this is "nightline." >> tonight, lives on the line. harvey extends its devastating reach to eastern texas. we're with a navy search and rescue team rushing to evacuate a shelter. >> just take your medicine. we're okay. we're okay. >> just before a flood overtakes the city of beaumont. first responders breaking through rooftops. a mother relives her worst moment. >> he just started crying, and he was saying, "mom, i'm going to drown." >> over 100,000 homes destroyed. so many displaced. plus, a dream deferred? the so-called dreamers, undocumented immigrants brought to america as children, protected from deportation under president obama's daca policy. but is the trump administration about to end it?

an undocumented teacher living her american dream now afraid it could all come crashing down. >> they could take everything away from you. >> but first, the "nightline" 5. >> but first, the "nightline" 5. number 1 in just 60 seconds.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ good evening and thank you for joining us.

i'm rebecca jarvis. tonight, harvey expanding its wrath. the city of beaumont, texas battered by the wind and the rain now has lost access to clean drinking water. people in shelters there are being evacuated again. abc's matt gutman joins a helicopter search and rescue team on the front lines. >> reporter: day 6 of hurricane harvey, and there are few signs the chaos is letting up. here at this makeshift shelter at an elementary school near beaumont, 110 miles east of houston, desperation is setting in. >> you need your medicine? >> yeah. i've got to have it. >> so take it. take whatever you need. take the medicine. >> reporter: it's another race against time as a nearby dam is reportedly about to overflow. >> what's the problem? >> apparently, a lot of people in this school. we're still unclear what's going on. all of them were stranded, congregating here because this is one of the few dry areas around here.

basically nowhere for them to go but up. i'm with a u.s. navy search and rescue flight, one of dozens of helicopters buzzing beaumont. what i didn't know is that i would be acting as an extra set of hands. >> just take your medicine. we're okay. we're okay. >> jeff. they're inside. they're getting stuff. they're coming in right now. >> helping the 14 members of the mitchell family grab whatever they can. >> all right, folks, let's go. >> reporter: after the frenzy in the school there's the rush to the chopper. dorothy mitchell crying as i help her to the helicopter. you can't hear it over the thundering engine, but she's saying "where do we go now?" they all pile in. those precious few belongings. and those little dogs. as we lift off, the trauma of displacement sets in. and below, they get their first glimpse of the devastation they've just escaped. >> right now we're taking them to another shelter.

it is a dryer area, higher ground. >> reporter: beaumont tonight is an island. surrounded by water but not a drop to drink. the failed water supply forced roughly 200 patients to be evacuated from the baptist hospital here. and all across the horizon a mangled landscape forever changed. these satellite images showing area rivers before and after. >> pretty extensive flooding in here. >> reporter: in unincorporated alvin, texas between houston and the gulf -- >> chances are that most of these structures here had water inside them. >> reporter: in the town of katy 40 miles west of houston row after row of houses still submerged. >> all of this area is underwater. >> reporter: still, nearly a week later, miles and miles of nothing but brown glassy water. but if you look down you see swarms of volunteers cutting through that water, hauling folks out. in vidor my colleague gio

benitez went out with childhood best friends carlo arnold and jonah bemoine for their third day of rescue. >> i know they'd do the same for us. >> reporter: here even the cattle are stranded. the boats spot mike bedair out the window. he gets on with his wife, brenda, suitcases and their pet bird. then it's the short ferry ride to dry land. >> we thought it would never happen to us. we're probably like millions of other people that it's happened to. oh, it'll never happen to me. it did. >> reporter: in some places people are fleeing but so many like saira jelani and her family are returning home. >> this is where we would sit and read books with our kids. we would just hang out with them and chill. >> reporter: trying to piece together whatever is left. >> all my kids' birthdays we've celebrated in this home. i just hope that they can keep those memories instead of the memory they had last when they were here, which was being up on the second floor and just trapped and the water is just rising. >> reporter: eventually, with no

other way out, they had to swim for their lives. >> my 9-year-old, yusef, he was inconsolable. he just started crying, and he was saying, "mom, i'm going to drown. we're going to drown in this water, and i can't handle it." it was just something a mother should not have to tell her kids and to go through because you're there to provide safety and shelter and comfort. >> reporter: back down in the meyerland area of houston, one of the hardest-hit sections, rich goulash lined up with the remains of his household possessions. >> well, that's life. we've got our sofa, dresser, boxsprings, mattress. that's pretty much everything you accumulate through life. >> reporter: he showed my colleague victor oquendo the damage inside. >> that's about your water line. we lost everything that was on the countertops as well. this refrigerator was actually on this wall. >> reporter: his loss especially acute. he just moved in this past april. >> you can see you can't even close some of them.

>> reporter: and he's a storm reconstruction expert. >> you were prepared. you know what to do, what to expect when you walk back into a home. >> we were probably a little more prepared than most for what we were dealing with. but it's still -- when you walk in and see what your life has become, it can be difficult. >> reporter: compounding the troubles in texas, an explosion at the arkema chemical plant in crosby, 30 miles northeast of houston. the incident reportedly triggered when chemical-filled refrigeration containers failed, warming the oxygen peroxide inside, causing them to burst into smoke and flames. abc's clayton sandell went to crosby. >> what does it mean for people's health? >> what does it mean for people's health? you don't want to stand in smoke, do you? >> reporter: and from fema an even more alarming message. >> yes, the plume is incredibly dangerous. >> reporter: epa administrator scott pruitt issued a statement today saying in part "there are no concentrations of concern for toxic materials reported at this time." but more than 20 emergency medical workers and sheriff's

deputies exposed to the chemicals were treated and released today. and residents within a mile and a half radius of the plant have been evacuated. the u.s. chemical safety board is now investigating. earlier today vice president mike pence toured the devastation firsthand in rockport, even pitching in on the recovery effort, offering comfort at a baptist church. >> you've inspired the nation by your resilience and by your courage. and we just came here to commend you and to encourage you and to assure you that we'll be there. as the president often says, we're one american family. >> reporter: the vice president promising texas will get what it needs. my colleague jon karl was on the trip with him. >> is he going to put that threat to the side now and concentrate on rebuilding here? >> president trump's made it clear, very clear that we're going to keep our promise to the american people. we've seen great progress -- >> even if that means a shutdown? >> illegal immigration on our southern border and enforcing our laws. the president's made it clear we're going to stand firm. the priority right now for president trump and for this

administration is these families. >> reporter: almost a week in harvey's toll is now becoming clear. and the worst isn't over in beaumont. we dropped the families and dorothy mitchell and those dogs at a new shelter. they thanked their navy heroes and us with those sweet hugs, and we jumped back in the chopper. we landed at st. elizabeth hospital nearby, switched out with a dialysis patient. it was there we learned this level 3 trauma center is running low on supplies. >> we only have about 16 dialysis patients that we're slowly transferring out, and i think we have supplies for three or four days, but after that we're going to run out. >> reporter: what folks here aren't running low on is heart. we had no car. so we hitched a ride, trying to find those families. so we are at the shelter here, and we can't find our friend dorothy and her family. the mitchells and smiths weren't there, but we pushed on. that shelter was being evacuated also. they weren't there, and neither

would all of these folks be in just a couple of hours. we learned every shelter in beaumont would be evacuated with the rivers still rising. for "nightline" i'm matt gutman in beaumont, texas. next, the so-called dreamers granted protection from deportation five years ago. now could that protection be reversed? with my moderate to severe crohn's disease i kept looking for ways to manage my symptoms. i thought i was doing okay. then it hit me... managing was all i was doing. when i told my doctor, i learned humira is for people who still have symptoms of moderate to severe crohn's disease even after trying other medications. in clinical studies, the majority of people on humira saw significant symptom relief and many achieved remission. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems,

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it's called daca, or deferred action for childhood arrivals, designed to protect those brought to the u.s. as

children. the so-called dreamers. too young to have a say in their family's journey, now as they strive to make a life in the only homeland most have really known, they worry about an increasingly uncertain future. here's "nightline" co-anchor byron pitts. >> i want to know your perspective. >> reporter: for the past year inside miss luna's middle school classroom school lessons have taken a personal turn. >> but your voices matter. your perspectives are important. >> reporter: because for some old fears have been renewed. >> oftentimes when i was little no one asked me what i thought. >> i think as a teacher i just want to provide a safe space for my kids and for them to be able to know that their voices are extremely important. >> reporter: especially when some of them or their parents could be deported. >> hard to learn when you're worried about if mom will be home when you get there, dad will be there when you get there. >> we tell our kids constantly, if you work hard you can get anywhere in life. however, with having a status as being undocumented, that proves to be a challenge. >> so we serve sixth through

eighth grade. >> reporter: it's a challenge teacher miss luna knows well. she too is undocumented. her status has been protected for the last five years under president obama's deferred action childhood arrival program, or daca. granting young immigrants temporary permission to stay and work in the u.s. nearly 800,000 so-called dreamers protected under a 2012 executive order. >> this is a temporary stopgap measure that lets us focus our resources wisely while giving a degree of relief and hope to talented, driven, patriotic young people. >> reporter: but now several state attorney generals are threatening to sue the trump administration to end it, arguing the existing policy is simply unlawful, forcing the president to make a decision before next tuesday. the fates of these dreamers caught in the political crossfire. >> among all of these dreamers there are some awfully bad people.

>> if you think that anyone who comes here underage illegally should become a citizen, pass a law that says that. >> reporter: since taking office president trump has been mulling over the future of the program. telling abc news earlier this year -- >> they shouldn't be very worried. they are here illegally. they shouldn't be very worried. i do have a big heart. we're going to take care of everybody. >> reporter: today vice president mike pence telling abc's jon karl the president still stands by this statement. >> well, president trump has said all along that he's giving very careful consideration to that issue and that when he makes his decision he'll make it, as he likes to say it, with big heart. >> reporter: yet multiple sources tell abc news the president is leaning toward ending the program. >> are you afraid? >> yes. >> because? >> well, even though i have daca, i mean, i'm afraid for the community. >> in a situation where the future is so uncertain in this regard, how can you reassure students? >> well, i think people can take everything away from you, and i think that's the way that i thought about it when i was growing up. they can take everything away from you. but they can't take what you

have in here. >> reporter: she was 10 years old when luna first arrived in new york from peru on a tourist visa, afraid and ashamed. her status would be kept a secret. >> you grow up hearing all these messages about what it means to be undocumented. and the messages are not positive. >> reporter: she would go on to college, a goal that became a family endeavor. luna would study while her parents would take on cleaning jobs. >> i mean, my parents took on three jobs to get me through college. you know? we paid for college cash. i didn't get help from the government. >> reporter: then in 2012 with the stroke of a pen president obama would introduce daca. >> that moment when i received it i was finally able to do something with my degree. >> reporter: miss luna's dream of becoming a teacher came true in 2014, when she joined teach for america. >> your eyes smile when you said that. >> yeah. it was one of i think the happiest moments. it wasn't until i became a teacher that i realized the power of our stories and how important it is for people to

know. >> reporter: public outcry in support of professionals like luna growing louder. marches across the nation called to defend daca. this week 66 mayors from 29 states issuing a call to president trump to keep the program. the department of homeland security says they are still processing several hundred daca applications a day, many of them renewals. like that of oswaldo, high school senior. he asked us not to use his full name, preferring to keep his case under the radar. >> there is a possibility right now that the program might be canceled. >> reporter: on this day he and his grandfather are seeking the help of an attorney, cesar vargas. over the past years vargas has taken dozens of pro bono cases. >> your grandparents are really big fighters, and they're fighting a lot. >> reporter: an opportunity for him to provide both legal and moral support. >> they're your inspiration. they're your role models. >> you're a lawyer. this is your business. but for you this is also very personal.

>> it is personal because i am undocumented. i am protected under daca. and if daca is taken away i could lose my driver's license. i could lose my work authorization. i could possibly lose my law license as well. >> reporter: vargas is the first openly undocumented lawyer in the state of new york, the place he calls home. >> if i was to be deported, i would turn right back because this is my home and no one's going to take me away from my home. >> reporter: he was 5 years old when he was brought to the u.s. by his mother. together they would cross the mexican border illegally. he says the feeling of uncertainty has been looming long before trump took office. >> what we're seeing now is a deportation force that president obama pretty much fueled up and handed the keys to president donald trump. >> reporter: referring to the more than 2.5 million people who were deported under the obama administration. more deportations than any other president in u.s. history. and now that daca hangs in the balance, he and many other advocates are advising hopefuls to think twice before applying. >> especially if they have never applied. if that's the first time the

immigration agencies will now have their information. and especially we're recommending against applying if they have siblings who are also undocumented. >> so your advice then is if you have daca and it needs to be renewed renew it but if you don't have daca stay quiet? >> absolutely. because as this point we don't know what immigration will do with any type of information that applicants are going to submit. >> reporter: but luna cautions against retreating into the shadows and says instead it's crucial to raise voices, now more than ever. it's an idea she's teaching her students. >> dear mr. president. >> dear mr. president. >> i am writing this letter to you -- >> because i believe there is an issue you must address. >> the issue is -- >> reporter: in their letters to the president the students' lives are front and center. >> as an american citizen i feel like we should all be treated the same. >> this issue is women's rights. >> police brutality. >> climate change. >> immigration. >> i am hispanic. >> let's say it was your family. how would you feel? >> if you could sit across from

president trump right now, what would you say to him? >> that's such a challenging question. it pains me to say this. but i mean, i have no respect for him. and for what he's doing. and i know he's in a position of power, and i know that i would have to be able to persuade him. but why do i have to persuade him of my humanity? >> reporter: humanity and hard choices. luna is now desperately saving money just in case she's forced to leave the job and the country she loves. >> there still has to be a sense of hope within that. you have to -- i'm extremely hopeful that the future will be better. and that's what i try to tell my kids. >> raise your hand if you've ever struggled before. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm byron pitts in new york. >> and our thanks to byron.

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♪ sun to the farm ♪ ♪ to the seeds that you sow ♪ ♪ seed to the oat ♪ to get made to an o ♪ put in the good and the good will grow ♪ ♪ good goes around and around and around ♪ ♪ seed to the oat to the o. it's the good that we do ♪ ♪ put in the good, and the good will come back to you ♪ ♪ this circle of good. makes the whole world better too. ♪ ♪ good goes around...and around...and around. ♪ ♪ good goes around...and around...and around. ♪ ♪ good goes around and around.

finally tonight, here at abc news our parent company disney has been holding a day of giving to help victims of the storm. text the word "harvey" to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the red cross. or visit abcnews.com for other ways to contribute. because of your generosity we have already reached $12 million today. and we thank you. thanks for watching abc news. as always, we are online at our "nightline" facebook page.

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