Expecting category 4 to hit, expecting 10 to 12 inches of rain and possibly 20 inches of rain, this is what they believe will they dont believe will have anything other than water spilling over the top. Any seepage right now . There has been in the past in that area. The corps is going to have a briefing, i think, at 11 00 and theyll be able to answer that. Thank you. Anybody else . All right. Evacuate. Keep everybody safe. Byebye. You have been watching Florida Governor rick scott give another briefing about the devastating hurricane barreling towards florida right now. He could not be taking this more seriously and it could not be more clear that he wants everybody in southern florida to take this seriously, too. You heard him talk about gas stations saying, please, stay open as long as you can. Well give your employees Police Escorts but stay open because we have been seeing these long lines at gas stations. Weve been seeing traffic jams as these people in mandatory evacuation zones are being forced to leave their houses ahead of irma. I want to go directly now to mariana. Walk us through what youve been seeing. Supermarkets, long lines there in addition to other places. A huge demand. That is precisely right, hallie. The supermarkets doing everything they can to service the community at this time. Today they opened up earlier than usual. Employees said they have been here since 2 00 in the morning. People lined up outside this store in hollywood, florida, trying to get their hands on peanut butter, bread, supplies and mostly water. That is the big ticket item. You can see the fury of activity. This is the only place in the supermarket where theyre giving out water and they devised a system to try to service everyone. They are handing out only four waters per local resident here. I see you got your hands on some water. Yes, yes. I was lucky enough. I had heard on the news that it was going to have a truck coming in. So, i want to make sure i come out and get me some more. What else are you trying to get today . I am hoping to find some flash lites. A couple more flashlights. Maybe not in here but somewhere. Are you going to evacuate or ride it out . Im going to go far out west but stay in south florida but out west. Ill let you leave because i know you have a lot of shopping to do. Thank you. Im in Broward County and areas already under mandatory evacuation, as you said. As you heard that woman before whether people are leaving or staying, this is practically the last day they have to get those muchneeded supplies and especially to get their hands on water here in south florida. Hallie. Marianna thank you very much. The bahamas is the next target before it heads towards florida. Its where we find rehema ellis. I know we talkeded i know we talkede yesterday. What is happening today . Is it less busy as people have hunkered down . Well, it is because the storm is really approaching us here in nassau. As you can see, i have got on the rain gear. The wind has picked up. The seas are much choppier than they were yesterday. But the news today is irma has hit the southern bahamas. It is there right now and people are dealing with it the best they can. Some 1,000 people were evacuated from that area. Many of them brought to central bahamas, which is where were standing. But no picnic here either. Take a look at some of this. Some people have tried to anchor these down. These food courts here. Food carts here along the beach are really popular area. But homeowners are doing the same thing. I hope weve got some pictures where you can see homes are boarded up. People have been getting that food and the water that you talked about. But listen to what they say about how theyre trying to be prepared. Im sure that most behaahami. 95 of them, are taking this very serious. This could be the worst hurricane that the bahamas or the caribbean could ever experience. Im very concerned and prepare like its going to be a category 4. Four days of food, two weeks worth of water. My generator is filled up. In fact, they say, this storm will be so powerful that those people who were evacuated from southern bahamas may have nothing to go back to. The real problem here, hallie, they think will be the storm surge, which could be Something Like 20 feet. Thats life threatening. Look at this. This building is about ten feet high. The surge could be twice this height. You dont want to be anywhere near here when that passes through. Hallie . Rehema, stay safe. We will be thinking of you and checking back in later on in the day. I want to head now to the gulf coast of florida where we find kristen dahlgren. The gulf coast also bracing for flooding now from the storm surge, right . Right, hallie. Yeah. The storm surge here based on the latest models could be devastating. So, for days people here along floridas west coast have been told, Pay Attention to this storm. Dont just look at that black line in the center of that cone of uncertainty. This storm could move east. It could move west. And, you know, as its coming up regardless, this is a huge storm. And it is going to affect this area. So, you can see people now pulling their boats out of the water. Take a look behind me. You can see the sanabel causeway. People being encouraged to get out and get out now. A mandatory evacuation for these lowlying areas along the coast. Officials now deciding whether or not they need to increase the range they have mandatory evacuation. Here in fort myers the officials were making the decision this morning on whether or not theyre going to call for evacuations for people on the mainland, but along the coast. People in trailer parks, also being told, you need to get out and you need to get out now. So, the storm surge a big concern here. And then look at the wind field from this storm. And Hurricane Force winds extend way out from the center. Some 70 miles or so. Florida is only about 100 miles wide. So, no matter where you live, this is going to affect you. So, people really being told to get ready. Then we also here have emergency crews that are staging and getting ready to go wherever the worst damage is. So, i was talking to a local search and rescue team, one of seven across the state. They are getting ready and they have everything ready to go. Saws, jaws of life and swift water rescue, as well. They are ready wherever. Kristen, thank you very much. I want to go further away to boyten beach, florida. Joining me on the phone is mayor steven grant. I think i have you here. Do you have me okay . Yes, i hear you fine. Talk us through where your town right now stands where it comes to evacuations. What are you seeing . We are evacuating east of our u. S. 1. So, just along the intercoastal. Otherwise, we are telling everyone to go to a shelter. If you are in fear that your home is not safe and then otherwise stay in your home. And we also are asking everyone to stay in their home 24 to 48 hours after the storm as there may be downed power lines and we need to make sure that the areas are safe before we ask our residents to leave their home. Are people paying attention to this . Are they doing what youre asking them to do . Absolutely. Weve had notice of this hurricane for a while. Some people have waited to see if there was going to be a wobble, it hasnt. So, were still seeing people evacuating to Northern Areas of the country. But we are prepared and we are doing everything we can for the preparations of this storm. So, when you talk about sort of what your priorities are. Obviously, the evacuations, number one. What else are your big concerns here as you look ahead to the next 48 hours or so . Were looking at long lines at gas stations. Were looking at a live shot here, too, of the coast line. Mainly it is to make sure that everything is boarded up in your home. There will be, you know, because of the force of the storm, there will be projectiles, if anything is not tied down. So, you know, be courteous to your neighbors. Because if you have a potted plant that is not that heavy, it could end up being a projectile going into someone elses home. Are you satisfy would the response so far the way the governor is handling this . I think everyone is doing the best they can and we prepared as we can be and its, you know, this is our last day to prepare. I tell everyone to do as much as you can. Mayor steven grant there from boynton beach, florida. Thank you very much for joining us here. We want to look at the latest track of irma and joined by wnbc dave price. As we mentioned at the top of the show, this looks like it is, dave, the worsecase scenario for florida. This is the thing that everybody had been dreading. It is certainly progressing that way, hallie. We are still forecasting the future, not reviewing the past. Things can change as time progresses now. Lets just take a look. Everyone, you have the ability to either take this at face value, which is this is a very dangerous, strong storm or get caught up in the nearterm headline which is that we have seen a decrease in the wind speed. Dont let that fool you. This is very powerful. And it still could pick up some energy and some steam. Were looking at wall replacement right now. We were talking about it yesterday. When this first started you could see a clearly defined hole right through the middle. Thats actually normal for a storm like this. You can lose a Little Energy when that happens and some instability and wobbling in the storm. This is what it looks like right now. Lets review all the facts that we do know. Location of the storm. 80 miles northeast of cabo, cuba, winds 150 Miles Per Hour. Keep in mind that is a negluigible difference between a category 4 and category 5 storm. Movement at 16 Miles Per Hour. What we have been hearing about all morning long is not only the hurricane risk, the debris risk and the issue from the bahamas all the way through to the florida coastline of surge. Jupiter inlet, all the way down to key west. That is a massive stretch of coastline. We could see up to five to ten feet of surge and, again, that is a result of all the wind and the breath of this storm, which is close to 400 miles. And then on the west coast now from bonita beach all the way to key largo, another five to ten feet of surge possible. In the keys, we could see 10 to 15 inches of rain and then the big issue still remains. What happens to this storm . Is the path going to be as predicted . Will it stay to the east . Will it go to the west . Couple of things in play here, by the way. First of all, keep in mind we still have all of this warm water to feed this storm. So, there is plenty of energy left and it still could pick up some strength, once again. Wouldnt be out of the question. Then the issue is, does it follow an eastern trajectory or go a little bit to the west . Keep in mind, again, the width of the storm and the width of the peninsula of florida. Hurricane force winds extend 70 miles. Tropical Storm Force Winds extend all the way up to about 170 miles or so. 175 miles. So, regardless of where this winds up landing, the state of florida at this point is looking at a very, very dangerous and lifethreatening storm. Hallie . David, keep an eye on this for the next three days or so. Dave, thank you very much. You bet. Well continue to follow what is happening with this hurricane barreling towards the coast. Well take you live to miami beach. Well also come back here to washington to look at what congress is doing to try to help, not just these folks, but the ones devastated by Hurricane Harvey. Remember that one just a couple weeks ago. Thats next. Using an electric t. For an exceptionally fresh feeling choose Philips Sonicare diamondclean. Hear the difference versus oral b. In a recently published clinical study, Philips Sonicare diamondclean outperforms oralb 7000, removing up to 82 more plaque and improving gum health up to 70 more. Its Sonic Technology cleaning deep between teeth. From the most recommended sonic toothbrush brand by dental professionals. Switch to Philips Sonicare today. Philips sonicare. Save when you buy now. Philips sonicare. Trust 1 doctor recommended dulcolax. Use dulcolax tablets for gentle dependable relief. Suppositories for relief in minutes. And dulcoease for comfortable relief of hard stools. Dulcolax. Designed for dependable relief. Were back now with more on Hurricane Irma. With miami, of course, and south beach right in the line of fire as this thing barrels towards the coastline. I want to get down to Thomas Roberts who is in miami beach. Thomas, empty behind you there. Right . Theyve cleared the beach and theyre doing the lastminute preparations. Yeah, they are. Theyre doing the lastminute preparations, hallie. Not totally empty. As you can see this couple just leaving. If you had come back to us 45 seconds earlier you would have seen them asking them to get out of the water. I was talk to them as they were leaving and they said they wanted to get in one last swim before the storm. Big oversized flat bed trucks pulled off bungalows that are coordinated with the Different Hotels and residents that will house beach chairs or towels, lawn furniture. They just took off that way. If you can see all the way down by that green and white life guard tower. There are certain life guards on the beach, roughly about 15, 20 minutes ago when we first arrived, one of the first guards who is on the four wheeler over there took over at this tower. Technically the beach is closed and evacuated, but, hallie, you will see people out here trying to get in the last minutes of beauty and kind of a strange juxtaposition to be in knowing whats coming and you have a Beautiful Day right now in south beach and hardly a soul around. Are officials asking folks as they continue to are officials asking folks to get off the beach . I mean, the people that are coming out for one last swim, i imagine, are not exactly following the wishes of officials there in miami beach. No. I mean, everybody is pretty well aware, especially that last couple saying they wanted to get one final swim in. Also asked them how the water felt. They said it felt great. A lot of people here who work in the hotels that are doing final preps. But as we drove in over the venetian causeway to get into south beach, it was pretty desola desolate. Not a heavy presence of Law Enforcement or asking people to evacuate. I think that over the last 48 hours they have done a pretty good job of letting people know. Hearing the governor talk there just about 20 minutes ago, the biggest concern being shelters for people who are going to need it and also getting any type of projectiles from these winds out of the way. Thats what we see them doing on south beach today. Thomas roberts, stay safe out there, my friend. We want to talk about what the government is doing on the federal level to try to help folks not just in this situation, but also from Hurricane Harvey. This Disaster Relief bill being voted on right this second in the house of representatives. Essentially handing a deal to a president who prized himself on making deals. This is really his first one. Kasie hunt is over on capitol hill. Kasie, this is the Harvey Relief and the funding of the bill and the package being voted on that the president had decided on with democrats. Thats right, hallie. This not only gives that aid to harvey victims, but it really also is a down payment to try and help people who are right now trying to escape Hurricane Irma. They added an additional 7 billion to this package over on the senate side. So, were going to get about 14 billion worth in aid to fema that theyll immediately be able to use to start helping victims of harvey and to prepare to dig out from this horrible next storm that is looming over florida. But, i have to tell you, hallie, the republicans who are now going to the florida vote for this, a good chunk of them are really unhappy. Steve mnuchin the treasury secretary and Nick Mulvaney to essentially say, look, we need you to vote for this. Republicans vote for this. As one member came out and explained it to me, he said Steve Mnuchin was a democratic donor and Nick Mulvaney never voted for a clean debt ceiling increase in his life and now stand up here. Where am i right now . I think that was really the sentiment coming out of this room. Leadership has clearly gotten over their issues with the administration to the point, at least, that they are onboard with making their argument. I spoke to congressman tom cole, for example, who said this is the right thing to do. Solves the problem. Lets move on. But i think this foreshadows some serious fractures in the republican conference that are going to emerge as we head towards december where, you know, the showdown has essentially been pushed to. Kasie, ask you to stand by for one second and bring in some folks who are here to talk about all of this. Including the former chief of staff House Speaker paul ryan along with josh leaderman and politics reporter for daily beast betsy woodruff. David, i want to start with you. Ca kasie talked about leadership and clearly conservatives, some of them in the house, are not. These whisperrers about maybe trying to replace speaker ryan. You okay with speaker rien . I want us to do what we told the American People we were going to do. I said this on your show, brian, i said it on so many shows. We make the job way too complicated. Lets do what the American People want. So, dave, you know paul ryan pretty well. What is your old boss thinking about these calls for his replacement. Which we have seen before but taking place at a different time politically. Speaker ryan was a reluctant person to become speaker anyway. It is intriguing that some of these people are focusing on paul ryan when the decision was made by President Trump. And the decision to do this in this way was made on a spur of the moment decision this week, which was fine and great, but the idea that paul ryan or Mitch Mcconnell is to blame is hard to reconcile. Other things that they want done and theyre not happy with the fact that as they went forward on health care they had to try to do some replacement. Some people said i do not just want to repeal, i want tao replace it. You think the jim jordans of the world should be directed more at the president than your guy . I dont know that they have ir at all. They ought to be buckling down, getting to work, looking at taxes and some other things on health care. Like the president tweeting today, sorry, republicans, but repeal and replace is a death wish. Well, the president , obviously, has different views that he tweets. But there are things going on. If you look at senator cassidy and senator graham and what theyre doing and the possibilities of making the Health Care System better for people in the United States by letting the states have more power over the Health Care System. Where they can do what they need to do within their states for the people of their states. Kasie, very quickly before we bring in betsy and josh. You spoke with charlie dent a moderate guy. Kind of an endangered species a little bit on the hill. I would say, hallie, theres at least a minor trend going on among moderate republicans. Charlie dent, congressman from pennsylvania. Well known to many of the reporters who work up here on capitol hill as an affable presence. Someone who is willing to chat. Announcing he is leaving after this year, essentially, telling me that he has no desire to run in the 2018 election cycle. He also talked about being frustrated with how things get done up here on capitol hill. And said he thinks he can do more good on the outside than the inside. Hallie, forgive me. You may have said this. I did talk to charlie dent earlier today. Do we have a clip of the interviinterv interview we could play . I am concerned about the growing isolationism, protectionism with the touch of nilism which these are not attributes of a great nation and, frankly, in both parties i see these trends. What the atmosphere is here in washington under the trump administration. Frustrated and clearly expected that he sits in a swing district, South Central pennsylvania the Lehigh Valley that you know and i think he expects it will be a very difficult year and republicans hard to hold on to that seat. Clearly he doesnt want to go through it himself. On the split screen with kasie, the floor of the house of representatives voting on that big deal, that big package that would provide 15 billion in Disaster Relief for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and kind of a down payment on irma, too. Raise the debt limit for three months and keep the government open for three months. Everyone is circling december 8th in red pen on their calendars, josh and betsy. This is an unhappy time on capitol hill. The fact that it is happening and is happening the way it is happening. One Republican Leadership aide i chatted with said its more the process than the substance of the vote and the fact that the president blindsided them and not only Republican Party leadership and his own treasury secretary to make a deal with democrats with giving him very little heads up. This is a time across the board on capitol hill when theres a broad consensus that things are unhappy. You have your moderates like charlie dent. You have your conservatives like mark meadows and, obviously, leadership across the board. This is not a tenable situation. Also the sense of exand he i the president affyour party. You cant get rid of him and go after him the way that they went after president obama and tried to obstruct everything he does. The president responded to charlottesville or some other personal behavior. A sense there is not that much they can do other than he comes back around to push the issues. As we wait for the final gavel here on the house floor. Go ahead, your point. The extension of the debt limit erases the extraordinary measures the treasury have done. They will use the extraordinary measures in december to take this into perhaps february or march. A few weeks, maybe a few months. So, its not necessarily the case that these two dates are right together. Thats not how republicans said that they are going to govern. They control all of washington. Im just saying, people who are saying everything is coming together that date. That is not the case. The debt limit extended by extraordinary measures. You will have different dates. Im not saying they werent unhappy and particularly with how it came about more so than what came about. Thats something to look at. Be careful if were all saying everything is going to explode on one date. The cr is that day and huoth part of it, too, the idea of leverage which a lot of folks are saying. For democrats. And my sources are telling me its because hes so frustrated with Mitch Mcconnell for not Getting Health Care done. You saw that reflected in the tweet storm this morning. These are repercussions on what a lot of folks are calling gridlock on the hill. Augur a new era in which trump is the i think most democrats realize that that is probably not the case. Only the day before they started this deal that trump was repealing daca infuriating democrats. He seems to be president that will cut deals where he needs to when he needs to. But not a new period where suddenly everything is going to go along with the democrats. When the democrats dont give in money for the wall, will he switch back and start working with republicans . Will he . Will he work with anyone . It is really hard to predict at this point. Thats what he has going for him, hes the wildcard president. We are all in on hurricane coverage. We are keeping an eye on what is going on in the house waiting for the final gavel. Well bring you the news as it happens. I just heard from the white house on whether the president will sign this into law after the vote occurs. We will bring that to you, as well. Right now make sure we bring you up to speed on what is going on with the disaster happening off our coast. The potential for it, at least, with Hurricane Irma. Heres what we know. 17 people have been confirmed dead with this storm ripping across the caribbean over the past few days. Irma is now category 4, with winds up to 155 Miles Per Hour. You heard from meteorologist dave price a little while ago. Those numbers arent important. This wind is essentially very similar to what you would see in a cat 5 even if it doesnt meet the threshold. Right now irma moving towards the bahamas towards south florida still unpredictable track as time progresses. But the National Hurricane center is warning that parts of southern florida could see catastrophic impacts, structural damage and a lot of opower outages. We want to go back now to florida because officials are telling people, if you are leaving, you have to go now. This window to evacuate is closing. Jolene kent joining us from ft. Lauderdale. Some people are just choosing, instead, to stay put. We are in Port Everglades and what we have here are cruises being canceled. 3,000 people supposed to head to the caribbean. Theyre no longer going. A million containers are processed here. Every year they give you your bana bananas, fruit, apparel. All of this have been put on pause. A lot of people in this area who are actually staying. I want to take you down here. Were in a marina that is filled with homes and lots of boats. Tom gonzales who is actually protecting his boats in these final hours as the window is closing. What are you doing to protect your boats . Im tying them in the center of the channel. Why are you tying them there . Were going to have an expected storm surge and as a precautionary deal you give them plenty of slack in the rope so they can ride on the storm surge and tides. Everyone is advising to evacuate but you and your wife are staying here. Why did you decide to stay for irma . For a few reasons. This building is solid concrete. It is solid as can be. Built in the 60s but incredibly strong. Its not because im worried about losing anything. I just think its a safe place to stay. We wish you the best of luck to stay safe. Well be right around here, as well, following all the action. Hallie, what we see here is a very easily quiet ft. Everglades and send it back to you. Its going to be looking very different in the coming hours. Nbcs jolene kent in ft. Lauderdale. Thank you very much for that xhnchlthsing. Coming up after the break, talking to the mayor of boca raton where 21 of the city are ages 65 and older. What the city is doing to help these o them get ready for irma. 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To find you the lowest price. On the hotel you want. Go on, try something fresh. Tripadvisor. The latest reviews. The lowest prices. This inot this john smith. Smith. Or this john smith. Or any of the other hundreds of john smiths that are humana Medicare Advantage members. No, its this john smith. Who we paired with a humana team member to help address his own specific health needs. At humana, we take a personal approach to your health, to provide care thats just as unique as you are. No matter what your name is. We are back with some breaking news. The house of representatives, youre looking at a live shot there on the other side of your screen. Has now passed a bill to get about 15 billion in Disaster Relief money to those who suffered under Hurricane Harvey. Its a down payment for people currently in the path of Hurricane Irma. This bill, this deal that the president struck with democrats earlier in the week also raises the nations debt limit and keeps the government open for the next three months until dedecember 8. This bill now goes to President Trumps desk for his signature since the Senate Already passed it, we asked the white house if the president will, in fact, sign this and when we will update you the second we hear back. Were also watching the track of Hurricane Irma. Thousands of people desperately trying to get out of the way. Miguel is at the miami airport with more. Hey, hallie. Thousands are pouring into miami nr international. Many looking for that last seat out of this region. 4,600 flights in airports being affected by irma have already been canceled. Today that number is expected to grow. Thousands are still pouring in here looking for seats any way out but they are hard to come by. Many airlines are now capping prices, some like jetblue as much as 99 to get out. But, again, those seats are nearly impossible to find. Not just here at the airport, but also cruise ships that are docking, dropping off some 40,000 passengers who are affected by the storm. Many of them now looking for flights home. The airports are telling us they are going to shut down, at least airlines and their services over the weekend here. So, many trying to make that lastminute push to get home. Hallie, back to you. Miguel there for us reporting from the airport. Joining me now is the mayor of boca raton, florida susan haynie. Thank you for being on the phone with us. As you, obviously know, one in five people in boca raton are older than 65. That is a real concern when you talk about evacuations for irma. What is your city doing to try to help these pofolks . We are here and our city is prepared. Our county has opened two shelters for those who are in lowlying areas that wish to evacuate. Boca Raton High School and west boca Raton High School. It is a massive storm and eminent that we will have hurricaneforce winds here in boca ruto bo boca raton. Many people have evacuated to points north. Of course, were asking people to evacuate from the low lying areas to just inland with friends, if they can. And this is about neighbors helping neighbors in their time of need. In addition to neighbors helping neighbors, is the government sending out folks to help some older people who have issues with mobility or medicines or different medical devices that they need to be bringing with them . Well, yeah, operates a special needs shelter here in our county for those who have special needs medically. And some of the cities in our western areas, especially the cities around lake okeechobee, there is buses picking up those individuals and taking them to safe shelter. There are some supermarkets in your area, publix, of course, the big florida chain, set to close tonight. All of the Grocery Stores will be closed by noon tomorrow as we look at empty shelves already. What is your message to people who have yet to run out and get supplies at this point . Well, they have time this morning. The weather here is still beautiful. And i know many of our residents are doing their lastminute preparations today. And, you know, publix has been a great partner. Most of their stores have generators. So at the conclusion of the storm, theyll be open for business, once again. But, you know, we ask our residents to make certain that they have food and water enough for three or four days and that they, you know, shutter their homes or if theyre going to shelter in place or go to a safe place and, you know, not be in a floodprone area. As ive been looking at cover oage and covering the story on Hurricane Irma you see the images compared to hurricane andrew back in the early 90s. Irma is a lot bigger. Were talking about the infrastructure and the buildings in boca raton, were they built after . Are you confident about the infrastructure in boca . Yes. Most of the newer buildings built in our city, of course, are under the miamidade Building Codes which were the result of the catastrophe from hurricane andrew. The buildings are fine. The city of boca raton we spent a lot of money maintaining our inf infrastructure. We have been cleaning out our drain system in preparation for Hurricane Season and our system is prepared. We have 65 generators that we move around to maintain Sewer Service during the storm and after the storm in light of power disruption, which we certainly anticipate afterwards. Hurricane wilma, you know, my neighborhood didnt have power for ten days. We understand what thats like and the aftermath can be quite challenging. This is a large storm. You know, andrew was very, was a small, very powerful storm. This storm is going to, you know, affect not only monroe county, but miamidade, broward and possibly collier, as well. It is going to be widespread storm damage after this storm. It sure is. Well think about you over the next few days after mayor irma blows through. Thank you for joining us. You heard right before this show began governor rick scott issuing this call to gas stations. Hey, stay open as long as possible. Well actually help get your employees out because gas shortages and traffic are making evacuations really tricky. So, up next, well look at what you need to know on how to evacuate safely and quickly. Plus, a new forecast from the National Hurricane center just about 20 minutes away. Well bring you the latest on irmas path right after the break. There are too many beautiful things to do and see in your life to let chronic dry eye symptoms get in the way. To learn more about chronic dry eye symptoms, chat with your eye doctor and go to myeyelove. 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[ male announcer ] join the millions of people who have already enrolled in the only Medicare Supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp, an Organization Serving the needs of people 50 and over for generations. Remember, all Medicare Supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesnt pay. And could save you in outofpocket medical costs. Call now to request your free decision guide. And learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now and down the road. I have a lifetime of experience. So i know how important that is. I am totally blind. And non24 can throw my days and nights out of sync, keeping me from the things i love to do. Talk to your doctor, and call 8442142424. This morning watching people scramble and pack to get out ahead of Hurricane Irma. National investigative correspondent jeff rossen has some tips for folks trying to escape. As Hurricane Irma bears down, officials in florida are sounding the alarm. Ordering mass evacuations. If youre told to evacuate, get out quickly. But thats easier said than done. Take a look at this. Long lines at just about every gas station and some cases hours long. A nightmare. A nightmare. I have been in line for hour and a half. By the time i get there, i get nothing. You cant go anywhere because you have no gas. A line of cars at this gas station that wrapped around blocks and blocks and the gas stashz just ran out of gas. They are pulling the pumps out. Theyre out of gas. Happening at so many gas stations here across florida. All of the cars that have been waiting and waiting and waiting now have to go back in line at another gas station. Then there is the traffic. Highways packed with cars trying to get out. The evacuation itself can be dangerous. During hurricane rita in 2005, at least 100 people died, not during the storm, but during the evacuation. Many running out of gas and dying of heat exhaustion. If youre evacuating and stuck in gridlock traffic. Here is the question. Do you run the engine and the air conditioning or do you conserve fuel . Experts say your best bet is to run the car and you can run a little ac for about ten minutes every hour. It doesnt have to be the same ten minutes altogether. You can scatter it. Experts say that should be enough to keep you cool, but also keep your car running longer. Your evacuation checklist. Packing up now and leaving today. Let me have the suitcase. But thats not enough. Experts say you need a go bag, stuffed with a few everyday items you may never think of. Do you have one of these . A first aid kit. You always need those, especially after the storm. Have you packed bottled water. You packed bottled water. Portable flashlights. Extra batteries. Thats the other thing. Thats perfect. More flashlights. Granola bars. Definitely. Now, heres something that may not be as obvious. Your medications. You are going to grab your medications because you dont know how long youre going to be gone. Today while theyre still working because if electricity goes out, the bank atms may not work and credit card machines wont work in the stores and you will need cash to buy the essentials. Go to the atm. Take out some cash. And important documents. Put it into a waterproof bag and bring it with you. You dont know if the house will be there when you come back. Were giving all of this to you. Its yours. Thank you. Evacuation tips as traffic builds and gas dries up. Jeff rosen reporting for us this morning. Sam champion is also reporting for us today. He is in miami beach. You have been through storms before. Talk about the context here. What do people need to know . And compare it to what youve seen in the past and youve been covering these things along the coast. Reporter all right, yeah, all that is true and i have indeed been through cat 5 before but this storm is very different. Kind of making the comparison other the track of this storm is going to be so different than any storm florida has seen. We talk about andrew for south florida. Andrew hit south florida and let me do this, if this is florida and thats the tip of florida, andrew did this. At 145 Miles Per Hour as a peak wind when it made landfall. Irma is going to be at about 150 Miles Per Hour and irma is going to do this. Theres a huge difference between the storm that goes across the bottom of the state and storm that rakes the entire state. I just want people to have that in their mind. Making comparisons to strength and wind speeds and rainfall totals, it wont really make a difference with this storm. You have what will probably be a category 4 storm moving up the entire state of florida. Its what i want people to know, this is an all florida storm. East coast, west coast, in the middle. Youre going to get Hurricane Force winds, youre going to get the flooding rain and bad effects from it. Lets show you where the storm is right now. We can give an idea of whats happening. Well get an update in 15 minutes. The top of the hour at 11 00, not much will change. Ill tell you what might change out of it. Heres the center of the storm and today going to spend its time moving east. You can heres the recent track, were going to watch this storm move across the bahamas and today, were into tomorrow and its going to move across the northern part of cuba. Then all four have it making a northern lift. If that storm attaches to cuba or eyewall, we may have a subtle adjustment in the strength but we may even see in the 11 00 update, that it got a little bit stronger because prior to that, at the 8 00 update it was making a little eyewall replacement. When it does that and the wall shifts and replaces in the center of the storm, you may weaken the wind speeds for a while. Then that storm is a Perfect Energy generator keeps churning. I want you to see this before we wrap quickly. The longterm track for this storm as we have it, we have it hitting 2 00 a. M. Sunday at 150mileperhour winds in the center keys, then moving up the center. So by monday at 2 00 a. M. , its near orlando. Daytona beach area. On tuesday we have the storm, whats left of the circulation with rain and wind, 35mileperhour winds right there towards tennessee. Its important for everyone to be watching. Sam champion, a pleasure to have you on this show with that perspective. Well be right back now with more from miami and some of the animals in the path of Hurricane Irma at the zoo. Kerrie sanders is there. Mom, i just saved a lot of money on my Car Insurance by switching to geico. I should take a closer look at geico. You know, geico can help you save money on your Homeowners Insurance too . Great geico can help insure our mountain chalet how long have we been sawing this log . Um, one hundred and fourteen years. Man i thought my arm would be a lot more jacked by now. Im not even sure this is real wood. Theres no butter in this churn. Do my tris look okay . Take a closer look at geico. Great savings. And a whole lot more. Itwhats possible. Nk rethink the experience. Rethink your allergy pills. Flonase sensimist allergy relief uses unique Mistpro Technology and helps block 6 key inflammatory substances with a gentle mist. Most allergy pills only block one. And 6 is greater than one. Rethink your allergy relief. Flonase sensimist. I expect a lifetime guarantee. And so should you. On struts, brakes, shocks. Does he turn everything to gold . Not everything. At midas were always a touch better. Book an appointment at midas. Com at one shelter around miami yesterday pets were getting ready to hunker down with the rest of the family members ahead of Hurricane Irma. But those members of the family arent the only animals in harms way. Kerry sanders is at the zoo with more. A lot of activity behind you, is that a flamingo . Reporter it is. Were at zoo miami. Ron is here to tell us whats going on. As we bring the camera over here, they are going to shelter in place, ron. Tell me first of all, its a little skittish to move them, right . Absolutely. Were taking the flamingos off the normal exhibit and safe structure that has their own pool within a concrete block structure to protect them through the storm. This is an ongoing effort and one of the few animals we move within zoo grounds but it is important to protect them during the storm. Sometimes animals can sense something. Is there any indication with the 3,000 plus animals here that any animals sense whats coming . Reporte they certainly sense something is different, the zoo is closed and people arent in the park, so i think they feed off of their keepers like your pets at home your dog knows when youre sick or scared. They reflect off our own feelings. Reporter we see the pink flamingos with a zoo keeper and they are going to drive them over to the shelter. Tell us about the shelters here. We know after andrew, everything was leveled. Everything was leveled and they were all built to the highest Building Code really in the country. They are hurricane nothing proof but certainly the most hurricane resistant codes in the country. Going into a newly poured structure. Reporter this is a test. It is a test. Reporter i should point out, the animals that are here include lions and other dangerous animals. You have them inside these facilities locked down and got forbid they get out, you have to possibly put a shoot team in place to make sure people are protected. We have the shoot team in place and directive is if one of the dangerous animals is out after the hurricane, they would be shot to kill yes. We certainly hope that doesnt happen. Kerry sanders live at the miami zoo with that perspective. Thank you very much. We want to share todays big picture now, not about Hurricane Irma but harvey. A little girl just 10 days old when the water got higher and higher and parents flagged down the cajun navy. After five hours in the boat they made it to a shelter in louisiana and now this little girl is back in the boat for a newborn photoshoot. The very same boat she was saved in. Talk about emotional. Her name by the way, hope. This photo is courtesy of noel mills photography, love what matters and the telegraph had the story of little hope right there. We wanted to end on that note. You can find me on twitter and facebook and twitter and instagram. Im heading to the white house for a briefing as President Trump gets updated on whats happening with Hurricane Irma. For now ill turn it over to my colleagues ali velshi and stephanie ruhle. Hope. I love her and love that story. Thanks, hallie, good morning, im stephanie ruhle. Im ali velshi. It is friday, september 8th, special coverage continues on Hurricane Irma. Lets get started. Irmas fury awe inspiring and terrifying. Images from the caribbean in the wake of irma tell a story of paradise lost. All of south florida is now under a hurricane warning. Forecasters saying it could pave a path of destruction the length and width of the state. Every florida family must prepare to evacuate regardless of the coast youre on. Those highways are going to have a hurricane on it before you can even get to the people that are being hit by the storm in the beginning. Mass ee vak vagss labeled unprecedented are ramping