stephanie ramos, abc news miami >> waiting and watching.ologist chris sowers tracking irma along with our correspondants out there, this is a massive and intense storms. >> hurricane force winds extend 80 miles from the center of circulation, tropical storm force 225 miles, from the center, that's almost from here to pittsburgh. the wynnefield is tremendous. hurricane warnings are up for the entire state of florida, as you can imagine. all 67 counts in the state of floor are under a state of emergency. here's a look at the infrared satellite shot. you can see the eye quicking approaching key west. these are the florida keys right here, here's marathon, key largo, the eye wall is over top of them right now. that's where we are picking up the 130 miles an hour winds and the 160 miles per hour gusts on its latest track, looks like it will move over sugar loaf key, this is key west, this is smith shoal reported wind over 90 miles per hour about an hour and a half ago, now that the eye wall is pushing over the keys we expect to see the numbers i

stephanie ramos is there that ed down inve calm miami. stephanie ramos is there with the latest. stephanie: hurricane irma is now a tropical storm but it has left a trail of damage across florida. as the sun rose, a first glimpse of the devastation. the monster storm once, but twice. keys, then tearing up florida's west coast on the san marco islands. this mother, daughter, and safetyughter rushing to just in time. in naples, dangerous gusts topping 142 miles per hour. >> there is a giant vacuum sucking everything out. storm chasers unable to stand. the entire state soaked and battered. in miami, the storm surge taking over the streets. on the road.boats cars there eat. more than 12 million people estimated without power -- cars buried. more than 12 million people estimated to be without power. >> ultimately, the system weakening and becoming a tropical depression by tuesday. stephanie: there is so much debris and downed trees scattered across florida and cleanup is in full effect. from miami,ve stephanie ramos, abc seven eyewitness news. >> so many of the images we saw came acro

reporting live from miami, stephanie ramos channel 6 "action news." >> more than 100 members of the new jersey army national guard based in cape may are heading to the storm zone in florida. they could be arriving as early as today. the unit is outfitted with the high wheel military vehicles to get through the flooding. brian taff is heading to florida to cover hurricane irma. his live reports begin later today on "action news," you can keep track of the path of hurricane irma and the 6abc app we'll alert you to any updates as the storm progresses. the 6abc app is a free download to your mobile device. >>> a father was gunned down in front of his 2-year-old girl during a robbery. the father parked his suv on mellon street when it happened. neighbors rushed to the side of the 38-year-old man. >> by the time we ran up to him, people were bandaging him and holding him. right in the head, right in the face there was a pool of blood. >> police are searching for two men described in their late teens or early 20s. anyone with information is urged to contact philadelphia police. >>> funeral ser

stephanie ramos, nbc news, washington. >> san francisco police shot and killed man they say held histwo young children hostage. abc 7 news was at the apartment on salmon street just off pacific avenue and knob hill, which is still roped off right now. that's where police say a domestic violence incident started around 11:30 last night. two shots were fired inside that apartment. >> hol hostage negotiators tried to get the man out. police say the suspect fired the second shot. police went inside the apartment to rescue hostages and ended up shooting the man. wife and children were not hurt. >> nerves are on edge for thousands of employees of san francisco based company tonight. wells fargo's latest announcement about layoffs. plus a occur fcurfew caused cancellations. ed sheeran bailed out of a big area venue. >> nothing but sunshine, warm evening on path, and warmer >>> government opened fire in a church in tennessee this morning killing one person and injuring seven others. nashville police say the shooter was in the parking lot as prayer service was letting out. he shot and killed

stephanie ramos is in miami with more on the devastation in atlantic and the preparations in florida. >> reporter: hurricane irma is heading to florida, what we've seen in the northern caribbean is terrifying. hurricane irma slamming puerto rico and the northern carribean. nearly every buildings damaged on the island of barbuda when the eye of the storm rolled through wednesday. 60% of the island people left homeless. heavy rain hammering puerto rico, now nearly a million people without power and 1,000 in shelters even though the eye of the storm stayed offshore. back on the mainland floridaians are nailing down their evacuation plans. >> never had a cat five. >> reporter: or getting ready to hunker down and weather the cat five storm. most store shelves are bare as people stock up on the supplies. there are traffic jams on the highs and lines of cars -- highways, and lines of cars stretching into the streets as drivers gas up their vehicles. >> gas is running out everywhere, i'm a little too late trying to get it, i guess. >> reporter: people are bracing themselves for what could be

check in with stephanie ramos.re were so many shelters filled to capacity, seems that people really heated the morning to evacuate. >> absolutely. flock to these shelters seeking protection from the storm. it will be a somewhat slow process to get everyone back into their homes and neighborhoods. it's not clear how much damage there is here in miami, but it seems as though a lot of heated those warnings, seeing what happened in houston with hurricane harvey and they didn't want to take a chance. at least from the people that we wanted to dohey everything they could to protect themselves and their family. all right, stephanie ramos reporting -- family. adrianna: all right, stephanie ramos reporting live there. the latest one hurricane irma, coming up next. for the latest news anytime, click on the abc seven news at, device today. ah, dinner. throughout history, the one meal when we come together, break bread, share our day and connect as a family. [ bloop, clicking

stephanie ramos, abc news, miami. >>> let's check in with mike far look at what's next as irma movesnland? >> as it moves inland, it continues to unwind, continues to throw its arms out like a skater would. the winds are slowing down but also makes the storm much bigger. look as it goes from the border of mississippi and alabama, all the way up to the north carolina ve carolina/virginia border. the wind radius is so much larger than it used to be, even though the winds are slower, these people have to put up with 12 to 18 hours of at least 39 mile per hour winds, eventually weaken things and destroy them. right now, winds of 60 miles per hour, moving to the north-northwest at 17. it heads up toward, say, huntsville, alabama, and memphis and weakens. the thing we've got to worry about as we head toward tomorrow and for the rest of today is the 10 million people that are at risk of flooding. that's all the areas you see in green. kristen? >> all right, mike, thank you. >>> now to our morning money report. tesla owners evacuating from hurricane irma have an extra boost. the palo alto ba

abc news reporter stephanie ramos has the latest. >> hurrican irma is set to be the most powerful storm to travel over the atlantic ocean and it's left half of puerto rico without power. nearly a million people are in the dark and about 50,000 without water.and on st. devastation. 115-mile-per-hour wind tore through the island paradise and up to eight deaths are being reported and on the tiny island. barbuda officials report 95% of its structures are damaged >> the entire country has been decimated. i have never seen anything like this before. >> back on mainland floridians are bracing for what's coming their way, scrambling to prepare for hurrican irma's wrath. crowds lined up outside this grocery store hours before it opened its doors, gas lines stretching for miles with many stations sold out. >> we have to get the fuel as fast as we can out so everybody has the feel to evacuate. >> reporter: the governor says to expect a long wait, but they won't stop working to get fuel to everyone. >> i'm very nervous. i've been driving around for 30 minutes and my car has been on "e" for the past

reporting live from miami, stephanie ramos, channel6 "action news." . >> thank you, stephanie. >>> "action news" spoke with a local radio dj who was caught in the path of hurricane irma during his vacation in saint martin. dj touch tone says irma's violent winds ripped apart the simpson bay resort in a matter of minutes. he and his friends spent the next four days rationing at the hotel before they could make it off the ravaged island. >> it got to appoint where it went from one bottle of water a day to a cup of water. i just sat and prayed god just get me out of this. >> a military cargo jet took dj touch tone and several other americans to puerto rico where they eventually made it out of the caribbean. he says he is happy to be home but his thoughts are with those on the islands who are now left with nothing. >>> abc is joining other networks tonight in a star-studded benefit to raise money for the victims of hurricanes irma and harvey. join us for the live telethon right here at 8:00 p.m. on 6abc. >> the engineer in that deadly amtrak derailment is

stephanie ramos joins us from miami. which luckily did not get a direct hit but still plenty of damage stephanie. >> reporter: now moving up the gulf coast after hitting miami with powerful wind and rain for hours. there's streets that are folded here, trees are down, and we saw so many power outages on her in miami dade county >> hurricane irma a state-wide size storm is still pounding florida this morning. miami scrapping irma's center but still hammered by winds, gusts and the storm producing tornados. winds so strong to the left throw construction cranes crashed into buildings. in down miami, a storm surge taking over roads looking more like rivers. ahead of the monster storm, millions of floridians asked to evacuate. shelter one of 500 open across the state, no electricity. . >> we were very nervous and scared >> millions of customers without power across the state. the intense storm first making landfall in the florida keys now climbing along the west coast, tom feeling the full force in fort myers >> it is relentle

reporting in miami, stephanie ramos, abc news. to you. >> all right, stephanie, thank you for that report. >>> our team coverage continues now on florida's west coast. "action news" anchor brian taff joins us live from naples, florida, where he rode out the dangerous storm over the weekend. brian, good afternoon. >> reporter: hi, rick, good afternoon. we are pleased to come to you from what is a sunny southwest florida this afternoon. the difference between right now and what we experienced this time yesterday could not be more extreme quite frankly and extra. is the right word to describe what southwest florida naples in particular has endured since yesterday. this is the building that gave us so much heartburn yesterday our hotel not far from here and you can see that all these car ports have been torn apart. the roof of this building a largely gone and the upper floor, the condos up there we're told by the residents of this building taking on water even now as the pools of puddles that irma dropped are still seeping inside thos

. >> stephanie ramos has been covering irma last week. she's live in miami with what is happening. morning, stephanie. >> reporter: good morning, reggie and natasha. such a different morning here in miami compared to what we saw yesterday. we have people stepping out to their -- we're at a hotel where we were protected from the storm. you have people walking out to their balconies so overjoyed they are okay, that this storm has moved on. it's still a dangerous situation for those on the west coast and central florida, of course, but here in miami we saw the powerful winds and rain here for hours. streets flooded, trees down, and some major power outages across south florida. about 4 million. that's the number right now. about 4 million customers out of power right now across the state. miami escaping irma's center but still hammered by wind gusts approaching 100 miles per hour. the storm even producing some tornadoes. the wind so strong at least three construction cranes crashed into two buildings, two here in miami, one in ft. lauderdale. a storm surge taking over roads now lookin

abc's stephanie ramos joins us now from miami with the latest. stephanie, good morning. what are you seeing? >> reporter: diane and nick, good morning. it is calm and quiet here in miami. but not for long. hurricane irma is expected to hit florida in the next few days and what we've seen so far from this storm in the northern caribbean islands is terrifying. floridians are nailing down their evacuation plans. >> never had a cat 5. never experienced and it's just scary. >> reporter: or getting ready to hunker down and weather the category 5 storm. most store shelves are bare as people try to stock up on supplies. there are traffic jams on the highways and here's another common sight in southern florida. lines of cars stretching into the street as drivers try to gas up their vehicles. >> gas is running out everywhere right now. so i'm just a little too late trying to get it, i guess. >> reporter: people here are bracing themselves for what could be one of the worst storms in florida history. >> this is serious and we cannot take chances. it's life-threatening. it is not a

. >> abc's stephanie ramos is there in miami. stephanie, good morning. looks like it's a lot calmer now than it was then. >> reporter: it definitely is, diane and kendis, what a weekend here in miami. hurricane irma is now moving up florida's gulf coast as you mentioned. after hitting miami with powerful winds and rain for hours. some streets are flooded here. trees are down and here in miami-dade county there were so many power outages more than 80% of power customers are in the dark this morning. hurricane irma, a statewide size storm is still pounding florida this morning. miami escaping irma's center but still hammered by winds, gusts approaching 100 miles per hour. the storm even producing some tornadoes. >> whoa. >> reporter: winds so strong at least three construction cranes crashed into buildings. in downtown miami a storm surge taking over roads. now looking more like rivers. ahead of the monster storm millions of floridians asked to evacuate. at this shelter 1 of 500 open across the state no electricity. >> we were very nervous. very scared. mi

stephanie ramos live in florida with the latest conditions in miami.what are conditions like we can see the wind blowing in in your hair. >> reporter: gray, just this morning there were a few people still trying to make their way out of florida. others are choosing to stay here and looking for shelters, some of them have been filled to capacity, but the cities and counties are opening up new shelters today accommodating those folks who are choosing to stay here and may not have a choice. this deadly storm is raging toward the coast. today hurricane irma is inching closer to south florida with winds 160 miles per hour. the storm shifting significantly further west. the eye of the storm with its sights on the florida keys and tampa. the national weather service tweeting this is as real as it gets. no area in the keys is safe. >> we're running out of time. the storm is almost here. >> reporter: more than 5.6 million people have been asked to evacuate. many living in low-lying coastal areas. as time runs out people are trying to escape the storm. traffic s

abc's stephanie ramos joins us now live from miami. q1: gone up significantly in the last several hours in miami and across the state.what can you tell us? q2: looters have already been spotted? abc seven is your hurricane headquarters. veronica johnson has ano on irma's latest track in just two minutes. some breaking news.. at least eight people are dead, after a mass shooting at a home in plano, texas, outside dallas. the suspect is among those killed. police initially responded last night to a report of shots fired. an officer confronted the suspect, and opened fire, killing the person. two people were injured in the shooting. their conditions have not been released. all of those killed and injured are believed to be adults. and also breaking closer to home - a woman hit by a vehicle in northeast d-c. it happened just before 11:30 last night on 21st street and benning road. d-c police say the vehicle did stay on scene. no word right now on the woman's condition. happening now.. black lives matter is holding a vigil at this hour in m

stephanie ramos live in miami with more on the conditions there -- in that city, stephanie, talk to us about conditions and how things are starting to change there. >> reporter: we are starting to see stronger and stronger winds, we were seeing intense winds a couple hours ago, it's getting stronger and stronger, we've seen small circulations of what looks like a tornado here on the ground below us, and we were actually under a tornado warning not too long ago. very, very dangerous conditions here in south florida, we actually saw a few people on the ground trying to take pictures and video and witness this massive intense storm. that is highly -- that is not recommended, it is so dangerous to be down there on the ground, miami right now is experiencing 100 miles per hour winds, it is very, very intense here, but i want to show you video of what we've seen here on the ground, the storm surge being the biggest threat to south florida right now. the water could rise three to five feet. which would definitely flood a lot of businesses in this area, this inter coastal area, the winds so in

here is abc's stephanie ramos with more. >> reporter: hurricane irma weakening to a tropical storm but not before zeroing in on another target, jacksonville, florida. there is record setting flooding in jacksonville, business owner adam schafer returning to his office to find it under water. >> jacksonville is a beautiful place and we're really bummed to see this happen. >> reporter: from north florida to the south, irma first making landfall in the keys as a category 4 hurricane and it was relentless. we're now getting a look at the damage from the air. boats grounded, cars buried, homes are destroyed. >> you know, you come home and you see this, it's devastating. it's devastating. >> my heart goes out to the people in the keys. i mean, it's -- there's devastation. >> reporter: the raging storm blasting rain in orlando and devastating marco island. >> we have no electric, we have no water on the island, so we're encouraging people if you don't have to come back right now, don't. >> reporter: today millions of people across florida are without power as utility crews work non-stop to ge

stephanie ramos has more. happening right now - puerto rico, as a massive dam is in danger of collapse. the dam was cracked and weakened by heavy rains from hurriane maria. officicals warn it could fail at any moment. some 70-thousand people live in the valley below. this comes as conditions across puerto rico are being described as "apocalyptic." millions are still cut off without water, fuel or power... and authorities say it could be months before that power healing and unity are on a lot of people's minds this healing and unity are on a lot of people's minds this morning.. after a high-profile concert in charlottesville. last night's concert was intended to promote unity, after this summer's racially charged riots in charlottesville. one of the speakers: the mother of heather heyer, who was killed when a car slammed into a crowd. people were encouraged to donate to "the concert for charlottesville fund." it will benefit victims of the riots, as well as local support organizations. performers last night inc

but as stephanie ramos shows us -- they're running into some problems. in anticipation of catastrophe to the south -- members of both virginia task force one -- and maryland task force one are on their way to help. both groups recently got back from aiding victims of hurricane to help with hurricane irma. irma isn't alone. hurricanes jose and katia are out there. katia is expected to make landfall in southern mexico on friday. jose is to the southeast of irma. this is the first time -- there have been three active atlantic hurricanes, at the same time since 20-10. we're bringing you updates on hurricane irma all day, and in the days to come. you can also stay on top of all the breaking details -- all you have to do is download the stormwatch 7 weather app right on your smartphone. this morning we're following a number of developing stories involving the president -- including a surprising deal. democrats and the president agreed to a three-month budget and debt extension -- catching republican leaders off-guard. the deal staves off the possibility of a g

we are joined by stephanie ramos, about for our south. -- four hours south. people are looking to get out before time runs out. stephanie: and quiet across miami but yesterday when we first got here, we saw the long lines of people at the supermarkets, grocery stores, trying to stock as manyter, bread, supplies as they can just in case they have to hunker down in their homes for who knows how long. we have also seen people trying to get out of here and plan there is that you wish and route. -- evacuation route. i have families down -- family down here and we had that conversation yesterday. they are planning to head out of town up north, that for those folks still in florida trying to get out, most of the flights out of miami international airport are fully booked, some have been canceled, but the airport plans to stay open until the wind speed reaches 35 miles per hour. nor is in orlando, the airport is s saturday at 5:00 p.m. amtrak is scheduled to suspend service throughout the weekend so it will be tough to get out of here in the next couple of days thomas

abc's stephanie ramos has more from miami. meanwhile-- irma has left more irma has left more than 6 million customers without power this morning. now utility crews from across the country are traveling there to help get that power restored. as we speak-- dominion energy field personnel are gearing up in herndon to make the trip. they leave this morning at 6:30. abc-7 will continue to monitor irma's impact on florida - and the southern u-s. you'll find our continuing coverage online at wjla dot com. there you'll also find a list of charities - already on the ground... so you c this morning-- north korea will be feeling the pain of new united nations sanctions. the u-n security council unanimously approved the sanctions last night-- one week after north korea carried out its sixth and largest nuclear test. the resolution does not include the ban on oil imports and the freeze on kim jong un's assets the u-s wanted. both china and russia, two of north korea's strongest allies, agreed on the need for stronger sanctions. happening t

as stephanie ramos reports -- public safety officials telling everyone to get out now, or you are on your own. back here-- many florida evacuees are taking refuge where ever the back here-- back here-- many florida evacuees are taking refuge where ever the can. some-- arriving in the dmv last night. we spoke with evacuees who arrived at reagan national airport last night. they say the journey was a lot longer than normal, but they they knew they have to get out. at least 25 flights are expected to at least 25 flights are expected to arrive from florida today. many airlines added additional flights today, becuase miami international airport will shut down as the storm gets close. this morning, we're getting a first glimpse - at some of irma's tiniest evacuees. "last chance animal shelter" in waldorf -- received 45 carriers worth of cats and kittens... from miami-dade animal control. more are expected looking for people to adopt - or foster - those kittens. the shelter is also expecting another 1-hundred dogs from texas this weekend. remember- we have breaking hurricane updates around

strength battered the heavily populated tampa bay area, at least five people killed so far >> stephanie ramosre on the trail of destruction left behind with irma. stephanie? >> reporter: matt and tam, hurricane irma moving up north up florida's gulf coast after hitting miami with powerful winds and rain for hours. we saw folded streets here, trees down and some major power outages. hurricane irma, a state-wide size storm is still pounding florida this morning. miami scrapping irma's center but still hammered by winds. gusts, approaching 100 miles per hour. storm even producing some tornados. >> winds so strong at least three construction cranes crashed into buildings. in downtown miami, a storm surge taking over roads, now looking more like rivers. ahead of the monster storm, millions of floodians asked to evacuate. at this shelter, one of 500 open across the state. no electricity. >> we were very nervous and scared. >> reporter: millions of customers without power across the state. the intense storm first making landfall in the florida keys, now, climbing along the west coast, abc tom feelin

stephanie ramos, miami. back to you. >> let's get you over to chris sowers with the latest on the track. chris we heard people staying in miami that's not the best thing to do. >> reporter: no, honestly for a lack of better term it's foolish. s the storm southern florida the likes of which they have ever seen. if they have it's been a long time. the last storm they have seen was women -- wilma, the amount of storm surge southern florida will take on will be spectacular, that's over ten feet, that's the height of a basketball net that's the standard level of a first floor of any kind of of building. at that water level, the first floor of homes will be submerged under water. 5:00 a.m., the new update is in. we have slight changes in the winds speeds and projected path. it's weakened slightly down to 155 miles per hour, a strong category four storm. the track has shifted farther to the west. in the meantime here's the infrared satellite loop. it is brushing to the north, it has a well-defined eye. the eye wall

reporting in miami, stephanie ramos, abc news. >>> thank you, team touch continues with meteorologisthris sowers and chris, this is a major storm we're dealing with >> it's still a category 4. still packing winds of 130 miles per hour. and it now becomes the second category 4 storm to hit the united states within the past month. that's the first time that's happened in 102 years. the first time there's been two category 4 storms hit in the same season in 102 year, in 2005 we had katrina, wilma, but a lot weakened before landfall, katrina was a three when it made landfall around new orleans, unlike harvey who had which hit a couple of weeks ago, irma is not expected to stall. the storm is going to zip on by. therefore, rainfall totals what we're talking about these tropical systems should kept down to a minimum, six to 12 inches 50 inch, nonetheless coastal devastation is likely as the eye wall hugs the coast all the way up to marco island, getting into fort myers and tampa, st. pete area later this evening, amid the overnight hours, take a look at this massive wind field, we're piling

stephanie ramos.ws." >> american airlines is canceling flights from miami and certify -- palm beach and fort meyers. most airlines are offering travel waivers for those affected. >> as the urgent florida exodos begins, there are many first responders head into the path of the storm. >> reporter: we're awaiting the red cross that will be arriving in under an hour they will be heading to south carolina where hurricane irma is expected to sweep through. as hurricane irma barrels through the caribbean leaving a growing path of devastation dozens of volunteers prepare to head to florida a state that's expected to see irma's wrath by the weekend. >> pull our labor from as far as alaska and get them here properly tooled and trained. >> reporter: it's short notice but that's what the power service specializes. danella organizes a large group of engineers and bucket trucks that work to get power to families left in the dark after the storm swept through. how long they are away from home, it could be weeks or m

let's check back in with abc's stephanie ramos. question 3 there were so many shelters filled to capacity it seems like a lot of people really heeding the warnings to seems like a lot of people really heeding the warnings to evacuate right? question 4 airports opening soon in south florida? question 4 airports opening soon in south florida? abc seven is headquarters. abc seven is your hurricane headquarters. veronica johnson has another check on irma's latest track in just two minutes. deal with the devastation from hurricane irma.. we're remembering another tragedy. today marks the 16th anniversary of the nine-eleven terror attacks that killed nearly three-thousand people. commemoration s will be taking place in new york city, at the pentagon, and near shanksville, pennsylvania. in new york, the names of those killed in the attack on the world trade center will be read. in arlington, an american flag will be unfurled on the side of the pentagon at sunrise. president trump will speak at a ceremony there. he'll be joined by defense

abc news reporter stephanie ramos has the latest. >> reporter: overnight, the president taking the stage in huntsville, alabama. >> i love this state and i love the people of this state. >> reporter: rallying for embattled senate candidate luther strange, trump going after everything from north korea, even the nfl, to health care. the president still vowing to get rid of obamacare. >> we're going to win. it's going to be gone. >> reporter: this morning, the gop health care bill is one vote away from failing, with senator john mccain shooting it down, again. saying in a statement friday he cannot in good conscience vote for the latest republican plan. he says a bill of this impact requires a bipartisan it was just claia couple of mon ago when mccain gave a thumbs vote down on a vote to repeal obamacare. the president telling the alabama crowd, he was shocked. >> totally unexpected thing. terrible. >> reporter: and trump again using a nickname to call out north korea's leader kim jong un, ramping up insults toward the dictator. >> rocket man should have been handled a long time ago. >> rep

live in miami, stephanie ramos, abc 7 news. >> so have been asked to evacuate in florida. you mentioned millions o people in that story. a huge erat effort to get those people to live. >> that's right. you know, people have been asked to evacuate and not just florida, but georgia, south carolina and all together, that's about 6 million people. that's a lot of the people. many of them gting out of town or staying here. heading to shelters here in the area, but keep in mind just this morning, 23 million people were put under a hurricane watch, so that number is bound to go up as storm reaches south florida and heads up north. >> just a staggering number. thanks so much the for that live report. we'll follow you on social media for the latest hurricane irma is also causing all sorts of problems for airlines. many have decided to shut down operations to florida. jet blue has canceled 878 flights to and from florida through monday. united airlines has canceled all of its florida flights for monday as well. we have more from sfo. >> this sfo terminal sign has a long list of flig

stephanie ramos is in miami that remains in irma's track. >> reporter: it is calm and quiet in miami, hurricane irma is expected to make it to the florida in the next few days. what we're seeing from the carribean is at terrifying. nearly every building damaged on the island of barbuda when the eye of the storm rolled through wednesday. 60% of the island's people left homeless. heavy rain hammering puerto rico now nearly a million people left without power and more than a thousand in shelters, on a though the eye of the storm stayed offshore. back here on the mainland, floridians are nailing down homes or getting ready to hunker down and weather the storm. most store shelves are bare as people try to stock up on splice. there are traffic jams and lines of cars stretching into the streets as drivers try to gas up their vehicles. >> gas is running out everywhere, i'm just a little too late trying to get it, i guess. >> reporter: people are bracing themselves for what could be the worst storm in florida's history. >> this is serious and we can not take chances. this is not a storm you ca

stephanie ramos is live in this storm is no joke, basically reduced the island of barbuda to rubble.t is expected to go this way, the florida governor says people need to leave their homes as soon as evacuation orders are put in place. is said to be the most powerful storm to travel over the length goshen and has left half of puerto rico without power. nearly one million people in the dark and about 50,000 without water. on st. maarten, widespread devastation. wentile-per-hour winds through the island and eight deaths reported. 95%arbuda, officials report of structures are damaged. >> the entire country has been decimated. this. >> on the mainland, floridians bracing for what is coming their way, scrambling to prepare for the wrath. crowds lined up outside of this grocery store hours before it opened. gas lines for miles with many stations sold out. >> we have to get the fuel as fast as we can out to everybody, they needed to evacuate. >> the governor says expect a long wait but they will not working to get fuel to everyone. >> i am nervous, driving around for 30 minutes. , peopledan

reporting live in miami, stephanie ramos, abc 7 mornings. back over to you. >> stephanie, thank you very much. i can't wait to see what story she comes up with about other items from the hurricane over the next couple days. look at how wide the footprint is from the lower mississippi river valley to the ohio river valley to the outer banks of north carolina near wilmington where some of the stronger storms are right now. there are absolutely no flood watches with this anymore because the rain is so light. there is a few lake wind advisories around tennessee and that's it. that means gusts to 25 to 20 miles per hour. not expecting any damage or any more flooding. there are a few thunderstorms that are going to develop over the florida peninsula but they will be widespread. the center of the below can you believe how far south it is, over columbus, georgia right now. 35 mile per hour winds, look how quickly it goes to the north of birmingham towards hunt vil and curves up towards kentucky and falls apart right there by tomorrow. probably heard

stephanie ramos joins us live in miami with more. with stephanie question 1 we saw the jam packed traffic headed south in florida as residents are trying to get what about areas hard hit like miami beach and the keys are residents going to be let in any time soon? 5:xx - and a breaking news update just news update just coming in to the newsroom. a man stabbed late last night in southwest dc has now died. this happened on martin luther king jr. avenue, near south capitol street. we are still working on getting suspect information. the man accused of murdering the lyon sisters 42 years ago is expected to plead guilty today. lloyd welch will appear in court for the murders of 12 year old sheila lyon and 10 year old katherine lyon. a plea agreement would allow welch to avoid risking a death sentence. new developments in a mystery that's captivating montgomery county. a pregnant teacher disappaears justs days before school started. and, now for the first time, we're hearing from her boyfriend. john gonzalez is live in columbia car was foun

abc's stephanie ramos is in miami and joins us now with the latest. stephanie, good morning. what are you seeing? >> reporter: diane and nick, good morning. right now it's calm here in miami but, you know this, deadly storm is getting closer and closer to south florida, more than a million people have been ordered to evacuate as hurricane irma barrels through the caribbean leaving a mess of devastation behind. in florida, the governor is stressing this could be a historic disaster and residents should listen to mandatory evacuations. >> remember hurricane andrew is one of the worst storms in the history of florida. this storm is much worse. >> there's still some uncertainty as to where the northward turn will occur but everyone in south florida should prepare for the landfall of a catastrophic major hurricane. >> reporter: thousands of evacuees are clogging some lining up for miles trying to fuel up as stations run dry. >> we're just trying to get out of harm's way. >> reporter: others are riding out the storm. stocking up on water, supplies, sandbags. while airports are stil

stephanie ramos is live with the latest. what do we know? >> reporter: we know that the deadly storm is getting closer and closer to south florida as you mentioned. a million people have been ordered to evacuate the area as hurricane irma barrels through the caribbean leaving a mess of a devastation behind. hurricane irma is the strongest storm to turn in the atlantic ocean and it is plowing it's way through the caribbean. >> it is the worst time of my life. and i would not see it again. >> reporter: with 175-mile an hour winds irma ravaged small northern caribbean islands like st. maartan and barbuda. the storm staying offshore, but leaving a million people without power. it could take months to get restored. in florida, the govenor saying this is a historic disaster and residents should listen to emergency evacuation. >> remember hurricane andrew the worst storm in florida. though storm is worse. >> everyone in south florida should be preparing for the landfall of a catastrophic major hurricane. >> reporter: thousands are clogging highways

abc's stephanie ramos is on the ground for us live in miami, covering it all. developing now.egas police have launched an investigation after detaining seattle seahawks player michael bennett last month. he accusses officers of racial profiling and using excessive force - saying they pointed a gun at his head following reports of gunfire at the cromwell hotel and casino just hours after the floyd mayweather-conor mcgregor fight. bennett says he was just one of away from a loud sound thought to be gunshots inside the casino-hotel. police say they spotted bennett..crouching behind a game machine during the chaos. he then allegedly ran..exited the hotel and jumped a wall. officers caught up with him and placed him in cuffs..and detained him for about 10 minutes. he was released just minutes later after they determined he wasn't a threat. bennett is one of many nfl players to sit, or kneel during the national anthem to protest racial inequality, and police misconduct. happening now, the man often called "the most hated man in america" is auctioning off a rare album. former drug co

stephanie ramos, abc news, the white house. >>> happening today community leaders in san jose will call for increased police accountability after the eighth officer involved shooting. people acting in community together or p.a.c.t. want the city council to have moretrspar. it comes after police shot and killed jacob dominguez, a known gang member, earlier this month. p.a.c.t. says the trust is broken and safety is challenged. >>> chp wants your help solving two robberies at toll booths. the first one took place yesterday morning. late they're day thieves struck again on the bay bridge. chp posted photos of two suspects wearing blue or purple latex gloves traveling in a black mercedes. the sedan had paper plates and chrome accents. if you have any information about the robberies, chp would like to hear from you. >>> a grass fire may be arson. abc 7 news was on san rafael hill as firefighters put out the flames. authorities say for youths were seen walking away from the fire. less than two acres burned and no one was hurt. they say goats grazing on the hill reduced the fuel and slowed the

stephanie ramos, "abc news" the white house. >>> presidential son-in-law and senior advisor jared kushnerg private e-mail to conduct white house business. that's in an e-mail from "politico." he has corresponded with other administration officials about white house matters through a private e-mail account set up during the transition last december. president trumpllary clinton fo conduct business when she was secretary of state. >>> former congressman, anthony weiner, is scheduled to sentenced tomorrow with a 15-year-old girl from north carolina. s he could go to prison for up to 27 months. some of her private e-mail were sent to his computer by his then wife and clinton aide huma abedin and they re-opened the investigation into clinton's e-mail server. >>> the death toll from mexico stands at 320 tonight on a day when thousands of people found solace in church. in mexico city, a reason for people to smile, a dog found alive after being buried in rubble for six days, in good health. >>> another reason to smile, a traditional day of worship and offering players for hope and thanksgiving fo

reporting in miami, stephanie ramos back to you. >> our team coverage of hurricane irma continues with meteorologist chris sowers who, of course, has been tracking the catastrophic storm. do we have a better direction in which irma is heading. >> reporter: we have a strong storm that could make two landfall it is in southern florida in the next 24 to 48 hours. first the keys and naples fort meyers beach area. it weakened it's down to a category four. maximum winds 130 miles per hour. it's interacting with the cuban coast. mountain terrain at 5 to ten thousand feet tripping the storm of some of it's energy. it's moving west it's encountering land it could weaken further before it makes the turn to the north over the florida keys and into the southwestern tip of florida. let's flip it over to storm tracker 6 live. here's a look at the outer edges working through the florida straits and the florida keys. west palm beach seeing heavy feeder bands and torrential rains wind 50 to 60 miles per hour in south beach. later this evening, we could see tropical storm force winds affecting marco isl

this morning he's back in new jersey and that's where we find abc's stephanie ramos. good morning, stephanie. >> reporter: dan and paula, good morning. that's right, last night president trump on stage in alabama hyping up his accomplishments, jumping from topic to topic, including health care and north korea's leader. the president confident that kim jong-un was watching. and then this morning president trump is up and at 'em, tweeting about health care, posting, john mccain never had any intention of voting for this bill which his governor loves. he campaigned on repeal and replace. let arizona down. overnight the president taking the stage in huntsville, alabama. >> i love this state and i love the people of this state. >> reporter: rallying for embattled senate candidate luther strange. trump going after everything from north korea, even the nfl, to health care. the president still vowing to get rid of obamacare. >> we're going to win. it's going to be gone. >> reporter: this morning the gop health care bill is one vote away from failing, with senator john mccain s

stephanie ramos live in miami, a lot of people rushing to get out. >> reporter: absolutely, jennettee the deadly storm is getting closer to south florida. more than a million people have been ordered to evacuate as hurricane irma barrels through the caribbean leaving a mess of devastation behind. hurricane irma is the strongest storm to churn in the atlantic ocean and it is plowing its way through the caribbean. >> it was the worst time of my life. i would not like to experience a hurricane like this again. >> reporter: hurricane irma ravaged small caribbean islands. in port rocky co, the storm -- newport reek -- in puerto rico the storm left a million people without power for at least a month. in florida, the governor stressing this could be a historic disaster and residents should listen to emergency evacuations. >> hurricane andrew was the wester storm in florida's history, this storm is worst. >> everyone in south florida should prepare for a landfall of a catastrophic major hurricane. >> reporter: thousands are clogging highways, some lining up for miles trying to fuel up as gas

abc news repter stephanie ramos has the latest. >> reporter: this morning there is even more tensionesident tweeted this overnight. "just heard foreign minister of north korea speak at u.n. if he echoes thoughts of little rocket man, they won't be around much longer." this tweet fired out after north korea's foreign minister slammed president trump for insulting north korea's leader, kim jong-un, saying he's committed an irreversible mistake. he says, in case innocent lives of the u.s. are harmed because of the suicide attack, trump will be held totally responsible. he called president trump a mentally deranged person, full of megalomania and complacency with his finger on the nuclear button. the insults between trump and kim jong-un are getting worse, not leaving much room for a diplomatic solution. >> what north korea wants more standoff or confrontation with the united states. >> reporter: in a show of military strength, u.s. air forceb-1 bombers and fighter jets flew off the coast on saturday. rex tillerson continued to say military options are on the table if the u.s. needs to d

stephanie ramos is in new jersey. where the president is waking up this morning. stephanie, good morning to you. >> reporter: dan and paula, good morning. north korea's foreign minister lashed out at president trump during a speech to the u.n. general assembly, saying trump's recent fiery comments puts the u.s. and north korea closer to war. this morning, there's even more tension with north korea after the president tweeted this overnight. just heard foreign minister of north korea speak at u.n. if he echoes thoughts of little rocket man, they won't be around much longer. this tweet fired out after north korea's foreign minister slammed president trump for insulting north korea's leader, kim jong-un. saying he's committed an irreversible mistake. he says, in case innocent lives of the u.s. are harmed because of the suicide attack, trump will be held totally responsible. he called president trump a mentally deranged person full of megalomania and complacency. with his finger on the nuclear button. the insults between trump and kim jong-un are getting worse. not lea