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michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> when we come back here, time quickly running out to prepare. the latest on hurricane sandy. . . . . . . . . >>> we're back now with a final check on the path of the massive storm kes aim at the east coast. hurricane specialist bryan norcross joins us from the weather channel headquarters. bryan, good evening. >> good evening, lester. yes, this is an absolutely unique storm, but it is taking an unprecedented path. let me show you the storm. i want to show you what is so special about it. it's a combination of a hurricane right here in the center, and a nor'easter that's this big here. it's one storm embedded inside the other. it's going to move to the north and then turn inland. we have never seen a path like that. there is nothing like that in our record book for a storm coming from the south. now here are the damaging winds. this is where tree branches come down and we start to have problems and driving around becomes a problem. here we are tomorrow morning about 9:00 affecting cape hatteras and the tide water area at that time. the strongest

here's nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: it is a new trend in advertising -- supersized commercialshowing overweight people in ads selling everything from running shoes to what looks like an ad for fast food. >> my dad can eat five buckets of fried chicken. >> reporter: but a closer look at this commercial -- >> my dad can eat a quadruple burger -- >> reporter: -- reveals a bigger message from blue cross/blue shield. >> one day i'll be able to eat twice that. >> reporter: advertising experts say it is a reflection of the times when two-thirds of americans are considered overweight or obese. >> i think we're reaching a point where what bloomberg is doing in new york, michelle obama's "let's move" campaign, advertisers recognizing they have to use their power to help change behavior and encourage positive habits. >> reporter: but nutrition experts say just like in real life a push for change can backfire if companies cross the line. >> what doesn't work when it comes to behavior change is shame and blame. everyone's walking around with enough guilt and -- when it comes to body image a

nbc's michelle franzen is at battery park city on the lower tip of manhattan. that is where the storm surge hit a record high over 13 feet. she joins us on the phone. how are things looking there? >> reporter: good morning, chris. yeah, that is record high. nearly 14 feet, as you mentioned. this is where all the troubles began for lower manhattan where that water surge came in during that high tide and peaked last night at 8:30. at the same time, near the same time, sandy was ramping up here. it's still going strong with her winds here in lower manhattan. of course, that water surge coming up all throughout lower manhattan flooding parts of battery park as well as gushing into the battery brooklyn tunnel. we're told by the mta and port authority that the water has compromised the tunnel and also the subway system in a way that they have not experienced in the more than 100 year history of the subway. so there's a lot of issue that they'll be waking up to today that seem to be dire in these initial hours after sandy moves through. also a situation that we've see

michelle franzen, we do have her at battery park city.s the lower tip of manhattan and the storm surge there was a record high, more than 13 feet. michelle, what are you seeing there in the middle of the night. >> reporter: what we're seeing is we're experiencing those winds, chris, those sustained winds and we've seen the water recede over the course of this night but there's certainly a lot of residuals left over from what's happened throughout the night. we're also smelling a little bit of smoke in the area and it seems like an electrical sort of smell and we've had reports with wnbc, as well that seems to be what they're getting a sense throughout the city that some other people are having these reports too, so i'm sure that there's a lot of many activity going on underground given the water that has come into the neighborhoods and has, you know, compromised some areas including the tunnels, as well as the subways. and, you know, we are learning more as this water receded. you know, some of the damage that's been done, reports at the

michelle franzen, nbc news, new york. >>> when we come back here, time quickly running out to prepareon hurricane sandy. iy with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes in mood or behavior or thoughts of suicide. antidepressants can increase these in children, teens, and young adults. cymbalta is not approved for children under 18. people taking maois or thioridazine or with uncontrolled glaucoma should not take cymbalta. taking it with nsaid pain relievers, aspirin, or blood thinners may increase bleeding risk. severe liver problems, some fatal, were reported. signs include abdominal pain and yellowing skin or eyes. tell your doctor about all your medicines, including those for migraine and while on cymbalta, call right away if you have high fever, confusion and stiff muscles or ser

michelle franzen. you're looking at 57th street in manhattan where 1,000 feet above the ground, 80 floors up, is a crane that tipped over. it's just swinging in the wind. and they have evacuated the businesses and apartments and buildings in that nearby area. police officials and rescue officials are just waiting for that crane to come down. and officials have been told that they are not allowed to go up and try to retrieve it. there's a storm going on. we'll keep you up to date on how that's going to unfold. stay tuned. you're watching "the ed show" on msnbc. customer erin swenson bought from us online today. so, i'm happy. sales go up... i'm happy. it went out today... i'm happy. what if she's not home? (together) she won't be happy. use ups! she can get a text alert, reroute... even reschedule her package. it's ups my choice. are you happy? i'm happy. i'm happy. i'm happy. i'm happy. i'm happy. happy. happy. happy. happy. (together) happy. i love logistics. >>> still to come, a live report from lowe

nbc's michele franzen. >> this is my home. >> yes. >> why? >> because i was born and raised on the beach. >> so we're here back at the scene still to give you an idea and there's still going over that bridge constantly trying to rescue people and bring them back over in bus loads and beyond there you have family members who are waiting to get word about their loved ones and heard about how social media played a role here and sound bites from people who were over in seaside heights saying in the height of the storm they were protecting each other. a gentleman rescued a woman in a home based on a text from the woman's son and very dramatic stories out of there and certainly a lot of people and some opting to come out and some staying there riding out this saying that they have survived this. they have survived the waves coming in. they can survive anything. >> wow. michele franzen in toms river, thank you. >> there is a glimmer of good news today in new york. first day of trading in four days about to wrap up at the new york stock exchange. of

we're live in lower manhattan with nbc's michelle franzen. national airport outside d.c., in northern is virginia. michelle, i want to start with you. which areas of new york city are going to have to be evacuated? >> craig, it's the areas known as evacuation a. this is zone a. that is the lower part of manhattan. these low lying areas here in battery park city at the southern tip of manhattan south of the world trade center. also in boroughs like brooklyn along the waterline. about 375,000 people living located in that's evacuation zone a. they are being told to leave by 6:00, 7:00 tonight. we have interviewed a few people here today, talked to them. they're packing up their items, heading outside of the city. other people who are located in hotels down here are moving up town to areas there if there are rooms available. so there is a big scramble going on now. it's starting to sort of build in this area. it's been relatively calm here in terms of the weather. we're starting to see a little bit of a change here. a lot of people coming to loo

we go now to michelle franzen on the phone in better park city in lower manhattan where there are record levels of water. what's the latest situation down in the southern end of manhattan? >> lawrence, just now starting to see the water retreat from the streets here. but it's slowly retreating,nd it's certainly not soon enough. as you mentioned there were records in this area. the battery, more than 13 feet and it surpassed the record at high tide at 11.87. that record had been last broke none en in 1821. that gives you the idea of the historic storm we're dealing with. sandy's bands where still whipping up. we've had very strong gusts anywhere between 60 and 70 miles an hour. at newark it was clocked at about 70 miles an hour so i would certainly say in this area, we're seeing that. we're also seeing just the sky light up across the way over to jersey city. you know, their power and transformers are stationed are impacted by the storm and we've seen that time and time again and we're feeling one of these gusts right now. pretty powerful yet. lower manhattan flooding in some areas and we

here is nbc's michelle franzen. >> list or no list, rumors are swirling in maine.e wondering if they should keep the list sealed. >> i don't think it is fair it release the names. >> the women involved are the ones getting punished. it is not the johns. and i mean, what the heck? >> the smau new england community in shock over allegations more than 100 clients paid for sex at this dance studio, run by zumba fitness instructor alexis wright. >> do have you a comment. >> no, i do not, thank you? >> wright pleading not guilty to 106 count including prostitution, tax evasion, theft and invasion of privacy. >> it was a constant flow of men coming and going on a daily basis. >> she also described hearing unusual noises coming from the studio. >> these were not sounds that you would hear in a zumba class. it was very clear that it was something other than zumba. >> court documents alleged wright kept meticulous records of clients and secretly recorded video of sexual encounters with the help of her business partner, mark strong. he was charged with privacy violations and

let's bring in michelle franzen in battery park in lower manhattan. everybody has been keeping an eye on the storm surge and wondering how high the water is going to rise. and what threat it's going to impose. what can you tell us about the conditions and how they are changing now? >> reporter: they have certainly deteriorat deteriorat deteriorated. we have a photo to show you. there's some water that's been reported gushing into the brooklyn battery tunnel. that's not a good sign of all this water pouring into lower manhattan. we have a picture of that to show you. obviously, it's a dangerous situation for emergency workers too. trying to assess the damage or what's going on exactly. and then back here at battery, we've also reached a new record. 11.87-foot record. the last time that happened was in 1821. let me show you back here. this is certainly not -- this water has been coming over here in battery park. these are waves that are just coming in. this is grass right here. you have the whole walkway and all the lights have been cut down here to the

that's where we find nbc's michelle franzen. michelle, we know they're trying to help people in seaside, toms river has its own problems. this is the first full day of cleanup, right? the weather is a little bit clear. everybody can start seeing the devastation firsthand. where do things stand this morning? >> reporter: that's exactly right, chuck. you have sunshine out now and that means the crews, these emergency workers, a lot of the first responders and water teams are heading back out early this morning. to go to the barrier islands that you see off in the distance there. that is that area, the barrier islands they're trying to still reach folks in that area and all along this community. toms river as of last night half of the town was without power and they still have hundreds of people to rescue in and around this area. so that's what they're focusing in on now. the water, though, has been receding throughout the night and the morning and that means people who may still be trapped here in the mainland area might be able to

following this for us has been michelle franzen in battery park city on the lower tip of manhattan ands we said, the storm surge down there nearly 14 feet. michelle, what can you tell us. >> reporter: we watched water come in during high tide and it came in very rapidly. just a sign of what all of the southern tip of manhattan was experiencing at that time. as you mentioned that historic flood marker now nearly 14 feet that will go down in the record books and what we don't see underground that i think we're going to need to deal with obviously in the morning as crews, you know, dealing with everything that's going on now, but when daylight hits there's going to be a lot of people that will be curious to go outside in their neighborhoods and they're going to want to take a look around and those sustained wind, again, i've been mentioning all night, they're with us. they're staying with us and they're just going to continue through tomorrow from what we're told, from what forecasters are telling us so it's still going to be a pretty, pretty dangerous time to be out in the streets and wi

michelle franzen is live right now in the mandatory evacuation zone in lower manhattan area. it's battery park. it's what's considered in zone a. michelle, explain, have you seen more people trying to pack up and get out? >> reporter: we have, thomas, in the last few hours. battery park city sits at the southern tip of lower manhattan. it's a residential area. a lot of wall street here. you have tourist areas where people catch the cruises to go out to the statue of liberty. staten island and low lying areas fit into the category of zone a that mayor michael bloomberg said is evacuating. nearly 400,000 people are told to leave homes and hotels in the area. there are 76 evacuation shelters set up throughout new york city. of course the city and the state bracing for the absolute worst scenario here. much different than irene. we have seen people in the last few hours really taking this storm a little more seriously. also new yorkers taking it in stride. >> we have two children. 2 and under. so, it's a bit of a hassle. after going through what we did last year, we are glad the c

michelle franzen reports from battery park now. michelle?reporter: at this hour we're starting to feel the wind gusts coming in with a vengeance here, and we're waiting for the high tide in the next hour and a half or so. that water is already lapping at the es pla naud here. we're keeping an eye on it all day. one of the areas evacuated as well as other areas of new york city, as a precaution. actually more than 300,000 people asked to evacuate and seek safer areas. coming up in the next few minutes, the george washington bridge will be shutting down, the last links. we'll be isolated in manhattan. the subway system, of course, shut down yesterday. mass transit, all the harbor traffic now closed, everyone, officials hoping in their safe place, hunkering down as sandy, of course, starts to lash this area for hours and well into tomorrow. >> thank you, michelle. >> michelle reporting from battery park in new york. and new york and the new jersey beaches are getting hammered. >> yeah, they have really getting hammered out there right now. also

michelle franzen has reporting throughout the day. she's joining us from new york city's lower manhattan, battery park. what are we seeing there? >> reporter: it's starting to pick up in terms of people scrambling to get out of here. it's been this way for several hours. the water behind me in the next day or so is expected to surge from six to 12 feet. where i'm standing, thomas, i could with up to my knees or waist deep in water. it's part of the reason they are evacuating. it's known as zone a, some 370,000 people who have been told to pack up and move to safer areas in the city or to get out of the city. it's what many of them did, heeding the warnings today. some are opting to stay here today. you can see the lights on on the high-rise buildings here. that power could be turned off. we don't know yet. there could be other preparations under way to make room for the surges. it's what we have heard about all day. a big prep day in new york city, a subway system shut down. it's ending at 7:00. bus service around 9:00. the port autho

and that is really out of their hands. >> reporter: for "today," michelle franzen, nbc news, new yorkbauer co-directed "sexy baby." a "today" contributor, good morning to all of you guys. jill, let me start with you. you made this documentary in the hopes parents would perhaps learn something from their teens and their young daughters. after three years of filming, how worried are you about the next generation of young girls? >> i'm concerned. we're both concerned and that's why we made the film. when we opened at tribeca and a lot of parents came to the film, they -- a lot of moms and, mostly moms, were craig and they said thank you so much for bringing this into the world so we can start this dialogue. >> it was eye opening. it was eye opening. the 12-year-old featured in the film, the one who said her generation are pioneers when it comes to navigating the minefield of technology, there's pressure to like things, facebook and follow on twitter, how does social media paul into all of this? >> when we were all kids, we would come home from school at the end of the day and everything

we have reporters all over the region for you, including michelle franzen in new york city. allen, danielle leigh, thuong traung, and we have dylan dreyer. let's get the latest on the direction and the storm. where is it going to land specifically? >> it looks like new jersey coastline, somewhere central or southern new jersey is the area that's going to get the direct hit. by either a hurricane, post tropical cyclone. whatever name it takes on by the time it reaches the jersey shore, it doesn't matter, this is a powerful storm with tropical storm force winds extending more than 500 miles out from the center of this storm. it's huge. massive and powerful winds and torrential rains that will stick around for days. right now, the current path of this storm is still northeast at 14 miles per hour. no doubt it will take a turn to the northwest. and look at just the sheer size of this storm. it extends almost from boston down to charlotte, north carolina, and it's that huge of a storm that the influence will be felt all across the eastern seaboard at almost the same time. it will

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nbc's michelle franzen reports. >> reporter: a new clue in the murder case of jessica ridgeway, the 10in westminster, colorado, earlier this month. investigators released images of a small wooden cross, possibly worn as a necklace, and recovered after jessica's body was found in an open field seven miles from her home. her body dismembered. a possible unique piece of evidence, experts say, in the hunt for the killer. >> whether it was found where the victim's remains were or where she was believed kidnapped from or with her backpack make no, sir difference right now. this is one more piece of evidence that could link the killer to the crime itself. >> reporter: police are also looking at a link between a possible abduction. >> we love you, jessica, and we'll miss you every day. >> reporter: meanwhile, the community and jessica's family are mourning the loss of this little girl who loved to dance, waiting for justice and answers. >> we recognize that there is a predator at large in our community and we are committed to doing everything within our power to keep our children safe. >> repo

here's nbc's michelle franzen. >> reporter: it's not the type of scandal you'd expect to find in a quietllegations of a prostitution ring, and the wait to find fout the list of clients some described as well-known figures in the community will be made public. >> people are chattering they just want names. >> reporter: names of clients in a so called black book, accused of paying for sex with local zumba dance teacher alexis wright at her studio in maine. residents aren't just talking. some are going all out buying t-shirts that say "i'm not on the client list." in court this week, the fitness instructor and mother pleaded not guilty to 106 counts of prostitution, tax evasion, theft, and privacy violation. >> she has a son that she's caring for and for whom she's tried to make life as normal as possible. and like wise, the individuals who are on this alleged list have the same issue. >> reporter: an attorney presenting two of the accused clients filed an injunction and lost to keep police from releasing the names, but an appeal is pending. >> the mere naming of them -- again, once the hor

michelle franzen is on the phone with us from battery park city. that's the lower tip of manhattan where a lot of people who are tourists know where to go. michelle, what's the latest where you are? >> chris, i just walked down here to the area where the water was rushing up earlier. it's definitely retreating but certainly not passed the walkway. a long way to go for that. battery set a record, nearly 14 foot -- 14 feet for the final measurements of the surge in this area. the last time the records were taken in the battery was in 1821 when that record first stood and that was december 11th. that gives you an idea of what sort of history was made with this storm of sandy. i should mention, a lot of power outages down here in lower manhattan and we can see a lot of the darkness. we see emergency vehicles further down by the stanton island ferry area and also the brooklyn tunnel has taken on water earlier tonight. so still a precarious situation. in downtown, battery park city it's part of the evacuation area and there are low lying areas of new york

at the bottom we're going to have michelle franzen joining us. we've been watching that iconic spot with the liberty in the distance and all of that water coming at us. >> reporter: absolutely. you can see this water pouring in. take a look. i'm going to take the camera off of me and show these waves coming up. the basin is full, so to speak here in new york harbor. it's starting to lap over, spill over. we've got a good foot of water already. it's expected to go anywhere from 6 and 12 feet. we haven't even reached high tide yet. we have more than an hour to go. of course, one of the areas that was evacuated in and around new york city, the low lying areas. of course, battery park city, residential area, you have the financial district down here as well. everything is shut down. in the last hour, we've also had the bridges linking manhattan to new jersey as well as the island. manhattan is truly an island as everyone is told to hunger hunker down. certainly the worst of sandy is coming in now. >> thank you, michelle. reminding us it is surrounded

michelle franzen is live in battery park with how conditions are there now. michelle?reporter: well, jim and pat, i can tell you, it is very ominous in realtime here, and getting worse by the hour. we're just getting into the real nuts and bolts of sandy here, as she gets ready to hit further south. and obviously we're on that very strong wind end. take a look at new york harbor here, this is where the hudson sort of flows to the south here on the southern tip of manhattan. this is one of the areas that's been evacuated, one of the low-lying areas in new york city, battery park, high tide this morning, we already saw those waves come over. and tonight, in a few hours, about 8:30, we're going to be tested once again. it's going to be a bigger test this time around. surges are expected anywhere between 6 and 12 feet. already we're told that low tide is already higher than normal. so we've got a long night ahead. not just with this surge, and getting through that time, but with the rain. we've been getting pelted with rain most of this day. it's supposed to continue well

and elsewhere in new york city, in battery park city, michelle franzen is there.hat is the lower tip of manhattan where the storm surge hit a record high of over 13 feet. what can you tell us from there? >> reporter: yeah, certainly, chris. the waters have receded from battery park city and along the walkway. as it's known here. as you mentioned, the historic flooding, 14 feet. the last time -- the last time they had had that situation was back in 1821. so it was a big, big massive, massive wave of water that came in during that surge. what we do know is that that water, of course, we're hearing more from the mpa, the mass transit authority here in new york city about the subway system and how it's been compromised. many of the lines there. and they're talking about how the subway system over 108 years old how they're just now starting to get in there and assess the damage and it seems to be very severe, very extended that they'll have to go in and fix that situation. back here in lower manhattan, battery park city, of course, this is part of the area, the evacuat

nbc's michelle franzen is live right now in that affected area. evacuation order and taking heed early or not. how is it going? >> well, i don't have a count on that entire 360,000, but it seems here in battery park city which is part of that zone a which you were mentioning is starting to heed those warnings. you've got hotels in this area and a residential area. in the last few hours we've seen more of a scramble for people to get out of their buildings. it is a mandatory evacuation in those areas. power could be turned off in those buildings. what they're really concerned about, thomas, is that storm surge. here where i'm standing, we're hearing fro jexs of a surge, anywhere between six and 12 inches of the storm surge here. i would be standing in that water and maybe up to the knees or the waste at this point if those projections hold true. as a result the governor has issued that the subway system and the mass transit system here in new york city will shut down subways. last train tonight at 7:00, buses after 9:00. then the bridges and tunnel