the florida national guard — specialist. lip —— hi-h guard has vehicles with high lip —— high mobility and high water vehicles _ high mobility and high water vehicles and 14 rotary wing aircraft with assets coordinated with neighbouring states through the mutuai— neighbouring states through the mutual aid agreement and 23 small watercraft— mutual aid agreement and 23 small watercraft to support search and rescue _ watercraft to support search and rescue operations and delivery of supplies— rescue operations and delivery of supplies to flooded areas. any missions— supplies to flooded areas. any missions required we stand ready to support— missions required we stand ready to support our— missions required we stand ready to support our neighbours and fellow citizens— support our neighbours and fellow citizens in— support our neighbours and fellow citizens in need, thank you. good morninu. citizens in need, thank you. good morning. governor, _ citizens in need, thank you. good morning. governor, director- citizens in need, thank

. >> thank you for your leadership and your support of the florida national guard. director, thank you for your tremendous work. the florida national guard is fully mobilized with over 5500 socials -- soldiers. we are ready to provide humanitarian assistance, search-and-rescue, clearance missions. in partnership with our state and local agencies. over the past 48 hours, the florida national guard has been positioned personnel and units in strategic locations near expected landfall areas to assist impacted counties as rapidly as possible. the national guard response efforts are organized around task force 53, our main effort is operating in the western coastal counties with thousand 600 guardsmen. number 164 is prepared to support counties in the central and northeast florida with 1200 guardsmen. brady three is prepared to provide aviation support for search and rescue operations. number 50 is prepared to provide transportation and communication support. we have guardsmen currently manning response centers and other warehouses with over 200 guardsmen throughout the st

. >> good morning and thank you again for your leadership and continued support of the florida national guard. thank you for your work and the work of your team to protect our florida citizens. our thoughts and prayers go out to those in the affected areas of the storm, those that are being affected already. as i mentioned, the florida national guard is mobilized with over 5500 storm dutch soldiers and airmen ready to -- soldiers and airmen ready. we will be engaged in a multitude of missions, search-and-rescue, damage assessment and route clearance. we continue to amend the logistics response center and many other areas through the state of florida. as well as support the emergency management operation centers. the florida national guard has on hand 2400 vehicles available, including high mobility and high water vehicles. we have edition aviation coordination -- and 23 small watercraft, to support the livery of supplies to areas. we are prepared to adopt any mission acquired by the department of emergency management. >> good morning. director guthrie, fellow floridians. our highest priority

florida national guard is fully mobilized with 5500 supporting the efforts post landfall. ents have been providing support to state and local partners with reconnaissance, search and rescue, damage assessment. 53rd combat team is engaged in florida coastal counties, conducting ground search and rescue and route clearance. florida guardsmen are in hearnando and taylor county and 58th brigade conducting similar mission in the northeast counties. we have forces available to reinforce presence and capabilities in area with greatest need like taylor county. we are embedded with emergency operation center and remain ready to provide support as requested. as briefed earlier, florida national guard has 2400 vehicles, including high water and my mobility vehicle, aircraft conducting planned urban search and rescue operations this afternoon and 23 small water craft on hand to support marine operation as needed. florida is receiving assistant from other state national guard, two truck companies from south carolina and tennessee and we are preparing to receive three helicopters from ke

thank you governorfor your leadership and your support of florida national guard. storm on folks with the florida national guard is fully mobilised with approximately 5500 so response efforts will depose landfall. guard elements have been providing support to our state and local partners with mission sets including a reconnaissance, search and rescue, damage assessment and reconnaissance operations. at 53rd brigade combat team is heavily engaged in florida's western coastal counties. primarily conducting ground search and rescue and route clearance operations. florida guardsmen are conducting high water vehicle rescues in hernando and taylor counties. likewise our one 64th, 88 brigade is conducting similar missions throughout our central and northeast counties. we maintain additional immediate response forces available to rapidly reinforce our presence and capabilities in areas with greatest need, like taylor county. we are embedded with each of our impacted emergency operations centres and remain ready to provide support as requested. as preached earlier the florid

the florida national guard is fully mobilized in support of taylor county recovery efforts as well as the ongoing efforts and all of the impacted counties throughout central and north florida. with over 5500 soldiers and airmen deployed since debris, we have provided support with missions that included search-and-rescue, damage assessment, route clearance, and this afternoon our aviation assets are connecting -- conducting reconnaissance flights. since we were just there, i would like to highlight some of the missions conducted in taylor county. our cavalry squadron is the main effort assisted by an engineer company. the force of around 300 soldiers and airmen are conducting air and ground search and rescue, route clearance, debris removal. this evening we have cleared over 150 miles of road in five counties. part the task force is an air force engineer squadron read force. this organization is an organization that moves debris and clears routes for first responders. their efforts of clearing routes for our teams conduct door-to-door wellness checks. they are currently in route to the

national guard unit there. the coast guard is active, including with rotary wing assets. florida fish and wildlife has those boats and vehicles in route to the affected areas. the florida department of transportation has been conducting cut and cost operation starting at the southern part of the state as the storm moved through southwest florida, clearing those roads, and moving north. they are in route to clear all the way to taylor county. right now, tampa airport is going to reopen for incoming flights at 4:00 p.m. 53:00 a.m. tomorrow we will be fully reopen. gainesville will reopen tonight will stop tallahassee airport will reopen in the morning. the ports in tampa and manati are undergoing assessment. when those assessments are concluded they will be able to resume operations, assuming that all is well, which we anticipate it will be. there are, as of now, no confirmed fatalities. those fatalities are things that are confirmed by the florida department of law enforcement through medical examiners.we don't have any confirmed fatalities yet. if you have any questions about how

morning, and governor, thank you again for your leadership, and your continued support of your florida national guardagain for your tremendous work and the work of your team to protect our florida citizens. our thoughts and prayers go out to those in the affected areas of the storm that are being -- those being affected already. as i mentioned yesterday the florida national guard is fully mobilized with over 5,500 soldiers and airmen ready to support hurricane response efforts. we expect that throughout the day we will be actively engaged in a multitude of missions, including search and rescue, damage assessment and route clearance. in addition, we continue to man the state logistics response center and many other logistic and staging areas throughout the state of florida. as well as support the 26 county emergency management operation centers with liaison specialists. the florida national guard currently has on hand 2,400 vehicles available, including high mobility and high-water vehicles. 14 rotary wing aircraft with additional aviation assets coordinated with our neighboring states through a mutua

we just saw a caravan of the national guard pass by. florida national guard, there is a lot of activity going on here, and there are also people now that are going back to the homes they left yesterday. this is an area here that is zone a for evacuation, including phil and brenda who left their home, and kept in close contact with their neighbors. this is something they describe that was happening there. we're talking about just 3 1/2 miles, a little island right off us. >> water on the hood of any jeep. people swimming out of their windows down in the islands right number. >> reporter: phil, are you talking about people swimming out of their windows? >> swimming out of their windows, literally, from their homes. >> reporter: brenda was telling me that she fears that maybe they lost everything in their home. they're now going back. phil's brother has an airboat, and they are heading over there now to see the condition of their house, but the good thing of it is that they have lights. everyone they know survived, and even the people that stayed

, and good morning governor, again for your leadership and your continued support of your florida national guard. >> director guthrie, thank you, again, for your tremendous work and the work of your team to protect our florida citizens our thoughts and prayers go out to the affected -- those being affected already. as i mentioned already yesterday the florida starring in is fully mobilized with 5500 soldiers and airmen ready to support we expect we will be engaged in a multitude of missions including search and rescue, damage assessment, and route clearance. in addition we continue to man state logistics response center and many other logistic and staging areas throughout the state of florida. as well as support the 26 county emergency management operation centers the florida national guard currently has on hand 2400 vehicles available, including high mobility and high water vehicles 14 rotary wing. neighboring states through mutual aid agreement and 23 small watercraft to support search and rescue operations and delivery of supplies to flooded areas. your florida national guard is prepared to a

thank you, governor, for your leadership and support of your florida national guard.ur team is doing for to protect citizens. as we continue to assess the damage landfall caused, our thoughts and prayers remain with the impacted of the storm on the folks. the national guard is fully mobilized with 5500 soldiers and airmen supporting our efforts. guard elements have been providing support to our state and local partners with mission sets including reing so any sans, search and rescue, damage assessment and route recognizance operations. the team is heavily engaged in the western coastal counties. primarily conducting ground search and rescue and clearance operations. in fact, florida guardsmen are conducting high water vehicle rescues. like wise, our 164th brigade is conducting similar missions throughout our northeast counties. we maintain immediate response forces. we are embedded with each of our impacted county emergency operations centers and remain ready to provide support as requested. the national guard has vehicles, 14 aircraft conducting planned urban search

national guards here in taylor county. this is the ground zero deployment for them. if there's more that is needed, we'll -- we've activated 5,500 of the florida national guard. we also have some members of the state guard. we have eight urban search and rescue teams. we're able to respond to whatever comes down the pike today and in to tomorrow. we hochul we don't have to use all of those resources to affect rescue operations. we rather it be safe than sorry. see you soon. thank you. >> all right. we've been listening to governor desantis there speaking in perry with the rest of florida's leadership. he says they have three priorities at this hour. the first is taking care of force that are stranded and offering them relieve. the second is clearing dangerous debris out of the way so folks can get back outside their homes. the third is restoring power to as many people as they can. a warning from the governor that said a lot of folks that have been hit hardest are prepared to defend their homes in the wake of looting, which has been underway across the hardest hit regions already this hour. he said a lot of folks, he has seen with his own eyes

. >> 5500 members of the florida national guard were deployed to affected areas. governor said more than 275 people -- tune at 75,000 people lost power but another quarter of a million already had power restored. some of florida's busiest airports in the storms pass our tampa, gainful, and tallahassee. they are expected to be reopened by thursday morning. more than 900 flights were canceled due to idalia. the storm hit home literally for desantis. the governor's wife posted this picture of what she said was a 100-year-old oak tree that fell on the governor's mansion in tallahassee. she and her family were not harmed in the incident. earlier wednesday fema administrator dan criswell provided updates on current response efforts in and around florida saying hurricane idalia is the strongest storm to hit this part of florida in over 100 years and the peak storm surge could surpass 15 feet in some areas, 4.6 meters. more than 1500 federal personnel are currently deployed in florida including urban search and rescue teams. shortly after her briefing president joe biden

emergency crews are busy responding to rescue calls with the help of the national guard. >> florida national guard is fully mobilized with approximately 5500 soldiers and airmen supporting hurricane response efforts post landfall. >> we crews clearing heavy tree limbs that snapped from strong winds and repairing downed power lines. thousands still without power. >> utility workers are actively working to restore power in all affected areas. >> i started doing that as soon as it was safe to do so. and restoration efforts are ongoing. >> storm has been downgraded as it barrels through georgia, bringing heavy rain, high winds and flash floods. it's then expected to churn through the carolinas. >> that was mary beth mcdade reporting kron 4 chief meteorologist storms. karl has been tracking a doggie and can tell us where it is right now. yeah, couldn't sleep much last night watching this. just amazing to see the raw power of one of these hurricanes coming on shore came onshore in the big bend of florida. s forecast. >> tremendous storm surge and all the inundation there along the coastal sections

busy to the end of the governor mobilized 1200 guzman from the florida national guard to help after the storm. the basically the alternators are telling the disability side, so right about the storm you're going to be on your own and don't expect any help during the phone. but afterwards, this guy does about and would go looking for survivors for the, with the vehicles that he can ride on the high waters and the 12th and craft to monitor the area. and uh for the uh, the skew admissions. uh, also the federal government is ultimately offering and $5500.00 additional governmental to have to have well, with this. all right, awesome 0 is mohammed allow me joining us uh and reporting from tampa, florida. this our, thank you very much. my. so the precious wagner, chief, he's getting precaution has been laid to rest in a private ceremony. the man who mounted a failed rebellion and died in a plane crash was buried next to his father. joseph jabari reports from st. petersburg. you have getting for goshen laid to rest next to his father in his home city of saint petersburg. no pomp or ceremony and

rest of the, of the word and to the end of the governor, mobilize 1200 uh guzman, from the florida national guard to help after the storm. basically the operators are these people decide for right now you're going to be on your own and don't expect any help getting the phone. but afterwards, this guy doesn't uh, would go looking for survivors uh for a with the vehicle that you can ride uh on the high waters and the west and cut off uh to monitor the area and uh for the uh, re steal, uh, emissions. uh also the government is open to open and $5500.00 additional government to, to have to have. well, uh would you say for the russians, wagner, chief, getting precaution has been laid to rest in a private ceremony. the man who males that have failed rebellion and died in a plane crash was buried next to his father. first of all, the reports from st. petersburg. if you have any for goes in late to rest next to his father in his home city of saint petersburg, no pomp or ceremony and no military honors. this 5 being awarded. russia's highest moser awards, the hero of russia metal. only a few 1000 people an

national guards members from his state on standby, so he, too, is ready for this. and if the damage is that severe, there's the possibility based on the agreement to move some floridae damage is and find out where the national guard is needed. the navy moved several ships and aircrafts out of florida, including out of a naval base outside of jacksonville ahead of the storm. those expected back later this week. and two commands in florida moved some of their personnel to a different location just to get them away from the storms. again, we'll keep you posted on when that's expected to come back to normal. you can see how serious ly the military is taking this not only with the national guard assistance for the recovery efforts, but also active duty being careful on where this is going to hit and how severe it could be. >> i just want to let our viewers know, as you stay with us, we're waiting the president speaking here about hurricane idalia. he is focused very much today on the hurricane. also he's focused on the recovery there in hawaii, too. big natural disasters that his administration is dealing with. but as you see the military participating in these efforts,

our florida national guard i just retired from the national guard. we go through this drill every year but it is a battle drill and i am confident they will be on it and in terms of paying for it, our state budget is well-run. and i'm sure the florida delegation will be fighting for the federal resources needed. but right here, right now, let's get everybody to be safe. we could rebuild homes but we can't rebuild lives. and my heart always goes out to the first responders and out national guardsmen and women they have family and homes, too. they are not back protecting their property or getting their families out. they're out helping everybody else. and so i just can't say enough about them. the wonderful job that they do. >> todd: you are a congressman. obviously that invokes the federal part of all of this like you mentioned. you did say look, after the fact, federal government resources will helpfully be there. i want to focus after the fact. fema resources go in coordination with the state resources to shake sure that lives are saved immediately

morning, and, governor, thank you again for your leadership and your continued support of your florida national guardhrie, thank you again for your tremendous work and the work of your team to protect our florida citizens. our thoughts and prayers go out to those in the affected areas of the storm, those being affected already. as i mentioned yesterday the florida national guard is fully mobilized with over 5500 soldiers and airmen ready to support hurricane response efforts. we expect that throughout the day we will be actively engaged in a multitude of missions including search and rescue, damage assessment and route clearance. in addition we continue to man the state logistics response center and many other staging areas throughout the state of florida. as well as support the 26 county emergency management operation centers with liaison specialists. the florida national guard currently has on hand 2,400 vehicles available including high-mobility and high-water vehicles. 14 rotary wing aircraft with additional aviation assets coordinated with our neighboring states through a mutual aid agreement an

you know, 5,500 state of florida national guard. have been deployed. 30,000 plus linesmen deployed. the coast guard put on standby to see if they needed to come in and help those 5,500 florida guardsmen. things, chris, are really organized, and we see it at the state level, and, you know, just listening to your conversations with mayors and executives of different cities, they're just -- they plan for things like this. they really take this seriously, and when things like this occur, they really do react. >> jose diaz-balart, your reporting has been amazing. i think i saw you at 4:00 or 5:00 this morning. take care out there my friend, and thank you for being here. >>> i want to go to nbc news meteorologist angie lassman. this threat has already crossed state lines. >> yeah. >> where is idalia now, what's in store for the next few hours? >> here's the deal with florida, they're going to see things wind down. especially as we get past the high tide time for folks in tampa bay, and towards the big bend area. we have a category 1 hurri

national guard is on the ground in the state of florida and there are dozens of counties that are in emergency mode still as this system as you guys have been talking about, it is very rare for a storm to continue to be a hurricane, category 1 as it goes into the southern georgia area and cross and into the carolinas, we're nowhere near done which what could be catastrophic in some areas, two dead now unfortunately. >> julie: thank you so much. appreciate it. tampa fire rescue chief joins me now to talk more about the latest there. you guys basically have been watching in and hoping people heed the warnings. there were evacuations. i guess the biggest warning now is for people not to get ahead of the storm. because it has passed through your area it isn't time to check out your house. you have a storm surge that could follow and major flooding, right? >> that's correct. actually since 3:00 this morning we have made a couple of rescues where people actually went out and did not see the warning and got stalled. we have made a couple of rescues for individuals. we are urging everyone do

we have all resources have been deployed from urban search and rescue teams to florida national guarde coast guard, the florida state guard, florida fish and wildlife. those are going to continue until there's no help needed. in terms of hospitals, in rural areas that received direct impacts, the facilities remain operational and open to the public and we're happy they were able to do that. throughout the state, there were ten evacuated hospitals. they reported minimal damage in nine of the ten will be at full operational status within the next 24 hours and working with the one remaining but we don't think it's going to take too much longer after that. after the storm, agency healthcare assessment teams must inspect healthcare facilities for sustained damage and they are in the process of making assessments for all evacuated healthcare facilities. our florida department of veterans affairs assisted one of florida's federally operated va hospitals with safely transferring veterans prior to the hurricane and we appreciate florida dva for stepping up in that. schools. 30 of the 52 school

. >>> plus, florida's national guard has been activated. ng the gulf now being told to prepare to evacuate as idalia rapidly gains strength and makes a course for the florida coast. they're quitting the kibble. and kicking the cans. and feeding their dogs dog food that's actually well, food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog. and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food. get 50% off your first box at thefarmersdog.com/realfood ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [baby crying] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ wherever you go. wherever you stay. all you need is one key. earn and use rewards across expedia, hotels.com, and vrbo. wake up, achievers. you're making the most of every hour of your life. except the hours that you're sleeping. so why do we leave so much untapped potential on the table? this is a next level bed, for a next level you. my circadian rhythm is kicking your circadian rhythms butt! it's not a competition. i know, but i'm still winning! so, it is a competition. save 50% on the sleep number® limited edition sma

momentum, and heads toward the coast. 33 counties are under a state of emergency, and the florida national guardause serious storm surges that could topple buildings. priscilla thompson is reporting from panama city where local officials could cut off beach access as the water swells. we just heard from governor desantis, what's the latest? well, we're seeing marissa parra there who is also -- >> reporter: the message from the governor is that now is the time to act. he's urging people who may be in areas where they're being asked to evacuate to do that, and really emphasizing that evacuation doesn't necessarily mean traveling hundreds of miles. it could mean traveling 10 to 20 miles to get to higher ground, to an area that's not going to be hit quite as hard. already the governor has ordered a state of emergency for some 33 counties here, mobilizing more than 5,000 national guardsmen, equipped with 2,400 high water rescue vehicles, and also 12 air craft to assist with any search and rescue that may need to be done. and across the western part of the state. we are seeing folks taking this seriou

the majority of them by the florida national guard, a lot of those were water rescues.also said 150,000 people statewide still don't have power, well over 400,000 have had their power restored so a lot of progress on that end. at last check, this has been moving across the southern portion of the concerned. georgia also has close to 150,000 without power between 100 and 150, and then close to 50,000 without power in the carolinas as well. so the damage is really widespread. one final note that we kind of want to land on. the governor touched on it in his press conference. there have been, his office says, no deaths attributed to this storm. we want to be very clear. the florida highway patrol essentially disputes that saying there are two weather-related deaths, two people who died in two separate car crashes during the storm. those crashes were at least partially caused by the conditions of the weather, of the storm. so according to the florida highway patrol, there have been two deaths, aka, this storm was fatal. governor ron desantis not ready to basically endorse th

as of last night, there were approximately 40 successful rescues made, including 29 by the florida national guard. governor ron desantis says about 30,000 power line personnel are also working to restore power. but emergency officials warn high floodwaters could impact recovery efforts. the biggest danger is when the power company turns the power back on. and your house has had saltwater intrusion and it gets into the receptacles that makes for a good fire here on the north carolina coast, the rain has gone. the sun's actually out. but we are still getting some heavy wind. those bands still coming through no matter. they are still planning for a huge tourist weekend this weekend. tomorrow night, huge fireworks planned right here on the carolina coast. andre back to you. all right. caroline shively reporting for us live. caroline, thank you. here at home, a total of six people have been shot and killed in oakland since sunday. last night alone, two people were killed around 9 p.m. police were called to the corner of east 12th street just off the ramp on 16th street. that goes over 880. this was th

florida now. we have breaking news there. and governor ron desantis having a press conference. the latest on the incoming storm. let's listen. >> national guard director, shane morgan. sheriff mark hunter from columbia county and chuck brannon. this storm is going to impact inland counties and particularly in northern florida. you are going to see significant impacts. the contours of that will obviously determine will be determined by the exact path of the storm. but i think you're doing the right thing to be prepared. counties like columbia. counties like hamilton, madison, all those counties are going to be affected by hurricane idalia. we are monitoring some of these computer models. you may see the national hurricane center update the track in either 2:00 or the 5:00 advisory. there are models suggesting that this is going to take more of a westward shift. that could bring it into areas like jefferson and leon and wakala area even and people have known this has a possibility and i know they're making preparations but that is something to look out for. there's still a range of uncertainty here. they're going to be updating this track as th

we, prelandfall, we were able to get support from the florida national guard. 200 guardsmen with heavy machinery and equipment for move in, debris and high water trucks, so they could get into the coastal communities and just put eyes on to see how bad it was. they're going to push as far as they can and recon and try to get us an update of what other resources we might get to see. they're going to start checking for houses because we did order a mandatory evacuation, however we had a lot of citizens that they adhered to it. we had those that were adamant they didn't want to leave in each coastal community. we do have search and rescue strike teams waiting for the recall to get done and the ability to get in there. we haven't got reports back yet of just how bad or devastating it is down there. >> and you talk about the folks in your community that decided to ride it out. nerve florida is prepared for a hurricane on some level, but your community hasn't dealt with a direct hit like this in more than 125 years. do you think your residents fully anticipated how bad it could be? >> you're

last night, there were approximately 40 successful rescues was made, including 29 by the florida national guard governor ron desantis says about 30,000 power line personnel are also working to restore power. but emergency officials warn high floodwaters could impact recovery efforts. the biggest danger is when the power company turns the power back on and your house has had salt water intrusion and it gets into the receptacles that makes for a good fire. even though the winds are still incredibly high here. we have seen workers at this amusement park. they have been out here for about 30 minutes. they are trying to get things up and running because you've got to think of the timing. labor day weekend, one of the biggest weekends of the year for this town here. and towns up and down the carolina coast, they are still promising their big fireworks show on friday night. but it is game on, trying to get everything ready and those tourists coming in. wow. garcia, back to you. let's go back to florida here. it's certainly got walloped there along the gulf coast. nothing, however, like what we saw las

the florida national guard is on the move.ch had been previously blocked off. they're just trying to get a handle right now on just how significant this damage was. and chris, this is the gulf of mexico right here. you can see all this water just came in here, this massive symptom surge just not sure exactly how many feet ended up here in keaton beach, all these roads were blocked off. they just finished clearing off this main one. we were driving in from perry. we saw a collapsed gas station here on the way. we saw downed power lines. it was extremely difficult to get here, but that process now is underway, the process of clearing off these roads, getting here in order to search for any survivors and to assess really the damage. i think it's a testament, chris, to exactly how incredible some of these buildings are built that there's only cosmetic damage here to the siding on this building. so many of these are built on stilts, but the storm surge here, again, was devastating, and extremely high winds. we were just speaking to

florida homes and businesses have no power right now. thousands of national guard members have been activated to help with the relief efforts against hurricane idalia. all right. we're going to check in live in florida throughout the morning. steve, as we turn to you, just to kind of clarify, because i know you watched these. i heard storm surge when they say storm surge of 10 to 15ft, that's 10 to 15ft of water on what's normally dry land. that is correct. based on what i'm seeing, though, that has made landfall. okay as a category four, which is at 131, 139 is the high end of category three. i believe it has now made landfall. and the florida big bend area south of tallahassee, the good news is it's turbocharged and it's moving almost 20 miles an hour. so it's already made landfall. the expansive eyewall, though, will continue with not only the strong wind, but also the storm surge that we were talking about . the track, though, will take it right over the florida panhandle. it is a category three, but it did make landfall as a category four. it was a category on

been damage along florida's big bend particularly but the community is resilient and we will work hard to make your people get what they need. urban search and rescue teams, national guardard, florida fish and wildlife, florida state guard have been involved in search and rescue efforts. there are still reports rolling in but as of last night there were approximately 40 successful rescues made including 29 by the florida national guard, our fish and wildlife officers assisted with medical evacuation yesterday and they are conducting high water and welfare checks, efforts continuing and they will continue until there is no longer a need. we are working hard to restore power across the state of florida. as of six a clock a.m., there are approximately 140 six power outages reported across the state but power is being restored quickly. thus far 440 -- 420,000 lost power during the storm have been restored. host: that was governor ron desantis a little earlier this morning. back to your phone calls in our open form. hearing from you about the public policy, political issues you want to talk about. this is daphne in florida, good morning. caller: good morning. my question is

as of last night, there were approximately 40 successful rescues made, including 29 by the florida national guard. governor ron desantis says about 30,000 power line personnel are also working to restore power. but emergency officials warn high floodwaters could impact recovery efforts. the biggest danger is when the power company turns the power back on. and your house has had saltwater intrusion and it gets into the receptacles that makes for a good fire. later developments this morning, a major disaster declaration for the counties affected in florida has just been approved by the white house. that should help. fema is also on the ground there in florida, in north carolina, it looks pretty bad, but the numbers of power outages are getting better at one time as 31,000 customers at last check, it was at about 13,000 gasia. back to you. all right, caroline shively, we'll see you again in the next hour. thank you. all right. so let's get an update now weather wise from roberta gonzalez. she joins us now with more on where the storm is, where it's headed roberta. andre, when we first went on the ai

national guard and inly that to get involved in that process. >> national guard and thatthat the national guard and that would be probably the florida national guardlping out as our coastguard personnel as well. and all of the associated emergency services, these natural disasters are always a big test. we often find in america that actually if federal authorities controlled by fema , authorities controlled by fema, they are often found wanting. and it's actually at state level where they can make a real difference. so you know, for ron desantis , a big tester for him, desantis, a big tester for him, i think live pictures here. >> we're seeing traffic on the road. perhaps they are taking the warnings to move further inland . you can see that the inland. you can see that the water on that right hand side on that bridge is starting to build up. i think this might be, again , in the tampa area with an indication that perhaps that won't be seeing the worst at the moment of the winds and the storm surge. that's going to be perhaps about 50 miles further north. but certainly there'll be a lot of concern after what we've heard in tampa bay. this is what

. >> bret: the florida governor and the authorities down there pre-positioned 5500 national guard 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 i

national guard unit there. the general will talk more about that. coast guard is active, including with rotary wing assets. floridad wildlife has both boats and vehicles en route. florida department of transportation has been conducting cut and toss operations, starting at the southern part of the state as the storm moved through southwest florida, clearing those roads and then moving all the way up north. they are en route to clear all the way up to taylor county. right now, tampa airport is going to reopen for incoming flights at 4:00 p.m., by 3:00 a.m. tomorrow it will be fully reopened. gainesville airport will reopen tonight. tallahassee airport will reopen first thing in the morning. the ports in tampa and manatee are undergoing assessment.concl will resume operations, assuming all is well, which we anticipate they will be. there are as of now no confirmed fatalities. those fatalities are things that get confirmed by the florida department of law enforcement. we don't have any confirmed fatalities yet. if you have any questions about how things are unfolding in your area, you can go to floridadisaster.org. t

florida so far. mobilizing 1100 national guard troops. he has suspended his campaign, we're told. we are looking live there at the emergency center in florida. and we expect the governor to speak there, to give an update at any moment on the preparations. right now the storm is thrashing cuba with heavy rains and, again, governor desantis will provide an update soon ian oliver is standing by live to talk about the track and possibly how strong this thing could be. ian, good evening. >> bret, good evening. yeah. we just got that update from the national hurricane center the 5:00 p.m. update. it was unchanged in terms of its intensity what we see with tropical storm idalia is the overall structure of this is improving. close that that low level center this big burst of convection, these tall showers and thunderstorms. so you can think about it, the engine, you need all the parts in place. that's the structure of a three-point line system. now that that's in place this can start revving up. hurricane hunters are in route. don't be surprised if you hear about hurricane idalia. that's t

when this is going on in minnesota i immediately called out the national guard in florida law enforcement for any potential area in our city did not bring down because we let it be known that would not be tolerated in the sunshine state. [applause] we rejected the delusional idea we should be defunding law enforcement agencies and you saw cities collapsed the budget, she said it doesn't work so enacted legislation in florida that prohibits local governments from being able to defend the police. if we do it, we put the money in and keep them on the streets to protect our citizens. [applause] we reject some terrible reforms enacted in various states across the country did some released by the people from prison prematurely and others like new york abolished cash bail. you have a police officer risk their lives to apprehendnd somebody and bring them in and two weeks later he committed another offense and they have to risk their lifere again to apprehend the same person the should never have been on the street to begin with. you have seen that throughout the country and in florida we are not

florida so far. mobilizing 1100 national guard troops. he has suspended his campaign, we're told.

national guard. that gives you a sense of the kind of impact that florida is expecting from this storm.to make landfall now, the next few hours will be very crucial in terms of telling us exactly how how bad this is going to be in terms of the effect on those communities and the people who find themselves directly in the way. as always, you can go to our website to get the latest on what is happening in florida. now to kyiv, where officials say it has been hit by the most powerful attack since spring as ukraine and russia launch a wave of air strikes against each other. moscow says ukrainian drones have targeted at least six russian regions, warning that attacks on its soil will not go "unpunished. ukraine says it was targeted by a wave of russian cruise missiles and drones, but shot down nearly all of them. the mayor of kyiv says two people were killed and two others were injured by falling debris. these are the moments the debris fell to ground in kyiv — as you can see, there was a large explosion when it came down. and this is more video from kyiv — it's not clear if this is a separa

. >> reporter: 5,500 national guard troops are staging in florida, ready to do search and rescue.cy managers are really concerned about widespread power outages after the storm, and that's why 25,000 power crews are standing by ready to restore power once the storm has passed and it's safe to do so. norah. >> omar villafranca, thank you. >>> there's important new information from a new track that is just coming out. so let's bring in meteorologist mike seidel from our partners at the weather channel. he's in tampa. good evening, mike. so tell us about these changes. >> reporter: good evening, norah. since yesterday, the track is a little farther west as it comes onshore. the key here is it takes tampa bay out of a direct hit. but meanwhile, let's look at it on the satellite loop. it has gone crazy today. quick strengthening from a tropical storm this morning. less than 12 hours later it's a category 2 hurricane. it makes landfall as a major dangerous hurricane. a category 3 tomorrow morning. then it shoots right up the coast. it's not going to lollygag and stall, so the rainfall a

when this was going on in minnesota and these other places i immediately called out the national guard in floridae dispatched law enforcement to any potential area and our city did not burn down in florida because we let it be known that would not be tolerated lein the sunshine state. we also rejected the delusional idea that we should be defunding law enforcement agencies. we actually enacted legislation in the state of florida that prohibits all local governments from being able to defund the police, if they do what we put the money back in and we keep the police on the streets to protect our citizens. we also reject some of the terrible legislative reforms that have been enacted in various states across this country. some have released violent people from prison prematurely. others have done things like new york abolish cash bail. you have a police officer lit risk their lives to apprehend somebody in florida we are not tolerating it and not going to allow it to happen and what made it even worse as we've seen in city after city including la and san francisco, prosecutors progressive so-called

tell you when this is going on in minnesota and other places i immediately called up the national guard in florida. we dispatched state law enforcement to any potential area our cities did not burn down in florida because we let it be known that would not be tolerated in the sunshine state. [applause] we also rejected the delusional idea we should be defunding law enforcement agencies. he saw cities/the budget. we said that doesn't work. we enacted legislation in the state of florida that prohibits a local government from being able to defund the police. if they do it we put the money back in and keep the police on the street to protect our citizens. [applause] we also reject some of the terrible legislative reforms that have been enacted in various states across this country. some havee released violent people from prison prematurely. others have done things like new york, abolished cash bail. you will have a police officer risk their lives to apprehend somebody, bring them in. the judge releases them and two weeks later that person has committed a nether offense and the cop has got to risk his l

florida idalia has cut off communities, surrounded them with water. rescues are under way. some are under curfew. search and rescue teams, along with the national guard, are in response mode right now. the only way to describe florida's big bend, small towns with big damage tonight, our first look at the incredible fury of hurricane idalia powerful bursts of wind, relentless sheets of rain, and devastating storm surge combining into a destructive force of historic proportions. >> i don't think anybody expected it to be this bad. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: the category 3 hurricane is the strongest to hit the big bend area in more than a century. landfall came this morning at keaton beach with maximum sustained gusts of 125 miles per hour homes here didn't stand a chance in nearby perry, this gas station toppled by fierce winds, and across the region, roofs ripped off buildings. >> oh, oh, my gosh >> have you ever seen anything like this in perry? >> absolutely not. nobody is going to get power for weeks. >> reporter: the governor touring hard-hit perry today >> what's your message to floridians who are trapped or stranded right now? >> well, if you a

beyond that, across the state of florida, there is a lot being done. some 5000 national guardsonnel brought in, ready to respond to the aftermath. and almost 40,000 line workers on standby, ready to deal with those fallen cables. because of course, the biggest expectation is that there will be major loss of power across large parts of the state. and they will be working as quick as possible to restore power. because that will be a very important part of the emergency response in the days that followed. >> john sudworth in a very windy and wet tampa. thinking to much for your reporting. we will let you go now. president biden says he is monitoring the storm along with fema director dian criswell. he told reporters he spoke to florida governor ron desantis and promised the state would have "everything they needed." let's get more with brian mcnulty, a sior research associate at the university of miami's rosenstiel school of marine, atmospheric, and earth science. you were tweeting the forecast for idalia had been consistent. what are you expecting to see on florida's gulf coast o

>>> today florida governor ron desantis confirmed that the the national guard has been deplay ploied r hurricane idalia came through florida. it's still going through georgia on ward to south carolina right now. another group we see stepping in to help after these major storms is the united navy. and members of this nonprofit are on site. that's the storm sushlg they faced north of tampa earlier today. those pictures that you're seeing there, we're joined by the vice president and spokesman for the ewe nated kay january navy. give us a sense of the damage you're seeing. >> so far, nothing too catastrophic. we have not been dispatched for any type of water rescues yet. we do have airboat teams on site should that call come. florida is our biggest chapter out of louisiana. they have been affected so much. >> you get there quickly, what you said, you have not been called for any water rescues. is that good news? is that a sign that folks did heed those evacuation orders and get out? >> that could be it. but also the flooding that we're seeing videos of coming back from it our team and wh

there are more than a quarter of a million people in florida and another 100,000 in georgia without power. the national guarderal emergency teams are staged ready to respond. search-and-rescue is beginning tonight, but the main damage assessments will not start until the waters begin to receive. here is the governor of the state, ron desantis. >> right now, tampa airport is going to reopen for incoming flights at 4:00 p.m.. by 3:00 a.m. tomorrow, it will be fully reopened. gainesville airport will reopen tonight and tallahassee airport will reopen first thing in the morning. the courts in tampa and manati are currently undergoing assessments. when those assessments are concluded, they will be able to resume operations, assuming all is well, which we anticipate it will be. there are as of now, no confirmed fatalities. those fatalities are things that get confirmed by the florida department of law enforcement through medical examiners. we do not have any confirmed fatalities yet. we are still assessing what is all going on on the ground and places that had the initial impact. we are probably going to be -- pro