media said instead the blast killed nine civilians, including a number of small children. the pentagon has acknowledged there could be civilian casualties. as one of the largest airlifts in u.s. history now enters its final hours, american forces are focusing on getting themselves out of afghanistan safely after helping more than 120,000 civilians escape. those who didn't make it to the airport have been making a break for the border of neighboring countries like pakistan by the hundreds of thousands. the u.s. state department said there may be some u.s. citizens who don't make the deadline, along with thousands of afghans granted u.s. visas who are left behind. but national security adviser jake sullivan told ed o'keefe on "face the nation" the taliban won't stand in their way. >> the taliban have both communicated to us privately and publicly that they will allow for safe passage. we're not just going take their word for it. >> reporter: he said there would

be significant consequences if the taliban do not follow through, not just diplomatic and economic, but other tools would be brought to bear. >> that's our charlie d'agata reporting in doha. the remnants of hurricane ida continue to dump wet misery across the south. and where the storm has passed, hundreds remain trapped by floodwaters and more than a million electric customers are still without power. hospitals across the south were already swamped by covid patients and running low on oxygen, ventilators, and intensive care beds. wll, now many are running on generators and dealing with damage from the storm. dr. mark klein, that's the fashion in chief at children's hospital in new orleans, discussed the challenges ahead. >> we have considerable amount of damage to the hospital itself, including to our brand-new building, which is a $300 million building that literally opened a few days before the hurricane's landfall.

we've had intrusion of water under the ground floor, several inches of water into our chapel, which has not even been used at this point. also, water through the roof. we have issues with electricity, of course. no electricity. so we're on emergency generation and have been on that emergency power for a little more than 12 hours. the good news is that all of our patients stayed safe. we're locked down from about 6:00 yesterday morning on. we're still locked down. so we've got a lot of staff that are in the hospital, either literally not sleeping at all, or sleeping on air mattresses. they did a great job taking care of the patients, and all of the patients are safe. bury going forward, we're very concerned about the power situation. we're concerned about clean water. and we have a substantial number

of critically ill children in the hospital and we're making contingency plans for potentially transferring them to a children's hospital in another state if necessary. the power grid failure in new orleans was cataclysmic and that we can expect to be without power for a week or more. our sense is that there really isn't a timetable for restoration of power. we currently have fuel for emergency generation to last about another four days. and we don't know what our ability will be to get additional fuel in given the conditions with the roads and will be placing some calls to a couple of other children's hospitals today. you know, fewer than 5% of all the hospitals nationally are children's hospitals. so we don't have the luxury of being able to transfer patients to just any hospital because we really take care of the sickest of the sick.

children with very complex medical problems. so it would have to be a facility that has capabilities that are similar to ours. and we cover a broad swath of the south. we're very proud of the fact we're standing in the gap for children across louisiana and the central gulf south. and if we're put in a position of having to do that, it would be a significant problem for children and families across a several hundred mile swath of this part of the country. >> that is dr. mark klein, physicians in chief at a hospital in new orleans. the stress for caring for the surge in covid patients was already taking a toll on doctors and nurses. many say they're simply burned out and have been leaving the profession. tara narula has more on this. >> reporter: the nurses with spoke to said both the number of hours they work and the number

of patients they're responsible for have them feeling depleted and under resourced. for many, it's about preserving quality of life and maintaining a quality environment where they can give patients the attention they need. spending early mornings at home is a new part of paulette rangel's routine. for seven years she worked overnights as an icu nurse at a level 1 trauma center in phoenix. when covid came calling last year, rangel and her coworkers stepped up. >> some nurses were working four, five, six days a week, 12-hour shifts. you felt guilty for wanting to call off because you knew you were going to leave your coworkers behind and they would have to pick up the slack. >> reporter: rangel says her training gave her the skills to respond to a pandemic, but did not prepare her for the emotional toll. >> when you are working 12 hours straight in these high stress, high adrenaline situations, it takes a lot out of you.

we wanted to be there for our patients, but, you know, when we're running on fumes, it's hard to do that. >> reporter: back home after her shift, rangel's distress was obvious. >> i would just come home and i would go straight to my room. the kids weren't allowed in there. and i wasn't touching them. talking to my husband, you know, i was just telling him like i really don't want to get you guys sick. >> reporter: after trying counseling and antidepressants, rangel switched to a job in community health, seeing healthier patients during daytime hours. >> the problems we see in nursing now are not new. it's that high level that we had before covid that's made it just really out of hand now. >> reporter: linda akin teaches and studies nursing at the university of pennsylvania. >> we have a robust supply of nurses. the problem is that we don't have enough funded permanent full-time positions for nurses and the settings where they're needed for namely hospitals,

nursing homes and schools. >> reporter: there are no federal limits on patient-to-nurse ratios. california is the only state that has set minimum staffing standards. akin says the work load varies widely, with nurses in some hospitals caring for as many as ten patients. >> nurses make the difference in whether patients live or not. every patient added to a nurse's work load is associated with a 7% increase in the odds a patient will die just after common surgical procedures. >> reporter: in the early months of the pandemic, christopher hayes hit the road as a travel nurse to help staffing shortages at hospitals overwhelmed with covid patients. what is it that really wore you down the most during the pandemic? >> getting used to the amount of people that were dying from covid, and then talking to their family members after they died. >> reporter: as hayes rotated through four hospitals in texas and oklahoma, he saw a pattern.

>> people just still honestly do not understand how severe this is, how bad staffing for nursing. i have to take care of myself first before i can take care of someone else. >> reporter: hayes is now taking a break from nursing to recharge. back home in little rock, arkansas, he opened a cbd store, hoping to heal people in a different way. while they welcome acts of gratitude, nurses say what they really need from administrators are reinforcements. >> when times are tough and things are getting rough, they'll have a pizza party. you know, you guys are spread really, really thin, and we can't get new nurse, but here is pizza. >> would you ever consider going back to the hospital and taking that kind of job after the pandemic is over? >> i would definitely go back. >> that was dr. feeling sluggish or weighed down? it could be a sign that your digestive system isn't working at it's best taking metamucil everyday can help. metamucil psyllium fiber, gels to trap

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15 minutes could save you 15% or more. don't settle. start your day with secret. secret stops odor-causing sweat 3x more. and the provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything! no sweat. secret. ♪ all strength. no sweat. ♪ a student's return to the classroom, some after a year and a half away teachers are finding that many are suffering from mental health issues. meg oliver has more on this. >> you're note feeling okay, then you should speak up and say something. >> reporter: this summer at new jersey's montclair state university, 16-year-old katherine learned techniques to reduce stress and how to focus on mental wellness. >> a lot of kids, they don't want to address it or they're

scared to address it. >> reporter: on top of remote high school classes, she worked at her family's day-care center. but as pressure and isolation took a toll, zumba kept quiet. >> i would always fake a smile. >> reporter: were you depressed? >> not really depressed, but mostly sad all time. >> reporter: a recent survey by mental health america fourth found 54% of 11 to 17-year-olds reported frequent suicidal thoughts or self-harm in the previous two weeks, the highes rate since it began screening in 2014. psychologist jacqueline freedman lombardo. what is your advice to students and parents that are struggling with their mental health right now. >> mental health isn't always about seeing a psych kris. it's about becoming involved in your community. it's about making those connections, feeling you belong. >> it's happens toe you, it's happened to us. >> reporter: even before starting their junior high school year, she learned

lessons. >> the real thing you have to focus on is just how you handle it. >> reporter: this school year, the lesson is healing children's minds is as important as their

the end of america's lockest war has proved tram for 13 u.s. troops who were killed in last week's terror attack in kabul. o weijia jang has their story. >> reporter: president biden and first lady jill biden attended their dignified transfer in dover, delaware. the fallen include u.s. marines, a navy sailor and a soldier. in one of sergeant nicole gee's last instagram posts, the 23-year-old shared a photo of herself holding an afghan baby with the caption "i love my job," something she just told her sister. >> some of the last things she said is i love being here. this is amazing work.

she couldn't wait to tell me more about it. after deployment. >> reporter: 31-year-old staff sergeant darrin hoover's father said his son was devoted to family and to leading fellow marines. >> and they would have followed him through the gates of hell if that's what it took. and ultimately that's pretty much what he did. >> reporter: 20-year-old lance corporal kareem nikoui's mother wrote on social media "i felt my soul leave my body as i was screaming that it can't be true. no mother, no parent should ever have to hear that their child is gone." 20-year-old lance corporal rylee mccollum will never get to experience fatherhood. his wife is expecting their first child. the servicemen and women range in age from 20 to 31. all killed doing what they loved. >> our weijia jang reporting there.

in addition to those killed, 18 u.s. troops were wounded in the airport attack. they are recovering at a hospital in germany that is the "overnight news" for this tuesday. reporting from the nation's capitol, i'm errol barnett. good morning. this is cbs news flash. i'm elise preston in new york. u.s. officials are working to get fewer than 200 americans out of afghanistan. the state department says those stranded americans may need to fly on charter planes once the kabul airport reopens. five republican-led states are under investigation by the education department for banning mask requirements in schools. the bans in iowa, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee, and utah conflict with cdc guidelines. jury selection begins today for elizabeth holmes, the founder of theranos. holmes faces federal charges for knowingly misrepresenting the health tech company's blood testing capabilities. for more news download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connect to it tv.

i'm elise preston, cbs news, new york. it's tuesday, august 31st, 2021. this is the "cbs morning news." southern emergency. search and rescue efforts now underway in the aftermath of hurricane ida. the new threat for more than a million people who don't have power. the last soldier. a striking image released as the final u.s. service member leaves afghanistan. how the government plans to help americans and allies who couldn't make it out. mask mandate showdown. why the department of education is opening up a civil rights investigation into five states. ♪ ♪