families and doctor bansal say chloe and robbie have each made real strides in the past year. here's video of robbie walking without his wheelchair, which he has only started doing this year. and his mom says when robbie sees chloe and the bradleys coming, he jumps right up. >> he starts walking towards them and giving them hugs. he's always super excited to see chloe and they're smiling when they're together, so i think that that's kind of magical in itself. >> very magical. our thanks to danny, new for that great story that really encapsulates encapsulates the holiday spirit. >> that's your good morning america fir now abc seven mornings live. >> dramatic images as part of the santa cruz wharf is ripped off and begins floating away, and crews believe there's more damage that could be done. now at 6:00, we're hearing from people who witnessed the immediate rescue effort. >> well, it is a wet christmas

eve morning. storms have been moving through the area overnight. drew tells us we're at a level two on the abc seven storm impact scale today, and it is cold and wet outside, but warm and cozy inside glide memorial church's kitchen. >> we have details on their annual christmas eve prime rib luncheon happening today. >> good morning. good morning. you thought we weren't going to be with you on christmas eve. >> here we are. good to be with you. >> yeah. no kidding. and we're talking about the cold, wet weather. >> yeah. >> so it's kind of a 5050 day. the morning is wet. we get a dry afternoon. we do have some heavy rain moving through this morning. here's a look live at san jose, where you can see rain is on the lens this morning. live doppler seven is busy on this christmas eve. we'll press on in a little bit closer along the peninsula where we have this downpour falling through burlingame, san mateo slow go on. 280 101 this morning, a lot of standing water out there. we have some heavier showers working through parts of the north bay, santa rosa, aetna springs. right now we do have a

flood advisory in effect for parts of sonoma county. this does include rohnert park until 130 this afternoon, because this is an area we're seeing a little bit of minor flooding on our smaller streams and creeks. numerous storm reports this morning dotting the area. a lot of this is for water standing on our freeways. for example, in san francisco we have 2 to 3ft of standing water on northbound 101 just north of i 80 the connector. so be aware this morning it's slick and slow travel. we're at a level two until 9 a.m. today for these scattered downpours and some gusty winds. so future weather as we go hour by hour this morning. the heavy rain over the next couple of hours departs after 9 a.m. look at the afternoon. we'll get some sunshine breaking through to finish out the day. let's check in with sue. she has a traffic alert this morning. >> yeah, drew, exactly what you said. the standing water is causing issues this morning. here's our biggest one so far. it's in the macarthur maze. it is the transition ramp from westbound 82, southbound 880. you can see the police activity.

cars are squeaking by on the left hand side. it's an overturned box truck that did spill fuel and some antifreeze in the roadway. so caltrans is going to have to clean it up, and it probably will be out there for some time. once again, left lane is squeaking by. they are allowing trucks on 580. and that would be your alternate route to get around this. it's about a half a mile backup 580 to 980 back to 880 south. >> all right. thank you sue. we'll continue to check in with you. happening now american airlines operations are slowly coming back online. the faa briefly issued a ground stop for the airline earlier this morning because of a technical issue. abc seven news reporter gloria rodriguez is live at san francisco international airport for us and gloria, christmas eve travel and this happens, i know. >> and amanda, as you said, you know, the ground stop has been lifted for american airlines flights, but there are still some delays that we're seeing here at sfo this morning. there have been nearly 30 delays. only

about four of those have been american airlines flights. but, you know, this disruption comes at an unwelcome time. of course, christmas eve and a record number of americans are expected to travel this holiday season. the transportation security administration said it expects to screen nearly 40 million travelers from december 19th to january 2nd. that's about a 6% increase from 2023. sfo saw its peak for the christmas holiday this weekend, averaging about 160,000 people every day, and today they're expecting another busy day with some 156,000 people flying in and out of sfo right before christmas. >> i think tuesday will probably be busy again. they'll be kind of a last minute push in the morning, and then we'll probably see a tapering off for the remainder of the week. and then as you roll into next sunday, probably picking up again, both as people return to the bay area and also travel for the new year holiday, your holiday and the busiest time today is expected to be before noon. >> back here live, you can see

all the people that are in the line right now for american airlines, many waiting to drop off their luggage at the kiosk getting their boarding passes. but as we mentioned, so far, only about four flights here that are american airlines flights have been delayed out of sfo this morning. we're going to keep tracking this for you throughout the morning. but as we mentioned, there have been almost 30 delays. of course we're seeing rain this morning. so we'll be out here in the next half hour. i'll let you know how it's looking throughout the morning. live at sfo. gloria rodriguez, abc seven news. >> a quick recovery for american airlines there. thank you so much, gloria. we are following the developing news out of santa cruz this morning. powerful waves ripped off a section of the wharf yesterday, more than 100ft long. and three people caught in the collapse, thankfully, are not seriously hurt. >> the whole thing collapsed. we just ran as fast as we can. it was definitely very scary, but luckily we were very fortunate to not have fallen in because we were about 20ft away from collapsing in. so it was very it was very adrenaline inducing.

>> those high waves are also pounding the santa cruz harbor, flipping boats there. pieces of the wharf are still scattered this morning, including parts of a bathroom now just drifting towards a river. abc seven news reporter lauren martinez tells us crews there are preparing for the possibility of even more damage. >> the concern is, with the storm still yet to come, the city could lose additional portions of the santa cruz wharf. we spoke to locals who went to look at the destruction and the power of mother nature. >> i've witnessed the swell triple in size throughout the day. >> powerful waves are hammering the santa cruz coastline, where people are bracing for more on monday afternoon. high swells caused a portion of the santa cruz wharf to collapse into the ocean. three workers ended up in the water. video shows lifeguards rescuing two people. a third person was able to swim to safety. we spoke with one man who was on the wharf and had to evacuate. >> i've never seen anything like this. >> no, the damage was

extraordinary. to see the collapse included construction equipment, parts of the beloved dolphin restaurant, and restrooms. the restrooms drifted off to the mouth of the san lorenzo river, north of the beach boardwalk. that's where we found a crowd of locals. >> it's a mixed bag. it's a stunning free show, which is ecstatic and exciting, but at the same time, it's really indicative of larger problems that we're going to continue to see. >> officials are estimating 150ft of the wharf collapsed. brian waters is a surfer. he was capturing content for the santa cruz boardriders club. >> historical. so this is a piece of history for us, seeing the waves this extreme, as well as losing a piece of history at the end of the wharf. >> what are your thoughts on just the weather that we've seen along our coastline the last few years? >> you know, i've lived here all my life and so i've seen it where the waves were breaking against the boardwalk. so this isn't that unusual, but the size of the waves or the way they're coming in or something is a little different.

>> the part of the wharf that collapsed had been closed to the public and was under construction to repair damage from previous winter storms. during a press conference, mayor fred keeley explained one possible theory of the collapse is that asphalt and other materials that would have weighed that part down were removed. >> that is, it was explained to me, is why that portion failed. the rest of the wharf still has its pilings, has the cross pieces, has the asphalt, has the weight to keep the wharf in place? >> keeley is concerned more of the wharf's structure could collapse. longtime resident dennis loucks used to work at the dolphin restaurant when she was 18. >> it's kind of sad. it's like a part of santa cruz that just went away, you know? >> the city says the wharf will remain closed indefinitely, which is obviously hitting small businesses and restaurants there hard just before christmas. in santa cruz. lauren martinez abc seven news. >> capitola village is closed

this morning, with evacuations in effect for some areas because of the waves there. we got video from yesterday afternoon of those swells hammering the wharf. capitola police say seawater is flowing into the village area and the waves are only getting more intense. >> today, glide memorial church in san francisco will hold its annual christmas eve prime rib luncheon. volunteers are busy getting ready to serve 2400 guests inside glide's kitchen. they will also deliver 200 meals to encampments across the city. this is a tradition the house of prime, rib and glide have hosted for more than 30 years now. the luncheon starts at 11 this morning. >> time now 609. we're looking live from our exploratorium camera this morning where we have these morning downpours moving through. it's not an entirely rainy day, so looking at your day planner today, we have that level two storm overhead right now, a moderate storm on the storm impact scale, causing a lot of standing water on our roads this morning. we've seen anywhere from a half of an inch to an inch of rain this

morning. so we'll have that rain with us first thing. but by noon we're drying out. this storm is going to quickly exit, and by the afternoon the sunshine breaks back out. it's a dry finish to the day with temperatures mainly in the upper 50s. sunrise here at 723 this morning. but live doppler seven is showing you. we are tracking some pockets of heavy rain. we'll press on in just a little bit closer. some of these showers falling in the east bay around san leandro right now. live doppler seven. these pops of yellow indicating some heavier rain just north of hayward. 580 certainly going to be wet this morning. it's just one of those mornings where add some extra time to your travel. the afternoon is going to be a lot better to get where you're going with those dry skies moving in. we'll take you into the sierra, where we're not seeing much of snow. we're seeing rain. we have a lot of warm air with this system, and some thundershowers have broken out near blue canyon. numerous lightning strikes there. no chain controls on 80 or 50 this morning, because most of this is falling in the form of liquid, not snow. but we still have a winter weather advisory that

will kick in here at 7 a.m. as we get some colder air filtering in, 5 to 10in of snow expected above about 6000ft throughout the afternoon. we continue to monitor that high surf warning continuing through 6 p.m. this evening. waves right now, for the most part, anywhere from 6 to 16ft high. but this is still a life threatening condition along our coastline. so we go from rain to sun today on your christmas eve. and that means a nice looking day for the holidays tomorrow, julian, we'll show you that coming up in a few minutes, okay? >> thank you so much, drew. well, new year, new mayor in san francisco. coming up, we take a closer look at who mayor elect daniel leary is tapping to help lead the city and what it might mean for sf. >> ski lifts collide at heavenly and sent almost half a dozen people to the hospital. we're getting an update on some of their conditions, and the warriors, after a tough loss last night, are preparing to host the lakers at chase center in a christmas day showdown. >> and that isn't the only nba game happening right here on abc seven. we'll

lanes of the embarcadero in san francisco are back open after crews closed it to fight an overnight fire. you can see firefighters working to extinguish the fire on the edge of pier 30. luckily, no one was hurt. the cause is still under investigation. >> in just a little less than three weeks, san francisco will have a new mayor. daniel lowery ran on a platform of big change for the city's future, and he's been busy filling out his

administration to make it all happen. abc seven news reporter monica madden is following the story. >> accountability, change and service to our great city. >> mayor elect daniel lowery got the keys to the city by promising shakeups in san francisco. >> there is going to be a lot of changes during the transition period. there's going to be a lot of fresh faces, and we're already seeing that. >> as the levi strauss heir and nonprofit founder reveals his top staff picks. most recently, lowery named former twitter cfo ned segal as head of housing and economic development. he's also tapped former giants executive stacy slaughter as his chief of staff. >> well, he's basically bringing his campaign into the office, which is something we always a long time see. >> abc7 news insider phil matier offered us insight on the individuals. >> stacy slaughter, his chief of staff, is a longtime san franciscan. she served as a staffer for former mayor frank jordan when he was in city hall. she's been with the san francisco giants, so she's

really tuned in to the fabric of the city. her next step up is matthew godot again. he has been in city hall for past mayors and now is coming back. ned siegel well, that's an interesting one. he's a longtime lifelong friend of lurie's. they went to school together. he's been working with him on tipping point. he's coming in as a friend and an advisor with the mission of trying to revitalize san francisco's downtown. that's a big job, but they hope that his contacts with twitter and such would be a boon to it. >> matier says lurie is fulfilling his promise to voters. >> lurie was elected to take a fresh look at city hall. that's what he pitched and that's what he is doing. >> and the hires suggest a focus on pro-business policies, as lurie looks to deliver on one of his top priorities, he told abc7 about in september. >> i just want to turn around the city that i love, and eight years from now, artists, creatives, business leaders are going to be like, i got to be in san francisco. >> while the incoming mayor has

been looking outside of city hall for his immediate staff, he still has two major appointments left. chief of police and head of sfmta. >> those are the two most important appointments. we'll see what happens. >> monica madden, abc7 news. >> and we could find out which san francisco firehouse has the most holiday spirit later today. the city's fire department held open houses yesterday for its fifth annual fire station. community holiday decorations competition. dozens of stations are now shining with elaborate lights and other festive decor. judges looked at each of the more than 50 fire stations participating. the winners are expected to be announced later today. and this year, december 25th, will be twice as festive for the first time since 2002. the first night of hanukkah and christmas day are both on the 25th. at san francisco's union square, you'll find the largest menorah in the bay area, right next to a majestic christmas tree. visitors we spoke with say having both holidays coincide

marks a truly special time. >> it's an opportunity for us to pause and to remember that we're all the common creation of a being greater than us. and with that, it gives us hope and new light and life. >> a great opportunity for all the whole entire community, from all religions, from all different backgrounds, to come together, light the menorah right here in union square. >> tomorrow, the eight day festival of lights begins with the lighting of the first candle of the menorah. and also christmas. >> super festive. >> yeah, twice as nice. >> it really is. i know this morning it's messy out there and very messy trying to get to where they're going. if you can hold off until the afternoon, you'll be in much better shape. but this morning we are tracking that rain out there. here's a live look at sfo where it is wet as those planes taxi to their gates 54 degrees right now with that rain. falling winds were gustier earlier this morning.

we're past peak winds, so they're a lot lighter right now out of the west, just three miles per hour. visibility is good. you'll notice the cooler air out there this morning compared to this time yesterday, 40s and 50s as we track that rain. so the storm impact scale, we are at a level two until 9 a.m. for the next couple of hours as we track these scattered downpours. the biggest issue we're tracking in sue is tracking this all morning long. there's a lot of standing water on our roads this morning. we also have dangerous surf along our coast and some gusty winds from time to time. but the worst winds have already passed. so here's live doppler seven. you can see just this shield of rain overhead, with some pockets of downpours indicated by the yellows on your screen. but back here, this is the end of the rain. it's going to start to move through here over the next couple of hours. so we're not in this rain all day long. it's just a messy morning out there the next couple of hours. in fact, you look at the morning planner and you can see our rain chances are pretty high the next couple of hours, and then they drop significantly as we head

towards lunchtime, with sunshine starting to peek back out. in fact, we will find sunshine to finish the day this afternoon. additional rainfall upwards of half of an inch in some spots as we track these showers over the next three hours. so rain to sunshine. the rain ends around noon the afternoon. the sun breaks back out, but it's a cooler day compared to yesterday. we'll be in the 50s and in the 60s overnight tonight it's going to be chilly, 30s and 40s under mainly clear skies. looking at your christmas day planner tomorrow, it's a nice holiday. a lot of sunshine early on. we will find increasing clouds throughout the afternoon, but no threat of rain. it's a similar story for hanukkah at sundown tomorrow. mainly cloudy, cool, but we're dry with temperatures mainly in the 50s. here's the accuweather seven day forecast planning seven days for you. morning rain to sun today. dry for the holidays tomorrow, but rain is back here starting thursday. we'll track on and off showers through the upcoming weekend guys. >> all right drew thank you. >> now let's turn to danny beckstrom. >> yes she is live with a look at what's coming up this morning

on gma. good morning danny. >> good morning jillian and amanda. and merry christmas eve. great to be with you this morning. coming up the latest on the holiday weather. a fast moving storm system sweeping across the midwest and northeast. while the west coast, as you guys know, battered with heavy rain, snow and powerful waves. we're tracking it all as millions head out for the holidays. also this morning, the new twist in the idaho student murders case. plus, we're looking at the viral trend known as sleep mixing, and what you might be able to do to get the most out of your rest and recovery. we could all use that this time of year, and you still have time to get holiday gifts, if you can believe it. we have gifting 9-1-1 with some great ideas, last minute ideas that you don't even need to leave your home for or have delivered. plus, we're trying out some viral holiday games that could be fun for the entire family. that's all coming up right here on gma. i'm glad to hear that the forecast tonight for you guys is okay for santa. i'm relieved. >> exactly. because maybe a little rain here and there that he might have to go through. but other than that, he should be good. >> nothing rudolph can't handle.

that nose will be shining bright. >> that's why he has it. >> and then you just stay inside and you compete with all those christmas? >> yes. >> so let's do it. full family fights. it's going to be a classic holiday. >> we love it. we love it. to severe rheumatoid arthritis symptoms... ...with my psoriatic arthritis symptoms. but just ok isn't ok. and i was done settling. if you still have symptoms after trying a tnf blocker like humira or enbrel, rinvoq works differently. rinvoq is a once-daily pill that can rapidly relieve joint pain, stiffness, and swelling as fast as 2 weeks for some. and even at the 3-year mark, many people felt this relief. rinvoq can stop joint damage. and in psa, can leave skin clear or almost clear. rinvoq can lower ability to fight infections. before treatment, test for tb and do bloodwork. serious infections, blood clots, some fatal; ...cancers, including lymphoma and skin; serious allergic reactions; gi tears; death; heart attack; and stroke occurred. cv event risk increases in age 50 plus with a heart disease risk factor.

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and that means a tradition of watching basketball continues for millions of fans. >> and the day is full of games right here on abc seven, including the warriors, who will host the lakers at chase center. abc news reporter morgan norwood has more on tomorrow's matchups. >> in a tradition that goes back more than 75 years, nba games on christmas day is something fans have come to count on every christmas. >> you know, as a kid, you wake up, you know three things you do. you open presents, you eat, and you watch nba basketball. >> this year, the christmas day schedule on abc has five consecutive star studded games. players excited to be a part of the tradition. >> there's no better feeling than waking up on one of the best holidays ever to play a sport that you grew up loving. >> in the first game of the day, the new york knicks will host the san antonio spurs, led by second year superstar victor wembanyama, who grew up watching in france. >> the matchups were incredible. the one that i remember the most was, of course, the cavs against the warriors. kyrie.

>> he got the ball. spin move fade and over klay. it was a really special memory i remember getting to hoop that same christmas trying to go outside and recreate that. >> next up the minnesota timberwolves get a rematch of last year's western conference finals facing off against the dallas mavericks. >> you know everybody's going to be home. watching that speaks a lot to your team and where you're at. >> then fans will get to see the nba. reigning champions boston celtics hosting the philadelphia 76 ers. >> it's a big deal right. the best of the best get to play on christmas day. >> another marquee matchup. the lakers and warriors. they meet in prime time with two of the league's biggest stars on the court lebron james and steph curry being able to celebrate the holiday but still go out and play basketball. >> it's definitely fun and i'm excited to have that experience again. >> then the nuggets and suns are the final teams to earn the christmas day nod. >> hopefully you know santa brings us a win and new this year. >> oh boy. in addition to the abc broadcast of spurs versus

knicks, deck the halls becomes deck the halls as mickey gets his christmas wish granted in the first real time animated nba game showing on espn two, espn plus and disney plus a full slate the whole family can enjoy. morgan norwood, abc news, new york. >> how fun for all the warriors one is a dub. yeah, okay. for christmas, we need one. well, coming up next here at 630, a former president in the hospital this morning with health complications. >> and time is running out. the store is open today for those last minute gifts and grocery shoppers in live doppler seven showing you rain moving through this morning. >> we are at a level two for this messy morning as you hit the roads, but the afternoon looking lovely. sunshine is back. dry skies

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watching abc seven mornings live. >> we start with the dangerous conditions along the coast. now at 630. high surf is creating troubles in coastal areas. officials are strongly advising you to just stay away. >> and tracking the storm across the bay area. live doppler seven showing a very active system moving in overnight. that means wet roads for anyone doing last minute traveling for the

holidays. >> and pushing forward in the face of adversity. the salvation army in san francisco has been hit with a series of misfortunes, but say they're determined to carry out their holiday promise to the community. >> good morning everyone. it is tuesday, december 24th. >> yes, it is christmas eve here. we're so excited to be with you. and we have some wet weather to talk about today. >> yeah, and especially the next couple of hours. guys, it is downpour here and there on live doppler seven. we're looking live in san jose this morning where it is wet as rain is falling down. currently 55 degrees with the showers moving through. thankfully, winds are not a huge issue this morning. they were gusty earlier but now the winds have really backed off. live doppler seven this morning showing you it's active as we track this level two moderate storm moving through here. here's the back edge of the rain. so we're in this shield of moisture through about 9 a.m. this morning when a press a little bit closer into the east bay. we're finding some of this rain heavy at times from hayward down to union city, approaching fremont. the biggest issue we have this morning,

there's a lot of standing water on our roadways. flood advisory in effect for parts of sonoma county. this does include rohnert park, where we're seeing some minor flooding on our smaller streams and creeks. a lot of storm reports out there this morning, because we have a lot of that standing water on our roadways. a level two until 9 a.m. this morning for those scattered downpours. also have that dangerous surf along our coastline watch. future weather after 9 a.m. these showers really turn off. in the afternoon we'll have sunshine breaking back out. let's check in with sue, see how we're doing on the roads this morning. >> yeah, we have a traffic alert, this one continuing through. we've got an overturned box truck in the macarthur maze. this is 80 westbound. the transition to southbound 880. it is partially blocking that transition ramp. traffic seems to be squeaking by on the left side. if you look closely, you can see we've got tow trucks on the scene trying to get that car or truck. i should say uprighted. the backup is pretty minimal. considering where this accident is. you can thank christmas eve for that. so just

avoid this if you can. big rigs are allowed on 580 for the time being, and that is your alternate route 580 back to 980. say, if you're headed towards the oakland airport, you'll want to avoid this. there's a look at your 8-80 commute into san francisco. not bad at all in the green 880. once you get past that, transition, ramp is moving nicely past the coliseum, both north and southbound. we've got 32 separate incidents on the chp traffic log, most of them solo spinouts due to standing water. so yeah, it's going to be that way for the next few hours, guys. okay. >> thank you so much, sue. well, this morning christmas eve travel got even more frustrating for some american airlines fliers or ground stop was issued and then lifted for the airline early this morning. abc seven news reporter gloria rodriguez has been live for us at sfo this morning. and gloria, we saw those delays earlier. what are we seeing now? >> reporter yeah, gillian, we're still seeing some delays here at sfo. there are just over 30 delays this morning so far. only

six are related to that american airlines issue. and as you mentioned, that ground stop has now been canceled for all of american airlines flights. that was because of a technical issue, but that certainly is a disruption for all of these christmas eve travelers hoping to get to their destination by christmas. the transportation security administration said it expects to screen nearly 40 million travelers from december 19th to january 2nd. that's about a 6% increase from 2023. sfo saw its peak for the christmas holiday this weekend, averaging about 160,000 people every day, and today they are expecting another busy day with some 156,000 people flying in and out of sfo right before christmas. >> i think tuesday will probably be busy again. they'll be kind of a last minute push in the morning, and then we'll probably see a tapering off for the remainder of the week. and then as you roll into next sunday, probably picking up again, both as people return to the bay area and also travel for the new year holiday.

>> american airlines sending a statement saying in part, we sincerely apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this morning. it's all hands on deck as our team is working diligently to get customers where they need to go as quickly as possible. and back here live, you can see this long line as people wait to drop off their luggage here at the american airlines counter. a lot of people also waiting for those kiosks to get their boarding passes, but most of the people i've been talking to in this line say that they have not been impacted by delays so far this morning, so hopefully things are getting back on track here at sfo. live at sfo gloria rodriguez, abc seven news. >> all right, gloria, thank you. now to the north bay. crews rescued three people swept into the water. it happened at the edge of scottie's creek on the sonoma county coast. a strong wave overtook the group, carrying two people about 150 yards down the creek. fortunately, they made it out okay with the help of rescuers. oh my god.

>> oh my god. >> just incredible. rescue crews had to jump into action when part of the santa cruz wharf collapsed. three people who were working on the wharf at the time were rescued from the water. the collapse included construction equipment. parts of the beloved dolphin restaurant, even restrooms. first responders in santa cruz county are telling everyone to stay away from the ocean and avoid flooded roads. east cliff drive is closed between 26th avenue and palisades avenue. high winds and debris have shut down the parking lot and roundabout at rio del mar esplanade, not far from santa cruz. >> the capitola wharf is also closed because of dangerously high surf there. you can just see how large the waves are in this video. capitola police say two surfers were rescued yesterday and warned that the conditions are still extremely dangerous today. in watsonville, a man died after becoming trapped under debris by a large wave at sunset state beach and

at marina state beach. another man was pulled into the ocean. he still has not been found this morning. >> we want you to check out these photos out of san diego. dozens of people gathered at the la jolla cove yesterday to watch these enormous waves crash. yep. some brave thrill seekers grabbed their surfboards and took advantage of the big waves. >> in florida, one person is dead and five others are in the hospital after a boat explosion. it happened last night at a marina in fort lauderdale. rescue teams responded to several 911 calls about this incident. when they got there, they found one boat on fire. that fire then spread to a second boat. ■officials say one of the five people sent to the hospital. three have traumatic injuries. drivers divers searched the water for one person who was unaccounted for after that explosion. that person was eventually found dead. witnesses describe the scene there. >> it was like a boom kind of. and i turned around and the

whole dock was already on fire. it was kind of insane. >> all i saw was the boat just explode in the top of the boat went up, and then the boat, i mean, it came back down and the boat went into flames. so i mean, after that, i mean, i ran out there to try to see if anybody needed help. and one guy was on fire. another person was in the water. i mean, it was just like. i mean, it was like chaos. >> the cause of that explosion is still under investigation this morning. >> the salvation army in san francisco says a grinch got in the way of their christmas meal deliveries. the organization reports someone stole multiple batteries from delivery trucks, most recently over the weekend. abc seven news reporter lena howland explains how they're moving forward with christmas meal deliveries, despite that speed bump. >> my guess is they just got a carjack, put it sideways and started cranking in between these two until it broke. >> the broke the welds. on the cusp of the salvation army's busiest time of the year, an unexpected setback at their soma location. with christmas only two days away. >> somebody had busted through

our fence, got into one of the trucks that has some of the items that we're going to be passing out and has stolen the batteries. >> the nonprofit is gearing up to deliver 4000 meals to homebound seniors across the area on christmas morning. but only a few weeks ago, major matthew madsen says the batteries were stolen from another delivery truck in the same lot. >> those were stolen. we decided not to put those in there until we needed to move them, because we didn't want the new ones to get stolen. >> inside of one of these trucks is filled with nonperishable goods that were set aside for wednesday's meal deliveries that they can't get to without a battery. >> it's very, very frustrating. and yeah, there's costs involved, but it's more just, why are we doing this? it's right before christmas. it's disheartening. >> and they're string of bad luck didn't end there. just as they were dealing with the stolen battery. monday morning they got a call that five gunshots went into their bayview location overnight, shattering the front door and leaving another bullet lodged in a wall inside. >> we're just trying to do the best we can to serve the

community. and unfortunately, i mean the salvation army. we are in the communities that need our help the most, and oftentimes those can be rough communities. >> now they need more help than ever. with 40 volunteers still needed to make sure no senior goes hungry this christmas. >> it's like a delivery uber eats or or whatnot. and you go and you pass this meal out to a senior who might be. that may be the only person they see on christmas day. >> despite the speed bumps and with a new battery on the way, major madsen is hopeful all meals will still be delivered. >> christmas is all about hope. the hope of the world. and so if we can't have hope during christmas, we have no business having hope any other time of the year. and so that's that's why we have hope. and we know that we're we're going to be fine. we're going to be able to bless others and we'll move forward. >> in san francisco, lena howland, abc seven news. >> okay. we have a quick reminder for you this morning about which stores are and which stores are not open today. target opens in less than 30 minutes and will be open until 8:00 tonight. if you need to do

some last minute shopping. tj maxx, marshalls and homegoods all open at seven this morning and all closed at 6:00 tonight. all of these stores are closed tomorrow for christmas. as for grocery stores, safeway is open today. some locations will be open tomorrow, but don't bank on it. trader joe's and whole foods are both open today, but they will be closed on christmas day. muni, bart, vta, ac transit and samtrans all operate normal service today, but tomorrow they will all operate on a holiday schedule. caltrain will run on a modified schedule today and a holiday schedule tomorrow for christmas day. we have new details. in the case of a former congressman, matt gaetz. what we're learning from the house ethics report about thousands of dollars gaetz allegedly paid for sex and drugs. >> and you are looking live at the big board at the new york stock exchange. you can see we're up about 28 points. another update on how the markets are doing next. >> and a terrifying tragedy on the slopes a ski lift collision

at heavenly that sent five people to the hospital. but first, though, we check back in with drew. >> hey, they're looking at. okay camera this morning at 6.41. it is wet on the tarmac right now. we're in the 50s. 55 that current temperature in oakland with that light rain falling right now. good visibility out there at ten miles, but it is a colder morning compared to this time yesterday. we've dropped about ten degrees. we're in the 40s and low 50s as we track this rain moving through. so here's live doppler seven, this level two moderate storm overhead. we are seeing standing water on our roads this morning. travel wise, if you can wait until the afternoon, you'll be in much better shape. drier skies prevail later on today. we're not seeing a whole lot of snow out there this morning in the sierra. really high snow levels right now above 7000ft in most areas. so a lot of what's falling right now is in the form of rain and not snow. but that will change as the day goes on. colder air will move into the system, and that will lead to a winter weather advisory kicking in here at 7 a.m. not a lot of

snow, but certainly if you are traveling to tahoe, 5 to 10in over a 12 hour period can lead to slick and slow travel. no chain controls right now, but that will likely change throughout the day. look at the day planner. today we have morning downpours out there. we'll find a level two storm early on, but we're drying out by lunchtime. the afternoon looks dramatically different. sunshine and dry conditions to finish out the day, so we go from rain to sun. temperatures in the 50s and low 60s for the most part. and look at the three day forecast. we are totally dry for the holidays tomorrow, but rain is back here on thursday. we'll look at christmas day and hanukkah in the evening tomorrow and

accident on the tahoe slopes. five people are hurt after their chairlifts smashed into each other at heavenly mountain resort. abc seven has been in contact with a friend of one of the victims, who tells us one man who fell off the lift injured his shoulder to the point that emergency surgery was needed. another was having problems breathing and there is a belief he may have punctured a lung. those are just a couple of injuries that we know about. in this picture, you can see it appears that one of the chairlifts slid back into another chairlift as it was going up. one person appears to be trapped as well. five people

had to be taken to the hospital. three of those individuals suffered injuries that were directly related to the fall, which was said to be about 30ft. a witness described what she saw, and as we were getting up in the air, we could see about 15. >> quite a few emt or all the medics that were there surrounding someone. and my husband did notice the backpack hanging from the chairlift. we were just on that. so thankfully that wasn't us. so. and i said out loud, i'm like, i can't even think about that because that'll make me not want to ski anymore. >> ouch. just awful. as to how or why this happened is unclear. heavenly issued a two sentence statement confirming there was an incident and saying, quote, the safety of our guests is our top priority. that's the end of that quote. >> former president bill clinton is in the hospital this morning after reportedly developing a fever. he is under observation and undergoing testing at medstar georgetown university

hospital in washington, dc. aides say clinton is awake and alert. a source close to the former president says the situation is not urgent and that he just wanted to be checked out. clinton has faced a number of health scares since he left office in 2001. he is 78 years old. well, this morning we're getting a closer look into the scathing report on former congressman matt gaetz. he was president elect donald trump's first pick for attorney general. abc news reporter nicole d'antonio has more on the findings and how gaetz is responding. >> this morning, continued fallout into the alleged conduct of former congressman and trump ally matt gaetz. the bipartisan house ethics committee found substantial evidence that gaetz violated multiple state laws, including accusing him of illegal drug use and allegedly paying nearly $100,000 to 12 different women for sex between 2017 and 2020. according to the report, gaetz allegedly had sex with a teenager in 2017. he was

a freshman congressman, and she had just finished her junior year of high school. gaetz maintains he did nothing wrong. >> i have not had a relationship with a 17 year old that is totally false. >> the woman, known as victim a, testified to the committee that gaetz had sex with her twice at a party after she, quote, recalled receiving $400 in cash from representative gaetz that evening, which she understood to be payment for sex. victim said she never told gaetz she was under 18 at the time and he did not ask. the house ethics committee said the relationship still violated the statutory rape law in florida. president elect donald trump originally tapped gates to be his next attorney general. however, gates withdrew his name from consideration after facing intense scrutiny from leaks surrounding the report. gates had filed a lawsuit against the committee to try and block its release. when that failed, gates claimed on social media that he's being unfairly targeted. nicole d'antonio, abc news, washington. display units all

right. >> after a three month strike, a tentative deal has been reached between hilton hotels and the remaining 650 striking hotel workers in san francisco this morning. the local union representing hotel workers is expected to vote today to ratify the deal. over the weekend, hyatt reached a deal with its union workers, and marriott did the same last thursday. a strike at starbucks is growing ahead of christmas. today, workers at hundreds of locations across the country are expected to be on the picket line. some stores have had to close down entirely, as workers in nearly ten states walk off the job. the union is asking for higher wages for baristas. >> none of us wanted to strike, but we can't afford to not have a fair contract either. >> in a statement late last week, starbucks said the union prematurely ended bargaining sessions and that its pay and benefits are comprehensive. it's unclear whether the strike will cover any bay area locations.

>> it's that time. it's time for your morning money report. nordstrom is going private once again. the department store is founding. family said they are regaining control of the 123 year old company. the family tried to take the retailer private back in 2018, but the board rejected that deal. in recent years, the company's stock value has just plummeted. back in august, nordstrom closed its flagship store in san francisco, all because of declining sales. after 35 years of business downtown. we're taking a live look at the new york stock exchange now as trading gets underway this morning. you can see we're barely up right now. the nasdaq and the new york stock exchange will both close early at 1 p.m. on christmas eve today. the us bond market will also have an early closure today, with markets set to close at 2 p.m. and remain closed on christmas day. so you can see we're barely up as this short day of trading kicks off. >> efforts to build a better bay area are going strong this holiday season in the east bay.

a holiday giveaway is helping out families, singles and seniors who need a little bit of extra help. 1000 baskets full of new toys and a complete holiday meal were prepared and distributed yesterday. it's an initiative by davis street community center for residents in san leandro and surrounding cities. >> it's amazing. it's the best time of year to be here at davis street. my staff. our teams across the board, everybody wants to come out and see their families that they work with year round and be able to support them. and so it's really a special time here. >> alameda county fire, the chp and san leandro police came out to help spread the cheer. the center provides a number of other services as well throughout the year like medical, dental and child development programs. plus, they are also a food pantry right on a lot of services. yeah, very much needed this time of year for sure. >> extra time needed to. and i've been tracking just kind of a messy morning out there. rain moving through right now it's not all day long, so the afternoon is actually going to feature some sunshine returning.

we'll take a live look at santa cruz this morning. we continue to monitor our waves. a high surf warning does continue throughout the day. again, this is life threatening surf out there. we've seen waves in excess of 20ft throughout this morning. right now waves highest right now 17ft. so we'll keep this high surf warning in effect until 6:00 pm today. so again, just stay out of the ocean. that is a very angry ocean current out there today. so the storm impact scale we're at a level two not all day today just until 9 a.m. this morning as we see scattered downpours move through. there's a lot of standing water on our roads this morning. we track that dangerous surf along our coast. here's live doppler seven. we're tracking this final band of heavier showers about to move on shore, so i do want to track this out for you. moving into san francisco around 713 this morning. south san francisco, closer to 723 berkeley. you'll find a downpour in your neighborhood around 731 741 in oakland and then moving along the peninsula san mateo. some heavier showers around 752 this

morning. as we take a look at your morning planner. certainly elevated precipitation chances the next couple of hours, but then those chances really drop off closer to 10:11 a.m. we're finding drier skies, and by lunchtime, we'll start to see those showers exit and sunshine starting to break through the cloud cover. in fact, later on this afternoon, sunshine is going to be found everywhere. live doppler seven along with satellite. the bigger picture? here's the back edge of that system. it will move through here over the next couple of hours, and we dry out later on this afternoon. so morning rain, afternoon sun. temperatures cooler than yesterday. upper 50s for most of us. and that leads to a chilly and clear night on the way. overnight lows in the 30s and low 40s for a lot of us, which leads to a nice looking holiday for both christmas and hanukkah tomorrow. so christmas day, sunny in the morning, nice early on, giving way to increasing clouds. but we are dry throughout the day. temperatures mainly in the 50s as hanukkah begins at sundown tomorrow, it's mainly cloudy

temperatures. cool. sunset at 456. in the evening. temperatures mainly in the 50s. here's the accuweather seven day forecast. morning rain to sun today. we're dry for the holidays tomorrow, but rain is back here on thursday to level one light storm and we'll track on and off showers through the upcoming weekend guys. >> all right drew, thank you. hawaii's kilauea volcano is erupting again. this is video of when it first began. early yesterday morning. lava shot 300ft in the air. it covered more than a square mile. scientists were more concerned about volcanic smog that could reach homes downwind. activity seems to have simmered this morning, according to the usgs. this is the fifth eruption at kilauea since december 2020. >> it's a hopeful sight for a native species of seals. dozens of northern fur seal pups are hanging out at farallon islands off the coast of san francisco. we got some video here. they're tucked away into the cove to stay away from those sharks while they wait for moms, other mothers, to return from the sea.

hunters wiped out the species of seals from the farallons in the 19th century. the u.s. fish and wildlife service says the pups started returning to the fare lines 28 years ago, and have steadily recovered ever since. they're so cute and so small. >> well, up next, the seven things you need to know today. >> yes, and you should know you can watch all of our newscast live and on demand through the abc seven bay area connected tv app. it's available everywhere apple tv, google tv, amazon fire tv and roku. go ahead and download that app and start streaming today. >> and as we head to break here at 655, a look outside, you can see those wet roads. we'll be right back.

to know this morning. number one, we are at a level two this morning as downpours across the region until 9 a.m. live doppler seven showing you an active

scene. but this afternoon is a lot different. we are dry. sunshine is back later on today with temperatures mainly in the 50s. >> number two every bay area beach is under a high surf warning. the national weather service says 30 to 40 foot waves are expected through this afternoon. the warning covers all pacific coast beaches, and the national weather service warns of, quote, life threatening swimming and surfing conditions and significant beach erosion. >> number three american airlines flights are now operating as normal. there was a ground stop earlier this morning for all american airlines flights because of the technical issue. please check ahead if you have travel plans because there may be residual delays. >> and number four, we're following your christmas eve commute. well, if there is such a thing, we do have this major accident in the macarthur maze. it's the transition from westbound 80 to southbound 880. you can see the emergency crews right in the middle of the maze. the backup is starting to grow now, but it looks like partial lane is getting by.

>> number five, the next mega millions drawing is set for tonight, and the jackpot is worth $944 million. >> number six christmas day hoops returns to abc seven tomorrow. we have five games for you, including the warriors and lakers at chase center. tipoff is just around five tomorrow. >> and of course, number seven, the norad santa tracker is fired up this christmas eve. you can see santa is somewhere in china right now, so uh- better be good if you want those gifts delivered here in the san francisco bay area. >> thanks so much fun. yeah, yeah. >> thanks so much for joining us. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> gio: good morning america, and breaking news for the viewers in the west, travel chaos, millions head out for the holiday, american airlines ground the fleet, delays and cancellations right now. white christmas, a fast