time coming. . right now on america this morning. the race to rescue. >> need help? >> the urgent efforts to help people trapped after hurricane ida. a new look at the catastrophic damage and the new threat after the storm. a deadly alligator attack in the floodwaters. also happening right now. the terrifying evacuation near lake tahoe, california. a massive wildfire takes aim. traffic jams stretch for miles as residents flee, smoke choking the region. a famous ski resort tries to hold back the flames. last man out. what we're learning about this man, the last u.s. service member to fly out of afghanistan. america's longest war now over. but a new indication the taliban

may be up to its old ways. caught on camera. the bank robbers who tied hostages to the get away cars. and a new limit to how long kids play video games. to a heartwarming good-bye to a beloved mailman. all the stories for your tuesday morning. from abc news in new york. this is "america this morning." >> good tuesday morning, everyone. we begin with the urgent search for people trapped in the floodwaters after hurricane ida. and the massive effort to restore power to louisiana and new orleans. >> the death toll is expected to rise. we learned overnight that a man was attacked and apparently killed by an alligator while walking in high water. we also obtained new images of the total devastation in some areas following the storm. >> widespread power outages are

a major concern. some people could be without electricity for weeks, and there are concerns about the water supply and sewage systems. >> and ida isn't done yet. 78 million americans are on alert for potential flooding as the storm charts a path to the northeast. >> reporter: this morning it's still unclear how many people in southern louisiana still need to be rescued. but thousands of national guard members now have been called in to help. this morning, an urgent search and rescue mission under way along louisiana's gulf coast where hurricane ida obliterated entire communities. >> this is one of the worst natural disasters i've ever seen in st. john. >> reporter: in one parish outside new orleans, officials say nearly 800 people have been rescued so far. >> we've been in our emergency operations center. i slept here. i will continue to sleep here. my home's flooded.

i lost my car. we're here to dot people's work. >> reporter: this new video showing homes destroys and buildings without roofs. rescuers are struggling to reach the barrier island where authorities say 40 people chose to ride out the storm. overnight, officials believing all of those people did survive. >> the great news is that he thinks everyone survived. he thinks that when it got bad people ran from their homes. they ran to stronger buildings. >> reporter: and new drone video over the town of laplace showing neighborhoods surrounded by water. >> the rain kept coming. it wouldn't stop coming. >> reporter: helicopters landed on the nearby interstate to airlift people to safety. matt gutman is there. >> it looks like a national guard helicopter, they're here. lots of cajun navy rescuing people from the hotel on the other side there. this place is completely, completely destroyed. >> reporter: more than 5,000

members of the louisiana national guard are helping in the rescue effort, using 95 high-water vehicles, 79 boats and 34 helicopters. also helping in the mission, locals like vincent otello, responding to people by facebook and reaching them by boat after getting their address. it was the second strongest hurricane to hit louisiana, with wind gusts up to 172 miles per hour. >> kind of what my wife says about childbirth. you can explain it to people, but until you experience it you can't appreciate it. >> reporter: the representative of houma >> reporter: later today, homeland security alejandro

mayorkas will be surveying the damage with louisiana's governor. part of new orleans and louisiana could spend weeks without power. nearly 1 million customers are in the dark. that means no air conditioning in the sweltering heat. and it could mean long-term water and sewage treatment problems. some desperation is already be felt. >> the people that evacuated already have all the hotels occupied. you know, that left earlier. so where would you go? i mean, where would i go? but i know i can't stay in here three weeks without power. >> the power company in new orleans says more than 2,000 miles of transmission lines are out of service. all eight sources of outside power were lost during the storm. we turn now to the last flight out. america's longest war is over this morning. and we're learning more about the final moments before u.s. troops left afghanistan

overnight. here's abc's andrea fujii. >> reporter: this morning, america's longest war ending with this haunting image. army major general chris donohue in a night vision photo boarding the final military flight out of kabul. donohue among the first to it deploy to afghanistan in 2001. now the last to leave 20 years later. >> every single u.s. service member is out of afghanistan. i can say that with 100% certainty. >> reporter: leaving afghan airspace one minute before the midnight deadline. hours later, taliban leaders walked across the runway and celebratory gunfire filled the air. forces evacuated more than 120,000 people from afghanistan, about 5500 of them american citizens. but the state department says about 100 to 200 americans who were trying to leave are still in the country, despite a pledge

from president biden saying he would not leave any americans behind. >> americans should understand that we're going to try to get it done before august 31st. >> if we don't, the troops will stay? >> if we don't, we'll determine at the time who's left. >> and? >> and if there's american citizens left we're going to stay till we get them all out. >> the administration says diplomatic efforts will continue in hopes of evacuating those americans. >> going forward, any engagement with the taliban-led government in kabul will be led by one thing only, our vital national interests. any legitimacy and any support will have to be earned. the taliban can do that by meeting commitments and obligations. >> reporter: but now new concern that the taliban is returning to its old ways, including cracking down on music. the son of a popular afghan singer says his father was dragged from his home and killed. the focus turning to what the u.s. military left behind, including billions of dollars of

operational hardware abandoned by of a began forces, including 600,000 weapons and thousands of rockets. one congressman warns it could turn into a terrorist safe haven. >> sometimes you need to have a peacekeeping presence to let them know that we're there. going forward without boots on the ground, we're having to have a real problem. >> reporter: this afternoon, president biden will address the nation to explain why he did not extend the withdrawal deadline to get more americans out. mona, andrew? >> the cdc and the white house appear to be clashing over the timeline for covid vaccine boosters. the biden administration wants americans to start getting the extra shots next month, but a cdc panel still isn't clear when initial vaccine effectiveness begins to diminish. meanwhile, new figures show a surge in covid infections among children, trouble beiing trend

as schools reopen. >> thankfully, most of these children were not hospitalized. but the concern is for the effect on their brain, heart, lungs. >> a civil rights investigation is being launched into five states that ban masks in schools, saying that it bans protects student rights. cristhian rivera was sentenced to life in prison without parole for murdering the 20 year old who vanished while jogging. a deadly lightning strike on a beach in new jersey. a young life guard was killed. seven others on the beach were injured and suffered from headaches, dizziness and hearing issues. time now for a look at your tuesday weather. >> good morning. we're tracking ida as it makes its way into the tennessee valley on this tuesday.

eventually into southern new england. it's going to bring flooding rains and the risk for tornados. there's going to be water over the roads, big issues here from nashville, tennessee to boston and new york as we progress through the next few days. watch future rainfall pile up the rain across pennsylvania into southern new england moving forward into thursday especially. also the threat for tornados on tuesday. i'm accuweather meteorologist kevin coskren. coming up, the dramatic bank robbery with hostages tied to the get pay way cars. also ahead, the fire emergency surrounding a resort town in northern california, the evacuations in the middle of the night. the worst conditions in a century. and new questions about why

back now with a gang of brazen bank robbers in brazil. after robbing the banks, they tied hostages at the get away cars to keep police from firing at their cars. new evacuations have been ordered and all national forests in the state of california are being closed due to fire danger. here's megan tevrizian. >> reporter: this morning the caldor fire intensifying. forcing locals to evacuate. they call it a nightmare scenario. >> we have 652 structures destroyed with over 18,000 threatened. >> reporter: the fire the worst

in the air why rea in 100 year, makes its way to the christmas lake area. >> please prepare to evacuate! >> we're doing an evacuation notice. >> reporter: law enforcement going door to door waking people in the middle of the night. >> this is just crazy. this is scary. this is my home you know. >> reporter: the flames jumping highway 50 as thousands of people rushed to get out. many stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. kayna whitworth is in south lake tahoe. >> reporter: essentially, we're surrounded by flames. it's burning at the top of the cliff here, and can you see the trees ignited over here, and the wind is sending embers down the mountain igniting spot fires. >> reporter: getting eerily close to the sierra ski resort where sonoma sheenow machines ag used to spread water.

a red flag warning is in effect through today. 17 fires are burning here in california due to the extreme drought and heavy winds. the governor has now expanded his emergency declaration. andrew, mona. >> megan, thank you. and hurricane ida is expected to drive up gas prices in the coming weeks after forcing the shutdown of oil and gas production in the gulf. meanwhile, the federal trade commission is taking a look into why gas prices have been going up for months. they're investigating to see if some companies are illegally colluding to raise prices. the train crash caught on camera with a wind turbine on the tracks. parents spending more than ever on is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk,

and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea

may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription. ♪ ♪

introducing aleve x. it's fast, powerful long-lasting relief with a revolutionary, rollerball design. because with the right pain reliever... life opens up. aleve it, and see what's possible. take a look at this. back now with a freight train slamming into a semi truck in texas. the truck was carrying a wind turbine blade which you can see there got smashed. police say the crossing was clear when the truck started to cross but the gates came down before it could reach the other side. we turn now to shoppers facing new frustrations during the back to school season. prices are high and more items are in short supply and the problems are extending to more areas of the economy. showing no signs of easing.

a shorter of computer chips has forced toyota to cut car production by 40%. metal parts and plastics also in short supply. still paying high prices for paints and lumber, and attention parents. better start your holiday shopping now. >> i've been doing toy business for 43 years. and i have never seen something like this. >> the toy industry is among those impacted by shipping and trucking problems related to covid cases overseas and worker shortages here at home. >> there is going to be shortage of toys. you cannot extend the calendar. if you want to buy toys for your kids for hanukkah, for christmas, go to stores as soon as possible. >> the price of moving goods from the u.s. to asia is ten times more expensive since the beginning of the pandemic. back to school supplies also pricier. the typical parent is expected to spend more than $840 this

year. becky worley has compiled some deals to help you save. first laptops. walmart is offering two deals. a lenovo touch screen, a 11-inch model for $199, also an pens, pencils can be found at the dollar store. back to those supply chain issues. the "new york times" summed it up this way. the world has gained a painful lesson in how interconnected we all are. >> coco gauff's win sets up a second round showdown against american sloane stephens. naomi osaka got hers started with a two-set victory.

how much exercise you need to make up for a whole day of sitting around. also a new way to limit how much time kids spend playing video games. the olympics and paralympics are back. and watching our athletes will once again give the impression that america is the healthiest country in the world. we aren't. but we can be. our collective health is too important to take for granted ever again. the health of our nation cannot just be measured by the victories of our champions, it must be measured by the health of all of us. ♪ ♪ ♪ it must be measured by the health of all of us. ♪ ♪

do lotion and jeans go together? a nivea breathable experiment. now they do. moisturizes deeply with no sticky feel. the game changing nivea breathable.

♪ ♪ time to check the pulse, and we begin with the new crackdown on kids spending too much time playing video games online. >> china's government is limiting kids to no more than three hours per week. the goal is to reduce video game addiction in kids. companies will only be allowed to offer the service to kids for one hour a day on fridays, saturdays and sundays. >> they will get an extra hour of playtime on holidays. next to remedy those who spend too much time sitting

around. >> researchers have figured out how much exercise you need to balance sitting. you can balance it with 30 to 40 minutes of exercise, a bri bri walk or cycling or gardening can benefit. a mailman who deliver add daily dose of sunshine along with letters is retiring. he always treated people with kindness and made everyone feel special. >> dozens of people turned out to offer well wishes to mr. james, as he's called. >> reporter: he passed down the mailbag to a little friend. >> and possibly the most expensive water gun. >> the refills in 12 seconds. refills in 12 seconds. >> but it will cost you certain hpv-related cancers?

you're not welcome here! get out of my face! hpv can cause certain cancers when your child grows up. get in its way. hpv can affect males and females. and there's no way to predict who will or won't clear the virus. the cdc recommends hpv vaccination at age 11 or 12 to help protect against certain cancers. hey... cancer! not... my... child. don't wait. talk to your child's doctor about hpv vaccination today. ♪ ♪ talk to your child's doctor ♪ ♪ [ heavy breathing ] allergies with nasal congestion overwhelming you? breathe more freely with powerful claritin-d. claritin-d improves nasal airflow two times more than the leading allergy spray at hour one. [ deep inhale ] claritin-d. get more airflow.

how do you think they make starburst taste so juicy? starburst? juicedratic equation. super top-secret mathematical formula they keep stored inside a safe, inside a vault, inside a volcano. ahhh. juicedratics. starburst. unexplainably juicy. people today... they could spend half their lives over 50. that's a lot of living. so, it helps to have a wise friend and fierce defender in your corner. a friend like aarp. so, your health lives longer. this is just slow-mo karate? just slow-mo karate. your money lives longer. hey, i just bought that. huh, i just sold that. and your happiness lives longer. that's why the younger you are, the more you need aarp. join today.

yeah, i mean the thing is, people like geico because it's just easy. bundling for example. you've got car insurance here. and home insurance here. why not... schuuuuzp.. put them together. save even more. some things are just better together, aren't they?

like tea and crumpets. but you wouldn't bundle just anything. like, say... a porcupine in a balloon factory. no. that'd be a mess. i mean for starters, porcupines are famously no good in a team setting. geico. save even more when bundle home and car insurance. california! geico. save even more all of our homes share power. but heat waves can stretch our supply to its limits. flex alerts remind us when to use less energy from 4-9pm. so we can all stay up and running.

sign up today. boost and cricket charge you more for unlimited 5g. metro doesn't. introducing the big 5g upgrade. just twenty-five bucks a month gets you unlimited 5g and a free 5g smartphone. that's half the price... ...for one line of unlimited 5g smartphone data ...plus a free samsung galaxy 5g when you switch and trade-in. all with the power of the t-mobile 5g network. rule your day with 5g. only at metro by t-mobile. >> building a better bay area. moving forward, finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. >> breaking news, tracking the

path of the caldor fire, firefighters working through the night, trying to protect homes near lake tahoe. new video showing the intense flames leading to evacuations. >> ida's aftermath, the search for people stranded in floodwaters and the major threat that still stands this morning. >> once a rising star in silicon valley. the newly unsealed court documents shedding light on the possible legal argument. >> the new incentive to get you back on the train. >> good morning. you are watching abc seven mornings, live on abc seven, hulu live and wherever you stream. a look at sioux falls and so is mr. mike nicco. walking through the newsroom? it is nice to see everybody