storm. just now from noa they re telling us there s 10 foot storm surges, and they re seeing some flooding there. 9.6 is the exact count they told us. and that s nearly 10 feet there. and they re also saying 70 mile an hour sustained winds right now in that area. so the winds are starting to pick up. let s check in with my colleague now ed lavandera, jacksonville, north carolina. take us to the scene there, ed. what are you seeing? don, it s the eeriness of these storms when they start making land fall in the darkness of night. the eeriness of the wind howling, and it s hard to make out exactly what s happening around you. that s what lends itself to these rather tumultuous and nerve-racking storms as they come ashore here in the darkness
elevated. so now you re just it s ratcheting up. mike, take a second. you need a second? reporter: yeah. i m good. it s always great when we guys in the studio tell them, hey, take it easy. relax. we do that all the time because we re trying to make sure our reporters are staying safe out there, but that is exhausting, exhausting work to be out there in danger. there s a mental anxiety to it, and the actual physical anxiety of being blown away by those winds. we ll continue to cover this storm all the way through the night and through tomorrow. shelly freeland joins me by phone right now. she is the mayor of sarasota, florida. down here as you can see, the worst of the storm is beyond sarasota. mayor, in fact are you feeling any substantial wind and rain right now? oh, yes, absolutely. we can hear the wind howling. i can hear it at my home here in sarasota. the rain is pounding, and the wind is howling.
the other direction. i don t know how much they can take, shepard. shep: we just got word storm surge is a significant threat for the keys still as the west wind continue. the store surge could increase to 5-10 feet above ground level. look at north bay village. let s listen live. this is the center of biscayne bay. it s unbelievable. in the matter of a half-hour the water made it over the storm wall, three feet, and we are starting to see flooding in our own parking lot. our studio is surrounded by water. and we can hear the wind howling. so i thought at one point we were in the worst of it. store surge a big issue, now we are seeing what that looks like.
onshore this way, wolf. the storm will track up here. flooding here, wind damage here and here and then flooding from this side, too. so because we re going to move it right up and it s as big as the state, if not wider, with hurricane force winds, everyone will see damage. i don t think there will be any true community that doesn t lose shingles maybe a window. be very careful when tried to get in or out of your house if you are staying, because when the wind blows those doors slam shut. and let me tell you, i ve seen it. and people s fingers get caught in the doors. wind howling through it. you don t expect it, bam, in trouble. try to go to the hospital and the wind s blowing 100. please, please, be careful here and have some cash. today is the day to get cash. when the wind blows, power lines go down, and also the le electricity down, credit cards don t work. when you need something, you need cash. the storm comes around 2:00
it was here that so far two bodies both of women in their 60s have been discovered in the wreckage. just a few miles away in rochelle illinois grub stakers was a popular spot to grab a bite. it was twisted and smashed in seconds, trapping a dozen people under its collapsed roof. they heard the wind howling. all of a sudden the roof lifted off and flew away. and the house collapsed in on top of them. reporter: cousins tad and jennifer shaw salvaging what they can from their family farm. my dad said everything is gone. i have nothing left. we re just trying to find family members reporter: tearing apart precious lives and a few businesses. rebuilding will take much longer. alex, residents will be allowed to return to their homes today with a police escort to assess