Today Hurricane Irma. With matt lauer and savannah guthrie. Live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. And lester holt live from florida. And good morning, everyone. Welcome to a special edition of today on sunday morning. Lester and al are in tampa. If used just visiting us, its going to a special day on the florida state. Lets get the very latest now on the storm. It has been battering the florida keys all morning long. But its center just made official landfall there at 9 10 a. M. Eastern time. Utility officials in florida now say more than 1 million customers have lost power as irma has hammered that state. That number is expected to keep rising throughout whats going to be a long day down there. And to give you an idea how big the storm is, a Tropical Storm warning was just issued for atlanta, georgia. Yes, thats 600 miles north of southern florida. It is inland and north of the storm. And yet that Tropical Storm warning for atlanta. We have correspondents all over florida beginning with nbcs Gadi Schwartz. Hes made his ways to the keys this morning or at least the northern part or eastern part. Gadd d gadi, take it away, whats happening . Reporter yeah, matt, did you see that, debris is about to get ripped off and go over there and banging against the trees. Over on the other side, if you walk with me, were protected by this ed sed by building but we strongly considering going to the other side of the street. It looks like a building that is sturdier. Were going to wait to see what the situation brings. Just be careful, theres some that debris, just flying over there. Got stuck in the bushes over here. This right here, this is cardboard we just checked. So, this cant pose any damage to us. We have been trying to clear this area of debris that can hit us. Were going to try to stay close to this wall here. Gadi, can you hear us . As much as we love your images, we wouldnt mind in your camera person and crew backed up and got away from that overhang. Reporter yeah, thats what were thinking. It looks like its going to fall that way. Right now, were devising a plan to get back to the other side of the street where theres not an awning starting to wobble. As soon as were done here, thats what were going to try to do. Yes, the storms evolve, the winds can be volatile. We dont want you so close to the danger, gadi, you and your crew. Thank you so much. Lets go to nbcs Miguel Almaguer, in florida city this morning. Hows it looking, miguel . Reporter well, savannah, conditions continue to deteriorate, its not just the flooding rain thats been pounding us, but its this relents wind thats knocked out power to so many people in the city. As a matter of fact, so many are still without electricity. Were actually staying embedded with the Police Department. I want to give you a tour of how were able to broadcast here. The Police Department is actually working out of this building right here. And were taking cover, our crew is, underneath the awnings here so were able to broadcast live to you. Theyre so concerned about all across the street and the winds that are just whipping right now here. If you even take 20 or 30 steps out into the center of this street, you can feel the winds increase and pick up their speed. Theyre saying power will be out likely for days. And theyre calling these conditions potential catastrophic, so the First Responders that are hunkered down right beside us actually tell us they wont be making their way on the streets to make rescue because its simply too dangerous. At this hour, they havent received any calls for help, one reason may be because power lines are down, phone lines are down and cell towers are starting to go down in the area. Expect the conditions to deteriorate over the next couple of hours here. Inside of city hall, we could actually hear what was like the roof beginning to peel off. This building was brought down during hurricane andrew. But 15 years ago, it was rebuilt with better building codes. The building has stood up very, very well over the last 24 hours. They say its really going to be a test. Its about every home, every neighborhood, every business on the street is shuttered. The mayor tells us the majority of the city did not evacuate. That means theyre hunkering down. Theyre going to have to ride out the storm. Back to you, guys. Miguel, thank you so much. So, the 10 00 update on this storm has just come in from the National Weather center. Still category 4. Winds at about 130 miles an hour. And the storm is moving 8 miles an hour to the north and northwest. And theyve been seeing wind gusts up to 95 miles percent hour near key largo. 80 Miles Per Hour plus at the Orlando International airport. Lets go to miguel, where Mariana Atencio is in miami beach for us this morning. It looks a little calmer there, mariana. Whats the scene . Reporter a little bit calmer, but any second now, savannah, i just want to you look at the debris thats been flying around for the past hour, its sustained completely. I stepped away from the beach now to one of the side streets here along miami beach. The trees flying everywhere. I want our cameraman to pan this way. This is where things can get really dangerous, as we you just saw with our Gadi Schwartz, you have no idea what can be flying around. We saw awnings with buildings and roofs with structures peel off. Dont forget you have modernized buildings here in miami. But here on the beach, a lot of the buildings i stepped on some debris to my right. A lot of the buildings as i was saying are older structure so theyre not equipped to sustain the winds. I also want to report to you guys that the Miamidade Police has officially tweeted out that the officer, sheltered up for the moment. They cannot respond to any emergency calls. They say do not venture out. Do not leave your homes. We saw one person, im on air with you, but people walking around. Not officials want to be looking at right now. And we look at some of these structures that have fallen here. A lot of businesses, dont forget, this is a very commercial area, people boarded up, and other businesses didnt. You dont know how they will fare with the wind gusts and the water that were seeing. Well see if our producer will take us up to where we stayed, to put the camera on the back of an suv to keep moving around to show you guys. Just what the streets here in miami look like. It is insanity right now. Ive been living in miami for five years. For hurricane matthew, and i was here for hurricane andrew when i was younger. This is something that i havent seen in a long time. Especially here on the beach. Especially when youre not even talking about a direct hit. Youre seeing the last of the hurricane pounding southeast miami right now. Its getting worse by the minute. First responders telling us, the next couple of hours are going to be incredibly dangerous. People should hunker down. We are doing the same. Were not on the air with you. Were sheltering to safety and coming out to bring you images live. Mariana, have you and your crew as safe as possible. We want to go to jo ling kent in ft. Lauderdale this morning. We have flooding and other damage. What do you have now . Reporter savannah, we have brandnew numbers in Broward County. 230,000 people now going without power. We have just stepped outside where we have been taking shelter. It would seem very large sustained winds here, you can see some of the local structures here. This stop sign was turned 180 degrees in the other direction. It is now down and facing the street. Were going to take you down this very busy thoroughfare here. Its isolated today. Its starting to flood a little bit. You can see more signs drifting in the wind here. You can see here, most of the debris in ft. Lauderdale, palm tree fronds, branches, trees splitting in half. What we expect to see as Hurricane Irma makes its way up towards fort myers, very huge bands of rain. It feeling very much were getting pelted in the face. Come with me over here. I want to show you, this is cal caller calvary chapel, one of the beg mega churches here. The sign has blown down. As mariana mentioned were not in the eye of the hurricane, but ft. Lauderdale very well prepared. Residents here mostly heeding the evacuation warnings. Most people are taking shelter in their shelters or churches or their own homes. You but ft. Lauderdale residents are optimistic, they made the right preparation. They overprepared. And it seems like you cant overprepare in this situation, because of how much the winds starting to pick up here, savannah and matt. Thank you, jo, we appreciate it. The rain is picking up in tampa. Lester and al are there. Guys we came on the hair at 6 00, about four hours ago. Describe the condition . Ill give it to the nonweatherman. Luckily, we havent gotten the winds yet, but weve got feeder bands coming in. And this is just the beginning of this. We are going to be in this all day. And its going to deteriorate, and tonight in a way, for tampa, this is probably the worst Case Scenario in that the worst of this is going to come overnight. When its pitch black out. You cant see anything. Power goes out its going to make it even harder for things to happen. Lets give you the latest with whats happening with the storm. Irma is a category 4. This is a visible satellite picture. This is infrared. This isnt using the temperature of the clouds. This is an actual photo of the system. And so, you can see, basically, 25 miles northeast of key west, florida, 130mileperhour winds. Its moving northnorthwest at 8 Miles Per Hour. And the track of this system is going to bring it right now, right along the coast. So, heres what we expect. Right now for key west, 100 to 122mileperhour winds, 5 to 10foot waves i should say storm sturge. Now, we continue to push this up, our friends in the southeastern part of the state, 100 to 75 mile per hour winds. Fort myers, 10 to 20foot storm sturge. In the tampa bay area, overnight, 75 to 100mileperhour winds. You know, if this wobbles just a bit it could be a direct hit on tampa. Were not saying that its going to happen. But it is very close. Its still close. Its something that we have to consider. Jacksonville tomorrow, winds 50 to 75 Miles Per Hour. And those winds will continue to push on up. The storm sturge is going to be something thats going to be fierce. On the rainfall, were talking anywhere in total 10 to 15 inches of rain generally, the keys will probably, all in all, when all said and done, see 25 inches of rain, in the panhandle of florida, that will probably be the least amount, 8 to 10 inches of rain. Here, in the midsection of the state and along the coast, we are probably looking at anywhere from 10 to 20 inches of rain, lester. And that storm sturge, that is the thing that is of most concern. I mean, theres going to be a lot of wind damage. But the most zadamage comes and unfortunately the most deaths comes from the storm sturge. Especially here, the storms are the greatet. Were not experiencing any wind right now, the rain is coming this way and maybe directly to tampa. Its a good chance to bring in the mayor, mayor buckhorn, good to see you. Thanks, sir. You got the mythical hurricane phoenix, 500,000 homes destroyed. 2,000 people dead. There are people that say this is the most vulnerable city in the country. Are they wrong . History would indicate they are. We are due for a hit. We train as if were going to get one every year. Most of this area that you see here will probably be under water. Davis island, harbor island, all of which you heard al talk about with the surge. Your home included . My home concluded. And the surge is what we worry about, thats what we talk about all the time. We want people out of the surge but i think well have a long difficult night, guys. And you also deal with sea level on a normal basis and a good size storm can cause flooding. What are you doing, or what are you prepared to do to mitigate what could be a catastrophic storm sturge . Well, i dont know if we can mitigate anything. At this point, its in gods hands. Were prepared for the cleanup afterwards and prepared to help people get back in their homes. We spent the last two years trying to strengthen our inf infrastructu infrastructure. To the extent that were ready for this, as city city might be ready, i mean, were dealing with 100yearold pipes that weve been duct taping for the last three decadinedecades. If its not done, its not going to get done. Youve got a lot of people in shelter. I worry about the folks we encountered on the roads like i need gas. How much of the population do you think atrisk population is in a safe place this morning . You know, my hope is most of them. The reality is, probably not as many as i would prefer. A lot of floridians get hurricane amnesia. Theyve ridden these things out. They think they can survive. This is going to affect every part of the state. So, weve really worked hard to evacuate people. Obviously, we didnt have as much time as the folks in miami did to prep for this. Weve been warning this for three or four days not to necessarily trust of the models because we know how they wobble. Weve been watching you for a week now. Weve been preparing them, we put an evacuation notice on all of this area 36 hours ago. So, a lot of people have left. But again, there are going to be those people that will hunker down and say i can withstand this . Whats your biggest fear . Surge. Were going to live through the rain and the wind. What im concerned about the impact of the surge. Most particularly, the surge will occur at the same point that the high tide curse here. Monday morning, 6 00, 7 00, 8 00, same time, youll see high tide on the bay and on this river, so youre going to add to that surge level. For those lowlying areas its going to be increasingly problematic. Its good to talk to you. The six circumstances are lousy. We are indeed. Its game time. Matt and savannah, he doesnt paint a good picture. No, thats scary when you talk about high tide and high surge at the very same time. And hes a guy who knows what thats going to be like. And when you look at it, geography is just not on the side of the folks who are living in tampa, boy, were worried for them right now. And the u. S. Coast guard as you might imagine is very busy during a storm like this. And were joined on the phone by rear admiral peter brown. Admiral good morning. What are you dealing with and what are your concerns . Good morning. And thank you for having me on the show and give an opportunity to explain how the entire coat guard is preparing to respond to the storm. Im in charge of what covers South Carolina, georgia and most of florida, the area under the direct impact of Hurricane Irma right now. For the past several days weve been repositioning and protecting our people, and our operational assets, our airplanes, our small boats. And mostly, weve taken them to shelter outside the threat area of Hurricane Irma. And weve positioned them and readied them, to be able to respond to our Top Priorities which are lifesaving search and rescue operations. And then restoring the ports, especially the fuel critical ports of ft. Lauderdale and tampa. You know, obviously when a storm passes through, its not like someone flips a switch and the seas calm down and the water waves calm down. How quickly after irma goes through, admiral, do you think youll be able to get those resources you talked about into action . Thats a great question. And those resources are positioned as close as we safely can. In alabama, in georgia, in South Carolina and north carolina. But as you state, were going to be hampered by the unusual size, intensity and impact of this storm, all of those aspects will have to traverse the whole length of the state of florida to get to the florida keys. It remains my top priority. Its the top priority of the entire coast guard right now. All of our operational forces, particularly from the east coast, are available to respond to this storm, just as you saw them respond to Hurricane Harvey a few weeks ago in texas. Well, rear admiral peter brown, thank you so much, send our regards to the people doing the good work for the u. S. Coast guard. Thank you. Thank you. Good luck. Lets take a shot again that we took much earlier in the morning. This is mike sidell of the weather channel. Hes right along the coast. Take a look at how the sea is churning. Can we listen into what hes saying, guys . Reporter three, two before when we saw him, he was in the streets, he had a foot of water rushing past him. Look at whats going on behind him now. I know, i wish we had a better idea of how this location relates to the one we saw earlier. He, all morning long, has just been getting battered and giving us a good idea of what folks in miami are dealing with. As we look at that, we remember, theyre not in the eye of the storm. This is the Southeast Side of the storm, not as intense as whats going to be bearing down on fort myers there and tampa and the western coast of florida. Apparently now, were looking at the miami river. So what is that, about a block or so from the coastline . Something like that . And its just going crazy there. I want to bring dylan dreyer in, i dont know, dylan, if you can see what were showing people, mike sidell in miami. Even though its that side of the storm. People know it gets gnarly on that. Is that surprising at all to you . Reporter i was just looking at where he is. It is surprising, because we saw the storms and we always know the Northeast Quadrant of those storms certainly has the most effect. But miami is so far from the center of the storm. Its incredible to see the wind gusts theyre seeing 80 to 100 Miles Per Hour. And then to see with winds like that how much it churns up the water. So it really is incredible in just those outer bands. We are driving from sarasota to tampa. I want to take a look out of the front of the car. Because we are driving through one of the extreme outer bands right now. Were so far away from the center of the storm, still 300 miles away. And were not dealing with that much wind. Although every once in a while we do get a gust that tosses the car a little bit. Were on the outer edge of the band. I want to bring it back in and show you w