THE TRACK FROM NBC'S AL ROKER IN JUST A MOMENT.
WHITE HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER TOM BOSSERT WARNED
RESIDENTS DON'T UNDER ESTIMATE THIS STORM.
>> IT'S NOT ONLY A DANGEROUS STORM, WE'VE ALREADY SEEN LOSS
OF LIFE. THIS STORM HAS TAKEN LIVES
ALREADY. IT'S GOING TO TAKE MORE,
UNFORTUNATELY, IF WE'RE NOT PREPARED.
SO PLEASE TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. AT THIS POINT THIS IS A LARGE
STORM AND WHETHER IT WOBBLES LEFT OR WOBBLES RIGHT, YOU NEED
TO AT THIS POINT START THINKING THROUGH YOUR OWN PERSONAL
ACCOUNTABILITY. >> A HURRICANE WARNING IS IN
EFFECT FOR SOUTH FLORIDA ON BOTH THE EAST AND WEST COASTS.
A HURRICANE WATCH EXTENDS FURTHER NORTH.
THE NATIONAL WEATHER AS MUCH AS WARNS THAT SOME BUILDINGS MAY
COLLAPSE INTO THE SEA. THAT STRUCTURES NEAR LANDFALL
WILL EXPERIENCE EXTREME WIND DAMAGE WITH SOME AREAS
UNINHABITABLE FOR WEEKS OR MONTHS.
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FLORIDIANS ARE IN EVACUATION
ZONES AHEAD OF IRMA. MIAMI DATED COUNTY'S HAS ORDERED
ITS LARGEST MANDATORY EVACUATION EVER.
FLORIDA GOVERNOR RICK SCOTT URGED ALL FLORIDANS IN
EVACUATION ZONES TO GET OUT IMMEDIATELY.
>> I AM A FATHER AND A GRANDFATHER.
I LOVE MY FAMILY. I CAN'T IMAGINE LIFE WITHOUT
THEM. DO NOT PUT YOURSELF OR YOUR
FAMILY IN HARM'S WAY. IF YOU'VE BEEN ORDERED TO
EVACUATE AND ARE STILL HOME, PLEASE GO TO A SHELTER.
POSSESSION CAN BE REPLACED. YOUR LIFE AND YOUR FAMILY
CANNOT. >> AND REMEMBER, IT IS NOT JUST
FLORIDA IN IRMA'S PATH. GENTLEMAN'S GOVERNOR SAYS THEY
WILL BEGIN MANDATORY EVACUATIONS TOMORROW MORNING.
AND FEE MA WARNS THAT RESIDENTS FROM ALABAMA TO NORTH CAROLINA
SHOULD BE TRACKING THE STORM. OUR REPORTERS ARE ON THE GROUND
WITH THE LATEST ON THE STORM PREPS.
NBC'S AL ROKER IS IN MIAMI BEACH WITH THE LATEST ON THE STORM'S
PATH. GABE GUTIERREZ HAS MORE ON THE
EVACUATION EFFORTS IN MIAMI. KATY BECK IS ON HER WAY TO
ORLANDO. AND JOE LEAN KENT IS IN POM PAN
NOTICE BEACH. LET'S START WITH AL ROKER.
AL, TALK TO ME ABOUT THIS STORM. HOW STRONG IS IT RIGHT NOW?
>> WELL, KATY, IT IS INTENSIFIED AILING BIT.
IT'S 155 MILES PER HOUR. WE JUST GOT THE LATEST DATA IN
FROM THE NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER.
HERE IS WHERE IT STANDS RIGHT NOW.
IT IS A CATEGORY 4 STORM. BUT DON'T LET THAT FOOL YOU.
EVEN THOUGH IT HAS BEEN A FIVE, A FIVE IS 1457 MILES PER HOUR
PLUS. THE THIS IS NOW AT 155 MILES PER
HOUR. AND IT HAS SLOWED DOWN.
IT IS MOVING NORTHWEST AT 12 MILES PER HOUR.
EARLIER THIS MORNING WHEN WE WERE ON THE AIR WITH THE TODAY
SHOW IT WAS MOVING WEST NORTHWEST AT 17 MILES PER HOUR.
AND CURRENTLY IT IS 345 MILES AWAY FROM MIAMI BEACH, SOUTHEAST
OF MIAMI. SO HERE IS WHAT WE SEE AS FAR AS
THE PATH IS CONCERNED. NOW, IT'S GOING TO BRUSH ACROSS
CUBA LATE TONIGHT, AND THEN SATURDAY MORNING, EARLY
AFTERNOON IT STARTS TO MAKE THAT TURN.
NOW THE OTHER BIG CHANGE IS IT SLOWED DOWN, SO IT'S MOVED A
LITTLE FURTHER WEST AND IT'S SLOWED DOWN.
SO LANDFALL IS GOING TO BE SOMETIME, UNFORTUNATELY, RIGHT
AROUND HIGH TIED. HIGH TIED IS AROUND NOON.
AND THAT'S GOING TO BE A BIG DEAL AS WE'LL SEE IN JUST A
LITTLE BIT ABOUT STORM SURGE. IT CONTINUES MONDAY AFTERNOON
INTO NORTHERN FLORIDA. SO THIS IS GOING TO BE IN THE
STATE OF FLORIDA FOR ABOUT 24 HOURS.
ANDREW, WHICH WAS A SMALLER STORM, WAS WEST EAST TO WEST AND
WAS ORIGINAL FOUR HOURS. THIS THING IS GOING TO BE ABOUT
24 TO 30 HOURS ON THE GROUND IN FLORIDA.
NOW, STORM SURGE. THIS IS THE OTHER BIG DEAL WE'RE
TALKING ABOUT. AND IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN,
UNFORTUNATELY, RIGHT AROUND HIGH TIDE, WHICH IS AT NOON ON
SUNDAY. SOUTHWESTERN FLORIDA, ABOUT 6 TO
12 FEET. 5 TO 10 FEET IN SOUTHEASTERN
FLORIDA, AND THE KEYS, ABOUT 3 TO 6 FEET.
AND FROM VENICE TO CAP TEE VA ISLAND, ABOUT 3 TO 6 FEET.
RAINFALL AMOUNTS ARE GOING TO BE ABOUT 6 TO 12 INCHES OF RAIN.
BUT THE BIG DEAL IS GOING TO BE THE WIND.
THE WIND AND THE STORM SURGE. THOSE ARE THE BIGIG PROBLEMS HE.
IN FACT, MOST PEOPLE, KATY, UNFORTUNATELY, LOSE THEIR LIVES
DUE TO THE STORM SURGE. IMAGINE IF YOU'RE A 6 FOOT
PERSON AND THERE'S A 10 FOOT STORM SURGE.
THAT'S WATER FOUR FEET ABOVE YOUR HEAD AND THAT'S ASSUMING
IT'S NOT HIGH TIDE. IF IT'S HIGH TIDE, IT WILL BE
EVEN HIGHER. SO THIS STORM COMING IN COULD
NOT BE ANY WORSE. AND AGAIN, THE OTHER THING WE
WANT TO STRESS, EVEN THOUGH RIGHT NOW THE TRACK IS A LITTLE
FURTHER WEST, WHICH MAY HELP MIAMI, WE'RE STILL A COUPLE OF
DAYS OUT. AND THERE COULD BE A WOBBLE
EITHER WAY. SO EVERYBODY HAS TO BE ON THEIR
GUARD AND CANNOT TAKE THIS ANY LESS SERIOUSLY.
AND DON'T BE FOOLED BY THE NUMBERS.
CATEGORY 4, CATEGORY 5, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS STORM.
>> AND IT COULDN'T HIT A WORSE PLACE, AL.
FLORIDA IS LOW LYING. IT IS FLAT.
THERE'S ALREADY A WATER TABLE PROBLEM OUT