morning" -- path of destruction. >> she thought that she was going to drown. >> trees down. homes destroyed. the death toll rising after tropical storm isaias. tornadoes touching down. millions left in the dark. and now, one big city bracing for the worst flooding in more than a century. the devastating blast in beirut. the explosion heard 150 miles away. new images of the aftermath. dozens of buildings leveled. at least 100 people dead, thousands injured. new details on what caused it. the struggle to reopen. crowded hallways spark new concern as more students return to class. the new study predicting the number of children and teachers

showing up with coronavirus. several states now teaming up. launching an effort to speed up test results and this morning, the new closures. the rockettes already canceling this year's christmas spectacular. plus, wiped out. why you may not see clorox wipes on store shelves any time soon. joyride punishment. tough love for a boy who stole his parents' range rover. and the boss is back. the popular '80s sitcom getting a reboot. which characters are coming back. good wednesday morning. we begin with a new look at the destruction caused by tropical storm isaias as it roared up the east coast. >> at least six people are dead and millions are without power. the storm slammed into the carolinas and barreled up the coast, all the way to new england, spawning tornadoes, dumping heavy rain and

packing wind gusts that topped 100 miles per hour. >> and it's not over, even as the storm moves out, flooding remains a major threat in some areas. overnight, nearly 4 million power outages along the east coast. after isaias tore a path of destruction, this tree smashing into a home in massachusetts. >> i couldn't imagine anything this large coming down and the way it's come down it just totally uprooted the thing. >> reporter: in philadelphia, the river is projected to crest today over 15 feet, its highest level in more than 150 years. on tuesday, rescuers outside the city pulled these kids to safety from a second story window. efbere0:00 a said that the wind destroyed his delaware home as his family took shelter inside. >> as we approached the basement, i saw the tree lifted out of the ground and i saw the whole back of the house coming off of the property. the first thought is, thank god

that we're here. god spared my wife and my boys. so we're here. so i can replace a house. >> reporter: but the storm turning deadly for others.wh m died after being crushed in his truck by a fallen tree. and in north carolina, two people killed by a tornado. >> we took shelter. just my son and i. we ran to the center of the house and got into the closet. and then it was gone as quick as it started. >> reporter: along the north carolina coast, these boats are now piled on top of one another like toys in a tub. >> oh, my god! >> reporter: in new jersey, the powerful winds toppling the steeple of this church. and our cameras capturing the moment a sparking power line exploded just as abc's stephanie ramos was conducting an interview. >> this is basically a result of the storm. power lines down, causing fires and explosions.

>> reporter: meanwhile, at the new jersey shore, many vacationers are taking the storm in stride. >> like everything else in 2020, we had a storm to contend with. >> and that storm is now moving into canada. we'll check today's forecast in just a few moments. the other big story this morning, new clues in the explosion that rocked beirut, lebanon. at least 100 people are dead. the prime minister says a highly explosive compound may be to blame. as the sun rose, the scale of destruction came to light. >> reporter: this morning, new details on what possibly caused this massive explosion in beirut. the prime ministerayg overnight that a warehouse at the city's port was storing 2700 tons of confiscated ammonium nitrate, the same explosive compound used in the oklahoma city bombing. the prime minister also claims the chemical was there for six years with no safety measures in

place. authorities in lebanon are now not saying whether the detonation was intentional, only saying those responsible will be held accountable. >> a very good relationship with the people of lebanon, and we will be there to help. >> reporter: but president trump tuesday night calling the explosion an attack. >> i met with some of our great generals, and they just seem to feel that it was. >> reporter: before the explosion, video shows a fire and a series of smaller detonations. the devastating blast sending a mushroom cloud across the city. the sides of buildings ripped off, cars, shops and apartments shattered. this video shows the explosion tearing a church apart, as a priest was giving a mass online. the blast striking with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake. people reported hearing the

explosion on the island of cyprus across the mediterranean sea, 150 miles away. adding to the tragedy, lebanon is reeling from its worst economic crisis in decades, leaving nearly half the population in poverty. and hospitals in beirut have already been hit hard by the coronavirus. kenneth, mona? >> those images tough to watch. reena, thank you. and to washington now, where democrats want to add an extra $300 billion to the coronavirus stimulus bill. the money would go toward making schools safer. meanwhile, senate majority leader mitch mcconnell says he may be willing to extend the $600 per week unemployment benefits. talks resume today. now to the debate over reopening schools with more teachers protesting and more states announcing restrictions. it comes as president trump is accused of downplaying the coronavirus death toll saying "it is what it is." >> reporter: this morning, scenes of crowded hallways at this georgia school sparking new concern about the spread of coronavirus among students.

this interactive map from "the new york times" shows how many people could show up to school unknowingly infected during the first week of classes. counties in orange indicate at least 5 infections for every 1,000 students. and school staff, red more than ten. >> if you have a lot of community spread, then the probability of you having a positive person return to school, or anywhere for that matter, is going to be higher. >> reporter: madison county, texas, set to restart classes august 19th, is reporting the highest risk in the nation. and according to "the times'" analysis, could have an estimated 420 covid positive people roaming the halls. but in mississippi, some families already sending their kids back to class. the governor imposing new safety measures. >> i will sign an executive order that requires the use of masks by all adults and all children in our schools. >> reporter: in arizona, teachers are protesting plans to

resume face-to-face classes. >> i'm scared that somebody is going to die. >> reporter: one school near phoenix struggling after one teacher died. others now in quarantine. >> students, our staff, our -- their families are going to be in danger. >> reporter: today in chicago, public schools are expected to announce plans to switch to an all-remote semester amid a strike threat from the teachers' union. this preschool in california is taking a creative approach to keeping kids safe. students given hula hoops to help them social distance. coronavirus task force coordinator dr. deborah birx says the country is making new strides in controlling the virus but warns we should brace for a wave of new deaths in the next two weeks. on tuesday, president trump claimed once again that the u.s. is better off than other countries when it comes to the death rate. but then he added this qualifying statement. >> new york had a very tough time as you know. new york, new jersey. when you take that out, our

numbers are among the lowest. >> reporter: the president now accused of downplaying the nation's 156,000 deaths during this interview with axios on hbo. >> they are dying, that's true, and it is what it is. >> reporter: but amid all the struggles, stories of survival. this covid patient in new york is finally home after spending 132 days in the hospital. >> when i went down, it was only 150,000 cases. when i woke up, they told me 2.5 million. i was like, what? are you serious? in sports, defending u.s. open champ rafael nadal has announced he's skipping the tournament because of coronavirus concerns. the world's top women's tennis ashleigh barty says she will also skip the tournament because of covid. the u.s. open will begin later this month. kenneth, mona? >> megan, thank you. time now for a look at your wednesday morning weather.

what's left of tropical storm isaias has moved into canada after causing widespread damage from north carolina to upstate new york. the winds from the storm were so powerful in ocean city, maryland, they powered this ferris wheel, forcing it to rotate by itself. checking today's forecast, drying out on the east coast, in the 80s from washington to boston. 70s from chicago to minneapolis today, where thunderstorms are possible and another sunny day across much of the west coast. 76 in los angeles. coming up, why winding finding clorox wipes is still a challenge and will be for a long time. also ahead, president trump changes his tune when it comes to mail-in voting. and a tourist looking for the perfect picture snaps off a priceless piece of italian sculpture. e.

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back now with a rescue in the pacific, straight out of hollywood. three men stranded on the small island. they spelled out s.o.s. in the sand. they were stuck for three days after their boat drifted and ran out of gas. the australian navy saw the s.o.s. and picked them up. if you're looking to buy more clorox wipes, you might have a long wait. the company now says it will be year before it can supply to ll demand. backtracking on his stance against voting by mail. he's now encouraging voters in his home state of florida to cast their ballots by mail. this after condemning the process for months with unfounded claims about fraud.

he says he still has doubts about mail-in voting in states where democrats are in charge. >> florida's got a great republican governor and it had a great republican governor. and over a long period of time, they've been able to get the absentee ballots done extremely professionally. florida is different from other states. >> florida is a must-win state for the president and polls show him trailing behind joe biden. a tourist in search of the perfect picture did more than stub a toe at this museum in northern italy. he jumped on to a 200-year-old sculpture to pose for a photo, and broke three of the sculpture's toes. they snapped right off. he walked away, but it was caught on video. because of the pandemic, all museum visitors register their name, so they tracked him down. he's since apologized and says he will pay for the damage. no word on how much it will cost. he should find out first how much those priceless toe also cost.

coming up, the new prediction on when bars will finally be able to reopen. but first, the astronauts just home from that historic mission splashing down in the gulf of mexico explain what they heard when they re-entered the atmosphere. when they re-entered the atmosphere. ...to soccer practices... ...and new adventures. but f your teen s vaccinateds in the past... they may be missing vaccination for meningitis b. let's help protect them together. because missing menb vaccination could mean missing out on a whole lot more. ask your doctor if your teen is missing meningitis b vaccination. ask your doctor if your teen for bathroom odors that linger try febreze small spaces. just press firmly and it continuously eliminates odors in the air and on soft surfaces. for 45 days. essential for sewing, but maybe not needles.

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begins with ingredients from the earthn... to create fragrances infused with natural essential oils. air wick scented oils. connect to nature. check out this dust devil in check out this dust devil in oregon. a driver passed through the whirl wind in salem. debris swirled around the car as he drove by. an air force general has now made history. vice president mike pence swore in charles brown as the new air force chief of staff. general brown is the first black military service chief in u.s. history. the astronauts just back from their historic trip to space sat down for an interview and revealed what it sounded like when they re-entered the atmosphere. they splashed down in the gulf of mexico, returning from the space station. it was the first flight of the spacex capsule with humans. >> it doesn't sound like a machine, it sounds like an

animal coming through the atmosphere. all the separation events were very much like getting hit in the back of the chair with a baseball bat. you know, just a crack. when it performed as expected, and we could check off those events, we were really comfortable coming through the atmosphere, even though, you know, it felt like we were inside of an animal. >> wow. behnken's wife is scheduled to blast off next year using that same capsule. returning to the coronavirus, several states are launching an effort to speed up testing for the virus. meanwhile, bars across the country may not be able to reopen for months. earlier, i spoke with dr. patel about these headlines beginning with that new testing effort. for the first time several states are joining together to form a compact on testing in hopes of reducing wait times. right now, seven states from louisiana to massachusetts have signed on. what do you make of this new bipartisan effort? >> first of all, i like the fact that it's bipartisan. it's showing us that fixing

something like testing requires people getting together, and ignoring the politics. it will be interesting to watch and see what their plan is and see it unfold and see if other states can work together or if we can just adopt their strategy at large, as an entire nation. >> we just got some encouraging news about a possible vaccine. what are you hearing about the early trial results from novavax? >> what i'm hearing is good news from their phase one trial. not only did it show a pretty modest t-cell response, but it also showed that people who received the vaccine developed four times the neutralizing antibodies as those who naturally got the coronavirus, which is great, because we want to know that the vaccine provides more and longer protection. they're just in phase one, though. we have six other vaccines in phase three. but more shots on goal mean a higher likelihood that we'll get an effective vaccine. >> what are your thoughts on benchmarks that cities and states should set before schools resume classes?

>> i think benchmarks are key when it comes to reopening the country, especially schools. so many counties are completely different. and you know, a lot of educators, parents, teachers, students, are left wondering what decisions are people going off of and to decide whether or not schools should be reopened. right now in arizona, the educators are pushing to say, we need some type of metric to know if it's safe or not to reopen schools. >> dr. patel, a lot of people miss going to their favorite bar or their favorite nightclub. the mayor of orlando, florida, says bars may not reopen until we have a covid-19 vaccine. do you agree with that? >> i agree in theory, that we should be really cautious about reopening until we have an effective vaccine. one thing i worry about is i don't know how well it will resonate with people who already anxious out there, who want to get out there. and also, just a note to everyone out there who is frustrated with businesses bein ng the rules, that's something that's going to cause outbakanke binse clos.

>> our thanks to dr. patel. and the rockettes have canceled their christmas show due to coronavirus. it's the first cancellation since the show premiered 87 years ago at radio city music hall. coming up, the popular '80s sitcom that's coming back. also ahead, the boy who stole his parents' range rover and how he was punished. was punished. lower their blood suga. a majority of adults who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. here's your a1c. oh! my a1c is under 7! (announcer) and you may lose weight. adults who took ozempic® lost on average up to 12 pounds. i lost almost 12 pounds! oh! (announcer) for those also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. it lowers the risk. oh! and i only have to take it once a week. oh! ♪ oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! ♪ (announcer) ozempic® is not for people with type 1 diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis.

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members are not currently involved. >> two out of four, not bad. tough love for a boy in arizona. >> angel martinez admits he took his parents' range rover for a joyride. as punishment, the 14-year-old had to sit on his bed in a driveway with a sign that said sorry, i stole my parents' car and was speeding. >> but he says he had a good excuse for taking over the range rover. >> i washed the car, like hand washed. and i was like, i don't have anything to dry it, so i'm just going to take it for one spin. so that it dries. >> yeah, he claims he was trying to dry the car off after washing it. >> okay. two swimmers got a tough lesson from a protective mama whale. >> they were injured by the 50-foot whale after getting too close to her calf in a beach in australia. one woman was hit by the tail and fractured her ribs. >> another swimmer was hit by the whale's fin and tore a hamstring. here some hungry, hungry kangaroos. >> this video was shot in australia.

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carmel . making news right now, oakland teachers report to school today, but their union and school district still negotiating a reopening plan. economic blow, great america decides to stay closed for the rest of the year. thousands of jobs are vanishing. and the clock is ticking, democrats and the white house set a deadline to reach a new stimulus deal. good morning, it is wednesday, august 5th. happy that you are with us. checking in with mike nicco for look at our day ahead. >> happy wednesday to you. how are you? >> well, how are you? >> how are you really. >> >> i'm good. >> good. i'm glad to hear that. hopefully even else will be pretty good the rest of the day too. let's see what we can do to put

them in a good mood. how about a touch of fall and measurable drizzle falling while we were sleeping? and the winds have not left up. 20 miles per hour or faster half moon bay, sfo, livermore. look at that, you can see the mist hanging in the air looking to the west back into san francisco. 5 to 15 degrees cooler than average today with 50s along the coast, 60s around the bay and 70s inland. i'll have a time table for summer's return coming up. and as schools get set to reopen, education is a major focus of abc 7's commitment to building a better bay area. this morning oakland teachers return to school but still uncertain about what the academic year will look like. julian fwlglover is live with details. >> reporter: good morning. yes, oakland unified teachers,

they start lesson planning today, but behind the scenes the district is still planning what the school year will look like for both teachers and students. the district and teachers are still negotiating how many hours of live instruction will be offered each day at each grade level and also a deal for how long the teacher's workday will be. the district wants at least six hours a day, teachers are pushing for a five hour day including 90 minutes of wellness time. the board discussed it tuesday night. >> for teaching it is dramatically different to teach through the screen and we really need the time so that we can get it right and did right o right students. >> reporter: and that is what pretty much everyone is hoping for, they all want to make sure virtual online learning goes a lot better in the fall than it did in the spring when folks were scrambling to get things

together when the pandemic first emerged. but the new school year starts on monday. julian glover, abc 7 news. new guidelines from the state will include counties on the watch list to get a waiver to have in-person classes. san francisco will consider asking for a waver. oakland unified says that it will not seek a waiver. so far no schools in marin county have applied for a waiver. >> they need to be consulting with their local communities which may include staff, labor unions, parent organizations. we want to make sure that it is a partnership and people are support difference of the application. >> state health officials recommend that those with 14 days above the threshold not be considered for a