florida as millions of people in its path prepare the ferocious hurricane tracks away from the gulf coast. hurricane watches are now posted up the east coast from palm coast, florida all the way up to charleston, south carolina. overnight daytona beach, getting drenched as ian makes its way up to jacksonville. the mayor, already closing three major beaches. abc is trevor ault is in jacksonville. this thing is so big and its path is so powerful that it's expected to march all the way across the state of florida dip back into the atlantic ocean on the eastern side and then slammed back into the coast here on the first coast, the atlantic ocean side here of florida, so jacksonville is bracing for flooding that they haven't seen in several years. residents not taking any chances we've got, like really three high tides to make it through here. hunker down. stand bag. if you've got sandbags, put them up if you fear in a flood prone area. um just just stay off the roads and hunkered down because here we go . meanwhile, bands already affecting georgia wind whipping on jekyll island, england count

if you are on florida's gulf coast from naples through the tampa bay area and counties north of that, that could be something that happens and will certainly happen in some parts of florida's gulf coast. i know there are folks in southwest florida who remember hurricane charley, was projected to make direct impact into tampa bay and then it turned and went into southwest florida. i would just say the track may end up doing something similar but this is a much different storm. charlie was smaller. it was a category 4, most of the damage from charlie was from wind and wind destruction. what we have here is really historic storm surge and flooding potential. so if you are looking at those places in fort myers, charlotte county, sarasota, the storm surge that you will see generated from this will far eclipse what we saw there. so as you look to see what is going on with the local counties, there is evacuation orders in place on all these counties. heed those evacuation orders. what those he vac orders are doing is identifying people that live in areas that are vulnerable to major storm su

we're going to see some of the storm surge coming down along the gulf coast picking up along the first coast of florida, into the carolinas too. take a look at how strong the winds are. captiva, gusts of 126 miles an hour punta gorda, gusts of 124 miles an hour. and for a more prolonged period of time. so that's going to lead to all of the damage. orlando, we're going to start to see our winds picking up as we head through the next several hours. could be dealing with gusts up to 100 miles an hour even though this is another bull's eye there as we get towards savannah, we are expecting a second landfall as we head towards friday afternoon as ian continues to track off to the north. heavy rainfall going to create some flooding issues, inland flooding towards orlando and jacksonville, there's a potential of two feet of rain, locally more than that that will be doing some damage the fact that this is slowing down, ali talked about that, too. it will prolong the impacts. there's the second landfall friday afternoon and heavy rain and gusty winds. they make their way through the islands. >>

the gulf coast workforce board.s working to promote the houston, texas gulf coast region as a place to do

down there for irma, which also hit the gulf coast, right around where it hit the gulf coast, right around you know, most people were fine in that first initial flooding. it's where the great goes, out and it is not back in a day, two days, three days, four days. what is the outlook look like for the grid? >> that's the problem. a lot of people are, like i'm at a higher revelation, the storm surge won't get me. and the people well like the rain, water, will eventually washout. looking to stay in the house for two or three days. sometimes can safely, but you also may be without power for two or three days. the hardest hit areas are looking at that scenario. so here is the wind forecast. and this is assuming that we do, the path doesn't change, hundred and 13 miles -- for venus pete around, anywhere the fort mile area, 80 to 100 miles per hour. even inland could get up to 100 miles per. when even as far as orlando could get 70 per hour mile winds. >> so depending on where we track that center, this is got that widespread power outage forecast is. especially the areas right here. that's a lot

you mentioned things starting to improve along the gulf coast of florida, but they're going to be going downhill along the east coast from port st. lucy up to daytona and orlando. this doesn't look at significant as it did when it made land fall because it doesn't have the warm gulf waters to fuel it, but still very heavy winds and rain fall we're seeing that as the back eye of the eye wall is still now moving on through. they're getting hit with round number two with that strong wind around the eye, it's leading to the storm surge flooding that ali was talking about. there is the potential for a storm surge more than 15 feet. as those winds relax a little bit as the center of circulation starts to relax just a little bit, it's still going to be a very powerful and very dangerous storm, we're going to see some of the storm surge coming down along the gulf coast but pick up across southeast georgia and into the carolinas too captiva had a gust of 126 miles per hour that's an an ef2 tornado, but this is covering a larger area and many for a more prolonged period of type that's going to le

joining me now from anna maria island on florida's gulf coast is kerry sanders. i'm also joined by democratic pollster and strategist fernand amandi, and general honore. kerry, i want to start with you. talk about how things look where you are and how bad local folks expect the storm to be by tomorrow. >> joy, i'm way down here by water's edge to share a feeling. the water here that i have my feet in, it's warm. in fact, there are parts of the gulf of mexico which are feeding ian that are 89 degrees. so we know that a hurricane gets its strength from the warm water, and at 89 degrees. that's like throwing gasoline on a fire. it is just incredibly warm. at least for in some cases five degrees warmer than we would typically have. so that's why we're going to see perhaps even more of a rapid intensification of the hurricane. where i'm here on anna maria island, pretty much a ghost town. same thing down on sanibel island, captiva island, on some of the smaller islands, that's because they have these mandatory evacuations because they know in addition to the wind that

indeed, savechildren responded along the gulf coast since 2005.ow that children suffer the most in emergencies. disasters are scary for kids. they have lasting consequences. they steal children's sense of security. the they can affect their health, behavior and ability to learn and also affect relationships for years to come. save the children is now done and ready with emergency supplies. this is ahead of the storm. we will -- our team will do an assessment with state and local partners. we distribute child focused important materials like stood to support these families don't always have these types of supplies for children. we will also say we have long standing relationships with education partners in florida and will ensure that child care and early learning centers that have been impacted by hurricane ian receive support in order to have them stood up for children to give them a sense of normalcy in their life. >> yeah, and i will certainly be days and likely weeks before there is any semblance of that normalcy. barbara if the people watchin

the storm has strengthened and those along florida's gulf coast will start seeing rain and and worsening conditions tonight. >> overnight and into this morning, some of the modeling has been done and it is now projecting a landfall south of tampa bay. >> reporter: storm surges the biggest concern. the governor says it could be historic. >> in >> in some areas, there will be catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge. >> >> residence up and down the gulf coast are boarding up, stocking up, and filling sandbags, trying to get ready. ian's tremendous size was seen from international space statio. space station. a state of emergency has been declared in y florida county. forecasters expect ian to impact just about everybody in the states. >> some of those counties that are more interior, you could apsley see power outages and you you can see in lynn flooding. >> >> reporter: some hospitals in the tampa area are airlifting patients to other facilities while they can. >> none of us know what we will get. >> reporter: nasa is not taking any chances. they rolled the rocket back indoo

and it will certainly happen in some parts of florida's gulf coast. i know there's folks in southwest florida who remember hurricane charley was projected to make a direct impact into tampa bay. and then it turned and went into southwest florida. i would just say the track may end up doing something similar, but this is a much different storm. charlie was a lot smaller, it was powerful, it was a category 4. most of the damage from charlie was from wind. and wind destruction. what we have here is really historic storm surge and flooding potential. and so if you're looking at those places in ft. myers, charlotte county, sarasota, the storm surge that you're going to see generated from this is going to far eclipse what we saw there. and so as you look to see what is going on with the local counties, there's evacuation orders that are in place on all of these counties, from pasco and pinellas down to the ft. myers area. and our recommendation is to heed those evacuation orders. what those evacuation orders are doing is identifying people that live in area

and of course the attraction there in the gulf coast there, the fort myers metro area is the weather and the water which is right there. one of the most exposed high risk places there in that region maybe even in the entire state is a city of cape coral. population of about 200, 000, cape coral sits on a large peninsula surrounded by water, and cape coral is the classic florida real estate city. founded in 1957, it was a swamp, brought up by developers who marketed to prospective buyers as their own slice of paradise, a waterfront wonderland you can see the sign there. back in 2006, pbs aired a documentary detailing the documentary of how the city came to be. >> the salesman spread out across the country and around the world praising and sometimes exaggerating the joys of living in this new waterfront wonderland that was springing to life in southwest florida. prospective buyers were flown to cape coral where they were wind, giant and taken by car, plane or boat tours and subjected to a high pressure sales pitch. they called it fly and by. small aircraft often taking it and on an imp

as it makes its way slowly towards florida's gulf coast. we know that hurricane ian there was already disrupting air travel nationwide, and that's a big deal. ktvu is andre senior in the studio now talking about how the storm is affecting all the way, florida all the way to the bay area, causing big problems right now, anyone traveling between both these areas at this point we just got off the phone with the duty manager at sfo, and here's an update on the travel numbers in the past hour 25 flights between sfo and florida or either canceled or delayed right now. landau international airport will cease operations starting in about 15 minutes from now. the airport tweeted these photos of passengers you're about to see here as they were delaying those flights. they're trying to leave before the shutdown. crews are already putting plastic covers on computers and monitors there. we have learned that to southwest flights originating from orlando are scheduled to go to denver and phoenix, and that is before arriving in oakland later today. but sou

on the move. >> they say mandatory evacuation, it's time to go. >> reporter: all along florida's gulf coastesidents are heading inland, heeding the call to evacuate as hurricane ian inches closer. >> it is a big storm. it is going to kick up a lot of water as it comes in, and you're going to end up with really significant storm surge. you're going to end up with really significant flood events. and this is the type of storm surge that is life-threatening. >> reporter: ian is expected to make landfall in florida in the next 36 hours after bat iring western cuba with 125-mile-an-hour winds. the florida keys will feel the early edges of the storm this evening, with high winds and heavy rain. president joe biden said his administration has already sent aid to the region ahead of the storm. >> fema is also proposing and pre-positioning 3.5 million liters of water, 3.7 million meals, and hundreds of generators. >> reporter: residents are rushing to fill sandbags and stock up on emergency supplies. some shelves are already running bare. jason hood, the owner of a tennis equipment shop in clearwate

. >> reporter: the storm has stred and those along florida's gulf coast will start seeing rain and and worsening conditions tonight. >> overnight and into this morn, some of the modeling that has been done is now projecting a ll south of tampa bay. >> reporter: storm surge is thet concern. fra's governor says it could be historic. >> in some areas there will be c flooding and life threatening storm surge. >> reporter: residents up and dn the gulf coast are boring up, sg up and filling sandbags, trying to get ready. seen's tremendous size was seen from the international space station. >> we are doing the best we cano prepare. >> reporter: a state of emergeny has been declared in every florida county. forecasters expect ian to impact just about everybody in the state. >> some of the counties that are interior, you could absolutely see power outages, you could see see inland flooding. >> reporter: some hospitals in e tampa area are airlifting paties to other facilities. >> none of us know what we are g to get. >> reporter: and nasa isn't takg any chances either. they rolled the artemis ro

myers on the southern gulf coast of florida. as now looking for a direct hit between 2:00 and 4:00 p.m. eastern. janice dean said closer to 3:00 eastern. fort myers mayor is here with us. all thoughts and blessing to you. >> thank you. >> harris: as you brace for this you have done everything you can do. so your constituents now are doing what? >> some have evacuated the area. others have gone into shelters. but still we have some who are hunkering down and riding the storm out. >> harris: they've been through this many times and so for people who would question why not leave, some folks don't have very many places or options. but there are shelters around you and i understand those were filling up. >> yes, we have had several thousand people have gone for the shelters. >> harris: that's a lot. talk to me about the conditions right now. i can't tell where you are exactly but it is very quiet where you are. i think you have gotten to a storm-safe situation and not near any windows because it's so quiet. >> i'm just outside and th

millions of people along florida's gulf coast are bra this morning for hurricane ian as it intensifies in the gulf of mexico. satellite images show the eye of the storm packed with lightning. ian could become a catastrophic category-four hurricane when it makes landfall along florida's west coast today. people spent the day yesterday boarding up their homes and businesses and preparing for the worst. 2.5 million people are under evacuation orders. the powerful category-three hurricane tore into western cuba yesterday packing 125 mile-per-hour winds. it knocked out power to the entire country leaving 11 million people without electricity. it also devastated some of the country's crucial tobacco farms. one tobacco farmer called it apocalyptic. cristian benavides is in tampa with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, anne-marie. the state of florida is bracing for a powerful potentially category-four storm to make landfall here, but it's shifted about 100 miles to the south. what does this mean? two things. one, that the tampa bay area will likely be spared the worst of thi

it's threatening more than a million homes along florida's gulf coast.n tampa. fox weather is reporting that the storm surge could be as high as 18 feet. now my question to you right now , nicole, is the water actively being sucked out of tampa bay? >> we are seeing that right now , stuart. behind me, bay shore boulevard you'll start to see a lot of the actual dry area where the water usually sits so you're noticing that effect, that bay start to be sucked into water rather, sucked into the bay and that is unfortunately one of the first impact we'll start to see as we talk about that threat of storm surge and eventually that water will come back and it could come over on to shore. unfortunately, as hurricane ian moves on to the florida gulf coast here, we're going to see the storm hit and we're going to see it happen very quickly and it's going to hit hard. moments ago governor ron desantis said it is no longer possible to safely evacuate your home if you have not done so already, so the message now, it is time to hunker down and prepare to brace for thi

places along the gulf coast of florida storm surge of 12 feet is possible.pa bay times released a in award winning series called rising threat. the report shows that the healthy combination of shallow water flatland around the bay make it even a small surge can move inland. the threat is exasperated dated of course with climate change, and left cities like tampa bay particularly vulnerable to flooding. and tampa at, one and nine bill properties could see flooding from category one storm. for the big questions tonight as we track the storm or the forecasts predict that storm is headed? we'll go to the meteorologist for nbc climate and news wet weather. bill what are we not? >> we know that 24 hours from now will be in the middle of our latest multi billion weather disaster in this country. that's almost etched in stone. i don't see how it can be possible to avoid that. that's the sad headline news. let me give you the latest and we'll talk about that storm surge. that is what we'll do a ton of damage and can take lives if people don't get out of the way, whic

hurricane ian plowing into the gulf coast with catastrophic force. eeds put it just shy of a category five storm. heavy rain has battered the west coast. thousands have left their homes. thousands more are already without power. these are the satellite images showing the eye of the hurricane approaching florida. one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the united states. our reporter reports from florida. >> no mistaking, hurricane ian is now here in florida. buildings are pounded by the flooding it has brought with it. pieces o homes are being swept away. >> this storm is incredibly dangerous, to state the obvious. it's life-threatening. you should obey all warnings from officials. don't take anything for granted. use their judgment, not yours. >> there have been hundreds of thousands of powe outages around the state with crews rushing to repair the damage even though it is just the beginning. officials have said that what the state is about to witness is a life-threatening storm with devastating flooding. for those who listened to evacuation

alix: what would it take to get that gas down to the gulf coast? >> two different stories there. lot of that take away infrastructure has been built up or there's one big pipeline that's been controversial. that would be an outlet for that. so relatively cost-effective expansion south to get to the gulf coast where it can turn into lng, of those have been done. haynesville is a different story, not that it can happen in marsalis but haynesville is in louisiana and east texas today, it's less expensive and easier to get things permitted and done. as we look across the supply sources what we see is 22 billion cubic feet a day. 10 coming from the permian in growth between now and 2030 prayed seven from the haynesville and five from the marsalis in ohio and pennsylvania. those first pieces, that's texas and louisiana to texas coast and louisiana coast. that can get done, we have the ability to do that in u.s.. guy: -- alix: would kinder morgan to a pipeline for that? >> we've done that already and we are looking and expansion of a second one. our greenfield pipe proposal is pushed ou

that's about to come bearing down on the gulf coast. there's still uncertainty with where that exact landfall will be, but just understand the impacts are going to be far, far broader. hurricane made landfall in cuba overnight as a category three storm, but it could strengthen before it hits florida with winds of 130 miles an hour heavy rain and an incredible storm surge pay attention. to this evolving. surgery in this latest update from the national hurricane center community south of tampa could see storm surge is of eight to up to 12 ft. 2.5 million floridians are in evacuation zones if you live in evacuation zone and you decide to shelter in place, make sure you have enough supplies to whether the storm we may be without power 357 days or more, depending on the situation. many store shelves and gas pumps emptied out as some people heeded the warnings and others prepared to hunker down. somebody's telling you to evacuate. evacuate if you're not a veteran at this, and you don't know that your house is 100% ready for this just take she

the storm is expected to skirt florida's gulf coast by thursday. the big question is where models show several potential scenarios with a direct hit anywhere from south of tampa to the florida panhandle. just don't think that if you're not in that, i that somehow you don't have to make preparations because the last thing we want to see you see it start to really bear. east quickly and then have folks who are not prepared. florida's west coast is uniquely vulnerable to storm surge the shallow shelf of the gulf of mexico push massive amounts of water onshore. this is tampa bay, a massive body of water that spans 30 miles to the gulf of mexico. only 11 ft. deep with the right wind, that water gets pushed up the bay piling up. until it reaches downtown and has nowhere else to go flooding the core of the city. meanwhile 1500 miles north, the remnants of hurricane fiona have now turned deadly in eastern canada. good morning. jesus he's at least 20 homes have been swept into the sea from this small town in newfoundland. authorities say a woman's body was

it could have an impact on tankers shipping oil as a major port along florida east gulf coast expected to shut down. the president of lipol oil association estimating the impact to gasoline deliveries will be mostly localized with the storms current trajectory and storms can change. there's little to no impact on the refining areas along the gulf coast and thinks out to louisiana and they're seeing a port of tampa having to shut down relatively soon and that'll impact shipping to the sunshine state. they expect the port to be closed till saturday or sunday. going down the hatches and we're live in the villages about an hour and a half north of tampa and even veteran residents going through several hurricanes say they are worried. robert. >> good afternoon, cheryl. indeed the villages have a community of 115,000 and since the beginning of the pandemic nearly half a million people have made their way and called florida home and people here are waiting for ian to develop and come in. they remember 2017 with irma and situation really good and we spent the afternoon taking the pulse of resi

so you need to pay attention from the gulf coast to the east coast.hile, watching and waiting in bermuda for a category 4 hurricane, hurricane fiona going to get very close, and as the storm does move off to the north, jericka, it is possible this could be an historic storm for canada. >> duncan: definitely be watching that. thank you, chris. overseas now, russia's call up of 300,000 reserve troops to fight in ukraine has sparked outrage across the country. tonight, ukraine's president volodymyr zelenskyy called on russians to protest, saying "fight back, run away or surrender." cbs's debora patta is in kyiv where ukraine's army is reclaiming territory fast. >> reporter: no time to dodge this bullet, in scenes shown on russian television, only tearful farewells, as civilians called to fight in putin's war said goodbye to loved ones. those that could try to leave the country to avoid conscription, traffic backed up at several russian border exits. many of these reserve soldiers have never fought in a war, let alone one that has even hardened russian fi

we begin with the wrath of hurricane ian, the strongest september hurricane to strike the gulf coast than 15 years. the extent of the damage in florida is not fully known, but the storm is no doubt destructive. and it's not done yet. we begin with abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano in st. petersburg. >> hey, stephanie. what a day. and what a night. this storm continues to bring wind and rain. it's blowing sideways in sheets. it's been doing that all day. it's been actually pushing the water out from tampa bay to the gulf of mexico. we've seen a reverse surge. that's been a saving grace for tampa. but this wind is going to keep up through the overnight periods that we're right in that realm of damaging winds through at least tomorrow morning. and this has been a historic storm. take a look at this. as far as some of the wind gusts, over 130 miles an hour in some spots. punta gorda, port charlotte, naples over 110 miles per hour. this is truly impressive. and i'm sorry to say, devastating when we wake up tomorrow morning and see some of the damage. we're going to continue to hear

we'll see the front kind of park there bringing more showers and storms along the gulf coast and sea in florida. so we do have the risk for flas flooding in texas. but generally, along the coast here, one to three inches. we could see pockets of heavier rain with heavier downpours as we go throughout the afternoon back to you guys >>> next on "early today," from the court to the classroom steph curry gets his college degree aece te dadlar. just between us, you know what's better than mopping? anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it's an all-in-one so it's ready to go when i am. the cleaning solution actually breaks down dirt and grime. and the pad absorbs it deep inside. so, it prevents streaks and haze better than my old mop. plus, it's safe to use on all my floors, even wood. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee suffering from sinus congestion, especially at night? try vicks sinex. unlike most sinus treatments it provides instant relief that

it's not not just the gulf coast, you see see people waiting in the watere water there. seminole county, florida, to the tampa area, all the way to orlando, communities are underwater. first alert chief meteorologist paul heggen, heggen, tracking ian. we are seeing wide-spread impact now. > >> and that will continue as the the remnants of ian make their way further inland. it has been downgraded to a post-tropical sm post-tropical storm. it was a hurricane at landfall though, and that happened a few hours ago. the third landfall for the system. it hit cuba, then southwest florida, then made landfall just up the coast from, from charleston, but plenty of rain associated with the system. system. we showed you pictures from charlotte, which is right about there. they are getting some of the heaviest rain now moving farther west. this entire entire system, even though it'st it's not hurricane anymore, is still going to bring the potential for tornadoes, always the threat with a new tropical system, and abundant rainfall, flooding rain when it moves in then. let's track the p

well, in a way, he lived on the gulf coast. the storms are getting more intense, because he's been in this business a long time. is that true? it's worth assessing, since you hear it constantly, an there's a political reason they're telling you that. is it true? are the storms getting more expense? if so, how much more intense are they getting? we did our level best. this is a new show, to get to the bottom of that. according to the latest models from the noaa, the worst case scenario is that hurricanes get 5% stronger this century. we're 22 years into the century. 78 years to go. so hurricanes are 25% less common and at most 5% more intense. do the math. well, as scientists roger pellke put it, quote, you should even the most extreme circumstances of climate change future disasters will look a lot like today. it's not about science, is it? actually there's no science behind these claims. no. it's what everything is in this intensely politicized country, another opportunity to push people who don't vote the right way, cow them

the storm is picking up strength, as is expected to hit florida's gulf coast. really in the coming hours. we have a live report for you from florida is scrambling plans for thousands of air travelers nationwide. we'll hear from a father who had to rearrange his schedule at the very last minute to make sure he didn't miss out on i earn 5% cash back on travel purchased through chase with chase freedom unlimited. i earn 5% on our cabin. hello cashback! hello, kevin hart! earn big time with chase freedom unlimited with no annual fee. how do you cashback? chase. make more of what's yours. a live look at the florida coastline. hurricane ian is already causing heavy rain, storm surges, catastrophic winds and flooding in florida's key west in his nearly gained enough strength to be a category five storm, the national weather service says winds are over 150 miles an hour. some 2.5 million people in florida are under evacuation orders, and the governor said if you haven't left yet, it is now too late to get out. you need to find safety where you are will turn to reporter

a live report from the gulf coast coming up. it's wednesday, september 28th, 2022 you're watching "worldwide exchange" right here on cnbc ♪ >>> and good wednesday morning i am frank holland in for brian sullivan let's kick off your wednesday morning with a check on u.s. stock futures after a mostly lower day for the major averages with the dow and s&p hitting their lowest level since november of 2020 futures right now as you can see right across the board, the dow looks like it opens at 100 points lower and the nasdaq and s&p as well. want to keep an eye on the bond market hitting multi-year highs the five-year, its highest level since 2007 4.19 also the ten-year, highest level since 2010 you see it this morning at 3.988, just bumping against that 4% yield, something the markets are certainly watching and the 30-year long bond, the highest since 2014 also along with bonds we have to check on the rates for the 30-year fixed mortgage, the mortgage that most of us have for our homes. it's above 7% for the first time in nearly 20 ye

. >> there will be catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge on the gulf coast region. >left a trail of destruction across cuba, knocking out theower grid for 11 million people. in other news, the bank of england intervenes to try to calm financial markets spooked by downing street's economic pl, but ministers are sticking with it. . >> because those plans make our economy competitive. >> and lift weights for a long life. -- the conclusion of a new study. we will be hearing from its author. ♪ hello, welcome. we are starting in florida, where the national hurricane center says hurricane ian is causing a catastrophic storm surge as it bears down on the gulf coast. the center says it could become the worst storm surge on record. this is the scene live right now. punta gorda, brutal conditions there, as you can see. we can cross over to have a look at marco island. both under a state of emergency. the storm, strengtheninas it hit florida. just those very difficult conditions. the state vernor spoke in the last hour. >> ian will produce hurricane strength winds and massive flo

this is a tropical depression, but if you are on the gulf coast, florida, and even the east coast, therevery poerful hurricane being forecast here by the national hurricane center. it does show that there will be some rapid intensification in the western caribbean. so everything is on the table-- flooding, heavy rain, and very strong winds. jericka. >> duncan: yeah, we'll definitely be following this through the weekend, thank you. in ukraine, a kremlin-backed referendum got underway across russian-occupied regions today in an attempt to make them part of russia. the so-called election is illegal under international law. well, this afternoon, president biden called the referendums a sham, and said washington will never recognize ukrainian territory as anything other than part of ukraine. meanwhile, in russia, long lines of military-aged men are fleeing the country in droves, packing planes and causing traffic jams at border crossings, all to avoid fighting in ukraine. tonight, two american veterans who were released in a multi-nation prisoner swap with russia are finally back home on u.s

forecasters expected to make landfall on florida's gulf coast , possibly as a category three hurricane late tomorrow or early. a thursday, dumping up to 16 inches of rain. and bringing a storm surge of up to 10 ft. to the tampa area if you need a reference to what 10 ft of storm surge looks like this poll here, that would be about to the top of that poll officials are pleading with residents in the storm's path to get out while they still can. mandatory evacuations have been ordered for parts of hillsborough county and pinellas county, affecting hundreds of thousands of people and more mandatory evacuations are expected today. several hospitals and care facilities all already evacuating vulnerable patients. level one trauma hospital in the evacuation zone is scrambling to prepare. they're putting up their flood protection all around tampa general, this is their aqua fence. it only comes out during the hurricane. it's mobile. it's modular, and it's necessary. this trauma center sits in the evacuation zone. it will likely flood and this wall is designed to keep the water out. so they can

other health care facilities have been evacuated up and down florida's gulf coast. one hospital in the fourth myers area says its staff came in at five o'clock last night to register patients and work through the storm, and they will work throughout the entire storm. and once landfall has has passed and the railways are safe . we will bring in our team b, who will come in and relieve those staff members. nursing homes are moving patients checking generators and ensuring emergency supplies are in place to avoid the devastation that followed hurricane irma back in 2017. that's when 12 people died from overheating at a nursing home in broward county. after irma knocked out electricity, leaving the facility sweltering without a felt like 100 and 1015 degrees in there. could you see the suffering? i did? yes i did . state officials say all nursing homes and assisted living facilities now have backup power generators and fuel meeting state requirements. 100% of operating long term care facilities do have a generator on site and we're happy about that. this kind of storm r

day today, as it does so will be making landfall as a category one hurricane and much like the gulf coast of florida, coastal south carolina is very low lying. now. we're not expecting the storm surge along the carolinas to be nearly as devastating as what we saw on the coast of florida. but it will come along with an impact of heavy rainfall and also some really strong winds with that right now. jacksonville starting to calm down as the center of that storm has moved well off shore. as i mentioned, those outer bands now making landfall in the carolinas. that eye wall will be set to be pushing on to a south carolina most notably later on today. now where we're sitting with winds across florida, still fairly breezy out there, but mostly pretty much done with the storm now. now it's just clean up time for areas like fort myers, as well as cape coral, a gorda. those other spots that really saw the brunt of the storm, nothing in sight as far as any additional rainfall goes. so that's really good news for them. storm now leaving neck of the woods on up to the carolinas and eventually that heav

bearing down on the gulf coast of florida. headed for the sunshine state for a live update from the ground on preparations and evacuations. evacuations taking place ahead of what at least for now is a category 3 storm. we've got about 31 minutes before the closing bell rings. dow is increasing losses a bit down 143. we're coming reich back live from florida. right back live from florida. ♪ liz: well, we just learned that in the last hour, 3200 members of the florida national guard have now been activated to help the state prepare for hurricane ian. the category 3 storm barreling toward florida at this hour after making landfall in cuba earlier today. right now, and you can see right here on the radar, it's currently about 265 miles south of sarasota, florida, maximum sustained winds are 120 miles per hour. ian's effects already being felt along the sunshine state's gulf coast and expected to make landfall in florida sometime and we're expecting tomorrow night into thursday morning. a total of 14 oil and gas production platform

there will be catastrophic flooding, and life-threatening storm surge on the gulf coast region. and of course, the highest risk will be in that southwest florida region from naples up to sarasota. there is also potential for flash flooding and river flooding, with 10 to 20 inches across central and northeast florida. >> our meteorologist pedram javaheri is tracking the storm for us. he joins us now. pedram, hurricane ian is intensifying at an unprecedented rate. how strong is it? how is a tracking? >> you know, 120 miles per hour, this is a strong category three, christiane, are expecting it further strengthening. landfall possible as early as the next 12 hours. that track of the system has gradually shifted further and further towards the east, and the, south and based on the way the lay of the land is across florida, that simply means the system is coming in a bit sooner. it is not going to slow down as. much and certainly, the impacts are gonna be a little more extensive when it comes to areas south of the tampa bay. area you'll notice 95 miles south of naples florida at this

right now on america this morning, the escalating disaster on florida's gulf coast, the landscape in some areas, barely recognizable island community cut off after ian destroyed a causeway bridge was the only way in or out, and you can see a huge chunk of it collapsed rescue crews using boats and helicopters to pluck residents off rooftops. hundreds of lives saved so far and the rescue effort far from over. and ian is not done yet. the hurricane strengthening overnight before a second u. s landfall later today , watches and warnings posted for georgia and the carolinas and south carolina's governor se of the storms, timing. land grab russian president vladimir putin today officially declaring 15% of ukrainian land as part of russia what the move means for the war. plus the miami dolphins star quarterback taken off the field on a stretcher during thursday night. football 11 update on his condition just in the fda, finally approving the first drug to treat ls but only after please from patients and the daily show host trevor noah , surprising his viewers with an announcement on this fr

the new storm developing that could target florida and the gulf coast. the race to get out of russia, people fleeing by the thousands of vladimir putin takes a do step today to escalate his war in ukraine. alex jones, grilled on the stand already said, i'm sorry, anderson times and i'm done saying, i'm sorry why, he says he's done apologizing for his lies about the sandy hook elementary school shooting when he claimed the parents of the children killed were actors. the new warning about fentanyl and the nation's schools, overdoses among teens on the rise. the action one city is now taking breaking overnight. the head coach of the boston celtics is suspended for the entire upcoming season for his alleged affair with a staffer what he's now saying heard of dancing in september, but holiday shopping in september. by the deals are so early this year. from abc news in new york. this is america this morning. good friday morning, everyone i'm re in an alley. i'm andrea fujian. for andrew. we begin with hurricane fiona barreling north in the atlantic as it roars

we will see on the gulf coast of florida.ain, strong winds flash flooding storm surge and perhaps isolated tornado activity. officials warned the storm surge could reach up to 10 ft, causing massive flooding. already the governor has mobilized nearly 5000 national guard troops to help with possible storm damage . fema has also been deployed to help following an emergency declaration from the president. and if you've been to western florida, you know how the set up of the coastline works. it's pretty. it's pretty shallow, and so there's going to be a lot of water that will be able to pile up in places like tampa, where you've got huge populations. let's take a look at where the ian is now. it's category too soon to be a three. it's right over havana or just coming into the western cuba. but the story here really is going to be, um is going to be this guy here is it moves through about two? probably wednesday morning. it will be just right at a category three. this is the model saying they don't move a little bit, but it comes

the next several hours for not just the tampa bay area but extending all the way down florida's gulf coast. unfortunately, several hours from now we're going to see hurricane ian approaching this area, and extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane with winds at 140 miles be per hour. it is almost a category 5. that is how much it's still strengthening as we speak. it's capable of life threatening storm surge, catastrophic winds and of course all the fresh water flooding that we're expecting to see you across the tampa bay area. we've already seen devastation across the sunshine state. take a look at what it's done to areas in the keys. you'll see here it's already -- it's actually the third highest storm surge ever recorded on the a island there. meanwhile, there are people doing this. they went outside, they're taking selfies, it's beyond dangerous and it is never what we want to see. millions of people across the sunshine state are being told to get out, grab your sen essentia, grab your safe things and get out, preferably to higher ground, preferably inland or a hurricane safe building.

he really floridians preparing for what could be a few scary days along the gulf coast. guys. >> steve: all right. nicole. thank you very much. standing in front of tampa bay where they are expecting storm surge but it's the quiet now before the storm. >> ainsley: people are trying to decide are they going to stay or go to the other coast of florida or go see relatives a little more north. >> steve: coast is going to get hammered with a lot of rain and window. >> ainsley: did i talk to somebody yesterday. grocery stores packed with somebody trying to by splice. they are trying to decide because they have a family. shund we mo over to sister's house in palm beach? she is in tampa. janice dean is tracking the path as it's gaining this intensity down there in the gulf coast. janice? >> janice: absolutely. one of the biggest storms that florida has had to deal with certainly this year. and we are taking a look at a strengthening storm system. we have a lot of warm water ahead of it. it's going it move over the western tip of cuba and then into 89-degree temperatures in the w

there will be catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge on the gulf coast region. amy: hurricane ian strengthens into a devastating category 4 storm as it approaches florida and more than 2.5 million people in florida have been ordered to evacuate. we'll get an update from community radio wmnf in tampa. "score it a win! senator joe manchin big oil gift is scuttled, for now." he abandons his proposal to speed the federal review of energy projects like the mountain valley pipeline. we will speak with bill mckibben and, scientist peter kalmus who was arrested for chaining himself to a j.p. morgan bank to protest fossil fuel investments and climate inaction. he tweeted -- then "lady justice: women, the law, and the battle to save america." >> a message this country does not tolerate violence based on racial and religious hatred in any form. amy: we will speak with dahlia lithwick about her new book profiling women who fought racism and sexism. all that and more, coming up. welcome to democracy now!, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. more than

millions of florida residents living along the gulf coast are bracing for hurricane ian. we will have a live report from tampa coming up tonight at six o'clock, the killing of a food delivery driver in oakland's little saigon neighborhood rattled plenty of community leaders, and now some nonprofit groups are trying to make sure his family is not forgotten abou there's a reason comcast business powers more businesses than any other provider. actually, there's a few... comcast business offers the fastest, reliable network... the protection of security edge... and the most reliable 5g network. want me to keep going? i can... whether your business is starting or growing, you need comcast business. technology solutions that put you ahead get started with fast speeds and advanced security together for $69.99 a month for 12 months. plus find out how to get up to a $650 prepaid card with a qualifying bundle. psoriasis really messes with you. try. hope. fail. no one should suffer like that. i started cosentyx®. five years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with

stephanie: florida residents are preparing for ian's onslaught, with swathes of its gulf coast underricane watch and evacuation orders. >> this is a really, really big hurricane at this point. stephanie: governor ron desantis spoke in tallahassee today after declaring a state of emergency. >> it will bring heavy rain, strong winds, flash flooding, storm surge along with isolated tornado acvity along florida's gulf coast. stephanie: ian became a hurricane overnight. it battered the cayman islands early this morning as it moved northward through the caribbean sea. it is expected to hit western cuba as a major hurricane tonight, and then, gain more strength over the warm waters of the gulf of mexico. forecasters expect landfall in florida later this week, with the cities of tampa and st. petersburg preparing for what could be a direct hit. begin's -- ian's trajectory has now forced nasa to scrub this week's test flight to the moon, which had been set to launch tuesday from the kennedy space center after a month of delays. and across the state, residents are stocking up on water and boar

it is more internal, not on the gulf coast, it should not be a category three that reaches her.aor. also multiple sources are telling me that the committee did not want to compete with potential cable news coverage of a hurricane bearing down. they want people to watch their hearing and they did nothing tomorrow would be a good opportunity. they were concerned about safety but also concerned about viewership, and that is one reason this will be postponed indefinitely. not a lot of time before the midterms and we don't know if we will see this before the election. judy: and on electoral reform, what are you hearing? lisa: a breakthrough on that as well today. in the senate, the senate rules committee passed its version of a bill that would refm the electoral count act, trying to prevent a january 6 style run at overturning the election results. that has 14-1, only senator ted cruz was a no. senator mitch mcconnell came out today and said he supported the reform. we should watch for that to come together again after the midterm elections. we are watching for the stock act, a bill