this area of florida. we know, also, that gas has been of a premium, a commodity as we were out overnight in hollywood, florida, where gas stations were running dry. we saw long lines again this morning closer here to miami and almost a ghost town feeling here along the south beach area. where certain people working in different hotels just getting ready. the majority of folks are pretty much gone. and as the governor and also the mayor have warned, if they want to get everybody out and do so, safely. and thomas, it looks like a ghost town. i ve never seen the beach that empty in florida. obviously, bracing for what is about to come. thank you, thomas roberts. reporter: it s amazing, we ve never seen it like this. and thankfully people are taking the message. speaking of what is about to hit florida, rehema ellis is in the
traffic. they re upset about the power not being on. i get that. but let them come to wayne and see what we saw today. those people have had their homes destroyed, their belongings destroyed. they have to start their lives over from this perspective. if you see that, you can do without power for another day or so in the grand scheme of things. it will be months before a full financial assessment of hurricane irene is finally complete, but a preliminary summary at least coming from the national climactic data center says this will be the $10 billion u.s. disaster of the year. now the attention, of course, is turning to fema as states are balgtszing for money and assistance that they need as it also may be running dry. the agency could soon face yet another political battle. here s our colleague nbc s tom costello with more on that story. reporter: the latest estimates for rebuilding from irene already $7 billion. as natural disasters go, 2011 is shaping up to be a bad year. winter s