good morning. taking aim. hurricane elsa pummels the caribbean overnight bringing heavy winds and fierce winds to barbados as it heads towards haiti and the dominican republic threatening to bring a foot of rain. florida bracing for impact. how soon could it hit and how bad could it be? we're tracking the storm. officials in surfside keeping a close eye on the hurricane's path, still focusing their search for the more than 100 people unaccounted for as elsa gets closer. this as another building in

miami beach is determined to be unsafe, forcing residents to flee. >> they say drop your stuff because you have to leave the building in 15 minutes. >> we are live on the scene. free on the fourth. a long-awaited independence day weekend as tens of millions hit the road to celebrate with family and friends. but with the delta variant spreading across the country, people who have not gotten the shot face serious risks. >> if you're not vaccinated, the variants are here. trouble is at your doorstep. fire in the water. a surreal scene in the gulf of mexico as crews battle a massive fire burning for hours after a gas pipeline ruptured below. those stories, plus let her run. a growing show of support for sha'carri richardson from fans, fellow athletes and celebrities, a day after america's fastest woman was suspended f signature race at the olympics for failing a drug test. but her olympic dream might not be over yet.

today, saturday, july 3rd, 2021. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today" with peter alexander, kristen welker and dylan dreyer. welcome to "today" and thanks for joining us on a gorgeous saturday morning. i'm happy to have my friend, savannah sellers from nbc new news with us. kristen is on maternity leave. dylan taking the weekend off. so glad that you're here. >> i'm so happy to be here. thank you for having me. >> sha'carri richardson, so many americans are rooting for her and we're keeping an eye out to see whether she gets added to the roster for the 4x100 race which means her olympic dreams would not be dashed. >> so many people admired how she handled herself on the "today" show yesterday. such a tough situation. right now we want to get to our top story and that is hurricane elsa currently pounding the caribbean. it looks like florida could be in the bull's-eye in the next

few days. somara is here in for dylan this morning. this is a serious storm. >> yes, it is. the good news is areas like florida and the gulf coast remain unscathed during the actual holiday weekend but that might not be the case when a lot of our friends are making that return trip home. as of yesterday we are looking at a cat 1 hurricane so it is officially a hurricane. winds right now at 75 miles per hour. it's moving to the west-northwest at 31 miles per hour situated just to the east-southeast of kingston, jamaica, there. take a look at this track. this is going to be a real game-changer. the first thing i want to note is the time stamp on this. by monday morning we're going to have a very clear picture how this is going to pan out and impact the florida coastline. that's because over the next couple of days what's going to happen is this hurricane is going to move over jamaica and cuba and we're talking mountainous range here so that could see strengthening there so

that's something to watch for. as far as the cone of uncertainty goes, in the past 24 hours the biggest shift we have seen with this track is it has moved from the east side of florida to the west side. now we're talking about the florida panhandle. look at the time stamp, arriving tuesday morning. but we could see impacts as early as tomorrow night so that is going to be something to watch for. now, this storm has already begun to spark up alerts in puerto rico, jamaica, areas like cuba. we could actually see additional alerts issued for parts of florida likely this afternoon. so that's something we're going to keep an eye on, peter. >> thanks so much. we'll get your full forecast in just a few minutes. rescue crews in surfside, florida, are also keeping a close eye on elsa because high winds and heavy rains are the last thing they need as they search through the collapsed condo complex. there are still more than 100 people unaccounted for. vaughn hillyard is in surfside with the latest. vaughn, good morning.

>> reporter: yeah, good morning, savannah. we are looking at those high winds hitting here in as soon as 48 hours. with concerns over that storm, another old structurally deficit buildings, hundreds of residents just down the road from here were also evacuated just overnight. this morning, hurricane elsa bears down on surfside, as rescue crews continue their search for more than 100 people still missing in the rubble. >> god forbid somebody is still alive underneath there and they're going to have all that rain. >> reporter: the incoming storm could strike as early as monday, intensifying this weekend's current search. >> the current track could be 60-mile-an-hour winds. that's quite an impact on the remaining structure that is still standing that is subject to failures. >> reporter: of chief concern, a large column inside the partially collapsed tower, which officials said friday has shifted by nearly a foot since the initial collapse, leading the miami-dade mayor to approve its implosion, but not until

after the storm passes. >> will you wait to rescue or recover every individual before you demolish that building? >> we're very concerned to not compromise our search but we also know that the building itself poses certain risks, so we have to balance those things. >> reporter: on friday, experts from the national institute of standards and technology began surveying the site to find out what caused the tragedy. overnight, another evacuation effort. this time at a condominium 11 miles away after the building failed to pass a county audit with unsafe structural and electrical conditions. >> they say grab your stuff as fast as you can because you have to leave this building in the next 15 minutes. >> reporter: the nearby storm forcing rescue cruise from out of town to leave surfside, to help protect their own communities. rescue worker jason fair is from a coastal county three hours away. >> so you were just on the rubble for 12 hours? >> yes, sir. >> now where are you heading? >> back to my hometown. the hurricane has us in its path

so it's time to switch hats and take on another public safety role. >> reporter: now there is a countywide safety audit of buildings ongoing but in the case of champlain towers we know the association board was aware of these major problems but a majority of that board resigned two years ago after disagreements over how to pay for the millions in repairs that it would require. savannah and peter. >> lots of tough questions to answer with so much heart break. vaughn, thank you so much. millions of americans from coast to coast are celebrating a returning to normalcy on this fourth of july weekend. airports and roads have been packed with travelers anxious to get away after almost a year and a half at due to the spreading it's going to be a busy fourth of july and destinations from coast to coast. we expect to have the second

largest number of travelers ever for a fourth of july weekend. the tsa is reporting an increase in travelers compared to 2019, the year before the pandemic, yet the majority of the people will be taking off in cars. americans are skipping town this fourth of july. with a record 48 million people expected to travel over the holiday weekend, approaching pre-pandemic levels. >> everyone is traveling, everyone wants to get out. >> reporter: the top two travel destinations, orlando, florida, and anaheim, california. >> we decided it's time to get away. >> reporter: some no longer afraid of the virus that's kept so many from travel. >> we feel relaxed this time that we're flying. we've all been vaccinated. >> reporter: with more than 30% of american adults still unvaccinated, president biden warned friday about the ongoing dangers of the highly transmittable delta variant. >> people who have not gotten vaccinated have the capacity to catch the variant and spread the variant to other people.

>> reporter: dr. fauci too sounding the alarm. >> some areas where the level of vaccination is low and the level of virus dissemination is high, that's where you're going to see the spikes. >> reporter: in the midwest, fears of outbreaks in lake of the ozarks in branson, missouri, both popular for visitors but not the vaccine. >> we're already seeing some hospitals get stressed where vaccine updates are quite low. >> reporter: new york and california ready to welcome tourists but seeing alarming effects from the delta variant. >> it's more infectious than any other variant we've seen, which means that it's likely that one person can infect more people. >> reporter: just before the holiday, cities like los angeles and st. louis once again issuing official guidance that people wear masks indoors regardless of vaccination status. >> if you're not vaccinated, the variants are here. trouble is at your doorstep. >> reporter: a weekend to celebrate independence, but not quite yet from the virus. and for those traveling this

week, be prepared to pay a little more for just about everything, gas prices are up almost a dollar from last year. also things like hotel rooms and flights are more expensive. car rentals are almost 80% more expensive compared to last year. peter, savannah. >> yeah, tough to get a car rental these days it sounds like as well. we have much more on this ahead and how you can safely celebrate this weekend. that's coming up in our next half an hour. now to afghanistan where america's longest war is coming to a close nearly 20 years after 9/11. early friday the u.s. pulled its troops out of bagram air base and now the taliban is already trying to take advantage. nbc's chief foreign correspondent richard engle is in kabul, afghanistan. richard good morning. >> reporter: good morning, savannah. i can tell you there's a lot of nervousness about the future here in kabul as the american drawdown continues. the pentagon announced that the commanding general here will be leaving this country at the end of this month to be replaced by

a new general, but with a much more hands-off mission. the taliban is continuing to make advances. after the u.s. evacuated bagram air base, quietly, stealthily, the pentagon says it will complete its pullout early, by the end of august, ahead of the september 11th deadline set by president biden. the u.s. is ending its longest war with a silent march out the door. it seems to be coming from the top. president biden didn't want to talk about afghanistan at the white house yesterday. >> are you worried that the afghan government might fall? >> i think they have the capacity to be able to sustain the government. >> to follow up on afghanistan -- >> i want to talk about happy things, man. >> mr. president, afghanistan -- >> i'm not going to answer any more questions on afghanistan. look, it's the fourth of july. >> reporter: after the withdrawal, the u.s. has committed to supporting afghan forces financially, maintaining a military presence at the

embassy and perhaps kabul airport and carrying out air strikes in afghanistan from the region. critics say afghanistan runs the same risk of iraq, which collapsed into anarchy and extremist rule after american forces completely pulled out. many afghans fear the same will happen here. >> afghanistan will be the same as before. no education, no freedom. >> reporter: so what do you think? do you think the americans would prefer? >> i prefer they should stay, yeah. because only about the soldiers of afghanistan like most they get trained by american soldiers, they were together anywhere. so if i see the americans stay here, we'll be more at peace. >> reporter: the taliban have already been taking more territory, as units of the afghan security forces collapse, some surrendering to the taliban, as u.s. forces leave. the taliban captured several more districts in northern afghanistan overnight and aid

agencies are warning that there could be a flow of refugees leaving this country. they say the neighboring countries aren't prepared for it. peter, savannah, back to you. >> so much to watch for there. we know you'll be on it. richard engle, thank you so much. the withdrawal of troops is a campaign promise kept by joe biden but also carries significant risks. monica alba is at the white house this morning for us with more. >> reporter: when president biden announced the withdrawal back in april, military experts warned leaving could cause the collapse of the u.s.-backed afghan government, but the white house is sticking to its plan despite fears of future taliban control without american forces there. press secretary jen psaki said friday the administration is, quote, clear-eyed about the path forward and reiterated after evaluating all possible outcomes, the president still views this as an unwinnable war. hundreds of troops will remain in place to protect our diplomatic interests but details on a longer term strategy are

scarce, and there are concerns over what intelligence about potential terrorist attacks may be missed without a significant u.s. presence there. senior officials have not confirmed what will happen to thousands of afghan interpreters, drivers and engineers who helped the mission over the last two decades, only saying they will be relocated as deals with central asian countries are still being negotiated. many way come to the united states under special immigrant visas. meanwhile the pentagon says scott miller, the top general overseeing the troop exit on the ground, will leave his post later this month as america's longest war comes to a close. peter, savannah. >> a lot of questions for the white house and the administration still to answer. monica, thanks. the biden administration is now calling for a dramatic overhaul in how the military handles sexual assault cases. the president said military commanders should not control the investigation or prosecution of these cases. instead, the president is pushing for sexual assault and

harassment cases to be shifted to special victims prosecutors outside the military chain of command. the recommendation first came to the defense secretary from an independent commission. it's now up to congress to change the military law. torrential rain triggered a massive landslide in japan this morning. this is the moment a cascade of black mud poured down a mountain top sweeping away several homes, knocking down power lines about 60 miles southwest of tokyo. at least 60 people are -- excuse me, 20 people are believed missing. now we've got somara back with a check of the rest of the country's forecast for the weekend. i think it's going to be pretty hot. >> the northwest has already seen unprecedented heat and they're sharing the wealth. take a look at these numbers with me. we're talking triple digits here. 103 in boise, 100 in billings today. we're talking a high of 97 in rapid city and bismarck 100 degrees. 18 above the average for this

time of year. i want you to stick around. we're not just and our jose, morgan hill, 55, in through heyward and oakland, upper 50s by the afternoon expect the fog to remain through the first half of the day. 12:00 we get peeks of sunshine. upper 60s for san francisco, in the valleys expect 70s and 80s. 80s in the south bay. a high of 79 in fremont today. >> and that's a look at the forecast in your neighborhood. peter. >> all right, thanks so much. still to come right here, the show of support for track star sha'carri richardson after she was suspended from racing in her signature event at the olympics after failing a drug test. will she still be able to compete in other races there? plus the finishing touches

now under way for tomorrow night's macy's fourth of july fireworks show. we'll tell you everything you

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good morning. thank you for joining us i'm kira klapper. we have made it to the fourth of july weekend and people are raring to celebrate for the first time since the pandemic. but illegal fireworks and fire danger with our dry conditions are putting fire crews and police on alert this holiday weekend. last night the oakland a's put on a huge fireworks display, one of the many public celebrations taking place this weekend. san francisco's waterfront fireworks show will also be back this year. as for illegal displays, devlin police have about 1,000 pounds in their possession.

oakland police found about 100 pounds of fireworks along with $38,000 in cash. not just illegal but safe and sane fireworks, can still and dangerous. >> in approximately a minute the fire can get out of control. where it's leaving your yard, getting into a neighbor's yard. counties are reporting you to report ullegal fireworks usage. we have your guide to all the fourth of july celebrations on our website, go to nbcbayarea.com and click on fourth of july events. it's in the trending bar at the top of the home page. at 6:28 let's check in with vianey arana. the weather is going to play in our favor this weekend, comfortable. right now mild. a couple of 60s through the south bay, 60 in san jose. i want to show you the

temperature trend for san francisco because i know one of the questions around the fourth of july, is the fog going to get in the way? we are expecting to keep the fog the first half of the day today and also into tomorrow morning, but hopefully things clear out by monday night. full forecast in a few minutes. coming up this morning at 7:00 on today in the bay, if you are planning to hit the road or the skies this weekend, expect delays. we'll tell you about the growing number of travelers and the record spike you can expect at the pump. that and your top stories at 7:00. we hope you'll join us. right now we'll send you back to the "today" show.

♪♪ we are back on this saturday morning, july 3rd, 2021. a look at an admittedly gray and rainy new york city skyline. the good news is things should clear up by tomorrow when the sky will be lit up with those incredible fireworks from the annual macy's fireworks show. >> i traded up my weather this weekend. pyrotechnic crews have been working hard these last few months to get everything ready for the fireworks spectacle. we'll have more on the big show coming up in popstart. >> hopefully the clouds clear and it's nice for everybody there. we want to begin with a check of the headlines. hurricane elsa is barreling

across the caribbean this morning. the first hurricane of the season bringing heavy rains and fierce winds to barbados. it's moving toward haiti and the dominican republic as it threatens to dump more than a foot of rain. florida is now bracing for impact as well. where elsa could impact rescue efforts at the collapsed condo building in surfside. former cosby show fleecia rashard has apologized. she came under fire when she tweeted in celebration after former co-star bill cosby's sexual assault conviction was overturned. she wrote in the apology letter that her remarks were not directed towards survivors of sexual assault and she finds no excuse for such behavior. she also said she will participate in trainings to reinforce university protocol and learn how to become a stronger ally to sexual assault survivors. and dramatic images from the gulf of mexico show a fire burning in the water. come look at the screen. you'll never see something like

this. this was the scene after an undersea gas pipeline ruptured causing flames to bubble up from beneath the surface. crews battled the blaze for hours trying to put it out. ultimately they did. mexico's state-owned oil company says none of its workers were injured inferno. a growing rallying cry for sha'carri richardson, the track star who learned she couldn't compete in her signature race in the olympics after testing positive for marijuana. fellow athletes and fans outraged and calling for the ban to be lifted. kathy park has the latest on this. kathy, good morning. >> reporter: savannah, good morning to you. yeah, it has been a stunning turn of event for the breakout track star who had her sights set on bringing home the gold. in an exclusive interview with "today," she asked others not to judge because she is human too. she just happens to run a little faster. sha'carri richardson's olympic dreams are now on hold after

failing a drug test. the 21-year-old sprinter tested positive for thc, the chemical found in marijuana, after her 100-meter victory at last month's olympic trials. the violation means her race results are now invalid. richardson accepted a one-month suspension, which takes her out of the running in tokyo, where she was a favorite for gold in her signature event. in an exclusive interview on "today," she took responsibility for her actions. >> i apologize. as much as i'm disappointed, i know that when i'm on the track i don't represent myself, i represent the community. >> reporter: the track star has turned heads with her standout style and also warmed hearts during this emotional embrace with her grandmother, the woman who raised her. in an interview moments after the race, she revealed that her biological mother died days before the trials and said she used marijuana to cope with the tragedy. >> i was just blinded by

emotions, blinded by just hurting. >> reporter: a growing list of athletes, celebrities and public figures are standing by richardson. let her run trending on twitter. a response from nike stating they will continue to support her through this time. usa track and field issued a statement saying we will work with sha'carri to ensure she has ample resources to overcome any mental health challenges. while she may be on the sidelines for now, she says her journey isn't over. >> this is just one games. i'm 21. i have plenty of games left in me to compete in. and i have plenty of talent that backs me up. >> reporter: now, richardson's suspension lasts until july 28th, so she technically could compete in tokyo in the 4x100 meter relay. her agent tells three wire sports they have not been focused on the relay and it's very unlikely she will

all at the olympic games. >> they might not be focused on it but it's something we are all wondering about. kathy park, thank you so much. >> there's so many people who want her, just 21 years old, so intersection between mental health and sports. this is a young woman who obviously dealt with so much stress learning that her birth mother had passed. you want to not see her career knocked off course. >> and those pictures with her grandma are just so sweet. >> somara theodore joins us with a look at the fourth of july weekend weather. hopefully good weather for the holiday. >> yeah, according to aaa, 48 million of our frien let's do the travel forecast. the good news is the general consensus across the country, the weather is copacetic. if you're heading along i-10 just know right along the gulf coast you are going to be running into some rain showers and that is going to be the case

as we head throughout the day and tomorrow morning. so as far as the northeast goes, th all. are really cooling things down. down 10 degrees from the average in washington, d.c., in the upper 70s. new york, 66 degrees. providence in the low 60s up that way. so how about we talk about that fireworks forecast, shall we? who's going to see some fireworks? well, here they are. as we head through your sunday evening, now we do have some very clear conditions as we head into the southeast. i'll tell you something, though, in the mid-atlantic we have something called a temperature inversion so ultimately what you need to know is we may be dealing with a little smoke. things will be pretty cloudy in washington, d.c. chance for showers inew and we've got the marine layer bringing some drizzle along the coastline. current temperatures in the 50s for san francisco. 55, a couple 60s through the

interior. but we are expecting a seasonal day ahead. we'll keep a lot of the fog for the first half of the morning. bumping up into the mid and upper 60s by the afternoon. look at your day time highs for today. valleys expect 70s and 80s, breezy at times, mostly clear in terms of the sunshine for inland areas. >> that's a look at the forecast in your neighborhood. let's see what's going on, pete. just ahead, much more on the delta variant and what you need to know to keep your filyam ♪ ♪ when you really, really want something, it's hard to wait. ♪ ♪ (whispers) come on greg. ♪ ♪ that's why carmax gives you an instant online offer for your car. it's real, good for 7 days and we'll buy your car, even if you don't buy one of ours.

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to keep your family safe this fourth of july weekend. >> of course you want to enjoy the fireworks and those backyard barbecues, but with the covid delta variant now in all 50 states, should you be worried? >> we want to bring in nbc's senior medical correspondent dr. john torres. good to see you this fourth of july weekend, thanks for being with us. so many people have been looking forward to this holiday, the fireworks, the barbecue, family and friends finally together. so just to put some of these questions to rest, when you're outside, are you safe whether you're vaccinated or not? >> the overall answer is yes you're safe if you're vaccinated or not as long as you're in small groups. nobody defines wpace out a little bit, you're okay. if you're falling on top of each other, then those that are unvaccinated need to wear masks because they're not as protected as those that are vaccinated but for the most part you don't have to. >> so, dr. john, we know that these numbers are showing that some of these new surges are in these pockets of the country

unvaccinated. as we're talking about this delta variant, how concerned should those unvaccinated be? but also tell those of us who have had the shot what we need to know. >> so, dividing it into two different categories here, if you're vaccinated you're fairly protected in anything that might be out there, including the delta variant. if you're unvaccinated that's a different story because right now we know over the last six months 99.5% of people that have died from covid have been unvaccinated people dying from covid. that is before the delta variant even started to take hold. so there's a few considerations you want to make here. number one, the delta variant is more dominant and more contagious, but the vaccines protect you very well against it. if you're vaccinated, the worry isn't really there, you're fairly protected. if you're unvaccinated, you need to be extremely worried because it can hit and hit hard. unfortunately, it's possible it's more dangerous as well. >> dr. torres, for a lot of families the real questions, my kids are not old enough to get vaccinated yet, going to summer

camp like so many others, will be out on the fourth of july in some form. what's the message to the parents of those kids? what do they need to be doing to be safe? >> especially going to camp, one of the things you have to consider is the vaccination versus unvaccination, so it's putting us in two different categories. if you're vaccinated, camps can be like normal if it's a fully vaccinated camp, meaning staff and the children themselves. if they're unvaccinated or partially vaccinated, then they need to follow the local and federal guidelines and rules that are out there and they're there for a purpose. there is unfortunate incidents of a camp where nobody wore masks, not many were vaccinated and they had a big rate of contagion and a lot of coronavirus cases. so everybody needs to be careful but at the same time have fun. it's the fourth so have a good time. >> and a lot of the good news is the fun is outdoors. we know we're missing this goal that president biden wanted us to be at 70% of americans having at least one shot of the covid vaccine. knowing that we haven't reached

that, what do we need to keep in mind about herd immunity? >> i think the main thing we need to keep in minding is we're not quite there yet. only that 70% it's only one vaccine. we're going to be around 67% so we're close to the goal but we need to work on it and work on those people that haven't gotten vaccinated. remember, you're not doing it just for you but for your community as well. it will allow us to do more of these things like we're doing on the fourth and keep doing them and not get back to where we were a year ago. none of us want to be there. >> dr. torres, really great info heading into this holiday weekend. >> nice to s have a good one. have a good one. coming up we're going to gepeople were afraid i was contagious. i felt gross. it was kind of a shock after i started cosentyx. four years clear. real people with psoriasis look and feel better with cosentyx. don't use if you're allergic to cosentyx. before starting, get checked for tuberculosis. an increased risk of infections and lowered ability to fight them may occur.

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helping to prevent gum disease and bad breath. always go for 100. can you be free of hair breakage worries? we invited mahault y gives damaged hair the strength it needs. even with repeated combing hair treated with dove shows 97% less breakage. strong hair with new dove breakage remedy. we are back with popstart. since dylan is off this morning, my good friend, joe fryer, is helping us out with popstart. >> our good friend joe fryer is helping us out. joe, good to see you. happy fourth. >> hi, joe. >> happy fourth. this is a special red, white and blue edition of popstart. first up we have fireworks. more specifically the macy's fourth of july fireworks spectacular. the annual showcase of stars and

stripes kicks off tomorrow night with hosts renee elise goldsbury and ryan eggle. the jonas brothers, reba mcentire and coldplay will perform with guest appearances by alec baldwin, jeff goldblum and simone biles.e main event, should be nothing short of spectacular with 65,000 shells of pyrotechnics lighting up the night in honor of america's everyday heroes igniting a chorus of oohs and ahhs. you can catch it tomorrow night at 8:00 p.m. right here on nbc. you can also see a big fireworks show tomorrow in music city, part of a huge celebration featuring brad paisley. the country music superstar is joining our buddy, willie geist, this weekend on "sunday today." the two sat down right in the heart of country music, nashville, tennessee.

they caught up to talk about quarantining with family during the pandemic, returning to live music, and brad's big outdoor concert this weekend on the streets of lower broadway. >> a couple of blocks from here on the fourth of july, you're going to be playing for two, 300,000 people out here on the streets on lower broadway. >> who knows. it's however many it will hold, i bet. ike when you take something away for a year and a half, you could basically go down there and they could do a local theater production of yankee doodle dandy and have 300,000 people i think. >> you can see their interview tomorrow on "sunday today." finally, speaking of country music, instead of fireworks, wedding bells may be ringing for another one of country's biggest stars. i'm talking about blake shelton who "people" reports applied for a marriage license with gwen stefani in oklahoma earlier this week.

the pair first met on the set of nbc's "the voice" in 2015 and announced their engagement last fall. here's the key. under county law shelton and stefani have ten days to make the marriage official before the license expires, which means this fourth of july weekend could be extra special for the happy couple. big question, if they do get married on the fourth, will they have a big fireworks show at the reception? i'm trying to do this. there we go. a little confetti, a little fireworks for you all there. savannah, you just got engaged, my friend. what do you think of a fourth of july-themed wedding? i've got some apparel here that you could maybe use. >> oh, my goodness. i love it. yeah, can i borrow what you were wearing before also coming up for lady liberty willie geist? that was so funny. >> i'm surprised you didn't break out sparklers. the guy is on point. happy fourth, my friend. well done today. savannah every morning on

"morning news now" on nbc news now. >> sounds like a pretty good show. still ahead, hair. hair everywhere. the great lengths people are goingo when t i

we are back on this saturday morning with what some may call an unexpected silver lining of the pandemic. >> companies have seen an incredible amount of hair donations helping out so many in need. kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: in a small office space in new york, hair is everywhere. >> we've got every color here. >> every color. >> dark blonde, brown. >> reporter: ponytails, piled up through the pandemic. >> i'm going to say probably 60,000. >> 60,000 ponytails? >> reporter: when wig factory shut down because of covid, donations to hair we share sat

in boxes. and now as people head out for their first haircut in more than a year, it's like nothing they have seen before. >> i average between 75 and 100 pony tails a day. >> reporter: hair donations nationwide are up more than 135%. >> people were sitting home feeling desperate. they wanted to go out and help people. >> when was your last haircut? >> about three months before the pandemic. >> reporter: brian cohen never thought about donating hair. when it got past his ears, he got an idea. >> i kept going and said, you know what, why don't we do this thing. >> reporter: a few snips -- >> and there she is. >> nice. >> reporter: and brian's hair is one step closer to someone in need, like pamela barr in north carolina, who's had custom wig. >> when you look at yourself in >> well, i see myself as insecu >> reporter: for $145, the costr

we share offers a tracking program so people can see where their hair goes. >> being able to see the recipient and putting a face to that person, it really hits home. >> this one is from texas, arizona. >> virginia beach. >> these are from all over. >> reporter: they have gotten donations from around the world and beyond. astronaut christina cook sent her hair back from the international space station. normally the minimum to donate to hair we share is 8 inches. because people went so long during the pandemic without getting their haircut like our producer katie takes seven to ten donations to has a personal donate. >> since my mom had cancer, i decided it was a really nice thing to do because my mom said one of the hardest parts was looking in the mirror and having no hair and thinking just about cancer. >> it's just so emotional.

you don't want to be different. you don't want to look different or seem different, not outside in the world, not inside in your home. >> reporter: for the recipient, it's about much more than hair. >> they are given that confidence. >> reporter: for the donor, it's a way to do something after a year when even haircuts were near impossible. >> what do you think you would say to the person who's going to be getting a wig? >> i hope you like it and i hope that it exceeds your expectations. >> reporter: going to great lengths to give back. >> and there it is. >> that's a lot of hair. >> reporter: a pandemic silver lining. for "today," kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >> it's been so neat to see some things like that come out of the pandemic. that just makes such a difference to people. >> i like the words of pamela there, one of the cancer survivors, saying i now see myself as beautiful. i'm no longer insecure. such a meaningful story on this day. that's going to do it for us on a saturday morning. a quick note, by the way. because of some sports

commitments including of what you may heard of, the olympics here on nbc, saturday today will take a little summer break as well. we'll see you in six weeks on august 14th. savannah, as always, very nice to see you. >> i'm so happy to be here and now in our nation's capitalor now in our nation's capitalor th f eyour mission: stand up to moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis. and take. it. on... with rinvoq. rinvoq a once-daily pill can dramatically improve symptoms... rinvoq helps tame pain, stiffness, swelling. and for some, rinvoq can even significantly reduce ra fatigue. that's rinvoq relief. with ra, your overactive immune system attacks your joints. rinvoq regulates it to help stop the attack. rinvoq can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious infections and blood clots, sometimes fatal, have occurred as have certain cancers, including lymphoma, and tears in the stomach or intestines, and changes in lab results. your doctor should monitor your bloodwork.

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firefighters are on high alert for illegal firefighters. the date is set for the special election recall of governor newsom. why experts believe time may favor the governor as his opponents are announcing a new promise. on this holiday weekend we have all sorts of micro climates for you to enjoy. cloudy skies over san francisco right now. vianey arana has your full forecast at 7:00.

good morning. it is saturday, july 3rd, 7:00 on the dot as we look outside, cloudy