winter storm warnings for much of the northeast as a potential blizzard packing up to two feet of snow arrives today. the fda is on the verge of approving the moderna coronavirus vaccine. on of the of that major storm and emergency vaccine deliveries, americans are facing a package delivery crunch with just eight days until christmas. our lester holt introduces us to a teacher who not even

hospital stay can keep her from her students >> the winningest coach in women's division 1 basketball. "early today" starts right now. >> glad to have you with us. i'm frances rivera. >> i'm phillip mena. america's heartland has already been hit with a winter blast. this is only a preview of what's expected to hit the northeast over the next 48 hours let's get right to nbc meteorologist janessa webb she's got the latest on this stomp. >> good morning, frances and phillip. i was talking early afternoon. this storm system has take an change you can see from our satellite and composite radar, it's already in north carolina causing icing. it's going quickly make its way up to d.c., northern new york. you're going to notice the

changes. our forecast has changed for d.c. and parts of pennsylvania, now forecasting only 1 to 3 inches that area will stay on the warmer side. wintry mixes, sleet mixed with rain impacting that area 8 to 12 inches for new york city i do think the metro area, if you're on the east side, you'll see a little rain mix in over time the higher terrain, that's where it's going fw a problem. we could see up to 14 to 18 inches in some spots, and then we still have to talk about the winds that are going to cause widespread power outages i'll talk about that coming up. >> problems on problems. janessa, thanks for keeping us up to date on that. a record 16.7 million americans have been infected [ bell tolling ] >> and in honor of the more than

300,000 lives lost, the bells at the national cathedral toll third degree 00 times, but hope is on the horizon. our tom costello explains. >> reporter: a second vaccine is likely just days away after an fda review confirmed a moderna vaccine is just as effective as pfizers, apparently preventing symptoms and infection it doesn't need the cold environment. >> it requires less stringent cold, cold like the freezers we have at home. >> reporter: that should make it easier for hospitals an clinics that don't have deep freeze capabilities with approval on friday, millions of doses will shoin monday of moderna. more pfizer shipments will also ship more hospital staffers are rolling up their sleeves

from a drive-through in tulsa to boston to anchorage to jacksonville where we met oral surgeon dr. salaam salman where his dad works at kalamazoo. >> it's a huge sense of pride for me. >> reporter: this doctor received her shot. how are you feeling? >> i feel great today. no symptoms, no side effects incredibly optimistic and hopeful we're at this point. >> reporter: at yale university, one of the pfizer vaccine researchers was the first to receive it. >> even a father of three kids, worried i could take the disease back home, it's so good on so many levels i get to get the vaccine today. >> reporter: meanwhile the fda authorized the first at-home

test the kits are expected in drugstores in january. as for the cost, we're told to expect to pay $30 per test and the manufacturer is ramping up, expecting to put out 30,000 tests every day. the first vaccine doses have been administered. nbc's jake ward is in san francisco for us good morning, jake. >> reporter: good morning, frances. yesterday was a historic day this hospital behind me saw the city through tuberculosis, the aids crisis, and now it saw the first people to be vaccinated. we spoke with dr. antonio gomez who treats the very sickest here he said he was honored, happy to be the first in the city to be injected he then can't help but turn and think about the dwindling icu

bodes beds as they fall below 17%. big emotions, big relief, but a long time before they ccan retun to that. >> thank you. president-elect biden is expected to pick more of his cabinet. tracie potts joins us with more. tracie tell us more. >> this is pete buddh judge, the former south bend mayor who was also a former presidential rival, the only one he tapped besides kamala harris. he will head the department of transportation if confirmed. he's also tapping jennifer granholm to be the next secretary of treasury, this as

the senate's top republican acknowledges biden's win for the first time. >> the electoral college has spoken i want to congratulate president-elect joe biden. i also want to congratulate the vice president-elect from california, kamala harris. >> we disagree on a lot of things, but we can work together on things. we agreed we'd get together sooner than later. >> reporter: butovernight president trump tweeting, too soon, saying, republicans need to learn how to fight. he's still challenging the fight despite the electoral college vote and mitch mcconnell said lawmakers will stay in washington until they get the covid relief package done, that they're not heading home for the holidays until it's a done deal. phillip? >> millions of americans are

hoping is, in fact, the case. georgia is about to become the center of the political universe president-elect biden underscored the importance of the race while stumping for the two democratic candidates. >> reporter: joe biden returned to the peach state on tuesday to rally supporters as the senate runoff races are getting under way, and his goal was to get voters to turn out to places like where we are. early polling sites as this is the first week of early voting we spent the day in fulton county, a heavily democratic area, where a number of voters have said while they may not have been able to make it out to joe biden's ramy and see him in person, they're excited to see democrats making investments in this state and have a chance of winning it, and these voters were very excited to cast their

ballots during this early voting period i should point out while democrats are very energized, republicans are also energized president trump and vice president pence have made several trips to the state, and vice president pence will be back here on thursday campaigning for the senators again during the first week of early voting frances? >> priscilla, thank you. terrifying body camera footage captured a car in florida completely submerged in water with a family inside orlando police and firefighters worked side by side to rescue a 12-year-old boy, a father, and his 4-year-old brother who were trapped inside the vehicle thankfully they were rescue and safe. a lot to get to as meteorologist janessa webb gets to the weather so many numbers to factor in.

>> so many what is happening are winter weather alerts on top of that, storm warnings, winter weather issues. we could have widespread power outages across the northeast atlantic city, gusts to 61 miles per hour all the way up to boston, 37 miles pera winter chg the upper midwest but very calm. sunny skies for minneapolis. one more aspect. we do have ice running through the carolinas. i'll show you that forecast coming up. >> a lot of people were at the store buying those de-icers getting ready for this janua janessa, thank you. it was history on the

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guaranteed, potential shipping delays, and the post office adding this red flag on its website warning of more volume. >> we're growing at greater than 50% each year. >> reporter: dhl added 3,000 u.s. workers and new robotics to handle the surge. >> what's your advice to online shoppers in the final stretch? >> what i would say is get your orders in, get them in now i would not wait until friday the 18th i would get those orders in in the next 24 to 48 hours. >> reporter: once your packages do arrive, get them quickly to prevent porch pirates, thieves who are targeting you in this lucrative online holiday shopping season. so you can check off your list and get everything home for the holidays. still to come, comedian tiffany haddish gets serious about helping foster kids with a

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houston where more than 360,000 children are food-insecure. >> it's really, really tight. >> we need a little bit of extra food. >> it is very hard. >> reporter: across the country, the need for food is growing. >> families are struggling to afford basic necessities. >> there is an army of people working to help feed americans in need. >> reporter: on foot, in cars, people waiting in line stretching for miles. >> this year has been difficult. >> reporter: in 2020 it's projected more than 50 million people could be food-insecure, a staggering 40% increase from last year. >> if it weren't for these sites, would you be able to get food on the table? >> not really. >> have you ever been to a food pantry before? >> i'll be honest, nope.

>> reporter: francisco lost his job at a tuxedo shop when it shut down. he's one of many we met out in freezing temperatures waiting for food. >> reporter: what would you like to say to the people who are helping, the volunteers. >> i'm grateful for them i mean god bless them. >> reporter: he's among the estimated 40% of people seeking food from food banks for the first time, and this year, one in four children are food-insecure. >> i'm trying to feed the family and i'm not able to. >> reporter: in los angeles, more than 613,000 children faced food insecurity. olivier said she's scraping by, trying to stay strong for her husband and children. >> we always try to cook something different so they doesn't see the same food every day. >> reporter: it's been happening in different cities. but in small towns across

america too. >> never in a million years did i ever think that i was going to be in this position. >> reporter: in maine, this one-room food bank now feeds more than 500 families each week, nearly double what it was before the pandemic. >> winters are harsh and people need the food. >> reporter: and the demand is growing. feeding america projects in 2021, they'll fall more than 8 billion meals short, but volunteers are stepping up, lending a helping hand. >> i like to see everybody helping in the community. >> good morning. how's everybody. >> reporter: places like fill abundance and volunteers like dana cooper. even in these tough times, americans remain hopeful. >> you know what life is good i woke up this morning >> now that is perspective

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dealer in their apartment. they found illegal drugs along with handgun santa's used to dealing with snow not this kind of snow. >> a whole different type of snow the elf jumped right off the shelf into action there. they get right down to it. >> the other color we're dealing with too much white now here the real stuff. >> very different kind janessa, tell us more. >> exactly the real stuff today for the northeast, ice accumulation for sections of the carolinas. it's about a quarter of an inch. you know, frances and phillip tomorrow morning when we're on, it's going to look completely different outside in new york city to areas of boston and the higher elevation i do think we'll be in a blizzard at that time. winds up to 35 miles per hour. visibility down, and it's going to be a good thing you two are inside. up next, a teacher is

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there are thousands of foster youth in america and come meade yanld and producer tiffany haddish was one of them. next year haddish is launching an internship program for foster use in partnership with ready to succeed. named after her signature slogan sheready it will provide paid mentorships and serve as a pipeline for talent it will be open to foster youth between 18 and 25 years old. we've seen so many teachers going above and beyond during that pandemic. our lester holt spoke to one who

didn't let anything stand in the way of teaching her students good morning. >> good morning, phillip as we look at teachers inspiring america, this morning we look at a teacher in dallas who refused to let an illness and a hospital stay separate her from her kids. stephanie hume has been teaching for nearly 20 years. kids are really looking for reassurance, and these are unsettling times for grownups and kids alike. >> stability is key. >> reporter: so when she found herself in the emergency room having difficulty breathing and swallowing, her students were on her mind. >> they were like, we're going to have to do some surgery and you're going to have to stay the first thought that popped in my mind is oh, my gosh, we have to finish this book. we're on chapter ten. >> reporter: that's what she did. during her 11-day hospital stay, the fifth grade reading and

writing teacher who is also a two-time cancer survivor didn't miss a beat. >> never had a teacher that would be in a hospital bed and would read a book on a camera. >> i was really proud of her as a student. >> reporter: hume now back in a classroom is now part of a long line of educators including her grandfather, mother, and children. >> can you for a moment talk to those who may consider teaching as a career and tell them why it is so special? >> the moment when you see a kid go, oh, i get it, that light bulb goes off and they've understood something they've struggled with because whatever challenges are out there in teaching, the reward is so much more. >> we'll have to look forward to another adventure very soon. see you all later. >> by the way, her mom served as her classroom substitute during her hospital stay.

phillip, we'll send it back to you now. >> all right, lester that ing you so much for that story. so inspiring to see teachers go above and beyond truly, so dedicate and selfless. >> she's talking about the spark and the light

right now at 4:30, breaking news. a dire situation unfolding in marin county. hospitals say no more icu beds are available. what health officials say needs to be done to stop the surge. plus -- >> science shows kids in school with appropriate precautions are not creating an environment to spread the virus. >> any of our staff communicated with me directly and have shared that they don't feel safe right now. >> the difficult decision one local school district is now making and why it's not too late for parents to weigh in on the return plan. and