathed a sigh of relief and thought to themselves, well, it is not going to be us. we're seeing what the lighter side of the storm is doing to that section of florida right now. >> which is a warning for the people on the other side. >> absolutely. >> dave, thanks. we've got gadi schwartz with us

florida city so you're headed toward the keys. gadi, good morning, what are you seeing? gadi, can you hear me? >> may have lost the audio from gadi. >> understandable in these conditions we may be going in and out with our correspondents of course and our cameras because it is tough out there right now. it is happening as we speak. >> it is interesting, for the people over on the west coast of florida in that naples-tampa area where we've got people, where lester and al are, it's got to be eerie for them because you wake up this morning and it is really not happening there, although the streets are empty. but knowing that by the middle of this afternoon, things are going to change so dramatically and they're going to have to be hunkered down like folks in the rest of the state are. >> we see some of the images we saw this morning in miami, in southeastern florida. it looks bad. looks awful. we just lost a signal there. this is what we were seeing all morning. then to say, that's the sloppy side of the storm, as dave price puts

part of this storm. it is still to come. and so these are tense times and a huge storm. >> with a lot of numbers here, perhaps the best numbers we've given all morning long that 6 million number. 6 million people evacuated from parts of florida to get out of the path of this storm. and that, in many cases, will save their lives. >> that's right. i think we've got gadi now. do you hear me now, gadi? good morning. >> reporter: good it. >> what are you seeing? >> reporter: right now we are heading -- yeah. so we're going south right now. we want to check on the 1 to see what it is looking like. u.s. 1 is that critical juncture that takes us into the florida keys. so yesterday we saw the storm surge coming up just a little bit, but it wasn't cresting the road. it was just spraying ocean spray on to it and it had taken out a couple of fences. so we're 15, 20 minutes away from there. we'll actually take some videos, send them to some emergency crews. a lot of people are wondering what this road looks like at

these bands come through here, sustained winds off and on. they are a he blblowing pretty . back where we were in florida city we were starting to see quite a few palm trees down and regular trees down in the road. but for now the road seems passable and seems very clear. back to you. >> gadi, thank you very much. lester and al are in tampa. they're where this storm is headed. guys, good morning again. >> good morning. al, you were just watching gadi's report. >> i was watching the radar when dave price was talking. when he talked about the sloppy side, we basically -- because this storm is so big, when you put the radar up, the northeast quadrant of the storm is the worst part. and because it is so wide, miami and southeastern florida is actually in the northeastern quadrant of this storm. they normally wouldn't be feeling this kind of intensity, but as you can see, it is spinning around. right

coordinates, 15 miles southeast of key west, moving northwest at 8. that was at 8:7:00 a.m. we are waiting for the 8:00 update. but because it is so big, we are looking at a huge northeastern quadrant. basically it includes all of southeastern florida, lester. >> matt mentioned a moment ago, the calm before the storm. we keep hearing that phrase. but last night we're looking a the a gorgeous sunset in ft. meyers. i've been through so many hurricanes where it is the same thing, you look around, is this real? then you look at your radar map and you see it coming. it is easy to get lulled into a false sense of security as you look out, it is a gorgeous day, why do i need to board up my house. then you watch some of those images we've seen now as it comes across the keys. >> as we watch, we'll see basically the strong storm. it is going to start to kind of intensify.

8:00 update. it just updated. it is now 20 miles east-southeast of key west, florida. so it in fact now has passed key west. so it made landfall and now it is starting to make its way a little further north. it is moving north-northwest. so now it is starting to straighten up and it is going to really start to parallel that coast. >> still on the track that you've been forecasting? >> it's been on the track but now it is going to actually -- because it was moving northwest, and if it had continued in that, it would have started to move off into the gulf. so now it is moving more north, and then northwest. so that's going to start paralleling the florida coastline. >> what's guiding it right now? and is there anything that could push it out into the gulf? >> nothing. there's nothing right now. joo jet stream's up to the north. no troughs to dig this thing in so it is going to follow its path. that path is going to be right along the florida coastline. it probably won't make another landfall until maybe

myers or possibly tampa, depending on how north of northwest it goes. >> looking at the radar, and i'm feeling the rain pelting down again, we're now beginning those northern outer barndz. bands. >> now as this thing gets north, more of the state of florida is involved. key west right now, that track starting to push up to the north. >> matt and savannah, we'll send it back to you right now. >> as al has mentioned all week long, with it making landfall in key west, we've no you made history with these two back-to-back category 4 hurricanes to come ashore in the united states. lester and al will stand by in tampa. we have live coverage this morning as hurricane irma touches down in the united states and rolls on. we are watching it. our correspondents are throughout this region and we're back right after thesenessages.

this scarf all that's my left to rememb... sayonara. what. she washed this like a month ago! how's a guy supposed to move on?! the long lasting scent of gain. now available in matching scents across your entire laundry routine.

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. plus hbo for one year and multi-room dvr service for two years, all with a two-year agreement.

with up to a $500 credit to help cover your early termination fee. go to fiosgigabit.com ralpand i sponsoredralph northam, canthis adfor governor narrator: ed gillespie says dr. ralph northam doesn't show up? dr. ralph northam was an army doctor and a volunteer medical director at a children's hospice. he passed the virginia law requiring concussion standards for school sports. the smoking ban in restaurants. and dr. northam is working to connect veterans

corporate lobbyist. he shows up for whoever pays him. i. good morning. breaking news, irma arrives. the most powerful atlantic hurricane ever, lashing southern florida right now. the storm strengthening overnight, back to a dangerous category four. >> this is clearly a life-threatening situation. >> 130 miles per hour winds and heavy rain, hundreds of thousands already without power. a potentially catastrophic storm surge expected up and down the coast. more than 6 million people, a third of the state's population, evacuated. >> property is replaceable, lives are not. >> we have correspondents around the region as this historic storm bears down.