on down to wharton, they say. we can use every hand. >> reporter: martin savidge, thank you very much. and thanks to you for joining us. our breaking news coverage continues now with "ac 360." houston. a week after hurricane harvey came ashore, the reminders that this is not over keep coming and there's a new one that just happened. explosions and a massive fire at the chemical plant 25 miles northeast of houston. it began with flooding, followed by a power outage, and the equipment to keep explosive chemicals cool shut down. early yesterday morning came the first fire. late today, a large explosion, followed by the large fire that has thankfully died down again. for obvious reasons, cnn's brian todd is not here but joins us with the latest. what do we know exactly about this fire? >> reporter: we can tell you that officials have told us for

most of this week they expect that incidents like this to occur and they just posted a statement moments ago saying that the redundant refrigeration systems that cooled those toxic peroxide chemicals that they knew those systems had failed and this was all heatingago, an. they also had an 11-person team

that was there when the hurricane hit friday night. they were there through the weekend and they basically became aware of the fact that this plant was heavily flooded and the cooling systems for those organic peroxide chemicals were going to fail. and they did fail. this is what was expected. the company is treating this as if, look, we all expected this. there are going for more incidents like this. we're just going to let it burn out. >> brian, just to be clear, i know the area has been evacuated, but people seeing this, they hear chemicals and fire, are going to be concerned about the affects of that stuff in the air. >> reporter: absolutely. what is interesting is a couple of days ago, they sent some local deputies to the scene to check things out and make sure people were out of there. some of the deputies were treated for smoke inhalation, but they termed it was not toxic. so they were treated and

released. but you see images like this and you know what's inside that plant and they have to be concerned about a toxic emnation that could affect areas even beyond the 1.5 miles. another fortunate thing, there hasn't been a lot of wind in this area. it's heavy air around houston and points east. so not a lot of wind after the hurricane, so whatever is burning -- >> the company is saying there's no danger from what's going into the air, correct? >> reporter: they have said that. they have not indicated at all there's any danger. now, i have to say also they haven't given a whole lot of other information other than to say we expected this, and we're going to let it burn out. and they at one point did apologize for a lack of information on this thing. but we're not getting a lot of information tonight other than to say they're going to let this burn out. >> brian, i appreciate the

reporting. joining us now is retired general russel honore, who led the military efforts in katrina 12 years ago. when you see a fire like this, it raises concerns but it tells a story of what happens, where there's all these ripple effects and sometimes you can't predict at the outset and a lot of people don't think about it, whether it's beaumont last night running out of drinking water or this fire. >> that's right. you lose control of what's happening. in this particular case, anderson, the company is the main spokesman, opposed to the epa who we pay a lot of money to control this, which is region six out of dallas. they should have a representative there, an incident commander, supervisor. yet we got a french company public affairs officer informing the people of texas what's happening. don't worry about it, be happy.

i get concerned when there's a equal 1.5 mile circumference. because even with little wind, there's a jet stream that will carry that chemical to a certain direction. and that's what the federal government should be telling the people of texas, where is the plume and what direction that chemical is going in once it burns. the easy way to tell it is to see what direction the smoke is going, because it's getting in a jet stream, and it's going somewhere in the four different directions. so if it's concerning, when they talk about toxic, it's toxic, and they operate with an exception to the clean air act. >> in a situation like what we're having is the texas epa?

where is the region six of the epa out of dallas? where is mr. pruitt? this is a tear drop of what could happen south of the city where we have what we call a chemical corridor. and if we can't handle this one in clear communications to the american people, it should leave us rise for concern. i can tell you this plant operates with an exception to the clean air act, because

they're allowed to release certain amount of toxins into the air, because it is a toxic chemical. you heard the public affairs office say earlier, it's relative to concentration and how close you are to it. the sheriffs got sick. >> again, just to tell folks, i believe that's a coast guard helicopter. i see red, so i assume that, passing overhead. it's a common sight even in houston now. even though there's not the same kind of rescues on roof tops we've been seeing and other parts. it's one of the things that surprised me yesterday is how much -- how many air assets are flying over beaumont, port arthur, and how difficult it is -- a lot of it is just the pilots turning around, looking up, looking left and right to know where all the air traffic is. >> a senior army officer once

told me, fly your airplane, son. if the instruments are not working, we had over 200 aircraft in new orleans without instruments, because all the instrumentation was broken until the "iwo jima" got there. this is just good training and a tribute to our pilots who are flying the airplanes. >> and hovering spot on, 150 feet up. incredible. general honore, appreciate it. at this time last night, our gary tuchman wases a baptist hospital in beaumont, and they had begun airlifting patients out because the drinking supply had gone down. the river east of the city was expected to crest only today. today 80 patients were still in the hospital, including 11 preemies in the nic-u.

the hospital says every one of them has been evacuated and only 14 patients remain. the water system is still down, and that remains a huge concern tonight. a helicopter now circling over this area. and actually, you can't see it, but again, just as we were talking about a lot of times the choppers just circle. and it's a flight mechanic, the rescue swimmer, even the pilots just looking, reading what's happening on the ground and trying to see if there's anybody in trouble. at one time they can pass and there's nothing. two minutes later and a car has gone down a road and they're in deep water and they need to do a rescue. we see this car circling around. gary tuchman is near beaumont. what do we know about the water system, any word when that will be restored? >> reporter: firstly, anderson, there's a lot of -- we have evacuations going on. the military jets behind here.

you also have continuing searches and yes, you have this water situation. here's what we know. we are being told that the water service to the city of 118,000 people could resume very soon. we don't know how soon. engineers from exxonmobil and other companies have devised a temporary pump. the idea is to divert waters from the swollen rivers and put it in the water system. so it's very difficult for people here not to have water. when they do get back, you can't eat it, you can't cook with it, you have to boil it first. >> from the airport, which is where you're at. >> reporter: right, anderson. this is a already unusual situation. you have people come to this airport between beaumont and port arthur. a lot of them thought this was the shelter they would be staying at, but this is only a temporary facility.

so hundreds came here, most of them stayed on the buses that brought them. they're telling people on the buses, okay, would you like to fly to dallas? or you can decide what to do with your life. so they're boarding the plane that you can't see behind the bus. it's a c-130 military airplane. they're boding the plane and flying to dallas, texas, where they'll start the next part of their lives. we started to a lot of people, a very nice couple that lost their house. listen to what they said to us. >> we feel lucky, you know. i went through stage four breast cancer not too long ago. and my scans come back good all the time. >> reporter: so this is not much of a problem compared to that. >> and my husband just broke his hip. >> reporter: you both have remarkable attitudes. >> that's all you can do.

if you get down, you're not helping yourself or anybody around you. >> reporter: two of the people we met today. we talked to dozens of people, all suffering greatly, but all extremely kind to us. and they're all going to a place where they have an unknown future. >> gary, appreciate that. joining me now is beaumont's fire chief. chief, tell us what is the latest situation in beaumont. are the residents without water tonight and how are they getting water? >> well, we are without water at this time. our emergency operation senter is working on distribution point pods to give drinking water out. they still are working on that, trying to have a fix for the water system before the water goes down.

not sure when that's going to be ready. but the situation here actually is pretty good, considering. we're all counting our blessings. we have a number of people displaced. we've done a lot of rescues. but we're a resilient people. we've been through rita and ike, and we learned lessons from those. we're in for the long haul. >> so there are a lot of folks who, as you said, very resilient, who have been sticking it out, they had supplies. if they're not able to get clean drinking water in the coming days, do you expect the number of people seeking evacuations to rise? >> well, i don't expect any disturbances to develop. if people over the next -- over the coming days want to evacuate, we don't have any mandatory evacuation. we are trying to get people who

have been displaced, making shelter, longer-term shelter available to them. at this point, i think we're -- the community is stable. everybody is pulling together and our teams are doing a great job trying to get the city back up and running. >> and just in terms of flooding, do you know how much of beaumont is still flooded? >> i don't have any numbers on that right now. we had some heavy flooding in our north end of town, and along the river. and in a west end section along walden road. i'm not sure about the square mileage of those numbers. we did have one of our firestations, firestation five flood, and had to relocate those crews. >> chief, i appreciate your time tonight. thank you very much. even as recovery efforts

continue here, another potential threat is over the horizon. hurricane irma has a lot of forecasters watching very carefully. our alison is in the weather center tracking the storm and joins us now. it's a long way off, but what is the latest in terms of strength, location and possible landfall? >> it's now back up to a category 3 storm. it went through a weakening phase, going back to a category 2. but right now where it sits, it went through a eyewall replacement cycle where it's trying to regroup and reintensify, and it did just that. so winds are back at 120 miles per hour, looking like a relatively healthy storm at this point in time. but it's over the middle of the atlantic. no land anywhere in sight. so the question is, where does it go in the short term? it takes a dip to the south and it's going to encounter some

warmer water, allowing the storm to intensify even more, perhaps up to a category 4, if not stronger than this. b this is just what it's going to do in the next five days. >> so where do you see long-term? obviously it's hard to model something this far out. >> right. so after five days, that becomes the big question. we'll take a look at two of our top models. in the short term, the next five to seven days, they really don't vary all that much. it's once we start getting towards the caribbean. that's where you see them spread. this reddish pink color, this is the american model. the european model takes a southerly and west track. this takes it towards florida and the gulf. the american model takes it north and east to the atlantic. this would have a much better

chance impacting the carolina coast or the northeast. but again, we're talking a timeline of next weekend at the earliest. so a lot can change. but it's nice to know what some of the models are happening so we'll have an idea of what to expect. >> yeah. alison, thank you for that. reports of food and water running low in west houston. we'll get a live update on the situation there next. and a lot happening in the white house, including the departure of one of the president's closest aides dating back decades. details next. knowing where you stand has never been easier. except when it comes to retirement. at fidelity, you get a retirement score in just 60 seconds. and we'll help you make decisions for your plan... to keep you on track. it's your retirement. know where you stand.

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for a refreshing taste that shines brighter. blue moon. even though some parts of houston are drying out, the situation is getting worse in parts of the city, including west houston where food -- reports of food running low. nick valencia joins us with the latest on that. i understand people are starting to run out of food and water. what are you seeing and are there plans to get supplies to folks there? >> reporter: barker cyrus is still under water a week after hurricane harvey hit here. this situation is almost as desperate as ever. the mayor is telling people to get out while they can, but in some cases they remain stranded. that's why people are taking matters into their own hands. we joined a group of first responderi eers that came here washington, d.c. to help those stranded. one of the people that we saw them rescue on one of the two

rescue missions was an elderly man who was standing at a gas station in flooded water, just aimlessly walking around. he was waiting for help. another person was terry gay, who was running out of food and water. he had been stranded in the apartment complexes back there for over a week. it was just now that he was emerging, because he was running out of su polippliesupplies. anderson? >> if you could have your cameraman push past and show us what's going on. are some of the people who are now leaving, were they trying to ride out the storm? >> reporter: that's right. they're just now coming out. part of what's going on -- steve, if you want to zoom in there -- the rescue missions are wrapping up. this cue of people here, the crowd was swelling, dozens of people were here waiting to try to get back in. part of these civilian boats dipping into this water here,

taking individuals that hadn't been back to their home since hurricane harvey hit, a lot of people hoping they could find medication, documents, important reports, this is the last of what remains of those people hoping to catch a ride. one thing the residents said that we got on that truck, one of if thithe things there's an t going back there accelerating and causing wakes and pushing this flood water to places it hadn't been before. so people who are coming to help in some situations, they're making the situation even more complicated. anderson? >> yeah, i know, from being been on those airboats they kick up a wake. you're seeing people saying slow down. most of the airboat operators are aware of the wake issue and they go through these neighborhoods and try to go through slowly. but they're powerful boats.

that can cause issues. you may have noticed gasoline prices have risen, an average of almost 17 cents a gallon since the storm. texas governor greg abbott tried to reassure texan there is's plenty of gas in the state. so alison, lines were wrong and stations were closed yesterday. has it gotten any better today? >> reporter: it really hasn't. these long lines continue. this line wrapping around the corner. and if you drive around dallas, if you didn't see a line at the gas station, it was probably because the gas station was out of gas. in fact, this one that we're at is almost out of gas completely. it's only got two pumps working. so some of these drivers may be out of luck. one other thing i saw different today, the frustration and the tension building. one driver in a red camaro was waiting, running out of gas, right there in line, and having to push his car to the pump. another driver getting in a

fight with a gas attendant about his place in line. that gas attendant having to spray him with pepper spray just to break up the fight. i shot that with my iphone today. you know, as long as we see these refineries shut down, we'll see these gas supply disruptions. but exacerbating the problem, anderson, is a lot of drivers are feeling panicked. they are feeling the need to fill up their tanks and the canisters. that's really just making the problem worse. anderson? >> you know, we also heard reports, we talked about the rising prices, average of 17 cents. even price gouging in some places. >> reporter: yeah, and prices legitimately are rising because of this supply crunch. but yes, the texas attorney general has said that its office has received hundreds of complaints and phone calls about gas stations around dallas even, gas stations gouging consumers,

charging $6 to $8 a gallon for gas. that's way too much. and these gas stations certainly opening themselves up potentially to some hefty fines. anderson? >> alison, thank you very much. ahead, one woman's homecoming, a lot of people are trying to get back to their homes for first time. we went out with one woman who went to her house by canoe. we'll tell you what she saw ahead. ♪ sailin' away on the crest of a wave, it's like magic ♪ ♪ rollin' and ridin' and slippin' and slidin' ♪ ♪ it's magic introducing the all new volkswagen tiguan. ♪ higher and higher, baby the new king of the concrete jungle.

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knnumerical dimensions of the disaster, just a situation about 70 trillion gallons of rain, or 136,000 homes and buildings flooded, it's a situation unfolding person to person. some of them now just returning home. susan peterson has to use a canoe to get to her house. >> it's probably a quarter of a mile from here. >> she's waited all week for the water to recede, but she can't wait any longer. she needs to see what's happened to her home. she invited us to go with her. the water too deep and dangerous in some spots to walk through. that's quite a current. so this is your house if in her front yard, one of her cars is completely submerged.

only the roof visible. that's one of your cars? >> it's a '91 cavalier. >> from the outside, the house doesn't look too bad. so are there stairs here? >> yeah, there are stairs under here. >> but inside is another story. >> the kid's bedrooms and bathrooms are down the hall. i mean, that was ground level. >> the two lower levels of the house are under water. the garage, her office, and three bedrooms. mold is already visible on the ceiling. susan looks for her four cats, but finds no sign of them. >> guys? >> does it help to see it, or does it -- >> no. i think i probably would have been better waiting till the water was down.

>> after about 15 minutes inside, she decides to leave. she's not sure how to begin to rebuild. she'll come back later with her kids to search for the cats. for susan and so many others here, the difficulty of the days ahead is all too clear. it's overwhelming? >> yes. thank you. thank you. >> well, anyone returning to a flooded home or staying put in one faces a set of potential hazards that most people don't ordinarily plan for, which is why we're glad to have the expertise of dr. david purse, houston ems' director. a lot of folks just like susan are returning to their homes.

there's water in it, they're already seeing mold. what are the potential hazards? what should people do? >> one thing to worry about is what's in the water or what's not in the water. if there's a missing manhole company. so i warn people walking through the water. >> even if it seems shallow, if there's a drainage ditch that's open and you can't see it. >> right, if it's just a couple feet deep, especially if there's a drainage port there, there could be a tremendous force of water that could suck you in. >> it seemed really calm while canoeing, then we were in the turnlt and got pushed. >> there's a lot of dangers people can't see. those are the physical dangers, much less the chemicals and organisms we worry about. >> inside a house, mold. we were talking before, there's a lot of different kinds of mold. >> right, right. >> what do people do? >> well, there's lots of different mold, but you can't tell the good mold.

there's no such thing as a good mold. there's not bad and bad. but everything is wet, you just got to get rid of it. carpeting, bedding, that all needs to go. >> dry wall. >> dry wall. and wherever the water needs to one cup of bleach to one gallon or stronger.

but there's a couple of gallons and people want to make it stretch. so that's the minimum concentration. >> for the longer the water stays in a house, the more difficult it is to deal with it afterwards. >> this it doesn't take long for it to develop. >> that is just from the rain that came in through the roof. >> that's right. there's going to be a lot of getting rid of the mold, not just cleaning. >> just in terms of, you know, sort of -- some people try to live in the house because there's just water is in the first floor. is that a wise idea? >> i would recommend against it. your homes are really dirty, and there's all -- you have power in the house that still has water in it, everybody knows that's dangerous. so recommend people to get alternative housing. the city has programs to help with that.

but especially a house that still has water in it, not a good idea. >> i really appreciate it, doctor. much more on hurricane harvey when we come back. but first, news out of washington, d.c. cnn has learned that robert mueller now has a key piece of evidence that gives an idea why president trump fired his fbi director. that's next. hundreds of dollars on youmy car insurance. saved me huh. i should take a closer look at geico... (dog panting) geico has a 97% customer satisfaction rating! and fast and friendly claims service. speaking of service? oooo, just out. it was in. out. in! out. in! what about now? that was our only shuttlecock. take a closer look at geico. great savings. and a whole lot more.

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we're going to come back to hurricane harvey shortly. but first, there's new reporting from "the washington post" and "the new york times" that robert mueller has an early draft of the letter president trump wrote with aide teach miller that laid out why president trump wanted to fire jim comey. the white house counsel cautioned against sending that version, because the contents could be problematic. and one of president trump's longest serving aides keith schiller is leaving the white house. cnn broke that news after serving as president trump's right hand made for two decades, schiller is leaving. i want to break this all town

with dana bash, david gergen, and jonathan turley. dana, multiple reports on this draft letter. how much does this ratchet up questions about the special counsel investigation, the extent to which the white house could have some explaining to do? >> i'm not sure how much it ratchets it up, but for those of us not only the inside, it gives a little more of a window into what the special counsel is working on, which is a big danger zone for this white house and this president. because the notion of getting this letter, the content of this letter suggests that the inquiry is, at least in part, looking at obstruction of justice. the reasons for firing james comey, what were the president's bases for it, and the idea that this letter was written, according to this report and cnn has confirmed it, was not

comfortable with the kind of apparently the rambling explanation that the president and steven miller initially put forward, which suggested maybe in a more -- in a too honest of a way that it was about the russia investigation. >> professor turley, the caveat how it was created. it was remarkly cautious. you shouldn't be looking for catharsis by spinning off this

to a guy you just fired. i'm sure the white house counsel was dead set against it, as has been reported. there's issues of privilege. there's issues of being cautious. but it may be valuable. it may also exonerate the president. the account indicates he talked about comey's mistakes during the clinton e-mail investigation and there is one reference to the russia investigation. those motivations are not going to make for a strong obstruction case. >> right. david, the other thing is if this draft letter contradicts the president's actual termination letter of james comey, about the russia case playing a role in the firing, that would be another sort of angle to this. >> well, i think that's right. listen, we need to be cautious. we don't know what's in the letter. we shouldn't over interpret it.

but it does raise questions whether mueller will find it helpful if he wants to find a case about obstruction of justice, if there are revelations about what the president's true intent was, and the president's obsession with comey and why he wants to shut it down. if these the case, i think it could be -- as i say, it could add weight to a case against the president. but professor turley is right, it's possible it could exonerate. we have to wait and see. but you would think that the white house counsel, having objected to the letter, wouldn't destroy it. i don't understand. >> that's the interesting thing, this is the first we've heard from the white house counsel. it's like getting a radio signal from unoccupied space. until now, we haven't seen any evidence of lawyering or a lawyer's presence in these early days. it does appear the white house counsel reached a point where he drew a line. >> but remember, anderson, cnn

reported -- we reported a month and a half ago or so that this special counsel's office was very clear in a notice to the white house counsel that they must not destroy anything. that they must keep everything and turn everything over. you know that's standard operating procedure. and perhaps at that time, you know, it was too late to destroy it. >> it violates federal law. >> exactly. or john mcgann is doing what he is supposed to do, and that's not destroy documents. so let's be glad he didn't destroy it. >> it is the first time we've heard steven miller's name mentioned as part of any kind of russia investigation. >> it is. and i think that this really does give another window into more of the politics and the personnel and the disagreements

that we reported, some of real time when comey was fired. and this suggests that steven miller, who was with the president in bedminster at his resort there the weekend he decided to firecomey, was on the fire of siding comey. wrast others were very much against it. and there was a big clash. we know who won out, that was steven miller and jared kushner. but the fact that he was involved is not great news for steven miller, because it means that he hasn't already gotten a lawyer, he will have to get one now and he will be asked to come to the committees on capitol hill, in addition to appear before the special counsel's office. >> yeah, professor turley, he could be subpoenaed, correct? >> he can. that issue was litigated during the clinton impeachment.

i litigated that with ken starr. these privilege issues went to court, and the clinton white house lost. an attorney who argued attorney-client privilege laws. but they lost across the board, even with a secret service agent. so yes, he can be forced into a grand jury. one of the benefits of the president bringing in private counsel is that they may have a privilege that government counsel would not. >> david, keith schiller who worked with the trump organization before going to the white house, is reportedly telling people he's leaving the administration for financial reasons. the white house denies this. but if it's true, it's another departure of a close aide at a time when the president is being more and more isolated. >> that's right. that's why when we at cnn heard this and got the information and

reported it, we thought it was significant. this isn't just that your typical director of white house operations, this is somebody who has been by the president's side for decades. it was his bodyguard in the private sector and on the campaign and now in the white house. and has become a very close confidant. you nailed it, anderson. the idea at this point in time that someone like keith schiller leaving the president's side at this point in time when the channels of communications the president has are very limited because that is what the white house chief of staff is doing, trying to make order in a chaotic atmosphere, may not be so good for the president's psyche at this time. >> you know, president trump is going to be traveling back to texas tomorrow and will visit houston, which he didn't do tuesday because operations were still in the thick of things, as well as lake charles, louisiana. the president is going to meet

with storm survivors and volunteers. there's a lot of news about his promise to donate $1 million. today, sarah huckabee sanders couldn't answer whether the money would come from the president personally or the foundation. that foundation has come under scrutiny before on allegations that it don't come through with promises before. dana, again to you, this is a continuation of something that has been reported on a lot, a lot of reporting on the charities that donald trump has given to over the years, and sort of how that money often seems to come from other people's foundations going to the donald trump foundation, that's then forwarded on. >> that's right. the white house today said this

was a pledge and didn't have in answers where the money would come from. because of that reporting, there's a history in that it everybody is on it to see when and if the president did z pledge the million dollars. hopefully it will happen soon and noncontroversial because the people could sure use it. >> and dana bash, george, and thank you very much. a lot more reporting on how many million dollars jj watt's fundraiser has raised and what one celebrity chef is doing to feed hurricane evacuees. estry. my ancestry dna results are that i am 26% nigerian. i am just trying to learn as much as i can about my culture. i put the gele on my head and i looked into the mirror and i was trying not to cry. because it's a hat, but it's like the most

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breaking news in the fundraising effort for harvey relief. michael dell founder of the computer announced the rebuild texas fund, he pledged $36 million toward it. $36 million. mr. dell and his wife issue aid statement saying the money will come from their foundation and countless volunteers have stepped up. among them j.j. watt who launched an online fundraiser and going for $200,000 and i spoke to him last night when i talked to him, his fund raised more than $12 million. 24 hours later, and now the number is up to $16 million. and incredible. last night i spoke to j.j. watt about what he is doing. >> first of all, when you see a neighborhood like this, what goes through your mind? >> devastating. i think that is the only word that you could describe when you drive through the city and the floods and what you see on tv, it is the only word you could use. and inspiring is the next thing that comes to mind.

>> because of what you are seeing. >> because of the police men and firemen and the helicopters and what people do when they come together in a time like this and that is the most inspiring. >> and do you have a goal. is it open-ended. >> this weekend my teammates and i have semi-trucks rolling in and we have nine sem dwri trucks coming in town with supplies sh water, food clothing and everything. so we're going to give that out this weekend. that is the first step. and then i want to regroup after this weekend because like i said, i was planning for 200,000 and now with a new plan for multi-millions, i'm going to make sure i get with the people that learned from katrina so that coy make sure i do it right. because with these people trusting me with their money i don't want to do it haste illy, do it exactly the right way. >> do you think you would see a response like this. you wonder what would happen if i lived through something like this. do you think you would see people come together like this. >> i hope so. but to see it coming to a reality is a whole different ball game and it is so sweet and beautiful to watch.

you see lines of volunteers where you are like is that a line for the food or is that a line and then all of a sudden it is a line of volunteers and it is so special when you have that many people wanting to help and that many people giving what they can. >> and by the way, i was squatting down during that interview which is why i look to tiny standing next to him. sadly that is not the case. i was trying to look at tall as possible but he is huge. meet jose andress, one of the great chefs of the world and started a nonprofit called world central kitchen and i worked with him in haiti and he responded to a lot of disasters in a lot of different places. what, a., brought you down here this time and what you've seen. >> well, i'm one more guy that when you watch on tv what is -- what is happening, and especially when you know what is about to happen, that you are -- your body is telling me, i have to get ready and go down to help. and every single person in houston ready to help.

and especially my fellow cooks. my fellow chefs. >> that is so interesting. because people help in whatever ways they can. some people it is in a boat. for a chef, you know food and that is what you are focused on. >> and like this guy. edward dela garza at the convention center. it is one guy that nobody knows but he is in charge of feeding the over 10,000 people that arrived at the convention center. >> every single day. >> every single day. or example, the restaurant in reef where his wife and the chef brian casswell, they closed the restaurant and they are doing thousands of meals every day. calling every single chef to help and every single food company to help and donate. and in talking to red cross in -- where do we need help. who needs to be fed and start reacting to any problem that they may happen. >> people don't think about the food needs. and not because -- it is not just the immediate food needs but it is -- there is people who are still leaving their homes because they've tried to ride it

out and now the water is still there and be there for maybe days or weeks. >> so there you have great stories. one of the stories that america is not very aware of, that i'm fascinated with, is the southern baptist church, they have like 17 chapters. and these men and women ready to feed people after an earthquake, or any issue that may happen. a hurricane in this case. >> and we are not talking about feeding kits. >> 25,000 people a day. today they are behind the convention under the highway. and you see there men and women retired and many of them 70 and 80-year-old and working 12 hours a day feeding everybody in need. every time there is a hurricane. southe southern baptist church is there. this is story to be told because they are the real heros and america needs to beware. >> we were in haiti and you worked there focusing on food and women's health issue and i

don't like to compare one disaster to another, how does this compare to others you've seen. >> i've been in two hurricanes already in haiti. and here in the states i've been part of sandy and now watching what is happening here. it is kind of very different. for obvious reasons. red cross, they work unbelievably well overseas an america should be proud of the help they give overseas. but in america we are learning. we remember what happened in katrina, the superdome compared to what is happening here in the convention center. i would say the convention center is happened very well and you see police and doctors and food. so i think the learning curve is there but it is obviously room for growth and for learning. so next time something like this happens, we are ready to be -- for example, feeding everybody in the right way. >> i know you've had a long day and a lot of kitchens. >> more to cook tomorrow. >> jose, thank you. >> god bless you. >> breaking news at the top of

the hour here in houston. where floodwaters from hurricane harvey may have peaked but new dimensions of the disaster are coming into view and others exploding back to light. the chemical plant was rocked again today. what began as flooding became a power outage and chemicals heated up and new explosions are all about certain. we'll have more shortly. it is just one of the string of different developments here tonight that should signal loud and clear this is not over. i know people think the weather is fine and the -- the rest of the country is moving on. folks here can't move on. this is not over by any means, including at the airport where there was an airlift underway. take a look. >> it is an emergency airlift. hurricane victims who have lossed their homes and belongings and everything. bussed to a tarmac at the airport that served part arthur and