you can see that there is some traffic here in pensacola beach despite a local evacuation order. people here are expecting tropical storm force winds rather than hurricane forced winds because they do believe -- >> we lost scott and his mobile newsroom there. that is the downside of any technology, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. however, scott is going to keep us up to date on exactly what is happening with isaac. you can do the same thing. follow the track on our website, wusa9.com. >> day one of the republican national convention went off in tampa, florida, but the opening session was short. they are worried about isaac. days ago, organizers were so scared the storm might head straight for tampa, so they cut back on today's opening activities. but now, since isaac moved further west, organizers are not ruling out extending their convention into friday. >> they are going to track the progress of the storm and will make determinations as necessary. >> during today's recession, the rnc unveiled the debt clock throughout the week's convention that the gop calls unchec

our scott broom is joining us live from our mobile newsroom in pensacola beach, florida. scott? >> reporter: jc, it's so mobile, i'm still behind the wheel right now. let me show you some of the pictures we're seeing in pensacola beach which is experiencing tropical storm conditions right now. there's been a lot of minor street flooding and a significant amount of wind here in pensacola beach. we're here on the western most point of the florida panhandle. we're here because there are so many evacuees coming into pensacola beach from new orleans and mobile and other places to the west of us. so even though we have tropical storm conditions here, people are coming here from new orleans because they figure a glancing blow from isaac is a whole lot better than getting hit by the re thing. if you have a moment, we'll give this a try. i'm going to try to give you a view outside my vehicle here from the dashboard camera. right now the sun is out and the wind is blowing about 25, 30 miles an hour. we've had some very heavy rain squalls come through here and a couple of inches of rain si

speak to you from behind the wheel here on pensacola beach. i'm on the western end of florida's panhandle, just inside the hurricane zone. part of a team of reporters stretched from here all the way over to new orleans working for our various sister stations so we've got you covered. let me take you on a tour here of what i'm seeing at pensacola beach. which is some people but very few people making the decision to move off of the island here. but many, many others decideing to stay. they are all watching the storm track. a lot of people here in the pensacola, florida area have elected to stay and even some of these beach front houses you can see here from my 9news now mobile newsroom as i tour the town for you. as you said, j.c., i'm going to be part of a team of reporters up and down the gulf coast. we'll be using this live view as the storm comes in and as we track it. so count on us at 9news, not only for howard, and to watch all of his technology. but down here on the gulf coast. i'll talk to you a little bit later. >>> isaac is forcing t

orders that many people here at pensacola beach simply ignored as isaac strikes a glancing blow. >> yeah, in fact, the good news for pensacola and the florida panhandle, they'll be done with isaac as we go through the next 12 hours. all right, let's take a look at the satellite picture. there's all the showers and storms hammering pensacola. so yeah, the storm is the 90 miles away from new orleans and 20 miles away from the mouth of the mississippi. but the effects of the storm have been felt for quite some time. in fact, we had 83-mile per hour winds reported south of the mouth of the mississippi. hurricane warnings where they have been for a while. most of louisiana, the coast of mississippi. also alabama and a little bit of the florida panhandle. notice the yellow, that's tropical storm warnings. they extend to 180 miles. good news, it will make land fall as a category one. again, never really going to be a wind storm. it's been a water storm. storm surge, maybe 6 to 12 feet. 5 to 15 inches of rain. technically land fall will be late tonight, early tomorrow morning and pass to the wes

snore sto another storm. >> hurricane conditions ex penaltied in pensacola beach within 46 hours. >>> many hurricanes down there. thank you for preparing. thank you. >> patty ann? the latest update and trau jekss -- sdwroekss on isaac's path. good morning on the details. >> if you take a look it does appear isaac has intensified as you take a look at this. but the national hurricane center issued a new statement and have not been found no strong winds have been found near the center of the storm system. right now maximum sustained winds of 65 miles per hour. there is thunderstorm activity near the center of the storm system which is a sign isaac is intensifying and the pressure dropped a little bit. the reason it is intensifying we have warm water across the gulf. temperatures well into the 80s that provide the fuel that isaac needs for the next couple hours to continuously tins fy -- intensify tuesday night into early morning wednesday across -- areas across the northern part of the gulf. maximum sustained winds at 65 miles per hour moving a the 14 miles per hour. it is intensifying.

we saw lines like that here in pensacola beach as well. gas running out.ertain supplies running out. but everyone here trying to take precautions, trying do what is best to get ready before this tropical storm or potential hurricane makes impact here. we are under a local state of emergency and shelters are set to open first thing in the morning. isaac leaving behind a path of destruction on some caribbean islands. now, it is head to the continental u.s. with parts of south florida already getting soaked. the storm is projected to gain strength and strike the gulf coast in the coming days. >> hurricane warning is now in effect from east of morgan city eastward to destin, florida. >> reporter: in pensacola, beach house residents taking precautions boarding up with hurricane shutters. we are staying here to take care of our property. >> reporter: along pensacola beach sunday, some locals spent part of the day enjoying the surf and sand. >> we've done the yard, approximate, picked up everything out of the yard. we picked autopsy a few things of water and thin

region wide effects here include the closure of airports from new orleans all the way over here to pensacola beach. so that would include mobile this morning is still closed. biloxi, mississippi, new orleans airport closed and pensacola closed this morning as well. if you have flights to the gulf coast, you'll have to check into that. we expect the situation to change. this is a big navy town here, particularly for navy aviation, the blue angels base here. they all fled off to air bases elsewhere to ride out of the storm. if weather improves today they're headed back. the big concern here is the surf. it is huge. waves topping 13 feet. topping the pier. they've got lifeguards on the beach trying to keep people out of the water. believe it or not a jet skier went out there and that person is still missing. a lot going on up and down the gulf region. most people ignored the earlier evacuation order. some of the big hotels stayed open. we've got people from new orleans staying here thinking it's an evacuation vacation. >> looks like the conditions are pretty palatable compared to what they were last

. >> reporter: a lot of people are enjoying what has been a gorgeous day on the beach at pensacola. we know this city and beach could be hit hard even if the hurricane continues on a path to the west. they got slammed in ivan and that storm was to the west and more in a bit. i can tell you that the county officials are taking this very seriously and they have, they're under a hurricane watch here and issued a local state of emergency this afternoon, they've issued evacuation orders for most of the barrier islands around pensacola beach and the pay and for large portions of the downtown area of pensacola, those evacuations could begin as early as tonight. shelters opening at 9:00 tomorrow morning, and schools in the county have been closed for monday and tuesday and they're telling us the could deteriorate and they're expecting tropical storm force winds as early as 10:00 tomorrow night and 10 to 12 inches of rain, and that could be a major problem because they've had a lot of rain the past month so there could be a lot of localized flooding. i haven't heard any bridges closing or any

the eventual landfall will be around pensacola beach or tallahassee north and west into the panhandle. this is wednesday of next week. this is still a long ways off. tonight 67. clouds on the increase. seasonable weather. mostly cloudy. showers to the east, so traveling through the eastern shore, some showers around. seven-day forecast as we look ahead this monday and beyond, more of the same, temperatures running in the mid-80s to upper 80s. i think there will be a chance of showers tuesday and wednesday, so this is the overall pattern report, a little bit of everything, back and forth we go. >> when we look at the big picture, relative to july and june. >> i'm good with that. thanks. >> now on to democracy 2012 news. next woke tampa -- week tampa will be the center of the political storm. what's the latest on the plans for the republican convention? are they worried about this? >> they're keeping a close eye on isaac and today a bit of a relief. it shows isaac veering off to the west of tampa. republicans will have dodged the storm. rnc officials are cautiously optimistic tropical s

. >> pensacola beaches newest sky wheel have been stripped down. surf warnings are up. >> we expect the surf to get bigger. so that gives me the primary concern. keeping everybody safe. >> swimmers have been the biggest public safety concern as isaac prepares to visit florida's emerald coast. >> i'll tell you what, what we're seeing here is a real testament to how much people pay attention to local weather forecasters and that tracking map put out by the national hurricane center. local officials here have issued evacuation warnings, but people watch tv, listen to reporters and look at the tracking map. so far here in pensacola beach where there's an evacuation order and they'll turn off the water, people are sitting tight. in fact, people are coming here away from where people thirty hurricanes will hit. scott broom, 9news now. >> could be an interesting thing, especially if the services are cut off. tell us where you are headed now. >> reporter: it looks like i'm going to stay in pensacola for the duration of the storm and we'll react based on th

orders that many people here at pensacola beach simply ignored as isaac strikes a glancing blow. well, they called it a glancing blow here on the gulf coast, but the wind is blowing hard, there's been quite a bit of rain today and it's getting worse, but i guess it's better than new orleans. some of the people i spoke to from louisiana here said they decided to come in this direction towards florida. rather than going to texas because getting out of new orleans and going towards houston was such a hassle. one man reported five or six hour backup on the highway and it was hard to get gas going in that direction. a lot of people are coming here to florida, even though isaac is making his presence known. reporting live in pensacola, scott broom, 9news now. >> no easy way out and no fast way out. scott, thank you. president obama is urging gulf coast residents to heed the warnings as isaac approaches. >> we are dealing with a big storm and there could be significant flooding and other damage across a large area. now is not the time to temp fate. now is not the time to dismiss officia

. >> i'm scott broom between storm squalls here in pensacola beach, florida, where they experienced tropical storm conditions that have left behind some minor flooding. regardless, this city has become a refuge for some evacuees from new orleans. bands of heavy rain, a steady, strong wind, and a surf has produced minor flooding here, but no serious damage. at least one boat broke away, leaving this crew scrambling. >> very dangerous. >> between squalls, life guards are keeping careful watch on a 14 to 20-foot surf nearly overwatching the pier at casino beach. despite the tropical storm conditions, refuge for families like the husseins who evacuated from louisiana. >> we were in the hurricane and we had big damage in our apartment and we decided not to do that again. >> schools in florida's two western most counties are closed today and some hotels are closed as well due to earlier evacuation orders. orders that many people here ignored as isaac strikes a glancing blow. >> scooted broom, 9news now. >> you can keep up with the latest on isaac and where it's headed on our website. scott, we hav

. >> in pensacola, beach house owners are boarding up with hurricane shutters. >> my husband and i are staying on the beach. we want to be here to take care of our property. >> not everyone is as cautious. some locals spent part of the day enjoying the surf and sand. >> we've picked up everything out of the yard. we picked up water and thing like that. >> reporter: this beautiful scene is about to change. >> more of the models are trending west. so that's a little relief. but still getting prepared for it to come here. >> reporter: florida's governor warns the state is not in the clear just yet. >> all along the coast of florida we're worried about storm surge, winds, rain, and tornadoes. everybody needs to continue to be cautious. >> that was nicole collins reporting. >> getting ready for tropical storm isaac today. >> likely to become a hurricane later today. and i want to show you this cool picture. if you look carefully, what we call the central dense overcast. and that's the area around the center of circulation. and you can see the storm in the last couple of frames. watch how it

yes, we're under a local state of emergency here from officials in pensacola beach.last night. only one person i've spoken to is taking officials up on that recommends. people here tend to want to ride it out until they're sure that it is going to be a very big storm. the sun is up here. it's really beautiful out. the wind has been picking up throughout the evening. now with it up, we're seeing the waves coming in at a very rapid pace. that is different from yesterday. we are also talking to residents, understanding that they're picking up supplies, they're testing their generators. a lot of stuff has been picked through the stores here, gas is also scarce. officials say they expect tropical storm winds by tonight here in pensacola beach and hurricane conditions within the next day. steve, gretchen and brian. >> gretchen: all right. thanks so much. now let's get to maria molina for where we expect isaac to hit next. >> good morning, everyone. we just got a new update from the national hurricane center at 8:00 a.m., basically saying two things changed with isaac. the

we want to take you live to pensacola beach for just a second.conic water tower there as you drive into pensacola, drive out of pensacola toward the beach. as you can see isaac is churning up the waters now. there is wind and some rain. but as you know, isaac is slowly, slowly making its way past mississippi and onto new orleans. we'll keep you posted. >>> also this morning, we're watching the opening bell on wall street. the u.s. markets could see small gains as investors wait for the fed chairman's comments later this week. ringing the bell today, british open champ ernie els and seth wah. >>> former senator arlen specter is battles for his life according to a source close to his office. specter has had previous battles with cancer and was recently diagnosed with a new form of cancer just about six weeks ago. a source telling cnn specter suffered a big flare-up of the disease last night. >>> the rich don't pay enough in taxes. that is the opinion of 58% of americans surveyed by the pew research center last month. 65% think the gap between rich

beach. the buildings are built on stills, they'll be okay. but inland, maybe as much as a foot of rain, potentially tornados. we had a warning earlier north of pensacola, nothing sighted. it's going to be a slow event. we're going to be battered by wind and sand for the next couple days. most of these towns were not evacuated. at least these beach properties, everyone is headed for the hills. these are ghost towns tonight. for the upcoming labor day weekend, everybody will be back. it's the wind and rain that will be unrelenting from here to mississippi into coastal louisiana. gusts could be higher tonight as the storm rolls in. >> orange beach, alabama, thank you. we want to check in with jim cantore. he's in new orleans. this is no katrina. this is a category one hurricane. bad news is, of course, nobody needs this, especially not right now. it's going to be the first test of all the new plumbing behind you there in new orleans? >> yeah, absolutely. let's take a look at this thing, brian. the satellite picture shows us how big it is. we've had flooding rains from the outer bands of this in charleston, south carolina, for goodness sake. it's still ra

pensacola with full force. that is the part of the storm that hit this beach.er and he's joining us now. >> you told me your pizza place was shut down for 19 months. >> 19 months. the storm surge was so outrageous. we are on an island. it was huge. the waves come up or water came up to 22 to 23 feet. >> the whole stretch of land was under water? >> absolutely. it was horrendous. >> did you take any comfort? >> not at all. everything is about timing. we are getting ready. once it hits the gulf we don't know but we are ready. >> you see this ferris wheel they are removing the gondola from that ferris wheel to prepare that in case hurricane force winds blow through. cost $8 million and moving the gondola so it isn't damaged when the storm hits. >> what a visual. now we know. that is a monster of a ride. they are going to protect people by taking the gondolas off of it. >> you might think the promise of rain would be good news. experts say i sack could make matter worse. that is because the storm surge threatens to push salt water from the gulf into the fresh water

beach. here where the warnings are. yes, as of last night, we started talk new orleans again. mobile, pensacola. don't focus on the center line of the storm. we believe lit stay disorganized for awhile. that may keep the number down. it may stay as a 1. this will be a slow-moving storm. not just the coastal area will get pounded. the storm will go inland with amazingly heavy rain. inside flood sag real deal. now, one of the first people to get an up close look at the storm is our matt gutman. good morning, matt. >> hey, good morning to you, sam. isaac is about 200 miles north of here. it's clearly not gone. we're still feeling the tropical storm force winds. across the region, 20 million people will feel something of the storm today. heavy wind and rain continue to lash. school closed for about 1 million kids in florida. pow sir out in 80,000 homes. south florida avoiding a direct hit overnight. ch of the state getting drenched. isaac is coiling itself around nearly the entire state. dumping up to ten inches of rain on south florida. it's a little after 1:00. the rain is coming down sideways. ne

pensacola, the gulf did hardly got any damage. now we're trying to make sure tourists come back, west palm beach we got a little flooding.neil: you needed the rain? >> we have had so much rain. neil: i thought we were -- >> that was in march, we with more. neil: more than made up, that is the left coast. >> we're doing well, biggest drop in unemployment. i am focused on getting our state back to work and our tourists back and add jobs. neil: because of the -- your own numbers have improved. but it always sort of like a weird political thing, not to get crass, but the better the state looks the better it could look for the incumbant president. >> i need a partner, cut taxes, streamline government, and if we do that think how many jobs real create. neil: in swing states like you, are you surprised that this ticket is as competitive as it is, when paul ryan is to all but throw grandma off the cliff. how have your residents either not succumbed to that or bought it or believed it? >> this is about jobs, my race in 2010 was all about the jobs, governor romney has a plan for jobs, reduces taxes, reducing regulation, and stream