need assistance, there is no relief in sight. patrick opponentma patrick oppmann, cnn, freeport. >> there's the situation for the bahamas. want to bring in cnn meteorologist derek van dam in stewart, florida and nick valencia. let's talk about the big concern for florida now, the likely storm surges, the flooding, how bad could this be and just how prepared are the residents of stewart for this? >> reporter: well, if they haven't evacuated yet it's too late, rosemary. in fact, the shelters, the evacuation centers are no longer accepting evacuees. the causeway that connects the barrier islands where the mandatory evacuations have been under way since 1:00 p.m. yesterday are now closed. we have sustained tropical storm