. >> that trip in florida was also -- the news about florida was bookended by mr. romney cancelling a planned trip to orlando. the candidate's campaign initially cited exhaustion and said he wasn't exhausted, he was busy. and then abc news reported he was spotted spending some time in the gym. i don't know why they're avoiding the orlando stop. is there a rational reason for the republican new ticket to avoid a lot of time in florida right now? >> absolutely. you covered it when you covered the newspaper headlines in florida saying rather straight out that ryan could be a problem for romney in florida. my personal opinion before this vice presidential pick was that florida was shaded probably for romney. now, i think it's shaded at least slightly for obama. one thing we need to keep in mind, rachel, and i'm reminded myself, i have been covering politics since way before tim tebow was born, but these things unfold as time goes on. and while right now ryan looks like he is toxic for the ticket, it could be as we get deeper in the campaign, that this intelligent man,

we have rain bands not only on florida still, the east coast, but off the east florida coast about 390 miles from the center. this is a huge storm, not intensity wise, but a huge storm and why its impacts will be felt for two days in the north central gulf starting tomorrow morning. >> we appreciate it. this is the havoc that hurricane katrina wreekds in new orleans when it came ashore as a category 3 storm seven years ago on wednesday. severe flooding when levees failed leaving 80% of new orleans under water. katrina killed more than 1800 people, although the final death toll in new orleans was never determined. officials this time around they say they are getting ready. >> we have issued a state declaration of emergency for the storm. >> it's really important that we as a region stay together and stay focused and now is a time to get what we call in battle rhythm. >> it's always been serious business for those on the gulf coast states like louisiana. gabe gutierrez joins me from new orleans. what are officials doing this time around, especially to make sure that people are fully info

the florida keys. jim, the keys could get florida's first brush with isaac and what are you seeing there? >> the winds have definitely picked up this morning, randi. no rain yet. yesterday we saw some squalls, but steadily over to the last three hours we have seen the wind pick up. it is not a wind event but a rain event. they are almost positive to get some sort of flooding here which can happen with a regular thunderstorm. from what we will see from isaac, that is the main fear. the main thing they want to have done as far as preparations is to get people out of the way of the storm as it comes in later today, randi. >> yes, the flr roridians have n through this before, and know how the prepare, but what about the vacationers? do they know how to get out? >> yes, they want to get the vacationers out of here, and the locals and the residents are more experienced. they didn't encourage those people to leave, but to stay inside and yesterday they added flights and we saw planes taking off all day yester

en noviembre. >>> la florida es sumamente importante, pero no es solamente la florida, nevada es importante, nuevo méxico es importante, o sea a nivel nacional, esto es lo que es importante. >>> por supuesto otro desafío de elos republicanos es la tormenta tropical isaac que se acerca, el gobernador ha ordenado el estado de emergencia los republicanos quieren seguir adelante con la convención pero si la tormenta tropical isaac se acerca demasiado, la ciudad podría tener una evacuación. >>> a dos meses de las elecciones en noviembre, casi una cuarta parte de los votantes de estados unidos no sabe por quién va a votar, el sector podría ser decisivo en unos comicios como estos, donde tanto el presidente barack obama como mitt romney les costará conquistar votos >>> es momento de nuestra primera pausa y al regresar una explosión en la refinería más grande de venezuela deja una veintena de muertos y heridos. 8m >>> este domingo en al punto, falta poco para que comience la convención nacional republicana, donde mitt romney será mnombrado candidato a la presidencia, qué planean los r

a lot of heavy rain through the florida keys, through the florida straits. we had some here, but the worst of the weather has moved on out. this is very warm water, water temperatures, 87, 88 degrees. that's why we're forecasting for other reasons, too, and intensifying isaac becoming a hurricane today or tonight. wave heights out here, 6 toate feet, and we had a lot of beach erosion. let's take you to the eastern side of cuba where now in the recovery phase in guantanamo. also the other provinces and the santiago area. they're recovering from what they dealt with. let's go and take a look at the wave action. this is a sea wall area where people like to gather. they have those across a lot of latin american countries, especially down here in the caribbean. they have one in havana. the waves crashing over the sea wall and into homes, at least 24 homes were damaged and three were destroyed. now, as we come down the beach here, you can see the fact that we have had some debris. we have tiki huts that have been ripped from their moorings and they're thrown down

now florida is bracing for a hurricane. we'll take you there live. >>> and politics are no match for mother nature as isaac moves north. the republican convention is under threat with some events already canceled. >>> that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind. >> mankind loses a legend. the life, the career, the inspiration of neil armstrong. >>> good morning, everyone, i'm randi kaye. it is 7:00 on the east coast. 4:00 a.m. out west. thank you very much for starting your morning with us. florida is under a state of emergency right now. tropical storm isaac racing toward the florida keys after trashing haiti and killing at least two people this. isaac could become a hurricane by the time it moves across the keys and into the gulf of mexico, possibly within hours. governor scott says florida knows what it has to do to get prepared. the keys, they've already started battening up the hatches. even as delegates arrived at the airport, the republican national convention is not taking any chances. it will open as

doesn't even look at florida anymore. one little model over destin, the rest somewhere new orleans, points east, points west. >> oh, boy. >> remember, don, this forecast is right through here. even though new orleans is here, you would still get that same surge all the way from dauphin island all the way through biloxi, which is right through there. just get the same type of surge that you would have if it ever got that big. here's the projected path, only projected to be a 2. i don't say that tongue-in-cheek, but it's not the 4 that katrina was. there's still a lot of ocean heat out there, 100 miles per hour coming onshore, anywhere from plaquemines to mobile, left to right of there, but this change, shifting left and right, one of the things i said a couple days ago is the best chance i can give you is the most i could probably guarantee you is this is going to change and it certainly is. now the people of louisiana have hurricane warnings and even for new orleans. >> we keep saying 2, 4, what have you, but still the is

en la costa, en florida central, mÁs al norte. alerta de tormenta tropical. la zona de los cayos estos modelos ubicando 15 pulgadas y parte de esta actividad se traslada al norte, los aviones reconociendo el Área, una tormenta errÁtica y problematica los modelos lo traen desde pensacola, sobre todo noroeste de la florida, lo traerÍa a las inmediaciÓn de pensacola esta es la trayectoria oficial pudiera ganar fuerza en el golfo de mÉxico, y entonces esto tiene otra consecuencia oleaje que puede ser bastante fuerte y lluvia aquÍ tenemos 4 cra caracterÍstica, a esto es lo principal que tengo. >>> eduardo gracias, vamos a seguir pendientes de tu informaciÓn, y aunque isaac esta lejos de tampa sus vientos afectan la actividad de la convenciÓn republicana programada para el lunes en esta ciudad, dirigentes tomaron decisiÓn sobre la inauguracion del evento y nuestro enviado especial nos dice de quÉ se trata. >>> es oficial a pesar de preparativos el partido republicano pospuso por un dÍa su convenciÓn, el cielo se ve apasible pero el lu necesario Á dife

la florida. prefieren a 0 bam sobre romney 50% contra 46. segÚn el ultimo sondeo. na nacionalmente ambos estÁn virtualmente empatados. e l joe la florida para presentar a mitt romney a nivel nacional. nadie se asemeja a la florida el sentir nacional. somos como una prueba laboratorio >>> la florida es uno de lo estados mÁs afectados por el desempleo y el colapso inmobiliario del 2008 y tener casi un millÓn y medio de lectores latinos. lo que le isa a las hispanos es como los latinoamericanos. trabajo y ganar mÁs dinero. le estas o 23re 100ed algo mejor. estÁn decidido a ganar este apoyo. por medio de una nuevo propaganda y una seguidilla de oradores hispanos en sepa convenciÓn. susana martins se siente orgullosa de ser escogida. los republicanos quieren utilizar la economÍa como in mano, la inmigraciÓn sigue siendo el tema. para otra oportunidad dijo martÍnez hay que esperar a ver. si los lectores estÁn dispuestos a esperar. regresamos a tampa. >>> josÉ la im% tanz de la florida. clar

>> so what's going on in florida? since 2003 the state is required that third graders scoring at the lowest level on the fcat reading test be retained. i put required, well, required me not exactly the right word because there are a variety of exemptions mention in the policy. for example, limited english proficient students who have received less than two years of instruction in english are exempted, as our moore's categories of special education students. students have the ability to demonstrate their proficiency on an approved alternative standardized test. they can demonstrate their proficiency through a portfolio that is aligned to the state content standards. as a result of these exemptions i think calling the policy test-based promotion is something of a misnomer. it would be more accurate to say a low test score changes the default decision that would be made for this student such that in an affirmative case needs to be made they are ready to be promoted to the fourth grade. the policy doesn't simply require t

south florida there. it is just off south florida, but the key, you could take a direct from a category 1 hurricane. a we head out, there's tuesday. as we mentioned; it has hist shifted more to the west. there is new orleans. and the center of the storm coming right of new orleans. but i don't want to you focus on the center of the storm because anywhere within this cone is where we could see a landfall. they are saying category 2 upon landfall, but there is a chance we could see a stronger hurricane. that's what the national hurricane center is warning folks about this. this is a preliminary advisory. we could potentially see a stronger, major storm. just want to show you one of our tropical storm models that puts out the precipitation estimates, as we head further out in time. isolated amounts of 10 inches plus across south florida and take a look. this is one of the latest model guidances with the potential for 10 inch, possibly 12 inches along the coast of louisiana. again, if we have a tropical syste

thousands in florida are already without power. hundreds of flights have been canceled, and mandatory evacuations are under way in some coastal towns. >> we're very vulnerable. we're about 2 feet above sea level. >> reporter: southern parts of the state in the panhandle could get up to 12 inches of rain. over the next few days, the majority of florida is expected to feel the massive system, which has tropical storm-force winds spanning more than 350 miles. >> everybody from louisiana over through florida needs to be watching this very carefully. >> reporter: in tampa the republican national convention was pushed back based on earlier pro jekjections of isaac's path. though it's not expected to hit it head on, florida's governor says you must be vigilant. >> we have rain and wind and storm surge and the risk of tornadoes. >> reporter: tropical storm isaac made landfall in eastern cuba yesterday. fortunately, no deaths or injuries were reported. sadly that was not the dmas haiti. at least 7 were killed. strong winds and heavy rains l

this is in boynton beach, florida. bill says he's lived through hurricane francis, will ma and john. he's seen a lot heavier thunderstorms but the florida department of emergency management has told us they are getting inundated from calls from south florida residents asking whether or not if they should evacuate. one resident who was thankful he did not evacuate was frank guido. he sent this in from ft. lauderdale, shot from the apartment complex he was staying in. he says water poured into the lobby of the apartment complex. he says he feels he made the right decision in staying put there in ft. lauderdale. but fredericka, some of the most dramatic video we saw, that's from the freedom of the seas cruise ship, right in the florida straits between cuba and florida. take a look at this video. >> what an idiot. >> some of the cruise ship passengers are taking a break, going inside, shooting the individual row from inside the cruise ship. that cruise ship is now safe. they experienced winds as high as 65 miles per hour.

fredricka wilson of florida. the advancement project also with us. thank you. >>> what's going on according to rescue efforts, reporting from slidell, according to the chief of police, 45 people and their pets rescued in is this area. also in the old towne area of slidell. an area that has seen flooding pouring in because of fast-moving surges of water that came in on people unprepared. again, about, you know, anywhere between 40 to 100 people rescued by police so far. you can see all the standing water. it's not receding anytime soon. >>> we're back after this. one is for a clean, wedomestic energy future that puts us in control. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. my name is adam frucci and i'm

isaac's fierce winds are battering south florida, including the vulnerable florida keys. millions along the gulf coast preparing tonight. changes to the republican convention in tampa already under way. our extreme weather team across the region tonight. leading us off, abc's weather editor sam champion. he's in naples, florida, tonight with the latest track. sam, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. and you topped that big headline. all eyes are paying attention to isaac now. the recent hurricane warnings are out. and they include, that city, new orleans, and a good part of the gulf coast that they didn't include earlier. take a look at the warnings that are out right now. they go from morgan city, louisiana, include new orleans, run all the way to destin, florida. that includes pensacola. towns like mobile, biloxi are involved in this. there's a tropical storm warning out for the rest of the florida coast. and what that means is, good news for florida residents because there's less of an impact there. there will be coastal flooding and you'll get that push of

former florida governor charlie crist is public enemy number one in florida. >>> today's trivia question -- since 1948 which city has hosted more presidential nominating conventions than any other city? tweet me the answer. the first correct answer gets a call on monday from us. the answer and more coming up. i don't know the answer yet so hurry up and tweet me before i know. join the twitter conversation about the conventions. use the hash tag msnbc2012. we'll be right back. [ male announcer ] if you stash tissues like a squirrel stashes nuts, you may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec® liquid gels. nothing starts working faster than zyrtec® at relieving your allergy symptoms for 24 hours. zyrtec®. love the air. and also to build my career. so i'm not about to always let my frequent bladder urges, or the worry my pipes might leak get in the way of my busy lifestyle. that's why i take care, with vesicare. once-daily vesicare can help control your bladder muscle and is proven to treat overactive bladder with symptoms of frequent urges and leaks day and night. if you have certain

portions of florida. here is the latest. wind of 75. 65 miles an hour. 75 miles an hour is hurricane. moving to the west/northwest. 14 miles an hour. watch the latest track from the national hurricane center. bringing this on tuesday. at 7:00 central time. that's 8:00 our time. category ii hurricane. wind of 100 miles an hour. sustained itch it was this strong. it made its way towards new orleans. it would be stronger than katrina was, seven years ago. how about that. could be dealing with a lot of storm surge here. a lot of walter. th -- a lot of walter. something new orleans is taking a big look at. and the storm inland. over toward portions of memphis. and nowhere near our area. hurricane warnings in effect for pensacola. areas of new orleans, florida, talking tropical storm warnings. tomorrow morning at the bus stop, as the school buses roll on by. you can see, little bit by way of shower activity. not a whole lot. make sure kids have umbrella, backpack. waking up to temperature thousands, 75. tomorrow afternoon. mix of

, florida. >> scott, good information and godspeed. you'll be seeing a lot of that in the days to come. >>> coming up on 9 news now this sunday a local man got an unpleasant surprise walking into his own garage, that story when we come back. >> and, of course, keeping a close eye on tropical storm isaac. stay with us. >>> poisonous snakes, they may be more common around here than you might think. a herndon man found out the hard way when he got bitten a copperhead snake in his garage. surae chinn has the story and how you may want to protect your home. >> reporter: jon hanna was taking his dog out when he stepped on the snake in his garage. the bite sent him to the hospital last week and he spent three days in intensive care. >> i didn't turn the height on when i went out to the garage -- light on when i went out to the garage and the dog went running out and i followed him and after a few steps didn't look down and the copperhead was on the floor. i stepped on him. >> reporter: the snake sunk its teeth into his heel. >> i felt excruci

communities from florida to louisiana prepare for the impact. reporter karen brown in key largo florida >>> right now buys it intensifies as it heads towards the gulf mandatory evacuation orders in place in low-lying areas of florida and alabama and louisiana. they are starting to clean up locals call the storm category none. fierce winds whipped through the keeps knocking down trees, while isaacs' rains caused flooding in south florida by sunday afternoon the dolphins are back out swimming and carol anderson takes down her storm shutters >>> not as bad as i thought >>> and you dodged a bullet >>> yes i did >>> officials say 23,000 visitors last ahead of the storm but they expect to beat up and running for labor day weekend >>> eyes against northwest and forecasters say it could strengthen to category 2 hurricane and make landfall among the northern gulf course louisiana governor declared state of emergency low-lying areas our evacuating his new orleans on high alert. >>> we have learned to be prepared for the unexpected and caution the better p

no need for a friday session. >>> randall pinkston in florida. stay with us for continued coverage of the republican convention will have live reports throughout the week you can find the most up-to-date information on cbs s f dot com. majority of americans say they would pay higher taxes to save social security those findings based on a new ap poll 53% surveyed said they would pay more in taxes 36 percent said cut benefits instead. in a separate question more people would rather see the retirement age increase to save the system rather than cut benefits. something not seen since the '80s dozens of earthquake shakes southern california when had quite a jolt when during a painting by local artist pulled from a web site they are descries censorship and how the festival plans to handle the touchy sit,,,,,, ,,,,,,,, >>> dozens of earthquakes rattled parts of southern california from imperial valley to san diego county. this is what it looks like on the seismograph the first quake measured 3.9 it at ten this morning followed later by 3.4 this animatio

now, this is key west, florida. winds and waves whipping there. and this is where isaac's eye has gone, passed over the center of that storm and we're waiting, bracing for the back end of it. it wasn't as bad as expected and that's a good thing. now, on to the next. wow, this is dark skies over tampa right now. that's the tower cam rah-- camera in the city and one of the reporters is out on the road near tampa, tampa bay area now and we can see the storm is moving in. i got a tweet a moment ago from michelle down in mooem and -- in miami and saying they're getting drenched. we know this thing is on the move and when it kicks back out into the gulf of mexico, it will pick up steam and that's when we'll turn our eye towards new orleans and the panhandle. just into fox now, authorities in tampa arrested a protester armed with a large i-75 -- armed with a large knife. s this the mug shot. they ordered him to stop. he resisted arrest and police say they had to physically restrain him and that's when officers reportedly found the knife. and we're going

this is toxic in florida. i'm not saying romney will lose florida. i'm saying that as of today he has less chance of carrying it than he had before which is one reason he went to florida by himself. he didn't send ryan to florida. >> bill: paul ryan will have to convince the elderly voters in florida and all over the country that he is not their enemy. if the congressman is unable to do that he will not help the romney ticket. but as i said last night, i believe mitt romney made a smart selection in paul ryan. the congressman well understands that america is in trouble. he has thought about solving the very complex economic problems that face us. and whether you like his viewpoint or not, he is responsible and patriotic. honest democrats like irskin bowls, president clinton's staff know that. >> and the budget he came forward with is just like paul ryan. it is a sensible straightforward, honest, serious budget and it cut the budget deficit just like we did by $4 trillion. >> mr. bowls referring to the simpson boles committee reporter which the presid

this moves its way closer to head into the florida straight and into the florida keys. that will happen later on into the course of today. and we'll start to see conditions there really start to deteriorate because it's expected to intensify here as it moves its way through. let's go to our weather maps. this is corruptly -- the winds are currently at 65 miles an hour, sustained winds. but tropical storm force winds extending 200 miles out from the center of it. it's expected to intensify once it moves across the florida keys. and here we're getting into warmer water. the longer it stays over the water, the stronger it will get. and as it moves its way to the coast, it will intensify to a category 2 hurricane. the track has moved a little more to the west. and a couple of things happening with in that will be a big determining factor. there is a low pressure system that is going to move its way a little more to the west and retrieve it to the west now. and another low over the atlantic will move to the north. it's going to leave isaac with a steering mechanism that is a

so i want to avoid a florida 2000. you know i've quote doug shave been of the pew center in the book. he says we have the same conditions as applied in florida 2000, very close presidential election, a lot of contested states, the chance of having a close race that could go to the courts but just like in a forest fire you have underbrush that could create catastrophe. we have a lot more underbrush called lawyers. in each side can have 10,000 lawyers monitoring this election. my fear is that we don't address the potential for voter fraud before the election we could have five, six or seven florida's and the condition in which the courts really miss this up good and the voters are left dissatisfied and the feeling that the real winner of the election wasn't the president. >> guest: let me jump ahead. we will definitely get back to voter i.d. because you spend a lot of time in the book, a preponderance of time on electoral fraud, individual electoral fraud and voter i.d. but let me jump ahead because you talk about florid

enjoy florida. weather come and g. they brought me down here significantly i am sure you know. brought me down here on sunday to make sure if there are any idiots on the beach to get them to get the hell off of the beach. [applause] some lines are so good they never go away. and we are going to look forward to having a great time. governor christie will give key note address tomorrow night. and fox news alert out of afghanistan. two american solvediers shot dead with an afghan soldier. they are calling it accidental and said it is a separate case from the rash of insider attacks. 12 americans were killed this month alone in afghanistan by afghan soldiers. those are the abreviated headlines this morning. >> steve: we are live this morning in tampa for the rnc and kicks off tomorrow and cancellation today due to isaac. more on all of that stuff coming up. >> brian: remember this hilarous geico commercial. >> maybe we should juggle to mammy pampy lane too get self confidence for you, you jack wagon. >>

you will feel hurricane-force winds in the florida keys and likely in other parts of south florida. that's why this part of south florida here is under a hurricane warning right now. now, as i put this map into motion, watch what happens. a brand-new change in the track. look at this. we haven't seen this yet, number two. category 2 intensity, meaning winds by tuesday will be all the way up to 100 miles per hour. and remember, the track and the intensity is likely to fluctuate as we go through the next several days and we just saw that fluctuation from early this morning to the advisory we just got in moments ago from the national hurricane center. as the storm shifts a little bit further to the east, it could come over some areas of warmer water in the gulf of mexico, and depending on how long it stays there, that's where we're likely to see intensification, and the latest track does show inten intensification on tuesday. notice the cone of uncertainty stretches. it does include tampa, but it also extends all the way towards the louisiana/mississippi border, and you can see areas i

florida polls up there. it is the battleground states where you will see a lot more of that enthusiasm really propel us forward going out of here. i don't see how the democrats get any kind of bounce because when they go to the convention you know what you got. you either like it or you don't. nothing is going to change your mind after a couple days of hearing jimmy carter speak. >> shannon: what do you make of the polls that shawn citeds with changes in the swing states and appears that the romney-ryan ticket is getting trackion. a better job of messaging or people tuning in, learning about them? >> i think they are doing a better job. everybody's remark that mitt romney seems more lively and on his game when he is with ryan. he is enenergiesed any younger guy. people heard that mitt romney is a villain and a tax cheat and may have killed a a woman. the whole idea is to portray mitt romney and say look, this is actually a good man. he has done lots of important things. a good man in his personal life. he is

south florida, we have the risk for tornadoes. not only throughout the day but into the overnight and into tomorrow. they are weak tornadoes but they can cause damage because of the outer bands and the counterclockwise motion going across land so tornado watch in effect until 5:00 p.m. but this is just the tip of the iceberg. we'll see tornado watches all up and down the florida coastline. there is your latest advisory again, new advisory coming out, at 11:00, sometimes we get it early and as soon as it comes out we are going to air, because every moment is crucial as this storm is going to travel across very warm gulf waters, and i think we are possibly going to see another shift at 11 o'clock and this will include more of the new orleans area, unfortunately. so as we go further out in time, tampa, you will still feel tropical storm force condition and could see storm surge and will see tornado watches, et cetera, et cetera, but this is the area i'm really concerned with as we head into tuesday and wednesday. category-2, but that

florida. you put florida more in the democratic camp. solidified iowa, and if you lose -- not only do you have ohio, as the mayor said but if you lose iowa and florida, you can't put it together. >> yeah, i don't see it either. celinda lake, a democratic pollster and president of lake research partners, thank you again for joining us inside "the war room." >> thank for having me. >> up next what was paul ryan doing before he started making republican pundits melt like teenage girls? we'll show you. and it's up next only on "the war room." >>> you're back inside "the war room." i'm jennifer grandholm. we came across an interesting tidbit today. there was an cnn poll taken before paul ryan was picked that found that 54% of those surveyed did not know enough about him to even form an opinion. so we wanted to give a little bit of background. ryan is 42 years old. he has served in congress since 1998. he was just 28 years old when he was first elected. he was the youngest member of the in-coming fr

>>guest: the entire state of florida is doing well. as a state, we have a six month supply which is quite remark am because i was sitting in this very chair speaking with you not too long ago talking about the fact that we were at three-year six-month supply is equalibrium for us, prices are up with medium prices up 5.3 percent than a year ago. conversely, supply as a whole down 31 percent which means that listings are down, inventory are down, and daze on the market are down. i want to point all sides of the issue, it is important to know that a lot shadow inventory has not been released and that does include florida. >>neil: have we hit sort of a price point where you talk about the uptick from a year ago, or a month ago, but a lot of the properties, now, are selling for 40 percent or 50 percent off what they were before the whole bubble burst, right? >>guest: it is important to note that a reason we are seeing this upward trend is because of employment. employment, in general, in the state of florida, is -- unemployment is down 1.8

the florida panhandle up through louisiana. rick is joining us with the latest. >>> the national hurricane center updated a bit ago. they are saying it is moving further toward the west. the images you are seeing from key west bringing heavy rain and strong winds. winds at some time today got up to around 60 miles an hour. those are the strongest winds. storm makes its way toward the central golf. the rain will continue to fall and potentially bring a let for tornadoes tonight. rain band heading into the tampa area. it will be in the 30 to 40 mile an hour range. the storms continuing to pull up toward the west. it is moving toward the west. the national hurricane center is potentially bringing this further to the west. coming right through the new orleans area. this will put new orleans on the bad site. it will cause a flooding situation. florida you are looking better new orleans you are unber tunde gun. now back to "hubbing key -- bac "huckabee." chances are, you're not made of money, so don't overpay for motorcycle insurance

a direct impact has florida residents preparing now. nbc's kirk gregory has the latest. >> reporter: wind and rain in puerto rico. a glancing blow from tropical storm isaac as the system meanders across the caribbean. hurricane warnings are in effect for the dominican republic and in haiti where aid groups are mobilizing to assist the thousands of people still struggling i make-shift shelters 2.5 years after an earthquake destroyed the capitol city. >> the next 24 hours will be critical for the population of haiti and the international red cross is concerned. >> reporter: concern is spreading throughout florida as well. the latest projection map shows the state feeling the storm's force as early as sunday. in cape coral, firemen wasted no time in securing a storm curtain around city hall. >> to protect the glass and any debris that comes up against it. >> reporter: and along florida's gulf coast. >> i'd rather be early than late. >> reporter: preparations for isaac are underway. just as the final touches are added to tampa's big party.

and south florida is looking better, central florida still dealing with heavy rain bands. the northern gulf coast will be dealing with isaac. tomorrow evening potentially southeast louisiana, the mississippi gulf coast could get hit the worst. two things i'm going to point out. one is the heavy rain bands coming into florida. you can see them off the atlantic. the other thing the circulation out here moving off toward the west and northwest. the mississippi gulf coast, they are watching this very, very carefully because isaac is a tropical storm, a strong one, 65 giveing to 75. pressure down to 990. but the gulf of mexico is warm, good environment for this to strengthen. right now land fall -- landfall in new orleans, with a wind of 90 miles per hour coming. that is a strong category 1, not a category 2. the forecast right now just for category 1, they will be watching that carefully. not a katrina situation, got billions of dollars several years later. those levees better be in a lot better shape than they were back in 2005. >>> mostly cloudy, got patchy fog west, isolate