Florida sunday morning. Governor rick scott issuing the urgent warning a short time ago. Do not put yourself or your familys life at risk. If you have been ordered to evacuate and are still home, please go. We are running out of time. The storm is almost here. If you are in an evacuation zone, you need to go now. This is a catastrophic storm that our state has never seen. At least 17 deaths confirmed so far. The destruction immense. The island of barbuda reporting widespread damage. An official on the island of st. Martin says 95 of that island has been decimated. Our correspondents are tracking storm preparations and evacuations from their vantage points along the gulf, and atlantic coasts of florida. Also, along the northern coast of the bahamas, as well. Well get to them in just a moment. We are also waiting on a White House Briefing any moment now on the federal response. Were told thats going to happen roughly 30 minutes from now. When it does, we will go there. But we start with sam champion, msnbc weather contributor in miami beach, monitoring irmas path of wrath, if you will. Sam, what are you seeing now . What can we expect over the next 12 to 24 hours . Hey, craig. Everything is on track for the models that we have seen. And the forecasts that we have had for the past few days. Now remember, we use two models and theyre both in agreement this is a florida storm that will strike the tip of florida as a category 4. Now, lets show you exactly where this storm is right now. Look at the eye of this storm, and definitely in that satellite picture you can see it just south of the bahamas, north of cuba. We have a category 4, 150mileanhour winds. But that should not make anyone feel better. Remember, a category 5 is just 156 miles per hour. So got a very strong storm. Heres the short track on this over the next couple of days. Working a little bit north of cuba, may interact with cuba a little bit on saturday. If it does, we could have a wobble in strength. And that wouldnt be good for cuba to get that direct eye right there. Now, then we see that storm take a turn to the north. Category 4. Making landfall. Sunday, about 8 00 a. M. , in the central keys of florida. Then heres the real problem, craig. Watch the longterm track of this storm. Youve got a category 4, about 340 miles wide. An eye thats about 70 miles wide. And it goes from the tip of florida to the top of florida. And then weakens beyond, and even some of that rain and those winds will end up in tennessee. Now lets concentrate on the worst situation, and thats in florida. Were talking about a storm unlike the storm that Everybody Knows in florida. Which is hurricane andrew. Lets look at andrew versus irma. So andrew, category 5. Was a 5 for about 16 hours. Was a 4 when it made landfall. The size of that storm, 180 miles wide, and the destruction was complete to homestead, and the tip of florida. Now look at this. This is irma. Category 5. Longest running category 5 in hurricane history. Anywhere in the world there has been no Tropical Cyclone that has been stronger longer than irma. Size, 370 miles across. The state of florida is just 140 miles across. At just about its widest point. Now, craig, you cant compare these two storms. And even though the categories may be similar, the storms are not. Their destruction will not be. When we Start Talking about 150mileanhour winds, sam, whats the practical effect of winds like that . All right. If youve seen images from what happened with andrew, and you can level buildings with that, and you will level poorly constructed buildings, for sure. Trees are down. Neighborhoods are unrecognizable. A lot of people came out of their homes in andrew or what was left of it, and said they couldnt place themselves. Couldnt tell where they were in their neighborhood. Thats the same type of thing that we are likely to see if this path doesnt change. And theres really no reason for us to believe that it will. Well see that kind of destruction through the southern tip of florida. Wherever that eye wall goes. Remember, the worst winds are right there. So thats why its so important to place where that eye is on the tip of florida. And theres still a little wobble room with that. Will it be on the eastern side toward homestead or miami or the western side toward the everglades . That will be very important to what kind of destruction you wake up to after that storm. But the destruction will be strong either way. Because outside of that, there is still hurricaneforce winds that will destroy buildings, homes, trees, cars, things that we know. And really quickly, i know, of course, all attention right now being paid to irma. There is another hurricane sitting out in the atlantic. Hurricane jose. There is. Upgraded to a cat 4 as well, is that right . Yeah. Cat 4 now with jose. Now, heres the bad news about jose. Jose goes over you mentioned these islands at the top of the show, craig. Barbuda, antigua, an quilla, st. Martin. All are a 3 or 4. Theyre not set to take that storm. But that storm will curve. So it will stay in the latlanti, it is not a threat to the u. S. Coast or puerto rico or haiti or the Dominican Republic or cuba at this time. All right. Sam champion there for us in miami beach. Sam, stand by. We would like to come back to you later, of course. Msnbcs chris hayes has also made his way to miami, as well. Chris is going to be airing a special allin tonight, 8 00 eastern. You were there last year as well for a special report on the conditions that make miami uniquely susceptible to hurricane damage. Good to see you, my friend. What did you find . Reporter you know, miami, when you look at analyses of what parts of america are most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, particularly sea level rise, miami is right in the crosshairs. The reason is, almost all of miamidade is only ten feet or lower above sea level. Huge amounts constructed and dredged. So when you get a really big storm surge, which is a real concern in places like south beach, you already have sea level rise. We came here, and we looked at them fighting back the water on sunny days. Take a look. Less than 9 of Miamidade County is greater than 10 feet above sea level. Reporter adding to the problem, most of south florida is built on porous limestone, which allows water to move around easily and seep up through the ground. Flooding happens often here. And not just when its raining. Seasonal high tides occur when the sun, earth and moon align, leading to flooding, made worse by sea level rise. You can see that every day when you go into miami beach. At least in october, we will have four, five extreme flooding events when the sky is clear. Its just coming right up the sewer drains, flooding from sea level rise. Thats a climatic impact that were seeing already today. Reporter so, craig, youve got three elements, obviously, in a hurricane. Youve got the wind, youve got the rain. We saw all the damage the rain did in harvey. Images of what the wind has done to places like barbuda. One of the big concerns here, particularly in south beach, is the storm surge. A storm surge was the most destructive part of Superstorm Sandy up in new york. Part of the reason, you get a lot of saltwater, which has really destructive effects. One of the big things to watch is as that eye wall approaches miami, approaches south beach, how big that storm surge is, and what its effects are. Hey, chris, while youve been talking, ive noticed a handful of cars behind you on the highway. By and large, does it look like folks there have heeded Governor Scotts begging to get out of town . Reporter so its pretty interesting. Ive got to say. Just getting here and talking to people. And this was my experience when ive talked to people in other places and i remember talking to people in new orleans even after katrina. You know, there is a certain kind of habit folks have that hurricanes come and hurricanes go, and, you know, eye got my house and ive got my pets. I should be clear. Theres really only mandatory evacuation for some of miamidade. Theres three zones, all three have mandatory evacuations. The rest of miamidade is not under a mandatory evacuation. And it has been somewhat striking. I would say there is more presence on the streets, more cars driving around, people in stores, than i would have expected, given whats bearing down on this area. The governor today saying that floridans across the state should be prepared to evacuate. But as of now, i think that by and large, people are outside of the mandatory evacuation zones, the ones that hug the coast, and particularly south beach, essentially a ghost town, are looking to shelter in place. Chris hayes there in miami again. The special tonight, 8 00, all in. Chris, thanks, buddy. Gabe gutierrez standing by for us, as well. He is in Miami International airport, where evacuees, were told, are being turned away from that airport now. Gabe, whats happening there . Reporter hey there, chris. Well, right here in floor 13 Aamerican Airlines terminal, you can see behind me, these are International Travelers mostly being bussed to Emergency Shelters. My cameraman, aaron sassen, you can see, there are about 140 people there or so. Weve been talking with a few of them over the past few minutes. Theyre telling us desperate stories. These are folks that were trying to get out of the country. One man was trying to get to argentina. His flight was cancelled. And he really has no place to go. Doesnt know where hes going to spend the night. He is debating whether to get on one of these buses to head to an Emergency Shelter or to try to ride out the storm in the airport. Now, we should be clear, craig, the airport is saying that this is not an Emergency Shelter. People should find other shelters. And thats whats kind of happening right now. So this line, if aaron can come over here you see this, this is one of the buses that just showed up. And, again, these travelers are being bussed to Coral Park High School in southwest miamidade, one of the new Emergency Shelters that is open. Were told there is room there. And another person we spoke with in just a few minutes, she said that she was trying to get back to germany. Never experienced a hurricane before. Had no idea what to do. She is being told to get on one of these shelters. She was at a hotel. She was kicked out of there, because the hotel had closed. And so her flight was in two days. She tried to get here to get a flight today. But theres been a series of events which we have been covering where so many flights have been cancelled. Hundreds of flights cancelled at m. I. A. Today. A variety of reasons. One, the logistics, the planes, the crews, missing a crew member, some people have gotten on the plane only to sit on the tarmac for several hours, and they have just been so frustrated. So these these are the people were seeing. This is the desperate situation ahead of hurricane irma, trying to figure out where to ride out the storm. Many of these folks had never dealt with a hurricane before. Much less a category 4 storm. And so right now it appears that authorities are trying to get this mass of people into Emergency Shelters. And thats where what were seeing play out behind me, these folks being bussed to a newly opened Emergency Shelter in southwest miamidade, craig. Thats heart breaking. Gabe, to be clear, though. There are still flights that are getting out of Miami International, correct . Reporter thats true. That is true. There are still flights going out. There are some people that are confused whether, you know, over the next couple hours maybe some more of those flights will be cancelled. However, these are folks that mostly, they had flights either earlier in the day or perhaps yesterday. They were trying to get rebooked on flights. And they have not been able to. In our last hour, i believe, we were in baggage claim, and there was some frustration there, because some of the people that had their flights cancelled, their luggage didnt make it. In other words, staying here at the airport, theyre being separated from it. Some of those passengers we spoke with were frustrated, and some of them had essential medicines. We spoke with one woman who needed her chemotherapy medicine, and she didnt have access to it, because that luggage was locked away. Its a very desperate situation with her. She was trying to figure out excuse me here. Theres a bit of a crowding situation as people are trying to figure out where to go next. But that woman we spoke with, she is from colombia, trying to make it back to colombia, did not speak english and didnt have family members here. And so there was another fellow passenger that was trying to help her figure out where to go next. But, you know, these are stories playing out over and over again today. These folks right here, you know, many of them, again, on international flights. May not have family members here in the miami area. And they right now are being bussed to Emergency Shelters. So certainly a lot of people domestically we heard of those cruise passengers that were dumped here in miami. Tens of thousands of them there trying to figure out a way back home. But a lot of International Travelers, as well. Thats another thing with hurricane irma. Where do all these folks go . Now, again, authorities are trying to get them to these Emergency Shelters, and thats what were seeing right now. Hopefully they can get there safely, and, you know, right now Miami International is saying it doesnt have any immediate plans to close, unless safety there is a safety hazard. But right now m. I. A. Remains open, and the flights are still leaving at this point. But there is still a buildup of people here. Craig . Gabe gutierrez, do keep us posted on that situation, which, unfortunately, youve got to think is only going to get worse. Miamidade facing possibly the largest evacuation that county has ever attempted, according to the miami herald. Nearly 700,000 people have been told to leave their homes. Nbcs Gadi Schwartz is in florida city, florida. This is inside miamidade. Gadi, word a short time ago that hom home depot, those stores are shutting down. Tell us about that. Reporter yeah, thats right. All Home Depot Stores on the east side of florida below jupiter city have now shut down. So anything below jupiter home depot is starting to look like this. That in the back of the truck right there is an elusive piece of preparation there. That is plywood. And plywood is running out. Earlier we were seeing home depot rationing supplies, and there was a line right here that stretched around the corner. Hungs of people waiting for that plywood. They were given five pieces of plywood per family. But you can see right now, they have just closed down the doors. They have just shuttered it. And this family over here seems to have gotten the last load. They have been rigging this up to the top of their car for a little while. Senora, can we ask you a couple quick questions . Yes. Reporter okay. So it looks like you got some of the last plywood around. How did you guys get this . Oh, my god. We waited like three or four hours. Reporter you guys waited four hours to get these two pieces. Four hours, yes. One line. The second line of the day because at this time im sorry. Reporter no, youre fine. This is very difficult at this time. Because we knew home depot was open. We went yesterday to another store, for many, many hours. They didnt have supplies. And we came because he has a department here. Reporter so you guys are going to protect the apartment with these two pieces of plywood. Yes. This is the only two pieces we could get in six days. Reporter in six days, you guys have been looking for plywood in six days and this is what you have. Yes. In miami we live in miami. But the reason we came over here is because he has an apartment over here. Reporter so today you board this up and then get back up to miami. Yeah, were the last one. Reporter last ones here. Yeah, this is the story. I hope so. I do remember andrew. Andrew was terrible, destroyed my business. Reporter you were here for andrew and it destroyed your business . Yes, it was terrible. I had my business in miami, and it destroyed my business, and wilma. Destroyed my other business. And this is the third one. Reporter and theyre saying this one could be stronger than andrew. I believe so. Thats what the news says. But im really, really nervous. Because this is also i remember 9 11 september, 9 11, i was sleeping in new york. And thats another experience thats terrible. But this year is going to be the worst. Reporter got it. Okay . Thank you. Our thoughts are with you guys. Were glad you guys got these two pieces of plywood. Yeah. We need more, but thats the only we could get. Reporter thank you very much. Once again, this is the last of the plywood here in florida city. All home depots south of jupiter have been closed. They look like this. They have been shuttered, and the lines here, we just saw police come in. They have cleared out the lines. There were people waiting. People being turned away. And now everybody is basically going to take whatever they could here, go to their houses and try to fortify their homes. Craig . To be clear, gadi, is this an evacuation zone, one of the mandatory evacuation zones . Reporter i believe its in development right now. We understand that this will be one of the evacuation zones. And theyre expecting a storm surge to come up here. Were still about 20, 30 minutes away from the ocean proper. But as you know, the mangroves, theyre expecting water to come up considerably, anywhere from 3 to 12 feet. So that storm surge is something that everybody is watching. And the evacuation zone has extended. And it will continue to extend. And we also understand that there are shelters that have been set up here in florida city. But those shelters are quickly filling up. Gadi schwartz there for us in florida city, florida. Thank you. Jacob soboroff is standing by in miami beach. He is actually on the beach that is projected to be hardest hit. And for those of us who are familiar with south beach at 1 30 on a friday afternoon, this is a sight i probably have never seen. Reporter yeah, craig, you just saying that actually gave me the chills. To be out here in 80plusdegree temperature, to think about being on one of the most famous bea