i'm ali velshi in charleston, south carolina on charleston harbor. this is charleston harbor.the problem here with the flooding is there is nowhere for this water to go. if you look straight ahead, not sure if you can see it, i'll ask my cameraman to take a look. that should be fort sumter over there beyond which lies the hurricane. if you know this area you know there is a bridge and that goes over to mount pleasant. i want to talk to amanda knight right now the emergency manager for mount pleasant. thanks for joining me. what is the situation where you are? >> hi, ali. it's good to see you. welcome to charleston. i wish it was under better circumstances you were visiting. as of right now, we are continuing to see high winds and paying attention to areas of flooding. we're seeing some of the high winds turn trees down and with regard to that also have downed power lines. so a loss of electricity and at this point in time we still have our crews out and getting calls for service including our public services, police, and fire. >> reporter: we saw a little while ago an urban se

charleston, we think the storm will be potentially 50 miles offshore of charleston. unfortunately, the hurricane force winds extend some 50 miles away from the center and the tropical storm force windsings tend 200 miles from the center. really going to see some coastal erosion and certainly a massive storm surge as well. as much as 7 feet across that region. the storm is expected to weaken just gradually. dropping down to a high-end category 2 as it pushes past south and north carolina, and the highest likelihood of landfall within the next 24 hours, thursday night overnight into friday, the outer banks around north carolina is the most likely area of landfall with hurricane dorian. winds at that point, close to 100 miles per hour sustained when the storm system approaches land. picking up some forward speed and with it really leaving a significant amount of damage behind, especially when you consider the widespread coverage of the storm surge, as much as 8 feet across some of these areas. really important to note, rosemary, once you get to 2 to 3 feet of storm surg

charleston, miami, and new orleans, water is in their dna.s sea levels rise, city planners are looking for new ways to protect their residents and businesses. they're finding inspiration from the netherlands. for thousands of years, water control has been at the forefront of dutch government policy. yes, because a quarter of the country is below sea level, the to keep the water out. the city had to adapt and learn to manage water. dale morris spent decades working on water management as a senior economist with the royal netherlands embassy. he now works for the water institute of the gulf, which is based in louisiana. so nice to have you with us. dale: thank you for having me. soledad: as you consult with coastal communities, what's the first thing you tell a city? dale: that their floodworl they're rising quickly along the u.s. east coast and in the gulf of mexico. so the challenges are are existential. they're very real. they're very present. and cities need to adapt. waiting for the grace of god to save you is not going to work. people are

in charleston, the system was if anything even worse. african american passengers and to arrive on the inside of any card that was until one woman sadly we have no photographs of took a stand. in april 67 a complaint materialized at the local friedman bureau's office filed by an african-american who had been forced off the streetcar. in implacably written statement he encountered the outrage that she previously had written the streetcar system without incident, she explained, this time when she boarded, the conductor objected being very unwell and much fatigued from the long walk she took a seat. one of the most respectable positions have no objection to her presence but the conductor refused to drive the car with her in it and attention rose and she was, quote, to respectable of a person to create excitement on the streetcar. she replied, quote, the fact of my being a respectable person is a sufficient reason for my being allowed to ride. tiring of the standoff decided to give up for now but she thought she would see the conductor in co

there is flooding in downtown charleston. a county official who we just spoke to feels the worst is yet to come. >> we're seeing some flooding downtown in the city itself. and then in some of the outlying areas that normally flood. we, again, we're surrounded by several bodies of water down here, so it's not unusual to have flooding. we're hoping that this thing will hurry up and get out of here, but the next high tide is what we're really worried about at 1:00 p.m. when the storm could be right near us. >> emergency officials are warning against traveling on the bridges and the national hurricane center warns of a life-threatening storm surge, dangerous winds and flash floods. and we have full coverage of this. cnn's patrick oppmann has an exclusive report from freeport coming up. our paula newton is on the island of abaco and our derek van dam is standing by in charleston, south carolina. but first we want to go to our meteorologist pedram javaheri, who is tracking the storm. he joins us now from the international weather c

the winds barbs pulling away in charleston. to the north of this storm, you can see the way the indentation of the land is here between cape fear, down to just south of myrtle beach. that pushes water in there, probably five to eight feet of water. four to seven feet of storm surge from cape fear to cape lookout. on the other side here of the outer banks, we'll be watching storm surge and some pushes to the chesapeake. a lot of rain coming with this. that extends through north carolina, to parts of virginia. we'll see some spots, 10, 12 inches of rain. a flooding issue, the wind issue and a storm surge issue throughout the afternoon. >> shepard: rick, you'll be back. more today and tonight and tomorrow and tomorrow night and by saturday, heavy, high winds from long island up to new england. incredible. with a hurricane and high tide hitting south carolina, we'll check in with the mayor of one of the largest cities there. evacuations city in effect. officials say people need to stay off the roads. all of that as our reporting co

i'm going to stop in charleston. this is a big city where the big population that floods a lot. >> and that's an interesting thing. this place floods. the mayor was really happy that the high tide didn't get as high as it was. so the flood damage will be minimized. we're in a part of the country that floods a lot. the area is saturated. sea levels are rising. charleston is probably more popular than it's been in all of its history. this is a real issue that coastal american cities have to deal with. >> i look at the drainage situation down here sort of like a surge going into a sound. the rivers are on both sides. the drains can't drain into the river when the river is pushing back against the drain. the rain falls and can't drain and goes under water. >> this is not something that's going to get better or easier over time unless we do something about it. i don't know what that looks like. >> i'm not an infrastructure guy. they need to do something about it. when you see streets under 2 feet of water, it's got to cha

she is making her closest approach to charleston. she's just south of where we're located right now and i cannot over state the threat of flooding within this city. there's a lot of competition between the fresh water that falls inland and towards the coast line and then you have the surge of the atlantic ocean moving up to charleston. they're lifting the water up and causing flooding in the downtown region which we have already seen. the city is so vulnerable to it. just within the past 15 minutes an alert on my phone issuing -- from the national weather service issuing a flash flood warning here in charleston, south carolina. we are anticipating anywhere from 15 to upwards of 20 inches of rain especially east of the region. there are spinup tornadoes near the myrtle beach area. a very fluid situation very figuratively and literally as well. what we've seen on the ground working overnight is flashes behind us. transformers continue to blow. christine, dave, we expect the power outages to skyrocket throughout the course of the day. >

this is charleston harbor. that goes out into the atlantic ocean, fort sumpter and the storm's on the other side of that thing. probably within the next few hours it will get to the closest point it's going to be. this isn't worst of it for us yet, but this may be the worst of the water coming on board and the high tide. there's a lot of flooding through town. they generally try to evacuate most of town. not everybody has gone, but pretty much everything was shut down by noon yesterday and those who were going to leave have left. obviously there's no chance to leave now. and charleston is flooding. is one of those places where the storm surge and the inability of the water go anywhere is going to result in probably in some parts of town several feet of flooding. once i'm done here i'm going to investigate that but charleston's going to be in some trouble. >> keep us posted there and stay safe as always. we'll check in there in charleston in a little bit. let's go farther north, myrtle beach, south carolina, tha

charleston harbor is up to 10 feet high.t's shy behind hurricane hugo which moves to shore around 1989. impressive storms. just about 100 miles per hour off of charleston. unfortunately, we get close to charleston within the next several hours. we are seeing gusts upward and go to charles around 33 miles per hour. so really going to be a wild thursday across the south eastern. >> certainly is. the next few hours re crucial. >> thank you so much for the update. >>> early on i spoke with the mayor of north charleston about hurricane dorian, he teold me hs city is bracing for the storm surge and flooding. >> well, we are expecting some where between six or 7 feet of storm surge to go along with higher than normal high tide already. low lining area. we are expecting some flooding. we do have our area that we have major concerns about. we keep preparing for the worse and hoping for the best. >> what kind of preparations have you been engaged in and mass of evacuations. >> we have handed out roughly 45 to 50,000 sandbags to differ

our brian todd is in charleston. i know that was a scene just earlier from behind you, brian, with that transformer blowing. what is the latest that you can tell us? >> reporter: well, brianna, we're just getting pounded right now with another band of wind and rain from this hurricane. it's lingering here. it's still very powerful. just check out how i'm getting hit from my left side with wind and rain as this street continues to be flooded here in downtown charleston. just over here to my left, your right, our photojournalist harlan will zoom into that downed power line. just a short time ago when we rolled up on this thing it was whipping around, emitting live currents into the floodwaters. it was exploding and triggering transformer explosions, several violent explosions, and knocking out power to that street and this street here and causing a lot of danger for anyone who was venturing near it. i'll come on down here a little bit out of the wind and rain and talk to a seafood restaurant owner named brett. he was w

for the city of charleston, north charleston and mount pleasant. it was to go through about now. they have extended that to 1:15 eastern time. they're looking at the totals in the region. the highest 24-hour rainfall is more than 7 inches in mount pleasant. officials are reminding people as little as 12 inches of rain on the streets can wash away a small car. flooding is a major concern and will continue to be for the next several hours. this is a major wind event. just about 100 miles north of me is where we find rosa flores. i know wind a concern because of potential tornados in the area. >> reporter: you know, it's a little difficult for me to hear you, erica. but i think you were asking me about the tornadoes or the conditions here in this area. we are on a tornado watch until 4:00 p.m. there is a reported tornado just north of us in north myrtle beach. according to -- i believe we're having technical difficulties. i don't know if you're able to hear me. my photographer is telling me that you do. sorry for the technical difficulties. according to the firefighters in north myr

look at this video from charleston, south carolina this morning.

] >> anthony: meet one of the owners of the charleston river dogs, charleston resident bill murray.ill: we're gonna see how fast he can go all the way around the outfield. >> anthony: today the river dogs are facing the evil forces of the dreaded savannah sand gnats. >> bill: yow! that's going to score a run, and that's going to leave a mark. he's gonna hold him. >> anthony: bad day for the sand gnats. >> bill: you're hated. you're hated. >> anthony: we will crush you like a -- well, sand gnat. >> bill: a sand gnat has almost no backbone. almost not skeletal structure. they fold. >> anthony: as difficult as it might've been to forgo the joys of the bacon-wrapped foot-long corn dog known as the "pig on a stick," we knew we'd be coming here, husk, sean's restaurant in downtown charleston, one of two that have helped make the city a fine dining destination. so i wanna know, southern living, it's very different up there and down here. it's a big transition. easy, easy for you or not? >> bill: it's easy. the only -- driving was the real transition because i drive like a new york person.

i can't imagine -- >> no. >> -- the flooding into charleston now. >> reporter: flying into charlestonyesterday, we saw the low country and all of its glory. why this area is so sus se septemb september. >> reporter: a flooding potential exists in charleston. this is a city on edge. vulnerable coastal city facing a threat this morning, flash flooding and hurricane force winds. just having a conversation with my producer and some of the camera men located here at the hotel that we're at. we have seen flashes of purple, green, blue illuminating the sky. literally we're seeing this frequently here. those are transformers popping in the distance and the strong wind gusts batter this area. we've had sheet metal flapping in the distance as well. these telltale signs that the hurricane is getting closer and closer. that's exactly what it's going to do as it brings the eye wall closer to the south carolina coast and that is where the heaviest rainfall is going to set up. we had some feeder bands earlier. new this morning, christine, flash flood warning just alerted on my phone in effect from c

we are still under a flash flod warning here in charleston, in north charleston as well as mt. pleasant. that goes thank yrough 1:15. we have not only the high tide coming, it is supposed to crest at 2:00 at around 9.5 feet is the forecast, but the consistent heavy rains and that storm surge. when they all come together at once, where does that water go. brian todd is in the historic downtown area down by the battery. brian, i know you found a significant amount of flooding where you are. you're also seeing some of these transformers blowing as we hear reports of power outages. we're seeing lights flickering around here. what more have you found, brian? >> reporter: right, erica. we're at east bay street and market street. i'll have our photojournalist, harlan schmidt, go right past me down the street on market. you can see that downed power line sparking and it might explode. we rolled up on this thing about 30 minutes ago. you can see it whipping around and causing sparks but it really explodes every few minutes and then the lights flicker on and off where we are. clearly it'

it's the most important issue in charleston. and that involves infrastructure of building projects to prevent water from coming in. the resources to make that happen, the governance, the rules of engagement for future development, the land use. because we have built in the wrong places over the last 350 years. and then the engagement of the public, because this is an issue that impacts all of our citizens. >> mr. mayor, be safe and our thoughts and prayers are with the people of charleston this evening. obviously stay in touch. let us know if there is anything you need that the state or federal government are not getting to you. >> well, god bless you. thank you very much, jake. >> i appreciate it. and there is breaking news now from the bahamas where the death toll from hurricane dorian is rising. the minister of health telling the "washington post" that at least 20 people in the bahamas have been killed because of the strongest storm ever to hit the bahamas in recorded history. 17 of the deaths in the abcos islands and three i

, inland from charleston. that was to be suspended at noon. that's being extended until at least 2:00 p.m., around 2:00 p.m. they say the traffic coming out of charleston is at or near capacity, and they're telling folks that the governor, department of transportation, emergency folks are telling people if you're going to evacuate, you need to be in your car now. but it's a sign that they're heeding the warning precisely because of the high, high risk of flooding in this area. charleston has historically -- you heard from chad myers -- seen very high water during some of these storms, the highest being hurricane hugo in 1989. forecasters are saying we could see a surge in water level almost as high as hugo. a little higher than irma and matthew, which were also bad. and the national weather service points out how dangerous a storm surge could be. the storm surges account for about half of the deaths from any tropical cyclone, storm like this in the u.s. so, very, very dangerous. there's been a pickup in traffi

we're going through the charleston area. the third major hurricane to impact this area in the last three years. these people say they can't take it much longer. >> we all understand the sentiment of not wanting to leave all of your valuables and your home behind, but you're just right in the thick of it, and it's a scary time, you never know which one of those trees are going to come down or the power lines, and the storm surge. thank you very much, we'll check back with you. >> let's get to the cnn weather center now, we want to bring in tom seder for more on dorian's path. >> right now, alison, it's about 55 miles east of charleston. we are now at high tide, which is a good thing for the charleston harbor. the forecast called for a water level in the harbor to be just underneath what hurricane hugo produced in 1989, that was about 12 1/2 feet. because it's high tide and we missed that wall of water moving in in. when it's circulating north of that eye, that's good news, that forecast is off about three feet, now we're star

that's ben closed in the city of charleston. >> athena, we're speaking to the mayor of charleston, southo says he wants this city to be a ghost town. he doesn't want anyone out. the streets will keep closing as the flooding will probaby get worse throughout the day. one update on the power outages, more than 200,000 homes without power in georgia and south carolina. and i think that number will go up as well. athena, thank you very much. all right, joining me now is air force hurricane hunter garret black who has flown in and out of this storm several times, the last time on tuesday. i know you've been in contact with people who have been in the storm more recently. what's the latest view from inside hurricane dorian? >> yes, sir. from what i hear the eye is continuing to -- the storm is strengthening a bit over the last 12 to 24 hours, now back to major hurricane strength. and the national hurricane center has done a fantastic job with this very challenging forecast. it looks like all the carolinas, even up to virginia needs to be very wary of this storm as it continues to skirt right a

the only four in charleston county are established in north charleston.o we will be getting people from the peninsula coming out to stay in north charleston and ride out the storm. if the winds get over a certain degree, those shelters will be transferred into berkeley and dorchester county. but i think we're not going to get that strong of a wind, a category 4 it would take for us to have to do that. >> all right. here's hoping for that. mayor, thank you so much. really appreciate it. good luck. we'll stay in close touch. thank you, mayor. >> thank you. >> coming up for us, in the bahamas, desperation is setting in as rescue workers have been struggling to try and reach those folks who are stranded without food, water, and definitely without proper shelter. one local is calling the situation catastrophic and dystopian mess as his hotel has become a shelter for a lot of folks trying to escape. he joins us next. ♪ want to freshen your home without using heavy, overwhelming scents? introducing febreze one. it eliminates odors with no heavy perfumes, so you

here in the city of charleston.clear a short time ago saying, if you haven't left, you need to stay inside, and he does not want to see you. he doesn't want anybody on the streets. for the first responders. it's going to give you a sense of where we are. we're on the banks of the ashley river. just over my shoulder, you see a number of boats, we saw a few folks out there earlier. this is where you will fines -- if you're familiar with charleston, the area down by the battery, we know folks have been asked to move their cars. within the city they have said they have opened up a number of parking garages for people to put their cars there, they don't want them on the streets, they don't want them there because of flooding, also because of when they may need to get through the streets to help people out. we're looking at the window here, as the storm is gaining strength, getting closer to us, this is going to be a long event. it's going to be a little over 10 feet. that is without any rain added on to it, there will be

charleston. you can see this storm surge right now making its way as it just kind of rolls in and then goes on to city streets. i know 200,000 people right now are without power. i can tell you that the winds have been very, very gusty. we've been told we've gotten gusts as high as 75 miles per hour. and a little further offshore there was a record of about 90 miles per hour recorded just a short time ago. but those are the conditions that we have happening here. every once in a while you get these big gusts. i can tell you, they almost knock you off your feet. i'm not a small person. i'm -- and they really whip us around, all of us, as a crew. i can tell you the conditions have deteriorated. we're supposed to continue to see that strong rainfall throughout the day today and there was a report of somebody actually kayaking down historic king street this morning, so that's the type of flood waters we're already seeing as more rain is falling, tony. >> all right. thank you very much. a dangerous su

i'm john berman in charleston, south carolina.e coverage of hurricane dorian. joining me now is storm chaser aaron jajack. you've been out here all night in charleston. what are you seeing? >> we're starting to get the flooding as we expected in the historic district. the police have areas blocked off as the water is starting to rise. it's coming up to houses in the area there. it's only going to get worse during the afternoon and we have another high tide cycle this afternoon. >> they always talk about the triple threat, right? there's th the tide, and the storm surge. now there's 10 to 20 inches of rain here. >> we've been getting rain all night. rain bands have been coming over all night. and it's been pummelling this area. there's nowhere for this rain to go around this peninsula here. but if the water is coming up, it's just going to stay here, pile up on land here. >> the news overnight was the storm regained major category 3 status. passing off the coast of charleston. it may make landfall on the outer banks in north caroli

she was talking about charleston there. let's go to cnn's brian todd who made his way to charleston, south carolina. as you heard jennifer gray just say, that's the low country, low-lying city at sea level and that's the big problem as dorian approaches. >> reporter: absolutely right, jake. we're going to show you an illustration of that. this city vulnerable because of how low it is to sea level. this is a road right next to the ashley river but right also next to downtown. just a short time ago we got a short burst of rain. the outer edges of the storm and a little bit of high tide, and this whole area was washed over with water. this isn't technically flooding. this is just standing water, but look how vulnerable this low-lying area is. we're going to avoid the cars and show you. over here is the ashley river. look at where that river comes up where the marsh hit and it comes pretty much to the road here and that is what makes this area to vulnerable. they say that the storm is going -- we're going to be feeling the effe

i want to go to charleston, south carolina. bracing for potentially historic flooding. joining me now is the mayor, john teklenberg. mr. mayor, i know you have your hands full, so i appreciate you taking the time to talk with us. what are your major concerns right now as we speak? >> our major concerns is the level of water that may be upon us late tonight or early tomorrow morning. there is a high tide predicted at about 1:00 a.m. of 10.2 feet, which is above flood stage here in charleston. many roads will have some water on it. and when the tide gets that high, that's a combination of storm surge and high tide. the rain, if we have copious rain, it has nowhere to go. it just gets stuck no matter how much rain we get. so that's our main concern. we do have a serious risk of tropical storm winds and hurricane force winds as well. >> let me talk to you about that potential flooding, though, because i was reading in the post and occcou rirks rier, you paper, that destruction will be at 8 feet. if you're looking at 10 feet, what w

charleston has

athena jones in charleston this morning.getting whiplash because they're not certain where this storm is going to hit. now the latest track with the carolinas in the krause hairs are you they ready for it there? >> they believe they're ready. look where i am in historic downtown charleston and it is almost completely vac want. just over this hour we got a look at what this storm is going to bring in terms of wind and rain. you can see the businesses here boarded up, sandbags and the was one restaurant up this block that was open yesterday, they're closing now so that people could go home and get out of the way. authorities have said, look, if you're making preparations now you can see those conditions are going to steadily deteriorate and telling residents to get out of town. already 241,000 people have evacuated this region and that is because we're in an extremely flood prone area. charleston harbor has historically gotten huge storm surges. hoir expecting to see possibly life threatening storm surge from this storm only s

charleston even though it doesn't look like on the map it's going to hit charleston north of that they'retill going to feel the effects. steve: they're right now. brian: meteorologist talked about the storm and the president talked about the storm and immigration. numbers down 30 percent from july. there is still a lot needs to be done at the border, especially building the wall. paul ryan didn't give him money for it. the democratic house didn't give him money for it. so he is re-purposing funds to do it. he talked about that yesterday. >> first of all, we are using much less here than we anticipated. we thought this was going to be a direct -- originally, this was going to be a direct hit into miami and we are -- we would have been satisfied anyway. we need help at the border. the wall is being built. it's going up rapidly. i guess most of you have been able to see we're building very large sections of wall. a big factor was we just won the big supreme court case as you know. what we wanted to do was about 500 miles that will take care of all of the areas that we wanted, including some

it was recently for charleston, north charleston. the reason we're looking at flooding is because of the timing and the extent of the water here. it's the triple threat of the high tides, the tides expected to peak at 2:00 p.m. forecast to peak at 9.5 feet. that's the tide. add to that the storm surge and the heavy rains we've been seeing from last night that will continue well into today. you can understand that when all of these three things happen at once, there is nowhere for the water to go. there are reports of flooded streets. as we get a closer look at where the storm is tracking, what we can expect, i want to turn to allison chinchar in the cnn weather center. i know you have more on the recent update. downgraded to a category 2. but nothing to sneeze at and shouldn't be ignored. >> no. especially when you consider how little the winds actually dropped. we went from 115 to 110 miles per hour. a difference of 5 miles per hour. but that threshold between a category 2 and 3 falls within that. that's why you see it go down to a

charleston, south carolina, could take something of a direct hit.he storm could make landfall there tomorrow. that's where the storm is going. where it's already been there's been so much devastation. the bahamas, they're only now waking up to the damage there. rescue crews not able to arrive on mass yet. there have been some coast guard operations. the skies are sunny today our patrick oppmann tells us and they're hopeful aid will arrive soon. first, though, the 8:00 a.m. update is just in from the national hurricane center. so let's go to chad myers in the weather center to get a sense of where hurricane dorian is headed next. >> as you said likely up towards the carolina coast, that's where it's headed. right now winds still 105. the potential is still there because the pressure is still down. it could catch up. the winds could catch up to the pressure. sometimes that happened. here is the eye of the storm, offshore for you. every once in a while a another band comes onshore, picks the winds up to 45 or almost 50. some of these may have a watersp

and the charleston area.out to the beaches yet, but, you know, yeah, it's not -- it could have been a lot worse. so i think your golf game is probably good to go. >> jeff sometimes when it isn't as bad as expected, the local government is criticized for having overreacted, overprepared, overalarmed people, is any of that conversation taking place or are people basically crediting the local government with having done a good job? >> that's a great question. i thought that's what would happen. but you know what? the thing in the bahamas, i mean a cat 5 in the bahamas, when people saw those pictures, i think they said you know what? yeah, we understand why we had to evacuate. because if that had come anywhere near us, we would be having a very different discussion right now. this is one of those times i don't think they blame forecasters or the local government for asking people to evacuate. good question. >> jeff, it is gary smith. i'm curious here in florida, having lived through a few hurricanes, and thankful

en charlestÓn estÁ ricardo arÁmbula.la marea estÁ baja, pero vientos huracanados a travÉs de toda la costa y encima de eso va a haber marea alta en la maÑana de 10.4 pies, suma de la manejada y despuÉs en la tarde cuando estÉ ya entrando el ojo cerca de esta zona va a haber otros 9.4 pies de altura. como estÁn las hispanas preparándose para todo esto? hay que hay un grupo grande de hispanas. de donde son ustedes? >> de aquÍ de charlestÓn. >> ella es mi colega. como se estÁn preparando? >> aquÍ los hispanos estamos mÁs organizados. hay diferentes organizaciones locales. el dÍa de ayer se han reunido un grupo como de tres docena de hispanas junto con la policÍa, el departamento de emergencias, con estos miembros. han caminado algunas a centros comunitarios, especialmente en las casas mÓviles. para darles la informaciÓn, tocar a las fuerzas de sÍlex, tienen que buscar un refugio si es que su casa no es segura. >> marcela, muchÍsimas gracias. los hispanos estÁn protegiendo aquÍ. nosotros en estos momentos estamos haciendo 40

charleston cannot handle a lot of rain in the roadways. they'll get 2 to 3 inches per hour in some of those squalls. we'll be watching ali very closely during the day and all up along the coast here. let's give you the latest 70 miles southeast of charleston, south carolina. winds are at 115 miles per hour. that is a category 3 storm. we are looking at a very strong storm battering the coast all throughout the day. it's going to be a miserable 24 hours for residents all along the coast here. moving at 8 miles per hour not a fast clip but still quicker than it could be. as we go through the coast here we'll see a category 3 storm weakening to category 2. this is where we're looking, though, the north carolina coast. this is what we'll focus on, throughout today and also tomorrow. >> thanks so much, michelle. i want to turn now to kerry sanders who was able to see the devastation in the bahamas with his own eyes. he is now in south florida. kerry, you have been covering storms for years. what struck you about this one? >> reporter: it is the

heather: aishah hasnie in charleston, south carolina. janice, you heard her report of the wind and rain coming down. much of what you told us would happen after a flash flood warning. just north of her, we reported 3 inches of rain in a matter of hours. flash flooding will be a concern as well as tornadoes. a couple tornadoes in the myrtle beach area. with these landfalling hurricanes are coming close to land the outer bands already have skin and with the friction of land you can see beach tornadoes causing structural damage. in addition to storm surge and potential for hurricane force windss and heavy rainfall we have the risk for tornadoes in south carolina and north carolina. wind gust forecasts, charleston later on today, wind gusts in excess of 70 miles an hour, hurricane force windss more than likely come on sure even if we don't have landfall. we are predicting threat for landfalling hurricane overnight tonight into friday for parts of north carolina. the last time a cat 3 made landfall in north carolina was fran in 1996 was the f

i'm john berman live in charleston, south carolina, this morning. alison camerota joins me from new york and the big news is overnight this storm got stronger. hurricane dorian growing back to a category 3 hurricane. that makes it a major hurricane as it moves up the east coast. it's about 80 miles off the coast of charleston, south carolina this morning. but already causing major, major problems here. there are emergency flash flood warnings for the entire city until 10:00 a.m. more than 100,000 people are without power this morning and that number is growing and growing quickly. it's expected to rain up to 20 inches here over the next 15 to 20 hours. the storm moves up south carolina into north carolina tomorrow. so there's a long way to go here. meanwhile in the bahamas, the relief crews are hoping to get more to those people in need on the abaco island and grand bahama island. 20 people have lost their lives. but bahamian officials expect that number to go up. as you can see, we're four or five days into this march. and it's not nearly done yet.

very close to savannah and charleston. charleston forecasting somewhere in the ballpark of a 10.5-foot surge. not total surge, total level. and hugo was 12.5. that tells you only a couple feet below where hugo took the water into charleston. hurricane warnings up into wilmington. that's going to continue for the rest of the day. the eye doesn't look that impressive right now on the satellite, but it still has a circular eye. we'll keep you up to dacte. the pressure still 964, which indicates a category two to almost three hurricane out there. it is not dying. we are now in the gulf stream. we are in the warm water of the atlantic. and that could keep it going for many, many hours to come. chris mean? >> that is a really important point, chad. thank you so much. >>> more than 7,100 customers in florida are without power this morning. the majority in brevard and indian river counties. let's get more on the current conditions in florida. we have folks up and down the coast and in our weather center. let against now to jensen

charleston, of course, surrounded by water. multiple rivers, the charleston harbor, and of course the atlantic. so there's a lot of water already here. and then when hurricane comes and dumps perhaps as a foot of additional water, that is what happens. this one fell since we've been here, this is a palm tree. glad we weren't under that one. as you can see, power lines down, trees down. this isn't a catastrophe, but it certainly is unpleasant. and it continues, as the storm has done for -- wow, how long? ten days? i don't know, i've lost count. harris? >> harris: wow. it takes a lot of power to rip a palm tree out of the ground as big as that. thank you very much. i appreciate the update from where you are. i want to go to the mayor of folly beach, north carolina, tom goodwin, just outside of charleston. as you move away from the coastline, it is twisters that are of a problem. and power outages. mayor ? >> hello, how are you doing? >> harris: all right. i want to know how you're doing. >> a little damp, but we will dry out with

you're looking live right now at charleston, south carolina. major hurricane is hitting as a dangerous storm surge is likely following. you're looking live at the surge on wall street. just the talk of new talks with china got stocks roaring. we're all over both with jacks i can deanning lose with the trade drama that keeps unfolding and the city's mayor on what has people city worries. let's go to jacqui heinrich in charleston. hi, jacqui. >> hi, neil. the western eye wall of the storm is about 10 to 15 miles off the coast of here. the eye of the storm is about 35 miles to the east of the bay, which is to our north. we're feeling the whipped -- the wind as it closes in on the coast. we have boats bobbing around. in the harbor, sustained winds with gusts up to 80 miles an hour. and then just out a little ways in the harbor off of one of the islands, there was a gus measured at 92 miles an hour. the national hurricane center measure susstained winds at 110 in the center of the storm. that's what we're feeling as it comes in closer. we experience

the wind will be into charleston. and charleston you're going to get a surge.ck has it very close to charleston and moving to the northeast from there. will land get in the way of this track? the hurricane doesn't know where land is, but the hurricane may not turn in time. charleston 5 to 8 feet of surge. that would take us right to the second surge just below hugo which was in 1989. two feet below that record surge. so water is coming. you're at low tide. six hours from now you won't be. >> that's right. the surge is coming. definitely higher than it should be right now. it was up on the seawall a little bit earlier this morning. we're watching it very, very closely. in one point on charleston, will it make landfall? we don't know. but even if it gets close, there will be serious, serious problems which is why 200,000 people have left the coastal areas in south carolina. so let's go to athena jones who's in charleston right now. in that city, i maimagine, waitg expectedly. >> reporter: good morning, john. that's right. the rain isn't here yet, but it's coming.

i'm erica hill in charleston south carolina.cane dorian continues to gain speed and make its way closer to the coast of the united states. one place this storm is not headed is alabama. the president you may recall saying alabama was in the storm's sites. at one point the national weather service office tweeted out that alabama was never in the path of that storm. that is a message that has not made its way to the president. he seems to be ignoring it once again. pamela brown is at the white house with new developments. a map that appears to show a line on it. there's a president of what this map is. >> yeah, that's right he appeared to show this altered map of hurricane dorian's original trajectory, you'll see there's a black line that goes beyond florida around alabama. and so it appears that that was added to this map from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration, what's interesting is that the same -- a similar map was shown last thursday by the white house, it did not include that black line looping around alabam

so we're looking at charleston right here. you can see those outer bands getting close by tomorrow afternoon. so we'll get the heavy rains pretty soon. then that storm surge will follow. but with the storm sort of spreading out a little bit, its impacts are going to be a little more far reaching with the wi7bding starting out, washington, as well as the potential for the rain and that storm surge up the coast as well. >> the storms are in an enormous amount of danger. thank you very much. >>> ahead, we will show you harrowing rescues in the bahamas and get an update on the east coast of the united states. cities like charleston. they are on alert for a huge storm surge. very serious flooding. if you video shows the coast guard responding to the dive boat disaster off california. why couldn't 34 victims be saved? with moderate to severe ulcerative colitis, are you okay? even when i was there, i never knew when my symptoms would keep us apart. so i talked to my doctor about humira. i learned humira can help get, and keep uc unde

charleston is vulnerable that.the mayor said he wants charleston to be a ghost town tonight no one anywhere to be seen. jane: a lot othat area is low-lying and they had been through this type of weather before. how can they prepare for something like storm surge? gary: well, they had en preparing. theic i-26 runs in land from charleston towards columbia, since monday.ng one way they stopped that this afternoon. they were ordered evacuations, evacuationss for 800,000 south carolinians. not all love obeyed t se there's not all will have obeyed those nyders. ave practice from times gone by. hurricane florence last year duned an awful lot of water charleston and parts of south carolina. ey are used to it, but each storm is different and it brings different challengese and surgn arleston and south carolina and the border with north carolina are bracing or bitselfhe morning surge tomorrow morning and then a high timeirst thing tomorrow afternoon. jane: gary o'donoghue, thank you for being there for us, live from hiltonn

the wind is 95 miles south-southeast of charleston as it moves to the north at 7. it will start to move quickly, but not before it makes brush with or landfall with the south carolina coast or north carolina coast. the outer banks by friday morning, and then this thing is out of here. the two main threats we've got to worry about -- or there are three actually. the first, the storm surge between 2 to 4 foot. anywhere in orange from charleston up through wilmington, that's up to 6 feet of storm surge. the high tide is sometime this afternoon around 1:00 or 2:00. this is a look at the winds this morning. charleston seeing hurricane-force winds and tropical-force winds all the way up into north carolina. by this evening, myrtle beach seeing hurricane-force winds. ut irbankingtingfhere finally, the rain -- the potential for a foot of rain in the charleston area on top of the wind and the rain, that's another threat. we've still got another 24 hours. david parkinson, cbs news. >>> president trump is facing criticism this morning after appearing to use a map showing an a

brian todd in charleston, thanks so much. let's go now to cnn meteorologist tom sater for the latest forecast. tom, tell us where hurricane dorian is now and where he is headed. >> well, at the last couple of days, jake, dorian stayed approximately 100 miles off the coast of florida, parallel, the entire coastline. now it's closest approach, it's now 60 miles just south of myrtle beach. it's about 110 from wilmington. but it's those strong eye wall winds that are within 20 miles now. so we're still seeing a surge threat. the good news for charleston, they were looking at near-record levels of water just behind hugo of 1999, didn't quite get to 10.3, because at high tide at 2:00 p.m., those strong winds onshore were just to the north. but now we're seeing winds come in from the back edge of charleston and the harbor, trying to push that water back offshore, so that's good news. however, 5 to 8 feet storm surge still very possible and will occur. the eye seems to be collapsing somewhat. it's not going to change the category. it

of some structural damage in charleston. >> stay safe. please take a break. it will be a long night of reporting. >>> thank you for watching this hour of "live with velshi and ruhle." i'm stephanie ruhle. i'll see you back here at 9:00 a.m. right now chris jansing picks up our coverage. >> do you feel guilty we're being pampered by hair and makeup. >> thank you so much, steph. hello i'm chris jansing in for katy tur. 2:00 p.m. in the carolinas. where this hour, hurricane dorian continues its onslaught of the atlantic coastline. right now battering its way north ward along the south carolina coast. dorian has moved within 70 miles of charleston, carrying with it 110 mile-per-hour winds and the real threat of a deadly eight foot storm surge. massive amounts of rainfall combined with overflowing seas are already flooding the historic streets of charleston. dorian expected to continue toward north carolina where it could make landfall tomorrow near the outer banks. dorian has turned the popular vacation destination of the bahamas into a humanitarian crisis. look

charleston is such a wonderful city. hopefully dorian will be kind in the end. >>> senator kamala harris has a $10 trillion plan to fight climate change and it involves straws. >>> the sequel to crazy rich asians in the middle of a major controversy. one of the writers has quit. it's all over demand for equal pay. >>> here is a look at the breezes today, especially over water out of the west. gusting 30 to 35 miles per hour. that's going to keep our well well well, what have we ♪here? a magical place...that's lookin' to get scared! with bats...and ghouls...and cars in disguise. i've cast quite a spell now... you won't believe your eyes! the spell is cast. halloween time is back with spook-tacular experiences in disneyland and disney california adventure parks!... >>> right now we can see from one side of the golden gate bridge to the other side, but expect that to be taken away by fog as we head through the morning commute. in fact, it's kind of misty out there. lots of gray at the beaches and on the bay, the small craft

people in charleston ordered to shelter in place.arcing. the life-threatening storm surge and where the storm could make landfall tonight. >>> plus, from the bahamas, the numbers just in. how many people are missing and the new images of devastation. witnesses saying it looks like a bomb went off. >>> also breaking overnight a wildfire erupting in california. forcing mandatory evacuations. this woman trying to escape. flames on both sides of her car. >>> the urgent new health alert. a second death in the u.s. now being linked to vaping. the medical research on lung disease and reaction to a new ban

quintessential charleston here. the spice and tea exchange co dealing with a bit of awning damage but that's about it. evacuation order lifting tomorrow, too. by the way. natalie? >> derek van dam, thanks very much. >> all right. >>> boris johnson says he would rather be dead in a ditch than delay brexit even more one day, but if the british prime minister fails to sort things out soon he could end up at the european union cap in hand. that's coming next. >>> also -- >> alabama could even be in for at least some very strong winds. >> well, that's not exactly true. ahead here, why the u.s. president is holding on to old maps with some apparently curious changes about hurricane dorian. no man behind. or child. or other child. or their new friend. or your giant nephews and their giant dad. or a horse. or a horse's brother, for that matter. the room for eight, 9,000 lb towing ford expedition. with advil liqui-gels, what stiff joints? what bad back? advil is... relief that's fast. strength that lasts. you'll ask... what