in florida we reject that. we believe the purpose of education is the pursuit of truth, academic rigor and it gives students the foundation so they can think for themselves and be citizens of our republic. [applause] the left believes regardless of the outcome of elections they should still be able to use these institutions to advance their agenda. and in florida we are contesting that notion. ourls view is schools need to be accountable to the taxpayers who fund them. they need too serve the mission that is the best undress of the state of florida and the best interest of parents and the best interest of students. and to do that our school system needs to respect the rights of parents to be involved in the education and upbringing of their kids. particularly understanding what curriculum is being used in the classroom. making sure that curriculum is consistent with our state standard and is aged and developmentally appropriate. we are empowering parents to be involved. if there's something inappropriate unfort

ladies and gentlemen, please welcome governor of florida, ron desantis, first lady of florida, casey desantis and madison and mason. desantis. good afternoon, everyone. my name is john bush and i have the honor of being the executive director of the ronald reagan presidential foundation. and as can. you know, it truly has been an honor to be associated with this remarkable place named for such a remarkable man. by my count, this will be my 250th time up on this stage to introduce one of our nation's finest. it is no secret to a few people here that it will also be my last introduction as executive director of the library. no, but as fate would have it, because of who our special guest is this morning, it could also probably be one of my most consequential and productions. but first. as always, in honor of our men and women in uniform who defend our freedom around the world, if you would, please stand and join me for the pledge of allegiance. i pledge allegiance to the flag of the united states of america and to the republic for which it stands. one nation under god, indivisible and l

florida had less of an increase. and you know how i know that that florida did it right? because a lot of these locked down lockdown politicians and people who would go on cable news. the first chance i got to escape the policies they were advocating they end up down in florida, just living the dream. [laughter] but that was a huge factor in causing people to make those decisions. another important factor has been our approach to education. we've had families moving to florida with kids, school-aged kids, and numbers like we've never seen before and i was born and raised in florida and as a kid if anyone would have said florida could compete much less do better in k-12 education in new york or california, people would have laughed at you. you have some of the best public education in california as well as new york, that's no longer true, the 2022 nation's report card for fourth grade reading and math of the first post covid assessment, florida's fourth graders ranked number three in reading and number four in the nation in math stop if you control for demographics we are

let's take you back to florida. let's hear from the | back to florida.from the florida governor ron desantis on the hurricane idalia which has been upgraded to category four. please do not run that — upgraded to category four. please do not run that generator _ upgraded to category four. please do not run that generator inside - upgraded to category four. please do not run that generator inside your. not run that generator inside your home and do not run it inside your garage. it must be run outside your house and needs to be at least 20 feet away from doors and windows and you must point to the exhaust away from your home. we do not want to see any fatalities as a result of misuse of generators. there are a lot of people on deck right now and there will be a lot of efforts as there will be a lot of efforts as the storm passes but this thing is hitting really in the next hour and a half, most likely will make landfall and is a major hurricane, as we've been saying, and was likely to be the last couple of days and we hope everybody will stay safe and we s

thank you, florida.se] let us recognize again the sculptor who breaks another barrier, as was mentioned, as the first hispanic artist to have a sculpture in the statuary hall collection at the capitol. nilda comas. [applause] welcoming the statue is such a privilege for all of us. i visited the place where the statue was carved. the leader mentioned it was the material of michelangelo and many great renaissance artists. the people there like us are celebrating that they have a statue in capitol of the u.s.. welcoming the statue is, i think, news of history. cleo. she records everything she sees going on in the capitol. i think today she is smiling extra broadly because of what she is reporting -- recording here today. you can see mary mcleod bethune standing next to a seated rosa parks. that is quite remarkable. they look quite comfortable there. after nilda comas -- after bethune takes her rightful place here, honoring a legendary american, we ensure all young people, but especially, young black women,

we're in jasper, florida. again very close to the florida/georgia line.way across this highway. we're literally off of interstate 75. they are several large trees that have gone onto the interstate but you can pass them. you have to be really careful because you will see some debris left behind. then we have these side highways that hook into interstate 75. something like this is hard to get around unless you are driving into the ditch. which this is saturated with mud. look how deep this mud is. it is easily -- definitely some treacherous driving conditions at that. looks like somebody is pulling up with a chain saw right now. just a local resident. my photographer, if you can go over here. this guy is coming in with a chain saw as we speak. residents are showing up trying to clear the roads so folks can get in and out. we still have some tough weather conditions. winds are gusting above 40 miles-per-hour. despite the fact we have separation between us and what is still a hurricane working across the florida/georgia line, you know, it is tough stuff out

— be a safe place as anywhere in florida. ., ., ., florida.ida. live now to will our edge. a _ florida. live now to will our edge, a meteorologist - florida. live now to will our edge, a meteorologist at i florida. live now to will our. edge, a meteorologist at the national weather service and melvin in florida, thank you so much forjoining us on newsday. in the past hour we heard from governor desantis asking people to evacuate as soon as possible, i understand it is still a category two storm but it is strengthening, can you talk us through the latest? figs talk us through the latest? as of 5 - m talk us through the latest? is of 5pm eastern standard talk us through the latest? sis of 5pm eastern standard time update we did seek hurricane idalia become a category two hurricane. since this morning the storm has strengthened significantly and based off the last radar and satellite imagery it appears that our fears are coming true. because it does look like the system is beginning to rapidly intensify. so unfortunately, we continue to expect it

river, florida. bands of hurricane idalia hitting us right now with some wind and a bit of rain, but it has made landfall as a major hurricane. a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 or more mie miles an hour. to michael bobbet, who is riding out this storm. first of all, sir, tell us why you are riding out this storm. why did you end up staying? >> i have some elderly neighbors that flatly refuse to leave, and that's been the case around the island. i felt like i had a responsibility to stay and help some of the folks that had underestimated what the storm was going to be. i have a house on top of a hill that's sturdy and above the projected surge levels and i just felt like i had a responsibility to the island, my neighbors to stay. we are doing okay. we are out of power. the storm surge has overwhelmed our downtown, our dock street, our boat ramps, the bridges on the way into town. it's going to be a while before anyone will be able to get on or off the island. we are effectively cut o

state of florida. this is the expected path of the storm.ational hurricane center could reach category three force when it makes landfall early wednesday. forecasters predict the u.s. states of georgia, north carolina, and uth carolina will see heavy rainfall. so far, florida, georgia, and south carolina have all issued a state of emergency declarations. the national oceanic and atmospheric administration released these satellite images where you can see the massive nature of hurricane idalia as it gets closer to florida, as well as hurricane franklin, which is further out in the atlantic. on the ground in florida, these are pictures out of fort myers. idalia could bring up to seven feet or two meters of storm surge to the densely popular you -- densely populated tampa bay area. wind speeds are expectedo reach on hundred 25 miles per hour or 200 kilometers per hour. 49 of the state's 67 counties are already under some form of evacuation orders. prior to evacuating, residents placed sandbags around structures to protect homes and businesses f

in the state of florida.hen the world went mad, florida stood as a bastion of freedom. ron said, not on my watch. he held the line in defense of peoples rights, liberties, livelihood, and happiness. he fought and kept the state of florida free. he took the hit. he would roll out of bed in the morning and the media, the left, even republicans would go after him. i would joke that the guy could say that he could walk on water in the media would say that he couldn't swim. no matter what he was getting hit. he said, if it means i lose my job so the people of florida can keep their jobs, so be it. that is what a leader has to do to put the interest and well-being of the people ahead of themselves. and that is the kind of leader that you know you will get as president of the united states. it is really a rarity in politics. too often you see people going to elected office, and they want to be liked by the beltway press. they like the job, they like the perks, they stay up there for four years, they do nothing, and

and for florida!frican american representing our state right here in our nation's capital. i just want to take a moment. i'm so proud of the florida legislature, of them governor rick scott, who signed the less inflation to make this happen. governor desantis, who sent the request to allow us all to be here today, you know, after she moved to florida, she saw a need. she saw that the workers, but black workers that were building the railroads, the -- railroads that allowed florida to be developed, weren't getting an education. she saw a need, and she addressed it, and she started a school with $1.50 to train african american young girls and to teach african american young girls. it wasn't without challenges, though. in one of the stories, the, after the school was up and running, came marching on the small girls school, with torches, with robes, on horseback. she already had a plan. she told her teachers to disperse. she had her students, and she stood alone at the gate, and stared them down and stood

thank you to the state of florida.y tribute to mary macleod bethune injustice, pioneering force for gender equity and devoted advocate for education as you mentioned i've had the honor in my office for decades and now i'm proud congress will be blessed with the statuary hall. all of us are in all after the extraordinary story that we heard born to parents that were formerly enslaved, she devoted her life to opening doors of opportunity for more north america she did so in her own words engraved on o the statutes which you will have to come up and see i invest in human souls that might be a diamond in the rough. that's optimistic about all of us establishing boarding schools in the university and registering womenen to vote aftr the gratification of the 19th amendment. becoming appetite the highest-ranking black official under president franklinhi p roosevelt helping the influential civil rights groups including naacp and she formed her own organization. that's a statue had a my office. how poetic and wonderful this tha

area of the state of florida. by area of the state of florida.panhandle bends south into the peninsula. expected to landfall the something like 8-10 landfall the something like 8—10 hours from now. and, as you heard from the governor, the authorities really making these last—ditch appeal is for people to heed the warnings to evacuate and report some storm holdouts up in that area, people refusing to even the authorities really trying to drum home that message. if you haven't gone yet and you are still able to get out, please do so. , , ., . still able to get out, please doso. , ., ., ., do so. just on that point, how are peeple — do so. just on that point, how are people and _ do so. just on that point, how are people and what - are people and what specifically are local authorities doing for them? well, the advice to people right up the gulf coast of florida, don't forget, katrina, there are something like 20 counties at the moment under evacuation orders. and for residents who find themselves in those evacuation zones, the advisers, first and f

florida state patrol blocks this.st we have seen at the airport location in perry. 215,000 people without power in florida, 8,000 in georgia. the number of people without power in georgia is going to grow, especially anyone close to the border. i don't expect additional power outages in central florida, with the exception of tornadoes. i'm noticing a new tornado warning to the northeast of tampa, along i-4, north of it there, heading almost towards the brooksville area. other concerns, as we mentioned with the hurricane center, we're going to spread up the coast. the on shore winds, the heavy rainfall, in combination with the storm surge is going to cause the problems. i mentioned a lot of peak wind gusts are occurring or have occurred. later on this afternoon, the peak wind gusts will be moving into coastal areas, new brunswick to savannah, hilton head, charleston, myrtle beach, georgetown area, once we get past myrtle beach, winds are lower for my friends in the wilmington area. morehead city, but from myrtle beach

it's going to make landfall on florida's big bend.er you are, don't mess with this storm. don't do anything that's going to put yourself in jeopardy, and there will be a lot of help coming on the back end of this storm, and we're ready to go. we -- as soon as it's safe to do so you're going to see all these different assets deployed. so stay safe. any questions? >> do you feel like the state and residents here are prepared for this strength of a storm? you know, potentially category 5, i know we're in category 4. >> i think they're -- i think if you look at the counties i think that they mobilized very quickly. i think that they've been very clear about the storm surge threat and all these zone a's across the gulf coast and probably more so than any storm that i can remember in recent years. so people understand, you know, we've said from the beginning it was going to probably be a major hurricane, and that's what it is. and so we're here, and we're ready, and we're going to work hard on the back end to make sure everyone gets back up

in florida you have to do this. it is something we put a lot of time and effort to through the course of each year, knowing there will be times when you will have to activate it. we had a major one last year. one of the most expensive on record. we were hoping not to have any this year and we would get off lucky but that was not in the cards. it has been our focus, getting all of the stuff ramped up. the county is by and large i think have done a good job. things are going to happen over the next few days that will require a lot of support and we want to support folks. as soon as the storm passes i think we will end up trying to get on the road and figuring out where the damage is, get down there and see what we can do to help those folks. thanks. >> this morning, experts in fiscal policy take part in a powell discussion on defense spending, hosted by the brookings institution in washington, d.c.. watch live at 10:30 a.m. eastern on c-span. president biden will give an update on the federal government's response to

as it made its way through florida. do one of the hardest hit areas, perry,florida, and noting that officials here are feeling lucky especially how populated tallahassee is. and the worst seems to have have skipped over the city. this is the state capital and this is a college town, florida a&m, all of the campuses shut down as well as the government buildings. so you have to think about it the state officials coordinating the emergency response were here getting hit by the remnants of the storm in the cross-hairs of the storm and typically this sit is far enough west that it is not getting hit by storms of this strength. and if you go farther south, that is where we're seeing the rescues and multiple deaths today. two car crashes according to florida highway patrol. both of which at least partially caused by the weather. both of which turning fatal. and then again we've talked about serious damage to homes and to properties. that is also farther east and south of us. so you could tell, as you point out, in tallahassee,

new insurance in the state of florida and people are being insured by the state of florida, citizenance is insurer of last resort and ensure almost one out of every five florida homes now and it is cut rate insurance because of florida regulators and it is quite precarious financial situation. it is a very trouble some situation for state of florida in terms of homeowners insurance and everybody knows it. >> if i can add, i remember before i moved to new york, being in southern california, watching this network and news about sandy, thinking what is going on and say a few words about our colleague. what is going on with janice dean? nobody else was sounding alarm except for janice dean. this is 12 or 11 years ago, other networks were making fun of janice dean and her warning people to take it seriously and it brings me back toature, we have technology, it is great. we know about rapid increases and where it will head and all that. there is human instinct of being able to interpret what is going on and we in west coast have earthquakes and fires and all that, and things you can't pre

a&m, and florida gulf coast, florida state, new college of florida, university of florida, and dry tortugasounced it closed the national park ahead of the storm. please stay with msnbc throughout the day. we will continue our coverage of hurricane idalia. we want to keep you informed second by second as this storm approaches florida. >>> coming up, former president trump's chief of staff, mark meadows, takes the stand trying to get his racketeering case moved to federal court. we will break down the implications of that hearing, next. >>> later, tragedy at unc where a faculty member was killed and shot on campus. we are back in 60 seconds. you are watching "josÉ diaz-balart reports" on msnbc. es help make trading feel effortless. and its customizable scans with social sentiment help you find and unlock opportunities in the market. e*trade from morgan stanley. have fun, sis! ♪♪ can't stop adding stuff to your cart? get the bank of america customized cash rewards card, choose the online shopping category and earn 3% cash back. my frequent heartburn had me taking antacid after antacid all day

perry florida which is right on the big bend of florida. for starters, trey what are you seeing where you are? what are you expecting to see where you are? >> as of now, we have a lot of rain coming in. seem pretty rough storm coming up. >> yeah. and where you are in particular we are seeing forecast from the national hurricane center storm surge. >> up to potentially 16 feet. you have been chasing this storm, have done this for a good bit of time. >> based on the forecast you've seen. how is it different in your mind of what you have done before? >> well, all pretty crazy. we got a pretty good plan in motion. completed spot where it's a straight shot north. >> in your experience, i've been down in florida. in recent memory. of course hurricane michael. obviously in that happened last year. new experience, being in those environments, how quickly do the conditions change? one thing i get from talking to people, they go to bed and it's sunny and a few hours there things are different. >> it's pretty quick. one second is a rude thing. next it

we're following breaking news out of florida. hurricane idalia is barreling toward florida's big bend coast and is expected to make landfall in the coming hours. forecasters say it will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for the residents of the gulf coast. idalia is currently a category 3 storm forecast to become a category 4 when it makes landfall. that means maximum sustained winds of at least 130 miles an hour. authorities warn the storm surge could reach 12 to 16 feet in some areas and will likely not be survivable. low-lying areas are already seeing flooding further down florida's west coast including pinellas county. more than 7 million people are under tornado watches. cedar key could be completely cut off by flooding. officials have been going door to door there to make sure residents evacuate. but not everyone is heeding the warnings. >> this is crunch time right now. we're going get hit with a major hurricane. it will be some time the eye will arrive on shore some time tomorrow morning most likely. and it is going to have m

[applause] >> thank you, florida.o recognize again, breaks another barrier as was mentioned as the first hispanic artist with a piece in the national statuary hall collection. welcoming a statue is such a privilege for all of us. the place where the statue was carved. this is the medal of michelangelo, another great renaissance artist and the people at this moment are celebrating the they have a statue in the capital of the united states, and hispanic artist. i think the news of history, cleo, everything she sees going on in the capital. i think today she is smiling extra broadly because of what is recorded here today. [applause] >> mary mcleod bethune seated next to rosa parks, this is quite remarkable. they look quite comfortable together there. as has been mentioned, mary mcleod bethune takes her rightful place here as we honor a legendary american in doing so, we ensure that young people, all young people, especially young black women girls, young people come to this capital and they see a reflection of our nation

our florida highway safety motor vehicle has five florida licensing on wheel mobiles and six mini mobiles ready to deploy to impacted areas to help residents replace important documents such as driver's license. hopefully that's not going to be necessary. if you end up in that situation, we want to have folks that will be able to help you out with that. we've de employed 250 star link internet devices. we have another 500-plus staged and ready to go and will likely put those into place soon after the storm passes by. many school districts have announced school closures for today and for tomorrow. so please just check with your county. if you're in the path of this storm, it's a pretty good bet that the schools are not going to be open tomorrow. we also have 18 state colleges and six universities that are not having school tomorrow as well. as the winds become stronger today and into the night, florida department of transportation will be coordinating with fhp and local law enforcement to close bridges once wind speeds reach 40 miles an hour or more. keep in mind with that, with any plans

united states senator from florida.just a great floridian. she was a great american. an american who refused to accept that her humble beginning or the color of her skin were a limit on her dreams in her desk today. an american who in the face of the ignorance of the cruelty on the prejudice of others, she refused to surrender to bitterness, cynicism or despair. here in this hall, all displayed the statues that are meant to show visitors from acrossvi the country and around the world each of art suspected states of men and women. to date we unveil not just the statue of one of the greatest floridians, we statue of an american whose life exemplified our nation long, historic, ongoing 246 your journey. to live fully to the promise. and today we unveil the statue of an american an example of love, example of hope, an example of faith in god. an example and desire to live in harmony with others. to live in harmony with our fellow citizens. an example which our nation should follow now more than ever. thank you. [applause] >

my concern is the people of florida being ready to go and we have done that and, look, in florida, you just have to do. this this is something we put a lot of time and effort into throughout the course of each year knowing that there is going to be time where you are going to have to activate it. now, we had a major one last year. one of the most expensive on record. we were honing not to have any this year. maybe we would get off lucky but that just -- that wasn't in the cards. so you deal with it. but that's been our focus getting all this stuff ramped up. i think the counties things happen over the next few days that require support and we want to be there to support folks. we will be back with doing more briefings, as soon as the storm passes i think we will end up trying to get on the road and figure out where the damage, the worst damage is, and get down there and see what we can do to be able to help those folks. thanks. >> steve: there you have got the governor of the great state of florida he made it clear don't mess with this storm. right now it is a cat 4 with maximum sustai

. >> the high stakes florida python challenge that kicked off this weekend in the florida everglades. and we got a taste of the exciting event firsthand. it's monday, august 7th >> from abc news, this is world news now. >> well, when you go into the florida everglades, you don't just find pythons, you find bugs. and boars, bears. and of course, oh, yeah, lots of alligators. >> oh, my goodness. well, we were glad. >> lots of alligators that you're here back alive and safe. >> yeah, it is an important conservation effort, but it's also in the form of a unique challenge which we will tell you about coming up a little bit later in the show. but we want to start this morning with the extreme weather, starting with a rough night of four. thousands of beyonce fans. a severe storm forced a nearly two hour shelter in place order at fedex field outside of washington, dc. during the delay, several fans were treated for heat exhaustion. at least one was taken to the hospital for treatment. >> more storms are expected in that area today and it's not the only region dealing with dangerous condition

the hurricane barrelling towards the gulf coast of florida. moments ago the hurricane update shows it's even stronger than before. it's a category 2 storm. idalia has been rapidly gathering strength fuel by the extremely warm-water in the gulf of mexico. i idahlia is expected to become a category 3 storm if not even stronger when it makes landfall in florida. these are live pictures out of ce cedar key. it is worried cedar key could be cut off by 8 to 12 feet of storm surge. later this hour we expect an update on storm preparations from governor ron desantis. we'll bring that to you live. until then our cnn teams are across florida covering the storm from every angle. we're going to start with cnn chief meteorologist chad myers. tell us the latest on idalia and its path. >> reporter: yeah, the 5:00 advisory just in. 100 mile per hour storm, a category 2 with 120 mile per hour gusts. the hurricane hunter that i said was leaving biloxi did make it to the storm, so they did get the update ot100 moving north at 16 miles per hour. that means this s

many people did go to hotels, whether it is south florida or southeast florida, drove up to the atlanta area to escape this. there are many options, good thing is downtown tampa, all the hotels stayed open, they are not in a flood zone. they did pay -- take some storm surge but no mandatory evacuation so the hotels did stay open. this is a big area, many accommodations for people on barrier islands. i want to point out this is amazing to me, yesterday morning at 11:00 a.m. :00 am it was still a tropical storm and to think less than 24 hours later it went from a ts to a cat one to a cat 2, 3, 4, one hundred 25 mile an hour winds and came ashore as a 3. if that's not rapid intensification scenario i don't know what is. i've never seen anything like it. neil: you've covered more than a few of these. before we dodge out of here, take a quick break, a thousand flights plus or minus a few are canceled through all of this in and out of florida, began with tampa international airport, saint augustine airport shut down as well. flight cancellations slowing a little bit, but you know the nature o

troops in florida. thousands of gallons of fuel. they're waiting for the storm to completely go through as they assess the damage there. we're getting assessment from different folks around the state. let's bring in florida state university sophomore danielle friedman. hi. you have been in the dorm there. how does it look? what's it like outside? >> it's definitely a hurricane. i mean, we keep losing power on and off. it's definitely raining, thunder, lightning, and the wind is blowing all the trees. it is what i expected. >> bret: where are you from? >> originally from new york. i have been through a hurricane or two. we definitely knew how to prepare. >> bret: a lot of students there. everybody hunkered down? what are they telling you at school? >> yeah, definitely. they really sent out so many notifications to get prepared. just in case it was really bad. fortunately i don't think it's as bad as people expected but we still did lose power. >> bret: so is the worst of it over for you? is it already pa

you will see impact up and down the west coast of florida. we have been working with folks for the evacuation so the totals have been suspended in many counties. that started at 4:00 a.m. this morning and that will continue until this event is concluded. we have also worked with florida restaurant and lodging association to make sure that all hotels will allow you to bring your pets. don't leave your pets behind, take them with you. these hotels will be understanding of that. all of the counties have at least one pet friendly shelter as well. please take care of your pets, very important. they need you in this circumstance. uber has announced they will be offering free round-trip rides to and from evacuation shelters with a value of up to $35. you can use the code to be able to claim that. thank uber for stepping up. we have all eight search and rescue teams with personnel ready to help with search and rescue efforts. hopefully, that is not necessary and everyone he did the warnings and no one is in, but we know that is likely to be a necessi

we are in florida and my people in florida like to take risks sometimes. was that a, like was that a floatie for a pool that they were in? what that is vehicle, that craft that they were in? >> there is. that was a rubber ducky. and he is busy doing laps on bayshore boulevard. looks like others are doing the same. the spectators want to see this unusual event that's unfolding in front of their eyes. they don't see this every day. yeah, bayshore boulevard floods because of rain sometimes. but this is storm surge. where we are right now, we are safe, okay? ? up to my knees. we can get to higher ground very quickly. but the reason we are showing you this is because people evacuated from these areas, zone a, pi pinellas county, and the reason is because of the storm surge. spectators are going see their properties. are they okay? are they safe? yes. people are going to take advantage of this moment, clearly. >> all right. the only thing is, i hope that they are safe because this is actually extremely serious and dangerous, especially where the storm is and tra

the florida guardsmen are conducting high water vehicle rescues. our one 64th 88 brigade is conducting similar missions throughout central and northeast counties. we maintain additional and immediate response forces available to rapidly reinforce our presence and capabilities in areas with the greatest need, like taylor county. we are embedded with each of our emergency operations centers and remain ready to provide support as requested. the florida national guard is currently has 2400 vehicles, including high water and high mobility vehicles. 1400 aircraft conducting planned urban search and rescue operations this afternoon and 23 small watercraft to support marine operations as needed. florida is receiving assistance from other state national guard's. we are expecting two truck companies, from south carolina and tennessee. we are preparing to receive helicopters from kentucky. at the same time, maryland, tennessee, and colorado are standing by if we need additional air assets.we remain rate full to our fellow guard states for their assistance --

a&m, florida state university and the university of florida in gainesville.st derek van dam is with us now. derek, what's the latest? what are we seeing as these updates start to come in? >> reporter: yeah. what people need to know is it strengthened to a hurricane officially at the 5:00 a.m. update this morning. one interesting thing to note as well is it is on its forward move. we're seeing that northerly progression at 14 miles per hour. that means it is picking up speed and will continue to do so before its landfall. now, look, it has a lot of open water to traverse first. and that water is extremely warm that will allow for what we call rapid intensification, a strengthening of the storm. we have seen this story play out time and time again, hurricane ian last year, we remember that. here is the latest radar. you can see how the western slopes of cuba are getting clobbered right now with heavy rain bands. havana included in that category 1 hurricane moving into the open waters of the southern gulf of mexico and will start to see those rain bands impact p

now, cedar key, florida, is north of tampa. it's in florida's big bend.s is where some of the worst impacts will be felt. the wind gusts up to 140 miles an hour, 8 to 12in of rain. the storm surge will be life threatening, 10 to 15ft, folks. and the worst of these conditions are happening now into about noon time today. so idalia's path moving forward through myrtle beach on thursday morning as a tropical storm and then out into areas near bermuda as we head into the weekend. look at the wind forecast, folks. savannah, georgia, could have gusts as high as 100 miles an hour and near landfall. that could be well over 140 miles an hour. and also 8 to 12in of rain from south georgia to florida. back to you. morgan and andrew, this is one serious storm. >> kevin, thank you. and stay with abc news for live coverage of hurricane idalia. and in just a few minutes, we'll hear from a top emergency management official in florida. >> well, 11 people had to be hospitalized after severe turbulence on a delta flight to atlanta. the flight coming from milan, italy, lande

that allows the state of florida to know. the state of florida to know they will be reversed by the federal taking right now, the cost they may incur for evacuating individuals and the shelters and emergency protective measures they are taking, in order to help save lives and protect property at this time as well as any other debris removal which may come forward after the disaster, we know with all the vegetation entries in florida there will be a lot of debris removal that needs to be done. in be a lot of debris removal that needs to be done.— needs to be done. in a practical _ needs to be done. in a practical way - needs to be done. in a practical way how i needs to be done. in a practical way how do i needs to be done. in a l practical way how do you needs to be done. in a practical way how do you manage a situation like this with impending landfall in florida thenit impending landfall in florida then it is expected to hit georgia and the carolinas as well? ~ �* . georgia and the carolinas as well? ~ ~ ., ., ., well? fema and other federal arencies well? fema and other federal agencies

the new college of florida, the university of north florida and the university of south florida. in a lot of those cases, out of caution, ahead of the storm's arrival formally tomorrow. andrew fosso, the pasco county emergency management director. how is your vantage point? >> so we're still looking at a possible category three phase storm. paralleling our coast, going by us. we are looking at a storm surge of anywhere between six and nine feet. we've been informed that we're going to have sustained winds anywhere between 60, 80 miles an hour along the coast and inland also. we will get some stronger gusts as the storm passes by us. we've been very proactive with this storm. compared to when we had ian. this storm is one of our worst nightmare storms. we're hoping that it stays on the track and does not start making more of an easterly trajectory because that just puts us in a worsen ordinary yes. we do have six shelters open. we have nine sandbag sites open at this time. we've been proactively messaging the citizens of pasco county to heed the warning. you know, run from the win

of florida and we think that's important.s, some of the electric co-ops, all those, please accept the mutual aid. we want to have as much manpower as possible to get that power back on for all of your residents and we know how important it is for so many florida residents to be able to get back online. but you should prepare to have some time without power if you're somebody that's in the path of the storm. and by the path, it doesn't mean just in the cone because there's going to be impacts that are going to be outside whatever the national hurricane center says is the path of the storm. there have been evacuation orders issued for people on coastal areas, barrier islands, low lying areas. you still have time particularly if in the northern part of the state, you have time to be able to evacuate. you don't need to drive hundreds of miles. don't need to try to outrun the storm. just get to higher ground. get into a safe structure. ride out the storm then you can go back to your place. but in some of these areas like a cedar k

to your point about officials here in florida being prepared, florida is very used to big storms.ve been warning people to get out for days here. we spent time in cedar key yesterday. that mayor -- we have been seeing pictures of the storm surge that swamped cedar key. we see emergency responders that are coming down there road and about to cross. you can see -- there's an air boat coming as well. right now, we are looking live at the first responds in the state of florida at the point of landfall. keaton beach, you see first responders bringing in their boats, trying to make sure that they can get to the people that need rescuing at this point. we are being told to hold back while they run their initial checks. that's why we are waiting at this checkpoint. you can see a massive response unfolding here in keaton beach, the point of landfall of the massive, monstrous hurricane that hit the region that isn't used to it. it seems local officials were prepared. they had been urging people to evacuate for days. they met some resistance. some people didn't want to leave. in cedar key ye

that 511 com — into florida 511. 24—7. that 511 com for— into florida 511. 24—7.h water in a lot— remember, there is still high water in a lot of— remember, there is still high water in a lot of areas of the state. if you see — in a lot of areas of the state. if you see water overtopping please do not drive _ you see water overtopping please do not drive through it. if you see water— not drive through it. if you see water stopped, turned around, go a different— water stopped, turned around, go a different way. it can be really dangerous to drive through a flooded roadwav _ dangerous to drive through a flooded roadway. thank you again ron desantis — roadway. thank you again ron desantis for your leadership and support— desantis for your leadership and support as we respond. we desantis for your leadership and support as we respond.- desantis for your leadership and support as we respond. we are going to have all these _ support as we respond. we are going to have all these assets _ support as we respond. we are going to have all these assets in _ support as we resp

, northwest florida?d this is an area that the only good news you pointed out is it is not high populations, it is agricultural wears small towns along the coast. keaton and all these other small areas, you're driving 20 or 30 miles off of u.s. 19, 27 to get to them. those routes probably have debris and water, hard to get to. so the primary focus now for the state is getting into these communities, doing search and rescue as well as beginning now that the storm is moving through -- this isn't over. we still got significant rain bands coming across the state. you still got on shore winds that as the tides go up and down you'll see flooding recede and come back up. until the storm moves out of the region, we're still getting impacts in florida. >> yeah, i was just talking to a little bit ago phil and brenda, his wife, who live just about 3 1/2 miles from where i am right now and he just came up with his jeep, which is really elevated but he was telling me that people are swimming out of their windows of th

we balance our budget in florida. we run big budget surpluses in florida.e have no income tax in iowa. since i've been governor, we've actually paid down almost 25% of our state's total debt that it's accumulated its entire history. we've paid off 25% of it. so don't tell me it can't be done, but we got to hold congress accountable. we can't let them spend us into oblivion anymore. and we need things like a balanced budget amendment to the constitution and term limits for members of congress. we're also going to help middle class families and jobs by utilizing all of our domestic energy resources and being energy independent in this country. and we have a great competitive advantage in that. we're not going to force people to buy electric vehicles. first of all, that's expensive. a lot of people don't want, it's not good for liquid fuels like in iowa with the biofuels. so we're not going to do the electric forcing that, that benefits china. china produces a lot into that. we're going to use our resources here. that's going to be good for jobs, lower prices.

the area of florida's big bend took the biggest hit, big bend is the part of florida where the panhandleeets the west coast of the peninsula of florida. this was the town of steam hatchy. so much standing water in the streets that only the roofs of these homes and businesses were visible. up the road near the town of perry, florida, the brutal winds toppled this gas station awnings. the winds gusted to 85 miles per hour earlier today. and look at this storm damage in keaton beach, also in the big bend area, the eye of idalia came ashore shortly before 8:00 this morning. this home has been ripped apart. the entire roof in front of the structure are gone. debris scattered all across the yard. the city of st. petersburg shared this video with us saying it rescued more than 75 people so far. more searches are still under way. the national weather service also reported water rescues under way in parts of georgia today. we are, of course, learning about the tragic first deaths from this storm. two people who were killed in weather-related traffic accidents in florida this morning. idalia right