myers, florida. this is on florida's southwest coast. the governor is warning everyone who stayed in their homes and their shelters to just stay inside. prepare for the worst. there are reports of flooding in miami and ft. pierce, on the other side of florida, on the east coast. meteorologists say ten inches of rain fell in just four hours. this as irma continues to barrel its way toward florida. >> all right, now let's switch gears for a bit and talk about our local forecast. current conditions is where we'll start. temperature of 55 degrees, the reading in philadelphia. 49 this morning in allentown. yet again, very lucky to say this, knowing what's happening in florida. we have a beautiful day ahead. we'll go from 52 in wilmington to this afternoon, some mid 70s. 52 as well the temperature in atlantic city. and our water temperature sits at 70 just outside atlantic city. on our radar and satellite view, a clear picture overhead. no rain, no cloud coverage to track. we'll see that when sunrise hits, but really, this is a nice start to o

the florida keys, lake okeechobee and florida bay.atch is in effect for north of jupiter inlet to sebastian inlet north of bonita beach to ana marie island. rainfall is forecast to be 8 to 12 inches with isolated areas receiving up to 20 inches of rain. based on what we now know the majority of florida will have major hurricane impacts with deadly storm surge and life-threatening winds. we can expect this along the entire east cost and the entire west coast. the florida keys should be prepared to start feeling the effects of this storm tomorrow morning. evacuations. i've offered school bus to aid in evacuations statewide. multiple counties have accepted these buses. any counties with the need to buses to evacuate residents request buses right now. we will quickly run out of good weather to evacuate. if you're told to evacuate, leave, get out quickly. the roads will fill up quickly so you need to go. i'm a dad and i'm a grandfather. i love my family. i can't imagine life without them. do not put yourself or your fam lice life atfamily'

florida is tough. florida is resilient. florida is unbreakable.ve to stay together and help each other. florida is an amazing melting pot of loving people and i'm proud to be governor of this great state. [ speaking in spanish ] [ speaking in spanish ] >>> and joining me now by phone is the former commandant of the u.s. coast guard, who directed the federal response to hurricanes katrina and rita. tell me whether you believe that they are on track in terms of the emergency response and fema and what they have done so far, from what you can tell. >> andrea, there is extraordinary efforts going on with the governor in the state of florida. you heard craig fugate earlier. this is a very, very tough situation. people really need to pay attention to the governor. i think the real issue here is increasing complexity of these events and the additional coordination it takes to be responsive to the amount of people, the amount of infrastructure and the breadth of the environment when these things occur. >> and at this stage, what message can you deliver? y

he drove from florida city down to the florida keys.ng out the storm and you've seen some major flooding along highway 1 there, gadi. >> reporter: yeah, savannah, matt, can you guys hear me? we lost one of our mics. can you hear me okay? >> we hear you. >> reporter: we've got a backup mic hiding it in here. our equipment is getting kind of soaked. right now we're on the tip of the florida keys. this right here is key laurg rg. we're starting to see the debris being swept over here. we're kind of taking shelter behind this brick building here, this brick gas station. this is what it's looking like. these awnings right here are starting to rock. if you take a look, if they fall, they're going to fall that way, but they're getting pounded by these hurricane-force winds right now. we parked our suv over here where it's safe right behind the building. but this right here is the one. that is the south dixie highway. that's the way that we came in. we were actually just coming to check out the south dixie highway to see if it was still passabl

the storm now roaring past the bahamas and cuba as it takes aim at florida florida. at a category five hurricane. the state is bracing for the worst as the storm looms closer. >> right now as we look at the latest radar pictures you have on screen. you can see how irma remains to be giant. and now a deadly category five storm again. the first band of the storm the size of texas. or twice the size of florida. whichever you want to call it it's big. bringing wind gusts of 50 miles per hour. anyone remaining in the keys told to evacuate immediately. the storm veered west ward earlier tonight. and charting a path that could take it through naples, fort myers and potentially tampa on sunday. but every count in florida is expected to be hit hard. the question is how hard. the storm is pummelling cuba. land fall could weaken irma. packing 160 miles per hour winds. storm surges in florida could reach 12 feet. earlier we were saying ten. causing big concern here. 23 lives have been claimed by hurricane irma as it destroyed parts of caribbean. the scenes from st. martin where

the florida straits. eventually somewhere close to south florida if not into south florida directly. the latest track from the hurricane center at 5:00 shifted a little bit west. because of the hurricane warnings across the bahamas, the hurricane watch south florida and storm surge in interior florida. storm surge watch for possible surges five to ten feet. this is tough stuff possible. the big question is where will it go. nobody has the exact answer. the closer we get the more likely it is we will see the answer focus somewhere right near the southern tip of florida. the latest advisory has it shifted more to the west than earlier. don't follow the center line. the en west of florida and could go east. right now the center of the guidance suggests that it may make landfall and come over the state. if it happens exactly like that, it mines the southern portion of florida, the entire state will be simultaneously under hurricane conditions. right now south florida is sunny and breezy. that is where we find

it's clear in florida, clear in southwest florida down along naples and fort myers.get about ocala, a lot of people fondling onto that thing and all heading north. the good news is there's a little bit more time before it makes landfall. yesterday, 60 miles an hour. last night and this morning, 40 miles per hour. now the storm has slowed to 12 miles an hour. it's about to make its turn to the north. stay with fox news channel for continuing updates. a quick commercial breaks, and "special report with bret baier "special report with bret baier. " bill assumed his mayo was the best choice. assume nothing. just like the leading brand, kraft real mayo is made with high quality ingredients at a price you can feel good about no wonder kraft is so good. you for four years. you named it brad. you loved brad. and then you totaled him. you two had been through everything together. two boyfriends, three jobs... you're like nothing can replace brad. then liberty mutual calls... and you break into your happy dance. if you sign up for better car replacement™, we'll pay for a car t

that's putting the florida keys directly in its crosshairs. wesg winds. governor of florida sayi. nearly 6 million people are thn orders. overnight irma did come ashore n hour. already more than a dozen people across the caribbean have been killed by this monster a storm. have reporters across th state of florida well as the caribbean, covering all the angles of the story, from the evacuations the damage already done. begin with mariani beach. what's the latest? >> reporter: you just saw hopefully a patrol car behind morning long in every corner trying to tell people to evacuate. we've also seen people that are barrier island, this coastal i evacuation order for its 100,000 residents. been here since 6:00e morning. weather took a turn fo worse in the last half hour. is avenue, a street that usually would be bustling with tourists, people walking their dogs, headed to the beach. a ghost do. we've seen those people who have decided to evacuate. tell us th home. said i have booze at homel time. that's what officers around her. that's they're urging residents to do. want to show ye bo

southwest florida could see the most flooding. in just six inches of water, a car engine stalls, two feet and the car is floating, three to six feet, life threatening, in part because of everything floating in the current. at nine feet the water is above the first floor. despite the dangers, some residents staying put like richard crisler who made sure to secure all the boats at his marina club. >> i have a gut feeling i haven't had before. this one is really scary. >> reporter: some of the most vulnerable, the residents in trailer parks who cannot afford to leave. >> this is going to be, oh, wiped out. >> reporter: authorities detaining the homeless to protect them against the storm. throughout the day last-minute shopping for crucial supplies. police helping to manage out-of-control lines at this home depot. one man about to buy the last generator at this store giving it up to a woman for her sick father's medical needs. >> an angel from god is what he is. >> reporter: another urgent threat, the dike on lake okeechobee. 40,000 r

and florida state. back to you in new york. >> lester holt there with quite the ominous sky behind you at miami beach. a virtual ghost town. thank you. >>> as irma shifts slightly west, some residents who thought they would be spared from the storm's worst are now planning for catastrophe. kristen dahlgren is in in ft. myers with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. to give you an idea of how attitudes here have changed, yesterday during the day i saw people out on their boats, out on the beach. i went to a shelter last night, it doesn't open until 10:00 this morning, there were already people lined up to get in. along florida's west coast, there is new urgency. what many thought was a miss has models >> we're not as far away from the center as we had originally thought. >> reporter: grace and frank mazzarella scrambling to finish storm proposals sanibel island. >> my family wants us out of florida totalen. that's a little bit difficult to do right now with traffic, airlines are booked up. >>

part of florida.ring the state south all the way up to north, even into georgia. so we will have all of the angles covered for you. of course, if you want to help victims of hurricane irma or harvey, we have some of the web sites that we're going to list up on your screen now. we'll have the red cross, obviously, the salvation army. there are many ways you can donate. we also heard of ways you can help rescue pets too, so there's many facets that you can help. leland: yeah. and right now as we have heard, especially for folks florida south and those in key west, bill nelson telling us there's about 10,000 people still in the florida keys. it's too late, and now people down there need our thoughts and our prayers as irma bears down. as irma leaves cuba and heads north, could very easily intensify in the straits of florida with that warm gulf water. and even as we heard from the national hurricane center, they don't know yet, does irma make those two landfalls, or does it stay a little bit off the shore

sglu south florida hammered right now. the hurricane -- knocking out power to hundreds of thousands. the region bracing for a potentially life threatening storm surge. we have correspondents across florida and the region to cover it all today, sunday, september 10th, 2017. : from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today," hurricane irma, with matt lauer and savannah guthrie, live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza, and lester holt, live from florida. >>> good morning, everybody, welcome back to this special edition of "today" on a sunday morning. that's the scene in miami beach. i'm savannah guthrie alongside matt lauer. lester holt and al roker are in tampa, florida, this morning, and are also anchoring our coverage. we'll get to them in just a moment. >> we're sitting here with our maps of florida in front of us, all the counties, trying to figure out who's going to into impact or have impact with this storm next. here's the latest on irma. packing quite a punch as it slammed southern florida, a dangerous category

of miami, florida. winds 155 miles per hour. we'll see that turn today i think towards the north. let's take a look at the rain that's coming. heavy downpours through the florida keys and just towards miami. strong winds in marathon, up to 38 miles per hour. and in the bahamas, winds are churning at 36 miles per hour. if you're just joining us, we have a hurricane watch as far west as tallahassee, florida, as far west as jacksonville, florida. pretty much all of florida is under some sort of advisory right now. not vicing when you have a category 4 major hurricane getting close to florida. things have changed with the track since yesterday morning. hugging more of the west coast of florida, so a double landfall is possible along the florida keys perhaps early sunday morning and then again sunday afternoon near naples. sth a possibility in terms of exactly where it will pinpoint and we'll see the eye pass over. the national hurricane center mentioned one of the reasons that the forecast is difficult to m

related deaths already in florida. one man died when his truck stormed into a tree in marathon near the florida keys. strong winds thrashed boats around violently in miami like they were children's toys. >>> stephanie ramos in miami with the latest on irma. >> reporter: hurricane irma is roaring into florida. we're seeing some side way rain, you can see behind me the trees being pushed and slammed by very strong and intense winds and this is just the beginning. the day florida has been anticipating is here. >> my gosh. wow. >> reporter: in south florida, trees are down, streets are flooding. >> you can really start to feel the wind and rain coming down. i'm getting blown away here. you know what? we're going to send it back to you, it's getting a little dangerous >> the state put on notice. >> this is not a storm to mess with. >> i can hear the how long, i can just he imagine the amount devastation that's taking place. >> reporter: the storm tearing itself away from northern coast and head towards key west before movin

south florida on sunday. there is still some uncertainty as to where the northward turn will occur but everyone in south florida should be preparing for the landfall of a potentially catastrophic major hurricane on sunday with category 4 to 5 winds and a potentially life-threatening storm surge. we have a hurricane watch in effect for the east coast south of jupiter inlet. all of the florida keys and lake okeechobee. we have a storm surge watch in effect south of jupiter inlet and bonita beach. including the florida keys, anywhere in the pink area, a risk of a life-threatening storm surge. we could see flooding exceeding five to 10 feet above ground level. if you have been asked to evacuate, please follow that advice. we are expecting tropical storm force winds to arrive first in south florida, in the keys during the day on saturday, progressing northward through central florida sunday morning into north florida by late sunday and potentially into georgia and south carolina by sunday night into monday. we cou

florida vegetables, there will be no florida vegetables, fresh vegetables in november. those green beans that many of you are eating on thanksgiving will not come from florida this year. we'll have to make up the gap from foreign producers because that crop is gone entirely. so i don't mean to leave any of them out. i'm just telling you the hit to agriculture was extraordinary, and unfortunately for agriculture -- and it's not mean-spirited why this happens, but there is not a lot of agriculture near major metropolitan centers, meaning there is not as much media coverage. i'm not here to beat up the media. in fact, i thank the media and i have done so because a lot of the work they did on the national networks and the local news is what got so many people motivated to get up and go out of harm's way. but there aren't a lot of camera crews stationed live from a citrus grove, so the power gets back on and the schools reopen and people forget that these farmers, most of whom, by the way, are not wealthy landowners from the movies. some of these are fourth generation grower

by in the florida keys where irma hit.on, good morning. a quick update from you? >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. conditions have started to improve here in tampa within the last hour or so. there were already reports of wind damage in areas with countless trees down. also in the overnight areas, we saw the glow, the green glow in the sky all across the city here of transformers going up. in the hours and days ahead, the big priority will not only be assessing the damage here in the state, but also restoring the power to the millions of people who lost it during the storm. anne-marie, the largest utility company here in florida says it already has 17,000 power line workers on the ground here. some of them will start the work of restoring power as early as this morning. >> wow. don champion in tampa. thank you so much, don. >>> many residents fled the st. petersburg area ahead of irma, but some rode out the storm in a school building. jeff glor met with them. >> reporter: john hopkins middle school is used to handling

this is the state of florida. and this is irma superimposed around it. >> 360, 370 miles wide. >> at least. >> some saying the size of texas or wyominwyoming. huge. >> it is. the eyewall is where we have the strongest winds. the northeast quadrant we would have damaging and strong winds typically with the hurricane because of the narrow size, the florida peninsula. pretty much everyone is dealing with something with this storm. that's part of the problem because this is the wind field as a category 4 potentially coming on shore in flat keys. potentially again along the southwest coast of florida. those hurricane-force winds, 74 miles per hour greater extending eastward. >> i want to ask you this last question. you say this is -- if you slice it into a pie, this upper right-hand part is the worst part. >> typically this is worst. the worst really is where the eyewall is. that's going to be, you know, to be determined whether the eyewall itself or -- it makes its way on land like it's doing to cuba now. >> does this

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, estero, florida. >>> this is kerry sanders in naples, florida. today alligator alley, the main road connecting west to east in florida, with a rush towards miami, many on the west coast who thought they were safe now scrambling to get out. >> we really don't know what to do. it's stressful. >> reporter: michael carr lives in ft. myers. >> i'm frightened to hell because i don't think this house is going to hold up. >> reporter: florida governor rick scott warning the water surge could reach the tops of homes. >> this is a life-threatening situation. remember, the storm surge comes after the wind. do not think the storm is over when the wind slows down. >> reporter: everglades city, the fishing village south of naples, could find itself swamped by a 12-foot storm surge, same flooding threat on marco, an island about the same size as manhattan. michael callahan decided not to evacuate. >> we're prepared for a storm surge unless it gets up to the third floor. >> reporter: today, lowering hurricane shutters, confident they will protect his family. 13

now the computer models are in good agreement that south florida, the whole state of florida is in to a state of emergency because this storm is going to rake across your state this weekend. then also paying close attention to georgia and the carolinas, you will be next in line. so, category 4 storm. a very strong category 4 storm. i almost wish they did not lower it because we're just two miles shy of a cat 5. but it is a little bit -- it's weakening a little bit. we are still dealing with the potential catastrophic damage. there is no way else to put it but catastrophic damage for the keys, south florida and the whole state of florida and georgia, the carolinas, and the tennessee river valley will need to monitor this. we will be all over this 24-hour coverage starting this weekend, guys, on this storm. we will bring you the very latest. back to you. heather: janice, you mention all the warm water it has to go over is there a possibility it could strengthen again? janice: absolutely. don't let your guard down because you see a little tiny weakening of the winds. 157 miles per hour m

live from florida. >> the florida keys are expected toic that the brunt of the storm as it begins to make landfall in the u.s. that could be catastrophic damage there. >> this hurricane irma is still a very powerful category 5. you will notice it is a massive storm that will proof damaging and destructive, especially as it makes it way across the florida area. it's not advancing here. let me see if the graphics are stuck. let's see if we can get to the next graphic which will show you what's happening with the actual storm here. we'll take a look here and see. there it is. all right. florida storm surge. this is going to be the biggest threat to when it starts to make landfall. the wind will push a wall of water above the normal sea level and that'll cause that water to surge. what's going to happen? it's going to start to rise rapidly. this will be the biggest threat which is why storm surge flood warnings are up. you're looking at storm surge flooding up to 12 feet. it will take out many of the structures there. our radar is tracking bands of rain moving across the region, especial

that can be a threat to florida. also talking evacuation saying the storm is here now, but to the north, there are still parts of florida under evacuation orders. far to the north areas that should be moving back. let's go back to governor scott. back in english again. >> thank you, governor. the florida national guard has been activated with 500 shelters. more than 700 more guardsmen are preparing to set up food and distribution sites as soon as the storm passes. we're working alongside fwc as soon as it's safe. we're working with our counterparts with national guard and other active duties. more than 10,000 national guard troops are on their way into the state of florida from 14 different states for deployment after the storm. help is coming by air, land and sea. we're grateful for the outpo outpouring of support and assistance from our brothers and sisters in the army, air force, navy, marines. coast guard and the entire guard nation. and we're ready to do all we can to help our fellow floridians. and we'll be her

if there is no real good news here for florida. >> jon: meanwhile, folks in south florida are eating the warning to head to safety. they are facing crowded roads and long lines for gas as more than half a million people in the miami-dade area are told to evacuate. what are the conditions like no now? >> still more than 36 hours out, conditions here are already beginning to kick up, we are seeing some wind gusts of 20 miles an hour, there is very different mood in south florida. in previous storms people would be sticking it out, writing it out but there is real palpable fear here. people who have not left in previous storms are leaving, there is fear because of what people have seen already from the storm. a death toll that right now stands at 23 but continues to rise throughout the day and the utter destruction it has already caused in the caribbean, making some islands uninhabitable. people are afraid of the storm does indeed hit south florida as a category 4, they know what that means, they have been through it in the past. it could mean downed tree lines, downed power lines, roof

florida. we've seen some changes. previously, we were looking at this being a category 4 going over some warm water, perhaps jumping up to a category 5. our latest model says it stays account 4. still, a massive storm when you run along the ground. here we are, even the latest model is shifting this a little bit farther off to the west. we are looking at this being a western side of florida running up the gulf coast instead of the east coast. when will it be making landfall? sunday morning. i think conditions are going to start to deteriorate as early as tomorrow morning. you should start to notice that tomorrow, even though it won't make landfall until sunday morning. you see the storm throughout the entire day sunday and into early monday running up to the state of florida into georgia 40 monday afternoon. things will be all clear. notice -- if it stays a categorr some warm water in this is a very powerful system, the sum of those wins still around 150 miles an hour. when you get that much w

florida. once again as a category 5 there. all this while florida braces for what lies ahead to the next 48 hours. tough 48 hours. and survivors in the caribbean are adding up the damage left behind. the number is big. at this hour, hurricane irma is barreling down on cuba as a category 5 storm, with ferocious 160-mile-an-hour winds. the massive storm's path shifted west as it regained some strength, now charting a course expected to churn through the florida keys, before hitting naples, ft. myers and florida's east coast expected to be batters by this storm, the size of texas almost. the big question is how the storm's path through cuba may impact its course and whether the storm will weaken at all before reaching the keys. florida's governor is urging those on the state's west coast to be prepared to head to a local shelter if they do not evacuate by noon local time, saying not following evacuation orders could cost you your life. 23 people have died so far in connection with the storm that

moving toward florida. still a category 4. i wouldn't be surprised if we see an update to that at 11:00. maximum winds 130 miles per hour as of the 8:00 a.m. advisory and moving toward the west-northwest around 12 miles per hour. let's take a look at the latest track again the keys in the eye of the storm as you head into the overnight into sunday morning, maybe regaining strength here. the waters are still very warm. even though the hurricane is weakening now it may regain some of that intensity and then this is the big change to the track that westward shift potential landfall somewhere from ft. myers, naples up towards tampa, that would be tomorrow afternoon, or sunday night even into monday, and then eventually weakening as it moves to the southeast as a tropical storm, picking up outer bands moving into south florida, torrential downpours, marathon winds gusting over 30 miles per hour and the keys feeling the effects in terms of the winds. this say large hurricane, we've talked about the massive size.

but again, the time over florida. andrew only spent four hours over florida.a to spend over 30. that's likely to cause some significant damage just that point alone. >> amazing how big it is. looks like the perfect storm. >>> category 4 track as it continues to florida. stay with us. super-cool notebooks, done. that's mom taking care of business. and with the "25 cent event", office depot officemax takes care of mom! now, all this just 25 cents each! ♪ taking care of business iso being cool comes naturally. on car insurance, hmm. i can't decide if this place is swag or bling. it's pretzels. word. ladies, you know when you switch, you get my bomb-diggity discounts automatically. ♪ no duh, right? [ chuckles ] sir, you forgot -- keep it. you're gonna need it when i make it precipitate. what, what? what? the unpredictability of a flaree may weigh on your mind. thinking about what to avoid, where to go, and how to work around your uc. that's how i thought it had to be. but then i talked to my doctor about humira, and learned humira can help get and keep uc under co

the florida keys impacted very soon. hurricane warnings on the both coasts of florida. storm surges up to 10 feet. miami-dade county a population of 2.7 million people. that could be next in line. that could be the first place to take a major hit from hurricane irma. here's the tracking of the storm. you can it pass just south of the bahamas according to these various spaghetti plots there and north of cuba, cuba has the hurricane warning, and here it is right on the coastline of the florida keys under the warnings, as well. and the spaghetti plots are showing in various directions now, possibly on the either coast a couple going up the center of florida. this is dangerous going south to north, not east to west. that's why obviously all these states are taking those precautions. georgia, the carolinas, southeastern u.s. really needs to be on alert. preparations have been in place for several days now. here's why this is expected to take a direct hit to florida. this high pressure seems like it's almost working its way around. we were hoping for this dip in the jet strea

montego bay, jamaica, miami and jacksonville, florida. but as you said, we were able to talk to some lucky passengers who arrived here in philly from tampa. this was what they had to say. >> when we took off, everybody kind of applauded on the plane. they knew we were, like, the last flight out. that was kind of -- a little scary. >> supposed to be in cuba for two days. stayed for one day. said we were going back. a day early. >> reporter: some vacations had to be cut short. everybody was just trying to get out of irma's path. and there was a sense of relief to touch down here in philadelphia as the board indicates with all of these canceled flights. folk who have not left florida, for example, there's no chance that they're going to get on a flight now. reporting live from philadelphia's international airport, aundrea cline-thomas, nbc 10 news. >>> take a look at this. hundreds of people lined up outside this shelter in lee county, florida. many people brought their belongings and their pets. saying they stood in line for hours to get in

florida straits getting into the florida keys. it will make a right-hand side turn shortly, probably win the next 12 hours or so, which would put the worst part of the had -- hurricane on the western tip of florida notion the eastern tip. a tremendous storm surge expected in that part of florida. marathon, key west, key largo seeing heavy rains. the latest traffic moving west/northwest 12 miles per hour. it will make the right hand turn shortly. around the naples area or marko island. this area here landfall expected tomorrow morning between 2 and 5:00 a.m. as a category four storm with winds 150 miles per hour as the storm moves over land getting close to tampa, it weakens dramatically as it loses its fuel source which is the warm waters of the atlantic and the gulf. tuesday and wednesday it weakens into a tropical storm or tropical low. we're seeing good concensus between the forecast models. we have a couple of outliers which brings it over the gulf which will be good news for people in southern florida but terrible news for th

out of florida. those were the questions folks were addressing a the airport. meanwhile, let's look at the path of the storm. bonnie schneider is back with us. >> ari, the storm center of irma, category five hurricane is interacting with the northern coast of cuba. but look at the size and the massiveness of this storm. in fact, you can even see some of those clouds getting closer to the border of florida. the storm is still a few hundred miles away. let's take a closer look at the eye and the eye wall. we watched eye wall replacement cycles. that allowed it to weaken and strengthen a bit. but right now, that eye is certainly interacting with the land across cuba. depending on how much interaction we see could really make a difference in terms of intensity, but fortunately not by much. i think we're still going to see a powerful hurricane as it works its way towards florida. the northerly turn is expected to happen tomorrow. right now it's about 300 miles to the southeast of miami florida. certainly

rick scott, the governor of florida. 0ur correspondence has been monitoring the situation in floridathe hurricane's approach. hurricane irma is bearing down on the sunshine state. these scenes, a mere indication of what is to come. power outages are already widespread and roads flooded. for those who haven't been able to leave, time has run out. we are talking about wind gusts over 100 miles an hour, perhaps up to 130 miles an hour. this kind of wind can do tremendous amounts of damage to wood frame homes, trees, power lines and things. the other very deadly risk we have is storm surge flooding. most people who die in hurricanes do so from drowning in a storm surge. the people of cuba are already starting to count the cost of hurricane irma, which battered the island for hours before finally moving north. now a popular holiday destination, thousands of british tourists were stranded there. the airport is closed to all flights. 0perators including thomas cook have been criticised for not doing enough to help. it's a very unpredictable scenario. some of the airports are still closed, s

a hurricane warning is in effect for southern florida, the florida keys, lake okeechobee, and floridaued northward into central florida. ( mark ) four search and rescue teams from california are now heading to florida to help deal with hurricane irma including a team from menlo park. the teams got the call an hour after another team from menlo park returned home from hurricane harvey. officials say it will be a different group of people heading to florida. the new team includes search and rescue personnel, hazardous materials and communications specialists, doctors and rescue dogs. ( mark ) team members will be heading to florida as soon as their equipment is loaded up and ready to go. (mark) dozens of adoptable pets are now in the bay area after they were evacuated from florida animal shelters ahead of hurricane irma. 92 cats and 62 dogs lande

lauderdale, florida, now. looks a lot calmer there in southeast florida. the winds have gone offshore across southeastern florida, ft. lauderdale and the miami area. it is going to continue to be he owe if you have any flights in or out of atlanta, you need to call your carrier. there are a mountain of cancellations there. the worst for tampa bay is the wind is coming back on shore. so yesterday you had all that wind offshore and as a result the water literally was draining out of tampa bay. that's turning now as the storm surge is wind is spreading as far north as north georgia. i think rain stays as close as west virginia today. we'll be dry here. we'll deal with the rains from irma tomorrow and the rest of the week. otherwise, a chilly and dry start to the day. >>> and we want to show you some of the powerful images coming out of florida this morning. this shows how strong the winds were when this monster made landfall in naples. meteorologist mike bet he is there. it hit naples with wind gusts of 142 miles per hour. if you look at this video, the hurri

the devastation in the florida keys, i was watching those people in the florida keys, they may get cutit would not surprise me if some of these bridges out there got washed over. that's how severe this could be. that's what happened in 1935 with the labor day hurricane. we are looking at wind gusts up to 150, 175 miles an hour. some might blow away before. same kind of thing may happen in naples, bonita springs, where this makes a final landfall. the eye on the eastern side. move up the coast. west palm beach, late sunday or sunday night. tampa, orlando, across daytona beach -- wind gusts up to 100 miles an hour. very late sunday night into monday morning. monday afternoon, up to jacksonville, st. augustine, gainesville. probably 80 miles an hour to 10. then, gus late monday to monday night and up into atlanta where i think atlanta could get a hurricane gust for its wind. when i look at charleston, charleston is going to get strong northeast winds tomorrow but the maximum cost on monday may only be 56-60 miles an hour. >> sean: my friend, sheriff mike scott works for the county down th

tip of florida. it could hit the keys sometime 20 tomorrow morning. thousand we go live to sarah rosario in forth laud. >> reporte ft. lauderdale. >> reporter: the wind is starting to pick up here as hurricane irma is less than 24 hours from landfall. hurricane force winds expected from coast to coast, raising the potential of life threatening storm surge. the message clear. you need to go now. and a has exodus followed as irma showed its strength. >> we were here for wilma. nothing really frightening as this. >> reporter: many heeding warnings as the most powerful atlantic hurricane on record battered the caribbean taking lives, homes and leaving more than a million people without power. >> this is a catastrophic storm that our state has never seen. >> reporter: many shelters are full. gas stations and airports closed. >> i don't know what do. >> reporter: preparations made across the state. from protecting animals at the miami zoo to shutting down the happiest place on earth, disney and other theme

this is really, really bad news for florida. south florida is watching it closely. it will be be affecting south florida in a big way. this is still a large hurricane. it's larger than the state of florida is wide. if it moves up the center of florida, it will be impacting both coastlines with tropical storm force winds at least. there's a storm right now. the most dangerous side and direction of motion is the northeast side of the eye. at this point, as far as the track is concerned, it looks like miami add the east coast of florida will see the most as far as the tornado threat. here is the track. category 4 potentially, maybe slamming a lot of the florida keys into south florida. this is ever glade territory, this is swampland. it's very warm here too. i'll show you the rest of the track and what we can expect >>> thank you, stheen heena. >>> we're working all angles. let's give you a look at the satellite eye of the storm. 12 people have been killed and we expect the number to rise. the images we're seeing are heartbreaking. homes have been reduced to rubble in

battering south florida. the powerful storm has shifted and is now set to sweep up the state's west coast. irma knifed through the caribbean leaving death and destruction. many of the islands reduced to rubble. hurricane hunters scening us brand-new video of the eye of the storm from high in the air. >> announcer: news 4 begins now with storm team 4. >> i want to show you a live look at south florida this evening. this is usually sunny isles beach. you can see the conditions are worsening as irma moves closer to the area. good evening, i'm erika gonzalez. we have two live reporters following irma's path in culver. we want to start with a closer look at irma's shift. a new track has come out as of 5:00, samara, is there any further shift in that or what are you seeing now with this? >> reporter: no major changes. however, i will say it's just shifted a few to the west meaning this could be more of a direct hit for areas like tampa and st. petersburg. show you where the storm is located. folks, the eyewall of t

i am concerned about southwest florida. people are concerned about the cam a bay region they have not got warnings only amplified friday night for them. even as late as last night we were talking to people we know personally and others. it's been so long that tampa bay region has a storm, perhaps don't have memory of what it's like. you can't hide from the water, that's our biggest fear. by the way storm surge doesn't come until the storm passes, it's a long time event and we are concerned about it. i know our local officials of course. the problem is we have there's state is being impacted by this. >> dickerson: senator, we've talked over the years about trust in government and people losing faith in their government do you see any that have? are people not taking things seriously because sort of either because of crying wolf or lost faith invoices of authority? >> i can't say that in this cases. people have responded you see enormous number of people have acted, most massive evacuation in the state. millions of people hav

three storm related now in florida.ore than 1 million people were without power in florida, crews are headed down south to help get the lights back on >>> chris sowers, irma not over yet >> just beginning, let's take one last look on the infrasatellite shot. looks like marco island seeing the worst now as the hurricane wall starting to get closer and closer, seeing winds of 130 miles per hour, gusting as much as 160 miles per hour, that will continue on its journey to the northwest hugging the west coast of the state of florida of later tonight is when tampa gets poundeded. for us back home, 74, mostly sunny today, monday 78 with a combination of sun and clouds, and there could be remnant rains coming in tuesday into wednesday, but nothing heavy right now >> we now join gma's coverage of irma >> for gray hall, chris sowers and the entire action news team, i'm nydia han have a great sunday. not get too comfortable with this idea that flooding isn't an issue because you are seeing the water go away right now. the water is

which is battering florida as we speak. wipe vo there are crews from the bay area in florida... help out. the california air national guard )s rescue wing is there. the 100-member team is highly trained in chopper search and rescue. wipe vo-same banner california task force three - based in menlo park - also will help in the gulf coast. wipe vo-same banner and pg&e also is sending staff to help with power outages. kira let )s check in with meteorologist rob mayeda with a quick look at the forecast. wx kira/cu i )ll have another local news update for you in half an hour. >>> sunday morning, 8:30 in the morning on the east coast. 10th of september, 2017. this is a special edition of "today," tracking hurricane irma. the center of this storm making landfall over the florida keys a short time ago. high winds, a lot of rain, hammering parts of the state. >> it has been interesting. we now know the trajectory is for the center of the storm to hit the west coast of florida. yet images we have seen this morning that have been most devastating is southeast florida, miami, miami beach, fl

people in florida are potentially in hurricane irma's path. everyone in florida potentially. the entire state, the whole cone, from tallahassee all the way over, they can't predict exactly just as the governor was saying. but the cone of uncertainty covers the entire thing. and the center, the eye of the storm, i think i said 25 miles an hour, i meant 25 miles wide. that's varying a little bit from time to time but it's 23 to 27 miles wide, right? so when it's that wide, that covers just the eyewall if it comes right up over the peninsula, it is half as wide as this. the eye could move over large swaths of the state. it could move to the east which would be fantastic if you're here and not if you're up here. if it goes over the land, you know, it's the water, that warm water, especially really warm water. that warm water is jet fuel. the warmer the water the stronger the hurricane. if it loses that source of water by going over the land, even for a short period, it's moving 16 miles an hour right now. that what they think it'll stay. at 16 miles an hour, it will be over land

it's now heading to florida. >> marci gonzalez in new smyrna beach florida for us with the very latest. >> reporter: traffic backed up for miles. >> going to jersey. >> reporter: with more than a million people in florida ordered to evacuate ahead of hurricane irma. >> this storm is wider than our entire state. it is expected to cause major and life-threatening impacts from coast to coast. >> reporter: in west miami lines for gas wrapping around city blocks even as far north as gainsville gas buddy reporting nearly 60 percent of gas stations are sold out. florida highway patrol escorting fuel tankers into evacuation zones in a rush to replenish supplies. >> most of the gas stations we've been to all day have no gas. >> reporter: airports crowded with evacuees rushing to catch the last flights out of south florida including tourists forced to leave their beach front hotels. >> everybody is evacuating. everybody has to go. >> reporter: are you planning to ride the storm out at the airport. >> if need be. this is where i'll be. >> reporter: after seeing the devastating impact of irma in t

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

he drove from florida city down to the florida keys.ding out the storm and you've seen some major flooding along highway 1 there, gadi. >> reporter: yeah, savannah, matt, can you guys hear me? we lost one of our mics. can you hear me okay? >> we hear you. >> reporter: we've got a backup mic hiding it in here. our equipment is getting kind of soaked. right now we're on the tip of the florida keys. this right here is key laurg rg. we're starting to see the debris being swept over here. we're kind of taking shelter behind this brick building here, this brick gas station. this is what it's looking like. these awnings right here are starting to rock. if you take a look, if they fall, they're going to fall that way, but they're getting pounded by these hurricane-force winds where it's safe right behind the building. but this right here is the one. that is the south dixie highway. that's the way that we came in. we were actually just coming to check out the south dixie highway to see if it was still passable for emergency crews. hold on real f

you're familiar with florida. that water doesn't go anywhere and it's a real problem, especially when you're talking about, again, some of these points of interest. the hospital here, they're going to have to get that hospital evacuated if it looks like this thing is going to make significant landfall in tampa. but again, cone of uncertainty. so we'll keep an eye on that. >> and a few hours to get this done and dealt be. >>> that's going to do it for me this hour. thomas roberts picks up our coverage at the top of the hour live from miami with the very latest on the path of hurricane irma and what lies ahead for those who did not evacuate to higher ground. stay with us here on msnbc. >>> it is 11:00 a.m. out west, 2:00 p.m. here in florida. and i'm in miami. we've just heard from the governor, rick scott, once again over the last couple of hours, delivering this dire warning for people, if you live in south florida, in an evacuation zone, time is running out for you. we've got the latest tracking for hurricane irm

and all the people of florida.wo nuclear power plants in the direct path of this massive storm. 9 million people may lose power. joining us now, chief of communications, rob gould is with us. when you go back to the last hurricane, there was a lot of damage to the nuclear site. and i guess my main question is, this is such an important issue. how safe are those sites? are they able to sustain 160 mile-per-hour winds on the coast? >> yes, sean. let me set the record straight. there really was no damage to the site at all. turkey point, which is run homestead for little just south of miami, the actual nuclear facility itself was not damaged. the eye of it stored went right overhead. a cat 5 storm hurricane andrew in there was no damage to the nuclear facilities. nuclear facilities are the strongest in the world as far as construction. if you think about the way they are structured, we are talking about 6'6" concrete surrounding the entirety you have redundancy upon of the reactor. redundancy upon redundancy after tha

this is the day florida has been anticipating. in south florida, we're seeing trees down, streets are flooded, not stopped raining since last night. and the state, you know, has been put on notice all week that this is not a storm to mess with. we've heard from the governor he said this is clearly a life-threatening situation. again, here in south florida, another major concern is a storm surge is one of the biggest concerns the water could rise significantly, pushed by the hurricane's wind. and also, something else to mention, the power, the power is out to hundreds of thousands of customers here in south florida and more than 75,000 people have flocked to shelters. right now, nearly 90% is under a hurricane warning, which is pretty astounding. nydia, gray? >> we talked more about those shelters, tens of thousands of people are hunkerring down. have been been able to visit and see how people are coping? >> reporter: not yet. a lot of the shelters haven't allowed media in at least where we're located in south florida but we do kno