A. M. Hour. Thats typically when we see the heaviest of the build up on the road. You can see slowing in the oakland area as well, which means, yes, we are starting to see more folks heading to work. Right now, a quick check of the south bay drive times. Northbound 101 from highway 85, 24 minutes. Northbound 280 to highway 101 changed from moofive minutes to eight minutes. East bay drive times showing slowing. A quick reminder, the metering lights have been on 30 minutes so seeing bumpertobumper traffic. Over to you. Thank you. We begin with breaking news this morning. Hurricane maria is slamming puerto rico this morning after making land fall overnight. Here is where the situation stands at this hour. The hurricane made land fall about 3 15 this morning as a category 4 storm with winds up to 155 miles an hour. As much as 25 inches of rain could fall during the duration of the storm. We are getting lots of new video into the news room asthma ria slams puerto rico. A man sent this video to the Weather Channel showing whipping winds and rain in the streets of san juan. See how strong it is. Gadi schwartz is in san juan where people are sheltering but he says the roof there is starting to leak. The families are having to move their cots. He tweeted video of people in a prayer circle as the storm slammed the shelter. We have Team Coverage this morning. Meteorologist kari hall is tracking the hurricanes path for us. As you can see, the shelter is the worst case scenario. When the place where you are trying to hunker down starts to take on water and unfortunately, when you hear 125 inches of rai its because of the mountainous terrain there. Wind speeds 145 miles an hour with the latest update. We are seeing gusty winds. The current track takes it north of the Dominican Republic and may make landfall again in the turks and caicos. Still a major hurricane. Whats happening with jose may influence whether or not this makes landfall for the mainland of the u. S. This will be something that needs to be monitored over the next several days. Ill talk more about this and more updates throughout the next newscast. Meteorologist kari hall has been tweeting updates on Hurricane Maria throughout the week. Our twitter feed is a great resource for breaking news. nbcbayarea. We are following breaking news in San Francisco where three people are in the hospital after an Early Morning fire. It happened at a home next to mclaren park. Firefighters arrived by the home fully engulfed. One of the victims is in extremely critical condition. Theres no word on what caused that fire. New this morning, a very dramatic chase spanning five counties comes to an end in San Francisco. In fact, this map shows you the route. Look how it started down there in san joakim county along interstate 580, 680, you name it and 80 and stopping in San Francisco. Today in the bays bob redell is live to explain what led up to all of this. Bob . Reporter good morning to you, laura. That driver is now under arrest after a chase that you can see right there lasted about an hour and a half. This is video of the suspect driving through emeryville. This is a chase, a pursuit that started in the Central Valley when the san joakim started to make the stop because they were wanted for robbery and the vehicle he was in, the honda suv was stolen. He was having none of that. He led deputies and officers on a chase westbound 580, through vallejo, back down 80 in San Francisco. Officers deployed spike strips, popped the tires forcing him to come to a stop. This is by the u. P. S. Building on 16th street. This is around 12 30 this morning. Nobody was hurt. You might notice he had a dog. They have taken the dog to the spca. Bob redell, today in the bay. Active one there. Thank you, bob. At 6 05, we are following breaking news out of mexico where search and rescue crews are searching for survivors. After the massive 7. 1 magnitude earthquake slammed the region. This is new video into the news room where police and firefighters are bigging for survivors in collapsed schools, homes and apartment buildings overnight. The epicenter of the earthquake was 80 miles from mexi mexico city. Many people who live there say it felt like a direct hit. Its unbelievable to see. This morning, the damage is mounting as we now recover all this video of buildings that were collapsing. The death toll is mounting as well. 217 people confirmed dead according to mexicos Civil Defense agencies. At least 25 of the bodies were recovered from a school where children were trapped inside. Government officials have declared a state of disaster. It comes less than two weeks after a magnitude 8. 1 earthquake hit mexico, killing nearly 100 people. Miguel almaguer is in mexico city with the rescue operations. Reporter good morning. This is the scene across mexico city. Building after building, block after block in ruins. This is an Employment Agency over my shoulder where they have rescued dozens of people and at this hour are looking for dozens more said to be trapped in all that rubble. This massive 7. 1 quake dropped this region to its knees. Coming up on the today show, we will show the stunning images after the quake was triggered and what First Responders are doing at this hour. Back to you. Thank you, miguel. Damian trujillo is heading to mexico city, reporting live on nbc bay area from the earthquake zone later today. At 6 07, new this morning, two people are injured and a dog dead after a fire at a duplex in san jose. It happened on hazel del rey near 280. Thats where we find today in the bays kris sanchez live. Good morning, kris. Reporter good morning to you marcus and laura. Two people had to climb out a window to safety, leaving their dog behind. When they get home, they will find some of their charred belongings here in the front yard. Right now, they are in the hospital. The smoke was coming from the attic and at least one window. They quickly used the chainsaw to vent the roof and get to the flames as the rezsidents watche from outside the home where they told firefighters the fire woke them from their sleep. They woke up to the sound of fire and crackling and heavy smoke in the apartment at the time they woke up. They actually escaped through a bedroom window. Reporter now, the neighbor in the other duplex unit was out during this fire fight. To give you an idea of how fast this can change, it burned about 15 minutes. It was long enough for folks who suffered smoke inhilation and a slight burn. They are at the hospital getting checked out. When they get home, the red cross will continue to assist them. I dont know if Smoke Detectors were a factor in this fire. I did post information about how often your Smoke Detector or fire alarms should be tested and how often it should be replaced outright. You can find that on twitter at kris nbc or facebook page. Today in the bay, kris sanchez. Thank you, kris. S it is 6 09 right now. I want to get a look at the forecast. Kris had a jacket on out there, kari. It is a cool start. As we go through the day, temperatures lower than where we should be for this time of year. Its in the upper 50s in san jose and livermore. Lower 60s for oak larland and p alto. Highs in San Francisco reaching 67 degrees. 77 in antioch and in san jose, expect a high of 73 degrees. Well talk about that rain and take a look at todays temperature trend for today coming up in four minutes. Vianey arana takes us on the roadways with a look at where you may be slowing down. The east bay and trivalley seeing delays because of a traffic build up. We are seeing and accident around 580. There may be lanes blocked. We are seeing another accident along 205. That means we are expecting to keep those heavy delays at least for the next couple hours as they clear out that accident in the area. Now, lets take a live look at the bay bridge toll plaza. We have seen those metering lights on in the past 45 minutes. Sure enough, there is the heavy delay. Thank you. 6 10. Up next, supporting d. R. E. A. M. Ers in the bay area. The step they are taking to protect undocumented immigrants. Your wednesday morning riddle. How is an iphone like a transformers movie . Well take a look when we continue. Ah the moon belongs to everyone the best things in life theyre free stars belong to everyone they cling there for you and for me flowers in spring the robins that sing the sunbeams that shine theyre yours and their mine love can come to everyone the best things in life theyre free its 6 13 on this wednesday morning as we look outside in san jose. It wont be sunny all day long. Clouds will roll in soon. Lets go to evergreen where we see the clouds by 10 00. Also a slight chance of rain today with temperatures reaching into the low 70s. It will be cooler than normal and breezy, but a nice day to get outside. Well talk about whats ahead in the forecast, coming up in five minutes. We are starting to see stop and go traffic. A quick check of your drive times, northbound 101 about 22 minutes. Northbound 280 from 101 to 85 seven minutes. Thank you very much. 6 14 right now. New this morning, a renewed pledge in oakland to support socalled d. R. E. A. M. Ers. Oakland councilmembers unanimously pass zed a resolution backing president obamas daca program. The support for the young people who are children of undocumented imgranlts and protected by daca. It calls on congress to defend daca policies. President trump is expected to return to the United Nations one day after a firy address that made International Leaders gasp. We will have no choice but to totally destroy north korea. Rocketman is on a Suicide Mission for himself and for his regime. Clearly in the president s cross hairs during the speech to world leaders, the president gave praise to russia and china for backing sanctions. Some were stunned by the proamerica stance on the global stage. Will always put america first, just like you, as the leaders of your countries will always and should always put your countries first. Hes not talking about the steps we have to take right now to get the World Community on our side. The president reemphasized the attempt to pull out of the iran nuclear deal. That had visible support from some leaders including israels prime minister. 6 15. The iphone 8 hits stores on friday. Is it worth the upgrade . Today is the day, laura, they all agreed with apple, this would be the day to show off their reviews. Bottom line, most of them saying they are going to wait for the iphone 10. The iphone 8 is out on friday. Youll have to wait until november for the iphone 10. The New York Times says this morning, if you have a really old iphone, then the iphone 8 will seem like a nice upgrade. Jeffrey from the wall street journal said the iphone 8 reminds me of the fifth transformers movie. You know its new, but cant for the life of you figure out how it is different. The feds conclude their twoday meeting and will reel in the money they pumped into the American Economy starting back in 2009. We are talking about trillions and trillions of dollars. The markets start at yes, new records. Hundreds, maybe thousands of people got an odd email from amazon on tuesday letting them know somebody bought them something they lifted on their baby shower wish list. Many responded, thats odd, i dont have a baby and im not expecting one. A few people got the email and panicked a bit. Amazon said it was a glitch. Dont worry, you are not having a baby. Though a reporter at the washington post, one of the people tweeted amazon informed me someone purchased a gift for my baby registry. My baby is 21 and hopes its a keg. A lot of people are like, what . A lot of people may have been surprise zed. Guess what . Amazon is working on a wearable device, smart glasses. They report they would be able to call on alexa anytime, anywhere. They a your phone is needed nearby to use it. The glasses transmit sound through your skull to your inner ear. Hmm. All of us are like, really . I dont know about that. well see. Lets head out the door and get you out there with what to expect for the day. The weather starts nice and clear. Dont expect it to look that way all day long. Here is a look at the radar. Not a lot happening here until you are closer to eureka with spotty rain coming down. As that has approaches, the potential of light rain around santa rosa by 8 30, 9 00 this morning. More people getting up and about. There will be rain in and around the area. We could also see the rain along the coast. So, watching out for that out ahead of this cold front moving in and even later on this afternoon, we could start to see the rain across parts of the bay area. Not expecting heavy downpours, just enough so your car looks dirty, then gone. We are going to have that kind of rain today. As you get ready to head out for school this morning, in oakland, mostly cloudy skies. Temperatures staying in the 60s. It will be breezy and today, we wont get that clearing like we normally see. I think the clouds will Linger Longer with high temperatures in oakland reaching 69 degrees. Low 70s for palo alto and san jose and mid70s with warmer spots in the upper 70s. If you are planning to head to the beach, heads up for surfers or anyone going out on a boat, a beach hazard in effect. Swells up to ten feet and a long period in between the waves and we may have rip currents and sneaker waves. Watching for the east coast and Tropical Storm jose. Its producing rain around cape cod area over the next several days. It will churn up those waves to bring in gusty winds. This will also help steer maria away from our coastline over the next several days. Its making landfall on puerto rico right now, wind speeds of 145 miles an hour. Really destructive and continues on as a major hurricane over the next several days. Once again, expected to make a curve to the north for the weekend. Well continue to monitor that and right now, vianey arana is monitoring what is happening out there for your commute. It is 6 20. W we have a couple delays on the roads. A quick check westbound 580 toward richmond bridge, eight minutes. Westbound 80 toward the bay bridge, 17 minutes. To the san mateo bridge, 17 minutes. I have good news in terms of public transportation. No delays. Bart reporting 54 trains are up and running. As of now, the morning commute, if you are taking mass transit isnt too bad. A live look at san mateo bridge. Bumper to bumper traffic. The bridge continues to build at this hour. Take that coffee to go. Back to you. Dont spill it like i did this morning. I have to cover it up. Coming up next on today in the bay, nbc bay area responds. A womans free check up costs more than 200. Im consumer investigator chris. We continue to follow multiple breaking stories. Kari is tracking Hurricane Maria. Damian trujillo is in mexico city as they row cover from a mayor earthquake. Follow him. Help challenging a me welcome back. 6 23 right now. Nbc bay area responds to a woman who needed our help with a medical bill. Reporter she did what a lot of us do once a year. She visited the doctor for a check up. She expected the health plan to cover 100 of the wellness exam. She was later told she had to pay 220 for her free check up. Why . The Insurance Company said nor mas conversation with the doctor strayed. You discussed other things after the physical. No i didnt. So you have to pay it. Reporter she called us because she got nowhere challenging the bill. Shes not alone. The state has seen a 60 spike in people complaining about medical overbilling over the past three years. Coming up at 6 00, what happened to her 220 debt after we started asking questions. Ill take you to the powerful, yet underpublicized phone bank where you can file a grievance and your health plan is required to respond. We recall to every email we receive. Call us, 888996tips or visit www. Nbcbayarea. Com responds. Ill see you tonight at 6 00. We look forward to it, thanks, chris. Looking forward to making extra money before the Holiday Season . Walmart isnt planning any hiring for the upcoming season. The retailer will offer extra hours to current workers. The largest employer will offer at the distribution center. Coming up on today in the bay, we are monitoring breaking news out of the east bay where one person is dead after a fire in an apartment building. We are live at the scene trying to get an update on what happened. Reporter the feeling that you are putting your life on the line when trying to cross the street in downtown hayward. The measure to get drivers to slow down. Your engine may be idling out there. A live look at the bay bridge. A live look at weather and traffic in two and a half minutes. You are watching today in the bay. Get 40 off on coit Residential Cleaning Services including carpet and hardwood, tile, stone, even air ducts and window treatments. And your satisfaction is 100 guaranteed or your money back. Thats 40 off everything coit cleans. Call or click today. Thats 40 off everyhey grandpa. Leans. Hey, kid. Really good to see you. You too. You tell grandma you were going fishing again . Maybe. vo the best things in life keep going. Thats why i got a subaru, too. Introducing the allnew crosstrek. Love is out there. Find it in a subaru crosstrek. We re following several breakig news stories this morning, right nou, at 6 30, we are following several breaking news stories including Hurricane Maria making landfall early this morning in puerto rico. This is what maria looks like on the satellite this morning to see how large it is as we continue tracking the powerful storm system. A very good morning to you. Thanks so much for joining us. Im laura garciacannon. Im marcus washington. Well have full coverage of Hurricane Maria in a moment. First, want to check out the local forecast with meteorologist kari hall. Good morning. We start with mostly clear skies. Well start to see clouds moving in as we track rain well to the north of us right now and moving through eureka within the next several hours. The temperatures today will be in the mid70s. Spotty light rain possible after the rain we are seeing on