flood threats continue this morning in colorado. heavy rain falls through night keeping rescuers from communities cut off from rising waters. boardwalk blaze. a boardwalk that survived consumerstorm sandy is destroyed by a massive fire. this is not a game. >> tough talk from john kerry as they look for a diplomatic solution to rid syria of chemical weapons. and up, up and away. a man takes off, attempting a transatlantic flight powered by hundreds of balloons.

this is the "cbs morning news" for friday, september 13th, 2013. good morning. good to be with you. i'm anne-marie green. in the words of one colorado resident, the flooding that's hit his state is like something out of the bible. at least three people have been killed by powerful flash floods that's cut off several towns, washed out roads and swept away homes. the torrential rain continued overnight. late last night thousands of residents in western boulder were told to evacuate. flood watches are posted in colorado, new mexico and western nebraska. it poured up to 8 inches of rain from the wyoming border to the denver foot hills yesterday. last night president obama approved federal disaster relief for several colorado counties. adriana diaz reports from the flood zone.

>> reporter: 4,000 residents living along boulder creek have been ordered to evacuate. rain falling down mountains scarred from wildfires proved to be a deadly mix. >> one of the fatalities occurred close to my house. a woman was struck by a rolling boulder and killed. >> reporter: the downpour was too much for rescue crews trying to reach people cut off from safety because of heavy flooding. >> it's not that we don't have the egypt or man power, just continues haven't permitted it. we haven't got up the valleys. >> reporter: the national guard worked through the night to rescue 60 people stranded in their home in lyons, colorado. >> the national guard is here to go 24/7. >> reporter: first responders in lafayette rushed to save three drivers who plunged into this creek when the road washed away. there was also a battle to save homes. >> as you can see, everybody is busy building up because we're

expecting more rain. >> reporter: and business owners resorted to plastic trash cans to bail water. >> i don't know if we have flood insurance. i don't know how we're going to do it. we're going to save it. >> reporter: buckets will likely be needed again today with more rain in the forecast. adriana diaz, bloomfield, colorado. >> the weather is so bad in colorado that national guard rescue helicopters have been grounded. david bernard has been following the storm. >> looks like dangerous flooding is going to continue today across the rockies, specifically colorado and new mexico. that's where some of the worst flooding has been occurring and is expected. we do have some areas of flooding in idaho, nevada and also portions of utah. now, here is the setup. we have a big area of low pressure in the upper levels out to the west. that is sending a southern stream of monsoonal moisture out of mexico right across new mexico, colorado and portions of

the plains. and that means the chance for heavy rains are going to continue throughout the day today and into tonight. in fact, look at our rainfall potential. we're talking some areas over 5 to 6 inches of rain locally anywhere across new mexico and colorado, maybe western kansas, getting heavy rain again today. i'm david bernard, cbs news, miami. baltimore international airport is open this morning after a lightning strike shut down its air traffic control tower. the airport was closed for nearly three hours yesterday, stranding thousands of passengers when the lightning hit the control tower and air traffic controller was slightly injured. this giant waterspout was spotted over lake michigan near kenosha, wisconsin, yesterday. it was one of several water tornados that formed over the lake but none reached land. a new jersey boardwalk that had been repaired following superstorm sandy has been destroyed by a raging wind-swept fire.

the fire is under control this morning but the seaside park boardwalk was still burning last night. eight blocks were burned to the ground, destroying dozens of businesses. vinita nair has our report. >> reporter: plumes of thick, black smoke swallowed a stretch of boardwalk in seaside, new jersey. workers say it came on fast and furious. >> it was smoke coming up from under the boards. nobody saw any flames. >> reporter: spectators watched in dismay, taking videos and photos with their smartphones. they gasped when this building came down. firefighters tried to reach the blaze from cherry pickers but ocean winds and tar roofs fueled the flames, pushing the fire north to seaside heights. that's the same area where superstorm sandy ravished the

boardwalk and recreation last year, thrusting a popular roller coaster into the ocean. governor chris christie is promising federal help. >> this is us. we'll pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get back to work wrt recrews recently replaced a section of boardwalk to create a fire line. >> it wasn't finished being built and it's got. >> reporter: several firefighters were treated for smoke inhalation. it isn't clear that sparked the blaze. u.s. consulate in western afghanistan was attacked this morning but no u.s. personnel were injured. the taliban says it's responsible for the attack in the city of herat. two car bombs were detonated and security forces were in a gun battle. american forces eventually secured the area. and in geneva, talks to place syria's chemical weapons

under international control opened with some tough words and a pledge from syria that was rejected by the united states. susan mcginnis is in washington. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. secretary of state john kerry and russian foreign minister sergey lavrov start another round of talks this morning. syria says it's begun the process of joining the u.s. chemical weapons ban treaty and will start handing over information about its weapons officially they sign 30 days after that. that did not fly with secretary kerry. >> the words of the syrian regime, in our judgment, are not enough. >> reporter: kerry and lavrov said they hoped to work out a deal to avoid military action against syria, but kerry made it clear he wants immediate action by syria and u.s. won't allow the talks to be used as a stalling tactic. >> it has to be real. it has to be comprehensive. it has to be verifiable.

it has to be credible. it has to be timely and implemented in a timely fashion. >> reporter: assad told russian tv the u.s. must stop threatening syria with military action. kerry said military force might still be necessary if diplomacy fails. assad again blamed rebel fores for the chemical weapons attack on august 21st. in washington officials say the cia has begun delivering weapons to rebel groups. on "60 minutes" former director of cia told john miller it's not in the best outcome of the united states. >> the best outcome is a settled negotiation between opposition and regime that allows for a political transition that keeps the institutions of the state intact. >> reporter: the main syrian rebel group says syria must be punished for using chemical

weapons. the report from the u.n. chemical weapons inspectors who investigated the attack outside damascus is expected next week. what's not none is if they-t will identify who is responsible for the attack. >> thank you. coming up on the morning news -- a flight of fancy. a man attempts to make an historic trip with several hundred colorful balloons. this is the "cbs morning news." several hundred colorful balloons. i can see the edge of my couch! (balloons popping) your life is a game of chance. chronic migraine, but what if the odds could be in your favor? botox® is an fda-approved treatment that significantly reduces headache days for adults with chronic migraine, 15 or more headache days a month, each lasting 4 hours or more. it's proven to actually prevent headache days. and it's injected by a doctor once every 3 months.

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a north carolina man set off yesterday to cross the atlantic ocean by balloon. jonathan trap hopes to make history by being the first to use a cluster of helium balloons. he lifted up into the foggy skies over caribou, maine. the airborne journey is expected to take three to six days. where he'll end up is anybody's guess. the wind could carry him from northern africa to norway. an environmental disaster is unfolding in hawaii.

state health officials are warning swimmers, snorkelers to stay out of the water near honolulu. that bigad shaban reports, the first is marine life. >> reporter: a murky mess and thousands of dead fish. a quarter of a million gallons of molasses accidentally oozed into the water. experts say it's sufficient indicating marine life. diver roger white shot this underwater video. >> there's nothing alive down there at all. everything is dead. covered with fish on the bottom. >> reporter: a faulty pipeline used to load molasses onto ships spilled about seven rail cars of the liquid into the water monday. it's tinted brown from the sticky syrup. the leak was plugged a day later but the damage was done. >> this is the worst environmental damage to sea life i have come across. it's fair to say this is a

biggy, if not the biggest we've had to confront in the state of hawaii. >> reporter: marine biologists say the spill is causing an explosion of harmful bacteria and algae but other health officials could be lurking. officials warn swimmers to stay out of the water because the dead fish could attract sharks. bigad shaban, "cbs morning news." a big announcement from twitter. this is the "cbs morning news." i'm breathing better. , so now i can help make this a great block party. ♪ [ male announcer ] advair is clinically proven to help significantly improve lung function. unlike most copd medications, advair contains both an anti-inflammatory and a long-acting bronchodilator working together to help improve your lung function all day. advair won't replace fast-acting inhalers for sudden symptoms and should not be used more than twice a day. people with copd taking advair

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. new york, sunny, today a high of 76. miami, partly sunny. rain in chicago and thunderstorms in dallas. los angeles, mostly sunny, a high of 86. on the "cbs moneywatch," twitter follows in the steps of facebook and rock bottom airfares thanks to a glitch. >> twitter is going publicly. fittingly they announced the news in a tweet saying twitter, quote, has confidently submitted an s-1 to the s.e.c. for a planned ipo. more than 200 million use the social media messaging service. they are expected to be between $10 to $15 billion. the stock rally ended yesterday. the dow was down nearly 26 points. the nasdaq composite lost 9 points. asian stocks were mixed as investors anticipate next week's fed meeting.

tokyo's nikkei added a traction. hong kong's hang sang added a quarter of a percent. talk about a deal. yesterday you could buy a ticket on united airlines for nothing, or close to it. fares were posted on united's website and phone centers for $5 and $10. some fares were listed for free, the only charges being airport taxes. united says it probably had to do with a mistake when fares were entered. united is thinking about if it will honor the no-charge fares. hopeful news for breast cancer patients. a drug manufactured by roche has been found effective in eliminating tumors before surgery. fda gave initial okay to perjeta. the rental is not binding but it could pave the way for full fda approval 37. the slowly recovering job market has been kinder to women than men. women regained all the jobs they lost according to the great recession, according to the labor department. men are still 2 million short. the gender gap is expected to persist until the jobs market is

much healthier. the man who changed the way we watch and listen to movies has passed away. ray dolby, founder of dolby laboratories, was a pioneer in audio technology. his work revolutionized movie sound and home entertainment and also amassed him a fortune in excess of $2 billion. in 2012 the theater that hosts the oscars were renamed the dolby theater. dolby donated millions to stem cell and brain research. ray dolby was 80 years old. >> very interesting. wendy gillette here in new york. thank you. in sports, the jets and patriots battle the element in thursday night football. new england gets off to a fast start, a wide open aaron dobson makes his first catch as a pro and takes it to the end zone for a touchdown. the rain started coming down at halftime and neither team could get much done offensively.

jets' quarterback geno smith throws three interceptions and patriots win 13-10. in baseball the battle for playoff positioning is heating up. tampa bay gets an eighth inning double from will myers to beat boston 4-3. the win keeps the rays one game up on the yankees for american league second wild card spot. and things are getting crowded in the national league. pittsburgh beat chicago 4-1, putting them in a tie in the n.l. central. when we return, a mission milestone. nasa's voyager-1 spacecraft crosses into a realm where no machine made by humans has gone before. e made by humans has gone before. ation. you'll find reviews on home repair to healthcare, written by people just like you. find out why more than two million members count on angie's list. angie's list -- reviews you can trust.

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here's a look at today's forecast in some cities around the country. washington, d.c., a mixture of sun and clouds. atlanta, sunny and high of 88.

st. louis will be sunny as well. denver, heavy rain today. and seattle, sunshine. a 2-year-old girl and a football coach were swallowed by a sinkhole in kentucky last night. louisville firefighters worked for an hour to free the pair. >> the little girl got out good. are you good? >> good, good. >> the 18-foot deep hole opened on a football field. witnesses say the toddler fell in and the coach jumped in after her. family members say the little girl was shaken up but otherwise okay. nasa has crossed a new frontier and made history. its voyager-1 has left our space solar system. >> the voyager spacecraft has actually gotten into the int interstellar space. >> interstellar space is the space between the stars. never before has a man-made object left our solar system.

v voyager launched 36 years old. it's about the size of a small car. if it encounters intelligent life, it's carrying a '70s era record player with greetings from earth as well as the song johnny b. goode. also music by bach, louis armstrong. guinness is out with annual book of world records including the largest walking robot, mechanized fire-breathing dragon is almost 26 feet tall. a woman in london was recognized for the fastest back-end walk. an italian man created the largest motorcycle, 16 feet tall. and the smallest dog, a chihuahua named milly, 3.8 inches. all cuteness. coming up after your local news on "cbs this morning," the update on the flooding in colorado. i'm anne-marie green. this is the "cbs morning news." no matter how busy your morning you can always do something better for yourself.

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a diverse group is being honored with the country's top cultural award. this year's kennedy center ho r honorees include billy joel, shirley maclaine, herbie hancock, martina arroyo and carlos santana. in philadelphia there's a battle over how to raise $15 million to fund their public schools. as elaine quijano reports, the schools were barely able to open this week. >> reporter: few were sure philadelphia's school year would begin on time, including the superintendent, william hite. >> we had cut all assistant principals, guidance counselors, all music, all sports, all secretaries.

>> reporter: 24 schools were closed. more than 4,000 employees were laid off. the city's pledge of $50 million last month allowed thousands to come back, just enough to open the doors this week. philadelphia's school crisis has been building for years. debt and pension obligations piled up as students moved out to charter schools ort suburbs. federal cuts cost the city $130 million in aid. it's a pattern seen in the country's biggest school districts over the last 18 months. chicago laid off 3,000 teachers and closed 49 schools. in cleveland, 500 teachers and staff lost their jobs in 2012. in los angeles, 4,000. constitution high school in philadelphia lost a quarter of its staff, including its full-time guidance counselor and

shares a counselor with seven other schools. >> i'm scared we'll lose children because of these cuts. >> reporter: miranda thompson has been teaching in philadelphia for 15 years. >> we've always had a counselor, we've always had point people, always had a school nurse who if we had a suspicion, we would go to them first and they knew the proper channels to go through. so what if i lose a kid because i didn't know how to do something? >> reporter: senior abby pearlman says the cuts send a terrible message. >> like i'm not important to society at all. i feel like the people that are making these decisions have already gotten their education, and that's not very fair to me, because i still need mine. >> reporter: and there's more pain to come. the school district is asking teachers to take up to a 13% pay cut and forego any raises until 2017. elaine quijano, cbs news. coming up after your local news on cbs, we'll go live to

boulder, colorado, as rain continues to fall on the flood-soaked region. and jim nantz will have a preview of the match-up between giant and broncos. and we'll take on you a tour of youtube's state-of-the-art studio for creating video. that's the "cbs morning news." thanks for watching. i'm anne-marie green. have a great day. ,,,,

>> your realtime captioner: linda marie macdonald good morning, everyone. it's friday, september 13. i'm michelle griego. >> that would be friday the 13th. >> i know it. >> here we go. >> hi, everyone. i'm frank mallicoat. happy friday, everyone. let's get you out the door with a little traffic and weather.

lawrence we're kicking it off. >> happy friday the 13th. patchy fog and drizzle. damp on the roads at the coastline. watch out for that. right now temperatures in the 50s and 60s. we'll have the weekend forecast coming up. >> so far on this friday the 13th, traffic is light across the bay area. some areas of overnight roadwork. we'll tell you about that coming up. here's a live look at the san mateo bridge cruising out of hayward. >> cruising! >> thank you. talks to place syria's chemical weapons under international control opened with some tough talk and this morning the u.s. and russia are at odds as they resume talks again today. as cbs reporter susan mcginnis reports, the united states rejected a pledge from syria. >> the words of the syrian regime in our judgment are simply not enough. >> reporter: they hope to work out a deal to avoid military action. but kerry wants immediate action by syria and that the u.s. won't allow the talks to be used