Need to know. Hey, good morning, everybody. And were coming on the air right in the thick of the blizzard of 2016. Look at the map. This thing has been called massive and major. Its been called snowmageddon, even apocalypse plow, whatever you call it, it is a beast. And if youre hunkered down at home, dan and i want to thank you for tuning in. We want you to look at these live pictures out of philadelphia, just one of the cities thats under a blizzard warning this morning, and heres a live look at the jersey shore. Its the area hit hard by Superstorm Sandy just over three years ago. Theyre bracing there yet again this morning. A lot of tension, a lot of nerves down there on the jersey shore. Legitimately so. Weve got hours to go on this thing, but already the impact is real and widespread. More than 170,000 homes and businesses without power right now. 9,000 flights canceled. More than 3,000 accidents out on the roads. And so far at least three people dead. And we do begin our coverage getting the worst of it, our Nations Capital, and rob is right there. Rob, good morning to you. Good morning, paula. Hi, dan. Welcome to the blizzard of 2016 after a quiet start to the year. The northeast getting pounded and our Nations Capital is buried in snow right now, and it is blowing sideways. Look at this snowscape behinin me. Thats the Andrew Jackson statue and beyond that you can barely see it obviously because its white. Thats the white house and the flag on top of it is blowing straight in that direction. Winds have been sustained at about 25, 30 miles an hour with some gusts over blizzard force, over 35 miles an hour, one gust at langley, 74. 8 miles an hour. That is hurricane strength, my friends. All right, lets talk snow totals. Right in this spot right here we got about 13 inches, yeah, 13 1 2 inches. And we got another maybe ten to go before this is all said and done. Obviously this isnt the only spot but its the bullseye as south as louisiana. The wraparound from this getting into West Virginia and even ohio. Some sleet mixing in closer to speaking it is all snow now that its moved north of North Carolina and its intensifying as it rolls up the jersey shoreline. Winds are going to be very, very intense today. At 4 00 thats really when the worst of it will be from d. C. And philly, baltimore up to new york city going to be a hairy, and along long island where the winds will be strongest and snow begins to taper off overnight obviously from the southwest to the northeast. But by then the snow totals will be epic. Were looking at maybe 20 inches in new york city. 15 to 20 inches in new york city, just south of that in Central New Jersey could easily see 2 feet, philadelphia could see 18 to 24 inches and 2 feet or better here and points southwest. That is the latest from our Nations Capital where it continues to come down. Back to you. Rob, had you not pointed out the white house in the spotted. Absolutely. Well check in later and new hit. Ron and sara braving the elements out on the streets usually bustling on a saturday morning but now a wintry ghost town. Hey, guys, how are you doing out there . Not well, dan and paula. Not real well. Like you said, normally the city is beginning to wake up at this hour. People out, cars out. Just look around. Its pretty much a ghost town. People are heeding the advice of city officials here to stay home and not have their cars out. Yeah, and when we were driving here, it actually took me about double the time and for good reason, everyones moving slower. But the wind is actually whipping so hard at my face right now, this is getting uncomfortable already, and i know it goes on for another 12 hours. Yeah, exactly. Were not even in the worst of it yet but getting some of the worst right now is eva pilgrim in philadelphia in the special mobile unit. Over to you, eva. This winter storm is shutting were here in our storm chaser suv in philadelphia. You can see the roads are completely covered with snow. The snow is still coming down and when the wind blows, it becomes really difficult to see. Local officials urging people if you do not have to go out, stay at home. Snow and ice turning highways into hazard zones this morning. Cars slipping and sliding all up and down the east coast. Watch as this suv spins out of control right behind an asheville, North Carolina, reporters live shot. In philadelphia 27, you got a copy . Reporter we hit the roads with snowplow drivers trying to keep a handle on the continuing snow but with a road temperature of just 24 degrees, it was an uphill climb. Guys are getting stuck. When we come back were going to get them all out of there. Storm, but as long as theres snow falling, the roads will remain somewhat dangerous. One North Carolina driver is lucky to be alive. His car flipped over on the ice. I just held on and hoped for the best. There was nothing i could do. Reporter in tennessee, people forced to push their cars to safety. Virginia state Police Responding to nearly a thousand crashes since the start of the storm. So far this weather blamed for three trafficrelated deaths. It is just going to get worse and its going to get worse fast. Reporter snow continues to fall here in philadelphia. It is coming down at a steady clip. And until it stops, these roads are going to remain somewhat dicey. Well pick it up from here, eva. Ron and sara, were actually going to allow them back inside. After some negotiation with their agents, were going to allow them to come back inside. Speaking of dangers on the road, we want to take you now to a stretch of highway in kentucky where an urgent situation is playing out. 3,000 vehicles stranded. Yeah, they have been there all night. Were talking moms and children. Aditi roy joins us now to tell us about the officials that have been scrambling to clear the logjam as well as get needed supplies to the marooned in that cars. Good morning, aditi. Reporter good morning, paula and dan. Here in louisville roads are pretty clear but a couple hours south of us, the snowcovered highway is a miles long parking lot. They tell us were going to get you out of here, you know, that was nine hours ago. We have not moved an inch at all. Of drivers in the bullseye of the massive blizzard, trapped inside their cars on snow battered interstate 75 in kentucky after two jackknifed standstill. Were estimating 3,000 estimate on the number of people. Reporter with traffic backed Highway Patrol have been called in to help get drivers to a nearby church and middle school. Weve recently got reports that people are needing some water, and they are a little bit hungry, and so were doing our best to respond to those emergency concerns. Reporter but the help isnt getting to everyone. One woman trapped inside her car with her two children and her parents including her father who is diabetic. Theyre supposed to be sending fuel, blankets, water, food, and we have not seen anyone. We have not seen anybody from the national guard, anything, just the one police officer. Reporter some drivers say they have been stuck on i75 for as many as ten hours. People battling frigid temperatures forced to turn off their cars to save gas. I took somebodys advice, and we tried to shut the van off a couple of times, but it gets so cold so quickly, and i dont want my kids to get sick or cold. Reporter your hearts go out to them. Interstate will open back up. Paula and dan. Youre right. Our hearts do go out to those Young Children and their parents. Aditi, thank you. And we did mention the jersey shore earlier, which as you remember was devastated a little over three years ago by Superstorm Sandy, and they are now worried about a repeat. People along the shore have really gone to extreme measures to protect their property this time around. The question is, will it work . Abcs linzie janis right there in atlantic city. Linzie, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, dan and paula. This is why the jersey shore is concerned about major coastal flooding. Look at how angry this sea is. Youve got waves just offshore up to 20 feet high. Its around high tide right now. So much of this beach has already been swallowed up. The winds are fierce, sustained between 30 and 40 Miles Per Hour with gusts in some parts of the jersey shore topping 66 Miles Per Hour. The concern is the storm surge that were hard hit by sandy. Overnight, the jersey shore bracing for impact, putting to the test the berms erected like this one. Take a look at this giant sand dune. Its been built to try to protect the homes and businesses along the shore. 12 feet tall and nearly a mile and a half long to prevent this. The tons of sand and debris pushed miles inland when Superstorm Sandy struck just over three years ago. I mean, im like terrified of here. Reporter 37,000 homes destroyed or damaged. That used to be a road there. Reporter nearly 3 million residents losing power. Iconic landmarks completely washed away by the surge, which measured over four feet in some parts of the state. This morning, officials fear some communities could be facing the same elevated sea levels. Police going door to door issuing a mandatory evacuation warned simply to be on guard. And just like during sandy, it is a full moon and sea levels are already elevated. 50 Miles Per Hour, and this is just getting started. Go. Dan and paula. A full moon. The timing couldnt be worse. Were really thinking about the people along the shore just over three years from that disaster Superstorm Sandy. Stay safe out there, linzie, thank you. As we said earlier, washington, d. C. Is really in the bullseye of this blizzard, but the surrounding suburbs are also getting pounded right now. Theyre expecting more than two feet in some areas of virginia, but whats even more concerning right now is theyre bracing for Power Outages that could last for several days, and abcs Gloria Riviera is in reston, virginia, for us this morning. Hi, gloria. Reporter good morning, paula, dan. We are in reston, virginia, and were getting hammered. Its getting worse, not better, wind was two Miles Per Hour and take a look down this treat in the town center. It looks snowy and white but you can walk, right . It doesnt look so awful. Thats with near constant snow removal teams. Theyve been shoveling, theyve been plowing in the areas surrounding the town center, the more suburban areas just dont have that kind of help. Emergency teams told me last night theyd be working around the clock, theyre only taking short naps. Weve spoken to several people who say they havent slept. Theyve been out here trying to get rid of the snow. This street, remember not an inch of snow and now it is covered. If you can see that, we have vehicles at work, but on each corner there are these massive snowdrifts and thats going to cause another challenge. Come with me. Now, im 56 so im going to take this yardstick to measure how much we have here. Look at this. I mean thats more than a yard and we have all day the snow is expected to continue so these snowdrifts are going to continue this area is at risk for Power Outages, all that and more snow. You may be waking up this morning not seeing any snow but even if youre not getting hit by the storm youll most likely feel the Ripple Effect because the storm is already severely disrupting train and plane travel. Thats right. Thousands of flights have been canceled and abcs Lauren Lyster is covering that angle from Los Angeles International airport, l. A. X. , for us, lauren, good morning to you. Reporter good morning, dan and paula. Here at l. A. X. , something you dont usually see, very short lines, not as many travelers today with airlines canceling more than 4100 flights across the country. Its all about that blizzard. The winter storm may be dumping snow on the east coast, but the impact is being felt nationwide. Look, there are still plenty of flights in the air this morning. Crisscrossing the u. S. , it is business as usual for many. But if youre heading for or trying to leave the east coast, for get forget it. And here in the last 24 hours the winter storm forcing the cancellation of at least 80 flights in or out of l. A. X. And 85 delays. Thats just the tip of the ice iceberg. 4100 were canceled yesterday, 3100 today and 4,136 tomorrow. Thats more than 8,000 and not just flights, pro sports feeling the impacts. Washington capitals versus the Anaheim Ducks hockey game is postponed and on hold for the jazz victorias secret the wizards and celtics versus the 76ers and for travelers, if youre flying today or if youre picking someone up from the airport, youre advised to check with the airline before coming. Dan, paula, back to you. Lets bring it back to new york city for a minute because theres practically been no snow here all winter which i have delighted in. Paula, i have to tell you were a rude awakening. This times square time lapse video. The mayor declaring a Winter Weather emergency and meteorologist Indra Petersons is in union square in manhattan for us this morning. Hi, indra. Good morning, the message is, it is saturday, stay home. If you do not need to go outside why would you be going outside in this. Do not risk your life or emergency workers that would you. Now, take a look right now. Weve already seen now about seven inches where im showing, starting this event here. Were talking about snowfall rates one to two inches per hour and the rates have been up. So, by the end of tomorrow we could be talking about possibly if we surpass 21 inches, that could be the third snowiest on record. Now, keep in mind theres something called wind out here. It is a blizzard so were going to be talking about snowdrifts. Forget this. We could be talking about snowdrifts as high as my head, even above that. That is the problem. Of course, weve already been talking about these winds. Take a look at them. Theyre really gusting out here and really hours. Right now behind me you can see the Chase Building but you can actually see my anemometer. This measures wind. Right now were seeing 20 to 30mileperhour gusts. That could double. When that happens youre going to see all this snow picked up off the ground. Its going to blow around and visibility could go from a quarter mile even down to zero. That is the danger. So, you may think this looks bad. We are not even there yet. We have a blizzard warning in effect. Those winds are not even at that blizzard level, at least here at this point in time. Now, that is the reason why the city, they have, yes, 2,000 snowplows. Weve been seeing them go by and all morning long they also have 300,000 tons of salt. They may need it. This system is really picking up. Residents, theyre preparing, as well. Now, we went out to the Hardware Store yesterday, and i have to say, see these shovels, they were flying off the shelves. Im not sure if its because of december, they said, hey, its warm out there, we dont need this, yeah, you still do and, of course, i prepared as well, dan and paula. Have to show you wait for it. Batterypowered socks. Batterypowered socks. Hands. Dan, id love to say thank you but i dont know if i can. Sorry. Just so that everybody understands, a couple weeks ago she was outside in a cold situation and i promised to send her batterypowered socks. I failed and she is now taking matters into her own hands, into her own feet. Youre a smart cookie. Indra, we salute you, and i apologize, and well come back to you as the morning progresses. I got to say shes been telling people dont go outside. Dont go outside. When i see these images, i have zero temptation to go outside. When i saw rob, ron outside suffering before, i have zero temptation. And rons back and sara is back and those guys are all safe back in the studio. Rob is also safe in washington, d. C. Maybe a little cold. Yes, so lets go back to rob once again. Whats cooking with you . What are you talking about, dan . Its amazing out here. Now, look, even for a short period of time maybe just to go out for a stroll, enjoy the snowscape. The winds though, theyre pretty brutal, and if not for these would have a hard time looking into the lens right now, so its coming down pretty hard. You know, once a year maybe for a short amount of time this is pretty cool. It is certainly in d. C. On a saturday. Why not come out and enjoy some of the spectacular monuments and such that they have here and there again is the white house, which is still dark, by the way. I think they got their cozy jammies on and theyre going to shelter in thats the advice. Shelter in place. If youre going to poke outside, dont go too far from the house and be prepared to get back inside. You can get hypothermia certainly in a hurry. Warnings as far south as louisiana but now thankfully the but its intensifying as it does that. So, blizzard warnings remain posted and weve increased them to the Southern Coast of connecticut now, and most of these go through the overnight tonight because even when the snow stops, were going to see big winds. Coastal flood warnings, we on the coast here, the flood big waves, pounding surf and beach erosion there, and the winds are going to be whipping not only along the coast but further inland too. Check out some of these numbers. We had winds gusting over 70 miles an hour in spots, and we could see winds certainly to that level right on through the overnight period tonight. All right. Thats a quick check on whats going on. Federal government obviously shut down. The metros are shut down. As david kerley pointed out, the foot or if you want to tempt dan and paula, back to you. So, the advice, dont get around. Yeah, dont get around. Dont ski, just sit home and watch television or do something educational. Anyway, sara, what you got . We got a this is a warm fuzzy on a cold day. Now, to an incredible rescue to tell you about. A st. Bernard rescued from an icy lake. Now, this happened in fairfax county, virginia, overnight. The video shows firefighters trying to coax milo out of the lake. The dog was with a family who had been tubing down the hill towards the lake when he walked out on the ice and actually fell through. Now, the firefighters did an amazing job, and milo was taken home to get warmed up. Can you imagine, these st. Bernards are trained to do rescues themself and the role reversal here. So cute, though. Milo is doing fine . Hes doing fine. After 30 minutes of warming him up in vet care, they were able to send him home. He was fine but how scary to look at your dog and know you cant help it. Terrible. That would be absolutely terrifying. Cheech wouldnt have lasted two minutes. It was for me like watching you outside in the snow a couple of minutes ago. Our hearts went out to you, that short stick drawing we did this morning, it was bad. I actually kind of enjoyed watching her anyway, should i say that out loud . No, you shouldnt, take it back. I take it back kinda. Heres whats coming up on gma. How to survive if you get storm. These tips really could save your life. Plus, oscar overhaul and will actress Jada Pinkett Smith win her crusade . The big changes coming to the academy award. And wedding bells and baby bottles for two different pop stars. Details all up ahead in pop news. Mariah is having a baby . What . Tease. Good morning america is brought to you by state farm. Guaranteed. You picked a beautiful ring. Thank you. Were never having kids. Mmmmmm. Breathe. I love it here. We are never moving to the suburbs. We are never getting one of those minivan . Im pregnant. I am never letting go. For all the nevers in life, state farm is there. Across america, people like Basketball Hall of Famer Dominique wilkins. Are taking charge of their type 2 diabetes. With noninsulin victoza. For a while, i took a pill to lower my blood sugar. But it didnt get me to my goal. So i asked my doctor about victoza. He said victoza works differently than pills. And comes in a pen. Victoza is proven to lower blood sugar and a1c. Its taken once a day, any time. Victoza is not for weight loss, but it may help you lose some weight. Victoza is an injectable prescription medicine that may improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes when used with diet and exercise. It is not recommended as the first medication to treat diabetes. And should not be used in people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Victoza has not been studied with mealtime insulin. Do not take victoza if you have a personal or Family History of medullary Thyroid Cancer. Multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if you are allergic to. Victoza or any of its ingredients. Symptoms of a serious allergic reaction. May include itching, rash, or difficulty breathing. Tell your doctor. Including inflammation of the pancreas pancreatitis . Stop taking victoza. And call your doctor right away if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe pain that will not go away in your abdomen or from your abdomen to your back. With or without vomiting. Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take. And if you have any medical conditions. Taking victoza with a sulfonylurea or. Insulin may cause low blood sugar. The most common side effects are headache, nausea. Diarrhea, and vomiting. Side effects can lead to dehydration. Which may cause kidney problems. If your pill isnt giving you. Ask your doctor about noninsulin victoza. Its covered by most health plans. Lowes presents how to be a good listener. This new pedestal sink just screams elegance. It also whispers, dan youre a genius because you got this guy to install it for you. Now get select euro vanities for only 119 at lowes. Fact. Advil pain relievers are used by more households than any other leading brand. To treat their aches and pains more people reach for advil. Relief doesnt get any better than this. Advil. Soup and sandwich and somewhere to go, and clean and real and nowhere to be, and warmth and looking good, and sandwich and soup and inside jokes, and dan is back the clean pairings menu. 500 calories or less. At panera. Food as it should be. You get a cold. You cant breathe through your nose. Suddenly, youre a mouthbreather. Well, just put on a breathe right strip which instantly opens your nose up to 38 more than Cold Medicine alone. Shut your mouth and say goodnight mouthbreathers. Hometown trivia time hometown trivia time and we are recognizing our des moines, iowa, station woio, channel 5. Yay. Did you know in 1942 des moines established an ordinance making it illegal to dance between the hours of 2 00 a. M. And 6 00 a. M. Repealed only six years ago. I was breaking the law my whole childhood. You are such a rebel. Sara, you may have to recuse yourself with this because its going to be easy for you. What is the nickname of the state of iowa, also the mascot of the hawkeye state. One for paula. Dont stomp on my iowa, dude. This is a fairly easy one. This actor this actor turned president ronald reagan. Sorry. You know, the audience hates it when you answer before i know, but i had to beat paula to the rudeness of that. America, its not my fault. Im sorry, guys. The answers are going to flow out of me. Im an iowan. Ronald reagan was the announcer for the cubs baseball w. H. O. Welcome back to gma. Youre looking live at what is allegedly the white house, but you cant really see it because it is whited out. Oh, my gosh. Were right in the middle of it this morning. The monster blizzard blanketing much of the east coast. Nine states and washington, d. C. In states of emergency, and this storm is far from over. Later tonight in d. C. So far the storm has claimed three lives in two states. And in kentucky right now desperation on the roads as drivers are stranded for hours without food and water on interstate 75. Theyre just sitting there, no end in sight. The storm, which has dumped already more than 18 inches on that roadway, has crippled emergency efforts. And the snowstorm is not stopping the small group of soldiers who stand guard at the tomb of the unknowns at Arlington National cemetery. Sentinels from the armys 3rd infantry regiment guard that year regardless of the elements and we do want to salute them this morning. Its a stark reminder of the military and serving. No matter what happens, theyre its going to be a tough we do salute them, as you said. Also coming up, we have one nonweather story to tell you about. So much outrage right now over the lack of diversity among this some stars are even sitting out the whole affair. Now this morning, the new steps the academy says it is taking to address who does the voting. Will these steps make a difference . That story is coming up but first here rob is right out in the thick of it braving the blizzard, and its all happening right now. Yeah, hes got more from washington, d. C. Where theyre calling this storm historic and epic, and we see that the white house behind you has completely disappeared. It is the white house. Yeah, it is. Doesnt stick out much in this snow. And weve got visibilities that are a quarter to a half mile. Winds at 34 miles an hour. Right at that blizzard criteria and it only seems to be getting worse. This snow is piling up. Look at this. Fresh tracks here. This is cold snow, dry snow. This isnt really snowball type of stuff. If you want that, you go closer to the coast. When you get that near that warm ocean, you also get some incredible instability, and there was thunder snow this morning along the new jersey coastline. Take a look and listen. When you talk about the thermodynamics that need to be in place, the amount of lift that needs to happen with a developing coastal low like that and we may very well see more of that later on today. Weve got snow happening across the area. Check out the moisture field with heavy stuff still here in d. C. , heavy stuff getting into baltimore and philly. Theres some dry slotting happening in some spots. This is going to be ongoing throughout the day and the warnings and watches remain posted as this low gets cranked. Were going to see winds well over 30, 40, 50 miles an hour of were already seen gusts at Hurricane Force at Langley Air Force base and those winds will crank overnight. So, blowing and drifting snow even when the snow stops, so just be aware of that and, again, heres what we expect, 15 to 20 inches in new york city and certainly on long island and then greater amounts even further south and west, philly, baltimore, delaware, in through d. C. And southwest. By the way, theres another storm heading into the west coast with winter storm warnings here. Epic ski area. Tahoe getting more, aspen veil, breckenridge, you name it, theyve got some fresh powder happening there. If boston or if d. C. Was a little hillier, man, we would be cutting some tracks right now. It is an amazing snow. There are. Thats a quick check. This weathercast brought to you by wayfair. Com. You know, weve got people that are stuck on the roadways in the storm zone. And that can be a very, very dangerous situation. I went out with an expert who gave us some helpful tips on what to do if that happened and how to prepare for it. It is literally stuff that can save your life. It can happen in an instant, you are a driving in an unfamiliar area and suddenly youre lost or worse, stranded nowhere until we get help out here. Men in oregon. Their gps sending them the wrong country. We didnt know how long we reporter the men hunkering down for 18 hours until help finally arrived. What happens if you do get what do you need to do to survive . Above all do not leave your vehicle. Reporter bruce corden is an expert with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety taking me through his survival tips. So were stranded now in the middle of nowhere. Temperatures in the teens. Stay cool and stay warm at the same time. Reporter telling me to keep calm and bundle up. Then make your car visible. Tie a rag or some brightly colored ribbon so people can find you. Run your vehicle about ten minutes for every hour, have the heat running during that time, and charge your cell phone and probably the most important thing is stay with your vehicle. Had to ask, my instinct to survive is to leave the vehicle and go find help. How do you keep from doing that . Keep your wits about you and stay with this vehicle because its your best shelter. Reporter and dont forget to pack this, a simple survival kit complete with a whistle, that bright rag, hand warmers, emergency blankets, protein bars and a flashlight with extra batteries and, of course, a first aid kit. When youre in a situation like we are in right now, it will save your life. Be prepared. Thats great information for you and your family to take away with you. Obviously shelter in place is the advice here and across the entire snow zone and even if youre not in the snow zone, i know you want a snow day if you live in dallas, and its 70, stay put, enjoy a movie. Have a snow day empathetically for the rest of us in this blizzard. Dan and paula, back up to you. You know, my plan is, im going to stay indoors but im going to wear the goggles that rob is wearing. I feel like i can pull it off. I think you could too, dan. Thank you. No. Its like the perfect for you its fashion. For him its function. Yes, absolutely, and im a slave to fashion as everybody knows. I dont know about fashion. I dont know about that. Coming up on the room is turning against me so let me say this, coming up, could big changes be coming to hollywood as a result of the uproar over the lack of diversity at the oscars . I feel i need to ask you. I feel i need too ask you. Today people are coming out to the Nations Capital to support an important cause that can change the way you live for years to come. How can you help . By giving a little more, to yourself. People sometimes forget to help themselves. The cause is retirement, and today thousands of people came to race for retirement and pledge to save an additional one percent of their income. If we all do that we can all win. Prudential bring your challenges pepper discovers jimmy dean delights, made with real egg whites, lean cut meats, and whole grains. An excellent source of protein, it fuels her up with energy to help power through her morning. With jimmy dean delights, good mornings lead to great days. I have asthma. One of many pieces in my life. So when my asthma symptoms kept coming back on my longterm control medicine, i talked to my doctor and found a missing piece in my asthma treatment. Oncedaily breo prevents asthma symptoms. Breo is for adults with asthma not well controlled on a longterm asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. Breo wont replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. Breo opens up airways to help improve breathing for a full 24 hours. That increases the risk of death from asthma problems and may increase the risk of hospitalization in children and adolescents. Breo is not for people whose asthma is well controlled on a longterm asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. Once your asthma is well controlled, your doctor will decide if you can stop breo and prescribe a different asthma control medicine, like an inhaled corticosteroid. Do not take breo more than prescribed. See your doctor if your asthma does not improve or gets worse. Ask your doctor if 24hour breo could be a missing piece for you. See if youre eligible for 12 months free at mybreo. Com. How do you stay on top of your health . Ahh. Ahh. Ahh. Cigna customers have plan choices and tools to take control. So theyre more engaged, with fewer high health risks and lower medical costs. Take control of your health there is real outrage this morning at the oscars over the lack of diversity among the nominees with some of hollywoods biggest names saying theyre going to skip the ceremony entirely this year. It looks now, though, like changes, real changes perhaps are afoot. And we do have a very big move to tell you about Just Announced by the Motion Picture academy aimed at increasing diversity, and abcs Chris Connelly joins us from l. A. This morning with more on these changes. Hi, chris. Reporter good morning, paula. With controversy growing and more big names talking about passing the oscars by, the academy taking bold action to address its issues head on as it looks to create a voting membership thats younger, more diverse and more engaged in present day moviemaking. Still reeling from the widespread outcry and the absences from the oscars after for the second Straight Year none of its 20 acting nominations went to a person of color overlooking such performances as idris elba in beasts of no nation. What are you doing here . Reporter and not giving a best picture nod to straight outta compton. I got something to say. Reporter the academy of Motion Picture, arts and sciences on friday announcing what it called a necessary step to aid diversity bringing sweeping changes to its memberships voting eligibility requirements for the academy awards. Going forward members who had been given lifetime voting privileges now getting them for a tenyear stretch, renewable for another ten years only if that person has remained active in Motion Pictures. The initiative coupled with efforts to enhance the diversity of the Academy Board and outreach to new members thats aimed at doubling the number of oscar voters who are women and minorities by 2020. Ava duvernay calling the changes, one good step on a long journey. The announcement from the academy coming in the wake of some saying theyd skip the ceremony in response to the nominations. Director spike lee awarded an honorary oscar this year, as well as Jada Pinkett Smith and her husband, will smith, who spoke earlier this week to robin. Were uncomfortable to stand there and say that this is okay. Reporter all of these matters that one would expect chris rock to share a few thoughts about when he hosts the oscars on february 28th. Now, it hasnt escaped my attention that i appear to be the only indoor correspondent this morning, so just so everybody knows, here in los angeles, 56 degrees, and we have a wind of about 3 miles an hour. Boo. And im wearing cargo shorts, guys. Im wearing cargo shorts. You have shorts on right now . Yeah, well, its just that can we get a shot of that . You know what, youre never you know. Thats it. Thats it. Chris well go outside any time you want. I take that back because we love you, and were going to be talking to you a bunch as the oscar season ramps up. So, thank you very much for that report this morning. Thanks, chris. We do want to say coming up on gma, were going to get back to the issue of the weather well tell you how to avoid a trip to the emergency room in the nasty weather. There are a lot of ways to get hurt. Ron claiborne has our weekend yeah, i did that this morning. Weekend download after the break. I did that this morning. So i liked when my doctor told me i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating whats within me. With onceweekly trulicity. Trulicity is not insulin. It helps activate my body to do what its supposed to do release its own insulin. Trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. I take it once a week, and it works 24 7. And i may even lose a little weight. Trulicity is a onceweekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. It should be used along with diet and exercise. Trulicity is not recommended as the first medicine to treat diabetes and should not be used by people with severe stomach or intestinal problems, or people with type i diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. Trulicity is not insulin and has not been studied with longacting insulin. Do not take trulicity if you or anyone in your family has had medullary Thyroid Cancer or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2 or if you are allergic to trulicity or its ingredients. Stop using trulicity and call your doctor right away if you have symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as itching, rash, or difficulty breathing; if you have signs of pancreatitis such as severe stomach pain that will not go away and may move to your back, with or without vomiting; or if you have symptoms of Thyroid Cancer, which may include a lump or swelling in your neck, hoarseness, trouble swallowing, or shortness of breath. Medicines like trulicity may cause stomach problems, tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and any medicines you take. Taking trulicity with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase your risk for low blood sugar. Common side effects include nausea, diarrhea, vomiting, decreased appetite, and indigestion. Some side effects can lead to dehydration, which may cause kidney failure. With trulicity, i click to activate whats within me. If you want help improving your a1c and blood sugar numbers with a noninsulin option, ask your doctor about onceweekly trulicity. Time now for our weekend download. And Important Information to make sure that the snowstorm doesnt land you in the emergency room. Here with some expert advice is medical director at mt. Sinai hospital emergency room here in new york city. What are the most common kinds of injuries you see related to the snow that will land you in the er . So, i mean obviously the most common ones are going to be slips and falls, so people getting out there being a little less cautious, slipping and falling, people more at risk will be the older people, risk of breaking things, we see a lot of ankles, shoulders, wrist injuries. Youre saying older people are more at risk. Older people are more at risk and certainly if a fall happens, the older you are, the greater chance youll actually fracture something. Okay, so dont get old is one preventive measure. Dont get old. Okay. Now, what else can you do besides not get old to minimize the risk of this type of injury . So you have to be cautious and people certainly do things that are not they can be a little bit more dangerous like theyll climb on their roofs to go shovel the snow off. Dont do that. And if youre someone who is not in particularly good condition, dont go out and do heavy shoveling of snow because that is sort of like jumping on a treadmill. And if youre over the age of 65 condition and youve got high blood pressure, diabetes, it could actually provoke a heart attack. Expert advice from dr. Peter shearer from mt. Sinai hospital. And coming up, the apps for your cell phone to help you weather the storm straight ahead in pop news with my friend sara haines. What makes thermacare different . Two words it heals. How . With heat. Unlike creams and rubs that mask the pain, thermacare has patented heat cells that penetrate deep to increase circulation and accelerate healing. Lets review heat, plus relief, plus healing, equals thermacare. Now get 10 off major appliances 396 and more at lowes. I try hard to get a great shape. This. I can do easily. Benefiber healthy shape helps curb cravings. Its a clear, tastefree daily supplement. Thats clinically proven to help keep me fuller longer. Benefiber healthy shape. This, i can do. 3, 2, 1 smile alright. Big smile smile hey, honey howd it go . Thanks, dad theres my smile the happy meal. With fresh, delicious, california grown cuties. Good morning america is brought to you by mcdonalds. All right, its time for pop news. Sara has fully defrosted and shes got all the news that is fit to pop. My feet havent defrosted, dan, but thank you for being concerned. Nothing can drag one directions Louis Tomlinson down this morning. And thats because the singer has welcomed a baby boy with briana jungwirth. People magazine confirmed the happy news revealing that the little one was delivered on thursday on l. A. Louis first opened up about becoming a father right on gma the star calling it a very exciting time. Those are good words for it. No word yet on a name but well be sure to keep you updated and parents all the best. Im not that much older than him but i had to make sure he was old enough to have a baby. Yes, he looks young. He looks really young. Hes actually 24. Okay. Thats pretty young. Still in the 20s, i mean but just stayed 18 all this time because they started pretty young. So, you called yourself a little bit older than him. Nobody has to do the math, sara, youre 25, right . Remember im cold and hangry. Dont mess with it. Okay, and another big congratulations this morning to mariah carey who is engaged to her boyfriend of nearly a year, james packer. The australian billionaire popped the question thursday evening at a restaurant in new york city and as the happy couple exited the building, mariah proudly displayed her new bling wait for it a 35carat diamond ring. Whoa. So that was the blizzard that was coming, right . Yeah, can you thats called an ice skating rink. The designer telling vogue magazine he wanted the emerald says its an epic ring for an couldnt agree more. I dont even know what 35 carats looks like. Or what it costs. Well, you just showed us a picture. Yu, but i mean really looks like in person. I want to hold it. I want to hold it, mariah. I just want to touch it a little. I promise to give it back. And just in case you dont have a oh, my word. Giant, gigundo diamond ring to keep you entertained during the blizzard this weekend, dont worry, i tracked down the hottest apps to help you weather the storm. The first is called snow brawling, and it basically allows you to chuck snowballs without leaving your lounge chair. Oh, this is brilliant. Dan, step away from the app store. The next boredom buster is called draw something. This is one ive done before. This is fun. Its hugely popular. You basically draw pictures and they are, and i can just tell you now that i know dan would be bad at it. He sometimes draws me pictures and i have no idea what they are. What are those things . Birds . See. Might be a dan harris drawing. Its love birds. Ah. Hanging out with your friends and family can be kind of hard during a blizzard, but this app allows as many as 12 people to connect in one video chat session. So you can watch videos and play games together. Youll basically never need to leave your house again. I need an app that will help me today in a small new york city apartment with a 1yearold barbarian who is has cabin fever. Do you know whats going to happen . Youre going to have to parent. Oh, really . Yes, its called being a dad. Yeah. Bianca is going to get the day off. Mommy gets to be taken care of ron, are you here . You going to help me here. No, man, youre on your own. Take him outside for a its getting cold in here. You see what happened to rons face out there. Its tough. No weather for a baby. Thanks for joining us. Good morning. Its sportscenter from los good morning. Its sportscenter from los angeles. Hes neil everett, im stan verrett. Big news from the nba. On friday the cavaliers fired head coach david blatt and they replaced him with assistant tyronn lue. One of the problems for blatt was that blowout loss to the warriors on monday. And the warriors are playing again on friday and steve kerr was back. And if they lose this game, hes fired. Hyperbole. Steph curry stop using words i cant spell. He hits a shot from beyond halfcourt, but he didnt make he was just warming up. Plus, he called glass. Thats what makes that even more remarkable. Unreal. Thats me in the club right there. Curry had 39 points, 12 assists, 10 rebounds, his seventh career doubledouble tripledouble kerrs job safe for now. I would pay double the cover charge to see that at the club. Thunder and mavs, Oklahoma City trying to get a seventh win in a row. Russell westbrook with a spike on j. J. Barea. 16 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists for westbrook. Serge ibaka with the block on williams. Mavericks down three and Dirk Nowitzki got a look, with it. Mavs got their chances but couldnt convert. 24 for kevin durant. Thunder, 109106, so spurs and warriors doing well. Oklahoma city is like, dont forget about us. Ive checked out. Rs doing well. Ive checked out. I was walking home. Just picked us up two breakfast croissants for four bucks, when this bear attacked. With one swipe, it devoured one of theroissants. Then jack showed up and took care of the beast, so i could escape. And thats what happened to your breakfast croissant. And yours . It survived. Share it with yourself. Freshlycracked egg with ham and bacon,or sausage, announcer jack hannas wild nationwide