expecting water to come in, but if you notice where the water is right now, it's over that small embankment there, that's going to be a business at some point, they are planning to put a business in there, but let me give you a look at how choppy things are here, and how high the water has gotten. this was well below this area here, well below, you had to really lean down to get close to the water. now it's coming up and it's almost completely onto that. this is nothing compared to what is being expected here. the highest the water has ever gotten here in crystal river is about four feet above the flood zone. the entire community is a flood zone. it's in a flood zone, why they have told people to evacuate. at this point in time this is a wind event right now. it has been raining as well as the bands come in, but the real fear is the water, and what do officials always say? you run from the water, you hide from the wind. hopefully people have heeded the warnings, as this storm gets closer, and keeps pushing this water onto land, this could end up being an extremely dangerous flooding event. it is already starting to flood, the area where we are, which is normal because we are right near the water. i want to get to tallahassee now, i think where john berman is standing by. john -- sorry, where derek van dam, we're going to first -- you know, i have to talk to john, he's my co-anchor. but derek van dam, in tampa, half under water, in a place that's normally dry. what's happening now and where is the storm? >> reporter: i think people can excuse the technical mishaps we have here, we're in the middle of a dangerous hurricane but we're on bay shore boulevard in tampa bay, just off of tampa bay, the city of tampa, directly over my right-hand shoulder. i think these scenes really just paint the picture of what we're experiencing here, unfortunately the storm surge has been realized, the four to six feet that we thought, and was predicted to come has actually materialized, we're standing on what would normally be a busy thoroughfare, the artery for tampa. but we've just frankly got an angry tampa bay that is throwing its worst at us, even though we're 150 miles to the southeast of the strongest part of hurricane idalia. so this just goes to show our viewers at home that you don't have to be near the center of the storm to get serious, serious impacts. right now we just happen to be getting one of these rain bands that are pelting my face. it stings. this storm surge is quite a thing. we've had to move our crew vehicles. it continues to come up even though we've surpassed the high tide, which was at 4:00 a.m. this morning. so there's a combination of things working for this storm surge, that being the push of water with the winds that are 130 miles per hour across the ocean, but there's also the inland flooding that is taking place from these heavy rain bands, sometimes one, two inches an hour, and then you add that with a super moon, the full foon, -- moon, the greater tid swings, working in simymphony t raise the water levels, that's what authorities have feared the most, and that's what is being materialized before you. down the road we've had lights flashing on and off, if my camera man can get that in the background there, again, tampa completely obscured at the moment, the skyline was visible, not two minutes ago, with these heavy rain bands, strong tropical storm force winds impacting this area, we don't want to move around too much, because technology getting a little bit shaky in this type of weather, but one thing that's very interesting to note is that homes on bay shore boulevard here in tampa are threatened by this storm surge. now, any local from this area will tell you that bay shore boulevard floods all the time. that is true. but this is different. and that's because this storm surge is working in contrast with the inland flooding, and the full moon, and it is causing this push of water that continues to rise well past the high tide that occurred at 4:00 a.m. this morning. we checked some tidal gauges, old port tampa, which is about 15 minutes to my southwest, preliminary record for storm surge, four feet plus, the old record was set back in 2020 at 3.79 feet. so we're sitting in record territory here, sara and phil, and we are feeling it. my team is working extremely hard to show you why people have evacuated zone a's across many of the coastal communities here in florida, back to you. >> derek van dam, thank you, thank you to your crew adrian and carlos who are taking those incredible pictures, giving people a sense of what they would be experiencing if they did not evacuate, if they did not get out of the storm's path. and you are not even in the major part of this storm, there's a tiny bit of good news, it's no longer a category 4 storm, sustained winds of 130, now gone down to a category 3. you will see this happen. as it gets closer and closer to shore, once it hits the shore it starts to knock the wind, so to speak, out of the hurricane. that does not mean that people are in a safer spot because of the storm surge, because it is still a major hurricane, a category 3, we're talking 120-mile-per-hour winds or more, so when you look at that it still is a very, very dangerous storm, make no mistake about it. okay, now thank you to derek. now we're going to go to my friend and colleague john berman who is in tallahassee, which is the capital of florida, we have just heard from the governor there, ron desantis, talking about the dangers of this storm, tell me what you are experiencing there, john. >> reporter: it's windy, sara, the governor told everyone to stay inside and you can see why, because the winds really are picking up here, we're getting gusts now i think that have got to be 40, 45, approaching 50 miles an hour in some cases. tallahassee is 20 miles inland from the gulf. tallahassee has never actually experienced, since they've been keeping records, hurricane-force winds. all the storms that have passed through here directly have been just south, and i mean in terms of miles per hour, just less than 74 miles per hour. this storm could very much possibly, even likely, bring hurricane-force winds to tallahassee, and that would be a first. you saw the lights flicker on and off when governor ron desantis, his news conference there, right now i'm looking around, there is still power in this area. the town's completely out of gas, we drove around last night when we got in around midnight trying to get gas. there was no gas to be had so people were stocking up and preparing for this. this is a city. some 200,000 people live here in tallahassee where the storm might make landfall south of here, far, far fewer people, hundreds of people along the coast. but you come inland, right in the past of this storm, tense and hundreds of thousands of people who could be affected by the wind and the rain, here the forecast is from anywhere from six to ten inches of rain, absolutely. they expect to see fresh water flooding, absolutely they expect to see trees down, and roads closed. it could be very, very difficult to get around here in tallahassee, not long from now. obviously the greater concern is south of here, right along the coast with the storm surge, that will not be a problem here, but getting from here to there, obviously this is the capital, getting help from here to there could be very complicated. sara, you get the sense that what's happening here now is just the beginning. it's going to be five, six hours of just real discomfort and danger. sara? >> reporter: john berman, thank you so much for showing us the situation there. and the -- giving us the warning because tallahassee is not used to, it is inland, not used to seeing a major hurricane go passing over it and people need to be prepared for that. thank you so much, friend, we'll check back with you in just a few minutes. i want to go to bill weir now. bill, tell me where you are, and tell me what you are seeing, we are starting to see another band of wind here in crystal river that is pushing this water ever higher into the community. >> reporter: i am north of you, sara, steinhatchee, florida, and first light is giving us our first look at hurricane idalia, she's somewhere over there. this is just the edge, the southern tip of the big bend, as the wilderness preserves and the nature coast goes around to the panhandle here, these big grand old trees are what worries the folks in the immediate term. we're in that sort of surreal early storm phase between the bands where it gets calm, actual calm and then boom a gust will come up and catch you. we're hearing the corrugated roofs on the docks banging around down there. there's a big worry if the storm surge is as predicted over a dozen feet it could lift pretty much every one of these floating docks off of their moorings and let them fly and float around this neighborhood. this is a fishing community, small, about a thousand people or so, it should be the height of scallop season with tourists, but largely evacuated due to the mandatory orders. there's always that percentage of floridians, the ride it out, the never leavers who are here, and they know they -- we lost power about 5:00 a.m. this morning, that was expected and now it's sort of batten down the hatches time, because here comes idalia. sara? >> reporter: thank you so much, bill weir. good to know that, you know, look, you're doing okay and you're in the calm before another band comes through. appreciate your time, bill, we will be checking back in with you. thank you also to derek van dam and to john berman in tallahassee and derek in tampa. we're giving you the scenes of what's happening with this category 3 now, hurricane idalia, back to you, phil, in the studio. >> spanning 150 to 180 miles of the west coast of florida, all of which is seeing effects even though the big bend region is really kind of the direct path. keaton beach is what the florida emergency management division official who leads that organization was saying earlier today, sara, we've been watching throughout the course of the morning, what you've been seeing on the ground, the water, the flooding, we've been talking about storm surges, very, very dangerous, potentially 12 to 16 feet. as you noted it's now category 3 storm, not category 4, but in talking to the hurricane storm director earlier, he made the point, we're talking about five to ten miles an hour here, not a dramatic difference when you're talking about the scale of the storm we're seeing, particularly in places like steinhatchee where bill weir is, the entire team coverage going forward, and we'll hear from allison chinchar our meteorologist about what exactly is happening right now as we see this storm edge towards landfall in florida's gulf coast region. buy one footlong in the app, get one free. for r freeee. that's what i'm talking about. ordeder in 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save 50% on the sleep number limited edition smart bed. plus, free home delivery when you add a base. shop now only at sleep number. welcome back to the breaking news, we are covering now a category 3 hurricane, hurricane idalia, you're looking at tampa, florida, in the outer bounds of this hurricane that is nearing landfall, at some point within the next hour according to governor ron desantis, the florida governor in his latest press briefing. i want to go straight to meteorologist allison chinchar, live in the cnn weather center. the biggest question for people following this, it's now been downgraded to category 3. why? >> it's trying to make itself stronger, undergoing an eye wall replacement cycle. the eye wall closes up, pressures up and decreases. the hope is that it comes back on the back end of that even stronger than it's ever been. what bodes well in our favor is it may not have time to complete that cycle before it makes landfall. landfall is imminent at this point in time. while it's undergoing that eye wall replacement cycle it's not likely it will have enough time to get back to a category 4 before it makes landfall. i want to emphasize nothing has changed about the impacts, whether there is a low and cat 4, or high end cat 3, the impacts to the storm will remain the same. you have this extreme wind warning for these counties here, until 9:15 a.m., we are anticipating these winds here to exceed that 80, 90, even 100-mile-per-hour threshold. right now most of them sustained about 20 to 40 miles per hour. we're getting wind gusts around tampa and sarasota, even brooksville in that 50 to 60-mile-per-hour range and those will continue to go up as we go through the next several hours. tornado watches also in effect for both portions of florida as well as georgia, that goes until 3:00 this afternoon. we have already had nearly a dozen tornado warnings already so far this morning, those are going to continue, again, even throughout the afternoon, the vast majority of them are going to come from some of these outer bands. so it doesn't even have to be in the center of the storm for you to get those tornado warnings. one thing to point out when we talk about that, everyone knows, in a tornado warning your safe spot is the lowest level of your home. if your home is taking in flood waters you don't want to go to the lowest level of your home, you want to go to the highest level of your home. so keep in mind, your safe place for much of the day today is probably going to be in the middle of that, being in an interior room, somewhere on the mid-level of your home, away from the flood waters but also protecting you from the tornado potential. these outer bands are going to continue to stretch in, that storm surge is also, sara, going to continue as we go to the rest of the afternoon. >> reporter: yeah, thank you so much for all of that, giving everybody a sense of where the storm is, what is happening, all across the west coast of florida. we are in crystal river. and we are watching as a new band of wind has been coming through here. i just want to give you a sense of how strong it is right now. we've seen a stronger gust, but they keep coming. so look at that boat and if you also see to the right there you will see flags flying. those are being shredded. the top of that boat, the tarp that covers your head normally is being shredded because these winds are sustained. they keep coming through and just barrelling through this area, pushing all of that water onto shore, it is now a lot further in, several feet into -- onto shore there from the water. that's the thing that everyone is afraid of is as these waters get pushed onto shore, it puts people in true danger. right now you're okay. right now if you wanted to evacuate from this place, you could. but it is going to get to a point where you cannot, according to the predictions. so, stay safe. try to get to higher ground. you don't have to go far. all right, i think we are now moving on, carolyn, where are we going from here? all right. brian todd is in tallahassee, he's in the capital of florida for us, we've heard from ron desantis this morning who has been telling people that, look, we will get to you as soon as you can if you have an emergency. if you haven't left the evacuation zones you are on your own for a while because the emergency systems don't want to get caught in it and be stranded themselves. tell us what's going on where you are. >> reporter: right, sara, the emergency response teams here, we have heard them in action. we've heard sirens earlier this morning, but that's going to stop because emergency responders, first responders not going to be able to get out to rescue you, if you call them, from pretty much here on in. until this storm passes. just getting kind of clobbered with another band of wind and rain here in tallahassee. it is definitely intensifying. and the dangers are pretty much all around you. if you try to venture out in this stuff here. i'll illustrate that. this old live oak tree, spanish moss hanging interest this old oak tree, thousands of trees like this around the tallahassee area. it's what makes this city distinct and beautiful but it also make it more vulnerable. a lot of weight on these trees, the ground underneath this tree becoming saturated. these are the kind of trees that get uprooted and fall down. especially here in tallahassee. covered a hurricane here a few years ago what struck us then was the amount of trees like this, old oak trees, that just came crashing down on the roads, blocking the roads. people could not navigate through it. i'll show you something else here. our photo journalist david brooks is going to throw his camera across the street to the street light over there. that can give you a good illustration of where the wind and rain is blowing. when the rain starts to blow sideways you know that it's getting very, very intense and you've got to be very, very careful navigating your way through that. as i come a little bit more forward, here's another thing you've got to watch out for. take a look at that little banner, that advertisement banner across the street that's on that pole, that little temporary banner of that sign, that thing has been really whipping around. right now it's okay. but that thing has really been kind of swaying back and forth as the wind has intensified. that's the kind of thing that you've got to be very, very careful about, because that's the kind of thing that can become uprooted if and when that thing does that's like a javelin flying around when the wind is really intense here, which we do expect. i heard our colleague john berman in the same town as me mentioning tallahassee has rarely if ever experienced hurricane force winds, that's coming. and first responders will not be able to get to you if you call for rescue here on in. people will have to ride this out and do not venture out in this stuff. back to you guys. >> reporter: yeah, that is really good advice, something that cannot be said enough, because the emergency responders can't get stuck in it themselves, and then need to be rescued. they have to be there when the storm passes through. so that they can get to people. but this is why they ask you, they beg you, they tell you for days to evacuate. don't put them in harm -- don't put yourself and your family and your pets in harm. try to get to higher ground. it's just stuff. i know we love our stuff but we love our lives more. all right, going now to vincent long. he's someone, as are many people, that are involved in officialdom here in florida that has to watch this from the ground so they can activate when needed. he's the county administrator for leon county. vincent, tell us what's happening in leon county as far as what's happening with the storm physically and what you are telling residents there. >> well, good morning, thanks for having me. yes, as you've reported we are beginning to experience the outer bands of idalia as rain and wind are certainly picking up here, and we anticipate tropical storm force as well as hurricane-force winds today. we have been monitoring idalia since it was a tropical depression, and since very early on and indicated it would be heading our way and to, of course, rapidly intensify. she's done all of that and more. we've taken the past few days to coordinate intensively and extensively with all of our emergency management partners and to advise our citizens and to prepare as good as we can. you may know we are no strangers to hurricanes here in leon county and tallahassee, having faced hermeen and irma and michael in successive years. we've learned a lot. we've put those lessons into our preparations, but frankly preparation time is over. we are advising our citizens to shelter in place, whether you're sheltering at home, or in one of our emergency shelters, and we are in for a lot of -- into dangerous weather for the foreseeable future. and, again, we just as soon as we can we'll be in a disaster assessment and a recovery mode, but not until we experience potentially very dangerous weather. >> reporter: vincent long, i think something that you said bears repeating. at this point the time to evacuate in leon county is over. that needs to be stated again and again for those of folks that are watching that still have electricity that now it is time to shelter in place. if you have stayed and not evacuated, this is not a time to try to evacuate. in leon county. there are other counties you would be fine to leave, but in leon county right now, just hearing this from your administrator, this is not a time to leave, you will put yourself in worse danger. there is also the danger, vincent, of the power lines. what is happening with power? obviously you have some, a lot of people in florida, as a floridian, have generators that help them keep the power on, at least be able to, you know, sort of charge their phones and keep their refrigerator going. what's the situation with power and what are you expecting as far as power outages potentially? >> well, our power is pretty stable at this time. we are encouraging citizens, of course, we expect power outages. but again, our providers are working around the clock to shore up our utilities, we're advising people, again, to stay away from downed power lines. very important. and if you use a generator, again, we can't emphasize enough to ensure that you have proper ventilation. a generator in an enclosed area for just a few minutes can be deadly. and so we can't emphasize that enough. we're encouraging our citizens to -- when it is safe, to check on their neighbors, again stay away from downed power lines, and of course to use caution when utilizing and operating those emergency generators. >> reporter: that is such good advice, thank you so much, vincent long, this is not a time in leon county to evacuate, if you have not evacuated, shelter in place. as you heard vincent say there, be careful with your generators, they can cause carbon monoxide poisoning. sir, take care of yourself and your family and we'll be checking back in with you in the next few hours. and we'll toss it back to phil. >> sara, you had a great question with power lines, given the scale and speed of the wind. just moments ago, you saw this video when sara was asking that question, in perry, florida we saw a line blow out, this is the reality right now, you heard from governor desantis and his team, state and local officials about their focus on trying to restore power, the power they have restored up to this point but the worst of the storm approaching landfall at this moment. they say they are ready to address what will be a significant issue when landfall happens and its aftermath but there will also be a lot of restrictions getting linesmen out, difficult in the immediate aftermath of landfall. we'll talk about that and a lot more with the fema 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florida, last several hours, we've been seeing the outer limits of that hurricane. we are now planning and waiting for that direct hit. sara, in crystal river, you've been seeing a lot of the flooding, a lot of the kind of effects of the outer bounds up to this point. what are you seeing right now? >> reporter: yeah, lots of wind. the pushing of the water onto land it is now gone several feet onto land. now, look, there is a great hope that we don't get the kind of storm surge that was expected here which is between six and nine feet, which would be far over my head from where i'm standing which would mean the entire city here that's about 3,400 people would be flooded, all the way up to city hall. at this point we're not seeing major flooding yet, but the storm is clearly not over, still a category 3, and we are starting to see the water move in from these incredibly intense bands of wind that come through, and every now and then you get that pelting rain as well. i know that we have someone who's about 20 minutes away from steinhatchee in cross city. we've got eugene o'neill who is -- sorry, edgar o'neill who is in cross city. what are you seeing there? what are the effects as you chase this storm? >> caller: right now incredibly hazardous -- the power just -- little town -- over the roads. the intersection, debris is high -- very heavy and high winds right now. >> reporter: you are hearing ed edgar oneal, in the midst of a huge band that's coming through, and the hurricane, you know, is set to land pretty much at cedar key which is not too terribly far away. you are much closer than i am to the eye of the storm, and you said that there is debris, and that's one of the things that people really must watch out for. the winds are going to pick up debris, they are going to, at a category 3, they can started to shred some roofs and take tile off roofs and throw those around, knock down power lines, which is really, really dangerous. edgar, can you let me know, are you seeing people who have decided to stay, even though that's an evacuation zone? that often happens in these hurricanes where people say, you know what, i'm not leaving my house, i'm going to figure it out from here, what will be, will be, have you seen folks who have stayed around there and in the danger zone? >> i have seen some people stay. i was in cedar key earlier, in fact there was about 30 residents staying here. here in cross city. i've seen a few people out, but mainly reporters and first responders. people here in cross city are staying indoors. >> reporter: there is at least that. there are places you can still evacuate where i am and places where you are where really it is time if you have not evacuated to shelter in place. thank you so much edgar oneal, our storm chaser there who is in the midst of all of this. and chasing the storm. you made it to cedar key as well. that will be hard hit from hurricane idalia. i'm now going to toss it back to phil mattingly in the studio. >> that is the on the ground view, i want to take things back to a macro view in terms of the preparations and what should be expected on the state, local and federal level in the hours to come as that storm now a category 3 hurricane approaches land in florida's big bend region. joining us now is former fema administrator craig fugate. i appreciate your time, struck a couple of hours ago when we were talking to a local official, who said this is the wait and see moment shl, it's very anxious, you've done the preparation and deploy assets afterwards. take us into this moment on the federal level where you're waiting for landfall and can't really do a lot. >> yeah, right now it's everybody is staged about as close to this as you can, what they're going to be waiting for as the storm begins to move through, they won't wait until the sun is shining. the state is going to launch the search and rescue teams to go into targeted areas where they expect to have the greatest risk from storm surge and wind damage. fema sent teams in to support the state. they have basically surrounded this area, and so, again, on the federal side it's really supporting the state search and rescue operations. that will be the first part. second priority will be beginning to getting an assessment of how much damage are in these areas, for the people there, this isn't good news of what's going to happen. from the standpoint of a federal response this is the least populated area of florida you could take a hurricane through. so it's very rural, you've got clusters of small communities that are spread out. there's no real focus area that you can -- you base out of, so you're using tallahassee, maybe lake city, gainesville, places like that. as this storm moves through. it's not just florida, it's going into georgia. they've sent teams into georgia, they've got people with georgia emergency management and looking up in the carolinas. >> i think we had the feed freeze from the former fema administrator craig fugate. we will let you know iffer able to get him back. it's an interesting point, and if i could bring sara back for a second. not sure she's with us. but sara, to the point being made there, the preparation, this storm seemed to come on fast. a lot of officials have acknowledged that fact, just how fast it became such a major storm and such a significant threat. you heard the governor of florida ron desantis, and you've heard federal officials and the fema administrator deanne criswell lay out what's been done in preparation in terms of assets and in terms of what will be able when they can deploy. i think the question and concern that we've heard throughout the morning is when will that actually be, particularly for those who chose to stay? >> reporter: that's the problem is that if you choose to stay you choose to put yourself in danger, then you will have to wait until the emergency services, if you need them, can get to you. that's the risk you're taking. people know that risk. some people don't understand how dangerous the situation is because this particular storm is going to areas that don't normally get hit with something that is this large, this powerful, this much wind, this much rain, and this much storm surge. that is going to be a key factor in whether people make it out of places that are getting a direct hit. they may be used to seeing storms, but it hasn't happened in more than a hundred years in some parts of the west coast of florida. that's why the authorities are telling you that we know you've been through some of this before, we know you've been through something like this, but this is different. it is bigger, badder, bolder, wetter, stronger. so people need to understand. but the thing they always tell you in florida, you learn this from when you're a kid, that you're supposed to run from the water and you're supposed to hide from the wind. hopefully people, the majority of people have run from the water, the low-lying areas, and are hiding from the wind if they have to shelter in place. all right, i think we are moving on to check in with derek van dam. is that right? oh, after the break. we're going to check in with derek van dam. and all of our other reporters who are up, and down the west coast of florida, we have people in just about every spot, every 80 miles or so we'll give you a real picture of what is happening in the state of florida on the west coast of florida as hurricane idalia is now a category 3 storm, and will soon make landfall. we'll be right back. but your stomach doesn't. that disagreement ends right now. lactaid ice cream is the creamy, real ice cream you love that will never mess with your stomach. lactaid ice creaeam. so get relief fast. only tylenol rapidelease gels have laser drilled holes. they release medicine fast for fast pain relief. and now, get max strength topical pain relief precisely where you need it. with new tylenol precise. my brain. so i choose new neuriva ultra. unlike some others, it supports 7 brain health indicators, including mental alertness from one serving. to help keep me sharp. try new neuriva ultra. think bigger. automatically responds to snoring. so, no more hiding under your pillow. because this system actually detects snoring then adjusts to help reduce it. for a limited time, save up to $700 on select tempur-pedic adjustable mattress sets. trying vapes to quit smoking might feel like progress, but with 3x more nicotine than a pack of cigarettes - vapes increase cravings - trapping you in an endless craving loop. nicorette reduces cravings until they're gone for good. all right, i am live here in crystal river, florida where the bands of wind from hurricane idalia, a category 3 storm, are hitting once again. now, we know that the storm is very, very close. in the next hour or so, that's going to make landfall very soon now. i want to go to allison chinchar who is tracking this storm for us. what can you tell us, how soon might this storm hit landfall? >> i would say honestly, sara, the next few minutes, likely the next ten minutes we'll get the official call from the national hurricane center. we are now starting to see that official eye wall begin to cross over land as we speak. you're starting to see a lot of the thunderstorms on the northern side also intensify, a lot more lightning bolts starting to pop up with this. so, again, i would say at this point landfall is under way. we are really going to see that announcement from the national hurricane center in the next few minutes as this storm continues. these impacts are stoill going o continue over the next several hours. the extreme wind warning has expanded into new territory, it extends until 10:15 a.m. this morning. the emphasis there is on the intense, incredibly strong winds that we are going to get in that area over the next few hours. you're looking at sustained winds in a lot of these areas, up around that 40-mile-per-hour range, but some of those wind gusts between 60 to 70 miles per hour, and those will continue to increase here in the next hour or two. we also have the tornado watch in effect for portions of both florida and georgia. we've had about a dozen tornado warnings already so far today, that number is going to go up. keep in mind, when we talk about tornado warnings, the safe place is always the lowest level of your house, say a basement for example, but a basement is not where you want to go if your home is being inundated with flood waters, you want to go up. keep that in mind because that makes your safe place very tricky on a day like today. here's a look. again, we do -- repeat that for me one more time? monica, i believe, yes, we do have landfall. they have just confirmed it. we have landfall as of right now. so the center of the storm has officially crossed into florida as we speak, as a category 3 storm near keaton beach. so repeating, we do have official landfall near keaton beach, florida as a category 3 storm. again, these impacts are going to continue as this storm continues to slide off to the north and east, those outer bands are going to continue to push very heavy rain, very gusty winds, and, yes, the potential for some tornadoes also exist across these areas as well. back to you. >> reporter: thank you, allison, that was a really great update. we now know that hurricane idalia has hit florida, a direct hit near keaton beach, florida, if you still have power and are still watching television, this is the time that you take shelter, that you get into an area that is as safe as possible inside. most places in florida do not have basements because the water table is so high. but get into a safe space of higher ground, try to stay out, do not get in your cars, do not try to leave now. this is not the time for it in a place like keaton beach where hurricane idalia, a category 3 storm, which means the winds are sustained at like 120 miles per hour or more. please, please, please do not go out in this. don't play around with this because there will be projectiles that will be whipping around that can really injure you, and make some serious damage to property. all right. now that we know the storm has hit there, what i can tell you about some of the other parts of florida, the storm has passed us by. but look at what's happening. you're still seeing these winds gusts, because this is a very powerful storm and you have the outer layers of the storm that are still very active here, we are in crystal river, we are probably more than 50 miles away from where the storm is hitting landfall, and yet there are still effects. we are seeing flooding, the water, we are now, we have now come up about three feet because the water has now come up several feet from where we were standing moments ago. so, we are seeing some of that storm surge. it is the water that is going to cause the greatest problem likely with this storm, especially now that there's no longer a category 4 storm. it is the storm surge. please, for god sakes be safe, try to get your pets if you have stayed, try to get your pets into a safe spot as well. let us go now to derek van dam. he is in tampa. the storm has passed by but you'd never know it. because where he is, it is inundated with water, that storm surge having a serious effect on tampa. >> reporter: yeah, you know, sara, with the national hurricane center just calling landfall on keaton beach, this is the strongest hurricane to impact the big bend region in over 125 years, and get this, folks, this is the third landfalling hurricane in florida in 12 months. wow. what does that have to say about people who try to eninsure thei homes within this state? that's a whole other topic. where i am located this the bay shore boulevard, a major artery, a thoroughfare for tampa which is over my right shoulder. the pictures speak for themselves, this area that has completely flooded and it has encroached on homes as well. i'm going to have my camera man walk with me and paint this picture because the surge is still coming in from tampa bay. we checked one of the tidal gauges near where we're located, it is currently at record levels, 5 1/2 feet of storm surge near the tidal surge gauge that is closest to me. that is incredible. records go back to 1991. so this is almost a symphony of cataclysmic events. not only a powerful major hurricane pushing up the water across the eastern sections of the gulf of mexico, a shallow water basin, by the way, but we also have inland flooding that is moving from the -- from the ground towards the ocean. so these working together in conjunction, they meet in the middle and they rise up the water levels. that is also being combined with the impacts of a full moon, which is a super moon, and that has that great tidal swing with the highs and lows. even though we are nearing a low tide in tampa bay, we are still getting the surge and the impacts from the storm that is 200 miles away from us. incredible. sara. >> it is incredible. i love what you just said there. that was probably -- very poetic. a symphony of cataclysmic events all coming into florida. we should mention once again that hurricane idalia has made landfall in the big bend-region of the west coast of florida. it has made landfall. it is hitting. that means the eye is going to be coming on to shore and then those winds that whip around the other side of the eye, which can be even more devastating, that is happening right now. you are looking at some live pictures and we want to show you some satellite imagery, too. that will be coming up. we will visit with someone riding out this very dangerous storm in just a few moments. how's the chicken? the prawns are delious. oh, i have a shellfish alrgy. one prawn. very good. did i say chicken wrong? tired of people not listening to what you want? it's truffle season! ah that's okay... never enough truffles. how much are they? it's a lot. oh okay - i'm 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can be the... barcode beat conductor. let's be more than our allergies! and for fast, allergy relief with a powerful decongestant, try zyrtec-d. i may be known for my legendary football career, but truth is, i love a bunch of sports. the only trouble is knowing where to find them. that's why i got xfinity. so, i can easily find and watch whatever sport i'm into all in one place without missing a thing. even if it's football, australian football, or football football. in a word—it's fitz-credible. i got to trademark that one. this season, eligible xfinity rewards members can get up to $100 off nfl sunday ticket from youtube. sign up for xfinity rewards now. river, florida. the outer bands of hurricane idalia hitting us right now with some wind and a bit of rain, but it has made landfall as a major hurricane. a category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 120 or more mie miles an hour. to michael bobbet, who is riding out this storm. first of all, sir, tell us why you are riding out this storm. why did you end up staying? >> i have some elderly neighbors that flatly refuse to leave, and that's been the case around the island. i felt like i had a responsibility to stay and help some of the folks that had underestimated what the storm was going to be. i have a house on top of a hill that's sturdy and above the projected surge levels and i just felt like i had a responsibility to the island, my neighbors to stay. we are doing okay. we are out of power. the storm surge has overwhelmed our downtown, our dock street, our boat ramps, the bridges on the way into town. it's going to be a while before anyone will be able to get on or off the island. we are effectively cut off from the world now. >> reporter: michael, you are in cedar key, which is right there near where the eyewall is coming through, has made landfall there, and we are seeing some video that you took also of just sort of the area as all of this was happening. i see that it's dark in your home, you said, there is no power. it could be a few days before power is restored. i know that they will get to you as soon as they can. i think it is really lovely what you have done for your neighbors, the eldlely neighbors that you spoke of to make sure that there is someone there looking out for them since they didn't evacuate and weren't able to do so in time. we are looking at some of the pictures of those bands of wind and rain coming in to your area, the video you took from cedar key, florida, which has always been very close to the eye of this storm, if not expected to be hit full force. and those are the first initial winds. you also, once the eye passes over, you get the terrible winds on the back end. storm that can be really destructive. we see the huge surge, the push of the water on to shore, which is what is very dangerous. back out live to me, we are now getting another band of rain. we are getting another band of wind coming through where i am, which is a good 50 miles from where you are. that's how large this storm is. these are tropical storm winds. this isn't hurricane force and it's causing flooding already. we were standing near that blue, where you see the sort of seats there, those benches. now we've moved up because now we have got a couple of feet of water on to shore here in crystal river. but it is nothing compared to what people are seeing in cedar key where you are, mr. bobbitt. thank you so much for doing what you are doing for those neighbors, for being so kind. i am happy to hear that you are on a hill, that you are elevated, because that's so, so important. we will check back with you. please stay as safe as possible. we appreciate your time. this is the kind of person you want in your community, taking care of others. that does it for us. we are going to start all over again to give you the very latest right now. >> welcome to the top of the hour. our special breaking news coverage this morning throughout the course of this morning, hurricane idalia. the category 3 storm that is rapidly intensified throughout the course of the morning before decelerating slightly made landfall near keaton beach in florida's big bend region. it is a category 3 storm. this what you are looking at now is less than 20 miles from keaton beach. the water levels have been rising throughout the morning. to give you context, particularly in this big bend region, this hurricane, hurricane idalia, is now most powerful storm to make landfall in that region in the past 1 20 25 years. sara sidner has been standing by all morning live in crystal river, florida. we have full team coverage all over florida's gulf coast.

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