welcome to "world news tonight." deadly flooding and dangerous heat. in the gulf coast four months worth of rain. in a single day. at least two killed in the historic floods. the national guard on the scene. more than 1,000 rescues. >> by 10:30 it had gone about 100 feet. i mean it was fast. >> the state of emergency not over yet. tonight 50 million americans under heat alerts. it feels like death valley but it's new york city. up and down the east coast triple digits. the extreme heat sparking a deadly lightning strike. donald trump's new attack. what he wants his supporters to do on election day and not just to get out and vote. a crash landing. the plane demolished.

uninjured. a woman in critical condition after an alligator bite. tonight new details about that desperate moment and who helped pull her to safety. the 11-second victory lap. katie ledecky shatters a world record. tonight the final swim from michael phelps and simone manuel. the gold rush is on for team usa. good evening and thank you for i'm cecelia vega and we begin with two major and deadly threats tonight. dangerous heat for millions in the east and in the deep south historic flooding. louisiana in a state of emergency at this hour. this is the scene near baton rouge. more than two feet of rain falling in 24 hours. entire neighborhoods now under water. the national guard called in. more than 1,200 rescues.

that heat, take a look at this, the sidewalks here in new york, 136 degrees, more than 50 million americans under a heat alert tonight. but now the biggest threat those rivers are still rising and rising fast. abc's phillip mena starts us off from hard-hit baton rouge. >> reporter: flood waters ravaging louisiana and after hundreds of high water rescues some are still stranded. emergency crews working around the clock. to safety. in waist-deep water. >> this could have ended badly if they didn't come and help us out. >> reporter: these families taking only what they can carry. >> we have lost trailers, our apartment, our house has gone under. nothing left. nothing. >> reporter: louisiana in a state of emergency after record torrential rainfall. the hardest hit, livingston

three dead including a man swept away from his home. >> my son came to pick us up and get us out the water and he failed and me and my son and another guy tried to get him but too late. >> reporter: this family rushing to get out of their home as the water started rising. >> how quickly did it rise? >> like in ten minutes. >> all this happened in the last ten minutes? >> uh-huh. >> reporter: the only way in and out of the flood zone by boat. the water rising all the way up to the window in these homes. mailboxes barely peeking out. to give you an idea how deep and dangerous these waters are, look at that stop sign, that street sign and that car right around the bend. almost completely submerged. >> we got you, man. >> reporter: in baker, police chief carl dunn working nonstop to rescue anyone he can. >> big chief. been out here all night. got some families to go get. c'mon, ma'am. we got you. ma'am, c'mon sit back here with me. >> reporter: some residents still trapped.

stay off the road. >> if the sign says road closed it's there for a reason. >> reporter: two hours ago you could see the pavement in this neighborhood and now look at it. residents evacuating as quickly as they can. there are some refusing to leave even though the water is quickly rising. cecelia. >> and an incredible scene. thank you. we want to turn to the extreme heat baking so much of this country. the northeast right in the bull's eye. here in new york the temperatures more typical t a triple digit heat index all over. take a look. washington, d.c., feels like 114 with the humidity. new york, 110. even hartford, connecticut at 113. from the carolinas to new england there will be no relief this weekend. abc's marci gonzalez is testing the temperatures and wait until you see what she found. >> reporter: tonight a brutal heat wave blanketing the east coast.

>> the heat is a killer. >> feels like an oven. >> sweltering in major cities. skyscrapers and streets absorbing and radiating the heat. new york city under its first excessive heat warning in three years. checking the reading the temperature here, 105 degrees. but as you get closer to the sidewalk 20 degrees hotter. in central park some relative relief at 90 degrees. temperatures like this are not on u dangerous. sparking storms and lightning. >> multiple patients struck by lightning, mansion square park. >> reporter: a deadly strike in poughkeepsie, new york friday killing one man and injuring four others. >> he got blown off the bench. and his heart stopped. >> reporter: this year already at least 27 children have died after being left in hot cars. in this texas parking lot friday a 6-month-old losing his life. and with this heat, experts say

to try to stay inside between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. those are the most dangerous hours to be out in these temperatures. cecelia. >> good advice. get inside. thank you. let's bring in senior meteorologist rob marciano tracking it all. any relief in sight? >> not for several days unless you get a thunderstorm that cools off with some rain. that's not a bargain either. another group sent to the hospital because of a lightning strike in lake george. this time it's four people. radar showing thunderstorms. some severe across the northeast and continue until the sun goes down. tomorrow hot and humid. heat up over 100 degrees from d.c. boston you're getting into the party as well. the other big story is the flooding refusing to move west of the flood zone in louisiana, and some streaming northward. parts of the midwest until tuesday flood watches. >> rob, you get inside, too. thank you. we want to turn to the race for

he is telling his supporters to go out and vote on election day, but to not stop there. he wants them to be on the watch for cheating. this comes after trump said that if he does not win pennsylvania, it's because the system is rigged. abc's mary bruce has more. >> reporter: tonight donald trump with a message to pennsylvania voters. if he loses there, it will be because hillary clinton played dirty. >> the only way we can lose in my opinion, i really mean this, pennsylvania, is if cheating goes on. i really believe it. >> reporter: urging supporters not just to vote but to be on the lookout for cheating. >> watch and study and make sure other people don't come in and vote five times. >> reporter: and making the call for volunteers to help stop hillary from rigging this election. trump crying foul as he plummets in key battle ground states like florida and north carolina and showing signs of campaign fatigue. >> i want to get the hell out of here. i want to go home. >> reporter: he's giving voters whiplash flip flopping on his claim the president and clinton

>> i said the founder of isis. obviously being sarcastic. then, then -- but then not that sarcastic to be honest with you. i've been saying and keep saying because it's true but somewhat sarcastically. i've been saying he's the founder of isis and i say she's the close second. >> reporter: clinton coming to her defense. on another front. >> this is the biggest load of bull i ever heard. >> reporter: dismissing claims clinton lied when she said she her private server as secretary of state. >> mary, back in the news tonight that hack on top democrats. the fallout continues, but we're learning that many big names in the party are being told to change their phone numbers because of this breach? >> reporter: cecelia, even house democratic leader nancy pelosi is receiving text messages after what she's describing as a electronic watergate attack.

and urging other house democrats to do the same. cecelia. >> in new mexico a police officer killed in the line of duty by a fugitive on the run suspected of a murder in ohio. it began with a traffic stop. three men inside the car. police say the driver shot the officer, then sped off, stealing another car and shooting its driver, too. after a chase police caught up with them and tonight all three are in custody. to colorado, and a controversial sentencing in a college rape case. the convicted attacker given a much lighter sentence than prosecutors recommended. tonight what the young woman he admitted to raping told the court how he changed her life. here's abc's lauren lyster with the growing outrage. >> reporter: this former university of colorado student austin wilkerson convicted of sexual assault. tonight his punishment drawing attention for what some are calling a light sentence. >> rape is serious.

sentence for rape. but it's not a uniform rule. >> reporter: wilkerson facing 4 to 12 years in prison. the judge allowing him to serve two years of work release, nights and weekends in jail. according to local reports, that judge saying wilkerson deserves to be punished, but we need to find out whether he can or cannot be rehabilitated. wilkerson claimed his victim consented, later admitted to sexually assaulting the woman after celebrating on st. patrick's day in 2014. >> he definitely in our opinion and as we argued to the court throughout the process has given whatever version of the story at that moment is best going to serve him. >> reporter: the victim making her impact statement from court public saying when i'm not having nightmares of rape, i'm having panic attacks, even trying to take her own life. the case coming on the heels of stanford swimmer brock turner's six-month sentence for sexual assault.

out he was a first time offender which factored into the judge's decision and will have to register as a sex offender for life. cecelia. from des moines, iowa a family of four walking away unharmed after their plane failed after takeoff. the plane was destroyed by fire coming to a rest on a road. it was the plane's parachute that saved this family's lives. abc's gloria rivera has the store. and the images just coming in. >> reporter: a frightening scene. a small prop plane engulfed in black smoke moments after an emergency parachute landing in iowa. a father was at the controls. his wife and two children on board when he realized after takeoff they were in serious trouble. >> we have engine failure. >> he just went down off of park. looks like the chute was deployed. >> on fire. >> reporter: he deployed the plane's built-in parachute allowing the aircraft to float into an intersection hitting power lines on the way down.

aircraft erupted into flames. >> we just had the pilot call us and everybody is out of the plane, nobody injured. >> reporter: here in 2015 it was a loss of oil pressure that forced a pilot to deploy his parachute -- >> man down. >> -- as this plane went down in arkansas. it landed on a busy highway and was hit by a truck, but, again, everyone involved is okay. para have been deployed more than 60 times saving many lives. cecelia. >> we want to turn to rio. it is transition day. track and field starts as swimming comes to an end. but what a finish for katie ledecky winning another gold with that massive lead and michael phelps shares a silver in his final individual race. one last competition for him tonight and in the medal count team usa still way out ahead holding that lead. abc's matt gutman is in rio for us once again. >> reporter: tonight the baton has been passed.

gold foiled by a joseph schooling from singapore. phelps losing decisively. the most decorated medal winner in olympic history sharing the silver medal stand with two others. the gold medallist took this picture in the 2000 olympics in beijing. a younger idol katie ledecky, four medals around her neck. torpedoing through the freestyle. so far ahead seen swimming the wrong way. vesting her own record for another gold. you win the race, touch the wall, 11 seconds ahead of the next competitors. that is a long time in sports. can you tell us more about what was going through your mind? >> nothing different than any other time. i mean, i think throughout the race i was just appreciating

>> reporter: hasn't been all gold in the pool. some has been emerald. the diving pool has been green all week. organizers admitting it was algae. acknowledging they put the wrong chemicals in. and as track and field opens, to a mostly empty stadium, history being made. michelle carter becoming the first american woman ever to win gold in shot put and feats of strength run in the family. her father won silver in 1984 becoming the first father/daughter duo to medal. in usa history. also on the track, speed. the 100-meter heats. american justin gatlin winning his heat and usain bolt taunting his opponents for a third consecutive gold in the 100. and michael phelps saying this is it, tonight will be his final olympic swim. but as katie ledecky told us earlier today he's got nothing

decades before anybody eclipses his 22 gold medals. cecelia. >> we are all cheering them on. thank you. still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this saturday. a woman in intensive care after an alligator attack. she nearly lost her hand when she reached into the water in the everglades. new details tonight about how she survived and who pulled her to safety. the teenage boy stranded on a popular hiking trail. the race to save him caught on camera. and the little gymnast that co through their gym. tonight they are back on the matt and watch out simone biles. [ crowd noise ] whoa. [ gears stopping ] when your pain reliever stops working, your whole day stops.

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here's adrienne bankert . >> reporter: tonight a florida woman critically injured after a 6 1/2 foot alligator attacked her nearly ripping off her hand. >> you got to agitate them to get to do something there. >> reporter: 49-year-old kimberly sexton was in a remote area when she reached into the water to grab an empty soda can. >> she was standing on the dock, dropped a can into the water. as she reached in, that's when she was bitten. >> reporter: witnesses say the gator bit right above the wrist. two family members grabbed her to prevent her from being dragged into the water freeing her from the alligator's jaws. >> the hand was still attached though but almost a severe almost full amputation of the hand. >> reporter: the woman going in and out of consciousness transported to by helicopter to a local hospital. her family says she will have her third major surgery tomorrow. as for the alligator, it was caught by wildlife officials.

>> thank you. when we come back, orlando strong. a survivor of the pulse nightclub attack celebrates a major milestone two months after that massacre. and we have a passing to report tonight. you may not know his face. but you sure know who he played, one of the most famous droids in the galaxy. my belly pain and constipation? they keep telling me "drink more water." "exercise more." i know that. i know. believe me. it's like i've. tried. everything! my chronic constipation keeps coming back. i know that. tell me something i don't know. (vo) linzess works differently from laxatives. linzess treats adults with ibs with constipation, or chronic constipation. it can help relieve your belly pain, and lets you have more frequent and complete bowel movements that are easier to pass. do not give linzess to children under 6 and it should not be given to children 6 to 17. it may harm them.

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after he injured himself jumping from a rock on the oregon coast. six people have been killed in the last two years. and a major milestone. onhel collone shot six times during the orlando massacre taking his first steps today without any help. so happy he wrote on facebook with the #orlandostrong and #loveislove. we have a passing to note tonight. you may not know his face but you definitely know his work. british born kenny baker played r2-d2 in the first and second "star wars" trilogies. baker who stood 3'8" said george lucas convinced him to take the role because he was the only actor who could fit into that costume. baker was 81. >> when we come back, a golden moment. the young gymnast when the huge smile when she met simone biles. tonight tears of joy. we will tell you why when we

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finally tonight, america strong. the oklahoma gymnast who showed olympic strength in the face of disaster. they are now back on the mat. here's abc's john donvan. >> reporter: two young gymnasts you haven't heard of yet. jamari wilson. me level. and sheridan ramsey, who has rubbed shoulders with olympic star simone biles. both very good young gymnasts, and both part of a terrifying disaster last year -- when a tornado hit the aim high academy. the tulsa, oklahoma studio they both belong to. 50 young gymnasts were trapped in the basement that day, praying. one by one, firefighters brought them out. wrapped for the rescue. our senior meteorologist rob marciano spoke to jamari that day.

>> this whole area, where the bricks are laying, that was our uneven bar area. >> reporter: which has meant, ever since, the aim high academy girls have been struggling in borrowed space. until this week, when they were brought by bus to an established studio and told, that thanks to a million dollar donation from a local businessman. this is now aim high academy's new home. and when sheridan heard this -- >> i was speechless and i just started crying. i don't know. i've always wanted a gym like this. like a relief. >> reporter: and jamari -- >> i feel at home. i see the olympic sign and the american flag -- >> reporter: you could just tell where being tougher might take these kids yet. john donvan, abc news. >> thank you for watching tonight. "gma" and "this week" in the morning. i'm cecelia vega.

abc 15 breaking news. we begin with the breaking news from the abc 15 live desk, a drowning at the salt river. right now they're only saying it's a male of unknown age. the person died after being pulled from the river near gilbert road. no other information is being released at this time. we're making calls in the news room, and we'll bring the information as it comes in. and more brea mcso working on a barricade situation. they tweeted out this photo. their swat team and unincorporated area near mesa near university and crimson. there may be somebody inside with a gun. we'll let you know if we hear more. new information on a fiorina police officer shoots and kims a -- phoenix police officer shoots and kills a man after a man they were trying to arrest for murder attacked him

road. the knife slashed two of the officer's fingers. we're working to get ahold of chris grow at the scene to see how the officer is doing tonight, and let's take a listen on what he's working on this evening. >> reporter: two shootings erupt in phoenix in a matter of hours leaving two men dead, and police say they could be connected. >> they are known to each other and at some point could have been friend. >> ror shot and killed, and after speaking with family and witnesses police quickly found the suspect, reuben strand. they served a search warrant at an apartment complex looking for him. once inside the room strand jumped at a detective from inside the closet, and cut the officer's hand with a knife. the detective fired back killing strand. >> they just went straight up to the house, didn't say police