video? >> we were looking forward to the opening ceremony. >> nightly news is next. you can always find us online. see you in half an hour. on our broadcast tonight, what really happened. new information about a cascading series of events that triggered the disaster in the city of atlanta. tonight the governor there is saying he is sorry and admitting mistakes were made. family tragedy. an entire town grieving an unimaginable loss, their pastor's family, eight children and their mother all lost as fire consumes their home on a bitter cold night. guilty of murder. a stunning turn of events for amanda knox. two years after being set free, an italian jury now says she did it. and super security by land, sea, and air. the herculean effort under way to make sure a big only the target remains just a game, though a big one at that. also tonight, all the good that came out of a very bad

situation. "nightly news" begins now. good evening. in a moment here tonight, we're going to talk about that snowstorm that paralyzed the american south. but first, for the benefit of our viewers in the western u.s. tonight, we begin in california. a different problem we've been following and a deepening crisis now as of today. it's been so dry there for so long, officials today declared what is called an exceptional drought in parts of the state. and as you may know, that is the worst kind of classification. some california communities could run out of water entirely. among the hardest hit areas, folsom. nbc's miguel almaguer is there for us tonight. miguel, i'm told those would normally be boat slips, floating docks behind you, now instead on dry land. >> reporter: yeah, brian, that's

right. good evening. all of these docks should be floating in water. instead they're sitting in this dusty and muddy bowl. as a matter of fact, these docks should be floating 100 feet over my head. everything you see in your picture right now, that stairway, that railing, all of it should be underwater. this reservoir a perfect example of so many other reservoirs in this region that are running on empty. in the california sierra, where today they measured the snowpack, the news is bleak. >> probably the driest beginning that we've seen. >> reporter: this is what the sierra looked like a year ago. but this winter, what a difference. the state now in extreme drought. fourth generation farmer andy feels the pain. >> actually, all brown and dried up. >> reporter: without rain, he'll lose this year's wheat harvest. he sold livestock just to keep the farm, and he says what's happening here will affect americans across the country.

>> i can't grow any crop. that doesn't go to market, and that creates a shortage. and what happens with the shortage? prices go up. >> reporter: after declaring a state of emergency, governor jerry brown met with water leaders and asked all californians to reduce their water use by 20%. >> this drought is a big wake-up call. >> reporter: traveling with him today, he told us he has spoken with the president about the state's dire situation. >> long-term, we don't know what it means, because we don't know how long it will last. but we're going the take every step we need to do. >> reporter: this is the first time exceptional drought has ever been declared in california. for communities in ten counties, water could run out in 60 days. in lompico, matthew feinstein is recycling every drop. >> we've been going around, saving everything we can in five gallon buckets when we take a shower. >> reporter: now major cities are also feeling the pressure. most also get their water from reservoirs. these before and after pictures show where water levels should

be and where they are today. lakes, watersheds are in serious trouble. tonight in communities and in farm fields all across california, they're waiting for rain. >> you pray. not a whole lot you can do. >> reporter: but like the current situation, the forecast here looks bleak. brian, we have moved off 50 feet to give you another perspective. all of this reservoir, everything you see here should be under water. keep in mind, january is typically one of the wettest months for california. this year it's been one of the driest. officials say we could be entering a mega drought, a drought that continues for several years. brian? >> miguel almaguer tonight on this unbelievable problem and continuing situation in california. now to our other story. and let's say at the outset no one thinks southern cities can be expected to be as good at

snow removal as cities like new york, chicago, or boston. however, it took exactly 2.6 inches of snow to paralyze this country's ninth largest city. the problem wasn't limited to atlanta, but it's a big urban area, the largest in the south. and everybody took to the roads at the same time right as the roads turned to ice. public officials got defensive in the immediate aftermath of the storm. some blamed the weather forecasters, all evidence to the contrary. well, today the governor of georgia chose to fall on his snow shovel. he apologized fully and to everyone for how this storm was handled, or better yet, mishandled. and tonight we have learned more about how it was allowed to get so bad so, out of hand so quickly. so we get that report tonight from nbc's tom costello in atlanta. hey, tom, good evening. >> reporter: hi there. in fact, we still have ice on the roads, brian. but it's starting to get a lot better. the traffic is improving. meanwhile, a lot of anger directed toward city and state

officials for failing to heed the weather forecast. and today we learned both the governor and the director of emergency services for the state were sleeping as those forecasts grew even more dire. this basically looks like a used car parking lot. 48 hours after getting slammed with a major winter storm, these are the images city and state officials are still trying to explain. tens of thousands stuck in their cars for hours. kids trapped at school overnight. 2,000 abandoned cars. >> anybody with an iphone knew that it was going to -- a weather app would tell you that it was going to snow. >> reporter: today the governor dropped his original defiance. >> i'm the governor, the buck stops with me. >> reporter: yesterday, governor nathan deal said the weather forecasts had been inaccurate. but in fact city and state officials had plenty of warnings. sunday afternoon, the first forecast of up to 2 inches of snow. monday, 9:36 p.m., the national weather service issued its first winter weather warning and advised travel only in an emergency for south metro

atlanta counties. then at 3:30 a.m. tuesday, the strongest warning yet, revised to pinpoint metro atlanta. >> i made a terrible error in judgment. >> reporter: today, the state's emergency management director admitted he failed to take action or notify the governor in a timely manner. by noon, snow was falling. schools and businesses let out early, but it was too late. >> why did they not mobilize the national guard sooner. why were they not prepared for this? >> reporter: soon the highways around one of the country's biggest cities were clogged and impassible. >> a winter storm warning was issued by at 3:30 in the morning by the national weather service. that should have been enough for the governor and the mayor to say we're calling off the day. it's too dangerous to get people out. >> reporter: today, the governor conceded that they failed to give warnings in time. >> we did not have adequate preparation to encounter storm as it came in the time frame in which it came. >> reporter: on the streets today, the national guard was

helping drivers find the cars they had walked away from. there are abandoned cars all over this region. this is i-75 right through the heart of atlanta. mile after mile of this highway littered with abandoned cars. we caught up with the blakleys searching for the car their daughter had abandon on the highway. >> about ten hours. >> reporter: ten hours? >> the whole thing. >> reporter: two days later, atlanta is still recovering. a lot of criticism and concern that these roads may not have been pretreated before the storm. in fact, many roads were pretreated, but it may have happened really too close to the actual storm time, meaning it was too little, too late. brian? >> yeah, i read today that the brine mixture they use of salt and water has to dry first, then melt what falls. tom costello on the interstate in atlanta for us, tom, thank you. and a big change for the better to show you tonight in birmingham, alabama, you will remember it looked like this when we came on air last night. thousands of folks still struggling on interstate 65

after some snow and a lot of ice. well, here is what the same stretch of highway looks at the same location tonight. birmingham, as you can see, thankfully getting back much closer to normal. there has been a terrible tragedy in western kentucky in a small town where the house caught fire during the early morning hours today in the bitter cold. nine members of a single family were killed -- a mother and eight of her children. nbc's john yang has our report tonight. >> reporter: the smallwood-framed house was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived shortly after 2:00 a.m., too hot to enter. 11 people lived in the three-bedroom home. chad watson, a 36-year-old lay minister, his 35-year-old wife nikki and their nine children. the oldest, 15, the youngest, 4-year-old twins. only chad and a daughter, 11-year-old kylie, escaped, both critically injured. >> the father is the one that

told the first responders that the whole family is here. >> reporter: eight of the family members were found in the front master bedroom, the ninth about ten feet away. >> i'm numb. i don't know what to do, what to say. just stand and watch. i feel so helpless. >> reporter: neighbors say the family was well established in the small coal mining community, the second generation to live in the house. >> my wife is pretty well tore up over it. and you know we just have to get through it. >> reporter: on the cavalry baptist church's facebook page, you will forever be in our hearts, and thoughts for survivors as they journey through this dark, terrible time. investigators said an electric base board heater in a bedroom appears to have ignited nearby combustible materials, overnight temperatures were in the teens. according to the national fire protection association, stationary and portable space heaters account for a third of

fires every year, and 80% of deaths. a heartbreaking and all too familiar cold weather tragedy. john yang, nbc news, chicago. federal prosecutors said today they will seek the death penalty for boston bombing suspect dzhokhar tsarnaev. the final decision was made by the u.s. attorney general, eric holder. tsarnaev is accused of planting two bombs with his brother near the finish line of the boston marathon, kill league people, wounding over 260 others, many of them now amputees. his brother died in the shoot-out with police. no trial date has been set. a big turn of events tonight for a one-time american exchange stay tuned amanda knox. just over two years after she was acquitted of an earlier murder conviction in italy and set free to return to the states, her jury now says in her second retrial she is guilty of killing her roommate. we get our report tonight from nbc's keith millner italy. >> reporter: two years ago, everyone thought this was the last word.

amanda knox aged her former boyfriend raffaele sollecito winning their freedom on appeal after serving four years in prison. tonight a stunning reversal. a guilty verdict, with knox sentenced to 28 1/2 years in prison for the 2007 murder and sexual assault of her roommate, meredith kercher. knox herself wasn't in court this time. she stayed home in seattle. but in a statement she said i am frightened and saddened by this unjust verdict, having been found innocent before. i expected better from the italian justice system. and just five days ago she talked about her fear of a guilty verdict. >> it would feel like a train wreck. they would order my arrest, and the italian government would approach the american government and say extradite her. and i don't know what would

happen. >> reporter: but she may never have to go back. the judges tonight did not order knox's extradition to italy, aware that the case could drag on through the courts for years. knox's attorneys say tonight they will appeal the guilty verdict to italy's supreme court, turning this highly controversial case into a game of judicial ping-pong. with amanda knox's future once again in the balance. keith miller, nbc news, florence. that u.s. air force cheating scandal involving nuclear missile launch officers has widened tonight. officials say 92 officers mallstrong air force base in montana have now been implicated. that is about half of those who handle all missile launch operations at that base. officials say 40 of them are accused of cheating on the exam, while others allegedly knew about it.

today the new secretary of the air force called it a systemic problem. a surprise announcement out of washington today. a big figure in democratic politics is calling it quits. henry waxman has represented his l.a. district including beverly hills for 20 terms in congress said today he won't be seeking reelection. waxman has been a force on the environment, health care issues especially, and one of minority leader nancy pelosi's closest allies in the house. his retirement, along with those of george miller of california, tom harkin of iowa on the senate side will leave only vermont senator pat leahy as the last of the so-called watergate babies who have served continuously since being thrust into office in 1974. still ahead for us tonight, protecting the super bowl. a massive security effort already under way to protect one of the biggest public events of the year. and later, making a difference. friends and neighbors and perfect strangers all coming together to get through a very rough situation in the south.

three days now until the super bowl, and beyond the excitement building for the game itself, something else is going on. new jersey and new york have launched a big league security effort aimed at protecting all of those who have converged on

this area. we get the story tonight from nbc's katy tur, high above times square which has of course been renamed super bowl boulevard for the occasion. katy, good evening. >> reporter: brian, two cities, more than 100 different law enforcement agencies and millions of people. it is no secret that security for the super bowl will be a massive undertaking, but it is not just for the stadium in new jersey. it is also for new york city, especially times square. metlife stadium already in full lockdown. two and a half miles of fencing surrounds the perimeter, cameras trained on every movement. and patrols on the ground, in the air, and since the stadium is surrounded by marshland, the water. >> so we'll be using all night vision capabilities, infa red capabilities both on the water, in the air and on the ground to make sure that doesn't happen. >> reporter: and that is just new jersey.

across the river a constant 10.6 miles away is times square, redubbed super bowl boulevard for all the events throughout the week. >> we work terrorism every day. >> reporter: george is the assistant fbi director in new york. he says the biggest challenge is coordinating with the many agencies. but of all the locations, new york and new jersey have a system in place. >> we never let our guard down, but obviously you're going have a lot more people in the city. the stakes are higher. we rev it up, no doubt about it. but we worry about terrorism every day. >> reporter: among the things at their disposal, pocket-sized radiation detectors. >> if something happens, this goes off and the law enforcement knows about it. >> reporter: so you will have dozens if not hundreds of those? >> there are thousands throughout the city. >> reporter: alongside all that modern tech, some tried and true methods. a multiday extravaganza and a region home to 18 million people, here sometimes the best asset is the number of eyes. at the nypd's headquarters,

realtime surveillance with intelligence can detect unusual behavior and spot suspicious packages, all to make sure everything from kickoff to the trophy presentation goes off without a hitch. >> security is a balance. you have to balance safety and people still having a good time. >> reporter: and if that were not enough, there will be airport security when you enter the stadium. that means metal detectors, patdowns, no purses or backpacks, brian, only clear plastic bags. >> it will all be over by sunday night. katy tur high above times square for us tonight, thanks. we're back in a moment with the news about a famous name from the past making a comeback.

a utah school district is apologizing tonight after dozens of elementary school students had their lunches taken from them and thrown in the garbage. they were given milk and fruit instead. this happened because their parents owed money on their food accounts. the parents, as you can imagine, were outraged. they say it was humiliating for their children. the salt lake city school district says cafeteria workers weren't able to see who owed

money until after everyone had been served. the district says it was a mistake and they're investigating how it was allowed to happen. "the new york post" front page this morning was a blaring headline, "giant rip-off." in what could be a cautionary tale for anybody who collects sports memorabilia collectors, all the way down to some of the better baseball cards in the pack, a lawsuit filed accuses the new york giants of roughing up helmets and jerseys to make them appear game-used while the players in some cases kept the real thing. it even alleges that football jerseys are taken to a new jersey dry-cleaner to get them appear worn. the giants today says the suit is completely without merit and they intend to fight it. it's maybe not a surprise but interesting to learn that most of the american people now regard both of our most recent wars in iraq and afghanistan to have been a failure for this country. in a new pew research survey, 52% said neither war achieved its goal. a total of 2.5 million americans

in uniform have served in one or both wars since the start. if you're old enough to remember the ad campaign, you remember the airline that called itself the wings of man. eastern airlines may soon fly again. their name and logo have been bought up by a group of investors who have filed papers with the feds to start up a new airline based in miami. the old eastern, once owned by world war i flying ace eddie rickenbacher serviced 140 destinations at its height with over 300 aircraft. it was the first airline to start shuttle service between new york, washington and boston. and laura bush has made some interesting comments to c-span for a new series they're doing on first ladies. she says she does not think presidential spouses deserve to be paid, but she says she looks forward to the first, first gentleman so that some day as she put it, maybe we should quote, really critique the way they look all the time, their choice of tie, or their hair style or whatever, or maybe their weight.

when we come back tonight, our making a difference report, the acts of kindness that broke through and helped people after the storm paralyzed the south.

finally tonight, we return to atlanta where thankfully southern hospitality came to the rescue in that paralyzing ice storm that stopped atlanta cold. a lot of folks stepped up and helped complete strangers and made a big difference in a time of need. our report tonight from nbc's

gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: among the ice, the gridlock, the frustration. >> the kindness of strangers. >> reporter: in atlanta, when government froze up, strangers stepped in. >> got like 200 biscuits, started handing them out on 20 westbound. >> reporter: good samaritans took to the streets offering them water bottles, food, a lifeline. >> peanut butter and jelly here. >> we got a lot. >> reporter: the roberts family grateful for the help after abandoning their car. >> you couldn't depend on anything else but each other. >> it's good to see you not on the side of the road. >> i know! >> reporter: these two met under warmer circumstances. >> just come to a complete and total standstill. >> reporter: on an interstate tuesday afternoon,weight eight months pregnant with her 3-year-old son benton in the back seat, she was trapped in her frigid car, no water, only a handful of tic tacs. >> i just saw so many people

struggling. it was utter chaos. >> reporter: he had offered a ride to anybody on social media who was stuck, and katy's desperate plea for help reached him. >> just a sense of relief washed over me, it was just incredible. >> we were all crying after that, yeah. >> reporter: she started a facebook page, snowed out atlanta, hours after the snow first hit. what began as a site for volunteers to help stranded drivers is now topping 56,000 members. >> i am just really glad we managed to help so many people. facebook is a tool that allowed us all to come together and to do something so amazing. >> when you think about the kind of person it takes to put their safety ahead of somebody that they never met before, i mean, why wouldn't we want to be friends forever? >> reporter: tonight benton horn is home safe. >> come here, buddy! >> reporter: and the south seems a little warmer. >> you're welcome. >> reporter: gabe gutierrez, nbc news, atlanta. on a good note, that is our broadcast for this thursday

night. thank you for being here with us. i'm brian williams. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night. nbc bay area news starts now. right now at 6:00 we have developing news as a plane skids off a runway at a small south bay airport. good evening and thanks for joining us. >> let's show you this developing story out of san jose. investigators interest trying to figure out what caused this plane to skid off the runway. less than two hours ago the mane went right through a fence, shopping right short of a frontage road. our chopper was over the scene as workers cleaned up hydraulic

fluid off the ground. no injuries. all passengers safe tonight. a very stingy storm dropping a bit of rain but not enough to ease our drought. the rain here means snow in the sierra. and it came down this a big way. it's great news for skier, snowboarders and small businesses. our chief meteorologist is here with us. but we begin with jodi hernandez in napa, which is one of the hardest hit regions of this drought. >> reporter: folks here in wine country say last night's storm was enough to get the weeds to grow a bit, but they say it did nothing for their prized vines. and growers here say if we don't get a major storm here soon they're looking at seeing up to 50% of their crops dry up.