>> cheerio. breaking news in america this morning, flood emergency. not one, but two dams now failing in michigan. thousands of people fleeing their homes. one area could soon be under nine feet of water. we take you to the scene. what authorities are now saying. a new day in the fight against the coronavirus. beginning today all 50 states are starting to re-open. but this morning, the one area of the country now sighing an infection race worse than new york. plus, the rare illness affecting children claims another life. and the new way to make public transportation safe. the cleaning device shining new light on the virus. breaking his silence. forger "today" show host matt lauer fights back against sexual assault allegations taking aim at journalist ronan farrow and

how farrow is responding. also this morning, help for parents. the new option for parents desperate for day care. new video as playful dolphins put on a spectacular show in the pacific. >> and the second grade class -- ♪ and i think to myself ♪ what a wonderful world >> proving it really is a wonderful world. good wednesday morning, everyone. we begin with that breaking news, a state of emergency has been declared in michigan. >> more than 10,000 people are being forced to flee their homes after floodwaters broke through two dams, and now there's concern that one city could be inundated with several feet of water. this morning, catastrophic flooding threatening to swallow an entire town. >> downtown midland could be under approximately nine feet of water. >> reporter: a major dam in michigan failing late tuesday. the moment water gushed through the barrier.

caught on camera, you can see as more and more water starts sweeping through the gaps. soon after a torrent of muddy lake water formed a massive hole making way for a violently rushing river. >> we have a dam. >> releasing a wall of water sending waves surging across roads through homes and triggering a devastating domino effect. >> the dam is about to fail. >> reporter: less than two miles further the danford dam buckling. fast flowing floods pouring into town sweeping away cars, dumpsters and anything else in its path. the rising river even washing out this bridge cutting off one of the evacuation routes. >> this is unlike anything we've ever seen before. >> the stunning impact of the flooding seen here in these before and after photos. >> this is the worst flooding i have ever seen in this area. the worst. >> reporter: the state's

governor declaring a state of emergency. national guard on the ground overnight while residents downstream took refuge on higher ground. other areas of the midwest have seen record flooding. we'll take a closer look at your forecast in less than ten minutes. today is a landmark day in the coronavirus pandemic. every state is now in the process of re-opening, but that's not stopping protesters from demanding more action from their local governments. with the holiday weekend fast approaching, americans are now planning trips to parks and beaches. abc's megan tevrizian reports. >> reporter: this morning all 50 states finally entering some phase of re-opening. long lines forming at this dmv in minnesota after weeks of being closed. people anxious to renew their license. >> i figured i'd come about an hour before and get in line. >> reporter: even as more restrictions are lifted, new protests erupting. in connecticut, the final state to begin re-opening, salon owners outraged after learning they're not included in today's phase one plan. >> the rug got pulled out from underneath us. >> reporter: in new jersey this

gymgoer arrested, a group of officers handcuffing him amid a crowd of angry protesters. the gym owner fined for ignoring lockdown rules. multiple gyms in washington state now facing a similar fate after owners re-opened against state orders. >> do business. get with it. >> reporter: out of 21 states that eased restrictions at least two weeks ago, there have been no major reported changes in the hospitalization rate or covid-19 deaths, but a new cdc study is highlighting the risk as states re-open tracing a cluster of infections in arkansas to a single church. more than a third of the 92 people who attended got sick. three people died. in new york city, this video shows the ultraviolet light now being used to clean subways and buses so workers can get back to commuting. authorities spending $1 million on special devices hoping the light will kill bacteria and stop the coronavirus in its tracks. >> it is like a ghost town. >> reporter: in las vegas, amid fears the city's unemployment

rate could hit 30%, major hotels are accepting reservations. mgm and the venetian accepting bookings starting june 1st even though they have not yet received approval to re-open. >> gaming establishments will not -- will not re-open in phase one. >> reporter: but national parks like joshua tree are now unlocking their gates. >> we're inviting the world back in. >> reporter: people who live nearby are worried about the crowds. >> they're going to go in our stores and we still have to go shopping and live. >> reporter: similar frustration in colorado. this video from a creek in boulder shows people sitting shoulder to shoulder despite orders banning groups larger than ten. >> we need to social distance. >> reporter: in hard hit new york state the governor announced similar guidelines for the upcoming memorial day holiday encouraging people to mark the special day but to do it in groups of ten or fewer people. kenneth, mona. >> megan, thank you. and a fourth death is now

being blamed on that inflammatory syndrome in children linked to covid-19. this time it was a teenager from baltimore. 15-year-old dorianna dyson went to the hospital with a stomach. her condition quickly got worse and her mother said she had trouble breathing and her heart was failing. she died just hours after being placed on a ventilator. >> she was a healthy child. nothing was wrong with her. nothing. and for her to die so sudden, it's just so tragic. i'm so lost for words. it's just so devastating. this is so devastating. >> dorianna tested positive for coronavirus antibodies. doctors are reporting 200 cases of the syndrome in 25 states. more than half of them in new york. symptoms include a rash, stomach pain and red eyes. there is a new clue in the ongoing mystery surrounding immunity to covid-19. doctors now believe patients cannot be reinfected with the virus. meanwhile, a new epicenter is emerging in the u.s. this morning, a major boost to

hopes of overcoming the coronavirus. the south korean cdc now saying it's likely that people cannot be infected twice. early in the outbreak hundreds of patients tested positive for a second time prompting concern that people were not immune to catching it again, but scientists now say those relapsing cases were testing failures. >> these results are very encouraging and should be very reassuring to the public that once you get infected with covid-19, it's unlikely that you're going to get infected again. >> reporter: experts warn the conclusion is still preliminary and they don't know how long that immunity will last. the encouraging news comes amid new questions about a possible vaccine. stocks falling tuesday just one day after moderna announced promising signs for its experimental vaccine, but medical experts are raising concerns about a lack of data from the company. meanwhile, scientists are gathering new evidence about how to prevent more covid-19 infections. researchers at the university of

washington now projecting thousands of fewer deaths in america because of the increasing number of people wearing a mask in public. a lack of masks and protective gear is partially to blame for the growing crisis in the southwest. the navajo nation, which extends across parts of three states, now surpasses new york and new jersey for the highest per capital infection rate in the country. >> i tried to be strong. >> reporter: dorothy scott got the call that her husband died while at the hospital for her son who also died from covid-19. >> standing there at my son's grave talking to him and holding the flower to put there, and here they're telling me that my husband stopped breathing. >> reporter: also hit with a surge in cases maryland reporting more than 1,700 new cases tuesday, a single day high for the state. rural georgia also seeing an increase, and in northern new york local health officials and police are closely watching college gatherings after they say a cluster of new cases is directly related to parties held

off campus. and the navajo nation says its largest hospital is now at capacity. it has only 20 intensive care beds for an area the size of west virginia. time now for a look at your wednesday morning weather. on the radar you can see the storm system responsible for flash flooding and evacuations in michigan. the storm stretched from the ohio valley to the eastern great lakes, and the storms are expected to stall in the southeast with flooding downpours through tomorrow. up to five inches of rain is possible in the raleigh area. looking at today's high temperatures, 50s and 60s in the northeast where it will be sunny today. 80s across the south but cold in the northern rockies. up to a foot of snow in the area is possible. yes, people, it is may. coming up, another big retail store prepares to shut down. also ahead, former "today" mi he s falsely accused ack of rape. how he is taking aim at the

reporter who wrote a book about him. and later, a surpris (music) ♪

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we're back with violence at a waffle house near denver. police say on two consecutive nights the staff refused to serve a man because he wasn't wearing a face mask. they say the second time it happened, the man opened fire shooting the restaurant's cook. the suspect faces attempted murder charges. the wounded cook is expected to recover. well after months of silence former "today" show anchor matt lauer is disputing allegations in a book by ronan farrow that details allegations of sexual misconduct by lauer. in his op-ed published,

claims farrow failed to confirm stories and used misused language. he calls him more than an activist and claimed he was willing to abandon common sense and true fact checking in favor of salacious and deeply flawed material. he was fired in 2017 amid sexual assault allegations and comes after a recent "new york times" article took a closer look at farrow's investigative work. in response, farrow issued a statement saying, quote, matt lauer is just wrong and farrow said his book was thoroughly fact checked. another retailer is closing its doors. pier 1 declared bankruptcy in february just before the coronavirus lockdown and the company failed to find a buyer. it's now planning to close all 500 stores. are planning to go on strike in 20 cities today. they're demanding more coronavirus protections. labor leaders claim more than 40% of mcdonald's workers have been told not to wear protective gear on the job. all those lawsuits over johnson & johnson baby powder have taken their toll. the company will no longer sell

the talc-based version in north america. some users claims it contained asbestos and caused cancer. the company insisted the powder is safe but demand way down. the cornstarch will remain on sale in the u.s. and canada. take a look at this rare sight off the coast of southern california. it's a super pod. morehaa ousand putting on a show.out of the wa miles from laguna beach. pods are usually made up of 20 to 50 dolphins, but temporary super pods are formed when different groups cross paths. cool. coming up, a real-life catfight during a live tv interview. first new help for parents trying to find day care during these difficult times.

the app makes everything so easy it really works i am proof! i lost 85 pounds! we can do this! ww. join today with the ww triple play! and 24 hour relief from symptoms caused byn. over 200 indoor and outdoor allergens. like those from buddy. because nothing should come between two best friends. feel the clarity, and live claritin clear. showing some degree of agitation. look at that almost went head on. >> wow. we are back with a wild chase in southern california. speeds hit about 100 miles per hour as officers pursued an suv along the freeway and local

streets. boxes were falling out of the vehicle at one point. a crash finally ended the chase after about one hour. that suspect is now under arrest. well, the boys and girls clubs of america is offering a helping hand to essential workers. they're now providing day care to low income family, mostly people of color disproportionately impacted by the coronavirus. black and hispanic working at more essential jobs. with schools closed many workers had to scramble to find child care. >> i had to leave my kids with my grandmother who is 71 years old. she was the one that was watching the kids for me while i was going to work. so that really was the hardest part, but we got that part covered now, so we're good to go. >> nearly 700 clubs across the country are now serving more than 40,000 children. they're also maintaining social distancing and checking the kids' temperatures throughout the day. you may want to grab your face mask when you hear about a

new study on the coronavirus. it looked at just how far droplets carrying the virus can travel after you cough. earlier i spoke with dr. yvonne maldonado. i asked her about opening schools and whether covid patients are immune when they recover, but first that new study on coughing. dr. maldonado, face masks and the spread of covid-19. a new study finds that droplets from a person's cough can travel as far as 18 feet. we heard a much shorter distance before. what do we need to know? >> you can actually expel droplets quite some distance depending how forceful you are and how many wind or flow there is in a room, so the really important thing to remember is that masks keep the droplets from spreading those 18 feet. so as long as we wear our masks, they won't spread. >> a big headline this morning comes out of south korea. coronavirus patients who tested positive after recovery are not infectious according to researchers, and they suggest it's unlikely someone could be reinfected. how sure are we about this science?

what's the takeaway here? >> we can't be 100% sure they are not being reinfected, but it's unlikely, and that happens with other viruses as well where you might have termittentdding of the virus or maybe the detection -- the levels of virus are so low you might not pick them up between. >> we reported yesterday on the significant product moderna has seen in its vaccine trial but there are new questions about the data. what are the concerns here? >> well, remember, we're all just starting off here. this is a brand-new finding. i think everybody is very excited and they should be excited because what we know for sure is that some people made antibodies that inactivated the virus. what we don't know is a lot of other things, how many people will make those antibodies, how much of that antibody will be made, and how long will it last, and will it really be protective? i think this is a step in the right direction, but, again,

we're just brand-new studies, we still need more work to do. >> schools are planning now for the fall, some colleges say they'll start school early, skip breaks and some will leave campus at thanksgiving ahead of another spike and some are skipping summer break altogether or return for only a couple days a week. your thoughts and does the best time line for going back to school strictly depend on the area and number of cases? >> i think that's part of the reason, and one of the reasons is to figure out your schedule, but the other issue that i would take into account is how prepared is a school district? what are the needs and resources of each school district, and i think for colleges in particular, what are the sizes of the classes and how flexible can they be in their scheduling, so i think there won't be one answer. >> a lot to think about. our thanks to dr. maldonado. coming up, the big change for tom hanks. plus, a second grade class proves this really is a wonderful world. we will be right back. these are extraordinary times, and we want to thank the extraordinary people in the healthcare community, working to care for all of us.

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give up. >> in 48 hours we've lost seven ships. tom hanks' submarine drama "greyhound" will be making its debut on apple tv plus instead of in movie theaters. it's the highest profile movie to skip theaters and go straight to streaming because of the coronavirus pandemic. >> it looks good. some second graders in arizona decided they wanted to wrap up their school year by sending what they called a virtual hug. >> with the help of their music teacher, here's what they came up with. take a listen. ♪ i see them bloom for me and you and i think to myself ♪ ♪ what a wonderful world >> i'm not crying. you're crying.

second graders at a school there in the phoenix suburbs singing louis armstrong's "what a wonderful world" part of a schoolwide virtual performance. the lockdown forced many public figures to be interviewed from home, which can make for some interesting television. >> one executive overseas was being interviewed while her cats were brawling, y'all, right behind her. the cats kept going at it. that's just really another catfight on daytime tv, isn't it? >> that person's cat has a mean right hook. and here's one more cat you have to see to believe. he's been nicknamed goldiecat and you can see why. >> he refuses -- he will not let one ball get right by him. every single shot there, every one that the owner takes. >> cristiano ronaldo. can't get through this cat. i hear portugal is interested.

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building a better bay area. for a safe and secure future, this is abc7 news. making news right now at 4:27. san jose okays a plan to help its struggling restaurants. dining out may mean dining on the main street. getting back to business in wine country. napa county gets the okay to take the next step in phase two of reopening. a new study has encouraging news against coronavirus and the chance of a recovered patient being reinfected. good morning, everybody. it is wednesday, may 20th. wow. all the way into may. we'll get to all those stories in just a few minutes, but, first, checking in with meteorologist drew tuma who has a look at the day ahead. >> only days away from the holiday weekend. unofficial start of summer and it will feel like summer with temperatures on the rise. live doppler 7.

it is clear. we have rid ourselves of any shower chances today. outside we go, a live look from exploratorium camera showing you the city skyline of san francisco. we're dealing with overcast skies in parts of the bay area and a lot of sunshine this afternoon. the day planner showing you sun up here shortly before 6:00 a.m. and a brighter afternoon and also a warmer afternoon. those numbers pretty nice this time of year. 61 at the coast and mid to upper 70s around the bay and inland, kumasi. >> all right. thanks, drew. because of our pandemic, our effort to build a better bay area is now focused on four key areas. health, education, our changing workplace and the economy. the reopening of local counties is a key part. napa county is the first to get the okay from the state to move further into phase two. what does this mean? dine-in restaurants, retail stores and swap meets can open

with adapitations effective immediately. napa county are to show customers and employees that the establishment has reduced risk and post signage of their social distancing they had to amend their local order which officials say will be approved today. sonoma county believes it will be the second county to reopen this week. this morning we have a better idea of what life might look like after the pandemic from face masks, rent, dining and digital access. city leaders are moving closer to decisions on all of it. julian glover is live with the details on all of it. good morning, julian. >> the city of san jose is hoping that outdoor dining is one of the keys to help local businesses that are hit hard during tpaem bounceback city council unanimously allowing san francisco

restaurants to dine outside. this will help restaurants. that could lose the bulk of indoor seating because of mandatory social distancing requirements. once shelter-in-place orders are lifted and the county approves, restaurants and retailers can set up additional seating and services on sidewalks and in some cases streets that are closed to cars. >> this is a very modest step to ensure that hopefully we can all get more people back to work. that is my most important priority is safely getting people back to work so they can earn a paycheck because we have thousands of families struggling on the edge right now. >> san jose city council also discussing face coverings last night and whether to require face coverings in the city while in public and interacting with others and how this should be enforced. now, face coverings are curre currently required in all businesses within santa clara county. the city council deciding