it s here. it s absolutely here. reporter: high winds and heavy rain. hurricane matthew is batters florida s coast. we re already seeing the impacts, and it s a monster. again, our number one priority is protecting every life in the state. reporter: but the worst hasn t hit just yet. the tomorrow is expected to pound the area with high surf and spawn tornadoes. this storm will kill you. reporter: 2 million people in matthew s path have been told to get out of way. it s th since super storm sandy in 2012. it could destroy homes and cut power to millions, possibly for days, and first responders may not be there to help. this is really a serious storm. we have in every way tried to prepare as much as possible to keep you safe as possible. reporter: and to that end here in florida they re doing what they can to keep people safe. they ve opened 130 shelters across the state. problem accommodating people, urging people if they don t have a safe place to be they need
them here and on our 11:00 news on wral. for overnight changes on the situation watch the morning news starts at 4:30 on wral. tonight president obama declared a major disaster area, 31 counties impacted by the storm are now eligible for federal aid. it will supplement federal and state efforts already in motion. fema says the damage surveys are continuing, and more counties and additional forms of assistance several school districts closed again tomorrow. we have a list to run down for you. clinton city schools closed tomorrow, cumberland county closed again, edgecombe county schools closed. continuing that list, halifax, hoke county schools closed, johnson county schools also closed. and samson, wayne, and wilson county schools closed tomorrow. you can see the list of closings scrolling at the bottom of the screen, and any time on www.wral.com. and people in princeville are keeping a close eye on the tar river. i understand that police are not letting anyo
wral.com. the good thing, elizabeth, is the weather will be nice. oh, we ll have elizabeth in just a moment. two communities are on edge, worried about water levels and the potential it catastrophic flooding. a voluntary evacuation is in effect fo downstream. wral s bryan mims is live in moore county with more, and i understand that the area is completely on edge, bryan. reporter: yes. there are rattled nerves. i m along highway 690 that runs on to springlake and fort bragg. it is closed as you can tell from the cones behind me. and i noticed that the moore county fire marshal brian few other officials. they are about to go out to the dam to meet with safety engineers to see where things stand. but as you mentioned, houses along 690 have been evacuated as well as those in spring lake along the lower little river. let me show you video from last night of the evacuation. the moore county public safety department said that a breach of the dam is, quote, highly likely b
the debate came as parts of the state recover from a devastating storm. governor pat mccrory and attorney general roy cooper touched on economic damage from house bill two. issues at the state crime lab also came up. and the candidates sparred over who would best prepare the state for an emergency. to watch the full hour- long debate, go to wral-dot-com. both vice presidential candidates stopped in north carolina wednesday. republican mike pence was in raleigh for an event at the hilton midtown off wake forest road. this is his secd carolina this week - monday he stopped in charlotte and fletcher. democratic vice presidential candidate tim kaine was also in north carolina wednesday. he made an appearance near charlotte. kaine toured an area restaurant then spoke at a rally for the state democratic party at davidson college. this was his fifth stop in the state since joining the ticket. candidates for senate in north carolina made it clear where they stand on the presidentia
were right here in the studio. there was a heated discussion with leadership, economy, taxes and transparency. we start with how the candidates responded to a question with discrimination. this is one of the reasons why hospital 2 is by house bill 2 is pointed out. where we are suffering economic damage for it. a high have been looking for a compromise for months on this issue. i will make a deal with him right now. if you agree to take out this gender identity and expression, i will supports a by person effort to make sure we do not community. accusing him with affecting the middle class. and then the impact of tax cuts. everyone earning a paycheck, a huge reduction a net increase in pay. schoolteachers, nurses, independent business people, we were the highest income tax we do not need to increase taxes. we do not need to increase taxes, will be need to do is take some of those taxes with the middle class it turned testy when mccoury accuse cooper, supporti