it was the deadliest tornado in the dallas-area in 88 years. an ef-4 with winds topping 160 miles per hour plowed through garland, texas last night, flattening hundreds of homes. in north texas at least 11 were killed. it was part of a system that unleashed severe weather this weekend from the gulf of mexico to the great lakes. tonight the death toll from five days of storms stands at 41, including 11 people swept away by floods in illinois and missouri. we begin tonight with david begnaud in rowlett, texas. david? >> reporter: jeff, good evening, there is no mistaking a tornado disaster zone. along this residential street where we are, every home is damaged some severely. these vehicles here looked like they crashed into each other. this one here the windows blown out, there is a piece of plywood that came through the windshield and impaled in the passenger seat. eyewitnesses who lived through this tornado said it blew through here about 7:00 p.m. and lasted less than 45 seconds.

>> reporter: even by texas standards it was a monstrosity. >> i see it. it's crossing the highway right there. big, big tornado. >> reporter: at least eight tornadoes exploded through dallas county. the hardest hit areas are garland and rowlett. >> oh, there's stuff flying in the air! >> reporter: damage has been reported along a 40 mile stretch of homes and businesses. in the darkness last night the destruction was hard to see. but by this morning the path of the tornadoes was clear. entire communities are flattened. many of the houses still standing are without roofs. vehicles are flipped or buried under debris. in garland, the storms killed eight people and destroyed 600 structures in a two mile area. in rowlett, the tornadoes injured 23 and leveled 40 homes. high winds tossed trailers at this mobile home park and damaged this strip mall. >> we pray and support those who have lost a family member.

abbott say more storms today are complicating recovery efforts. >> i want you to know that texas is doing everything we can to help you piece your lives back together. to help you better deal with the challenges that you are facing right now. >> reporter: this afternoon, mike giroud brought his wife nancy back to their home for the first time since they lived through the tornado last night. >> we were on our patio standing on the back of the house. >> reporter: what was that? >> that was the ceiling falling in. we went from just being inconvenienced to realizing we could be dead. in an instant, it hit less than 60 seconds. in a second it was gone. >> reporter: nancy are you okay?

[ crying ] >> sorry, baby. >> everything's gone! >> we just -- we we don't know what to do. we went from happy, to homeless. in a minute. but we'll rebuild or we'll do what we have to do. >>reporter: mike says when the tornado finally moved out of the area he walked outside to see what was left. and he saw his neighbor who lives here on the second story of her home. the roof was gone and there she was waving for help. jeff she was stranded but not hurt. >> glor: david begnaud in rowlett, texas. before this week, 2015 was shaping up to be a record low year for deaths from tornadoes. but since wednesday, they have claimed at least 28 lives - nearly tripling the number this year. survivors are telling remarkable stories tonight. here is dan haggerty of our cbs dallas station ktvt.

anybody could come out of there >> reporter: linda helland's family survived. into a coat closet when the tornado hit. >> the whole front of the house is gone the only thing left is the closet they were hiding in and the kitchen. >>reporter: the twister ripped off the roof of neighbor david dennison's house. me and my roommate were just holding each other i was just praying and whatever it is crazy it's an experience i wouldn't wish on anybody. >> it was heartbreaking. you lose everything you ever own. >> reporter: michael morris was at a christmas party. his house is now gone. >> it just flipped over and hit my car and hit my next door neighbors. now i have to start all over again. >> it sounded just like a train. and his family took cover under a stairwell. >> sounded like so many trains was just coming. it was frightening for just all of us. >> reporter: several homes were

community outside dallas. residents broke down to tears when they saw what's left. >> it's sad, hard to see all these people's livelihood gone. hard to see. >> reporter: here in garland, more than 600 homes were damaged, and eight people lost their lives. jeff, many returning to scenes like these, total losses with nothing left to return home to. >> glor: dan haggerty, thank you. and there is more dangerous weather tonight, blizzard conditions in parts of texas, oklahoma, and new mexico. let's bring in david payne, chief meteorologist at our oklahoma city affiliate kwtv. >> well, jeff it's been a wild day so far. a lot of ice a lot of sleet in oklahoma, just a big mess around here. i-40 westbound, west of oklahoma city has been shut down for quite a while today, too much ice and too much sleet. we are not through yet, more on the way.

very much. farther west in roswell, new mexico, here's cheyenne cope of our albuquerque affiliate krqe. >> i'm standing in about two and a half feet of snow and it's causing dangerous road conditions. several roads have been shut down due dangerous conditions across the area. police are asking people the play it safe and stay off the roads, saying they have never seen snow drifts like this before. the snow started flowing yesterday and hasn't stopped. a travel warning is in effect here, last minute the central plains, last minute central supplies, clearing shelves of snow shovels and others to tide themselves over. in roswell, new mexico, cheyenne cope, cbs news. >> reporter: more on the forecast from chief meteorologist eric fisher of our boston station, wbz. eric, with all of this activities the storms are not done yet? >> certainly not. very powerful winter storm here jeff. all sort of winter hazards all

flooding in between, a tornado watch is in effect to the east and more flash flood watches further east than that. everything a very sloppy storm system we've already seen destructive storms like this, tracking it north and eastward throughout the night. all the wintry month across the midwest, chicago, davenport, eastern part of the storm, tuesday morning, first winter storm in the northeast. many folks seeing snow and ice for the first time this season, it took quite a while and finally it all winds down after tuesday evening. in terms of snow, quite significant, wisconsin, snow on the northern end coming across new england ski area finally getting some of their first snow of the season. heavy, heavy rainfall in areas that have already seen their wettest year on record. >> glor: eric fisher thank you. the iraqi army tonight is claiming they're close to a major victory over isis tonight. after weeks of fighting in the

debora patta reports. >> reporter: gun battles raged on the streets of ramadi today as iraqi soldiers pushed to retake the city after months of isis control. an iraqi military source says troops controlled most of the city although pockets of resistance remain. united states defense department could not confirm those reports. troops inched forward street by street, securing a path to its intended target, a government compound held by i.s.i.s. fighters. iraq's counterterrorism soldiers moved cautiously, clearing out buildings once controlled by of the structures had been rigged with explosives. the offensive which began five days ago has been slow and tough going. iraqi forces were hampered by sniper fire and were forced to navigate roads littered by i.e.d.s. recapturing ramadi will not only

iraqi military, which suffered a humiliating defeat when isis took control of the city in may this year. but it will also serve as a stepping-stone for the iraqi military plan to take back mosul, the largest city in iraq controlled by i.s.i.s. debora patta, cbs news, london. >> glor: tonight, a major wildfire in southern california is 70% contained. it destroyed more than 1,200 acres this weekend in ventura county, north of los angeles. here is mireya villarreal. >> reporter: this is the nightmare southern california residents feared most after four years of drought conditions. a wall of flames overtaking a major highway, within inches of homes and evacuees like jayne johnson caught in the middle. >> go go go! >> we got to get out of here! >> reporter: it's been more than 40 years since the coastal community of solimar beach last burned. as flames exploded this family

>> we are probably going to head to santa barbara. i'm 29 years old. i don't think there's ever been a fire at this hillside here. >> reporter: this video from the ventura county fire department shows a bulldozer scraping brush near the flames. santa monica deputy fire chief tom clemo. >> despite the challenges of high winds, steep terrain, significant brush, we were able to bring a stop to all forward progress of the fire and did not lose any structures. >>reporter: it may be another day or two before the fire is fully contained. all that remains now are hot spots, calmer winds and relief that a major disaster was avoided. mireya villarreal, cbs news los angeles. >> glor: tensions remain high in chicago, after a police officer shot and killed two people this weekend. one of them, it appears, accidentally. here is anna werner.

admit an officer mistakenly shot and killed 55-year old, mother of five, bettie jones. jones was reportedly shot in the neck as she waited for police to respond to a domestic disturbance. jacqueline walker is her long- time childhood friend. >> she was shot down. a beautiful woman, a beautiful woman. it hurts my hear to see that. >> reporter: jones was one of two people killed in the police shooting early saturday morning police responded to a call at 4:28 am: >> upon their arrival, they were confronted by a combative individual, resulting in an officer firing shots. >> reporter: that allegedly combative individual was 19-year old quintonio legrier. police shot him multiple times. photos show the blood stained floor and a bullet hole in the wall. wearing a sweatshirt critical of chicago mayor rahm emanuel, legrier's mother janet cooksey spoke to the media.

mentally ill. >> i used to watch the news daily and i would grieve for other mothers. today i'm grieving myself. amid protests over a string of deadly police shootings, including the death of 17-year old laquan mcdonald, shot by officer jason van dyke 16 times in october of 2014. >> when is the mayor gonna step up? when is he gonna step up? because we can't get no help with the police." >> reporter: the justice department is already police use deadly force appropriately. the families of bettie jones and quintonio legriers say, for them, the question has already been answered. anna werner, cbs news, chicago. >> glor: off the coast of florida, the holiday weekend began with a wild boat chase. julianna goldman has that story. >> reporter: the high speed chase began early christmas eve, when authorities were alerted to a boat theft in ft myers beach,

the men tried to ram into the sheriff's boat and then fled, skimming across the gulf of mexico for nearly 20 hours at speeds of over 70 miles per hour. as the boat approached international waters, the coast guard was called in, with three aircrafts, a small boat crew, and the coast guard cutter -- william trump-- that was the ship that finally stopped the stolen boat on christmas morning. the suspects had led authorities for more than 345 miles and ended up about 65 miles off the northwest tip of cuba, and 125 miles east of cancun, mexico. >> these folks that were taking part in the elicit activity they weren't going to quit and neither were we. >> reporter: today, the coast guard returned the three suspects to shore in handcuffs. coming up, peyton manning slams a report accusing him of using human growth hormone. and, a lucky survivor from the australia wildfires can't tell his story - but we will -

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i use what's already inside me to reach my goals. so i liked when my doctor told me i may reach my blood sugar and a1c goals by activating what's within me. with once-weekly trulicity. trulicity is not insulin. it helps activate my body to do what it's supposed to do release its own insulin. trulicity responds when my blood sugar rises. i take it once a week, and it works 24/7. it comes in an easy-to-use pen and i may even lose a little weight. trulicity is a once-weekly injectable prescription medicine to improve blood sugar in adults with type 2 diabetes. it should be used along with diet and exercise. trulicity is not recommended as the first medicine to treat diabetes and should not be used by people with severe stomach or intestinal problems, or people with type i diabetes or diabetic ketoacidosis. trulicity is not insulin and has not been studied with long-acting insulin.

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julianna goldman, cbs news, washington. >> coming up. a report accusing peyton manning from using human growth hormone. will, when cbs news continues. faf faive la faf la, facility la , favela, favela, glor: today, peyton manning ercely rejected an allegation at he used human growth rmone while recovering from a reer-threatening neck injury ur years ago. the claim was made in a documentary by the al jazeera network. jericka duncan has details. able to use but it really makes me sick. >> peyton manning won the >> reporter: peyton manning won the mvp award a record 5 times. he comes from a family of nfl quarterbacks. the 39 year-old has built his career on hard work. >> in my 18 years of playing in the nfl. there are no shortcuts. >> reporter: but in a new documentary on sports doping, by the al jazeera network , hidden cameras capture a man named charles sly, claiming the mannings were receiving banned human growth hormones in 2011.

ashley manning drugs. like all the time, growth hormone's, everywhere, florida. it would never be under peyton's name it would always be under her name. >> reporter: sly claimed the mannings received the drugs from a clinic called the guyer institute in indiana, where he says he worked. in a statement to cbs news, dr. dale guyer called the allegations "simply not true" and said: "mr. sly was never an employee of the guyer institute and his brief three-month internship occurred in 2013 during which time peyton was not even being treated." the documentary alleges several other professional athletes, including baseball players ryan zimmerman and ryan howard took illegal performance enhancing drugs too. their attorney says he plans to take legal action against al jazeera. surprisingly, at the end of the documentary, al jazeera says sly backed off his claims. >> charlie sly said his statements about athletes were false and incorrect.

offers no further explanation. manning questioned why the network decided to release the story, knowing one of their main sources changed his. >> i've done it the long way and the hard way. anything to suggest something else is a complete and total joke. it's defamation and it ticks me off! >> reporter: today the colts came out with a strong statement defending manning, calling the al jazeera america says despite all the denials, the network will air the documentary, tonight. >> glor: jericka duncan, thank you.

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get an insurance quote and see why 92% of our members plan to stay for life. >> glor: china's one child policy is officially coming to an end. starting in the new year couples will be allowed to have up to two children, according to a law ratified today. china's one child policy had been in place since 1979 as a way to control the population. a heartwarming scene amid the devastation of australia's wildfires. a koala was saved from the ashes. when firefighters found him, he wasn't moving, but, he's since been nursed back to health. and given the nickname constable k bear. the box office force is strong, with "star wars: the force awakens". it's now the fastest movie ever the box office, beating the previous record held by "jurassic world". it took star wars: the force awakens" just 12 days to reach that milestone.

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have some degree of erectile dysfunction. well, viagra helps guys with ed get and keep an erection. ask your doctor if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain or adempas for pulmonary hypertension. your blood pressure could drop to an unsafe level. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. ask your doctor about viagra. available in single packs. >> glor: we close here tonight with more unusual weather now in the northeast where those dreaming of a white christmas had to settle for shades of gray and brown. here's jamie yuccas. >> reporter: at camelback resort in pennsylvania, the chairlift has been temporarily re-branded the "skyride." riders tim and grace drummond

six months ago. did you buy skis and buy the gear and everything to come out here? >> we packed it all but it's sitting up in the hotel room still in with the luggage. >> reporter: in a typical winter, camelback makes 15 percent of its winter revenue the week between christmas and new years. drew jackson is head of marketing. >> we have 100% snow making coverage so we just need it to be cold. we don't need a whole lot of natural snow falling from the sky we just need some cold weather and then we can be in business big time. >> reporter: unseasonably warm weather along the east coast is inspiring new holiday traditions. in vermont, baseball players were the only ones on mounds christmas eve. and santa did get on skis, however it was on the potomac river, outside washington, dc! when guests can't hit the slopes, they can go to the beach. camelback built a water park to better position itself than most winter resorts, with weatherproof activities. they're also zip lining and getting on a roller coaster.

stuff. how better would better would it be if there was snow? >> a lot better. snocountry.com, 41% of the resorts in the northeast remain closed due lack of snow. by contrast, deep snow out west has been a boom for resorts. it was even a white christmas at southern california's big bear resort after receiving six inches of new snow in the past 72 hours. now, if it would only push east. jamie yuccas, cbs news, tannersville, pennsylvania. >> glor: that is the "cbs evening news." later on cbs, "60 minutes," and first thing tomorrow, cbs this morning. i'm jeff glor in new york, good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group

access.wgbh.orgeveryone to do. )) sharie johnson > cutting down on the number of people killed this holiday season. the message advocates want revelers to hear... as new years celebrations near. //// the red cross is working to make the valley a safer place to live. how the organizaiton is working to cut down on the number of injuries and deaths... caused by house fires. /// and be sure to bundle up... if you're heading out this evening. just how cold it's going to get in the valley... and how long this chilly weather will stick around. /// now, nevada's first choice for news, this is 8 newsnow, weekend edition ((sharie johnson)) > good evening and thanks for joining us. roads across the vlley are busy with holiday travelers. as people head to hang out with those they love... stop dui advocates are urging drivers not to get behind the wheel after drinking while celebrating. 8 news now's mauricio marin has more on the efforts...

((mauricio marin/reporter: there's only a few days left in 20-15. roads are busy as people travel for new year's eve. in fact---r-t-c alerting drivers to heavy traffic and long delays for those heading to california and arizona today. stop dui advocates urge drivers to look out for each other this holiday season. )) (( sandy heverly/stop dui: "responsible is the key word. that's what we ask everyone to do. we cerinly don't want to put a downer on nobody's parties or social activites. we want them to be safe and be responsible and evryone to be in contact with them to be safe as well." )) according to the national highway safety administration--- more than 700 people died in alcohol related crashes last december nationally. a drastic increase from other months. stop dui advocates say these deadly crashes are avoidable. so they're urging drivers to think ahead and call a cab. if you're hosting a party...think about the

and if you are caught behind the