fog and the low clouds roll across the baby -- are rolling across the bay bridge right now. captioning sponsored by cbs >> glor: on a special edition of the cbs evening news, this saturday, from the disaster zone. a rising death toll, relentless rain, and growing flood danger in the carolinas. thousands face new evacuation orders as rivers swell to historic levels. we will have more on the enormous search-and-rescue operation by air and by boat. but first, the headlines in 60 seconds. >> the rainfall is epic. >> it just started flooding up the street. >> floodwaters are rising. >> there's cars going under. >> and if you weren't watching for them, you are risking your life. >> this is the worst it's ever been. >> this is a critical situation in jacksonville, north carolina. we have seen dozens of people pulled from these waters, and a coast guard helicopter has just

arrived. >> the storm is moving two to three miles per hour. >> you can probably walk faster than this storm. >> in wilmington, north carolina, a foot of rain has fallen so far, another foot or more could fall by tomorrow. >> people are scared, and it's not going to stop raining for a while. >> breaking news off cape cod this afternoon. a deadly shark taken. >> i saw a tail air, lot of thrashing, a giant eruption of water. >> the first fatal shark attack in massachusetts since 1936. >> at least three people are dead after a large and powerful typhoon struck the philippines. >> there have been dozens of landslides and thousands of homes destroyed. >> like it or not, you may be getting a text message from president trump. >> on thursday he will communicate with every cell phone in america to test a new fema alert system. >> this is really unprecedented. >> glor: good evening, i'm jeff glor in wilmington, north carolina, and this is a special edition of the cbs evening news. the rain will barely let up here

on this coast for another 24 hours. the preliminary rainfall totals from florence are staggering. the national weather service says more than 30 inches of rain was measured in swansboro, north carolina. that shatters the state's tropical system rainfall record of more than 24 inches set during hurricane floyd in 1999. officials warn some rivers are approaching historic flood levels, and the worst of it may still be to come. the death foal from florence climbed today to at least 12. some have been killed by falling trees. others have died on flooded roads. nearly a million homes and businesses in the carolinas have lost power. today, the mayor of wilmington told us it could take weeks to restore all electricity to the city. president trump and vice president pence receive updates on the storm at the white house today. the president plans to travel here some time soon. we have a team of correspondents covering this disaster.

we're going to begin tonight with adriana diaz and the massive rescue operation in jacksonville, north carolina. adriana. >> reporter: jeff, despite a mandatory evacuation order in jacksonville, many people decided to stay home, and that means some people saw these floodwaters rise around them. crews that were supposed to be out on the street collecting debris had to be rerouted to help with rescue efforts. volunteers brought boats, and federal air support was called in. coast guard helicopters flew through rain to reach people today in homes too remote for rescue boats. we watched as guardsmen were deployed to the ground. have you been pulling people from homes and roofs? >> yeah. >> reporter: most evacuations were by boat. we found this family looking for any neighbors who might need help. >> man, that was pretty quick. i woke up to it was about halfway up the street, and about two hours later, we were worried about it coming into our house. >> reporter: the national guard, first responders, and

volunteers rescued dozens of people who live in low-lying areas of onslow county. >> hello! >> reporter: ...where the worst flooding is chest deep. cali sterling lives in a dry part of the county but rushed here to help. what does it look like back there? >> it's pretty deep. it's scary. there are cars already going under. there are people freaking out. >> reporter: some brought what they could in shopping bags. >> you're okay. >> reporter: others cradled wet pets to safety. this scene is just a slice of florence's assault on the carolinas. north carolina governor roy cooper. >> the water is rising fast everywhere, even in places that don't typically flood. many people who think that the storm has missed them have yet to see its threat. >> reporter: that's why anthony love's family is leaving. they've been here for two decades, and this is their first time fleeing the floodwater. >> this is worst it's ever been. luckily, we don't have any water in our house, but it's getting

close. >> we have never seen this before, never, never, never. not like this, so that's something, you know, that's going to be, like for the history books. >> reporter: this rain is expected to continue for days, which means more resk of flooding. in fact, a curfew that already lifted will be reimposed tonight at 9:00 p.m. until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. officials don't want anyone out on the streets when they can't see well because of the flooding, because of downed power lines, and, also, with no power in this area, there are no street lights. jeff. >> glor: adriana, thank you very much. new evacuation orders were issued today in and around the city of fayetteville. inland rivers are expected to rise to dangerous levels over the next few days. here's demarco morgan. >> reporter: volunteer firefighters went door to door today across the evacuation zo zone, urging hold-outs to head out now. >> if you are in these areas, this is a serious,

life-threatening matter. if you are refusing to leave during this mandatory evacuati evacuation, then you need to do things like notify your legal next of kin because the loss of life is very, very possible. >> reporter: this is the cape fear river today. the river could crest at 62 feet, but right now, it's barely halfway there. florence may dump as many as 18 inches of rain before she's finished. 30 miles south, the city of lumberton is bracing for the flooding many see as inevitable. on friday, even as the storm raged, an army of volunteers and national guardsmen came here to try to close up a section of the levee that drops down for railroad tracks. robin bridgett came to this red cross shelter the day it opened. >> so we already know that the flood is coming, so why stay when we know we could come and be safe? >> reporter: back in fayetteville, the deep creek bait and tackle shop was about the only place for hot food and will likely be flooded out soon.

but owner craig williams kept it open for neighbors, power line workers and first responders. >> we said we would set up for them and try to feed them until we run out of food, which is coming up real fast. >> reporter: the cape fear river is standing at 25 feet. but during hurricane matthew the water rose to the bottom of the bridge. jeff, if predictions hold, the water will crest over the bridge some time tuesday. >> glor: that is just amazing to hear. demarco, thank you. coast guard helicopters were able to get in the air today for the first time since florence came ashore. mark strassmann flew along as rescuers pulled people to safety today. >> reporter: one by one, stranded florence victims were hoisted 40 feet into the sky. in all, 13 people from adults to young children who had gathered in a single flooded home in jacksonville, north carolina. this older woman waded through waist-deep water on two crutches, and with help, crawled into the chopper's rescue

basket. they were all saved. pilot lieutenant matt delahunty. >> it was pretty challenging because now the power lines, which i was trying to stay away from, now it's very difficult to see them and keep my distance. >> reporter: we flew with the coast guard as they responded to day two of flooding drama in eastern north carolina. over places like new bern, recovering from 10 feet of storm surge. yesterday's stormy weather was too dangerous for most helicopters to fly, but with calmer conditions now, all day, coast guard air crews plucked dozens of people from flood zones. vice admiral scott buschman flew with us over swamped neighborhoods. >> we're not through this storm. there are several more days of rain to come so there may be people that are going to be in distress or are in distress right now. so my advice to you is listen to

your local emergency management officials. stay put until it's safe to get outside. >> reporter: at one shelter, an evacuee had a headache. the shelter was surrounded by water. ambulances couldn't reach it. but one of these coast guard helicopters could, jeff, and flew the patient to a hospital in raleigh. >> glor: that's good news. all right, mark, thank you. as you just saw in mark's piece there, one of the areas he flew over was the river-front city of new bern. drone footage shows parts of what new bern have been submerged now by a massive surge of water when florence made landfall. hundreds were suddenly strand in their home and kris van cleave remains there tonight. >> reporter: james karcher flagged down the national guard as we drove through his still-flooded new bern neighborhood. he'd come home to see what he could safe. he's leaving with a duffel bag. you got home and you found your house was flooded. >> correct. totally, from-- from first floor to the third floor, all wet.

>> reporter: more than 400 people have been rescued since florence inundated the city of 30,000 with 10 feet of storm surge and unrelenting rain. a new york search-and-rescue team carried this man, who was on crutched, to safety. entire neighborhoods were turned into islands. new bern's mayor says more than 3200 homes and 300 businesses have been damaged or destroyed. the city has finished its water rescues, but there are still communities that are cut off because of all this floodwater. the national guard is going in to make sure people are okay. as the water receded today, neighbors started returning home, but some found little to salvage. this was all that was left of ruby and bill's home of 12 years. >> okay, ruby. >> i need some help to get up. i can't get up. >> reporter: despite the massive damage and daunting cleanup, mayor dana outlaw has been grateful. it's been a tough couple of days for you, though, i imagine. >> yes, yes. >> reporter: chokes you up a little bit. >> yes, yes, yes.

>> reporter: what-- what about it? like, what are you thinking about right now? >> i'm really thinking is and glad that nobody really got seriously hurt. >> reporter: this county remains under a mandatory evacuation order, and while waters across new bern have started to recede, there are places that are still dealing with a whole lot of flooding, and the rain just keeps coming. jeff. >> glor: kris, thank you very much. well, many stores remain closed here in wilmington, one of our crews today came upon some residents helping themselves to merchandise from a family dollar store. police did not intervene. they say store managers asked them not to. officials have announced an extended curfew in that neighborhood tonight. we're going to check in now with meteorologist megan glaros of wbbm, our cbs chicago station. she's been helping us track florence all week and doing great work along the way, megan. what's the biggest concern right now? >> at this point, i think it's the fact that it's still moving so cloal. i mean, clearly, we're get

something tropical-storm-force gusts here in wilmington as they are all along the coastline but the real concern will be from the rain we expect to see as this slowly just chugs inland. and it's going to continue to pull in atlantic moisture, so the problem with that is we're likely to continue to see these bands, the heavier bands. you can see north of wilmington wrapping around that center of circulation. the concern is not near the core of the storm anymore, but, rather, farther removed to the north east and of it. we have already picked up over 2. the 5 feet of rain across parts of southeastern north carolina and looking for potentially 18-24 inches additionally. >> glor: the big question is how long does this last for? >> everyone is wondering. we wait for it to be picked up by another weather system. i don't think that hams probably until monday.s up northeast. >> that's right. but then it's just a rainmaker for an area that could probably tolerate more rain than we could here. it will make for rain moving

forward. by monday you will see showers and storm activity across western portions of virginia and north carolina. the big concern i think moving forward will be the river flood risk. 22-- jeff, 22 river gauges in major or record flood stages by tuesday. >> glor: that's amazing to think about. megan, thanks very much. coming up next here on this special edition of the cbs evening news, the investigation into a series of explosions near boston. what records reveal about the gas company. and later, the first deadly shark attack on cape cod in more than 80 years.

>> glor: the investigation into this week's deadly gas explosions north of boston is expanding to columbus, ohio. that is where the pipe line control center for columbia gas

flagged a pressure increase on thursday. homes in three communities bust into flames that same day. kenneth craig was outside boston when it happened. >> reporter: in the three massachusetts communities rocked by a series of random and devastating gas fires and explosions, residents are running out of patience with their fingers pointed at columbia gas. >> how do i have any confidence that you're going to fix this now? >> so we really-- >> i'll have someone call you back on that. >> reporter: and today, the n.t.s.b. announced they were scrutinizing the company as well. >> what was the safety culture of columbia gas? we will be looking at their recordkeeping, their procedural compliance, their procedures, their training. >> reporter: government records reveal at least three other serious explosions in massachusetts, west virginia, and ohio, all linked to columbia gas. it's a subsidiary of nisource, a utility company that serves more than three million customers in seven states. a technician who punctured a gas line was to blame for this 2012

blast in springfield that destroyed a nightclub and damaged nearly a dozen other buildings and injured 17 people. in west virginia, the n.t.s.b. identified major safety issues when a columbia gas pipe line that hadn't been independent or tested since the late 1980s corroded and ruptured, destroying three homes. and in ohio, an investigation revealed an improperly abandoned service line was responsible for an explosion that caused millions in property damage. the n.t.s.b. would not say how columbia gas' accident history compares torg natural gas suppliers. and so many of those folks in massachusetts are being kept out of their homes again tonight. the n.t.s.b. says its investigation into exactly what happened could take upwards of two years. jeff. >> glor: kenneth, thank you. co ure today's deadly shark attack on cape cod.

from wilmington, north carolina. on this last saturday of summer, there was a deadly shark attack on cape cod. a swimmer was killed today at newcomb hollow beach in welfleet. it is the first fatal shark attack in massachusetts since 1936, and the first in the nation since 2015. police say a man who has not been identified yet in his 20s was attacked around noon and then pulled from the water. >> i would not be in the water any time soon, you know. this is something now everybody's going to be asking themselves when they go to check the surf, like, is it worth losing a limb or potentially your life. >> glor: this is the second shark attack this summer on cape cod. a man from new york is still in

the hospital after being bitten in august. a family from new york that lost a teenaged girl allegedly to the ms-13 game and violence is mourning another tragedy. evelyn rodriguez was at a memorial to mark the second anniversary of her daughter's death. police say it was there she was hit and killed by an s.u.v. shortly after an argument with the driver. president trump praised rodriguez at this year's state of the union address. nasa launched a billion-dollar satellite today. the icesat-2 satellite will use lasers to measure ice sheets and melting glaciers here on earth. the information will help scientists assess rising sea levels and climate shifts. up next, a monster storm even more powerful than florence half a world away. .

>> glor: more than 8,000 miles from here, a powerful supertyphoon is bearing down on southern china. it is already blamed for a dozen deaths in the philippines. ben tracy reports tonight from hong kong. >> reporter: typhoon mangkhut made landfall just before 2:00 a.m. local time. for 20 hours, it battered the northern philippines with sustained winds of up to 130 miles per hour and torrential rain which caused extreme flash flooding. and landslides. at least 12 people have been killed. throughout the region, residents woke up to scenes of devastation-- roofs peeled frome ground, and fallen power lines that caused blackouts in some areas. tens of thousands of people were successfully evacuated. but an estimated five million people remain in the typhoon's

path. this group had to be rescued from neck-deep floods. among them, an eight-month-old baby. >> yay! >> reporter: now mangkhut is heading to hong kong and southern china, predicted to hit on sunday afternoon. residents here are preparing for the worst. ben tracy, cbs news, hong kong. >> glor: when we return here, the heroes of florence.

>> glor: the worst storms seem to pring out the best in people. we have seen it again with florence. first responders, service members, and the types of heroes who don't wear uniforms have been risking their lives to save others. amid the worst floodwaters and rain, rescuers search for those in need. >> glor: leroy mcgee joined pastor matthew drake and members of their church, volunteering to check on homes in their

jacksonville neighborhood. >> how you doing, buddy? >> glor: they found two dogs. >> i know, i know, it's scary. come on, baby. >> glor: carried them back to their boat and to safety. in new bern, reporter julie wilson helped rescue a dog during a live report. as rising waters there threaten homes, sergeant muhar, from the north carolina national guard, carried the smallest member of an evacuating family. firefighters in wilmington responded to the worst of the storm, which claimed the lives of a mother and her infant. more than 500 people were rescued throughout new bern and jacksonville by first responders and volunteers. throughout the carolinas, rescuers continued to respond to florence by boat and on foot, carrying the most vulnerable to safety. good for them. we're going to have much more on the storm tomorrow on "cbs sunday morning" and on "face the nation." you can download the cbs news app to watch 24/7 coverage on our

live from the cbs 5 bay area studios this is kpix 5 news. voters said no to new taxes. one fire department is taking a drastic step to find the funding it needs to stay afloat. kpix 5's reporter is showing us there will soon be a fee for services. >> reporter: they will start responding discharging for responding to accidents. they are calling it cost recovery. the charges range from several hundred dollars to thousands of dollars for complex incidents. for example, the fee for a car accident will be 487 dollars

per accident per hour. >> that is outrageous. >> many people feel the same way. >> i cannot say i am happy with it. >> this should be collected some other way. >> reporter: the fire chief says it is the last resort. they need the money. district voters have down -- district voters have struck down tax increases. >> we have to find additional revenue. >> reporter: they only have three stations and cover a large area. the chief says the current fire protection is not adequate. their response times are slower than the state average. >> the revenue that we have is an issue. >> it sounds like you are getting charged twice. u'u are paying taxes and now