our town is like a ghost town. >> you bring up wilma, mayor.r being in key west for wilma. we were preparing for significant damage there. it was better than expected there. but much worse here in naples. if i remember correctly, there was about 125-mile-an-hour winds you saw in wilma. that's what they're forecasting for later. what kind of damage are you expecting this afternoon? you'll feel it for hour upon hour. >> it is a wait and see. we're certainly hoping for the best. because, remembering wilma very well. we probably had more horticultural damage than structural. and what we're really worried about is the storm surge that everyone keeps -- that the forecast says is going to happen. and, if it does, i -- i'm just -- reluctant to say what could happen. because -- hurricane donna in 1960 actually was got right on the date. and, um, so it could do catastrophic damage to our downtown and to businesses and everything else. and homes along the beach. so, again, we're certainly hoping for the best. >> mayor, that storm surge itself, is that you

our town is like a ghost town. >> you bring up wilma, mayor.r being in key west for wilma. we were preparing for significant damage there. it was better than expected there. but much worse here in naples. if i remember correctly, there was about 125-mile-an-hour winds you saw in wilma. that's what they're forecasting for later. what kind of damage are you expecting this afternoon? you'll feel it for hour upon hour. >> it is a wait and see. we're certainly hoping for the best. because, remembering wilma very well. we probably had more horticultural damage than structural. and what we're really worried about is the storm surge that everyone keeps -- that the forecast says is going to happen. and, if it does, i -- i'm just -- reluctant to say what could happen. because -- hurricane donna in 1960 actually was got right on the date. and, um, so it could do catastrophic damage to our downtown and to businesses and everything else. and homes along the beach. so, again, we're certainly hoping for the best. >> mayor, that storm surge itself, is that you

and this hurricane is a lot different than wilma because there was a real cavalier attitude with wilma. people were on the beach the day that wilma was coming our way and they didn't want to believe that there was a hurricane coming. you know? this time was just an absolutely totally different attitude and maybe i'm sure that harvey had something to do with that as well. neil: and i'm wondering, when you hear the storm changes a little bit and gas stations are at that level now where they have little or no gas and these people headed toward orlando, and now, you know, orlando could be in the path of this, did they say i'm staying where i am and how do you feel about that? >> you know, the people that are going to stay, we have been just standing up and saying, look, you need to be in as secure a place as you can and just try and stay in an interior room, and the other issue you were talking about was just-- talking about the fact that the service industry, it's very difficult, but if you were in naples with me right there and you said, hey, i want to get something to eat, you would hav

comparing wilma to irma, it is -- i tell you, i thought wilma was bad, of course any hurricane is bad, but this one really, really made irma look kind of tame. i say that tongue in cheek, of course. i have never seen anything like this. our crews are going out this morning at sunrise. we had a skeleton crew out last night to do a little bit of damage assessment, but as was said earlier, we are going to find us a lot of damage, you know, water mains broken. nobody has any power, that i know of. 75% of all the county was out of power, so, we need to get them, you know, up and running. there's no food stores open, obviously. we'll have a lot of work to do there. neighborhoods that are flooded, i know that, for a fact. this was a bad one. >> yeah, you talk about that and as you said, you have never seen anything like it before. at the height of the storm, what were conditions like? how did it feel? >> caller: well, we are at the hilton in naples. we really, my wife and my bulldog and two rescue cats are with us in the room. we almost had to close the blinds all the way, it was so bad look

went en wilma, when we through wilma, the government told the stores and everything to load up on ice and everything else. and they had truck loads coming our food ow, now all was for, we had to throw away make anyood, it didn't sense. but they carried way out west in the community, not a central location. way up north. host: would you say you are back to normal at this point or how long is that going to take? caller: we just got our power back a couple of days ago, like about two or three days ago. i had to throw away all of our food. my house was smelling because the food was rotten. it was ridiculous. when we went to wilma, we didn't have to get rid of all of our food. host: that is marvin in fort lauderdale, florida. that is our last caller on

we had storm surge that was less than it was for hurricane wilma. i can tell you that there are some wood frame homes that did quite well. personally, my home was built in the 1800s, late 1800s. a lot of those pick old wooden structures were able to bend with the wind and not break with it. they managed to survive as well. but we have, you know, a lot of different kinds of construction and what really is upsetting to me right now is mobile homes and folks who lived in mobile home parks. because, you know, frankly, that's been a source of affordable housing for much of the keys. and they did not do very well at all during this incredible event. >> heather, i want to ask you something. i think this is always instructive for the next storm because there's always a next storm. you mentioned marathon and the city manager there chuck lindsay. he was on the phone with us a lot before this happened. and on i think might have been friday night or saturday morning, chuck and the folks in marathon and other places in the keys made a decision to relocate closer

we had wilma, we had rita, we had katrina. and if you look at this tropical satellite, what it looks like, an image and snapshot of irma from space. this is really what meteorologists call a perfect chain saw. it looks like a chain saw. it'scy metrical, the eye is defined, and the newest data released at 11:00 a.m., the hurricane hunters have flown in twice already this morning, max winds 180 miles an hour with wind gusts 220 miles an hour. can you even fathom what that kind of winds would do house? i want to take you through these hurricane wind scales. notice the saffir simpson scale, show you what hurricanes can do to houses. category 3, you're seeing shingles flying off, pieces of palm tree blowing down. category 4 like where harvey made landfall last weekend in texas, that's cat strorveg damage. but with category 5, with winds sustained at 180 miles per hour, unfortunately i fear the images from a lot of the leeward islands as irma makes its way westward, it's going to be catastrophic in terms of what we see. so pray for

hopefully this won't be as bad. >> did you stay for wilma? >> yes. my car was destroyed in wilma. hopefully that's not the case this time. >> good luck. hope you find a place in miami. shelters, a lot of them are closed, overcapacity earlier. i was in the other shelter. they had 3,700 people. another shelter with 2,000 people. i saw them turn away families and kids. let's go ahead and see what else we've got here. sorry, sir. by the way, the highway patrol here is doing a great job making sure that this is all done in an orderly fashion. as you can tell, all of these people, they really want gas, they need gas. it looks like -- trying to figure out what they're doing here. give me a second. are you guys closing the pumps? >> we're opening the other side. >> are you out of gas for this side? >> no, we're getting loads and we want to have enough for this side also. >> all night long, they've been bringing all the traffic into this side of the pump. this is the east side of the turnpike. now they're saying they're going to reroute drivers to the west side because they want to make su

>> reporter: after stranded travelers spent the night here -- >> we've been here through katrina, wilma, nothing really frightening as this. >> reporter: this afternoon hundreds were bused to emergency shelters. >> i want to reiterate that our airport is not a shelter. >> reporter: today, ahead of the storm, the last cruise ship left the port of miami after thousands of tourists were suddenly dropped off in the middle of their vacations. >> they didn't even give us an option. they didn't give us any option. they just told us that they're going to let us off in miami and we had less than a day to figure out. >> reporter: natasha allen was on a five-day cruise for her honeymoon. >> i was literally crying. we had one day where everything was nice and everybody was really upset. >> reporter: tonight some hoping desperately to make the last flights out. others hunkering down far from home. airlines are now starting to wind down operations throughout florida including miami, ft. lauderdale and orlando. after all the chaos we saw here earlier today, it is now earry quiet, the calm before the s

i've lived through hurricane andrew in miami, hurricane katrina, hurricane wilma and i have faith inod. these pictures show conditions inside the hurricane to help predict its root. now millions of people across the caribbean are preparing for this potentially catastrophic storm. sarah corker, bbc news. let's get more on the expected track of hurricane irma. here's stav danaos from the bbc weather centre. the caribbean is bracing itself for one of the strongest hurricanes ever to develop in the atlantic. hurricane urma became a powerful category five storm late on tuesday and it's continuing itsjourney westwards during wednesday. could be some devastation to the leeward islands, and it continues to move westards in towards haiti, dominican republic and eventually towards cuba by thursday and friday. this storm really means business, it's an extremely dangerous storm that will maintain its strength for the next few days. sustained wind speeds of 185mph, gusting over 200mph, some torrential rain and a significant storm surge that could lead to some severe coastal flooding so this storm

the strongest hurricane since wilma in more than a decade in the atlantic. at this hour, irma is already approaching the caribbean islands before heading toward the u.s. mainland. right now, a powerful category 5 storm. winds 185 miles an hour. the storm you can see right there, the eye perfectly formed nearly every model tonight showing it headed toward florida and several states to the north. this evening, florida is already in a state of emergency. families preparing for a potentially catastrophic some evacuations already under way. and so first up tonight, chief meteorologist, ginger zee, with the newest track out, and ginger, where is irma now? >> reporter: this is just a buzz saw of a storm headed right over the leeward islands tonight. this is 100 miles east of antig antig antigua, and the gusts are 225 miles per hour. saint martin, and caicos could see 15 to 20-foot storms and allow the islands 10 to even 20 inches of rain, and we expand the track. once it gets beyond puerto rico, it kisses northern cuba. it's a category 4, and we close in saturday n

same year we were hit by a katrina hurricane wilma hit us twice she was category 3. but i seek the sustained power of this over time going into monday will have had the effect of the situation bin to that is what we don't encounter now. so i have to tell you this is just the outer bands but it is not like what we will see of the west coast. it is just getting started. >> it is a cause of concern for many. especially with greasy stuff flying off of monorails so be careful. >> as brian was just saying being scared a direct hit fox news senior correspondent is on the eastern side at daytona beach. >> we're on atlantic avenue. it is late but not usually this empty completely devoid of cars most of those are police officers and utility workers from the power companies to react once the power goes out. not what they expected we were told they could get between three and 6 inches or eight and 12 inches during the storm itself causing severe flooding. but they're not getting the kinds of things for this part of florida but that power line situation will be dire they are full

, hurricane wilma and i have faith in god.se pictures show conditions inside the hurricane to help predict its root. now millions of people across the caribbean are preparing for this potentially catastrophic storm. sarah corker, bbc news. 0n the line is the chief editor of the antingua chronicle, angelica 0'donoghue. how is it looking for you now?m how is it looking for you now? it is very windy. not a lot of rainfall so far but the wind is really picking up. have you been through this kind of thing before? i have. we had a serious hurricane back in 1995, hurricane lillis, that was one of the strongest winds we had, i was only eight years old but i truly remember what it was like. it took a while to catch up as an island. so you know what to expect, what are you know what to expect, what are you expecting? we are expecting serious winds and flash floods, a storm surge as well but to be honest according to all the meteorologists this storm is unprecedented so we can prepare for a hurricane as much as we can, but it's never bee

but, no, the only comparison i have for this is wilma.t and watching and listening to you and everybody else, i mean, and seeing it. this is a monster. and, i can -- i will tell you that there -- everybody that was here is in naples, i have not heard from any constituents or e-mails about anybody needing shelter or anything like that. which is surprisingly good. we have 27 shelters open in collier county. i think everybody's basic needs have been met. >> we know you have done everything you can. we're thinking of you. we'll be right back. ♪ [joy bauer] two thirds of americans have digestive issues. i'm joy bauer, and as a nutritionist i know probiotics can often help. but many probiotics don't survive your stomach's harsh environment. digestive advantage is different. it's natural protein shell is tougher than your stomach's harsh environment, so it survives a hundred times better than the leading probiotic, to get where you need it most. get the digestive advantage, and enjoy living well. for singing definitely dry mouth has been a probl

but, no, the only comparison i have for this is wilma.t and watching and listening to you and everybody else, i mean, and seeing it. this is a monster. and, i can -- i will tell you that there -- everybody that was here is in naples, i have not heard from any constituents or e-mails about anybody needing shelter or anything like that. which is surprisingly good. we have 27 shelters open in collier county. i think everybody's basic needs have been met. >> we know you have done everything you can. we're thinking of you.ing for y. we'll be right back. ♪ o thirds of americans have digestive issues. m joy bauer, and as a nutritionist i know probiotics can often help. but many probiotics don't survive your stomach's harsh environment. digestive advantage is different. it's natural protein shell is tougher than your stomach's harsh environment, so it survives a hundred times better than the leading probiotic, to get where you need it most. get the digestive advantage, and enjoy living well. for singing definitely dry mouth has been a prob

on our team president trump and vice president mike pence survey the damage inflicted by hurricane wilma has a road to recovery message it's now. in case you're new to the game this is how it works now economy is built around core. operation from washington washington controls the media the media. and voters elected. by his. business people so. it's not business is huge it's business like it's never been done before. but the politicians do something. to put themselves on the line. to get accepted or rejected. so when you want to reach us. for something i wanted. to do i. like the fact. that. i think they're still using. live. the feeling of. the. period. that you get it. according to just. believe. i'm tom hartman and i'll give you what the mainstream media can't so big picture. here. and when you push more find what you're looking for this. will go deeper investigate and debate all so you can get the big picture. now into florida where today president donald trump and vice president mike pence a visit fort myers and name goals in the wake of hurricane wilma to assess the damage and rece

anderson knows because he was here, we talk about charlie, but wilma, i thought wilma was bad, but wilmacomparison with irma. >> oh, my goodness. so you said that all of -- 75% of electricity is out there? >> 75% is out in collier county. and the city of naples has zero. >> zero, my goodness. so give me your biggest concern, mayor. are you worried about surge? are you worried about wind? what are you concerned about? >> well, you know, we're still -- still having the remnants or the wind is still blowing down here, but not like it was. but biggest concern is seeing exactly what the amount of damage is that this storm did. and, you know, i'm optimistic, but i think that there's going to be a lot of repair and a lot of rebuilding to do. and again, not so much on the structural but certainly the areas that are flooded and the whole thing is a concern. if you had asked me earlier today while she was coming through here i, of course, would have agreed with the mayor of tampa and other mayors that i talked to and had communications with along the coast would have been that storm surge because,

i was here last time for wilma, hurricane wilma.t higher water than wilma. >> people watching us, they'll say, how are they ever going to come back from this? >> i would say that just watch and you'll see amaze things happen. >> reporter: that optimism is what jim and laura stoner, residents of this island, a bridge away from everglade city are banking on too. before seeing it, they feared their home was totaled. >> you have to look at it from the standpoint of at least we didn't lose any friends or yn we were safe. we care about our neighbors in this community. it's a small tight-knit community. people struggle down here to make a living. we don't want to see them hurt. >> reporter: residents today submerged in this water are hoping to be living peacefully alongside it again soon. >> that's jacob reporting. we had hoped to get him in his car as he makes his way. cell service is bad obviously there's a lot of issues there so we weren't able to get him. maybe later in the afternoon. our thanks to jacob for all his reporting. mean tim

many of these people say they went through wilma. and that this was far worse than wilma. they had a little bit of warning with wilma. some of them came out during the eye of that storm. they said this one is a much more severe storm and blow to this community in southwest florida. >> thanks so much, jacob. nbc's morgan radford in jacksonville where there's been considerable flooding. morgan? >> reporter: andrea, you can see we're in downtown jacksonville. this entire area behind me has been flooded. to give you a sense of the severity of the situation, high tide is expected at 2:00 p.m. so this is about to get even worse. authorities said at 9 app during a press conference, they're expect to see the water rise another four to six feet. they said this is going to break historic records since 1863. as we were driving this morning from gainesville, florida, down here to jacksonville, woo he passed several people whose homes were completely flooded in their front yards, some lucky enough not to have water enter their homes but ruined their cars and all their property. we saw

a people's best chance of writing this storm i wrote what's a rico was largely spared by hurricane wilma two weeks ago many people fled he had to escape that storm now that taking maria full on money the keeping up their spirits as best they can. maria is taking largely the same path as. pictures have a much from the first islands it hits guadalupe martinique they were further from the storm center on suffolk relatively little but there's great concern over the fate of one island which was less lucky dominica took maria's full force. the island's prime minister tweeted to remain calm interest reporting widespread devastation then communications with dominica went down the prime minister's last words we will need help my friends we will need help of all kinds. stake a look now at some of the other stories making headlines around the world today british counterterrorism officers have arrested three people in wales in connection with last week's attack on a london commuter train that brings to five the total number of arrests two others were detained on saturday a day after a homemade bomb

this is a place that was hit by wilma.ked to when i was on the ground there talked to when i was on the ground there said this was just far worse than wilma and they were shocked basically to see what they returned home to. and, you know, there's a lot to talk about how the storm surge wasn't as high as we thought it was going to be. rode out the storm in naples last night. but the storms here in everglades city was terrible. and it got up into many of the homes, very few of the homes were spared. the businesses there, the place thrives on tourism -- >> can i interrupt you for a second? the video we were looking at you were interviewing a woman, there was a baby behind her. another woman we're assuming she's outside her house but she's very animated. what did she tell you? what have people told you? >> she said they prayed, chris. she said they prayed all night along as the storm hit, that woman you're looking at and the grandmother behind and the little baby. >> yeah. and several small dogs. >> that's right. and the littl

wilma came in. there was a storm surge with that. six to eight. nothing 10 to 15. even he was like 15 feet, how do you survive that. try to picture a house on the beach with 15 feet of wurt a. and so that kind of set the tone. i think that was excellent. it was a well-timed press conference and now he's probably going to just hunker down like everyone else and see how this develops and then see where we're going to need to get the resources sent out afterwards. >> i think he has made the point that we're going to do everything we can. we're not going to skimp on money, resources. but tls going to be a point where you are not going to be able to get help because it's not safe -- >> we're not there quite yet. tell our director, take up the map on weather one. and this is kind of what they'll watch. the maps, the emergency managers are similar to the maps that we get. this is all a lot of information from the hurricane center. the red in there that i drew the mileage on, that's the hurricane force winds. the police and everything else, the rescuers, thooel still go ou

. >> we've been here for katrina, wilma, nopg really flit ening as this. >> reporter: many heeding warnings as the most powerful atlantic hurricane on record battered the caribbean, taking lives, homes and leaving more than a million people without power. >> this is a catastrophic storm that our state has never seen. >> many shelters are full. gas stations and airports closed. >> i don't know what to do. >> reporter: preparations made across the state. protecting animals at the miami zoo to shutting down the happiest place on earth. disney and other theme parks closed as irma sets sight on the sunshine state. those who can't make it out are preparing to bear down as the storm hits hoping for the best. as hurricane irma continues to head towards this area, we are expecting widespread power outages. the ceo of florida power and light says up to 4 million customers, more than 4 mel eun customers could expect to have their power out if irma continues on its current track. live in ft. lauderdale, sarah rosario. alex, back to you. >> sarah, as you hang on to your hat, is there anywhere, i guess t

. >> we were through katrina, w l wilma. >> reporter: the most powerful hurricane on record battered the caribbean, taking lives and homes and leaving more than a million people without power. >> this is is a catastrophic storm. >> reporter: many shelters are full, gas stations and airports closed. preparations made across the state. for protecting animals at the miami zoo to shutting down the happiest place on earth. disney and other theme parks close as irma sets sights on the sunshine state. those who can't make it out are preparing to bear down as the storm hits. hoping for the best. and as the storm continues to get near, we are expecting widespread power outages. the ceo of florida power and light says more than 4 million customers could be without power if hurricane irma stayed on its current track. reporting in ft. lauderdale, sarah rosario, nbc news. >>> several of florida's busiest airports have closed ahead of irma. yesterday people were scrambling to catch the last flights out of the state. more than 5.5 million people have been told to evacuate. about a quarter of the en

katrina, wilma to name a few. asounding to see what's happening. some personal stories that are astounding, as well. we talked to an individual who works here. he told us about some of these sailboats you see behind me that have been washed ashore. these are part of a non-profit organization that was started here that takes children out into the ocean, teaches them how to sail, life building lessons. unfortunately, there are three of the nine sailboats that they use are unaccounted for. six of which are still on shore here are completely ruined without a doubt. actually, a couple more sailboats unassociated with them only have the mast visible on the top part of the water. so hurricane irma combining her 150-kilometer-per-hour winds, with the tidal surge tossing around these yachts and sailboats like toys and depoz its them on the shoreline and on the concrete jetty and dock behind me. michael? >> quite a scene there. a lot of people with their dreams smashed there. derek vandam, thanks so mush. appreciate it. george, the storm surge is quite a thi

. >> i was here for wilma and got three feet of water. they're talking six to nine feet -- time to go. >> reporter: you weren't motivated to leave -- that's the key west attitude, right? >> key west -- no, when the police leave, i leave. >>> they may be laughing. not everybody is. we'll talk with a representative from the salvation army about what can be done in these final hours before irma makes landfall. ♪ what should i watch? show me sports. it's so fluffy! look at that fluffy unicorn! he's so fluffy i'm gonna die! your voice is awesome. the x1 voice remote. xfinity. the future of awesome. >>> these are pictures we're watching now of cuba. right now irma is right on top of the northern parts of cuba. these are a little bit -- pictures are from earlier. you can imagine a cat 5 bearing down on an island like cuba and what it may mean to them. these pictures like, again, you heard it before, out of a miami. unfortunately, before reaching cuba, it killed 23 people in the caribbean. it is just beginning. it left thousands homeless. buildin

wilma took out power a lot of time.ned but expecting the unexpected. the right now, way it is coming, whoever is working during the storm, once it impacts, they are on for quite some time. we expect 18 hours of hurricane winds. however is out this during that time, we will shelter them. we will mobilize. we'll have plenty of personnel out there, but once hurricane storms hit, have to find shelter, bunker down and wait for winds to die down from the hurricanes force winds. 18 hours, plus tropical storm wind before, we're expecting a, very long days and, you know, all hands on deck for us, for our fire department and our partners, other partners in haw enforcement. connell: all the best to you, obviously. stay in touch, keep everybody updated. talk to you again juan perez, miami-dade with the police department there. >>> president trump was today asked about north korea, and what he refused to say when asked, that ended up being headlines. we'll talk about that next. fisher investments avoids them. some advisers have hidd

july report difference with wilma and andrew and the other storms, size matters more than ever when siticane history. hurricane andrew in 1992. you could fit two of them in the size of irchla. of -- the size of irma. this thing is moving at 9 miles per hour which means you are talking 36 hours of 100-mile-per-hour and 100-plus winds. where are you located and are you concerned about the storm surge? that's the part that's the most of deadly effect of a hurricane such as the enormity of irma. >> of course i have got to be concerned about the storm surge. but the way the house is built, i could withstand -- the house could withstand a 20-foot storm surge. and all it would do is blow out the blowout walls on the first level. julie: we appreciate you coming on and god speed to you, sir. we'll be continuing to watch this hurricane as it approaches. that's next. doctor recommendedi switch laxatives. stimulant laxatives make your body go by forcefully stimulating the nerves in your colon. miralax is different. it works with the water in your body to hydrate and soften. unblocking your system n

wilma and katya, these animals flocked to the restroom to escape from hurricane andrew in 1992. time they will ride out irma in a new concrete enclosure. >> animals do have an in. stingt of how to survive and stay in place in these storms. >> lester holt is in florida as hurricane irma approaches. he anchors "nbc nightly news" live from miami as we bring you round the clock coverage of this historic storm on air and on the nbc 10 app. >>> here's a look at some of the other stories. the wardrobes for work program gave away used men's and women's suits and clothes. this was earlier today at an open house at the university. but they are facing financial hardships. >>> in burlington county, get ready to set sail and spoorns history. or kick back and relax on the 1928 restored oyster skooner. the ship leaves on the new jersey side and from bristol on the pennsylvania side. >>> spreading the love and warmth to those who need it the most. >>> it's been two weeks since the eagles traded away fan favorite john dorenbos. >> we learned that trade made very well have save d his life. the di

the longitude lined up there as hurricane wilma. and the impact of tampa would have been far more significant if it gone directly overhead. back around parts of jackson, the highest storm surge numbers ever observed since the 1840s. charlatan and savannah also significantly damaged because the storm surge pushes into florida and the state of g. and estimated 3.5 million customers would we without power in the state of florida. and about 6 million without power now. and 3.5 would be enough to make it the highest widespread -- >> listen, video that's been coming out of the islands that irma first hit shows complete devastation -- and we'll put that up -- have those island nations ever experienced a storm like that before? >> not at all. i looked at the numbers. models, theiss the european model was spot on in bringing southern florida into the mix. this went from a tropical storm to a category 2. didn't even get to cat 1, just skipped it. came through as a category 5 across this region. strongest we've seen on record. and then through

wilma was very powerful and it caused a lot of flooding and wind damage.o some of these are now actu actually in the midst of renovations, which is the worst timing for something like this for another hurricane to come through. a lot of folks are putting up the shutters and getting out. >> that's the last thing you would expect to see in the united states. >> david culver. and our team coverage of this storm is just getting started. we'll take you back to florida live in about 25 minutes. remember to get breaking news updates right to your phone just download the nbc washington app. >>> we're going to move on now to some breaking news we have coming right now. we're following the situation in the case oe lions sisters. the man charged with killing the girls more than 40 years ago is expected to plead guilty after all this time. that news comes after days -- news 4 mark segraves has been following this case for years and he joins us now from the newsroom. he's got a look at what this means for the family and other suspects in this case, mark? >> hey, leon,

virgin islands and puerto rico a category five storm lashing the region already battered by hurricane wilma. also coming up to me and marks later on song says she breaks her silence on the road hinge or refugee crisis and condemns the violence but human rights groups say she is burying her head in the sand. and the tiny parasite that's sending the price of sound that soaring we report on the sea life threatening canada's multibillion dollar fish farming industry. i'm sumi so much gonda good to have you with us the prime minister of dominica has described hurricane maria as devastating and mind boggling after the hurricane swept over the small caribbean island maria has now intensified again and has regained strength to become a category five storm hurricane maria is moving roughly along the same string of islands as erma the hurricane that devastated the region earlier this month now it is expected to move towards the virgin islands and puerto rico tonight and tomorrow maria made landfall on monday with winds of up to two hundred sixty kilometers per hour. here we can maria has been batteri

. >> this one looks stronger than wilma, so we're going to protect the house this time. >> contractor mark weaver has been booked solid all week. >> the hurricane doesn't care how old your house is. >> people being evacuated are facing trouble of their own. bumper to bumper traffic and gas shortages. governor rick scott is trying to stay ahead of the problem. >> i'm trying to get fuel out to the state as quickly as possible. >> reporter: georgia is also preparing for what may come, clearing the stores of shelves of all supplies. hurricane irma is terrifying, pounding the islands overnight, decimating the once pristine vacation destination. hurricane irma has everyone on ve. . sara rosario, nbc news. >>> over 15,000 people living in miami-dade were ordered to leave. ea airt as those folks were evacuating, all major airlines suspended service to south e to oa. o toiami international airport, some air travelers are weighing their options. she there's panic and fear in the bay area. we talked to a woman who came to san francisco to get out of irma's path. >> i'm worried about flooding bec

i mean from the upper keys, it looks a lot like wilma in 2005. i know i'm hearing past the 7 mile bridge, i've heard descriptions, unrecognizable. it's bad. a lot of debris. certainly low-lying areas are completely destroyed. as you said, my office is completely destroyed. it's -- it's going to be a while. i remember even after wilma, which did not directly hit us, and it was a category 2 storm. it was a big surge storm. it took at least a year for this whole island chain to recover. >> my goodness. did you ride it out down there, or did you leave? >> i actually -- we're part of "the miami herald," so i work from "the miami herald's" office in durrell. a colleague of mine lived in marathon. we have yet to hear from him. the last time was saturday. >> i was just talking to somebody whose cousin and uncle decided to ride it out in mar-a-thma marath marathon, but they're okay. people are unable to get down there and find them. it could be weeks for you guys in keys just getting basic services, water, sewage, power fully restored. how are you getting

i'm comparing it to wilma, and wilma paled in comparison to irma.crew just doing early evaluations, and there are -- i mean luckily and thankfully so far not a lot of structural damage. i will tell you that there are roads blocked. there's flooding. there are some neighborhoods that are badly flooded. i'm looking at a tree right now that is on top of a transformer box. so florida power light going to have a massive, massive, massive job, not just in across the state as you know. the good news, and you said it a little earlier, about the storm surge, storm surge here was predicted to be anywhere between 12 and 18 feet, and we really dodged that. we had minimal, minimal storm surge. still have a lot of water though and there are a couple of neighborhoods we can't get into. >> that's a bit of good news that that the storm surge was only 7 feet but the winds reaching 142 mules an hour in naples. what has been the damage to the infrastructure? >> well, you know, that -- that was a gust that was recorded out at the naples airport. i don't think that was s

wilma in 2005 which was forgotten because of katrina, if you haven't experienced it, take it seriously and ask those who have. if you have experienced it, recall what i just described took place. you were without power, you were out water in some cases or sewer treatment and so forth for an extended peer of time. in terms of track, there's three considerations. the upper right northeast quadrant of the storm packs the most punch. the second consideration is if the eye wall gets over land it loses steam faster. if it stays over water it keeps its strength longer. as this thing moves left and right it can affect our operations because it can affect a different part of the state in a different way, wind or flood. what we'll see over the next 24 hours will tell us which one we'll face. we're planning for those eventualities. worst case scenario, it dips down, moves west and curls around to the other side of the state. right now it's my belief that people haven't been planning for that i'm not suggesting that's going to happen but it seems to be within the cone of uncertainty. this storm at

hurricane wilma was 2005, andrew 13 years before that. >> that's true. while we have people moving and ebbing and flowing, i've got to say i think especially cnn has done a great job of putting that picture on the map and then florida and people are simply heeding it, saying, listen, that's too big. i maybe have ridden out smaller storms in the past. might i rode out andrew but this storm is something if i'm in the keys or low-lying areas or manufactured homes i've got to get out. >> quickly. 20 seconds left. what is your advice to people right now? it's 9:50 on friday. how much longer do they have to make a decision? >> it's right now. it's either go or don't go. the probably until about noontime. you've got to get out of here. that's for folks in those low-lying areas, beach side, manufactured homes. anywhere where local government's telling you to evacuate. >> okay thanks so much for your support. and your advice. >> such helpful information. thank you guys. also want to update you on a powerful earth wake that hit mexico. killed at least 29 people. a

people were on the beach the day that wilma was coming.elieve it was going to happen. and i have just seen -- and here we are years later. but this has been taken seriously. our emergency first responders, police, fire, are ready. we have made plans both for prior to the storm. during the storm of course there won't be any emergency services once the winds obtain tropical force. and of course the aftermath, which nobody really knows what it's going to be right now. but we do have a plan. >> and something else you can't imagine, what it might look like afterwards. you make a good point, mr. mayor, about complacency that has happened in the past when perhaps a hurricane hasn't lived up to expectations and next time around people get lazy about acting on their own safety. that's not the case here. i think 6.5 million floridians in a state of 20 million have been under evacuation orders. you say a lot of people in your area, in naples, have heeded that. like everyone where, though, there are those saying they are going to ride it out, stay put

i know this one is the most intense one since wilma a way back.e an obligation, i feel, to the city of key west. which has been very good to me and the employees to get them back to work and get back to normality as soon as possible. heather: bill, you say you have been there through other hurricanes. have you been there since 2001. have you had any close calls before. >> probably wilma was the closest one. the storm surge was pretty high on there. but it came in and it left pretty quickly. in the city of key west, there was a little bit of flooding that went on. some people -- there was damage and lost their homes. the one thing about this city. which is incredible. which is major part of why i'm staying is, that this city is full of diversity. differing political opinions and everybody bands together as one. it's a fantastic place to be. i can't picture being anywhere else in a time disaster. i know this city will come back quickly. jackie: that mentality is absolutely beautiful. it makes the keys so gorgeous are the people there people at home

i just don't know and i have never seen anything like this and with wilma, i have lived here 44 years so i really don't know. >> to the point of the reference of -- we heard from our reporters on the gulf coast, what changed since andrew and donna, is most of naples hurricane safe in terms of the kinds of windows and the types of codes and buildings that's been done? >> i will tell you that, since donna a long time ago and andrew, wilma got us that the coast is getting tougher and strict stricter, which is good every year. it is a tough code. that part of it has been good. as far as the low line area and as far as the flood protection, who knows because of that surge. >> mayor barnette, we are thinking of you and we got the folks of naples. may you have the safest of tonight. of course, you will get a sense of what the damage is by morning. we'll stick with you the whole time. >> thank you so much. >> all right, mayor. and chris, at this point, it does sound like the mayor is not going to do what they are doing. it is mostly dangerous to send crews out to fix things until they are get

this is different than hurricane wilma. what we have heard from the fema director, the governor and every official speaking. hopefully most people are getting the message. >> this is one of the situations that everyone, yes, you can hope the officials are wrong and hope it is not as bad as it is. it's one of those things that if 911 is not going to pick up, you can't take the chance. again, beautiful behind you. i see people moving around. i'm sure it's less than would be on miami beach right now. >> look, it's nice today. by tomorrow at this time, 12:00, 2:00, we could see 50-mile-an-hour wind gusts. the point chad is making is the storm is so big, even if it's not a direct hit, the entire area from orlando down is going to get category 3, 4 winds. it will be destructive. it can't miss. >> really, it cannot. you are spot on, as you always are. great to see you, john. where do you go now? you are going to be there all weekend. you are going to weather this out. you are going to be anchoring throughout the weekend. what are

i was here for wilma. this is different. this is bigger. >> i was here for all of those. this is a whopper. i totally understand, you don't want to leave your home. this is everything that you have. i understand that. in places like miami beach, tough leave. you maybe think you can ride it out, but here, this is ground zero. look at where it is. that beach is right there. turn to the right, there it is. it's going to flood. i mean, we get rainy day flooding, climate change, it's real. all of this, you know, whether you agree it's human, manufactured or not, look, it's happening and we have to be careful. we have to be ready. the shelters are open. if you haven't evacuated, do so now. >> let me ask you a specific question. after the tsunami in japan, the fukushima power plant was flooded. you have been concerned about the plant here. what is going on. what do you think? >> well, we heard from the governor, he says -- and we heard from, of course, the industry officials, they say they are ready, they can with stand any impact from irma. trust but verify. let's see what happ

wilma, we were the only ones open after the storm. try that again. hopefully it will come in at low tide instead of high tide and we should be better off. brad: preparations, look at this. e.r. bradley saloon in west palm. they have the outdoor furniture piled up, tied together. there when the tide comes up, if the tide comes up and the wind blows. look at this. downtown west palm beach, thursday evening. usually busy, tonight is a ghost town. in west balm peach, brad bell, abc7 news. jonathan: that is good to see. 700,000 people under evacuation orders in florida. michelle: many are listening. this is the florida turnpike. it's packed with the evacuees bumper to bumper there. many of them are coming up our way. jonathan: we know that, northern virginia bureau chief jeff goldberg joining us along dale city tonight where he met floridians fleeing irma. you knew that because everywhere you turn the license plates were from florida. >> well, you absolutely said the trend is unmistakable. you come in the parking lot from prince william county. this is al

hurricane wilma in 2005 was equal in strength to this.here's only been one hurricane in atlantic-based history in 1980 and that was alan. this will do some catastrophic damage to the antilles. that's antigua. they will see their conditions deteriorate tomorrow afternoon. we're talking about power knockout, infrastructure damage, water issues. we haven't seen anything like this since wilma which plowed into cancun and just about wiped them out. the model showing it moved off to the north, what do we have here? this is jose. could become a hurricane. let's not worry about jose right now. it's most likely staying in open waters. this is what we're watching. the national hurricane track continues to have it as a catastrophic hurricane. that's category 4 or 5. jake, this could have some interaction with land, so don't be surprised if one day it's down to a category 2 or 3 and it's back up. most likely the center will stay over warm waters. when you get to in between cuba and florida, that's going to be like jet fuel. sometime saturday it turns