Make his presence felt in the souths first battleground. Winters chill. The eastern half of the country waking up to bitter cold temperatures and high winds this morning. Blizzard warnings in parts of the northeast. Als weekend forecast just ahead. Those stories, plus water everywhere. A massive water main break in texas floods homes and roads and leads to dramatic rescues. Houston, we have a problem. Astros players being hit by pitches, booed and mocked by fans at spring training in the wake of the cheating scandal. And todays getaway. Lets get this Party Started. Weve taken the entire show on a winter vacation for one wild ride. Today, friday, february 28th, 2020. Announcer from nbc news, this is a special edition of today with Savannah Guthrie and hoda kotb, live from universal Orlando Resort in florida. Hi, everybody. Good morning. Welcome to today. Its good to have you with us. A special friday morning. Were here in orlando, florida. Beautiful, blue sky above us. We happen to be next to our today cafe at universal orlando. Were going to have a lot of fun this morning. This is the first time weve taken all four hours on the road for a winter vacation. We have jackets because its not quite summer yet. Itll warm up. The weather is one of our stories this morning. Its chilly across the east coast. We have a lot of news to get to this morning. And our top story is the coronavirus outbreak. Overnight, the list of countries hit by the virus grew to 50, with new zealand and nigeria confirming their first cases. And drastic new measures are being taken to deal with the outbreak. In switzerland, the government just banned all events. All events, public or private, of more than 1,000 people. Also here in the u. S. , facebook has canceled its annual conference in california. This is an event that attracts thousands from around the world. And this morning, wall street is reeling after the dows biggest daily point drop ever. Nearly 1,200 points. We have complete coverage this morning. Theres a lot to get to. Well start with the stock exchange. We have overseas. Also california. Nbc National CorrespondentMiguel Almaguer is there se the closely. Good morning to you. Reporter good morning. This new case of coronavirus is a big concern because doctors simply dont know how the patient caught the virus. The victim in sacramento is not doing well. And her case could be an indication we are now entering New Territory in fighting the spread of the coronavirus here in the united states. Seriously ill and on a ventilator, the newly diagnosed victim at the u. C. Davis Medical Center represents the first possible u. S. Case of Community Spread of the coronavirus. It means doctors dont know how or where the unidentified woman got sick, since she had no travel to china or known exposure to someone with the virus. This is probably the tip of the iceberg. Reporter the woman arrived at the Medical Center february 19th with signs of the viral infection. But testing for the coronavirus was delayed because the patient didnt fit cdc testing guidelines. We do realize that this case were discussing today marks a turning point. Reporter the victim lives in Solano County, where hundreds of americans have arrived at Travis Air Force base for quarantine. Now, in a complaint obtained by the new york times, a federal whistleblower claims that some federal workers never had proper training or adequate safety equipment. Raising questions, could they have exposed the public when leaving base . With worries over the coronavirus driving the stock market to a nearly 1,200point singleday drop, the worst in history. Just ugly, ugly all around. Reporter fear is reaching more corners of the country. A Washington State high school is now closed after a Family Member of an employee got sick and was taken to the hospital. Pharmacies reporting a shortage of face masks. It was quite the search to find anything. Reporter the president is trying to stay optimistic. One day, its like a miracle. It will disappear. And from our shores, it could get worse before it gets better. Reporter this morning, the thin line between panic and caution, as doctors scramble to figure out how one woman got sick and if others are exposed. With the possibility of the Community Spread of the virus, more and more cities are preparing for potential outbreaks. And Major Companies across the country are taking steps to protect themselves. As mentioned, facebook and microsoft, choosing to cancel the inperson components of their upcoming conferences. Hoda . All right, miguel. Thank you. Now, to the extraordinary measures being taken to try to contain the virus all around the world. From closing schools to travel bans, even sporting events being played in empty stadiums. Nbcs Kelly Cobiella is covering that part of the story for us from tokyo. Kelly, good morning. Reporter good morning, hoda. Theres more than 200 cases, now, in this country, japan, with two more deaths overnight. And theres a big push to close all of the countrys schools, affecting 12 million students, as this country and many others try to contain the virus. E globe. Spreading to five new countries. New zealand, denmark, brazil, the netherlands and nigeria. The number of countries with confirmed infections now up to 50. With reports of one woman in japan testing positive a second time, after doctors thought shed recovered. The japanese government taking drastic measures, advising schools to stay closed for a month. Tokyo disneyland also shutting its doors. And the citys olympic preparations under threat. The torch relay, due to reach japan next month ahead of the summer games, but officials considering scaling back the ceremony to limit crowds. A strategy adopted across asia. The virus is having a wide raging impact. As popular korean pop band bts cancelled a concert in seoul. And korean students stay away from school. This American Teacher has little to do in the south korean capital. Youre a teacher. You havent been teaching anyone. I dont have classes. Im spending a lot of time at my desk, studying korean and trying to stay sane. Reporter military bases in crow i cant are running extra screenings after a soldier tested positive for the coronavirus. While the u. S. Navy fleet in t japan is taking precautionary measures and keeping some ships at sea for two weeks. Others are scrambling to cut public gathering. Saudi arabia, stopping pilgrimages to mecca and medina. And in italy, this soccer match went on in an empty stadium. Fans having to watch in bars outside. Another concern for health care workers. A hong kong patients dog has tested positive for coronavirus. Its a weak positive. And theyre trying to figure out if the dog carries the virus or if he came into contact with it on his nose and mouth by being in the same environment with his sick owner. Its important to note theres no Scientific Evidence at this point that our pets can carry the new virus. Savannah . All right, Kelly Cobiella, thank you so much. And as mentioned, the crisis is taking a huge toll on global markets. Stocks appear set to drop again today, wrapping up whats been wall streets worst week since the financial cry crises of 2008. The dow plunged nearly 1,200 points, its biggest daily drop in history. Stephanie ruhle is on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange for us this morning. A lot of nerves there, i gather. And thei issue is, stephanie, uncertainly. And of that, theres a lot. What does it mean, not just the markets, but the economy as a whole . Reporter the global economy. Janet yellen says she thinks this could sink us into a recession. Why . Its not just the u. S. Economy. Now that corona has hit 50 countries and were he about all of the countries take precautionary measures, think of what that does to economies. Its not just the amount of people getting sick. You mentioned it before. Disney getting closed. Switzerland cancelling events. Companies like facebook and microsoft cancelling large events. When people arent spending, from a government perspective, from a corporate perspective, thats not good for economies. Were moving into hunkerdown mode. Theyre in hunkerdown mode, but if this virus is with us for the next few months, maybe for longer, wall street has to adjust. Is there good news or hope on the horizon . Reporter well, right now, the reason you really saw the market drop so much was not because they know its doomsday. Its because they dont know enough. We are all risk managers. The most valuable thing is information. If youre moms like us, deciding if kids should wear raincoats or a ceo figuring out what to do with your employees around the world. We dont have enough information right now. We have mixed information from even our government. And thats why wall street is saying, im going to take a pause. Yeah. Take a pause. For those at home that arent professional investors but have 401 k s, should they sit tight . Or do they need to be involved in this selloff . Reporter they should absolutely sit tight. For those of us sitting at home, were not professional investors. Were definitely not day traders. Whats happened now is drastic. Remember, just a week ago, the market was hitting highs. Fundamentally, lots of these companies are very good. Were trying to figure out how big the coronavirus is going to be and how to react to it. Right now, its too soon to make a decision. Heres an interesting thing. Stocks that are doing well, are tied to being a home body. Zoom, which is a company that does Video Conferencing for people that work from home, netflix, peloton, anything that involves people staying home and not being out there, it is pretty good for them. Theres a silver lining, stephanie. Thank you very much. Well have more on the virus just ahead, including a closer look at the race to prepare our hospitals and airports in the u. S. For a potential surge in cases. First, craig joins the table. Fresh in from South Carolina. P. Hoda, savannah, good to see both of you. Good to see you, as well. Thats right. All dwreyes are on the first ine south state. Voters in the palmetto state head to the polls less than 24 hours from now. And a new poll there shows joe biden with a substantial lead now. But the candidates are also focused on next week. 14 states up for grabs on super tuesday. Kristen welker has made her way from charleston. Shes in the capital of columbia, South Carolina, this morning. Good morning to you. Reporter hi, craig. Good morning to you. The candidates will be out in force, making their closing arguments to voters. For joe biden, this state could be make or break. He has said this is his southern firewall. If biden wins and wins big, it could shake up this entire race. Overnight, the candidates making their final sprint in South Carolina, aiming to energize voters. The pressure is on former Vice President joe biden, who needs a big win here to revive his campaign. Biden holds a 20point lead in the latest poll. And overnight, he intensified his attacks against the national frontrunner, Bernie Sanders, who is calling for a revolution. This nation isnt looking for a revolution. Its looking for results. Its looking for results, to improve peoples lives. Reporter but the critical question, is it too late to stop sanders ahead of super tuesday . At a latenight event in South Carolina, sanders returned fire against biden. Ive known joe for many years. He is a decent guy. But i dont believe that joe can beat trump. Reporter also feeling the heat, former south bend, indiana, mayor, pete buttigieg, vying to be the modern alternative to sanders but struggling with africanamerican voters. How do you prove that you can win over a Diverse Coalition if you dont have a strong showing in South Carolina . The candidates who are doing strong with minority voters are on the scene for decades or have billions of dollars to make up for not having been on the scene for decades. Reporter many candidates are looking beyond tomorrow and setting sights on super tuesday. Elizabeth warren campaigning overnight in texas. We better have a president ial nominee who has a track record for getting things done. Reporter and Amy Klobuchar in north carolina. We have to win big. We cannot leave areas of the country behind. Reporter but looming over all of them is Mike Bloomberg, pressed by kasie hunt, whether he and the moderates are helping Bernie Sanders by dividing the vote. Did you spend 400 million to hand Bernie Sanders to the nomination . I dont know why you think look, Bernie Sanders has been running for years. I believe that if Bernie Sanders gets the nomination, he will lose to donald trump. Reporter watching it all very closely and not waiting on the sidelines, President Trump. Hes going to hold a rally here in South Carolina a little later on tonight. Key to winning here, africanamerican voters. They make up the majority of democratic voters. And right now, biden has a doubledigit lead with the group. Savannah . Kristen, thank you so much. For more on the race and what to expect tomorrow and through super tuesday, we have Peter Alexander here in orlando with us. Handing out hand warmers. I know. Florida is not what we expected. Lets talk about what we have in South Carolina. Biden has opened up a big doubledigit lead. Craig was just there. He knows firsthand. Is that enough, a big, commanding victory in South Carolina, to propel him on to super tuesday, when you have sanders being the front runner . This is bidens third time running for president. In 1998, 2008, and now 2020. Hes looking for his first state victory. He needs to get it in South Carolina tomorrow. The polls, as youve seen right now, look good for him right now. Up 20 in the latest polls that are out. 45 of africanamericans in that poll supporting him. Keep an eye on the style points. He cant just win. He has to win with a significant margin. That margin will matter. Hes looking for a springboard going forward. He will need it because super tuesday is a couple of days away. Speaking of super tuesday, just four days from now. 1,300 delegates up for grabs there. Michael bloomberg, one of the things that continues to strike a lot of folks, heres a guy thats already spent 200 million, 300 million, and he said hes prepared to spend at least that much more. What effect could bloomberg have on super tuesday and this race moving forward, even if hes not a front runner . Hes an unknown at this point. This is the first time his name will be on the ballots for super tuesday. Will americans be keeping an eye on what he says in ads or the sub par debate performances. Isnt the polls showing hes taking a bite out of biden . If biden does well, bloomberg if bloomberg does well, biden starts to sink. The challenge will be and sanders wins. And sanders surges ahead. One of the challenges is consider california. It may not happen what happens in South Carolina because 2. 7 Million People have already voted in california, more than in all the other states combined. All right, peter. Thanks. Meanwhile, classes have been canceled today in houstons Largest School district after a massive water main break flooded a major highway on thursday. A dozen cars, as you can see, trapped under water. First responders called in to rescue people stranded on their roofs. Officials say a private contractor was doing repairs on a major water line. A leak burst before they got to it. This morning, a boil water notice remains in effect for the entire city of houston. Its that time of the morning when we check in on the weather. Its a cold snap that is hitting us even here, mr. Roker. Where are you, al . Oh, snap. Im over here. With all these nice folks. Thats right. Lets get started with that cold air and show you what looks like and feels like right now. Weve got a february chill. Windchills, feels like minus 2 in marquette. 19 in new york. 19 in cincinnati. Mentioned, tha the way do right now, a brisk 41, feels like it, in orlando. 39 in new orleans. The good news is well start to see a warmup early next week from boston into richmond on into memphis. We have blizzard conditions. Look at this video for you. Out of watertown, new york. And you can see, my gosh. It is brutal out there, with very low visibilities. And look on the maps, as we show you the radar. Some of the snow is stretching three lakes across, 500 miles, from lakeeffect snow, bringing 2 to 3 inches of snow per hour. Snowfall amounts from half a foot in western new york all the way up to maybe 2 feet or more as you get into the tug hill plateau of new york state. Well get to your local forecast co t next 30 seconds. Icare from Blue Cross Blue Shield does for hal. And with easy access to quality healthcare, imagine what we can do for you. This is the benefit of blue. Good morning, im meteorologist kari hall. Lets head outside in oakland as we start out with sunny sky and mild temperatures. This is a warm day once again reaching the low 70s here. And some upper 70s for the inland areas, south bay up to 77. And 75 in ukiah today. Our inland areas will cool off and in fact well see a big drop between today and tomorrow. And even cooler on sunday with some high winds. But well rebound, the temperatures heading back up into the low to mid70s early next week