nbc's morgan chesky and gabe gutierrez on the florida coast. al, tell us about the storm and its extraordinary path and its speed, or should i say its slow march. >> it's crawling. it's picking up forward speed. right now, category 2 storm, but we tell people don't pay attention to the category. while it's important, you can get a lot of damage with storms that are not a 4 or a 5. this is a category 2. 105 miles east of ft. pierce, florida, with 110 mile per hour winds. and now its forward speed moving northwest at two miles per hour west palm beach all the way up past charleston. we've got hurricane watches all the way to cape hatteras. inland we've got tropical storm watches as well. that speaks to the size, the growing size of the storm. even though it's in a sense weakening down to a category 2, it actually -- its wind fields are growing. in fact, here's the official path from the national hurricane center. by thursday morning, it is a category 2 storm just outside of charleston. then cape hatteras by friday morning and then out and past th

what she says was a terrible mistake our gabe gutierrez was in the courtroom. >> reporter: on the witness stand, it didn't take long for 31-year-old amber guyger to break down she was asked about the moments leading up to the shooting death of botham jean last september. >> i was scared whoever it was inside my apartment was going to kill me, and i'm sorry. i have to live with that every. >> reporter: the fired dallas officer thought jean was a burglar inside her apartment when in fact, she mistakingy walked into his unlocked apartment. she said jean began walking towards her. >> i pulled my gunsee your hane see your hands. >> reporter: then she pulled the trigger twice. >> i asked god for forgiveness and i hate myself every day i feel like i don't deserve a chance to be with my family and friends. he was the one with the gun, he could have killed me. i never wanted to take an innocent person's life i'm so sorry this is not about hate i was scared that night. >> reporter: during the murder trial prosecutors repeatedly questioned how guyger missed signs she was on the wrong floor including

i miss him >> reporter: if convicted, amber guyger faces up to life in prison gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> there's word tonight of another death linked to e-cigarettes now nine people have died from vap-related ulnesses across the country. the latest death involves a man over 50 in kansas that also had underlying health conditions officials say. the cdc reports 530 cases of vaping-related illnesses in 38 >>> following a massive efforttt over the weekend and strande vacationers all over the world, including some here in the u.s here is nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: from the u.k. to e vacationers and honeymooners spent today standing in long lines with few answers. >> what the hell is going on and when can i get my money back >> we're not really sure all we're hearing is things that add to the worry. >> reporter: this travel nightmare began when british tour operator thomas cook went bust all planes grounded. 155,000 customers stranded worldwide. many with complicated travel packages including in new york, miami, l.a., seattle, san francisco and orlando. >> go on the website, they te

much of florida is in the possible path of the storm nbc's gabe gutierrez has the very latest. >> reporter: less than two weeks after hurricane dorian pummelled the bahamas, the same devastated area is under a tropical storm warning. tonight, forecasters are watching this system closely saying it could develop into tropical storm umberto right now its path is tough to predict since it is so disorganized but it is expected to dump heavy rain on the northern bahamas, the same area from dorian remains at 50, but the government expects it to rise sharply about 1,300 people are still listed as missing. all week we have spoken with evacuees struggling to leave the country. >> i don't know how long i'm going to stay here for, but ey don't tell us nothing here. >> reporter: dorian stayed just off the florida coast before weakening and making landfall in north carolina if it develops, umberto could impact the same area gabe gutierrez, nbc news >>> let us bring in al roker now for the very latest track of this storm al, what are you seeing? >> this potential tropical cyclone would become umberto rig

gabe gutierrez is in nassau tonight. >> reporter: tonight, plane by plane, evacuees are streaming into the bahama capital, a humanitarian exitos. >> it is bad we don't know what to do. >> reporter: rose's home is gone in the hard-hit northern bahamas, thousands like her escaped by boat. one ferry that went directly to florida was turned away because customs and border protection says it was supposed to stop in nassau for visas that never happened. bahamas to come into the united states including very bad people. >> reporter: the president appearing to contradict his own agency, the heading head of cbp calling this a humanitarian mission saying they plan to expedite the immigration process that let hurricane victims in. >> we're headed to nassau now and will try to determine what we'll do with our lives from here on. >> reporter: nbc's kerry sanders is on abaco island. >> the humanitarian aid is sitting on the docks, not needed because this island is a ghost town some of the private donations rushed here make little sense like eggs now sitting in the hot sun. >> reporter: now, the rush

our gabe gutierrez is in the flood zone with the very latest. >> reporter: tonight much of southeast texas is under water and urgent rescues are underway. these families strand in chest deep water rushed to safety. from beaumont to the houston suburbs, the rain. is historic. how does this compare to hurricane harvey >> the feel of it is just like harvey and the people we're rescuing saying they have more water now in their houses than they did during harvey. >> reporter: the floods killing one person, hunter morrison. the remnants of tropical storm imelda unleashed tornadoes late wednesday before torrential downpours overnight. >> we have been getting pounded by heavy rain over the last several hours. >> reporter: 500,000 lightning strikes since midnight and 40 inches of rain drenching some areas. people driving in the wrong direction. and the city's police chief posting hours of rescue efforts on social media. >> this is our second truckload. it's packed, whole families. >> reporter: first responders got more than a thousand calls for help now the coast guard is on the move with mor

. >> gabe gutierrez reports on the aftermath now coming to life. >> reporter: much of winney, texas, is under water. remnants of tropical storm imelda causing severe flooding, leaving many roads impassable. emergency responders overwhelmed, over 1,000 people called 911, asking to be rescued. air boats a were deployed overnt and in addition the hospital had to be evacuated. >> the hospital itself is flooded. we need to get them out. >> reporter: patients rescued from the rising water taken to a nearby nursing home. other parts of southeast texas slammed with torrential rain and dangerous tornadoes, leaving flooded streets in beaumont and bringing a fast-moving tornado to baytown east of houston, the twister downing trees and power lines and danling two homes. >> i started whistling they knew where i was. >> reporter: county sheriff grateful no one was hurt. >> it's a miracle no one died out here seeing the damage we're seeing. >> reporter: homes surrounded by floodwaters. >> every subdivision has flooded roads in it. >> reporter: even roads used to flooding were caught by surprise. fl

and now we're getting our first detailed look inside both their apartments gabe gutierrez was inside the courtroom. >> reporter: take a good look at these pictures presented by the defense. on the left, the apartment of amber guyger, a former dallas police officer accused of murder on the right, the apartment of botham jean who police say had been eating ice enm guyger came through his unlocked door and shot and killed him on the stand today, the case's lead investigator testified under cross examination that the layout of the two apartments were similar texas ranger david armstrong also says that residents often went to the wrong apartments. >> there were no clear obvious visual signs showing what level you were on. >> reporter: today the medical examiner showed where jean was shot, testifying the bullet pierced his heart. >> i thought it was my apartment. i thought it was my apartment. >> the defense argued guyger was confused and feared for her safety, mistaking the unarmed jean for a burglar day three of testimony in the high-profile trial comes after body camera footage showed o

lester >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> much more ahead tonight, including shocking video of a robber posing as a fedex worker, tying up a family. >>> the price to pay, when to get the behost you can stay wit. >>> now a daring home invasion captured on camera, one robber posing as a fedex employee, a family tied up as their house was stripped of cash and jewels. with more here is miguel almaguer. >> reporter: the first suspect approached this brooklyn home dressed as a fedex driver, forcing his way in as another man scrambles up the stairs. inside with one suspect claiming he's a cop, an elderly couple and their daughter are tied up the top floor ransacked of more than $100,000 in cash and jewelry. the security camera shows one man trying to force the young woman to open a safe, the entire family bound and terrified. >> all of a sudden, baboom. like what was that >> reporter: this neighbor says the men hauled the safe out of the home to a waiting getaway car. >> i came around here and there is this guy coming out of this door pushing this big black box. >> reporter: it's not the first

nbc's gabe gutierrez is there. >> reporter: this new video shows the moment of impact on great abaco island the terrifying power of hurricane dorian slamming into this house and tearing it apart. thousands are now homeless many of them are in this crowded police station in nassau, desperately scrambling to get the documents they need to leave the bahamas. she has her passport and now paperwork proving she has no criminal record, a requirement to getting into the u.s. she is still waiting on documents for her daughter you have lost everything and you don't know where to go now. >> i don't know where to go. >> reporter: about 4,000 have already fled to the u.s., half by air, half by sea. iris smith made to it a hotel in florida. >> i'm just happy. i'm happy. i break down and i cry. >> reporter: back in the bahamas, the grim search for bodies is only beginning so is the exodus more than 2,000 people are at this shelter many don't have the money to leave or any place to go evacuee samara martin clutches her 7-month-old son. you don't know what you're going to do next, right? >> i don't k

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, jefferson county texas. >>> new details of the man accused of being behind a california synagogue shooting will stand trial. this morning the judge made that ruling after a final witness testified. the attack in april killed one woman and hurt three others including a rabbi and a little girl. the suspect has pleaded not guilty in that case. >>> just in, walmart will reportedly stop selling e-cigarettes. cnbc said it has obtained a memo indicating the major change. this comes as we learn another person died from vaping-related illnesses. this is the eighth death sickne rise, the cdc is getting a clear picture of the victims. more than half under the age of. doctors say they're seeing a lot of patients. >> we're seeing severe cases. people sometimes in the intensive care unit and sadly some even dying and we don't know yet that they are now 530 cases of vaping-related illnesses in 38 states. [ bell ] >>> there you have it. the opening bell of the new york stock exchange. where the dow has dropped some 100 points today. as the chinese trade officials are cuttin

authorities are quick to point out that most of the state is not out of the woods yet, peter >> gabe gutierrez, on the ground in florida for us, gabe, thank you. >>> today's change in forecast dramatically increases the chances that georgia and the carolinas end up in dorian's path. nbc's kathy park now on how those states are preparing. >> reporter: tonight dorian changing direction. plotting a new course for the carolinas and georgia. >> citizens in georgia, south carolina, north carolina, now is the time for you to start making your preparatory actions. >> reporter: the pivot putting millions more at risk, as they get ready for a possible strike this photo taken at a north carolina costco shows lines growing for water, food and in charleston no widespread panic, but preps are beginning. >> i am trying to grab a couple random things that are going to be gone i guess in a couple days. >> reporter: states of emergency for south carolina and coastal counties in georgia. officials positioning resources ahead of the storm. dorian drawing comparisons with hurricane matthew in 2016, which slammed s

>> gabe gutierrez, thank you let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins. he joins us now. it's astounding how quickly it became dangerous >> we saw one area that picked up almost two feet of rain in 12 hours. it's almost unheard of numbers in areas between beaumont and houston. now, the worst of it was this area where the pink is we showed you pictures and gave you the story there is of hampshire. that was 43 inches over the 72-hour period just incredible. we're at the tail end of we still have our flash flood watch for the region just because just a tiny bit of those have been dropped. and at 7:00 a.m. this morning we'll be down with our flash flood watch. you can see on our radar it doesn't look half as impressive even as 12 hours ago there was light rain here and there but there's no areas of great concern for a lot of heavy rain. if we get anything our computers are hinting at down along the coast we could get another one to three inches but this is going to go in the record books. this is going to be the fourth time we've done this now in the last four years where we'

>> all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you. >> west texas community reeling this morning after a shooting spree left sev dead. hundreds attended a vigil for the victims last night the first of several planned in the week ahead on saturday, police say the gunman led officers on a harrowing chase through two cities, opening fire on bystanders along the way during the terrifying ten-mile chase, 29 people wersh seemingly at random. it started with a routine traffic stop in midland. the gunman immediately opened fire with an assault-style rifle as the officer approached the vehicle. the 36-year-old was eventually killed in a shootout investigators have offered no motive, but two law enforcement sources tell nbc news he was recently fired from his job. meanwhile we are learning more about those who lost their lives in the shooting and those who barely escaped nbc's joe fryer has their stories. joe? >> reporter: phillip, many of those who were injured in this shooting are still recovering, most of them at the hospital behind me here in odessa while other families are remembering those who lost t

and now we are getting our first detailed look inside both of their apartments nbc's gabe gutierrez is inside the courtroom. >> reporter: take a good look at these pictures presented by the defense. on the left, the apartment of amber geyger the former dallas police officer accused of murder. on the right, the apartment of botham jean who police say had been eating ice cream when geyger came through his unlocked door and shot and killed him on the stand, the case's lead investigator testified under cross-examination that the layouts of the two apartments were similar texas ranger david armstrong also says residents often went to the wrong apartments. >> there were no clear obvious visual signs showing what level you were on. >> reporter: the medical examiner showed where jean was shot, testifying the bullet pierced his heart. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: the defense argued geyger was confused and feared for her safety mistaking the unarmed jean for a burglar day three of testimony in the high profile trial comes after body camera footage showed officers scrambling to the scene last sept

gabe gutierrez has the details >> reporter: it got the attention of many people up and down the florida coast now mandatory evacuations are underway >> mandatory evacuation as of 1:00 p.m. >> reporter: along parts of florida's east coast, the rush is on to get out >> this storm at this magnitude could really cause massive destruction and do not put your life in jeopardy by staying behind >> reporter: in palm beach county, donna kirby is evacuating her parents, both in their late 80s >> it doesn't take that turn north, it's coming straight in here a category 5, so you have to act >> reporter: president trump visited fema's headquarters. >> i'm not sure i even heard of a category 5 i knew it existed and i've seen some category 4s you don't see them that much but a category 5 is something. >> reporter: yet during his administration, three hurricanes impacting the u.s. were category 5s at one point. irma, maria and michael. for dorian, preparations are stretching up to georgia and the carolinas. nbc's kag nbc's kathy park is in charleston >> reporter: one of the highest tide levels of the y

we're talking about tropical force winds and, again, as gabe gutierrez pointed out. if you get a wobble because this thing is moving very slowly. we're talking -- it is still moving -- i can walk faster than that. maybe not. but moving northwest at 3 miles per hour so that is a slow mover and a chance for tons of water to get piled up against the shore line. >> a slow mover isn't a positive. >> no. >> can you help us understand this in a little more detail? in the last day you see the headlines. it has stalled out. it's not moving. people take that as a, whew. i guess it's not coming and that's not the case. >> that is the danger. usually when these things are moving, we've seen them usually 10, 12, 13 miles per hour. this is 3 miles per hour so it is a slow crawl and that allows those winds and we keep, in fact, let me show you something. we've got a graphic here about the possibility of power outages. first of all, rainfall as well. we're talking somewhere, anywhere from daytona beach all the way to cape hatteras 5 to 7 inches but could be upwards of a foot if this

nbc's gabe gutierrez is live. gabe, is that what you're seeing. >> that is exactly what we're seeing. just a few minutes ago, i was standing on the beach and things seemed to be just fine. all of a sudden, this big rain band started pounding as we had the sea cover and try to keep our equipment dry. it was kind of impressive. we have been here on the florida coast. as this massive storm batters the bahamas, we have been seeing mandatory evacuations in certain low lying communities along the florida coast. martin county, they had delayed mandatory evacuations. it got underway at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon. more evacuations tomorrow just to the north in brevard county. businesses have been boarding up along the florida coast. as you have been reporting, all it takes is a shift in the storm to cause heavy damage here. we're already again starting to see some of this initial rain from hurricane dorian slam into florida coast right now. >> gabe, have you been talking to some of the people on the beaches and what's the fee

at 8:00, the remnants of tropical storm imelda triggered more flooding and tornadoes in texas gabe gutierrezgabe, good morning. >> reporter: the rain is still falling here in winnie, texas, it's been a very long night. many truck drivers have pulled over on the side of the freeway because many roads are impassable water rescues are also under roi believe way. emergency responders got more than a thousand calls for rescue overnight. even a hospital had to be evacuated, and several patients were moved to a nearby nursing home this is all part of the remnants of tropical storm imelda, which dumped heavy rain on the region overnight. several devastating tornadoes also touched down in and around the houston area and some areas near the coast got as much as two feet or so or rain but the rain is continuing to fall here it's unclear how long it might continue but again, water rescues are under way here in winnie, texas. back to you. >> gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> u.s. intelligence officer has fired a whistle-blower complaint against president trump over what was apparently said during a phone ca

nbc news correspondent gabe gutierrez is in hampshire, texas. gabe, this is a terribly dangerous, threatening situation. >> reporter: absolutely, andrea. the rain just won't stop. now, right here, ongoing water rescues are under way. just so i can show you where we are, this is an intersection pretty much surrounded at this point almost entirely by water. we just saw a rescue boat bring a man from that neighborhood. he said that he had water up to his chest. we also saw another family being brought out earlier as well. now, this road is just off i-10, 73 here in chambers county. that's cars behind me got stuck in this overnight. it was incredible to see how many cars decided -- some abandoned their vehicles, others are waiting for any way to get out. joe, if we can come over here and look, look how much water, andrea, extends all of the way in that direction. we just saw another air boat come and rescue more people over there. authorities say they got more than a thousand calls for rescue overnight. there was a hospital that had to be evacuated,

and heavy rain gabe gutierrez is in jensen beach, florida gabe, what's going on there? >> reporter: lester, parts of the florida coast are feeling tropical storm conditions, even though the eye of this hurricane is about 100 miles offshore. we are seeing extremely choppy surf and some bands of heavy rain as well as wind gusts of more than 40 miles an hour here. across the u.s., more than 1800 flights were canceled today, about another 2000 were delayed, many of them in the southeast. still, many florida residents are relieved that dorian has delivered only a glancing blow, sparing them a direct hit, though some mandatory evacuations remain in effect farther up the coast lester >> all right, gabe, thank you. and the threat to georgia and the carolinas is growing, especially from potential flooding and that has many on the move tonight kristen dahlgren is in the north carolina coast for us this evening. >> reporter: mandatory evacuations now in full swing, from florida to the outer banks of the carolinas, more than a million people have already been ordered to leave conce

nbc's gabe gutierrez is in win any, texas, about 60 miles east of luis ton. gabe, it sounds and looks like it's still raining there. >> reporter: craig, this is an unfolding disaster at this point. as you can see behind me -- it may be tough to see from that angle. all that behind me is normally a road. it is completely under water. many roads in this area are shut down. we're talking about beaumont, texas. that is where we're seeing some of the water rescues now as well as winnie, texas. beaumont is cut off. parts of i-10 are shut down, parts of i-10 towards houston are shut down. there are communities that have seen an incredible amount of rain. for some areas, craig, this is approaching hurricane harvey levels. you'll remember hurricane harvey back in 2017 claimed dozens of lives, cost billions of dollars in damage in the houston area as well as louisiana. this is the situation for several communities where they're experiencing on going water rescues. there are resources coming in from around the area as well. we had been speaking with the cajun navy as wel

total for september in less than an hour and a half lester >> absolutely incredible all right, gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> now to the political firestorm tonight in canada after new images surfaced of the prime minister in black face justin trudeau's reelection campaign now turning into an apology tour our ron allen has more >> this is something that i deeply, deeply regret. >> reporter: tonight canadian prime minister justin trudeau apologizing again after new images emerged of him in blackface. >> darkening your face, regardless of the context or the circumstances is always unacceptable because of the racist history of blackface. >> reporter: trudeau seen here performing in blackface as a and today trudeau's political party confirmed it's also him in this video uncle where or when it was shot the new images come after time magazine published this photo of trudeau at a gala for an elite school where he taught almost two decades ago. the theme arabian nights the offensive images made public as canadians decide to reelect trudeau and his party next month. the opposition pouncing. >> i belie

let's begin with nbc's gabe gutierrez in jensen beach, florida to the east of port st. lucie. gabe, evacuation orders in place there. what are you seeing, feeling, and hearing? >> reporter: good morning, chris. over the last hour we've seen some of the outer rain bands of hurricane dorian. right now it is actually sunny. a half hour ago or so we were pelted with heavy rain. the last several hours since about 2:00 a.m. we've been feeling these winds start to pick up. as you mentioned, more than a million people in florida, georgia, and south carolina will be under mandatory evacuation orders throughout the day today. here in florida we're in martin county. to the north brevard county will have evacuations. so will velsa county as well. it's been a lot in terms of the last couple days. people were worried dorian was going to cut right through the heart of south florida, then the north to northeast turn that is expected. they breathed a sigh of relief. now once hurricane dorian became a category 5 it got a lot of attention. let's listen to some people who decided to evacuate. >> t

our gabe gutierrez is there with the latest >> reporter: in vidor, texas, the water reaches the rooftops this is one of the communities cut off by tropical storm imelda. across the region many roads are impassable for rescue teams that evacuated 1,700 people in one county alone. the coast guard hoisting others to safety by air. animals also rushed to higher ground. did you expect there to be this much water? >> no, not at all. >> reporter: authorities confirmed at least four deaths. near houston a major highway shut down after rising water forced barges to break loose. at this flooded elementary school, a teacher built a makeshift bridge the rainfall is historic the seventh wettest tropical system on record houston's rainiest september day on record one bayou rose 20 feet in an hour and today another downpour for communities already inundated. family after family evacuated by boat. >> everybody needs help, and everybody is devastated they didn't expect this. >> reporter: this same neighborhood had been ravaged by hurricane harvey two years ago deja vu for susie pitts. >> i got chills whe

gabe gutierrez is in nassau in the bahamas. gabe, that's pretty ominous. what is the latest there >> reporter: lester, the government here says about 2,500 people have been registered as missing, although officials have not been able to check those names against databases of people that have already evacuated. also, a trump administration official tells nbc news that the u.s. will not grant temporary protective status to people from the bahamas displaced by hurricane dorian that would have allowed them to live and work in the u.s. until it was deemed safe to return home. that status was given to victims of other disasters, like haiti's 2010 earthquake. bahamians still come to the u.s. for a short time, if they have the right travel documents, but they won't be able to stay and work there, lester >> gabe, thank you. >>> also tonight, the verdict is in in the trial of a chinese businesswoman arrested for trespassing at president trump's mar-a-lago's resort. she was found guilty of entering a restricted area and lying to the secret service she was discovered

nbc news correspondent gabe gutierrez is in jensen beach, florida for us. gabe, what's happening where you are? >> reporter: hi there, chris. well, right behind me you can see the choppy surf that we've been seeing here throughout the day. and every few minutes, every hour or so we get one of these rain bands, the outer edges of hurricane dorian that are just starting to hit the southeastern coast of the u.s., but, chris, as we've been reporting, this storm is moving so slowly across the bahamas that there are still so many unanswered questions about when it will make that northerly turn and scrape florida's east coast. now, mandatory evacuation orders are under way for much -- many of the low-lying communities along the florida coast as well as georgia and the carolinas. more than a million people across those states under mandatory evacuation orders. we expect new ones tomorrow as well. florida's governor today said that several nursing homes and assisted living facilities have been evacuated and that there are 85 emergency shelters open throughout the sta

they going through right no this temporary shelter in any idea where they will go next lester >> gabe gutierrez for tonight, thank you. >>> president trump is holding a rally in north carolina and declaring talks with the taliban are dead after cancelling a planned secret meeting to discuss ending the war in afghanistan. nbc's kristen welker has new details for us. >> reporter: tonight president trump saying after the death of army sergeant first class ellis in a taliban attack, peace talks with the taliban are over. >> they are dead they are dead. as far as i'm concerned, they are dead they thought they had to kill people in order to put themselves in a little better negotiating position one happened to be a great american soldier, a wonderful young man from puerto rico, family from puerto rico and you can't do that. >> reporter: he's defending his controversial idea to hold those now scrapped talks with the taliban at camp david, the site of previous presidential negotiations. >> camp david held meetings with a lot of people that would have been perceived as being pretty tough customers and p

here is gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: tonight, friends and family mourning the loss of 10-year-old lily her aunt writing on facebook she fought the good fight for nearly a week supporters offered prayers in central texas after the girl went swimming in a river. she contracted a rare brain-eating amoeba. at this vigil her father is devastated. >> it's hard, especially hard being the one that's supposed to hold everybody up. >> reporter: it's a heart wrenching struggle jeremy and julie lewis know all too well their son kyle died in 2010 from the same infection. >> if you're going to put your kids in water, you have got to know that this is out there, and that it's a possibility. it can happen to you, it happened to us. >> reporter: amoeba is typically found in warm, h infectious when the water is swallowed, only when forced up the nose during activities like diving and water skiing why is this so difficult to tr >> it rapidly causes a lot of brain damage, and unless it's recognized early and treatments are brought on early, it can be fatal very rapidly. >> reporter: according to the cdc t

gabe gutierrez is in stewart, florida. >> we have a mandatory evacuation as of 1:00 p.m. >> reporter: tonight, along parts of florida's east coast, the rush is on to get out. >> this storm at this magnitude could really cause massive destruction, and do >> reporter: in palm beach county, donna kirby is evacuating her parents, both in their late 80s. >> if it doesn't take here as a category 5, so you have to act >> reporter: today president trump visited fema's headquarters. >> i'm not sure i've heard of a category 5. i knew it existed. i've seen some category 4s. you don't even see them that much, but a category 5 is something. >> reporter: yet during his administration three hurricanes impacting the u.s. were category 5s at one point -- irma, maria, and michael. for dorian, preparations are stretching up to georgia and the nbc's kathy park is in charleston. >> reporter: coastal flooding has already been a problem here this past wee with one of the highest tide levels of the year dorian could only increase the risk of extreme flooding >> reporter: back in florida, businesses banking o

joining me from fort pierce, florida, nbc's gabe gutierrez. how have the conditions that al's been talking about changed the way that the national guard might be preparing and local officials there? >> reporter: hi there, jo ling. what i was talking about, just think about that, this storm crawling along at 1 to 2 miles per hour. we're here at the national guard staging area in fort pierce. earlier, we were seeing the outerbands but now it's sunny out and we're getting a break in the wind. about 4500 members of the florida national guard are prepped and ready across the state. i'm joined by colonel blake heidelberg. sir, how do you prepare for a storm this large and it's unpredictable. how concerning is it? >> it's very concerning. we try to prepare all year. we train all years for storms like this. it's an honor and privilege to have to come to the aid of our fellow citizens but it's tough. we're very apprehensive. >> reporter: thousands of members of the national guard throughout the state. we're looking at equipment here. this is more expec

joining me from huffman, texas, gabe gutierrez. en more rain is expected as that storm moves inland, gabe. have conditions improved at all? >> reporter: hi there, chris. well, i can tell you we did have a break in the rain overnight. then just to our east we did get some rain over the past several hours. thankfully the sun is pretty much out here, but i've got to tell you this is an nincredible sight behind me. almost two years ago exactly i was in this same spot. we just moved here from winnie, texas, from our previous location. now we're closer to houston. this neighborhood was flooded pretty much the exact same way two years ago during hurricane harvey. many of the residents in this area say they are experiencing this all over again. if you can look in the distance, local residents tell me that the water in this location is about 14 to 16 feet deep. dozens of homes are under water and just a short time ago -- that's right, chris. just a short time ago people were evacuated from here by the harris county sheriff's office as well a

nbc gabe gutierrez is on the florida coast. >> mandatory evacuation is in effect right now >> reporter: tonight more than a million people from florida to georgia to south carolina are carolina are being ordered to evacuate. >> i'm worried about the flooding at this point. >> reporter: florida's being ordered to evacuate. >> i'm worried about the flooding at this point >> reporter: florida's governor says dozens of medical facilities have already cleared out. power crews ready to roll. >> get out now while you have time while there's fuel available and you'll be safe on the roads. warnings are now in effect for a chunk of the florida coast. at the ready 45 members of the state's national guard. >> reporter: hurricane warnings are now in effect for a chunk of the florida coast. at the ready 45 members of the state's national guard >> it could be potentially devastating. of course we hope it's not but hope is not a plan >> reporter: today jean lynch florida 85 emergency shelters. what's your biggest concern? >> it creeps up and her husband took no chances leaving their home for one of fl

. >>> joining us from jensen beach, florida, gabe gutierrez with a perspective on the ground. give us the sense of preparations, how concerned are still people feeling this morning given the path we just heard from bill karins? >> reporter: good morning. residents in florida for several days and this has been for some of them a very frustrating suppt through florida, then the path changed, it's supposed to go to the north and east, some of them breathed a sigh of relief, then there was concern as it started to go over the bahamas could it wobble westward. we've been in jensen beach for 24 hours. we have seen some occasional rain, some wind, right now it's pretty calm, you can see the water here, we're right up against it. there is some choppy water here and, you know, there is some storm surge expected where parking lots could potentially within the next 24 hours be flooded. for the most part thankfully this part of florida seems to be breathing a sign of relief. there are mandatory evacuations in order for much of the florida coast, more than a million residents in florida, g

right now let's bring in gabe gutierrez. gabe is in jenson beach, florida. that's about half an hour north of where i'm standing right now. gabe, it looks and sounds like it's starting to come down there pretty well. gabe, i know that the state's already ordered some mandatory evacuations in some vulnerable coastal areas like where you're at. as of now roughly 14 hupp hundred people in shelters in martin county. what are the reports about what we're hearing about some of the shelters closing later today mat more do we know about that? >> reporter: hi there, craig. first of all, you can see that choppy surf behind me much like you've been experiencing today. we're starting to see some of those rain squalls. we're just getting a little bit of rain here, kind of sustained winds throughout the morning. but with those evacuations, 1400 people according to martin county authorities spent the night in sherlts last night. one of those shelters, the high school, they're planning to close a little later on today. that may be some good news as they still wait for this

nbc's gabe gutierrez is in the hard hit city of hampshire, gabe, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, the amount of rain that has fallen here more than 30, even 40 inches of rain here in parts of jefferson county. now, we just saw a rescue team in a high water vehicle head down this road. entire neighborhoods are cut off and emergency shelters are packed. this morning rescuers are still scrambling to reach inundated parts of southeast texas after one of the wettest tropical cyclones on record. >> it's just going outside and seeing people begging for help. it was really scary. >> reporter: and around houston, there have been more than a thousand water rescues so far. overnight, a freeway shut down in baytown after rising waters caused several barges to break loose along the san jacinto river slamming into a bridge, officials concerned the barges may contain combustible liquid. other cities like beaumont and the small town of winnie devastated. >> the whole entire yard was covered with water, there was no way out. >> reporter: pregnant mom is now at an emergency shelter with her husban

gabe gutierrez is there, how bad is this situation? >> hi, stephanie, good morning, the amount of rain that has f l fallen in this last hour is astounding. we were driving here and we had to pull off the side of the road. where we are and other drives pulled is into this gas station to get away from the heavy lightning and rain. the story here is the severe flooding and emergency officials say it is just incredible. in chambers county they say they got about 1,000 calls for help in the overnight hours. just think about that. 1,000 calls for help. the city of beaumont had more than 200 water rescues. we know miranda warning water rescues are still under way. we know the houston fire department is also bringing resources to help people as well. a local opt in winnie, texas had to be evacuated. several patients taken to a nearby nursing home because of the rushing waters. it is still unfolding, several more inches in the forecast throughout the morning, we may get a break this afternoon but parts of texas could see more of the remnants of

gabe gutierrez is in cocoa beach. what's the latest there? >> good morning. parts of florida's atlantic coast are under tropical storm warnings. many people breathed a sigh of relief when this hurricane track started to shift to the north and the east. in a fla officials as you mentioned are still warning residents to be vigilant and we have seen many residents starting to sandbag. there's been a run in supplies of local grocery stores over the past several days. we understand that things are improving now. here, mandatory evacuations were set to begin today but they have been postponed until at least tomorrow. now florida power and light has prepositioned some 18,000 workers in the area and they're expecting extensive outages but again many people in southern florida including the florida keys, miami and fort lauderdale are now out of the cone of uncertainty but, florida's governor is warning residence denlts th den -- residents that much of the state is still not out of the woods yes. >> gabe, thanks. given the uncertain path of dorian this is a big test fo

i want to go to gabe gutierrez in jenson beach, florida, east of port st. lucie.are the mandatory evacuations going? . >> we are an hour north of west palm. the surf is extremely choppy. we have been seeing extreme outer bands of hurricane dorian the last several hours. pick up the wind speed. we're getting occasional rain from time to time. this storm is still, you know, at least 100 miles offshore. but the worry is exactly what the governor was talking about. a lot of people here won't breathe a sigh of relief until dorian, in fact, makes that northern return it is expected to make. weather it possibles to the west, to the east, that will dictate how much of an impact it has on areas like this. we're in martin county. volusia county, brevard, counties up the coast are under mandatory evacuations. this is a massive storm. how close will it come to the shores? many of the people are taking this threat seriously. category 5 designation will get a lot of people's attention. local officials are worried about storm surge. hotels are closing down. the governor addressi

gabe gutierrez is in jenson beach, spending holiday weekend in storm prep mode. ? >> hi, there, kendis. this part of florida right now is under a hurricane watch and we have been speaking with people up and down the coast who are really preparing for what's been such an unpredictable storm. they expected this catastrophic storm to cut through florida and then the track shifted to the north and the east as you have been reporting. that eye predicted to stay off shore and strong winds around heavy rain expected to pound this part of florida as you can see right here, and you can see a lot of choppy surf. many businesses here in florida have been heavily impacted during this holiday weekend. but the preps are in full gear right now. more than 4,000 national guard troops have been mobilized to florida. some 18,000 workers for florida power and light are already being prepositioned in advance of what they think will be extensive outages here in florida. mandatory evacuations were set to begin here in martin county this morning. they were delayed but they were announced

gabe gutierrez is in texas, it seems like this is just getting worse. >> we thankfully got a brake in the rain overnight, but we're just starting to feel light rain tonight. the water extends as far as the eye can see. a short time ago we saw a rescue team go in that neighborhood and pull out some evacuees. this is ongoing. some people were trapped in their homes. others decided to try to get out of their momehomes. we have a developing situation in baytown, texas. rising waters caused several barges to break loose on the river and slam into a bridge. authorities there are concerned that those barges may containli. the communities east of houston all the way to beaumont are concerned. 40 inches of rain has fallen in these areas and that is on par with hurricane harvey two years ago. water rescues still under way, emergency shelters are packed with people and right now the hope is that the water may start to recede if this rain does stop, but it is devastating. >> gabe, stay safe where you are. >> next, one democrat's dramatic plan to turn around their struggling poll numbers. a worldw