you're watching cbs 5 eyewitness news on the cw. the east coast wind whipped and battered. tonight hurricane irene still pounding its way north, setting its sights on new york city. tonight the streets of manhattan abandoned. nearly 400,000 people under a mandatory evacuation order. how the city is bracing for a rude awakening come daylight. >> this is the worst we ever had for traveling with any airline. >> thousands of flights canceled. millions of travelers impacted. how irene's fury is being felt coast to coast. >> new rules in effect at candle stick. how do they work? we'll show you.

good evening, i'm annette. hurricane irene is pounding the eastern sea board and drawing on the densely populated cities. at least six deaths are blamed on the storm and irene is still a category one hurricane with 80 miles an hour wind. karen brown is in north carolina, which is now assessing the damage. karen. what's the latest? >> to give the northeast an idea of what is now baring down upon it, we have been experiencing these high winds and rain for more than 24 hours now. in fact, sometimes they are so strong, you feel like you are sandblasted and we have just lost power completely and there's also major flooding going on. we were in one neighborhood where at least 2,000 homes are being hit by the storm surge. hurricane irene tore holes in buildings as it slammed into north carolina with 100 mile per hour winds. it's huge gusts knocked down signs and power lines during

the height of the storm, some people headed outside to check on the damage to their homes. >> as long as it doesn't do much more than what it has already done, then i think we'll be okay. >> north carolina's governor says the state's coast was hit hard. >> our people have sustained some significant damage, i don't know what the cost will be, but i think the cost is going to be significant. >> here in the outer banks, the damage is expected to continue through the night. as you can see, there is major flooding and officers tell me that neighborhoods like this one, for 60 miles, are hit with water. irene heads up the coast. >> and irene is already blamed for several deaths. including an 11-year-old boy who died when a tree crashed into his home in virginia. another falling tree stopped a fire truck in its tracks in fort lee, virginia. maryland is starting to feel the storm's intensity.

>> ocean city will of course get pounded. the beaches will take a pounding. >> new york city isn't taking any chances. the city suspended mass transit and shut down airports in advance of the storm. officials say even though irene is weaker, it is still dangerous and impact areas as far north as canada. >> of course with the conditions still so bad here and the flooding increasing, the national guard is at the ready as well as the local fire department. but in this area, dare county, the local fire departments can't even get to these people that are flooded out because the roads are so flooded. so a very long night here on the outer banks. reporting live in kill devil hills, north carolina, i'm karen brown. now back to you. >> what kind of damage have you seen or what are you hearing about any areas that are wiped out? >> yeah, you know what, it is really bad here in the outer banks and because they lost power, you know, we don't have the pictures yet to show

everybody. there's literally a 60-mile stretch along the sound side that is now being inundated with water. entire towns under water, we are told new bern, those towns have been hit hard. a lot of damage we won't be able to see until sunlight and we have several more hours of this storm surge, so it keeps pushing in with intense winds. >> and that's what you are getting most now, the wind, not so much the rain? >> reporter: you know what it is, ann? this storm tracked up the sound. so it blew all the water from the sound on to the mainland side and that's where they had those rescues this morning and then what it's doing now for the last several hours is blowing it all back towards the outer banks. so it continues to blow it across the island and this is what they warned folks of in the beginning. and now it is definitely coming to fruition. >> karen brown in north carolina, thank you very much. so let's get the latest on

irene's path from jim bernard. how does it look? >> looking at the forecast track, it's following the course that was layed out earlier. as we see right now, it continues to parallel the eastern sea board. looks like it will be crossing new york city as a tropical storm early in the morning and then moving to the west of boston and off into canada here. as i get out of the way, the path today with winds of 80 miles per hour. gusts up to 100. still a category one storm and weakening as it comes ashore through the day tomorrow. but still, rain expected. >> all right jim, thank you very much. tonight the edge of irene started hitting new york. mayor michael bloomberg said the time for evacuation is over and everyone should stay inside. many parts of manhattan look like a ghost town. >> in the nation's largest city, it's hard to find anyone on the street. businesses are shattered. subways and buses are shut down

and the broadway theaters are closed. a few decided to brave the rain. >> i wanted to take a walk and you know, see what's going on out here. >> millions of new yorkers are hunkered down and people in low lying areas, including lower manhattan have packed up and left. more than a million people in the northeast have been told to evacuate. many in coastal areas, which are getting pounded by high rain and wind. a long beach, long island, more than 160,000 homes are at risk for flooding. the family grabbed as much as they could and got out. g we're expecting this place to be washed out. >> as you can see, many people are disobeying the order. many want to wait and see what irene brings. a handful of surfers took advantage of the waves. >> i was like okay, we have to leave, absolutely. the waves are going to be good. we are absolutely staying. >> but stay throughout the northeast and new england are in emergency mode. atlantic city looks like a ghost town now that the casinos

are closed. many airports are shut down and 9,000 flights have been canceled. irene's winds are expected to bring down power lines and leave millions in the dark. in boston, the red cross is preparing for the worst. >> i think the planning we have done statewide is going to show how ready we are to respond to something like this. >> a storm of this magnitude is rare in the northeast and the worst is yet to come. for cbs news, long beach, long island. >> air travelers and the bay area are feeling the effects of hurricane irene. at sfo, more than 40 flights were canceled and two flights were canceled at san jose. it has travelers scrambling to book flights. >> to l.a. and then from l.a. we're going to nashville and from nashville we're going to washington, d.c. and then we will have to book some sort of transportation back home, but our car is in jfk.

>> it is just ridiculous. they have nobody working here and you know, you are stuck and they don't tell you anything and your number to call, an hour and a half and no one answers the phone except, you can fly american airlines whenever you want with advantage miles. >> if you plan to fly, you should check the status of your flight no matter where you're headed. airport officials are saying passengers should not come to the airport unless their carrier has indicated that nare flights will depart as scheduled and if you need to reschedule, you are urged to do so over the phone or online, not at the airport. and we'll continue to watch the progress of hurricane irene and post the latest information for you as well as pictures on cbssf.com. the 49ers were back at candle stick tonight for the first time since the shootings and fights that marred last night's game against the raiders. tonight, a different scene. don knapp was in the stands with the fans and the beefed up security. >> crab legs. nice.

>> candle stick tailgaters are the first to experience the new rules that is keeping 49er games under control. they have to go in or leave at game time. >> they have new tough rules, what do you think? >> keep us safe. >> focused on alcohol fueled craziness. like the raiders, 49ers game shootings that sent two men to the hospital and a men's room beating that hospitalized another. >> i don't think the fans would enjoy it as much. >> 49ers ceo sat in the stands with fans. where last weekend's fights broke out. telling the radio that the problems were an anomole. >> you know, a lot of the 49er fans did not come in today because of the new rules that are being enforced. >> 49er season ticketholder whose pictures on some season tickets said fellow fans believe e limb night the 49er, raiders game solves the problem. >> they aren't into this super clamp down because of a few

fans. >> others worried about the dui check points after the game. >> we're going to have to carefully leave after the game. we can't stay here in the parking lot. >> was it less fun? >> of course not, we're here to watch the game. we aren't here to get drunk and cause problems. >> a dozen people were arrested. fans leaving the game were aware they were being watched. another thing was a heavy fog that ruled it early and chased a lot of people home before the game was over. don knapp, cbs 5. >> we'll have the highlights from the game coming up in sports. a grass fire in fairfield has grown to around 700 acres and is threatening one home. it was first reported around 6:00 tonight and has expanded north toward vacville. communications tower is safe, but a single family home remains in the fire's path. officials say the fire is about 90% contained and probably

won't be completely under control until tomorrow. one of the suspects in an armored car robbery will face murder charges. 24-year-old freddie daniel's brother was shot to death by police during wednesday's holdup outside a wells fargo branch. the da's office says state law allows suspects in a crime to be charged with murder recordless of who was responsible for the killing. daniel and william fuller faced attempted murder and robbery charges. palo alto police released photos. the most recent was wednesday. the burglaries date back to 2009 and police suspect that this man may be a suspect in at least ten of them. police say he may be the man responsible for similar small restaurant robberies in mountain view and san mateo. >> checking other bay area headlines, a memorial ceremony was held today for a soldier from the peninsula killed last

december in afghanistan. 21-year-old corporal derek simineti died with six other surgeries in a suicide bombing. his family says when he was home last year celebrating his 21st birthday, he had thoughts about returning to the war zone and he was killed two months later. a moderate earthquake shook an area f 0 miles of san jose. it struck near pinnacles. several aftershocks have been felt since, but no reports of damage. >> and a protection group is suing san francisco. if the rocks were put in place to prevent erosion along the highway. but the group claims the city is vie lating state coastal protection laws. the city could face tens of millions of dollars in penalties. celebrating the start of the school year.

the swag that gave kids something to smile about at a bay area street party. >> the whole neighborhood is going to look so much better. >> a toxic site reborn at the park. how years of hard work paid off in the south bay. a chilly evening t. will part tomorrow to give us more sunshine and a slight warming trend, which we'll talk about coming up in a few minutes.

sphere.. a new school year can bring excitement and anxiety, but in oakland, it was party

atmosphere. the city threw a street fair. it was an opportunity to hand out backpacks prepacked with supplies for parents and kids. organizers say it's a great way to get kids ready for school and parents prepared to get involved. >> i look forward to it, because it's a new chapter in my daughter's life. i keep a scrapbook of all her years of school. i like to take pictures and see her progress. i love it. >> the rally was open to all, but targets at risk kids. the oakland school year begins on monday. and a grand reopening today for a park in one of san jose's oldest neighborhoods. it was built on a former dump site. it has been closed since 2005 because of contamination. ann talked to neighbors who welcome the park's revival. >> a celebration for a park

compared to a phoenix rising out of the ashes in northern san jose. >> the whole neighborhood is going to look so much better because we don't have a fence around the park. >> the park was closed for six years while the city renovated the 35-acres, costing $15 million. this was the park just before it closed in 2005 because of contamination. the city didn't know there was any problem here at watson park until they started digging to build a skate park in 2004. they uncovered some burned trash underground, did some environmental testing, and found contaminants like lead and arsenic in the soil. >> that really caused the project to get even more complex. >> everything that was here was either carried out on trucks or buried many feet below. >> in the early 1900s, there was a garbage dump. waste and ash had been buried for decades. >> you know, i grew up and played here since i was a kid.

was i worried? not really. >> he's glad to see the new watson park with a dog run, playground, and soccer field. >> the real park, i can walk the dogs or walk the stroller while my mom walks and plays the dog in the park. it's really exciting. >> we are thankful if did happen this way and the crowd turned out so beautiful made it twice as precious. >> in san jose, cbs 5. >> nearly 10,000 runners took part in the giants race today. the race began at at&t park. fisherman's wharf and back to the ballpark. all participants got a metal, a t-shirt, and bobble head of tim lincecum. the race was a benefit for project open hand that delivers meals to the ill and elderly. jim bernard is joining us with a look at the rest of the weekend. seems nice. >> not bad. dense fog moving in tonight.

temperatures are cool tonight, but that's typical. we'll look for less fog tomorrow than what we saw today and a slight warming trend. should clear a little earlier through the day, leaving us a couple degrees warmer than what we saw today, which was in the -- where did it go? there it is. mid to low 90s for the interior. into the low 80s and upper 70s as it disappears too fast. we'll look for tonight to be mostly clear out across the interior. patchy fog forming late. and again, should be clearing a little earlier. tomorrow we'll take another look at those temperatures. weaker on shore breeze here means a warmer sunday as this high pressure system builds in. nudges in from the south. it won't be a prevalent feature as it will last a day and a cooling trend. we can expect the fog to clear earlier tomorrow, even back to the beach which it didn't do

today. we'll look for warmer temperatures there as well, as the hot spots in the mid to low 90s for tomorrow. we'll look to upper 70s and across the north bay and back at the peninsula. warming there as well, as more sunshine than what we had of late. we'll look for upper 50s and as i mentioned, they will be cooling slightly here into midweek as we see the low cloud deck thickening up once again to chill those temperatures out. only to clear again by next weekend, which is pretty good timing. that will give us a warming trend for next weekend's activities, as we continue with our fluxuations in our summer pattern here, far cry from what they're looking at on the east coast. >> thank you jim. well a touching memorial in the aftermath of a tragedy. and yosemite cut off by fire. where it's burning and how it's

impacting park visitors.

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to the ♪[ music ] five years after the tragedy of con air flight 5191, families of those killed in the crash came to the university of kentucky for the unveiling of a new memorial. each of the 49 birds represents a lifelong -- their souls have been set free. each of the victims names are inscribed at the base of the 17- foot monument. main highway into yosemite national park is closed tonight because of a wild fire. there's no word when it will be open again. the fire grown to more than 3,000 acres. pretty hot as it shows tough conditions by firefighters. >> helicopters grab water from the river, nearby residents watch them fly by. >> most have packed up yesterday and then we're just kind of waiting it out. >> these residents are on

evacuation watch and they will have only minutes to get out. >> it is starting to pick up again and obviously it is traveling to the east a little bit. we are concerned. >> the nearly 3,000 acre wild fire started thursday after a motor home caught on fire along highway 140. guests staying at the cedar lodge were told to leave and it's now the command center for the 650 firefighters fighting this blaze. some homes are in danger, but firefighters are keeping a close eye on them. the problem is in the forest area. steep terrain is making for dangerous conditions. >> the terrain is tough. it's rocky, very steep. it's hard for the fire crews to hike up those hills. >> that's exactly why residents in this area say they are grateful for the men and women who are doing everything they can to put this wild fire out. >> it is comforting and it is very heroic of them. >> crews from all over the state are here helping to put this wild fire out.

we're told they will be here for at least another three days. brittany hopper, cbs 47 on your side. >> the regular season can't start fast enough for 49er fans and the giants and astros needed extra innings. we'll have the latest on the nl west race next in sports. ,,,,

innings in his major league t... and the giants top pitching prospect gave up just one run in six innings in his major league debut and jeff came through with the big hit once again. >> and the 2-2 pitch. swing and a shot.

over. here's the throw home. it is over. >> the giants win 2-1 in ten innings. but they remain three games behind the diamondbacks in the west. the a's were supposed to play a double header to avoid hurricane irene tomorrow, but they played through the rain delay all day long at fenway. the red sox win game one. 9-3, and david ortiz pitched his 27th homer as the sox win game two for nothing. niners in their third preseason game after falling behind 7-0. the texasans scored 30 unanswered points. returns it 73 yards for a touchdown. nolan would pick off alex smith later in the half. the niners 30-7. wrap up the preseason thursday night in san diego. and real quick, dustin johnson won by four strokes.

the raiders play their preseason game tomorrow night against the saints. >> oh, we have them both. >> both this weekend. everybody is here. except for the a's. they'll be back. >> we'll have more at 11:00. the niners game today, front row seat as always. that's it for us, we'll see you at 11:00 on cbs 5. good night. hi, i'm doing my back-to-school shopping

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