captioning sponsored by cbs >> o'donnell: tonight, we're here in florida, where hurricane ian made landfall as one of the most powerful storms to hit the u.s. in american history. roofs torn off homes, cars submerged under water, and dangerous winds knock down power lines as an enormous hurricane ian engulfs florida. cbs' manuel bojorquez is in hard-hit fort myers. >> reporter: the area of this hotel is now part of the gulf of mexico. >> o'donnell: catastrophic storm surge, floodwaters could reach as high as 18 feet. the weather channel's jim kantory battles dangerous winds in punta gorda. he joins us. the latest storm track.

where dangerous hurricane ian is heading next. classrooms turned into bedrooms. we visit shelters and speak to families riding out the storm together. >> my main focus was getting them to safety. >> o'donnell: and remembering legendary cbs newsman, bill plante, who covered more than half a century of history. >> this is the "cbs evening news" with norah o'donnell, reporting tonight from tampa, florida. >> o'donnell: good evening, and thank you for joining us. as we come on the air tonight, the state of florida is being pummeled by hurricane ian. the massive category 4 storm made landfall just hours ago with winds of 150 miles per h hour. ian slammed ashore north of fort myers with dangerous winds and

catastrophic storm surge. the storm is moving inland and dumping tremendous amounts of rain along the i-4 corridor. and to get a better understanding of just how big ian is, this is what the storm looks like from space, the powerful hurricane covering almost the entire state of florida. and the strength of the storm is astonishing. a hurricane hunter f from the national weather service, whose job it is to fly into the eye of hurricanes, described the flight into ian as the roust of his career. ian has knocked out power to more than 1.5 million customers throughout the state. we have team coverage tonight, and cbs' manuel bojorquez is going to start us off with hard-hit fort myers. good evening, manuel. >> reporter: norah, good evening. as the impacts of hurricane ian have only intensified here along the southwest coast ofd we can safely report on what's happening outside. there's no other way to put it--

this is an assault of wind, storm surge, and rain looking out there, i can see the trees are already missing branches, and the water has started to enter some of the buildings along the coast. and this area has been battered now for hours. this was fort myers as hurricane ian made landfall this afternoon. what was beachfront property now under water with fears of more catastrophic flooding to come. these are the worst conditions we have seen so far. the gulf of mexico coming ashore here and doing it relentlessly. there is debris in the water, but also flying through the air. with 150-mile-an-hour winds lashing the shore, the team hunkered down in our hotel as they worked to keep the doors closed. this was our view just 24 hours ago. now covered by water. >> so this is going to be a nasty, nasty day, two days.

probably we think now it will be existing the peninsula some time on thursday. >> reporter: just north, san bell island was among the first to feel ian's wrath as it came on shore, causing major flooding. residents here were among the 2.5 million people told to evacuate. some chose to stay. kyle sweet decided to ride out the storm can his family. how high off the ground is the structure? >> we're 15 feet off the ground, so the bottom floor si believe, 12. but we're going to be safe. >> reporter: as ian came onshore, it overtook homes and submerged cars. in naples, fallen trees and downed power lines sparked fires and made roads impassable. a citywide curfew was issued for wednesday as the water began rising at this house, one man raced to rescue a cat trapped on an air conditioner. >> look at michael saving the kitty. >> reporter: first responders were inundated, too.

an emergency trailer breaking loose and floating down the street. several feet of water flooded this fire station. >> please, people, we encourage you all to please stay off the road. >> reporter: president biden says fema is ready to help as soon as the storm is over. >> the federal government is going to be there to help you recover. we'll be there to help you clean up and rebuild, to help you-- florida get moving again. >> reporter: a difficult day will become a long night. we got an alert, an emergency message on our phones late this afternoon saying that water rescues would again, but after the storm passes, but saying that some of these impacts also are expected to last through the night. norah. >> o'donnell: all right, manuel bojorquez, stay safe there. thank you. we should note the storm continues to pummel the west coast of florida, and cbs' omar villafranca is in bradenton, that's just south of us here across the bay. the iwall is approaching him there where the situation is

deteriorating. good evening, omar. >> reporter: good evening. hurricane ian made landfall less than 100 miles from where we are, but you can see how powerful the storm is that far away. this is the manatee river, and it is choppy. water is am category over the riverwalk. we're expecting a storm surge that could be anywhere from 7-10 feet. part of that will be driven by some of the wind you're seeing around me. 50 miles an hour, some of the gusts up to 80 miles an hour. rain right now. this is actually a little bit of rain right now. we're expecting 10-12 inches. speaking of water, it's a problem here in bradenton, because one of the plants is out so the city is urging people to try to conserve water. we are starting to see some severe tree damage but people are indoors. that's the good news. they are riding it outs. norah. >> o'donnell: omar villafranca, thank you very much. ian's hurricane-force winds and record storm surge is dangerous for the millions of residents

across florida's west coast and for those covering the monster storm. meteorologist jim cantore from our partners at the weather channel learned that firsthand covering the storm this afternoon in punta gorda. >> reporter: just came flying by. all right, you know, what? i think i'm just going to come in here for a second. just give me a second. >> jim, you all right? >> i'm all right. i'm fine. i'm fine. i just-- you can't stand up. all right. >> o'donnell: well, we're happy to report that jim is okay, and we spoke with him earlier from punta gorda. >> reporter: believe it or not, we are in the dirty eye of ian right now, which is the break between the eastern eyewall that we just took and the western one that you see

very, very dark behind me here. we still have that to go at the time i am filing this report. some debris around, nothing big, least yet. but that backside could really contain some winds, still gusting to 125 or more miles per hour. we've had a little chunk of this wall that's been knocked out. there may have been water that's compromised some of the roof, some of the part building laying on the ground. and look at these palm fronds. this is like a palm free graveyard sitting in front of me here as those winds, again, as i mentioned, 124 miles per hour did their damage. so what is in store for punta gorda on the backside of this? two things-- the water from charlotte harbor comes this way. all right. it's going to come this way with a westerly and northerly wind component coming in. but also a chance to get flooding in this town. we may actually see our worst storm surge on the backside of ian as it moves to the northeast tonight. we've still got a long way to go. norah, back to you. >> o'donnell: yeah, everybody worried about that storm surge.

thank you, jim. meteorologist alex wilson is also with our partners at the weather channel. she's in orlando and tracking where hurricane ian is headed next. good evening, alex. >> reporter: good evening, norah. yeah, already seeing the tropical storm conditions here in orlando. hurricane-force gusts possible by mid-morning tomorrow. the storm will move off towards the north and east, tracking across florida, weakening as it does so, but moving slowly and bringing heavy rain, also tornado risks, and strong winds across the peninsula. then by the end of the week and into the weekend, actually moving into parts of the southeast, bringing the same issues. the most widespread threat though out of ian moving forward likey to be the flooding rainfall. here in the central part of florida, we could see well over a foot, easily exceeding, even doubling our average september rainfall. norah, back to you. >> o'donnell: yeah, still many more millions to be affected. alex, thank you.

although tampa missed a direct hit from hurricane ian, this city right here is not out of the woods just yet. we are experiencing wind gusts at more than 60 miles per hour. and record rainfall and flooding will continue through the night. cbs' david begnaud is here with us as well. good evening, david. >> reporter: good evening, norah. it's starting to rock 'n' roll. we're not too far from you. i'm standing where there should be water, but all day we've been watching something quite phenomenal-- water pulled out of tampa bay and literally pushinto the gulf of mexico. it's known as reverse storm surge. five to six feet of it pulled out of here. now, at some point it's going to come pubbing back in with potentially damaging results. so we're on the northwestern side of the storm where you're seethe reverse storm surge, and on the southeastern side where manny and omar other and people are, you have storm surge in excess of 16 feet. bottom line-- tampa was going to take a direct hit. it's not the cases anymore. but make no mistake about it, we're hunkering down for what is

expected to be a wet and possibly wild night. norah. >> o'donnell: david begnaud, hunkering down as well, thank you, david. more than two million floridians are under mandatory evacuation tonight. ahead of the storm, officials had urged residents to go to higher ground. and for thousands, that meant going to a shelter. we visited two schools now housing families just before hurricane ian hit. evacuating was an easy decision for anita goff. she's taking shelter at this high school with her son, jafin, who turned two months old today. were you worried about him? >> i really was. that's why i really came to a shelter. that was my main focus was getting him to safety. >> o'donnell: it would be very difficult for you with a two-month-old and no electricity. >> yvery difficult. they need electricity. you got to bathe them, you got it feed them. so i did the right thing coming to the shelter. i came yesterday. >> o'donnell: hundreds of people are riding out the storm here. were you scared? >> yeah. >> o'donnell: among them, this family of 15. why did you decide to come here?

>> around the house, we have lots of trees. it's low in there. so if any flow happened, so we can be safe. >> o'donnell: the river's near there. trees, flooding. also, the electricity may go out. >> yes. >> o'donnell: this is actually an elementary school, which is also serving as a shelter. we're going to go in and talk to some officials here. juan lopez's day job is in sales and marketing. today, with all hands on deck, he's a shelter supervisor. what services are you providing people? >> we're providing all guests with space, a place for them to rest and be outside of the elements, as well as three meals a day. and we're also here just to help provide support, keep everyone calm. >> o'donnell: so people are using classrooms as bedrooms? >> correct. >> o'donnell: wow. with air mattresses or... >> each guest brought their own air mattress, sleeping bags. >> o'donnell: all hands on deck here. well, tonight, as the massive

storm rumbles across the florida peninsula, conditions are rapidly getting worse as far away as the low-lying city of saint augustine. that's actually on the east coast of the state. and cbs' meg oliver is there for us. hi there, meg. >> reporter: hi, norah. that's right, a mandatory evacuation went into effect at 6:00 a.m. today. hurricane ian is still about 200 miles away from us, but the outer bands are intensifying with wind gusts expected to reach more than 60 miles per hour. that would close bridges, like that one behind me, sphranding folks who decided to stay on those barrier islands. >> you going to ride it out? >> so that's plan. >> reporter:on anastasia island, brad melvin spent the day piling sandbags and securing his home to ride out hurricane ian. why did you decide to stay? >> so, i... i had to work. i alsowanted to protect my house. >> reporter: as the monster storm pummels will the west coast, floridians in central and northeast sections are preparing for extreme flooding and high

winds to arrive in the next 24 hours. >> this bridge, we do anticipate closing several times because of floodwaters. >> reporter: saint augustine fire chief carlos aviles. >> on thursday, it will be very windy, very rainy, and there will be a significant amount of water covering most of the roadways. >> reporter: in 2017, during hurricane irma, almost 400 gallons of sewage leaked into water during power failures. the city has spent millions to prevent that from happening again. brad's wife and two young daughters are also getting ready. how do you feel about riding out the storm? >> a little nervous. but hopefully everything will be fine. >> reporter: forecasters are predicting 15-plus inches of rain up and to five feet of storm surge through friday. now, if the melvins are flooded out of their home, they say they have a boat and a kayak to try to reach higher ground. norah. >> o'donnell: so much of florida affected. meg oliver, thank you.

well, in cuba, where hurricane ian made landfall as a category 3 yesterday, officials say power is slowly being restored after the entire island lost electricity. officials believe it's the first time that cuba's entire electrical grid collapsed, and the whole island lost power. at least two people were killed. the storm's 125-mile-per-hour winds damaged homes and many of the country's important tobacco farms that produce cuba's famous cigars. all right, still ahead on tonight's "cbs evening news," today's other big headlines, including the environmental disaster unleashed by the suspected russian sabotage of natural gas pipelines. nail the final interview. buy or lease? masterpiece. inside joke. artichoke. game with doug. brand new mug. come here, kid. gimme a hug.

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california, disaster in 2015. european officials are now ramping up security around pipelines. vladimir putin on friday is expected to announce the annexation of four regions of ukraine. putin is likely to claim those occupied territories want to join russia following what's widely being dismissed as a sham election. police in philadelphia today released video of the gunman wanted in a shooting outside a high school on tuesday that killed a 14-year-old football player and left four others wounded. police say the players were walking off the field after a scrimmage game when an s.u.v. pulled up, and as many as five gunmen fired at least 70 shots. four got back in the s.u.v. and drove away. coming up next, ka katie courics cancel battle, and her message tonight to all women. but as you get older, it naturally begins to change, all. thankfully, the breakthrough in prevagen helps your brain and actually improves memory.

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♪ hisamitsu ♪ >> o'donnell: former "cbs evening news" anchor katie couric revealed today that she is battling breast cancer. couric, 65, says she was diagnosed in june after a

mammogram that she put off for six months. she underwent a lumpectomy and just created radiation treatment. couric lost her first husband and sister to cancer and she is encouraging all women to get their annual mammograms. i spoke to her today, and she said she is feeling well. coming up next, we remember cbs' bill plante, one of the longest serving white house correspondents in history. moderate to severe eczema still disrupts my skin. despite treatment it disrupts my skin with itch. it disrupts my skin with rash.

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>> o'donnell: finally tonight, some sad news within the cbs news family. we learned this afternoon that former cbs news correspondent bill plante died at the age of 84. bill plante spent more than half a century at cbs news covering history. at age 26, he was sent to cover the war in vietnam. >> the first actual ground combat troops to entertain country. >> o'donnell: another big assignment, the civil rights movement. he interviewed martin luther king jr. as he marched from selma to montgomery. >> of all the activities of the last weeks in selma come to fruition now. >> o'donnell: and then political conventions and presidents. bill spent 35 years as our white house correspondent. >> did you make a mistake in sending arms to tehran, sir? >> no, and i'm not taking any more questions. >> bill plante? no? bill's not here?

that's shocking. >> this is the "cbs sunday night news." bill plante reporting. >> o'donnell: years in the anchor chair and traveling the world for cbs news. >> 100 years ago, the grasher came all the way here. this is bill plante, cbs news, proving you're never too old to do something stupid! >> o'donnell: bill loved biking, running, and wine. he also loved his family. the father of six children, he is survived by his loving wife, robin. as a white house correspondent, i traveled the world with bill. he always ordered the wine, and he always picked up the tab. he was a great colleague, and an even better friend. we will miss you, bill. and that is tonight's "cbs evening news." i am norah o'donnell in tampa, florida. we will continue to track hurricane ian as it moves across the state. good night. and stay safe.

>> announcer: a chance to make a quick buck... >> judge judy: what was it that you wagered on? >> a basketball game. >> judge judy: it was just the two of you who were betting. >> that's it. a friendly bet. >> announcer: but after a while... >> he was giving me all these excuses about why he wasn't paying me and stuff like that. >> announcer: ...it wasn't so friendly. >> he said, "i can't wait. i can't wait. we're gonna handle it right now." so he started punching me, punching me, punching me, punching me. >> judge judy: you were arrested, mr. copeland, is that correct? >> that is correct, ma'am. >> announcer: "judge judy." you are about to enter the courtroom you are about to enter the courtroom of judge judith sheindlin. captions paid for by cbs television distribution richard caldwell is suing his former co-worker, danny copeland, for an assault and missing property. >> byrd: order! all rise! this is case number 368 on the calendar in the matter of caldwell vs. copeland. >> judge judy: thank you. >> byrd: you're welcome, judge. parties have been sworn in.

you may be seated. >> judge judy: mr. copeland, i'm gonna start with you, sir. >> yes, ma'am. >> judge judy: about two years ago... >> yes. >> judge judy: ...you and mr. caldwell, who worked in the same place and who were co-worker, got into an altercation. the altercation happened on the 20th of may, a little more than two years ago. it sounds as if there had been a bet between the two of you. >> yes. >> judge judy: you wagered on something. what was it that you wagered on? >> bet over a basketball game. >> judge judy: had you wagered on basketball games before with the plaintiff? >> yeah, one other previous time. and both times -- well, the first time, he paid me. the second time, he didn't pay me. >> judge judy: okay. so, it was just the two of you who were betting. >> that's it. a friendly bet. >> judge judy: first time, he paid. second time, which was around may 2014, he didn't pay you. how much did he owe you? >> $100. >> judge judy: and when had this wager been made? in what month? >> march. >> judge judy: had you asked him for the money between march and may? >> yeah, we'd been texting back and forth, you know, talking about -- he was giving me all these excuses about why he wasn't paying me and stuff like that. so, what i did was -- i