WE’LL TALK ABOUT YOUR WIND GUSTS, THOUGH, IN THE TRIAD COMING UP. MICHELLE, THANK YOU. WATCHES AND WARNINGS ARE STRETCHING ACROSS FLORIDA TONIGHT WITH HURRICANE DALIA NOW TARGETING THE STATE’S GULF COAST. THE MASSIVE STORM CONTINUES TO GROW AS IT INCHES TOWARD THE SHORELINE JUST HOURS NOW AHEAD OF LANDFALL. JAY GRAY HAS A CLOSER LOOK AT THE FINAL PREPARATIONS FOR THE MILLIONS IN THE PATH OF THAT STORM. IT IS MOVING DAY ALONG FLORIDA’S GULF COAST. MILLIONS MOVING INTO FULL ON STORM MODE AS HURRICANE IDALIA CONTINUES TO INTENSIFY AND SLOWLY MOVE IN. WE ARE GOING TO BE FACED WITH A MAJOR HURRICANE HITTING THE STATE OF FLORIDA WITHIN THE NEXT. 24 TO 36 HOURS. SO, SO BE READY FOR THAT. THOSE IN THE POTENTIAL STRIKE ZONE FILLING UP WITH GAS, BOARDING UP AND PACKING UP WHATEVER THEY CAN. IT’S PRETTY NERVE RACKING TO SEE IT COMING RIGHT AT YOU. AND THE STORM SURGE IS WHAT WE’RE REALLY WORRIED ABOUT. IT’S RIGHT NOW IT’S 8 TO 12FT AT THIS TAMPA HOSPITAL. CREWS INSTALLING A TEN FOOT AQUA WALL TO GUARD AGAINST ANY STORM SURGE OR FLOODING WHILE SANDBAGS FOR MANY WILL BE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE. IT’S GOING TO BE BAD. AND I’M KIND OF SCARED BECAUSE I LIVE IN APARTMENTS. AND WHEN IT RAINS, WATER COME UP ON MY PORCH. MY BALCONY. EVACUATION ORDERS NOW IN PLACE FOR THOUSANDS WHO LIVE ALONG THE SHORELINE AND IN LOW LYING AREAS. EVEN BOATS HERE ARE BEING MOVED TO HIGHER GROUND. IT’S GOT PEOPLE REALLY ON EDGE WITH SEDALIA GETTING STRONGER HERE AS IT CREEPS CLOSER TO THE COAST. JAY GRAY. NBC NEWS, TAMPA. AND RIGHT NOW, A STATE OF EMERGENCY IS IN EFFECT IN OUR STATE BECAUSE OF IDALIA GOVERNOR ROY COOPER DECLARED THAT STATE OF EMERGENCY YESTERDAY DAY. AMONG OTHER THINGS, IT ACTIVATES THE STATE’S EMERGENCY OPERATIONS PLAN, WAVES TRANSPORTATION RULES FOR TRANSPORT OF FUEL AND CRITICAL SUPPLIES AND IT PROTECTS CONSUMERS FROM PRICE GOUGING. THE AMERICAN RED CROSS IS SENDING AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE VEHICLE FROM CHARLOTTE TO FLORIDA. IT LEFT THIS MORNING AT 830, AND THE RED CROSS ADDS IT HAS MORE VOLUNTEERS AND VEHICLES READY TO DEPLOY FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF OUR STATE. BUT DID NOT SHARE SPECIFICS. AND AS WE PREPARE FOR POTENTIAL IMPACTS FROM IDALIA HERE IN NORTH CAROLINA, WE WANT TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT A HURRICANE SAFETY GUIDE ON OUR WEBSITE. WE INVITE YOU TO SCAN THIS QR CODE ON YOUR SCREEN THAT’S GOING TO TAKE YOU DIRECTLY TO THE ARTICLE. AND THERE YOU WILL FIND A LIST OF SAFETY AND PREPAREDNESS TIPS. NEW AT 4:00, FAMILIES IN ALAMANCE COUNTY ARE COUNTING DOWN UNTIL THE FIRST DAY OF CLASS MOLD WAS FOUND IN SCHOOLS ACROSS THE DISTRICT, AND IT PUSHED THE START OF THE SCHOOL YEAR BACK TO NOW, SEPTEMBER 5TH. YESTERDAY AFTERNOON, THE ALAMANCE-BURLINGTON SCHOOL BOARD MET WITH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS ABOUT HOW THEY PLAN TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND GET THOSE KIDS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM BY MONDAY. JOSHUA DAVIS JOINS US IN STUDIO. JOSHUA, WHAT DID WE LEARN FROM THAT MEETING THIS AFTERNOON? BOONE DAVONTAE THE SCHOOL BOARD SAYS IT WANTS TO GET STUDENTS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM BY SEPTEMBER 5TH, BUT IT’S GOING TO TAKE A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF RESOURCES IF THEY WANT TO STICK TO THAT GOAL. AT A JOINT SCHOOL BOARD MEETING MONDAY WITH ALAMANCE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, THE BOARD APPROVED A $3.5 MILLION TO BE USED TO CLEAN UP CUMMINGS HIGH SCHOOL, BROADVIEW MIDDLE SCHOOL AND WILLIAMS HIGH SCHOOL. THIS IS IN ADDITION TO THE 1.2 MILLION SPENT TO CLEAN UP ANDREWS AND NEWLAND ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS. A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE SCHOOL SAYS THEY ALREADY HAVE SEVERAL HUNDRED PERSONNEL REMOVING MOLD AND MAKING REPAIRS TO CUMMINGS, BROADVIEW AND WILLIAMS WITH MORE ON STANDBY, THE DISTRICT HAS HIRED BUILDER SERVICES ON NORTH CAROLINA OUT OF RALEIGH TO COMPLETE THE WORK. THE COMPANY PLANS TO WORK 14 TO 16 HOUR DAYS TO GET THE SCHOOLS READY BY SEPTEMBER 5TH. DURING THE MEETING, THE SCHOOL BOARD SAID WITH THE AMOUNT OF SCHOOLS THEY’VE HAD REPORTING MOLD CONCERNS, IT’S BEEN DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE THE TRUE EXTENT OF THE PROBLEM AND HOW TO ADDRESS THEM. THEY’RE HOPING BY USING CURRENT METHODS, THEY CAN FINISH TESTING AT ALL SCHOOL SITES BY LABOR DAY. WHEN WE SENT OUR TEAM OUT TO INVESTIGATE THE REPORT THAT WE’VE RECEIVED FROM ANDREWS, WE’RE GOING TO UNRAVEL THE PROBLEM AND MAGNITUDE OF WHAT THEY’RE DOING. BRUNSWICK TOWN ROAD PERSUADED THIS WAS NOT INTENTIONAL. IT WAS JUST SOMETHING THAT WE HAVE NOW BECOME AWARE OF AND IT’S IMPERATIVE FOR ME TO ADDRESS IT. THE SCHOOL BOARD HAS AGREED TO FORGIVE THE INSTRUCTIONAL DAY STUDENTS HAVE MISSED THIS WEEK. THEY’LL MEET WITH COUNTY COMMISSIONERS FOR ANOTHER JOINT MEETING WEDNESDAY MORNING TO DISCUSS MORE CONCERNS WITH OTHER SCHOOLS AND PLANS TO IMPROVE DISTRICT FACILITIES. IN STUDIO, I’M JOSHUA DAVIS FOR WXII 12 NEWS. ALL RIGHT, JOSHUA, THANK YOU. THE IREDELL COUNTY FIRE MARSHAL’S OFFICE HAS DETERMINED A NATURAL GAS EXPLOSION IS WHAT CAUSED A HOME ON LAKE NORMAN TO EXPLODE AND COLLAPSE. THE FATHER OF TENNESSEE TITANS PLAYER CALEB FARLEY, ROBERT FARLEY, DIED IN THE EXPLOSION LAST WEEK. ANOTHER PERS