jay gray is in carolina beach, an area under mandatory evacuation. like the areas up and down the carolina coast. we've seen a lot of people leading the advice including those with boats, trying to g outside the scope of the storm. they're trying on clear out the island before florence moves in. it is moving day across the southeast. t is important to evacuate. we don't t nee take anything. >> we're in a very deadly and important game of chess with .hurricane flor >> the next move for more than a million along the coast iso higher ground. >> for us, people who have never been throughone, we d't to do, . officials warning, for those who have been through it before, this is different. >> this is amonster. don't bet your life riding out a monster. >>nd this woman is doing everything she can. >> i have a second story s i took all the electronics upstairs. the tv andhiever. >> on the first floor, the furniture is raised and stacked guarding against the storm surge. >> hurricane florence is the strongest storm to hit our shores in decades. >>e're ready. we

jay gray? >> reporter: this courthouse behind me has been a battle ground for almost three years where a high stakes case involving bill cosby has played out. he was handcuffed and taken out of courtroom by police. >> reporter: after decades of accusations from dozens of women and two trials, bill cosmetic sbi going to jail. walked out of the montgomery county courthouse in handcuffs. >> it's been a long journey to get here. and today, justice was served. >> reporter: once affectionately known america's dad, he is now a convicted sex offender, sentenced today to total confinement of not less than three years, no less than ten, on indecent assault. as he announced the punishment, the judge addressed cosby directly saying nobody is above the law because of where they live, who they are, wealth, fame, celebrity or even philanthropy and ending the proceedings by telling cosby, 34 months this has gone on. your time has come. a handful of his accusers were in the courtroom responding after the senten

jay gray liven wilmington. thank you. >>> the riverseep rising as concerns keep growing in the carolinas. rains are just not letting up. and that isausing rivers and streams to rise. some people i area dire situation. jim handily with the big concern for people in greenville, north carolina. >> reporter: we're a hereng the tar river in greenville, north carolina. this is truly the story through tuesday and wednesday of this week. water rusng down from higher elevations in north carolina and flooding out roads and more communities. have seen almost 500 water rescues so far over the weekend. many of those people pulled from cars on roads overnight where the streets are pitch black because power is out. we have seen a number of people without power in the neighborhood of 680, carolina alone. we have seen hundreds of roads across the state closed. i-95 for a 16-mile stretch in both directions and i-42 another big highway closed today to people trying to get south, north, east and west. it is truly a challeng everyo

nbc's jay gray is in hard hit carolina beach with the latest on the damage done. jay? >> reporter: good evening. look, the staying power of the storm is unbelievable. we're still getting wind gusts over 30 miles an hour. been that way for more than two days, more than 48 hours, but the big issue right now with this storm is rain and the plodding pace, just moving at 2 miles an hour. it's also a massive storm, you can see it is still stirring up this atlantic here, giant breakers out there, but it's also wreaking havoc inland as well. a day later, the effects of florence are no longer measured by wind or water. the storm now being blamed for at least nine deaths, including a mother and her infant child, who died when a tree fell on to our home in wilmington. the storm has lost a bit of its power but none of its punch. >> we face walls of water at our coast, along our rivers, across farmland, in our cities, and in our towns. >> reporter: stalled over the carolinas, the massive weather system continues, dumping record amounts of rain in many areas measured by feet, not in

>> all right, jay gray live in gulfport, mississippi. jay, thanku. >>> it's 6:17.f you know someone who smokes, they'll tell youuitting is no easy task. a new study finds going cold turkey may not be the best option.ty universi of minnesota recruited 1200 smokers, those who quit immediately struggled the most and had more problems with withdrawal symptoms. those who gradually quit were able to stick it out. they ended up smoking fewer cigarettes eve day and had more days of not smoking at all. >>> new video this morning shows e construction project that had gone very, very wrong. >> youoo take a here. you can see a crane fell over and split a home in half. at crane went through the second story of ts house in orlando. the roof was under construction. you can see on the back side there wasork happening. the roofing company said the supports on the crane were not properly set. eventually, it just tipped over. the weight of the truck destyed the road in front of the house. nobody was hurt in all of this. but, oops. >> we see cranes all over our area. oh, yeah. >> it's

jay gray, nbc news, carolina beach, north carolina. >>> we have much more aad on florence. news 4's darcy spencer is live fairfcounty, virginia, where teams are heading to the carolinas to help in t rescue efforts. >>> meanwhile, switching gears tonight, a woman is at a local burn center after her vape pen the fairfax county fire department tells us thaswoman was anger sitting in a car on grant street in herndon. the incident happened about 3:30 this afternoon. they flew her to a local burn center. no word on the severity of her burns. we're told tet no one e was injured in this. >>> think back to when you were learning to drive. so things were a little tricky, right? but chances e, this probably didn't happen to you. take a look at these incredible pictures of a driving lesson gone wrong. this carni ended up in a comty pool in montgomery village. the driver and another person got out saly. this is at the north creek community center. a fire department spokesperson says this appears to be driver error. at driver was apparently practicing how to park. > just not good day all

nbc's jay gray is in the middle of it all tonight in gulfport, mississippi. e latest and how are preps going there now, jay? >> hey there, jess, raj. the wind is picking up. there's cloud cover here. it's dark, obviously. no rain to this point. but we know it's on the way as this storm continues to churn building strength and momentum in the warm waters of the gulf as it moves in. >> with gordon racing towards the gulf coast. >> makes me nervous. >> tens of thousands in the potential strike zone are rushing to get ready. >> we want folks to be aware. we want them to take all the necessary precautions at their own property. protect their property as well as themselves. >> moving sandbags into place, filling gas tanks and making sure there's plenty of food and water for what could be a rough ride for the next couple of days. >> we don't know how bad it will be. best to do what you got to do before it get here. >> the time to prepare is quickly running out. >> throughout the day today and into tonight, conditions are expected to -- >> strong wind, a growing surf

nbc's jay gray has been chasing this storm and joins us now from gulf port, mississippi. jay, good morning. >> reporter: hey there, good morning, phillip. gordon made landfall just before midnight just west of the mississippi/alabama border, bringing with it strong winds. 80 mile an hour gusts, driving rains and a storm surge. flood h flooding has been a serious issue and continues to be as it moves inland throughout the day. we've seen because of the strong wind power lines down. tens of thousands without power. crews getting out when and where they can to try and reestablish that. this system continues to push and will through the week. up through the middle of the country, the midwest in jeopardy as well because it is going to bring rain to an area that's already been dealing with flooding there. here, the clean-up will begin in ernest once things calm down a bit. and gulf port right now, no real rain to speak of. we have had some strong winds at times. we've seen a growing surf, but again, the situation right now seems to be the worst. just across the mississippi line

i'm jay gray, nbc news. >> bill karins is here tracking gordon. what else can we expect? >> the winds are no longer much of a concern. down to 40 miles n per hour, going to see more wind damage. we will see a chance of an isolated tornado, winds to watch. the rain slo ty moves towar northwest as we go throughout the next three days. flash flood warnings continue from jackson, alabama through pensacola. flash flo risk into areas of arkansas. additional rainfall the next three days, many areas have a tednce of 3 inches, iso areas could get 5 inches including southern areas of arkansas. we have rainfall concerns. the storm surge and the wind concerns are now diminishing. >> all right, good news there, bi. thank you,ir. >>> bob wood wards sploes. new book fear is gripping the white house. president trum unloading overnight on the legendary washington post journalist mous for breaking the watergate scandal. the president claimed in a tweee incendiarys attributed to mattis and kelly were, quote, made up frauds, a con on thepu ic. wood wards responded by saying, i stand by my re

nbc's jay gray has the latest. >> reporter: the winds may have easedbit. but the rain has not. as the attack from florence continues. >> this storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now. >> reporter: more than a dozen have died in the lstorm. theest victim a 3-month-old, killed when a tree fell on his home. >> my heart is broken.se >> reporter: co a million are without por. in some areas there's already more than 2 1/2 feet of water rushing into homes and businesses with more on the way. and this is a firsthand look at the damage here in wilmington. you can see this giant oakll tr from the ground, thrown across the street. it's pulled down power lines. here.rushed a car this is the kind ofce sne playing out across the carolinas right now. hi water rescues continle. some puld to safety by coast guard choppers. others scooped from the rising wars by boat. >> the water started coming in the house. so we went up to the attic and >> stayed there for a little while. eporter: and like so many here, for a way out. jay gray, nbc news,gt wion, north carolina. >>> as florence

cosby continues to deny all allegations of sexnb s jay gray the montgomery county courthouse with what more we can expect. jay, good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, frances. i can tell you, limited seating inside the courtroom for this hearing, expected to last two days. people already lined up and have been since before the sun came up here. look, when it's all over, bill cosby could go home or to jail, as you talk about, for what could be the rest of his life. as bill cosby returns to a pennsylvania courtroom, the lingering question now is how will he leave? >> often, it's the case that a defendant walking into a sentencing can plan on walking out in handcuffs. >> reporter: but in this case, there's a broad range when it comes to a possible sentence, from up t probation or electronic monitoring and home confinement. legal analysts point out, tre are serial has no previous convictions. >> his sentencing guidelines place him in the 22 to 36-month range. it gets more complicated after that. >> reporter: complications that include the entertainer's age and condition. he's 81, le

we'll have a live from jay gray in the gulf in a moment. first, here's doug with our local focast. doug? >> yeah, guys. you mentioned that heat. a high today of 95 across the region. we saw indexeten 100 and 105. that's what prompted the heat advisory for today. i fully expect these numbersmo ow. 95 hagerstown, 95 philadelphia. heat index between 100 and 105 ue to an area of high pressure dominating. an area of storms formed in d.c. that gave us cooling weather. dropped temperatures by about 10 grees. not expecting rain tomorrow. big ridge of high pressure sending all of our storms to the north and to the south. leaving us high and dry and warm and humid again tomorrow. storms to the south, tropical i storm gordon making landfall. we've seen winds gusting upwards of 80 miles an hour. this is the alabama, mississippi border. here's biloxi. this storm making its way onnt shore parts of mississippi and alabam jay gray is in gulfport right now. this storm just to your east rinow. really starting to wreak havoc on thosears. >> reporter: it really is. closing in on this area, as well. we

our c are on the ground there, we'll show you that in justs, about ten minuut first, jay gray has the latest from carolina beach, north carolina. >> reporter: the early calling card from florence, driving rain. wind and waves. >> this is a powerful storm that can kill today, the threat becomes reality. >> reporter: and this is just the beginning. roads have already been washed over, commuties from virginia through the car lies thats are filling up. water pushing into places where it's not supposeded to be, andn more ishe way. >> the first bands of the storm are upon us, but we have days more to go. >> reporter: the massive storm is expected to linger. >> let's get out of here. >> this is enormously dangerous. >> reporter: meandering along the coast for 36 to 48ho s, battering communities across the strike zone. jay gray, nbc news, carolina beach, north carolina. >> reporter: and back live in the outer banks, flooding is going to be b problem. it already is. when i join you live again in about 11:15, we're going to take you to new bernro north na, where they have had a huge problem wit

jay gray is live in hard hit]án carolina beach with the latest.hat is thetuation looking like for you ñrguys? i"át power of this storm is unbelievable. more than 48 hours we have had winds gusting lm8t this. the biggest problem with florenceñr thefwz rain and th path itak. you can see the huge breakers out there. but also wreakingxs1d&çñ havoc= as well. ay ñá by winds or water. at least nine deaths including a mother and herwú infamga2íct wh died] home inw3 wilmington. >> we face walls of water at our coast, along a)çñ rivers, acros our towns. >> reporter: the massive weather system continues dumping record 5l+guj of rain in manyu3w area measured by feet and not inches. spilling over their banks its neverok been before and maore in >> it is horrifying. just wonder what is going on and where the water is.ç going to g and how high it is goingÑi it gr get out. >> across what is an- óñrxd xdñ shelte shelters. z2ydpz z16fz y2ydpy y16fy >> further away from the center of circulation. so monday going to be our best chance for rain. then as we g into w

an hour winds and flooding in north all south carolina over the next two days we go live now to jay gray he's our correspondent in north carolina jason tell us exactly where you are and what conditions are like. martine we are in wrightsville beach a little island one of the barrier islands that's around this state right now it's beautiful nice sunshine and a bit of a breeze that's going to change dramatically over the next several hours and through the day here we expect to see the rain pick up as well as the wind and once those conditions set in it's going to go from bad to worse very quickly here going to see a strong storm surge and the storm expected at this point to make landfall sometime early friday morning but then forecasters say it's going to stall a bit and that's going to set up a situation that could mean it's story flooding in not only here on the coast but in line as well so it's going to be very tough go for several days as the storm moves through and i can't see any anybody any people in the shot in which you are but what about the more populated areas are you aware of

jay gray. >> amazing developments.nk you. >>> back at me, a devastating loss for a local father. a driver hit and killed his teenage son and then drove off. jim handly and wendwendy? >> this isn unusual case. >> it is. this teenager was paving a driveway when somebody hit him and it was 2:00 in the morning which is not unusual.hi father explains why he was out there so late. plus we have the description of the car. if you're holding up ngupda your home because of the cost, wave good reason why it may be beneficial to do it sooner rather than later. >> insurance companies are offering big discounts on some home improvements. soos an hoganill be here. it is a big news day. >>> a south carolina community that has never seenlooding before is still under water. conway, southwest of where florence made landfall. now the homes are nearly underwater. resis need boats or kayaks to get around. the officials can't even survey the damage because the water is too high. >> how much wat will they have to deal with it? >> anothereek o

jay gray is in hard-hit carolina beach, nor carolina, with more. >> reporter: the storm has lost a bit of its power but none of its punch. >> we face o walls water at our coast, along our rivers, across farm land, in our cities and in our towns. >> reporter: stalled over the carolinas, the massive wea system continues, dumping records amount of rain in man b areas feet, not inches. water in polices it's never been before and more is on the way. rescues continue i newbern, the city ravaged by a ten-foot storm surge. >> it wa horrifying. just wondering what's going on and where the water is going to go and how high andow we are going to get out. >> reporter: across what is an expanding strike zone, trees and electrical lines are down, hundreds o thousands without power, tensan of tho in shelters. everyone, everything here try eg toape the rising water. jay gray, nbc news, carolina ach, north carolina. >> crews have been working around the clock rescuing homeowners and drivers in stranded floodwaters.se it was a c call for one woman in north carolina, nearly swept away in her car. last ni

we've got team coverage for derek is out there keeping an eye on local preparations.eg let's with jay gray in north carolina where they are bracing for a direct hit. >> reporter:each side, things are just about perfect right now. the lasteen beautiful few days. >> reporter: but the situation along the south atlantic shoreline is expected to change dramatically. >> the forecast places north carolina in the bull's-eye of hurricane florence. the storm is rapidly getting stronger >> florence monster, a major hurricane visible from space, churning in the ntat, gathering strength and churning toward the coast. >> there is a serious tomeat dangerous winds, dangerous storm surge and dangerous river flooding causedy high amounts of precipitation. >> hundreds of thousands in the strike zone are getting ady. gathering plywood and sandbags to block floodwaters. >> i'm worried. >> there is been a run on generators and everything else needed to ride out t storm. >> i have candles, flashlights, tons of galns of water. i'm ready. >> working, waiting and watching. in.florence closes evacuation orders have

coming up in 15 minutes, jay gray will be live with reactio from the we will who say he sexually assaulted them to >>> president trump is in new york city. >> he is makg news about a key policy, the accusations against rthis supreme c nominee judge brett kavanaugh. during a meeting with the foreign leader, the psident escalated his attack on thega alleons and completely dismissed the account of kavanaugh's second accuser. >> this after he opened the speech at the united nations with boasting thatrew some laughter from the world bombing. >> my administration has accomplished more than almost any administration. in the history of our country. >> america -- >> did not expect thatct rn but that's okay. >> now to judge kavanaugh and his first accuser are set to at the time on thursday. >> right now, blayne xanlder is here to break it down. warrior lesshan 24 hours, we will hear that testimony. we're hearing a number of things from republicans but two in particular. one that this would be a fair process and that ford will be heard. buttwo, once it is over, they're all but ready to puth kavana on

i'm jay gray. back to you. >>> police are searching for a pickup truckg involved a high speed chase. we brought you live breaking coverage of this all morning long on "today in the bay." you see part of it right there. caught that pursuit moving through danville on interstate 680. that pickup truck was going northbound at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour. that chase started in the south bay. chp tells us that officers eventually called off that chase on 780. this is somewhere past bonitia. >>> breaking news from 5:00 this morning, a truck repeatedly rammed into the fox studio in dallas. you can see it right there. that's not just a bad parking job. they report the man crashed into the side of the building, ran out and ranting. that's paper he threw. he was taken into custody. the bomb squad was called out after suspicious bag was found. that was cleared. police said that the paper work that was in the truck mentioned ad different television statio >>> a number of sick passengers on boardht an

jay gray, nbc news.rth carolina. >> look being back to one of last year's devastating storms. fema is defending president trump's claims about the number of deaths in puerto rico due to hurricane maria. >> what happens is even in this event, you might see more deaths indirectly occur as time goes on because people have heart attacks due to stress or falloff their house due to repairs. >> the number of deaths from maria he said is inflated. according to a stad nearly 3,000 people died. on thursday the president tweeted 3,000 did not die and he said there were anywhere from 6 to 18 deaths. >> he said democrats did it ta to make him look bad. do you believe that? >> i don't know why the studies were done. what we are trying to do in my died. direct deaths, the way the water and the ve fema is one of the l employers in puerto rico as they start to rebuild the territory. >> california is sig tirture away to set up safe injection sites for drug users. they have not intricated whether he will sign, but it's con

that's the latest here from carolina beach in north carolina, jay gray. back to you. >> thank you jay. deeper on what jay -- saw this picture. animals battling to stay safe in the storm. herd of deer swimming through flood waters. also home to large herd of wild horses. group that works to protect the animals says they're safe. in south carolina alligator caught on camera crossing one of the many storm drenched roads. >> some of the images with the deer are hard to watch. tracking florence since before relief in sight? >> sustains rains coming down, drifting, slower than a walking pace. and same areas that have seen all-time record for hurricane rains impacting north carolina may see more in next hours. storm slowly moves through south carolina. by the time we get to monday curves around high pressure off to the north that's blocking the storm. will see relief. but rivers in western and central carol will be peaking 12 feet or more above flood stage. back to you. >> more on the conditions in carolinas or bay area, download the free nbc b app. >>> north bay

coming up in a few minutes we'll check back with jay gray.e's tracking conditions in carolina beach, north carolina. >> here's a look at today's top stories.pi investigators to learn about a series of home explosions. one person died and 10 others were hurt. the elosions were gas fires in as many as 80 homes. the entire neighborhood had to evacuated and emergency management crews said there was too much pressure in some of gas lines. >> tributes continue for a high school graduate shot down in the district. family and friends gather near the spot taquan nky was killed. he was shot while walking to a corner store onsunday. there were also other people in attendance of t vigil. horton's kids nonprofit that helps with after school homework and tutoring. he was working to pay for his tuition. >> this morning, sources tell nbc news the's new allegations against supreme court nominee kavanaugh that are sexual in nature. they date back to his high school days. she received a letter from ansomeone that didn't to come forward. she turned that informat

jay gray filed this report from carolina beach, north carolina where the hurricane is expected to make landfall >> reporter: the early calling card from florence, driving rain, wind and waves >> this is a powerful storm that can kill today the threat becomes a reality. >> reporter: and this is just the beginning. roads have already been washed over communities from virginia through the carolinas are filling up water pushing into places it's not supposed to be, and more is on the way >> the first bands of the storm are upon us. we have days more to go. >> reporter: the massive storm is expected to linger. >> this is enormously dangerous. >> reporter: meandering along the coast for 36 to 48 hours battering communities across the strike zone. jay gray, nbc news, carolina beach, north carolina. >>> energy infrastructure in the hurricane's predicted path include nuclear plants, lng facilities and two key pipelines. one is called the colonial and it carries gasoline and diesel from texas to new york, while the plantation pipeline moves crude oil. our next guest says potential disruptions in

in carolina beach, north carolina, jay gray. back to you. >> thank you. >>> as we told you yesterday morning, a lot of ee vvacuees f the carolinas are making their way to california. he arrived at sjc last night. >> i was out without holding. i'm not taking a chance. >> he's one of 2 million people following evacuation orders. his aunt and uncle evacuated to baltimore, others went to georgia. he said other family members plan to ride out the storm. >>> happening in san francisco, the global climate action summit heads into the second day. >> it's expected to be a rowdy one. not only a-list celebrities expected to be there but protesters. we're joined from the mascone center. if you plan to be south of market, you better pack some patience. what needs to be done with climate change. some folks feel they're not going far enough. we saw some protests just over the weekend on saturday in san francisco on marcus street. that was put together by the rise for climate group, yet thousands of folks marching down marcus street. they want

jay gray, thank you, jay. >>> a stay right -- >> dangerous heat around the dmv.rologist doug kammerer, another weather alert and anothertorm making its wayng a the golf coast. >> plus, a showdown on capitol hill. angry outbursts and partisan fireworks mark the fir day the confirmation fight over the president's supreme courtmi e. >> this is the first confirmation hearing for a supreme court justice i've seen basically according to mob rule. >> what's being doneere is unprecedented, and i keep coming i k to the same question asked what are we trying to hide? >> reporter: a father'suit against six flags after a beating caught on camera. >> that shouldn't happen to anybody, white, black, short, tall, i don't care what are you. >> thearoment oftal panic that he says ended with him being assaulted by park securitr . >> and our top story this evening is a weather alert as our region is dealing withajajor heat and humidity. >> oh, we can feel, it folks. the heat indexdiopping triple ts in some spots this afternoon while some others are seeing storms. >> lor's get the la

nbc's jay gray is in gulf port, mississippi. >> reporter: hey there.er good aon. we still have some pretty ominous clouds here, there is n, wihere is no rain, the surf is relatively calm. nothing like it was overnight for so many alonghe gulfoast here. as gordon made its way across the shoreline, bringing with it strong winds, 70 miles an hour, gustg to 80 at times and driving rain that's caused flooding in some low-lying areas. we also saw power lines down. tens of thousands without power. crews got out as quickly as they could after the storm passed. this storm, though, is not over. gordon moving inland. it has slowed down dramatically. it's lingering and going to he south n from through the midwest. it's the midwest where we're going to have some issues. they've already been dealing with catastrophic flooding there. now the storm which is, again, moving much slower is goingor t drop rain in an area that just doesn't need it. that is the very lates from here in gulf port, mississippi. i'm jay gray. o you. >>> now at 5:00, theansion murders. the only man charged

jay gray, nbc news, norristown, pennsylvania. >>> back in the bay area, mueller returns to court today as the trial starts on new state charges. he was convicted on kidnapping a vallejo woman. mueller, a harvard educated lawyer is now asking for a lawyer after he said he would defend himself by using an insanity defense. and in an exclusive jailhouse interview with nbc bay area, muller says he will plead guilty if the couple donates half their settlement to a nonprofit. that helps people who are wrongfully convicted. the couple got $2.5 million after vallejo police initially did not believe them. >>> that update to a freeway shooting that happened last friday. a san leandro man and dog were injured on interstate 980 when someone shot at his car. that driver, david freytag, says that the bullet hit his neck and the dog layla was hit in the shoulder. freytag was returning that service dog to his friend, and credits that dog with saving his life because of where she was standing in the car. layla's family decided to have her euthanized. this is because she faced a difficult recovery. poli

in carolina beach, north carolina, jay gray. back to you. >> thanks, jay. >>> we told you yesterday morning, more evacuees from the carolinas are making their way to the bay. jay manages a hair salon in florence, south carolina. he arrived at sjc last night. >> in the last hurricane, i was out -- without electricity for a whole week. i'm like, i'm not doing it this time. i am not taking a chance. i'm going to go. >> he's one of 2 million people following evacuation orders. his aunt and uncles evacuated all the way to baltimore. others went to georgia. he says some of his family members are going to ride that storm out. >>> 6:06. happening in san francisco. the global climate action summit heads into its second day. >> it's expected to be a rowdy one, not only a-list celebrities expected to be there but also plenty of protesters. "today in the bay" pete joins us. if you have plans to be anywhere south of market today, you better pack some patience. >> reporter: that's right, lauren. it could be an issue if you're traveling around

teamwork common sense and patience and jay gray has more from carolina beach in north carolina. look the attack from florence has been relentless i want to give you a look at the conditions right now we have sheets of rain being pushed by when that has been severe for several hours here and this is going to continue for a day or more in some of the areas being affected by this storm right now the storm really just up along the coastline here the issues the water the water continues to come not only from the rain but also we've had a storm surge in some areas they've seen and feeder more of storm surge and that's going to build as well this is a very powerful storm affecting a huge swath here from virginia really through the carolinas and again we're going to see the rain as the storm kind of stalls and and waits along the coastline here for quite some time there are recovery teams ready to move in ready to help out we've seen water rescues already in more continue but until this storm fully removed from the area it's going to be tough for a lot of those crews especially the powe

kind of calm here as this live look that we take in carolina beach where "today in the bay's" jay gray is with the latest. >> intense conditions here, and we're about 10 to 15 miles from the eye of this storm. i want to give you a look at what we're dealing with, sheets of rain, a driving wind, and you can see the tarp on the top of this restaurant ironically called hurricane alley that is just being ripped away by the winds. it's been an intense attack by florence overnight into the early morning. unfortunately looks like it's going to continue for a full day or more. florence continues to batter the carolina coast right now, moving in overnight with violent winds, driving rains and a growing surf, this just the beginning of severe conditions across the strike zone. >> the heavy rains and high winds are likely to spread across north carolina and linger for days. >> reporter: the water has already washed over roadways and is starting to swallow communities all along the coast. hundreds of thousands have lost power in north carolina alone, and that number will grow. as the massive storm

nbc's jay gray is on the ground there with our report this morning. >> reporter: time is running out along the south atlantic coast. >> this storm is a monster. >> reporter: florence, right now a powerful category 4 hurricane, gathering momentum and growing. >> the waves and the wind, this storm may bring, is nothing like you've ever seen. even if you've ridden out storms before, this one is different. don't bet your life on riding out a monster. >> reporter: evacuations started tuesday and will continue today. more than 1 million from virginia through the carolinas. gathering sandbags, boarding up, packing up, and pulling out, many worried about what they may find when they come back. >> just hope that everything is still standing and is not too much damage, but again, this is a very significant storm. >> reporter: still, lorraine and mark taylor, along with some of their neighbors say they'll ride it out. >> i've been through a lot of storms and we feel like this is our home. >> reporter: a home, like so many in the strike zone, in the path of what forecasters are calling a catastr

we begin with jay gray at carolina beach in north carolina. >> beachside, things are just about perfect right now. >> it's been beautiful the last few days. >> but the situation along the south atlantic shoreline is expected to change dramatically. the forecast places north carolina in the bull's-eye of hurricane florence. the storm is rapidly getting stronger. >> florence is a monster, a major hurricane, visible from space churning in the atlantic gathering strength and pushing toward the coast. >> there really is a serious threat from dangerous winds, dangerous coastal storm surge and also dangerous river flooding caused by high amounts of precipitation. >> hundreds are getting ready. sandbags and -- >> i'm worried. i'm on a generator. >> everything else needed to ride out the storm. >> i got flashlights, i got tons of gallons of water. yeah, i'm ready. >>. >> reporter: working, waiting. and watching as florence closes in. yeah. you know, evacuation orders already issued in the outer banks. that area is going to expand tomorrow. the governor of south carolina says he wants the coastli

jays, gray, nbc narolina beach, north carolina. >> she's coming. >> yeah, this is -- >> tell you thatight now. >> this is a big old storm that's going to sti around for a while. >> and that i think is the most concerning part about this. it's not the fact that we've got this storm. aabel came in 2003 causi lot of flooding in our area. that storm was in and out of here in a day or istwo. s going to stick around four, five, six days. that's the rainmaker. sitting in one place, dumping rain for days, not allowing that rain to flow out into the check peek bay or atlantic. that causes a lot of flooding problems. take a look at the storm now. one thing i was noticing a couple hours ago, it lookedfa ly ragds. pressure came up and weakened a bit. now it's starting to g its act together again. what i mean by that, you take a look at the area of red around the center. kind of went away for a while. now it's back and it'starting to intensify again, i think. we're also starting to see that area of red really elongate here around the center. could havereeen an placement cycle. that's what happens,

catastrophic flooding and storm surges in three states north carolina south carolina and virginia jay grayhas more from county line the beach in north carolina where there are conditions really starting to intensify as the eye of this storm moves across the coastline give you a look at what we're dealing with there's the rain being pushed by wind that's really been gone for hours here i mean this has been a relentless attack from florence overnight into what is now the early morning we're dealing with the when we're dealing with the rain a storm surge in some areas that pushes water into places it's obviously not supposed to be and they've been this in going to continue for a long time in some areas for a day or more this is a slow moving storm it's going to linger along the coast we're already seeing severe flooding in many areas and that's only going to build we know that closer million people evacuated many watching from a higher perch longer in what's happening in their homes and to their homes that are in the strike zone here the shelters are full in many areas and first responders re

able to respond and get the supplies where they're needed as soon as the need really really arrives jay gray has more from north carolina the storm right now tracking toward this area and it looks like landfall is going to be sometime early friday morning maybe around daybreak and then it appears that the storm is just going to linger and that sets up a scenario for what could be a stork flooding not only here on the coast but inland as well so a lot of people boarding up using fan bags to try and prevent that flooding and then packing up and moving to higher ground that's the good news a lot of people trying to get out of the way before force moves in it's really troubling especially for a lot of those first responders and and the officials here on the ground who are just really at this point almost begging people to change their minds while they have time the window of opportunity to get ready or get out is going to start closing pretty rapidly today i think by the end of the day conditions just won't allow for people to move out of it will be too rough and so that's why they're really urg

donald trump has already signed emergency declarations to free up federal funds for the response jay gray has more from carolina beach in north carolina. calm conditions right now here in carolina beach north carolina that's going to change dramatically and pretty quickly starting to more you can see in the marina behind me most of the boats have been pulled away a few charters left but they are locked down at this point many of the people are gone as well there's a mandatory evacuation in place not only here but really from the virginia coastline all the way through the carolina coast and a lot of people said they're not willing to ride this out even those who have been in storms before they think this one may be different a strong category four storm with driving winds the possibility of a massive storm surge and of course you've got that rain that's going to continue once this storm makes landfall and that's likely early friday morning now it's going to linger for a bit and that means the problems want to we be here along the coast but in line as well and pretty far inland this is a st

we start jay gray who is in wilmington, north carolina. jay? >> reporr: i want t give you a look. you can see the water out of the banks. this situation playing out across the carolinas right now. theain is stopped but the water continues to climb. >> currently there are 16 rivers at major floodtage with an additional three forecast to peak at major flood stage tomorrow and thursday. >> reporter: entire towns swallowed in many areas. the only way out is by boat. >> we continue to be engaged in large scale search and rese operations. >> reporter: thist pregn woman and her children held on to trees for hours until help came. orill thousands without power. many lining up just the basicienecess food, water and ice. the lines are also long at the w gas stations open in the strike zone. >> everyone trying to get gas. >> and so many unable to goome til water goes away. you can see the structures behind me, ironiatlly a pumping station. obviously not working here. in manyareas, the water is going to continue to rise through the weekend. this is a very widespread problem and it will contin

we have a live update with jay gray out there live. that's where you are now. how is it looking? >> well, you can see a blast of sun through the clouds that are still here right now. it looks like it will be a beautiful day. no wind to speak of. a much different scene for so many. the storm rushed across the shoreline. gusts of 80 miles per hour. we saw driving rains and power lines were knocked down and are still down in many areas. tens of thousands without power. crews did get out and start their work to repair those and feel like they making progress and feel like they will be done in the next couple of days. apparently though this storm won't. gordon continues to move inland. it is weaker now. it is spreading out a bit. really it becomes a moisture situation. it will continue to move up and turn to the east and deliver rain in an area that doesn't need it. the midwest they dealing with catastrophic flooding. still at this point gordon is not done. >> all right. thank you for that live update. we'll check back in with you later. >> so that's look at the radar right now. we'll

but the full cost is a warning the slow moving storm will cause major damage across the southeast jay gray has an update from count on a beach in north carolina. things are really starting to pick up with this storm i want to give you a firsthand look at what we're experiencing right now heats with rain and the wind look at it right now really intensifying beyond that you can't see it in the dark but the waves are growing as well and this is a situation that's going to intensify as the storm moves closer to the shoreline and then in some areas these conditions are going to continue for two days or more this is setting up to be historic flooding in some of the areas across the strike zone and really places that are going to be and in dated with water some areas it may take weeks if not more for that to clear out in teams to get in one person has been killed after more than forty gas explosions across several towns north of the u.s. city of boston at least thirteen others are injured police and firefighters have been responding to more than seventy incidents in the area customers of one gas

the coastline of north carolina south colored carolina and as far north as the state of virginia jay gray is there in the carolinas joining us live so structural damage is already happening jay and also power outages too so florence very much telling people i'm here arrived. no absolutely peter and intensifying here where we are tara line of beach north carolina i want to give you a look at the conditions right now see the wind pushing those sheets of rain i should say a big push by what are extreme wind got there and really this storm has been relentless attacking the coastline through the evening into what is now early morning here you can people daybreak you won't see the sun obviously because of the cloud cover and the conditions but this thing is going to continue just like this for a day or more so we're going to continue that the driving rain we've had a storm surge and that's going to continue to build and the wind will drop a bit but still be gusting. even longer. very difficult for a lot of people here considering some are already dealing with severe flooding and we're going to

s jay gray and he is live from carolina beach in north carolina so as we've been reporting it could be the worst storm in thirty years jay the preparations in place. mostar elizabeth and they continue and will through tomorrow at least you can see the marina behind me most of the boats are gone they've been pulled from the water through the charters here but they've been locked down and many of the people here gone as well there's a mandatory evacuation in place not only here but really along the coast from virginia through the carolinas it affects more than a million people today we've seen them gassing up and and really heading out to higher ground there are some who say they're going to ride this thing out and what officials are saying is you're welcome to do that we can't force you to leave if you do so you do it at your own risk so we're not going to send first responders out during the storm we will send them out afterwards when things clear but remember this is a storm it's going to linger once it crosses the shoreline here so it could be two days or more that people have to wai

. >> tonight we continue with jay gray. >> ingt wilm, with the flooding concerns there.ng the get worse there? reporter: hey, it is. we had rain earlier today. we've seen more than 30 inches. clear for the first time in five days. we're seeing the sun and blue skies but it is revealing more damage like this. you can see storm took this awning from the gas twisted it and ripped it apart. the wind is gone but the effects, they seem to be growing right now. as water continues rushing into the carolinas, thousands are rushing to find a way out. >> first responders have reported rescuing andvaating 2,600 people and 300 nams. and rescues are ongoing.or >> rr: from the air and through floodwaters in neighborhoods overcome by four days of rain. in some areas, it is still coming in. >> floodwaters are rising. w the riversl crest and they will for days. >> washing out roadways, shutting down highways, turning towns like wilmington intola iss with no way in or out. and fl is scarce. cars stretch for miles at a few open gas stations. close to half a million are still without power.

donald trump has already signed emergency declarations to free up federal funds for the response jay gray has more for us now from carolina beach in north carolina. calm conditions right now here in carolina beach north carolina that's going to change dramatically and pretty quickly starting to more you can see in the marina behind me most of the boats have been pulled away a few charters left but they are locked down at this point many of the people are gone as well there's a mandatory evacuation in place not only here but really from the virginia coastline all the way through the carolina coast and a lot of people said they're not willing to ride this out even those who have been in storms before they think this one may be different a strong category four storm with driving winds the possibility of a massive storm surge and of course you've got that rain that's going to continue once this storm makes landfall and that's likely early friday morning now it's going to linger for a bit and that means the problems want to be here along the coast but in line as well and pretty far inland this

jay gray joins uslive. >> reporter: hey there. i want you to take a the water is moving very quickly and well outside the banks of the cape fear river. we're seeing this play outro the entire strike zone righ now. the rain has stopped b water continues to climb. >> currently there are 16 rivers at major flood stage. a wi additional three cresting tomorrow and thursday. >> reporter:e towns swallowed in many areas. the only way out is by at. >> we continue to be engaged in large scale search and rescue operations. >> reporter: thisregnant woman and her family held tight to a tree for hours until help came. crews are working around thecl k. still hundreds of thousands are with power. >> we made it through the stormp >> rter:le lining up for just the basic necessities. ice. water and the lines are also long at the few gas stations in the stre zone. >> mad house. everyone is trying on get gas. >> reporter: more than 10,000 families remain in shelters like so many, unable to go home until the water goes away.t >> reporter: t will take s

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it's going to be hitting pretty soon be ready and god be with you jay gray has more from north carolina. the storm right now tracking toward this area and it looks like landfall is going to be sometime early friday morning maybe around daybreak and then it appears that the storm is just going to linger and that sets up a scenario for what could be a stork flooding not only here on the coast but inland as well so a lot of people boarding up using fan bags to try and prevent that flooding and then packing up and moving to higher ground that's the good news a lot of people trying to get out of the way before florence moves in it's really troubling especially for a lot of those first responders and and the officials here on the ground who are just really at this point almost begging people to change their minds while they have time the window of opportunity to get ready or get out is going to start closing pretty rapidly today i think by the end of the day conditions just won't allow for people to move out of it'll be too rough and so that's why they're really urging this morning for the pe

electricity for cost as a warning the slow moving storm will cause major damage across the southeast jay gray has this update from carolina beach in north carolina. things are really starting to pick up with this storm i want to give you a firsthand look at what we're experiencing right now heats with rain and the wind look at it right now really intensifying beyond that you can't see it in the dark but the waves are growing as well and this is a situation that's going to would testify as the storm moves closer to the shoreline and then in some areas these conditions are going to continue for two days or more this is setting up to be historic flooding in some of the low areas across the strike zone and really places that are going to be inundated with water some areas it may take weeks if not more for that to clear out in teams to get in turkey central bank has raised interest rates to try and reverse rising inflation and a falling currency despite strong opposition from the president wretch up typo to one the six percent increase to twenty four percent caused an immediate rise in the value o

. >> nbc's jay gray is live in wrightsville beach with a closer look at the storm. what are you seeing? >> hi. >> hey, good morning angie good morning. then conditions get from bad to worse. the system is likely to stall and that's going to cause big problems, majlooding not only here along the coast but inland as well. there's a mandatory evacuation order. more than 1 million people affected by those orders. most are helistening,re moving to higher ground. >> jay, the mandatory evacuations are in place at thin in your experience down there talking to people, what's your are many planning to get out or some trying to stay and ride this out? reporter: yeah, unfortunately you have people who say i've been in storms before, i'm going to ride this storm out. wee seen that here. not many as in previous storms. which is great news. officials are saying we're at the int, if you're going to stay, stay. that window is closing to get out. if you stay, realize you do that at yourwn o pearl. we'll help you after the storm, but in some cases le i sai this thing is going to stall