i'm frances rivera. >> i'm philip mena. hurricane irma is pummeling extreme winds the most powerful hurricane ever recorded. listen here to its fury as it whips into st. maartin. a local official there said the island was quote 95% destroyed. irma sent the sea surging on to streets, leaving cars floating in the water. >> an american student who survived the storm cap cured these haunting images of the after math, though the devastation may be greater in barbuda, nearly every building was damaged when the eye of the storm traveled over the island. the prime minister says the majority of the area is homeless estimating $150 million in damage. >> what i saw was heart wrenching. i mean, absolutely devastating. in fact, i believe that on a per capita basis the extent of the destruction in barbuda is unprecedented. >> at least three deaths in the caribbean are being blamed on the storm. florida's governor is warning residents to be ready. >> the storm is bigger, faster, and stronger than hurricane andrew. we are being very aggressive in preparation for this storm and every floridian should take this seriously and be aggressive to protect their family. >> floridians are rushing to stock up on supplies, leaving supermarket shelves bear, while several counties are giving away free sandbags for people to protect their property. this comes as miami-dade issues mandatory evac orders for people living in vulnerable areas and mobile homes t. mayor is warning everyone else to start leaving, too. >> i have been telling the people of miami beach, especially the residents and visitors, time to leave. get out before the mandatory evacuation order comes a. lot of them have been listening. >> let's turn to nbc meteorologist bill karins, that hurricane looks bigger than the island it's headed for. >> yeah, we are only 60 hours away from when florida will get its strongest impacts. we haven't been able to say, you're safe, or we will get a glancing proceed. we have a chance, including the miami area. that's why we are hearing these dire messages for people no get out to safety as you possibly can. 180-mile-an-hour wins, we have two days of a category 5 storm. typically, they're powerful for one, two, the longest ever was three days. we think this will be a category 5 as we go to friday. this will set records for how long it will remain this intense. it will avoid the mountains in hispaniola and cuba t. only thing that will weaken is a northerly sheer. some of the winds will blow and weaken slightly. that's why we think by saturday 8:00 p.m., that itself the key time. when does that turn north occur? if it returns as a forecast that red line, that's the worst case scenario with the eye going through the miami-west patchy, ft. lauderdale area. we want that cone to be further to the right. there is a chance it could happen. it's not set in stone. we will get a worst case scenario, we need to prepare right now from fingers held tight. hurricane irma is devastating puerto rico, with heavy winds, knocking out places. it smashes into their hotel t. vacationers stored away inside waiting out the storm. some relaxing on pool chairs. they're safe from the widespread flooding and chaos outside. we have more on the hurricane from san juan. >> reporter: irma roared into the caribbean at daylight. she was releaptless, maybe the strongest hurricane to ever hit the region. category 5. this is what is 185 mile per winds sound like. irmany knacked out power throughout the islands. st. maartin tip clay tropical paradise. now part under water and buildings splinterred. puerto rico is the next target. the governor warning everyone to get inside. the worst yet to come. residents scrambling to higher and dryer ground. why have you decided to leave and go to another person's house? >> well, here, in fact, with the winds that we are expecting and so close to the sea. >> reporter: construction dotting the island, but some refusing to leave. this man says he's lived beside the water for more than 50 years and never had a problem, but most see irma as an emergency, coming to shelters leak this, jonathan torres is one of the more than 500 people staying in this coliseum turned emergency shelt shelter. >> everyone is worried. i feel kind of safe here when the storm starts roaming, i don't know if it will be the same. >> reporter: the island continues to feel the effects of hurricane irma. many people waking up where they're seeking cover in the middle of hotel ballrooms and shelters and bunkers. they still have a road of recovery ahead. frances. >> thank you. and miami is if full preparation mode for hurricane irma. hospitals are being evacuated and the city is warning residents near construction sites to do the same. irma putting miami's readiness to the test. 25 years after another category 5 storm, hurricane andrew devastated the area. nbc news' kerry sanders is there with more. >> reporter: they have been preparing to ride out the storm in south miami. >> we previously bought this house two years ago because it had full hurricane impact windows and doors. >> reporter: which means what? >> nothing can get through it. it might as well be bulletproof. >> reporter: 25 years ago, megan was 11-years-old when hurricane andrew pummelled south florida. widespread devastation followed by decades of rebuilding. now concerned if miami is ready to handle another monster storm. this is what miami looks like today t. coastline crowded with new condos, but built with stricter codes established after andrew. >> it's a strong building code. >> reporter: is it strong enough? >> this the a question i don't have the answer for you. >> reporter: another danger, 25 cranes, the city is now warning could collapse in category 5 winds and on the highest floors, stronger gusts, 75 miles per hour on the ground, turns to 115 miles per hour on the 30th floor. then there's the storm surge that could be 12 feet, which would easily flood a low lying miami neighborhood like this. this is what storm surge looks like. likely worse than we saw during hurricane matthew in jacksonville beach last year. which is why storm veterans are anxious. >> the panic has set in now. i keep hearing where it's shifting, where the winds are, i'm getting nervous. >> our thanks to kerry sanders for that report. back in washington, republican's heads are still spinning this morning after president trump made an abrupt and unforeseen move that reportedly left his congressional leadership stunned. he sided with democrats on a plan of a combine funding the government while giving the storm victims the money they so desperately need. we go to nbc news' tracy potts. >> reporter: good morning, so siding with democrats doesn't mean it's a done deal, but it puts a lot of pressure on republicans to get this funding through. here's how politico put it, just hours before this, paul ryan and his leadership team we are told by the white house officials that trump would publicly endorse their plan, in fact, ryan says this about the democratic deal just hours before the president sat down with the leadership. >> i think it's a ridiculous and disgraceful that they want to play politics with the debt ceiling at this moment when we have fellow citizens in need to respond to these hurricanes so that we do not strand them. with the leaders you just describe proposed is unworkable. >> reporter: but after the president sat down with democrats and republicans, that's exactly what happened. a deal that extends the debt ceiling, extends the budget until december, avoiding a shutdown and provides nearly $8 billion for victims of hurricane harvey. here's what the president said about why he decided to sit down and deal with democrats. >> reporter: so the president is expressing some willingness there not only to deal on the financial issues but also daca, those protects he has now ended for immigrants that came to this country as children. >> tracy, we will see where we both ends up from here. let's go back to bill with the latest tracking irma. >> we ended up with a path. a lot of people wondered, when will the winds arrive? we go through friday, we're safe. we go through saturday the tropical storm force winds that come in late in the day, we go through sunday, the chance of hurricane force winds are very high. you expect along the coast. >> that pink high area down there through the areas of the bahamas, we'll extend that in the days ahead t. odds are increasing for the hurricane force winds as we get closer in time. of course, that storm surge that is no joke evacuations. maybe a stray storm on the border of new york state and canada t. rest of the northeast looks drive. of course, we have other storms out there that are not the threatthatirma did. officers in the 43rd precinct tweeted these nos to. they walked to the bus and waved good-bye as he gave a last-minute good-bye to his mom. his father was shot in the line of duty last fall. a new russian campaign connected to facebook. more on early today on a thursday. e. you're more than just a bathroom disease. you're a life of unpredictable symptoms. crohn's, you've tried to own us. but now it's our turn to take control with stelara® stelara® works differently for adults with moderately to severely active crohn's disease. studies showed relief and remission, with dosing every 8 weeks. stelara® may lower the ability of your immune system to fight infections and may increase your risk of infections and cancer. some serious infections require hospitalization. before treatment, get tested for tuberculosis. before or during treatment, always tell your doctor if you think you have an infection or have flu-like symptoms or sores, have had cancer, or develop any new skin growths, or if anyone in your house needs or recently had a vaccine. alert your doctor of new or worsening problems, including headaches, seizures, confusion, and vision problems. these may be signs of a rare, potentially fatal brain condition. some serious allergic reactions can occur. do not take stelara® if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. we're fed up with your unpredictability. remission can start with stelara®. talk to your doctor today. janssen wants to help you explore cost support options for stelara®. the bathroom. when things go wrong here, you remember. quilted northern is designed to work so well, you can forget your bathroom trips. but little miss puffytail can never forget. "the only thing worse than having such large ears, is having such large eyes." a heart attack doesn't "the only thing worse than haor how healthy you look. no matter who you are, a heart attack can happen without warning. a bayer aspirin regimen can help prevent another heart attack. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. bayer aspirin. your privacy makes you myt number 1 place to go number 2. i love you, but sometimes you stink. febreze air effects doesn't just mask, it cleans away odors. because the things you love the most can stink. and try febreze small spaces to clean away odors for up to 30 days. breathe happy with febreze. >> leading the news, one person is injured after one, possibly two explosions ripped through a post office in east chicago, indiana last night t. city's fire chief said at least one plast had been confirmed, possibly from a package. some experts were gearing up to sweep the building for more explosives. two people were inside the post office at the time of the plast. agencies converged on the scene and are now investigating. pope francis is in colombia. he arrived in bogetaw wednesday, greeted by president santos and his wife and dancers. he greeted the faithful, waving at the thousands who turned out to greet him. he told the crowd to never let anyone steal their hope or happiness the nation remains deeply divided over a peace deal the government paid with rebels. the social media giant facebook conducted an influence campaign using its website in 2015 and 2016, purchasing roughly $100,000 in ads, focused on quote amplifying devices, social and political messages across the ideological spectrum. the company said they were 470 you a thent tick pages. still facebook shared its finding with former fbi director robert mueller, currently investigating russia's efforts to influence the 2016 elections. tennis history has been made. for the first time in 36 years, the semi-finals of the u.s. open tournament will be an all american one, after sloane stephens, coco vandeweghe and madson keys became the final four, jeaning venus williams at 37-years-old is the oldest player in the tournament. williams reaches the finals, it will macher third this year after days becoming an aunty to venus williams little girl. the handcuffing of nfl star michael bennett and the police investigation that followed. you are watching "early today." 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and at our factory in , 1,200 workers are starting their day building on over a hundred years of heritage, craftsmanship and innovation. today we're bringing you america's number one shave at lower prices every day. putting money back in the pockets of millions of americans. as one of those workers, i'm proud to bring you gillette quality for less, because nobody can beat the men and women of gillette. gillette - the best a man can get. you wouldn't do only half of your daily routine, so why treat your mouth any differently? complete the job with listerine® help prevent plaque, early gum disease, bad breath and kill up to 99.9% of germs. listerine® bring out the bold™ school is back in session, so is congress. don't forgive to pick up your back-to-congress supplies. pens to make laws. a really cool traper keep tore keep your laws in, a mustache to hide from voters when they find out what laws you passed. a copy of the "art of the deal" to curry favor with the president a. copy of yertle the turtle to favor mitch mcconnell. >> if only it were like that. >> so good, though. hurricane irma nears victims of hurricane harvey, are getting a lifeline after the house of representatives overwhelmingly passed a nearly $8 billion disaster relief bill. with the senate expected to approve it any day now. it couldn't come as a more crucial time as the agency burns through cash. even before hurricane harvey, fema was dealing with massive wildfires out west. since harvey, the agency has been spending roughly $t billion an hour the $8 billion approved by the house means fema won't run out of money this week, it's a fraction of what it could cover to recover from hurricane harvey alone. fema is working around the clock with 30,000 people in texas, hurricane season doesn't end until november. as floridians begin evacuating before hurricane irma hits. one sheriff is issuing a warning to certain members of the public. polk county sheriff tweeted -- >> it's important to understand if you are a sexual predator and a sexual offender, we're not going to let you sleep next to any five or six or seven-year-old babies. period. our shelters are going to be safe. >> sheriff judd also says anyone with a warrant will be given safe and secure shelter at the polk county jail. when school is back if session, here's an important question for you, is college worth price tag? this morning americans are becoming more and more skeptical that a four-year college degree is actually worth it. this poll finding half, 47% say it isn't worth the cost. people graduate without specific job skills and a large amount of debt. 49% said it was worth it. just to show you how the troubles, too, that people have once they get out of school and finding jobs. >> those student loans keep coming and coming, whether you get it or not. it can be a tough situation. i get the split there. >> we thank you for being with us, i'm frances rivera. >> i'm philip mena, thank you for starting your day with us ght here on "early torida happy friday-eve.. live look outside at san jose.. ad lib taking a live look outside san jose this morning, friday eve, that's right, otherwise known as thursday. but a nice start to our thursday morning. thanks so much for joining us i'm laura garcia-cannon zblapd i'm marcus washington as we start off this morning, very nice this morning. very plez zblant i agree. >> well done, kari. >> you delivered. >> you're welcome. and some people will be happy to see a little bit of rain across the bay area. >> now you're pushing it. >> well, we will have some of that and i'm just the messenger. >> that's right. >> i don't take credit for any of this. but we are looking alt very nice weather, cooler too so that will be a welcome change as we head into the day. and we step out the door and our temperatures are nowth

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