it's labor day monday. and parts of the nation are without electricity and they're facing extreme heat in the wake of last week's hurricane ida plus, shocking images and details surrounding nursing home residents forced to ride out the storm in a warehouse developing overnight, authorities in florida have arrested a suspect in the shooting deaths of four people including a 3-month-old. the new details ahead. over the weekend college sports returned as the u.s. surpassed 40 million cases of covid since the start of the pandemic and with school under way one

principal reveals a frightening run-in with a parent who didn't agree with covid protocol and brought zip ties to her office and our kerry sanders goes in search of an historic discovery inside the legendary bermuda triangle "early today" starts right now good monday morning. i'm phillip mena >> glad you could be with us i'm frances rivera this morning we start near new orleans where residents are still reeling a week after hurricane ida devastated the area hundreds of thousands are still without power in louisiana as oppressive heat is causing dangerous conditions many new orleans residents are heading to shelters outside the city our vaughn hillyard has more on the story. >> reporter: frances, it's tough for folks here in these louisiana communities to reckon with what took place a week ago because for thousands of them they're still living through it. and they expect in the weeks ahead to remain without power.

as you can see, so much -- >> oh, yeah. i ain't staying here nope >> did you lose your roof? >> yes all my shingles are gone and my wood fence around my house, all that's flat and i don't have no water. >> reporter: structural devastation. battling overwhelm ing taken by bus to shelters. >> we don't know where we're going. >> and seven nursing home residents have now died after 800 were forced to ride out the storm in horrid conditions inside a warehouse courtney thomas's mom was one of them a distraught staff member sent her this video of what her mom's living conditions looked like. residents' cots filthy on flooded ground residents laying in their own waste. >> there's wetness, stuff on the

floor. you can hear the confusion you can hear those patients calling out for help >> reporter: all seven nursing homes that evacuated to the warehouse now closed permanently. a crisis of care for families across the region. the wind and obliterated a hospital the facility evacuated its 120 patients but the demand for care still so high. >> you guys set up an emergency department in the parking lot. why? >> because we feel a strong need to help our community. there are no community health care resources prrp and no relief in sight. this bayou town is expected to be without power for at least four more weeks. >> we're actually packing up is grabbing all this for my mom and then heading out of state. >> reporter: long gas lines turned deadly saturday police say a man shot another man dead after a dispute and new concerns on the coast as aerial images show a significant oil spill just miles from the region's major oil and gas port. again, frances, you're dealing with a situation in which so many of these individuals may

not have power for at least another four weeks and in this community of lafitte, louisiana it's essentially become a swamp of standing water and mud. frances? >> so many layers of help needed vaughn, thank you. now to breaking news four people are dead after an attack at a home in florida. a woman in the lakeland area called police and said a suspicious man was at her house saying strange things. about nine hours later an officer heard gunshots and saw a man dressed in camo run into the house. he shot five people, killing four of them, including a mother holding her baby >> there's another volley of gunshots and they could hear a woman screaming and a baby whimpering >> police injured the suspect in a shootout he was identified as a former marine named brian riley who had no connections to the family riley's dirlfriend told authorities that he suffered from ptsd and had become more erratic but not violent.

an 11-year-old girl was shot multiple times, is still hospitalized but is expected to recover. the coronavirus continues to threaten in-person learning for millions of students and teachers across the nation according to verbio and new york-based data service, covid has closed at least 1,000 schools across 35 states since the beginning of this school year the closures have ranged from one day to several weeks with most temporarily moving to remote learning. >> that data comes as the nation has now surpassed 40 million covid infections and marks the sun official end of summer here's nbc's emily o'keda. >> reporter: americans are kissing summer goodbye in a pre-pandemic fashion airports bustling with passengers tsa screening more than 5.5 million travelers thursday through saturday that's up 3 million from last year so many americans eager for normalcy even if that means masking up in the process. broadway is back and breaking

records. friday night's "the waitress" grossing nearly $200,000 and in napa -- >> i haven't been out any place in so long and it's exciting to feel young again >> reporter: a three-day music festival welcoming up to 40,000 people a day more than 86,000 college football fans packed into the florida gators stadium in iowa two sold-out games no testing, masks or vaccines required this embrace of kickoff a point of concern for health experts. the holiday weekend ushering in a grim milestone surpassing 40 million covid cases in the u.s and stressed hospitals grappling with a severe nursing shortage >> this combination of things that have happened, the coping of schools, the labor day weekend, and football games, are all going to contribute to quite likely another rise in cases in mid september. >> let's go have a talk. >> reporter: meanwhile the debate over covid protocols reaching a boiling point in

arizona friday a student parent and two men threatened citizen's arrest of the school principal >> and one of them -- sorry. one of them was carrying zip ties military black large zip ties. and standing in my doorway >> reporter: the parent later arrested for trespassing >> this is the protocol we were supposed to follow he didn't want to hear it. >> reporter: the struggle over the new normal far from over research shows covid-19 has forced the closure of more than 1,000 schools across 35 states ranging from one day to several weeks. that number is expected to rise as roughly a fifth of school districts in the u.s. begin after the holiday. phillip? >> emilie, thank you there is good news regarding the health of civil rights icon reverend jesse jackson and his wife, jacqueline the two were hospitalized last month after a breakthrough case of covid on friday mrs. jackson was released from the hospital and reverend jackson has tested

negative for the virus this according to their son jonathan jackson reverend jackson, who had been moved to a rehabilitation center to undergo therapy for his parkinson's disease, has a new look in a facebook post jesse jackson jr. said his father requested that he give him a shave and that included his iconic mustache in the caption jesse jr. wrote, "this is the first time in 56 years i have ever seen him." a major change is coming this week for millions of americans. federal covid unemployment benefits including that extra $300 a week for those out of work come to an end today. the federal programs were launched during the peak of the pandemic after more than 7 million people lost their jobs recipients will still be eligible for their state unemployment benefits, though. from flames to floods, extreme weather has been battering our country and the conditions worsening each year, fueling a climate crisis according to the "washington post," one in three americans live in a county hit by a weather disaster 64% of people live in places

that experience several days of heat waves and $450 billion has been spent on rebuilding. from the wildfires, hurricanes, floods, snowstorms and tornadoes that have ravaged this country since 2005 in the wake of henri and ida now hurricane larry is brewing in the atlantic ocean as we speak. nbc meteorologist janessa webb is with us tracking it all janessa, good morning on this labor day. >> hi, good morning. yes, we do have a major hurricane that's brewing in the atlantic and it's going to continue to really gain steam. it's not a threat to the u.s. right now. it's the rip currents that we're really going to be watching. and bermuda as well. we'll continue to talk about that storm system. and i just checked how many people still without power in southeast louisiana. we're still up to about a 500,000 people and we're talking about heat index of 103 degrees today. also moisture is going to start to make its way into the gulf. we'll see wideaverage, though, r

the desert southwest near 107 for phoenix widespread fire danger now really a big threat across the pacific northwest. also heat concerns we'll talk about that coming up. >> all right, janessa, we'll talk to you in a bit team usa closed out the tokyo paralympics on a high note led by steve stereo's 28-point performance the americans took home gold over japan in the wheelchair basketball final. the win was one of 37 golds for team usa as the games came to a close. the americans finished fourth in the medal count. china, you can look at the table there, overwhelmingly took home the most medals, followed by great britain and the russian

paralympic committee coming up, the bermuda triangle mystery of five navy jets with 14 airmen that disappeared in 1945 may finally be solved. and howard university honors one of their very best "early today" is back in two fore on my insurance. do you mean surprisingly great rates from state farm? i don't believe in accepting help. but i'll make an exception. here's the deal russell, there's no special rate. these prices are for everyone. with the oak and the eagle as witness, consider us square. i made that from memory, i know your face that well. when you want the real deal... like a good neighbor, state farm is there. what makes febreze air effects different? while cheaper aerosols rely on artificial propellants... when you want the real deal... febreze uses a 100% natural propellant. check it out! pressure created by what's in your air makes the bottle spray. which means freshness everyone will love. does your vitamin c last twenty-four hours? only nature's bounty does.

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for 100% whiter teeth. its highly active peroxide droplets swipe on in seconds. better. faster. 100% whiter teeth. crestwhitesmile.com leading the news, conflicting reports coming out of afghanistan, with several outlets reporting that the taliban are holding hundreds of people at the mazar-e-sharif airport. it comes after republican congressman michael mccaul said this on fox. >> we have six airplanes at mazar-e-sharif airport, six airplanes with american citizens on them as i speak, also with these interpreters, and the taliban is holding them hostage for demands. >> the white house says it's not aware of any hostage situation described by mccaul. secretary of state antony blinken and defense secretary lloyd austin are headed to the persian gulf today to meet with

allies in the middle east and europe divers have identified a broken pipeline as the source of an oil spill that appeared in the gulf of mexico off the louisiana coast after hurricane ida. houston-based company tellos energy is playing for the cleanup but said in a statement that the damaged pipeline does not belong to it according to the associated press satellite images appear to show at least three different oil slicks the coast guard and other agencies are working to identify the ruptured pipeline's owner. howard university announced the installation of new letters on its fine arts building, which was officially renamed to honor the late alum and actor chadwick boseman. the university shared that announcement on twitter, saying that boseman's immeasurable legacy is what inspired this decision the statement read, "the college will provide opportunities for future generations of artists to follow in chadwick's footsteps and pursue their dreams as he did. still to come, we're looking into unlocking the mysteries of the bermuda triangle a deep dive into the graveyard

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i thought i could change my name start a new life but i can never escape his shadow >> marvel's "shang-chi and the legend of the 10 rings" was in no other movie's shadow, raking

in over $70 million in its opening weekend only on the big screen "candyman" came in a sweet second place followed by "free guy. and "paw patrol's" movie left a paw print in fourth place on the weekend. now to the enduring mystery of the bermuda triangle. it's where planes and ships have inexplicably disappeared over the years. perhaps because of forces unknown to mankind nbc's kerry sanders has a preview of a scientific investigation airing on the history channel. >> reporter: december 5th, 1945, five avengers take off from naval air station fort lauderdale on a routine training mission. 14 airmen headed to the bermuda triangle they were never seen again flight 19, the so-called lost squadron in "close encounters of the third kind" -- >> no one. these planes were reported missing in 1945. >> reporter: -- the mystery disappearance was answered

they were taken by aliens. >> mom >> reporter: but that's a movie. now in a new history channel documentary -- >> the hoodoo sea, the graveyard of the atlantic. or as we know it more commonly today, the bermuda triangle. >> reporter: a more than year-long well-funded scientist figs mission into the bermuda triangle resolves some unanswered questions mike barnett, the team's lead underwater explorer, making a significant discovery as they film the documentary "history's greatest mysteries." and then you finally found the avenger. >> we found an avenger >> reporter: but is this the avenger from flight 19 >> and that's the real question. we don't know yet. because a lot of people don't realize that there are hundreds of aircraft lost off the coast of florida >> reporter: with careful examination the jigsaw puzzle of a debris field reveals itself. >> we see this round piece of

wreckage with in the middle of it teeth like for gears. i'm thinking to myself, this looks like a turret. emotions are running off the chart. could this be an avenger >> reporter: yes, it's an avenger. but is it from flight 19 >> this potentially might not be one of the avengers from flight 19 but it still has a story to tell and by knowing what this aircraft is we know where flight 19 isn't >> reporter: confounding his discovery, researchers find navy records that suggest this may be a different avenger crash. since 1930 more than 325 planes have crashed or disappeared in the bermuda triangle more than 1,200 ships sank or missing. for decades sailors and aviators have speculated the bermuda triangle has forces we do not understand extraterrestrial involvement, ufos, something beyond our

earthly science. i dove into the mystery off bermuda three years ago. while we found countless wrecks, we found no evidence of inexplicable phenomena >> you don't buy into the idea that there are extraterrestrials or mystical events that have happened >> not one bit i rank it with the easter bunny and the tooth fairy. >> reporter: what remains is the mystery of flight 19 >> you're pretty certain they're somewhere out there. >> definitely. i'm sure they're out there >> reporter: out there in the bermuda triangle, an area the size of alaska, somewhere in the deep it's believed, hiding an explanation of what really happened to the lost squadron. >> one of life's great mysteries. fascinating there. our thanks to kerry sanders for that report. still ahead, janessa webb is tracking the fire danger out west and kate snow helps us celebrate the joyful and colorful career of legendary nbc weatherman willard scott e's ent.

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for over six decades he brought unbridled joy to our viewers across the country our nbc colleague the legendary weatherman willard scott died saturday at the age of 87. kate snow looks back at his enduring legacy. and kate, a tough day for our nbc news family. >> reporter: frances, willard scott died on saturday and even if you never met him, he was the kind of guy you felt like you knew, right he brought genuine joy to viewers during his more than 60 years on television. >> here's what's happening in your world this morning. >> reporter: willard scott knew

the weather. but it was his wit and charm that put him on the map. >> i don't do this for everybody. i want you to -- let's just see something here >> reporter: he began his broadcasting career in 1950 at our nbc station in washington, wrc. >> and sunshine will come in here -- >> reporter: willard joined "today" in 1980. >> the newest member, old uncle willard, the newest member of the "today" family >> reporter: and he's kept us laughing ever since. >> get your own duck, gumball. >> i told you to go before we got on the bus >> this is sort of like a big snail but inside there's a panther. >> how do you smoke that cigar and play the trumpet at the same time >> reporter: he traveled the world. >> somewhere out in the saudi desert >> this is spectacular >> reporter: becoming a household name >> holy mackerel can you believe this >> i came down to see if you wanted to jog with me. >> i'm ready >> reporter: willard even stole a kiss from first lady barbara bush during the 1989 inaugural parade >> how about that? i've been kissed by the best >> reporter: in

celebrated his retirement. >> i would not be here without you. ip lover you so much >> are you going to buy me dinner >> al roker writing of his mentor, "there will never be anyone quite like him. katie couric saying she's heartbroken. willard was as warm and loving and generous off camera as he was on and andrea mitchell calling willard "a ray of sunshine, no matter what the weather or how grim the news. for years willard helped families mark a milestone. >> 102 happy birthday, sir. >> let's check a birthday this morning. >> reporter: and though he didn't make it to 100 schmuckers put his face on one of their jars writing "may the smiles he brought to others live on well beyond 100 years." >> that's all we have time for right now. >> thank you, clyde. it's been a pleasure talking with you there you go thank you very much. >> reporter: a legend who always seemed to have a smile on his face >> it's a tough job. but somebody had to do it. >> reporter: frances, we all felt like we knew willard scott. my own family, my great

grandmother's birthday was announced by willard scott when she turned 100 and my family will never forget that i think so many people have memories like that frances. >> many share that kate, thank you. always sunshine when it comes to willard. thanks for

breaking overnight, new details surrounding the ex-marine who killed four in a florida home including an infant what police are saying about him. today millions of americans will lose their covid unemployment benefits, including that extra $300 a week check but some benefits remain we'll explain. hundreds of thousands still without power. scorching heat bakes the south and in the north neighborhoods are still trying to dry out from ida's deadly deluge. history in the making as a red bull stunt pilot delivers