this edition of inside story, thank you for being with us in washington i'm ray swarez. on american tonight, extreme, or routine? >> we have been through tropical storms and hurricanes, like ivan and dennis back to back, and we still did not have is this much water. >> wind, water, and what is left. after days of stormy weather batter the eastern half of the country. i set out to save the world with nuclear power.

>> and a desperate plea to bring back our girls. and what's behind the masked kidnapping of hundreds of school children? >> good etching and thank you for joining us. the extreme weather that has tested millions this week, makes us wonder if we out to be bracing for more spring disasters. it has been a stunner, more tornadoes this week than in the first three months of the year. that same is system is dumped record amounts of rain, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage, and at least 38 deaths this week, just from the weather. as is skies clear, you can see what those storms left behind, the long reach from

the florida panhandle well into the northeast, as the ground gave way eroded by inches of water. swallowing houses. >> the car is gone, everything just fell. >> from one vehicle to another, rescuers came by boat, to reach motorists trapped in their vehicles. >> in new york city, the waters flowed from the outside in. >> i looked out the window, it was on the corner, came back the whole street was flooded in like three or four seconds flat. i got no electric everything went out, everything is flooded i had to get out. >> residents lived it the record books will note it. down in the florida panhandle 9 billion gallons dumped on the city. five inches in just one

hour. and more than 5,000 lightening strikes in just 15 minutes. >> and just see the water keep raising just praying it didn't get all the way in the house. >> but it did, a mother who managed to rescue her baby girl, who lost everything else. >> all my memories all my babies things everything i own is gone. >> in those moments of panic and desperation, nothing mattered more than getting to safety. >> she says please don't let me die, and i looked in her eyes and that was all i needed. >> they saved her just in the nick of time, it swallowed her car. >> this panhandle city has suffered at least $100 million in damage, and the governor has declare add state of emergency. it is a crisis that started in neighboring southern states the same storm system spun out 64 tornadoes across six states. one that ripped through arkansas reached the second highest category an e.f. 4, with winds that might have

reached as high as 200 miles per hour. the evidence is everywhere. >> keep in mind, that there are people out there working right now that are just in shock. their lives have been destroyed in many cases they have lost love ones and neighbors. in 2004, and 5, and we still did not have this much water. >> but for some, it is a rerun of a horror show. in maryland vernon snyder's restaurant has flooded four years in a row, what we might call extreme storms, are starting to feel like the norm. >> i'm considered a critical area now through fema. and i don't know what they are going to do about it, we can't go this every

year. >> mr. mayor, a former fill dan said to me, they are accustom to flooding all the way out perhapses to the rocky steps but not usually past that point, this was a different day. >> well, it is a very different storm, although we did not see that kind of flooding, it was the areas that we anticipate through our coordinated emergency operations plan, areas like some parts of southwest, philadelphia, and certainly along the kelly drive, and the martin luther king drive, those are the areas that historically flood, we had 4.81 inches of rain, the river actually crested at 13.91 feet, which is

higher than we had during hurricane irene or sandy, so quite unusual storm. it has now gone below the flood stage level, and waters are starting to reseed. so everyone is safe, no one was injured, and all is most areas all is very dry. were you able to anticipate how much water you would get? >> we knew when the storm was going to start, we knew we were going to get a lot of rain, for the rains were 36 hours, you are going to get a lot of rainfall, so we were not caught by surprise, again, we subscribe to a number of services we have a great relationship with the weather service, but we knew what was coming when you have the inner agency plans like we have here in philadelphia, knowing our location and situation, two great rivers but streams and rivers tend to flood when you get that kind of water.

we know how to strategically place our folks anticipate what can happen and the public does heed ouren wayings can we have been giving to them for the last couple of days. they know what to do and we took care of them. i wonder, how much did the ice and the snow after all i have to believe that there's a lot of ice melt still in the soil up there. filling up your rivers as well, how much do you think that effect bad happened? >> our last ice storm was a while ago, we did get nearly five-inches of rain. even if it was completely bone dry in the city for a while, that's a lot of rain, in a relatively short period of time, but fortunately for us, everyone is safe, everyone is secure, no one injured

or in any danger, and all of our services did a fantastic job in a very coordinated fashion, and we appreciate greatly what they do. thank you very much for being with us. >> on what might lie ahead, joinings us now, kevin what is going to happen, more rain? we have a little bit more, but for the most part, the storm system is we have been talking about for really since is sunday is, is beginning to finally move out and most of the rain will go out here. but i want to show you the scope. that only move add little bit, what that meant is very persistent areas, very persistent areas of rain. i want to really summarize what we have seen, of course, we talked about the fatalities over three dozen, they are estimated

about $3 billion in damage. flood damage, as well as damage to structures. in florida, in pensacola, we saw over 20 inches of rain, of course that caused a lot of the problems but we are getting better, the area of rain is moving out. that was tuesday, of course, you have seen the video coming out of pensacola, it was amazing how much rain came in. beappreciate your being with us. >> when we return, our in depth look at dirty power, this time rethinking it. >> how do you power a world of 7 billion people, while also dealing with climate change. >> a surprising turn, as

some one time big critics of nuclear power become champions of it, we will talk about why. and late ear terrifying threat some call it's nigeria's taliban, emerging from deep cover to launch a mass kidnapping of hundreds of young girls. who is boka haron, and why is is it such a danger? >> al jazeera america presents borderland's dramatic conclusion >> no one's prepared for this journey. >> our teams experience the heart breaking desperation >> we're all following stories of people that have died in the desert. >> and the importance... >> experiencing it, has changed me completely... >> of the lives that were lost in the desert >> this is the most dangerous part of your trip... >> an emotional finale you can't miss... >> we got be here to tell the story. >> the final journey borderland continues... only on al jazeera america

>> on real money with ali velshi, a yearlong series,

america's vanishing middle class... >> i'm on a mission, that i have to keep this business going... >> three families struggling every day >> we had to pull the whole retirement fund... >> real stories... real people... real advice... >> you need to pay the water bill, if you don't pay it, we're shutting your water off in a half hour >> how will you survive? >> the stakes are so high... >> america's middle class: rebuilding the dream on real money with ali velshi on al jazeera america >> a train carrying crude oil that derailed has renoned concerned about public safety. 15 tracks jumped the tracks. it is the fifth major

derailment and fire in north america involving an oil train in less than a year. another public safety concern, nuclear power reactors. we consider a threat that something is even greater, than the risk of nuclear catastrophe, and as america tonight reports it is bringing unlikely allies to the defense of the nuclear industry. >> three years after the fukushima disaster a group of activists gathering tore pray for the closing of california's deablow canyon nuclear power plant. today, the only one left in the state. >> do you want to see this plant shut down and every nuclear power plant in the quite shut down tomorrow? >> i want every nuclear power plant in the world shut down. today. >> i traveled to fukushima

last year, and saw first hand what happens when nuclear energy goes wrong. >> the media here is that is clearly the highest level we have seen the whole time we have been here in japan. >> the eerie ghost towns that are scarred on a nation's collective consciousness. that on going disaster an ocean away, has left many americans skittish about nuclear power. the accident at three-mile island had already eroded support, for a form of energy that had been popular with americans after the 1973 oil empargo. and the film china syndrome in 1979, fueled nuclear fear. >> everybody, keep your space. >> you cannot promote a technology that produces the most toxic substance on earth, and also protect the public. >> i am one of the

spokesperson -- >> polls show that more than half of americans oppose increasing nuclear energy, nearly 75% don't think the government should help build new plants. >> who no longer sounding the alarm, we caught up with him as he checked out the impact of the canyon plant on the ocean. >> i grew up in an antinuclear family, i associated nuclear plants with nuclear weapons and we just thought it was something sinister. something to be feared. >> but a more sinister threat, catastrophic climate change, caused shellen burger to reconsider. >> the thing that snaps out of it is frying to figure out how dough you power a world of 7 billion people, while at dealing with climate change. with global concentrations of carbon dioxide nearing

a point of no return, he doesn't believe renewables are up to the task. >> you have to look for ways to produce large quantities of energy, in smaller amounts of space. with a smaller footprint that's where i came back to nuclear, begrudgingly at first a few years ago. >> shellen bergser just one of a small but influential group of former nuclear opponents, climate scientists and innovator whose are coming out in favor of nuclear energy. how big a counter movement would you say this is. >> calling on them to support the next generation. president obama is certainly pronuclear, i get emails every week for people that are excited for an environmental vision that recognize it is need for a serious advance technology. >> how much he says the

industry has learned from disaster. >> nuclear power plants got much safer after three-mile island. after the fukushima disaster you saw a reaction by nuclear power operators to take a second look at earthquake risks. >> a co founder of green peace and a supporter of nuclear energy. >> the industry has used it's new converts to rebrand itself. as a source of clean, and safe energy. >> many onus the nuclear industry have fought for some time to have acknowledged as a green source. it is a very benign source. >> i can see people listening to you rolling their uses. saying did you hear what he just said. >> yep. i think i would encouraging may bell and her partner to do some more home work on this. >> jeff benjamin say as new generation of reactors like

the westing house 1,000 has eliminate misdemeanor of the problems that led to the fukushima disaster, the back up system doesn't rely on electrical power to cool the reactor. >> we use the laws of nature, like gravity, and condensation, and convection, to help mitigate the types of issues that we had at fukushima. >> westing house is building four a.p. 1,000s in the u.s. the first in decades but even the new design requires a constant flow of water to the core, to prevent melt down. the next generation of reactors will make things even safer. >> i thought why could you not design a nuclear reactor that has no inclination to release radio active material that's what i set out to do. i set out to essentially, save the world with nuclear power.

taylor wilson is is part of a new generation of nuclear enthusiasts. at 14, wilson became the youngest person ever to create nuclear fusion. >> and you keep yellow cake in your lack because. >> well, i process the stuff, i collect all kinds of radio active things. pieces of nuclear weapons the government lost out of airplanes in the 50's, some people collect baseball cards i select yellow cake, and radio active material. >> at 19, wilson believes the future of nuclear is in small scale modular reactors that simply can't melt down like today's designs. >> for example, earthquake, you break and you primary loop, where does thele cooing water go, out the break, what is cooling this? nothing. reactor melts down. >> but because wilson's preactor using moll tent salt as a coolant and is entirely sealed. >> what you can drain the

contents into a subcritical dump tank. where nuclear reactions can't take place, in no situation, properly engineered, should the system release radioactivity. >> the government recently gave half a billion in financing to companies developing similar modular tech nothing. wilson believes his design could be in the market in five years. >> nuclear power has a lot of invasion, a lot of life left in it. if we can go forward in the future, saving lives, and saving the planet using nuclear energy, that in a way you can redeem the adam, and i think it deserved that. >> but for many it remains beyond redemption. >> what would you say to those activists who may have changed their tune. >> i would say them sell outs. >> absolutely. >> without question. >> without question. >> when we produce something that is is so is

toxic and so lethal as nuclear waste, it is a foul deed against our living mother earth. and it's wrong. >> waywould wow say to that person? >> i think we are trying to do the same thing. trying to create a world where all people can live safe, secure lives on an ecological vibrant planet. it is a question of which risks are you going to choose. >> and for a growing chorus of environmentalists, the nuclear option is the lesser risk. what about nuclear waste. but doctor jim is an

authority on nuclear waste storage, i understand is that it is not a technical one, by a matter of political will, can you talk to us about what the record is on nuclear waste? >> no one has ever been killed or hurt by nuclear waste. it was very odd, there's not much of it, we know how to handle it really well, and that's not the issuer, the issue in the news, but issue. >> how much waste is there? >> not very much. all the nuclear waste in the world would not even fill one good sized soccer stadium. so again, it is odd stuff, but there just isn't much of it. also we know how to handle it well. there's the nasty kind of

peanut butter type waste, and then there's the solid dry easy to handle nuclear waste from nuclear power. and that -- they are very different types of waste, show schaub handled very differently. but nuclear waste from power plants is easy, simple to handle once it is out of the pools you put in dry cast storage, it is good for 100 years. it is quite easy. >> but the part that you haven't mentioned is how you transfer that material to the transit point, which concerns a lot of people. removing from a plant to storage. >> that's true. we have move add lot of spin fuel around the country, we have moved a lot of nuclear weapons. people don't know it because nothing ever happened. no one has ever been an accidents that has released nuclear waste at all. so it is kind of -- it is under the radar, because nothing has ever happened

with it. that's a good thing, but it means people don't know much about it. >> and there is a federal nuclear waste site now? >> uh 2340 it was decided by all nuclear waste for any source. it's in a rock known as massive salt. it's just like table salt, it is like simple. it constantly creeped closed. it is nature's big trash coming pack tor, but it is so tight, that water cannot move an inch in a billion years. so it is very very tight. and it's self-containing so

it cannot sustain it on opening. so when you drill a shaft down half a mile, you dig out these big rooms can are about the size of a football field, you fill them with 10,000 drum equivalents of nuclear waste, and then you seal it off and comes in about three-inches in a year, and it is tight, very very quickly about ten to 15 years, and watt kerr not get in or out. and so waste cannot get out it's the gee logical rock type we have known is the best rock type for the last 60 years -- >> well, we appreciate. >> it's been operating flaw leslie for 15 years. >> we appreciate your insight, obviously a lot to learn. senior scientist at u.s.a. ventures thank you very much. >> down by the way, where the clean waters use to flow. >> 64,000 square feet watershed, so is we aren't just trying to restore this water body, we are also

trying to restore all the water that drains into it, it is a big job. >> the bid to bring back the bay, and why is it running into opposition on score. up next, nigeria's stolen daughters. >> we thought they were soldiers. my friends and i jumped from the vehicle and ran back because we realized they didn't look innocent to us. >> by a group known to me as nigeria's taliban, what is behind boca ha ran's fishes attacks and what may be next. >> drug wars in mexico >> this guy saw someone they suspect and they just went after them >> now vigilantes have joined the fight >> i don't want to do this... >> is it a popular uprising? or a new wave of violence? >> fault lines... al jazeera america's hard hitting... >> they're locking the door...

ground breaking... >> we have to get out of here... truth seeking... award winning documentary series mexico's vigilante state only on al jazeera america

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a group of vigilantties is trading gunfire with members of the knights templar cartel. and the early this year, the town in mexico's western state, was under the control of the cartel. but after more than a decade of fear, something changed. these men armed themselves and town by town, they began to drive the cartel out. they call themselves self-defense forces. their leaders claim that 26,000 have joined the members. their advance has been lucked by many, but it has also plunged the state into a new kind of lu lessness.

with just arrived we have heard that four heads have been discovered on the steps leading to this church here in this small town. it's a gruesome warning from the templars. the bodies were taken away by the authorities before we arrived, but people here tell me they expect little more from the investigation. in mexico, it's estimated 98% of crimes go unpunnished. failed by the state, the vigilantties say they have been left with no choice but to start a war. ♪

we are here to meet a wealthy farmer called paco. he left his orb charreds four months ago to coordinate vigilantes and i wanted to know why. many of the leaders are businessmen like paco. they own avocado plantations others are field workers or returning migrants. only of them are even professional mercenaries. we fallow the group as they patrol the area. it was immediately clear how much authority they have gained here.

and the road they, toed this state prison van to stop. >> they believe some employees have been trying to get them out of this town, and that's why they stopped this car. >> the policeman put up no resistence. the power dynamic was obvious.

>> nose sorts of seens are going on all over. because for and use part of that money to pay off security forces. everyone had to pay. he didn't pay. steal's nephew is is one of the men found beheaded under a 26-year-old son is

was recently kidnapped. they now believe he is dead too. over the last year, the fight has only broken out into actual battle. in truth, it is more of a hunt, but many of the nights temple largely symbolic in hiding, the serj serj is is underway for their hit man. francisco is only 15 and joined just a week ago.

he told us his cousin was kidnapped raped. her body was found in trash bags by a river. >> they have taken over security operations from local police. the defenses have basically created their own justice system. we have just been told or assassin has been captured. 21-year-old was being head at a drug rehab clinic that had been turned into a

makeshift prison. as we is the down to talk to him, he told us to watch over our shoulders. >> and the to be thing you did is work as on innorthern ireland pant? we interviewed him for an hour, and his story didn't change. >>

today israel isburying his nephew, along be the others beheaded. pacos team has agreed to escort the funeral presession, the semiis tear is an area still controlled by the templars. it now has the second highest homicide rate in mexico, almost 300 people are murdered here every month. this is a scene repeated over and over.

day after day. as they expected, the families here hadn't heard from the authorities there was no active investigation into the killings. with no one to turn to, they said, the vigilantes have given them hope. >> joins us here in the studio, now this is really a challenge for the mexican gripsment to come to grips with the problems. >> that's right. the director of photography and producer, the two of us, and when you go there the first thing you see is armed civil isians everywhere. there's check points. >> ordinary citizen.

>> armed with m 16s, ak 47th, very good vehicles and they are protecting themselves and fights against the cartels. the government has been tried to leaguize them, to but many of them are saying that they are not going to leave their weapons, that they don't trust the government, that the mexican government is corrupt, and that they are going to continue this fight. so it is a very very difficult situation on the ground. >> here in the united states, we meet many people they are quite a few immigrants from there. >> that's correct. and many of them are going back to fight. we have met many people that just went back to fight against the cartel, let's not forget that they are doing at least ten years the knights templar was ruling several other states within the country, they are the cartel that sent methamphetamine to the u.s., for example, but it was just no, ma'am drugs. there are extortioning people, they are killing innocent civilians and all of this went on with the governments not doing

anything at all. and that's what led to people rising up in arms and fighting against this cartel. and they have been going slowly taking town by town, and expelling in a way the knights templar. >> is it clear, is there one clear ruler, leader or this fight? >> no, there is one spokesperson that is mostly respected. and he is a small town right in that area, but there's many commanders we spent some time with one of them. his name is is paco, and he has been leading several groups in the area we are in, but there's no clear message of who is behind. for example, were 15 and trying to avenge a relative that was killed, for example, one of them is fran six coe who is 15, and his cousin is was raped and dismembered. but there are also businessmen protecting their interests and we met

some drug cartel members that are also involved. so it is difficult to know who-is-who. >> a very that is nateing result, from fault lines thank you very much from being here. >> and you can see all of this report on mexico's vigilante stale, it is on fall line saturday at 7:00 p.m. even on al jazeera america. and ahead in our final segment, vanishing stars, a sea life mystery stars disappearing, from the >> i'm ali velshi, the news has become this thing where you talk to experts about people, and al jazeera has really tried to talk to people, about their stories. we are not meant to be your first choice for entertainment. we are ment to be your first choice for the news. the stream is uniquely interactive television. we depend on you, >> you are one of the voices of this show. >> so join the conversation and make it your own. >> the stream. next on al jazeera america

and join the conversation online @ajamstream.

take a new look at news. if you have ever waded through the tidal pools maybe you have noticed the star fish.

an unknown killer is attacking these creatures of the sea. looking for answers.ut >> in this corner of the california coast, researchers are gathering evidence in a marine mystery. they are serging rock by rock, and crevasse by crevasse for stash fish. >> normally many species of star fish thrive in these tide pools. they are an important part of a complex ecological system, today, however, the researchers can find hardly any of them. >> so far we only saw two sea stars here today, and in the past we saw 145 a year ago at this same exact location, to go from 145 down to 2, is pretty drastic. >> star fish have lived in the oceans for 450 million years but now they seem to be in trouble. >> all up and down the pacific coast, star fish also known as sea stars have been dying off in huge

numbers. scientists have no idea what is killing them. >> divers started noticing large numbers of dead and diseased sea stars in alaska and british columbia last june. >> it is a very widespread phenomenon right now, a mas.sive mortality event. >> divers say they have seen the disease kill in a matter of hours. >> it starts off with a white lesion, and then basically, they get deflated and their arms just come off, and kind of creep away from them. so at the worst state you will see like four or five arms that have obviously spread away from the center of the body. >> scientists believe that some is sort of virus or bacteria is killing the sea stars, but they are baffled gi whey the animals have is suddenly become so substitute is sentble to the infection. pete is is the top marine biology at u.c. santa cruz. >> given theta's a path again, given that it leads

to death and has consequences on the community, why now. and that is trying to figure out why this has either become now, having been here before, or why it hasn't moved here from wherever it was before. >> possible causes include man made chemicals, ocean acidification, waste water damager or arm waying oceans due to man made climate change. scientists say they aren't ruling anything out. >> rob reynolds al jazeera, california. >> and that's it for us here on america tonight, good night, we will have more of america tonight coming up tomorrow.

>> start with one issue ad guests on all sides of the debate. and a host willing to ask the tough questions and you'll get... the inside story ray suarez hosts inside story weekdays at 5pm et / 2pm pt only on al jazeera america a new boss takes the wheel from the ceo who made ford. i'll tell you what he needs to do on the road ahead. also i'm going underground in tornado ally with a building who is cranking out twister-proof houses. plus the dirty little secret about college admissions. "real money." ♪