martin savidge joins us from wilmington, north carolina. martin, you have been there for the past 48 hours. you have seen as the storm has evolved. what's happening now? >> well, as you can see it is still raining here in wilmington. as you point out, 48 hours, the conditions have been like this. winds have died down, that is a major blessing. it is rain that is the greatest danger. the real threat is inland flooding. communities are already facing or bracing for that reality. we have also had the benefit of at least some slight relenting of rain. then you get bands that come in, and it starts to pour down again. and of course flooding is the primary concern in north and south carolina. miguel marquez knows how long florence has been beating up on the north carolina coast. he has been out in it. and we've had heavy impacts along coastal surf line. he joins me from carolina beach. how are things now? >> reporter: this is the most pleasant weather we have had in the last 48 hours. the wind is only blowing about 30 miles per hour sustained. i w

cnn's martin savidge joins us from wilmington, north carolina. martin, officials are using the strongest terms to convince people who are near livers and low-lying areas to get themselves to a safer place. >> reporter: that's true, ana. it's not just that you have to be near a body of water. many people think, i haven't got a river or a lake near me. this water can materialize out of nowhere, and especially in the western part of north carolina, where it's quite mountainous. then you get it racing down the sides of those hills and those mountains there. in fact the governor said they fear there will be land slides that will begin starting tonight. let's now go to scott mclean with a take a look at garden city beach, with the threat of flooding there. scott? >> reporter: martin, we're starting to see some flooding here in garden city beach where i am. you can see two blocks down where that truck is going through, and just a block off of the beach. the flooding we're seeing here is partially caused by the rain. they have seven inches of rain so far,

well said from martin savidge in wilmington. martin, thank you very much.t getting an update from the top of the hour coming from the national weather service. they're saying they are getting life threatening wind gusts in eastern north carolina right now already. so this is just the beginning. the storm is still stirring. it hasn't made landfall yet, but already life threatening wind gusts, eastern north carolina. we've been watching brian todd. we've seen him with some flooding, some trees and branches down and also traveling along the roads there in hampstead. brian, what are you seeing now? >> we've seen a worsening in conditions along these roads. and we're going to show you why the downgrading to a category 1 should not let people underestimate this. it's still extremely strong, the winds to where we are on the northern band of the storm. you can see the front tree ahead of us could be on the verge of snapping and collapsing. we're going to glide past it and a lot of the roads are getting worse by the minute. the winds and rain are really whipping aro

i want to send it back out to martin savidge, live for us in wilmington. away. >> reporter: well, we just keep getting these warnings, tornado warnings and flash flood warnings for this particular area. rain coming down again. some have described what was a category 1 hurricane as actually now turning into a category 5 rain and flooding event. we want to show you that florence is really now starting to impact on many parts of this state. and you can sort of look at the track it's taking here. it's going to cut across and go into south carolina. we want to check in with some of our correspondents in that we're. note the speed of the storm, it's two miles an hour. you literally could outwalk the speed at which the storm is going. that's part of the problem here. 5,700 people in shelters. 11 deaths have been reported. but in south carolina, scott mclean is standing by there. we want to get the latest on where he is and what the conditions are, especially the concern for flooding there, scott. >> reporter: hey, martin. as tropical storm florence continues to cr

martin savidge is in carolina beach where the mayor thinks as many as 100 may choose to ride out the storm. >> reporter: good morning. we really are now down to the final hours at least for many people in these beachside communities in north carolina. this is carolina beach. people are going to finally decide if they're going to stay or go. 8:00 p.m. tonight is the cutoff point. after that, the decision is made for anyone who decides to stay behind. here's the reason why. this is a barrier island. as a result of that, there is one bridge that connects to the mainland. once the wind speeds get above 45 miles per hour consistently, that's when the bridge closes, and that's your final route of escape. so for law enforcement purposes, once the bridge is closed, then everyone here is on their own. so it means in the hours in between there's going to be soul searching, there's going to be a lot of people looking at the track of the storm. and there's something else they take into account in this part of north carolina -- they believe all previous storms have weakened before coming on shore

i want to get to my colleague now, martin savidge. martin savidge joins us from wilmington. what are the conditions like where you are? >> reporter: they're improving here, don, and that's to be expected, of course, as the storm comes to you. it is moving away from us. but there are new dangers that are now beginning to pop up, and that is tornado warning and tornado watches. tornados are often a spin-off of the kind of weather you have, we think of the mass hit thing of the hurricane but there's the specific threat of tornados, and that appears to be more and more a reality tonight. of course, on top of that you have deluge of rain that continues to come down, the run-off that will affect all of the waterways here in a couple of days. it is almost like you face a second storm surge although this will be predominantly fresh water as all of that rain will reach the rivers and then down to the ocean. that's another problem they will face. on top of that we are dealing with many issues in many parts of the state without electricity. i think half a million people are without ele

cnn's martin savidges h has mor. >> reporter: good morning, dave and christine. the mandatory evacuation goes into effect in a while. no feeling of the storm as of now, other than the waves rolling in here. the localing say that is -- the locals say that is not the way it typically comes in. that suggests something is lurking over the horizon. there was an emergency meeting of the community last night and they really were using strong language. they were saying this storm coming this way and it is expected to come this way is perhaps the strongest they have ever seen here. it certainly is the strongest they felt since 1954 with hurricane hazel. let's show what you they fear may happen. the storm surge. you know about that. the water pushed ahead of the storm that comes ashore. the berms run along the beach here and go for as long as the eye can see. the water is expected to go over the berms. they haare 12-feet high. in the marina, the water level is expected to be 9-feet above the ground. that's why the mandatory evacuation order is going into effect. they hope

cnn's martin savidge joins us from wilmington, north carolina. martin, we're being told some of the rivers in that state are rising even faster than emergency officials had expected. >> reporter: and no surprise there, ana, given the weather for the past 48 hours, how torrential the rains have been. they've move the inland, that's part of the problem. there are other dangers, too. we've just been placed under a tornado watch. tornadoes can often responsible out of a weather system like florence. that is just one more thing that the people of north and south carolina have to contend with in the evening hours. cnn's ed lavendera is in jacksonville, north carolina. ed, you're in a neighborhood that has been flooding since this morning. i saw you earlier and the water is coming up fast. >> reporter: this is a neighborhood along highway 258, north of jacksonville. it's a neighborhood where you look out here into the distance, where people are really just holding on and bracing for the worst. that is all they can do at this point. many homes here, just

cnn's martin savidge has more. >> reporter: good morning, dave and christine.s into effect in a short while along the beach here. no real sign of the storm, but when you look at the water. the waves are rolling in here and the locals say that is not how they typically come in. that is suggesting something is lurking over the horizon here. the people enjoying it the most is the surfers as they go out to ride. there was an emergency meeting last night in the community. they were using strong language. saying this storm coming this way and it is expected to come this way is perhaps the strongest they have ever seen here. it certainly is the strongest they felt since 1954 and hurricane hazel. let's show what you they fear may happen. it is the storm surge. everyone knows about that. the water pushed ahead of the storm that comes ashore. see these berms. they run along the beach here. they go as long as the eye can see. the water is expected to go over the berms. they are 12 feet high. the storm surge is expected to be 13 feet or more . in the marina, the water leve

i want to go to martin savidge. that's where the storm actually made landfall at 7:15 a.m.awake at that time or on the air. i'm curious to know what that was like and how are things now? i think we're having -- martin, can you hear me? all right, we're obviously having some trouble getting martin savidge there in wrightsville. >> there is not a lot of damage here. took heavy wind gusts, without a doubt. if you look at -- you really can't probably see in this rain, the ships, the boats. do you hear me? >> let's go to break. olay total effects. the power of 7 benefits all in one bottle. without costing $100, $200 or $400. enriched with vitamin b3 complex, for beautiful skin. olay. listerine® cleans virtually 100%. helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. never settle for 25%. always go for 100. bring out the bold™ for millions of baby boomers there's a virus out there. a virus that's serious, like hiv, but it hasn't been talked about much. a virus that's been almost forgotten. it's hepatitis c. one in 30 boomers has hep c, yet most don't even know it. that's because hep

martin savidge is there for us. martin? >> reporter: well, as you can see, perhaps, this is the closing of the bridge, at least as far as the lanes going on to the barrier island behind us here. it's been talked about for days. now it's really happening. it's a clear indication that everything that people have feared and prepared for is now starting to kick into action. sometimes you worry about what's called the perfect storm, but what if you had the perfect person, perhaps, in place to lead in disaster? this is what we found here. >> hey, michael -- >> reporter: joe benson is the mayor of carolina beach, a north carolina oceanfront community staring hurricane florence in the teeth. >> right now we're looking at possibility of storm surge in the area that looks like it would be between 9 and 13 feet of storm surge. >> reporter: he also spent 22 years serving in air force special operations. >> it was, in the case of afghanistan, six times. six times, i went. >> reporter: and he's got a college degree in meteorology. >> i m

cnn's martin savidge is in the town of carolina beach, north carolina. martin, what are you seeing there? are people heeding those warnings? >> jim, this is the moment where people have going to have to decide. it is board up and get out time. and that's essentially what they're doing. all around this community, buildings are being boarded up. windows are being covered. it's the same scene you've seen over and over, but this time they are taking it far more seriously. all down this street in this community of carolina beach, they are basically turning their businesses into fortresses. the interesting thing is, though, be mamany of these busis are trying to stay open. trying to at least take advantage of the last few hours. they've got about 24 to cut in for customers, to deliver food, maybe some booze. and basically provide for the locals. and that's the thing here. most of the people who are still here are the locals. and a lot of them haven't made up their mind. they've got essentially 24 hours until 8:00 tomorrow night in this community to decide wheth

democrat phil rettison is gaining support in tennessee and martin savidge has more. >> reporter: it'son in tennessee. but phil rettison is aiming to win the senate seat of retiring bob corker and many believe that he actually has a shot. a moderate well known and liked. >> against the federal government or with the federal government. >> but he isn't the only popular politician in the state. >> we love tennessee! >> reporter: donald trump swept tennessee, winning 61% of the vote and 92 of 95 counties. the last time bredesen faced voters he won every county but that was 12 years ago and tennessee is a lot redder. his popularity in up bringing here? >> no. he will have to persuade enough of the middle undecided, independent voters. >> reporter: attacking trump won't work in tennessee. you go after the president? >> no. i make a point of saying, you know, i'm not running against the president. >> reporter: bredesen may not be attacking trump but trump is attacking him. >> this guy will 100% vote against us every single time. >> reporter: the president's backing congressional marcia black

martin savidge out there in it. good advice. out in it except for the folks, rescue people and media. we have permission to be out here. we're out here so you don't have to. sit home and watch us. don't try to figure out what's going on just to see how it is. our thanks to martin. amanda faulkner is with the u.s. coast guard. good evening to you, miss faulkner. i understand the u.s. coast guard has conducted seven operations and rescued at least one person. tell me about that. >> hi, yeah. so we have conducted seven rescues just as weather was permitting early this evening before the sun went down. and we did save one life. it was a cancer patient who needed to get emergency assistance at a hospital. so we got him there in time. and we'll get back up first light tomorrow. we can't operate overnight due to hazards we can't see due to storm damage. >> as i understand rescue operations have been called off for the evening. that is because of the conditions that are out. the hazards at this particular storm that it is posing, right?

cnn's martin savidge is live in carolina beach, north carolina, and martin, they're saying this couldually be the strongest hurricane to hit the carolinas in more than 20 years. >> reporter: yeah, the governor was very blunt, brooke, in talking about how people need to prepare and they need to do it now. he's saying that north carolina is readying for what they expect to be a very hard hit from this storm. all right, 200 members of the national guard have been called up. they're pre-placing all the heavy earth-moving equipment they'll need to get the streets and roadways back open, on top of that, the high water rescue vehicles have been brought in and you have the helicopters that will go into the neighborhoods and start pulling people out of the water. they do expect that flooding will be every bit as dangerous if not more so than the problems you'll have with the high winds of a potential category 4. if there is any good news, it's that there is time. time for states to prepare to call up the national guard. time for communities to prepare to begin the local evacuations, and time f

first let's go to cnn's martin savidge in sea breeze, north carolina.t is the latest where you are? >> reporter: wolf, residents who once had days to make a determination as to whether to stay or go now have only hours. in fact, in this community they've got two hours, and experts say how they answer that question could mean life or death. the warning for this monster hurricane could not be more dire. >> north carolina, my message is clear. disaster is at the doorstep and is coming in. >> this is going to be, you know, a mike tyson punch to the carolina coast. >> reporter: officials can't stress enough, this is the last chance to get out of its path. >> this is a dangerous storm. we ask that you heed the warning. today is the day. >> reporter: the national hurricane center tweeting today that waves up to 83 feet were measured within the churning storm. that's water cresting at roughly the same height as an eight-story building. this is storm projections suddenly turn south ward, potentially delivering a day-long deluge on cities such as charleston, sout

i want to go to martin savidge, a few miles from the area being hit pretty hard in wrightsville beachs where you are on the carolina coast? >> reporter: wolf, this is the area where the hurricane came ashore around shortly after 7:00 this morning. it is still the area that's getting pounded as is much of coastal north carolina. it is such a slow moving storm. what's changed now is since the eye has passed by, we're getting the back side of this storm. where that could be problematic is the fact what has been pushed one direction for 12 hours is being pushed the opposite for an equal length of time. the stress on buildings, the long term duration wind load plays on rooftops not to mention the extensive amount of rain and tidal surge, that's the problem they're having here. we know in wrightsville beach, we can't get in there now, the bridge remains closed. only first responders can get through due to high winds. tropical storm force winds. some gusts are very high. we know there is some flooding coming from intercoastal or from the atlantic ocean. that we have seen from imagery coming

martin savidge is in carolina beach. martin, what are you hearing from folks there?tiful day. you can see, but the ominous sight really other than two surfers in the water, nobody on the beach, which that tells you right there, this is a community that is very much worried about what is lurking right over the horizon here. mixed opinions. some people say they're going to wait and see a little bit more, hoping the storm could turn somewhat more to the north. however, there are others who are simply saying, no, they're packing up, leaving, and there is a mandatory evacuation order in effect for this particular area of north carolina. and the reason being the storm flooding is expected to be at least 13 feet. that would mean it would come over the barrier here and it would wash all into the community itself. that's going to take sand, that's going to take water, can that's going to knock out power. that is the real danger they're facing here right now, kate. >> that is brutal. martin, thank you so much. >>> it is so deceiving how beautiful it is right before it starts h

my colleague, martin savidge is watching this thing. e it made landfall this morning. martin, i can't see you but i can only imagine what you're dealing with. what's going on? >> reporter: let me be clear, don, we are right at the edge of the intercoastal and wrightsville beach begins on the other side. we can't get there because the bridge is closed. it is closed because of the fact we're still dealing with very high winds. probably not hurricane, tropical storm i would say. every now and then gusts are really strong. we have been dealing with this for 24 hours now, the wind load on buildings as nick was pointing out is a marathon kind of thing. they can take it for awhile. but when you start talking about a full day and beyond, the weak n nls -- weaknesses will show up. we are looking at the water at wrightsville beach. we can't see far inland. we know from talking to authorities there that there is tidal flooding occurring in there. it seemed to happen around mid morning this morning when we were approaching high tide. looks like ther

cnn's martin savidge is on wrightsville beach, north carolina. what is the situation there, martin?basically, wolf, we have been in these kind of storm conditions now for well over 24 hours. even now 11 hours after the hurricane made landfall right in this area, it is not only the conditions are bad, they've actually grown worse today after the storm in this area made landfall. wrightsville beach is actually across the bridge behind us. there's the intracoastal right here, and from what we know the winds are too severe to cross that bridge so only first responders are getting in there. the initial messages from wrightsville beach is they're getting hammered, like many of the areas along the coastal part of north carolina here. they've got water coming in from both sides, the intracoastal waterway and they've also got the atlantic ocean which has been like a table saw eating away with beach erosion on the atlantic side. on top of that, the rain everyone is getting as it comes from the sky, and then it is the wind fatigue. you've had win blowing from on the buildings, the stresses, bu

right now let's go to cnn martin savidge. this storm is about 100 miles from where you are. update our viewers. >> reporter: no question that we have tropical storm force winds that are starting to impact the outer barrier islands as well as the beach communities that lie along the atlantic. the concern is for the storm surge in this area. there could be six to nine elsewhere. there's no question the storm that people have waited so long for, well, florence is here. the days of waiting are over. >> today the threat becomes a reality. >> reporter: hurricane florence is already making its way presence known along the carolina coast. the window for people to evacuate is closing fast. >> this is a very dangerous storm. we're asking citizens to heed a warning. your time is running out. >> reporter: thousands of people are already many shelters across north and south carolina. >> my first thought was lord don't let it flood because i can't swim. i can't do anything. the flood, i would really panic. >> reporter: for those staying home the governor has the message. >> once these win

. >> martin savidge, cnn, tennessee. >> fascinating reporting, marty. thank you for that. >>> coming up next for us, serena williams calls out what she says is blatant sexism at the u.s. open, and now her fellow male tennis stars are running to her defense. your insurance rates skyrocket after a scratch so small you could fix it with a pen. how about using that pen to sign up for new insurance instead? for drivers with accident forgiveness, liberty mutual won't raise their rates because of their first accident. switch and you could save $782 on home and auto insurance. call for a free quote today. liberty mutual insurance. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ you wouldn't accept an incomplete job from any one else. why accept it from your allergy pills? flonase sensimist relieves all your worst symptoms, including nasal congestion, which most pills don't. and all from a gentle mist you can barely feel. flonase sensimist. of america, we use diagnostic tools that help us better understand what drives each person's cancer. like christine bray. after bat

also we're going to get to martin savidge in wilmington, north carolina.e beach. we're all over the coast in the carolinas. this is where hurricane florence is moving closer tonight to the coast. lad fall expected as early as tomorrow morning. we will be right back. ♪ ♪ ♪ i put a spell on you ♪ yeah, because you're mine ♪ with chase atms serena can now grab cash on the go, all with the tap of her phone. ♪ stop the things you do no card? no problem. life, lived serena's way. chase, make more of what's yours. since you're heading off to dad... i just got a zerowater. but we've always used brita. it's two stage-filter... doesn't compare to zerowater's 5-stage. this meter shows how much stuff, or dissolved solids, gets left behind. our tap water is 220. brita? 110... seriously? but zerowater- let me guess. zero? yup, that's how i know it is the purest-tasting water. i need to find the receipt for that. oh yeah, you do. if you're waiting patiently for a liver transplant, it could cost you your life. it's time to get out of line with upmc. at upmc, living-donor

our martin savidge in choir linea beach where -- carolina beach where the mayor thinks as many as 100de out the storm. >> reporter: good morning. we really are now down to the final hours at least for many in beachside communities in north carolina. this is carolina beach where people are going to decide whether they're going to stay or go. 8:00 p.m. tonight is the cutoff point. after that, the decision is pretty much made for anyone who decides to stay behind. here's the reason why -- this is a barrier island. as a result, there's one bridge that connects to the mainland. once the wind speeds get to 145 consistently, that's when the bridge closes, and that's the final route of escape. for law enforcement purposes, once the bridge is closed, everyone here is on their own. it means in the hours in between, there's going to be soul searching, there's going to be people looking at the track of the storm. and they believe all previous storms weakened before coming ashore. if this is a cat three, many people say, hey, i can take that. if it's a cat four, that makes them want to go. it is p

let's start with martin savidge at carolina beach in north carolina.early 2 million americans you said mandatory evacuation orders according to fema, the federal emergency management agency. time is really running out for people to take cover. >> reporter: it is almost completely gone, jake. in fact, they are down to just a handle handful of hours in many of the most vulnerable communities, the barrier islands and the beach front communities of north carolina. like here, they're saying this bridge closes at 8:00 p.m. after that, you're on your own. the warnings for this monster hurricane could not be more dire. >> north carolina, my message is clear. disaster is at the doorstep, and is coming in. >> this is going to be, you know, a mike tyson punch to the carolina coast. >> reporter: officials can't stress enough, this is the last chance to get out of its path. >> this is a dangerous storm. we ask that you heed the warnings. today's is the day. >> reporter: this is storm projections suddenly turned southward, potentially delivering a days'-long deluge

martin savidge reports right now from north carolina beach, north carolina. >> reporter: it's the questionor going? >> i am definitely leaving. it's going to be bad, no doubt. >> reporter: dava has also made up her mind. >> i'm going. i'm definitely going. i was here through bertha and fran and several oh, but this is not the same kind of storm. >> reporter: she owns the silver dollar bar and grill where the last of the boards are going up in the windows and the last of the food is coming out of the fridge. >> if it comes in as a 4, this could be, you know, the whole island could be decimated. >> reporter: carolina beach is under a mandatory evacuation order, and the order is simple. leave. if you're here after 8:00 p.m. wednesday, you're on your own. at the local gas station, you find folks who are definitely out of here. >> if you don't get out, you're going to be a casualty, plain and simple. >> reporter: and you find some who still seem undecided. >> i may change my mind, but right now i'm planning on riding it out. >> got a tip in time, as cliche as it sounds, that on this particular