naples fire and rescue had to break the window to this car to pull a woman to safety. in charlotte county two heavy construction cranes at this building site were toppled, and scaffolding smashed into the building, a testament to the storm's powerful winds. >> this is icu. we have major structural collapse. we have major flooding. >> reporter: and health care workers at a hospital in port charlotte were forced to move vulnerable patients, some of them on ventilators, as part of the roof was torn off. this is the kind of damage 124-mile-an-hour winds can cause. the storm just toppled this gas station. and just behind it the wind blew out the windows on this building, all the way up to the fifth floor. it could take weeks to clean up. norah? >> yeah, it's hard to get gas anywhere around this area. thank you, omar villafranca. cbs's david begnaud got a

firsthand look from the air at the catastrophic damage. and early estimates predict the cost to rebuild will likely be in the tens of billions of dollars. so david, what did you see? >> reporter: i've never seen storm surge do what this did. i've been covering hurricanes for 22 years. we flew over this place called little hickory island, which a barrier island just west of bonita springs. and norah, as we came over the otels allut looked l had been shot out of a cannon. i'm talking about sand that has been pushed probably a mile inland. and it looked to be two to three feet deep. there were some places where taillights of vehicles were sticking out of the sand, like a stick almost. >> wow. ? when we got on the helicopter in tampa we flew south, and the first widespread devastation we saw was over the community of englewood. a lot of residents, people waving at the helicopter, completely surrounded by flood water and really heavy wind damage. bottom line, as far as we could tell along the coast it reminded me of an earthquake as if the

hurricane just picked up the earth and shook it. >> because it was all along the coast, yeah. >> and just, i mean, tossed like toys. >> david begnaud, thank you so much. appreciate it. well, as david mentioned, this hurricane caused so much widespread damage. and it was not just here in southwest florida but also from orlando all the way to the northeast coast in st. augustine. and that's where we find cbs's meg oliver tonight. good evening, meg. >> reporter: norah, hurricane ian is pounding st. augustine right now as high winds, steady rain and severe flooding. and it's only expected to get worse during the next high tide. residents of central florida woke to high winds and catastrophic flooding. forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes. in hard-hit kissimmee first responders used air boats to rescue those trapped. >> we were deep in water in the house. >> reporter: in some cases people were carried to safety, like this woman, crying with relief to escape the flood waters. >> we're going to bring them out

to higher ground, and then we're going to be settling them to shelters. >> reporter: rescue crews raced to evacuate residents of this orlando nursing home threatened by rising waters. this woman and her 72-year-old mother were forlsed to swim out a window to reach safety. >> you have to like either swim or drown. >> reporter: dramatic rescues played out across the region. these two people were plucked from their sailboat overnight. here in st. augustine at the height of high tide water spilled overtime the sea wall washing out roads and sidewalks more than i amile and a half. the high water leaving cars stranded, boats swamped and people flirting with danger to see the destruction up close. in addition to the flooding, high winds are expected with gusts up to 60 miles per hour throughout the night. then this storm is expected to move up the atlantic and is expected to make landfall in charleston tomorrow. norah? >> meg olive, thank you. and as meg just mentioned,

charleston, south carolina is bracing for a direct hit and seven-foot storm surge. the storm has recharged and it's just regained this hurricane status. now communities along the carolina coastline like charleston are getting ready by providing sandbags to anyone who needs them. dr. rick knabb used to lead the hurricane center, and he's now one of our partners at the weather channel. good evening, dr. knabb. >> good evening, norah. ian is a hurricane once again out over the atlantic east of northeastern florida. but it is still affecting the northeastern florida coastline with winds and rainfall and it will be near that tropical storm hurricane threshold all the way up until making landfall in south carolina tomorrow. but then it will be an inland wind and rain event in the carolinas and in the appalachians. hurricane warnings near the coast, tropical storm warnings well inland, and storm surges warning at the coast. evacuate if you've been told to

do so. and be careful of inland flooding from heavy rains. norah? >> the "cbs overnight news" will be right back. when cold symptoms keep you up, try vicks nyquil severe. just one dose starts to relieve 9 of your worst cold and flu symptoms, to help take you from 9 to none. for max strength nighttime relief, nyquil severe: ♪♪ what happens to your body language when you use dove dry spray? [laughing]

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new drone technology is allowing scientists to study monster storms like ian dangerously up close. in tonight's "eye on america" cbs's ben tracy takes on a historic first of its kind -- flight into the eye of hurricane ian. >> there goes the best. holy cow. >> reporter: this is what it was like flying straight into the eye of hurricane ian. >> oh! >> reporter: it was one of the roughest flights the team from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration has ever experienced. and it was also historic. before taking off they loaded on their new secret weapon, a

3.5-foot tube containing a hurricane-hunting drone. so this drone can literally go fly around the inside of a hurricane? >> yes. what we want to do is fly in and around those highest winds. >> reporter: it's called the altius 600. it weighs about 25 pounds. it can fly for nearly four hours. it's deployed out the bottom of the plane. and its mission is to go where no aircraft or scientist can go, the so-called boundary layer, where the air in the ocean violently meet, below 3,000 feet. >> so when these systems make landfall, we want to know what's going on in that very critical boundary layer. so we can help forecasters and emergency managers make the decisions they need to make. >> reporter: after dropping the drone into hurricane ian wednesday, it recorded 216-mile-per-hour winds just 2100 feet above the surface. it doesn't record video but the data could be critical in detecting when a hurricane

rapidly intensifies, something scientists say is happening more frequently as climate change warms ocean waters, providing more fuel for monster storms like ian. when this flies into the eye wall of a hurricane, why does that not just shred this? >> it just doesn't weigh much. and we're also going to be flying with the wind. we're not trying to fight it. we're trying to go with it. >> reporter: and they hope it will help them improve hurricane forecasts and save lives. for "eye on america," i'm ben tracy in lakeland, florida. and turning to the day's other big headlines, the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas is interviewed by the thomas is interviewed by the january 6th one prilosec otc in the morning blocks excess acid production for a full 24 hours. unlike pepcid, which stops working after 9. 24 hour protection. prilosec otc one pill, 24 hours, zero heartburn. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? prilosec otc try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company.

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it goes on clear. no mess. just soothing comfort. try vicks vapostick. ginni thomas, the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas, stood by her 2020 election fraud claims today when she was interviewed by the congressional committee investigating the january 6th attack on the capitol. the committee wanted to ask the conservative activist about her communications with former white house chief of staff mark meadows and the lawyer who drafted plans for keeping then president trump in office after he lost the election. thomas said she wanted to clear up any misconceptions. well, the u.s. economy got a bad report card today showing a second straight quarter of economic contraction. mortgage rates surged for the sixth week in a row, moving closer to 7% on a 30-year fixed. that's actually the highest level in 15 years.

all three major stock indices were down today. u.s. stocks have lost more than 20% of their value this year. all right. coming up next, the

secretary of state antony blinken says the u.s. will never recognize russia's planned annexation of ukrainian territory nor those sham referendums in ukraine. putin is expected to claim several regions of ukraine on friday. in the baltic sea another leak has been discovered in one of those pipelines carrying russian natural gas to europe. nato ruled it an act of sabotage and warned attacks on allies' infrastructure will be met with a united response. well, the music world is remembering west coast hip-hop star coolio, who died in los angeles on wednesday. ♪ been spending most our lives ♪ ♪ living in a gangster's

paradise ♪ coolio was born artis leon ivey jr. and raised in compton. his grammy-winning inner city anthem "gangsta's paradise" was a huge hit in the '90s. coolio's playful persona in his music videos made him popular with young audiences. coolio was 59 years old. we want to end back here tonight in florida, where the destruction and devastation left in the wake of hurricane ian will take days and perhaps weeks to fully comprehend. this monster storm has changed not just the landscape of the state but the lives of those who call florida home. there's one thing left unchanged by ian, and that is the resilience of the people here. it won't change the love that they share for their neighbors. and that's not just true for this state. the rest of america is here to help. and that is the "overnight news" for this friday. for some of you the news continues. for others check back later for "cbs mornings." and remember, you can follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com or on my instagram page.

reporting from fort myers, florida i'm norah o'donnell. this is cbs news flash. i'm dan lieberman in new york. a hurricane warning's been issued for the south carolina coast as national guard troops are being positioned to help in what is expected to be another recovery and rescue effort in days to come as the national hurricane center predicts ian will make landfall in south carolina friday as a category 1 hurricane. president biden at fema headquarters promised a strong federal response and said he plans to visit florida. he said numbers from the storm's death toll are still unclear. from coast to coast on the florida peninsula rescue crews continue to wade through flood waters to help thousands of people trapped amid shattered

buildings and flooded homes. more than 2.5 million homes and businesses lost power. for more news download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for joining us. and as we come on the air tonight, ian has regained hurricane strength. as it moves into the atlantic, taking aim at georgia and the carolinas. but what it left behind here in florida is unimaginable in scale and historic in reach. the president saying tonight this could be the deadliest hurricane in florida's history. we witnessed the trail of destruction this category 4 storm left. florida governor ron desantis said today this is a once in

500-year flooding event. the hurricane-force winds and record storm surge caused widespread damage to entire communities and cities, washing away roads and bridges and knocking out power to millions. tonight more than 2.6 million customers are without electricity, and officials warn it could be days or even weeks before power is fully restored. tonight the states of georgia, the carolinas and virginia will all have declared a state of emergency ahead of ian's expected landfall tomorrow. we have team coverage tonight all throughout florida and beyond, and cbs's kris van cleave will start us off from north fort myers. kris, i know the damage where you are is quite extensive. >> reporter: norah, for this home the damage is total. completely destroyed this home. now, if you go down the block you'll see homes like this. you'll see other homes with roofs ripped off and the occasional one somehow unscathed. we are four miles from the

water. so this was all wind damage. as daylight broke the path of destruction left behind by hurricane ian was devastating. block by block fort myers beach looks like it was hit by a bomb. only small pieces of debris remain where homes and businesses once stood. ian came ashore as a category 4 hurricane. the storm surge was so powerful in naples it swept homes off their foundation. >> there it is. a house going by. >> reporter: the destruction was just as overwhelming in lee county, where many roads are impassable and entire neighborhoods sit underwater. >> we're out two vehicles and the boat. >> reporter: patrick new and his wife live on this boat. it and hundreds of others were tossed on shore by the storm. the couple rode out the worst of it in a nearby hotel. >> so it was rushing in fast. and by the time we ran in our room and grabbed half of our stuff and went upstairs, it already was halfway up our door. >> reporter: how fast did the water come? >> it was quick. it was within 15 minutes we were

getting upstairs with everything. >> reporter: today governor ron desantis called the damage on some of the barrier islands biblical. >> and it washed away roads. it washed away structures that were not new and could withstand that. >> reporter: this home on sanibel island caught fire. and the only road on and off the island collapsed. cbs's manuel bojorquez saw the damage up close. this is the causeway that connected sanibel island to the mainland. but you can see an entire section of it behind me is missing. all of this asphalt and concrete crumbled when the ground beneath gave way to hours upon hours of intense storm surge. today coast guard search teams flew missions looking for people in distress. so far at least 500 have been rescued. and with extreme flooding moving inland first responders near orlando helped people get to hooir higher ground. >> i feel a lot better. my brother just finished getting rescued. >> jacob! >> reporter: good samaritans are pitching in too. these men pulled an elderly man

to safety from his car. and president biden said hurricane ian is the deadliest storm in florida's history. >> the numbers are still unclear, but we're hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life. >> reporter: president biden is now planning a trip to the disaster area to thank first responders. folks in this neighborhood describe ian as someone beating on their eardrums for nine hours as they watched their neighbors' homes be torn apart. norah? >> wow, that really puts it in perspective. kris van cleave, thank you. we also visited a neighborhood here in fort myers that was flooded. the residents told us the water was up to eight feet high in some places. and although much of the water has receded, the trauma remains. >> see how high it came up inside. >> oh, my god. >> and this is what the water did. >> reporter: hurricane ian upended everything for cecilia

donald's family. their furniture, their home and their lives. >> so are you guys standing in the water up this high last night? >> yeah. we got up on the counter at first. and then i told my husband, i said i think we're going to drown. >> reporter: so unsure of their survival at one point they considered tying themselves together so no one would wash away. >> i couldn't find a rope. >> that's my daughter. >> reporter: her daughter feared the worst. >> i was so worried. >> reporter: we were there when they saw each other for the first time. >> oh, my god. >> the last message i got from her was that the water was waist high and she didn't know if they were going to make it. >> you left her that on a message. >> yeah. i just said i love you, i don't know if we're going to make it or not. >> reporter: we heard similar stories through cecilia's neighborhood. >> the entire rescue is out. they wanted to clear the area but a lot of these people are kind of stuck. and soo they're coming through. these are the great firefighters here in florida.

they're doing wellness checks. people are trapped inside their homes. >> reporter: an elderly couple rescued, brought to safety. spencer mumi posted this video on facebook. the water rising so high the only place they could go was up in the attic. bringing his 6-year-old and 6-month-old daughter. we met the grandparents of those kids. desperately looking for their grandchildren. >> probably scared to death, crying all night. >> reporter: and our team was able to share the good news, that everyone in the family was okay. and now this entire community begins a journey to recovery that will last longer than the storm. cbs's david begnaud got a firsthand look from the air at the catastrophic damage. and early estimates predict the costs to rebuild will likely be in the tens of billions of dollars. so david, what did you see? >> i've never seen storm surge do what this did. i've been covering hurricanes for 2 years. we flew over this place called little hickory island, which is a barrier island just north of

bonita springs. as we came over the ridge all the way down the street the hotels are still standing but it looked like the cars and everything around it had been shot out of a cannon. i'm talking about sand that has been pushed probably a mile inland. and it looked to be two to three feet deep. there were some places where taillights of vehicles were sticking out of the sand. like a stick almost. whp we got in the helicopter in tampa we flew south. the first widespread devastation we saw was over the community of englewood. a lot of residents, people waving at the helicopter, completely surrounded by floodwater and really heavy wind damage. bottom line, as far as we could tell along the coast, it reminded me of an earthquake. as if the hurricane just sort of picked up the earth and just shook it. >> because it was all along the coast, yeah. >> and just, i mean, tossed like toys. >> david begnaud, thank you so much. appreciate it. the "cbs overnight news" will be right back.

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♪ "cbs overnight news." i'm scott macfarlane in washington. thank you for staying with us. ian continues its devastating march up the east coast of florida. the storm is expected to make landfall again in either georgia or the carolinas. forecasters are tracking the storm in real time with satellites and radar.ivsts better understanding of the hurricane than to fly right into it. and that's the job of so-called hurricane hunters. one team out of houston took their turbo prop into the eye of ian just before it made landfall

as a category 4 hurricane. and it was a bumpy ride. here's ben tracy. >> there goes the bed. holy cow. >> reporter: this is what it's like to stare a monster hurricane straight in the eye. oh! >> reporter: some team members from the national oceanic and atmospheric association say ian was the roughest flight they ever experienced. >> we're good. >> reporter: for decades now the government has been flying hurricane-hunting aircraft in and around some of the fiercest storms on the planet. they dropped sensors to measure a hurricane's strength and help forecasters on the ground predict where it's headed. but there is one place where even battle-tested airplanes and barf bag-proof scientists can't go. the so-called boundary layer, below 3,000 feet, where the air and the ocean meet. a violent, churning cauldron of wind and salt water. >> we still need to get down there. that's the thing.

we can't avoid it. oh, it's too dangerous, can he wbt we can't go down there. well, we as humans maybe can't go down there but we can bring our technology down there and send that data back so it can be used. >> reporter: joe sion is a lead meteorologist at noaa. inside this 3 1/2-foot tube is his new secret weapon, an unmanned hurricane-hunting drone. >> so this drone can literally go fly around the inside of a hurricane? >> yes. what we want to do is fly in and around those highest winds. >> reporter: it's called the altius 600. it weighs about 25 pounds and can fly for nearly four hours, feeding back real-time data. when it's deployed its mission is to detect what scientists call intensity change. >> so how strong is the storm right now and how strong will the storm become. >> reporter: the fear is rapid intensification. when hurricanes become catastrophic category 4 or 5 storms just before landfall. giving coastal communities little time to prepare.

in 2017 hurricane harvey went from a ttcategory 1 to a cat 4 just 24 hours before slamming into texas and causing catastrophic flooding. research shows atlantic hurricanes are now intensifying more quickly because of warmer ocean waters likely due to climate change. our warmer atmosphere means they also hold more wat rising oceans can make storm surge more devastating. so when they drop the drone into a hurricane for the first time this week they knew it was more than a science experiment. >> by having these observation that's we would otherwise not have we can tell the forecasters and the emergency managers that make these life or death decisions of evlacuating or not if the storm is as strong or weaker than they think. >> reporter: so in its first flight the drone flew as low as 2100 feet and recorded wind speeds of 188 miles per hour. now, unfortunately, you don't get to use these things twice.

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a town on the jersey shore is about to take a step back in time, when 200 vintage cars and motorcycles gather on the beach for the tenth running of the race of gentlemen. dana jacobson has a preview. >> reporter: revving engines. spitting sand. unbridled enthusiasm. this is the race of gentlemen. >> this is art. >> it's an art exhibit. a moving art exhibit. it's living history. it's beautiful. but it is chaos. >> good morning, everybody. welcome to the races. >> reporter: mel stoltz founded the race. better known by its acronym, trog. and after ten years it's still in the driver's seat. >> when i got involved in cars, it was you go to a car show.

i thought it was awful strange that my favorite part was going to and leaving the event. and it was the driving. it was the thing that was boiling inside my brain of like how do i create an event that actually moves? >> yeah. >> reporter: but the true inspiration for trog came from a book stoltz was reading about 1920s racing "king of the board. the life and times of jimmy murphy." >> this book was incredible because they would test these crazy contraptions in wide open places because of fire and disaster and things that could go wrong. and one of those places happened to be the beach. one day i was sitting at the beach and i thought, my god, it looks like a drag strip. later that night i happened to run into the mayor of the town we're sitting in right now. >> yeah. >> and i pitched it to him. and he was like, man, you would dothat?ld us >> rtethiss where it all started. >> where it all started.

>> reporter: the inaugural race of gentlemen took place on october 20th, 2012 in allenhurst, new jersey. about 100 miles north of trog's current wildwood beach home. >> the very first race you guys started around here? >> yep. yep. the cars would enter down and we'd turn them around over here. and about where the american flag was is where the starting line was. a tay just like today. the waves were peeling. the surfers were out. and this was just lined with cars and bikes. >> that was your vision. >> yeah. it's still mind-boggling. that it all happened and it still happens. it's kind of kooky. >> reporter: a total of 30 cars and bikes rode onto the beach that day. all dating back to the late 1920s or early '30s. the vintages have expanded a little, the field's blown up with about 200 taking part and even more submitting for entry.

as this has grown you've adapted a little bit. >> well, i also gets g bored i things around. the car and the motorcycle have to speak to us. we like to fit cars that look like the early days of the racing that inspired us. and then we then encourage guys to not bring back the same car and to continue modifying it and to continue making it faster or cooler or anything they can do to it. >> you see it? >> i see it. >> reporter: for mark lees trog is a family affair. working on his 1929 indian motorcycle with his two daughters. and the whole family making the trip from southern california to the jersey shore to get the bike on the beach. >> i've had this bike probably about ten years now. i got it from a family that lives locally here in los angeles. >> was it specifically i want to use it in the race of gentlemen? >> not at all. >> really? >> in fact, i have to say that they probably weren't too happy

about that decision. they wanted me to keep it, you know, the way it was. like you would see in a museum. and for me after discovering the race of gentlemen i was like oh my gosh, i need to fix this bike and try to get into this race. >> the bike has to be seen. >> yeah. that's what these bikes are for, you know. >> reporter: and to be raced. s. what's it like on this bike on the beach in wildwood? >> yeah, it's heaven, man. it's beautiful. it's everything. you know, i started riding when i was 6 years old. and this bike, it's kind of like i never hopped off. you know? you're like a kid again. a lot of guys and gals out there that are racing, they put the heart and soul into these machines. >> can you feel that? yeah. >> reporter: guys like third generation body shop owner rob ida, who's helped build cars to compete in trog since the very

beginning. do you see cars that you're like oh, man, i wirk sh i had worked that one? >> oh, yeah. most of them. because they're different and unique. you can tell if a certain builder designed and built that car. because they have kind of a signature look to them. >> reporter: ida's working on the car mel stoltz will drive this year. this 1940s belly tank. >> so it's a very collectible piece, very special historical car. >> what's the value of some of these cars that people see racing in the race of gentlemen? >> well, that's the thing. some of the cars could be only a few thousand dollars. they could really be built on a very modest budget. and there are other cars with very rare speed parts and things that are highly sought after and they can get very expensive. anything from a few thousand to i afew hundred thousand. and to someone who doesn't really know, they all look alike. >> yeah. >> reporter: but no matter the year, make or model, the real value in the race of gentlemen may just be the undeniable sense of brotherhood.

making a picturesque race priceless. >> we can have 15 people talking about cars and one guy ace multimillionaire and the other guy's got a part-time job, and then this guy's 16 years old and this guy's 85 years old. >> does it compare to anything? >> not that i can think of. so i've been to automotive events around the world. at the highest level. but the one event i will not miss is the race of gentlemen. because that feeling that you just can't get somewhere else. >> it really is our soul, m. ar garageike th they're pounding their own sheet metal, looking for their own parts. >> all so you can get to these races and get on the beach and show it off. >> yeah, and race, man. >> there's nothing like it. there's an electricity that runs through the whole weekend of all being together and showing off what you created. people are coming in from california and ohio and tx text. they're coming in from all over the world too.

when we all get together, you know, we're all part of this small community. we slaep and breathe and wait for it to turn around and happen again. >> it's christmas. >> it's christmas for us. >> that was dana jacobson. and this is the "cbs overnight news."

the sports of kings is now holding court in the city of brotherly love. anne-marie green has the story of how polo rode onto the field in philadelphia. >> reporter: it's everything you expect from polo in an unexpected place. >> give them some move, philadelphia! >> reporter: north philadelphia. >> it was an opportunity to learn more about polo. >> just super dynamic. it was awesome. >> we're out here, we're seeing oh, it's lit. >> reporter: the philadelphia polo classic is a dream come true for champion kareem rosser. he learned the sport for free through a local program called

work to ride, which took him from rough neighborhoods to ritzy polo grounds. >> i'm participating in so many polo events around the world. i'm like it's finally time to bring something to our own neighborhood. >> reporter: he brought friends too. like nacho figueras, dubbed the david beckham of polo. >> natural oechld. >> reporter: and jeria. a work to ride alum and former polo captain at cornell university. along with her mom. >> can philly be a polo town? >> most definitely. we do it philly style. >> in your dreams when people think of philly and sport will they i this of the phillies and the eagles and the flyers and polo? >> oh, absolutely. >> reporter: polo. an old sport with a new audience in the city of brotherly love. anne-marie green, cbs news, philadelphia. >> and that's the overnight news for this friday. for some of you the news continues. for others check back later for "cbs mornings" and follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com. reporting from the nation's capital i'm scott macfarlane.

this is "cbs news flash." i'm dan lieberman in new york. a hurricane warning's been issued for the south carolina coast as national guard troops are being positioned to help in what is expected to be another recovery and rescue effort in days to come as the national hurricane center predicts ian will make landfall in s south carolina friday as a category 1 hurricane. president biden at fema headquarters promised a strong federal response and said he plans to visit florida. he said numbers from the storm's death toll are still unclear. from coast to coast on the florida peninsula rescue crews continue to wade through flood waters to help thousands of people trapped amid shattered buildings and flooded homes.

more than 2.5 million homes and businesses lost power. for more news download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. i'm dan lieberman, cbs news, new york. ♪ tonight, we made our way here to fort myers, a city that took the brunt of hurricane ian in what we're now learning could be the deadliest hurricane in florida's history. and tonight the storm threatening millions more. the giant swaths of destruction. neighborhoods decimated. bridges washed away. and boats tossed like toys. tonight, the rescue effort still under way. >> this is the orange county sheriff's office. if you need to be evacuated, step out of your front door. >> we visit homes nearly swallowed by the floodwaters and meet families who thought they'd never see each other again. >> i didn't know if we were going to make it.

>> still a life-threatening storm, ian takes aim at the carolinas and georgia. major cities prepare for a direct hit from the dangerous hurricane. we have the storm's track. and tonight's "eye on america." hurricane hunters fly into ian's powerful winds to show us the new technology they hope will better predict a storm's path. and cbs's ben tracy got a firsthand look. >> this drone can literally go fly around the inside of a hurricane? >> yes. >> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." good evening and thank you for joining us. and as we come on the air tonight, ian has regained hurricane strength. as it moved into the atlantic, taking aim at georgia and the carolinas. but what it left behind here in florida is unimaginable in scale and historic in reach. the president saying tonight

this could be the deadliest hurricane in florida's history. we witnessed the trail of destruction this category 4 storm left. florida governor ron desantis said today this is a once in 500-year flooding event. the hurricane-force winds and record storm surge caused widespread damage to entire communities and cities, washing away roads and bridges and knocking out power to millions. tonight more than 2.6 million customers are without electricity, and officials warn it could be days or even weeks before power is fully restored. tonight the states of georgia, the carolinas and virginia will all have declared a state of emergency ahead of ian's expected landfall tomorrow. we have team coverage tonight all throughout florida and beyond, and cbs's kris van cleave will start us off from north fort myers. chris, i know the damage where you are is quite extensive. >> reporter: norah, for this home the damage is total.

completely destroyed this home. now, if you go down the block, you'll see homes like this, you'll see other homes with roofs ripped off and the occasional one somehow unscathed. we are four miles from the water. so this was all wind damage. as daylight broke, the path of destruction left behind by hurricane ian was devastating. block by block, fort myers beach looks like it was hit by a bomb. only small pieces of debris remain where homes and businesses once stood. ian came ashore as a category 4 hurricane. the storm surge was so powerful in naples it swept homes off their foundation. >> there it is. a house going by. >> reporter: the destruction was just as overwhelming in lee county, where many roads are impassable and entire neighborhoods sit underwater. >> we're out two vehicles and the boat. >> reporter: patrick and his wife live on this boat. it and hundreds others were tossed on shore by the storm. the couple rode out the worst of it in a nearby hotel. >> so it was rushing in fast. and by the time we ran in our

room and grabbed half of our stuff and went upstairs, it already was halfway up our door. >> reporter: how fast did the water come? >> it was quick. it was within 15 minutes we were getting upstairs with everything. >> reporter: tonight governor ron desantis called the damage on some of the barrier islands biblical. >> it washed away roads. it washed away structures that were not new and could withstand that. >> reporter: this home on sanibel island caught fire, and only road on and off the island collapsed. cbs's manuel bojorquez saw the damage up close. >> this is the causeway that connected sanibel island to the mainland. but you can see an entire section of it behind me is missing. all of this asphalt and concrete crumbled when the ground beneath gave way to hours upon hours of intense storm surge. >> reporter: today coast guard search teams flew missions looking for people in distress. so far at least 500 have been rescued.

and with extreme flooding moving inland, first responders near orlando helped people get to higher ground. >> i feel a lot better. my brother just finished getting rescued. >> jacob! >> reporter: good samaritans are pitching in too. these men pulled an elderly man to safety from his car. and president biden said hurricane ian could be the deadliest storm in florida's history. >> the numbers are still unclear, but we're hearing early reports of what may be substantial loss of life. >> reporter: president biden is now planning a trip to the disaster area to thank first responders. folks in this neighborhood describe ian as someone beating on their eardrums for nine hours as they watched their neighbors' homes be torn apart. norah? >> wow, that really puts it in perspective. kris van cleave, thank you. we also visited a neighborhood here in fort myers that was flooded. the residents told us the water was up to eight feet high in some places. and although much of the water has receded, the trauma remains.

>> see how high it came up inside. >> oh, my god. >> and this is what the water did. >> reporter: hurricane ian upended everything for cecilia donald's family. their furniture, their home, and their lives. >> so are you guys standing in the water up this high last night? >> yeah. we got up on the counter at first. and then i told my husband, i said, you know, i think we're going to drown. >> reporter: so unsure of their survival at one point they considered tying themselves together so no one would wash away. >> i couldn't find a rope. >> reporter: her daughter feared the worst. >> reporter: wrehere when >>es got fhe goin make s wat high andy we >> you left that on a message? >> yeah. i just said i love you. i don't know if we're going to make it or not. >> reporter: we heard similar stories through cecilia's neighborhood.

they wanted to clear the area but a lot of people are kind of stuck. and so they're coming through. these are the great firefighters here in florida, making sure that they're checking on everybody. they're doing wellness checks, if people are trapped inside their homes. an elderly couple rescued, brought to safety. spencer mumi posted this video on facebook. the water rising so high the only place they could go was up in the attic. bringing his 6-year-old and 6-month-old daughter. we met the grandparents of those kids, desperately looking for their grandchildren. >> probably scared to death, crying all night. >> reporter: and our team was able to share the good news, that everyone in the family was okay. and now this entire community begins a journey to recovery that will last longer than the storm. >> there's a lot more news ahead on the "cbs overnight news."

>> announcer: this is the "cbs overnight news." we should note that as hurricane ian raced ashore and flood waters rushed through neighborhoods 911 operators were quickly overwhelmed with calls for help from people stranded in their homes or their cars. and with so many victims in desperate need of help everyday citizens jumped into action. va from hard-hit port charlotte. and good evening, omar. it's amazing how everybody was looking out for each other. >> reporter: good evening, norah. we traveled almost 60 miles down

the florida coastline and we saw heavy rain, damaged trees, stranded cars and flooded homes. but we also saw dozens of people helping each other. >> don't ever leave me again. >> reporter: an emotional moment amidst the ruin. kim silva reunited with her family after riding out her first hurricane alone. what was that moment like when you finally see them and everybody knows you're okay? >> i started crying. >> reporter: after ian flooded her northport home, michelle robinson waded through waist-high water with her bulldog daisy riding her kayak, both desperate for dry land. >> the dog and i slept on the bar in the kitchen, like the island. >> reporter: up top? >> yeah. all night. >> reporter: neighbors helped neighbors salvage what the storm didn't destroy. but the things saved were not as important as the lives saved. rescue and recovery scenes played out across florida's west coast. srm's peak flash floods

caught many off guard. naples fire and rescue had to break the window to this car to pull a woman to safety. in charlotte county two heavy construction cranes at this building site were toppled, and scaffolding smashed into the building, a testament to the storm's powerful winds. >> this is icu. we have major structural collapse. we have major flooding. >> reporter: and health care workers at a hospital in port charlotte were forced to move vulnerable patients, some of them on ventilators, as part of the roof was torn off. this is the kind of damage 124-mile-an-hour winds can cause. the storm just toppled this gas station. and just behind it the wind blew out the windows on this building, all the way up to the fifth floor. it could take weeks to clean up. norah? >> yeah, it's hard to get gas anywhere around this area. thank you, omar villafranca. cbs's david begnaud got a

firsthand look from the air at the catastrophic damage. and early estimates predict the cost to rebuild will likely be in the tens of billions of dollars. so david, what did you see? >> reporter: i've never seen storm surge do what this did. i've been covering hurricanes for 22 years. we flew over this place called little hickory island, which a barrier island just west of bonita springs. and norah, as we came over the ridge all the way down the street the hotels are still standing but it looked like the cars and everything around it had been shot out of a cannon. i'm talking about sand that has been pushed probably a mile inland. and it looked to be two to three feet deep. there were some places where taillights of vehicles were sticking out of the sand, like a stick almost. >> wow. >> when we got on the helicopter in tampa we flew south, and the first widespread devastation we saw was over the community of englewood. a lot of residents, people waving at the helicopter, completely surrounded by flood water and really heavy wind damage. bottom line, as far as we could tell along the coast it reminded me of an earthquake as if the hurricane just picked up the earth and shook it.

>> because it was all along the coast, yeah. >> and just, i mean, tossed like toys. >> david begnaud, thank you so much. appreciate it. well, as david mentioned, this hurricane caused so much widespread damage. and it was not just here in southwest florida but also from orlando all the way to the northeast coast in st. augustine. and that's where we find cbs's meg oliver tonight. good evening, meg. >> reporter: norah, hurricane ian is pounding st. augustine right now as high winds, steady rain and severe flooding. and it's only expected to get worse during the next high tide. residents of central florida woke to high winds and catastrophic flooding. forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes. in hard-hit kissimmee first responders used air boats to rescue those trapped. >> we were deep in water in the house. >> reporter: in some cases people were carried to safety, like this woman, crying with relief to escape the flood waters. >> we're going to bring them out to higher ground, and then we're

going to be settling them to shelters. >> reporter: rescue crews raced to evacuate residents of this orlando nursing home threatened by rising waters. this woman and her 72-year-old mother were forced to swim out a window to reach safety. >> you have to like either swim or drown. >> reporter: dramatic rescues played out across the region. these two people were plucked from their sailboat overnight. here in st. augustine at the height of high tide water spilled overtime the sea wall washing out roads and sidewalks more than a mile and a half. the high water leaving cars stranded, boats swamped and people flirting with danger to see the destruction up close. in addition to the flooding, high winds are expected with gusts up to 60 miles per hour throughout the night. then this storm is expected to move up the atlantic and is expected to make landfall in charleston tomorrow. norah? >> meg oliver, thank you. and as meg just mentioned,

charleston, south carolina is bracing for a direct hit and seven-foot storm surge. the storm has recharged and it's just regained this hurricane status. now communities along the carolina coastline like charleston are getting ready by providing sandbags to anyone who needs them. dr. rick knabb used to lead the hurricane center, and he's now one of our partners at the weather channel. good evening, dr. knabb. >> good evening, norah. ian is a hurricane once again out over the atlantic east of northeastern florida. but it is still affecting the northeastern florida coastline with winds and rainfall and it will be near that tropical storm hurricane threshold all the way up until making landfall in south carolina tomorrow. but then it will be an inland wind and rain event in the carolinas and in the appalachians. hurricane warnings near the coast, tropical storm warnings well inland, and storm surges warning at the coast. evacuate if you've been told to do so. and be careful of inland flooding from heavy rains. norah?

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for chest, neck, and back. it goes on clear. no mess. just soothing comfort. try vicks vapostick. new drone technology is allowing scientists to study monster storms like ian dangerously up close. in tonight's "eye on america" cbs's ben tracy takes on a historic first of its kind flight into the eye of hurricane ian. >> there goes the bed. holy cow. >> reporter: this is what it was like flying straight into the eye of hurricane ian. >> oh! >> reporter: it was one of the roughest flights the team from the national oceanic and atmospheric administration has ever experienced. and it was also historic. before taking off they loaded on

their new secret weapon, a 3.5-foot tube containing a hurricane-hunting drone. so this drone can literally go fly around the inside of a hurricane? >> yes. what we want to do is fly in and around those highest winds. >> reporter: it's called the altius 600. it weighs about 25 pounds. it can fly for nearly four hours. it's deployed out the bottom of the plane. and its mission is to go where no aircraft or scientist can go, the so-called boundary layer, where the air in the ocean violently meet, below 3,000 feet. >> so when these systems make landfall, we want to know what's going on in that very critical boundary layer. so we can help forecasters and emergency managers make the decisions they need to make. >> reporter: after dropping the drone into hurricane ian wednesday, it recorded 216-mile-per-hour winds just 2100 feet above the surface. it doesn't record video but the data could be critical in detecting when a hurricane

rapidly intensifies, something scientists say is happening more frequently as climate change warms ocean waters, providing more fuel for monster storms like ian. when this flies into the eye wall of a hurricane, why does that not just shred this? >> it just doesn't weigh much. and we're also going to be flying with the wind. we're not trying to fight it. we're trying to go with it. >> reporter: and they hope it will help them improve hurricane forecasts and save lives. for "eye on america," i'm ben tracy in lakeland, florida. and turning to the day's other big headlines, the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas is interviewed by the january 6th committee. and the s&p closes at a new 2022 and the s&p closes at a new 2022 low. what happens to your body language when you use dove dry spray? [laughing] it shows. try dove dry spray. our weightless formula with 1/4 moisturizers is effective and kind to skin. leaving you feeling instantly dry and confident. do you struggle with occasional nerve aches in your hands or feet? 1/4 moisturizers is effective and kind to skin. try nervivenerve relief from the world's #1 selling nerve care company.

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♪ upset stomach, diarrhea. ♪ pepto bismol coats and soothes for fast relief... when you need it most. ginni thomas, the wife of supreme court justice clarence thomas, stood by her 2020 election fraud claims today when she was interviewed by the congressional committee investigating the january 6th attack on the capitol. the committee wanted to ask the conservative activist about her communications with former white house chief of staff mark meadows and the lawyer who drafted plans for keeping then president trump in office after he lost the election. thomas said she wanted to clear up any misconceptions. well, the u.s. economy got a bad report card today showing a second straight quarter of economic contraction. mortgage rates surged for the sixth week in a row, moving closer to 7% on a 30-year fixed. that's actually the highest level in 15 years. all three major stock indices

were down today. u.s. stocks have lost more than 20% of their value this year. all right. coming up next, the biden administration a

secretary of state antony blinken says the u.s. will never recognize russia's planned annexation of ukrainian territory nor those sham referendums in ukraine. putin is expected to claim several regions of ukraine on friday. in the baltic sea another leak has been discovered in one of those pipelines carrying russian natural gas to europe. nato ruled it an act of sabotage and warned attacks on allies' infrastructure will be met with a united response.is remembering west coast hip-hop star coolio, who died in los angeles on wednesday. ♪ been spending most our lives ♪ ♪ living in a gangster's paradise ♪

coolio was born artis leon ivey jr. and raised in compton. his grammy-winning inner city anthem "gangsta's paradise" was a huge hit in the '90s. coolio's playful persona in his music videos made him popular with young audiences. coolio was 59 years old. we want to end back here tonight in florida, where the destruction and devastation left in the wake of hurricane ian will take days and perhaps weeks to fully comprehend. this monster storm has changed not just the landscape of the state but the lives of those who call florida home. there's one thing left unchanged by ian, and that is the resilience of the people here. it won't change the love that they share for their neighbors. and that's not just true for this state. the rest of america is here to help. and that is the "overnight news" for this friday. for some of you the news continues. for others check back later for "cbs mornings." and remember, you can follow us online anytime at cbsnews.com or on my instagram page.

reporting from fort myers, florida i'm norah o'donnell. this is cbs news flash. i'm dan lieberman in new york. a hurricane warning's been issued for the south carolina coast as national guard troops are being positioned to help in what is expected to be another recovery and rescue effort in days to come as the national hurricane center predicts ian will make landfall in south carolina friday as a category 1 hurricane. president biden at fema headquarters promised a strong federal response and said he plans to visit florida. he said numbers from the storm's death toll are still unclear. from coast to coast on the florida peninsula rescue crews continue to wade through flood waters to help thousands of people trapped amid shattered buildings and flooded homes.

more than 2.5 million homes and businesses lost power. for more news download the cbs news app on your cell phone or connected tv. it's friday, september 30th, 2022. this is the "cbs morning news." second landfall. hurricane ian is set to slam into south carolina today two days after hitting florida, threatening floods, storm surges, and powerful winds. we're following its latest track. we've never seen a flood event like this. we've never seen storm surge of this magnitude. >> rescue and recovery. people in florida assess the damage after ian charges through the state. a look at the widespread destruction and the challenges ahead. >> the last message i got from her was the water was waist-high, and she d