this is an nbc news special report. here's lester holt. >> good day from new york. we're coming on as president obama begins remarks in louisiana, the president arriving there this afternoon to tour the devastation fromhe least 13 people dead. let's go now to the president. >> -- outstanding leadership from the top with governor john bell edwards and we very much appreciate all the outstanding work he's done. his better half, the first lady of louisiana, i know has been by his side every step of the way and we are grateful for her. i know they have their own cleaning up to do because of the

acknowledge senator bill cassidy, senator bill vitter, representative derrick graves and representative cedrick richmond, the mayor of baton rouge, kip holden, and somebody who i can't brag enough about, one of the best hires i made as president, the administrator of fema, craig fugate, who has done such an outstanding job, not just in dealing with this particular incide, really rebuilt fema so that there is a change of culture and everybody knows that when the disaster happens, fema is going to be there on the ground, cooperating with state and local officials rapidly, and with attention to detail and keeping the families who have been affected upper most in their minds. we very much appreciate everything craig has done. it is hard, by the way, for craig to be here because he's a

lsu t-shirts as we have been passing by. i just had a chance to see some of the damage from the historic floods here in louisiana. i come here first and foremost to say that the prayers of the entire nation are with everybody who lost loved ones. we are heart broken by the loss of life. there are also people who were still desperately trying to track down we're going to keep on helping them every way that we can. as i think anybody who can see just the streets much less the inside of the homes here people's lives have been upended by this flood. local businesses have suffered some terrible damage. families have in some cases lost homes. they certainly lost possessions. priceless keepsakes.

woman whose husband died shortly after the birth of her second child, and she was talking about how her daughter was trying to gather all the keepsakes she had in her bedroom, that reminded her of her father. and that gives you some sense that this is not just about property damage, this is about people's roots. you also have a situatihe supposed to start a new school year, and they're going to need some special help and support for a while. sometimes when things happen, it can seem a little too much to bear, but what i want the people of louisiana to know is that you're not alone on this, even after the tv cameras leave, the whole country is going to continue to support you and help you until we get folks back in

rebuilt. and the reason i can say that with confidence is because that's what americans do in times like this. i saw it when i visited this place, louisiana, where i came down here as a senator, after katrina. i saw it when i visited new orleans for the tenth anniversary last year. i know how resilient the people of louisiana are, and i know that you will rebuild again. and what i've seen today proves it. responders. the national guard. all the good neighbors who were in a boat going around and making sure people were safe, showing extraordinary heroism and in some cases risking their own lives. governor edwards, the state of louisiana, the city, the parish government, they all stepped up under incredibly difficult circumstances.

down, one woman at the end, elderly, she was on her own. she just lost her daughter. a young man next door helping out his father, but also offered to help out that neighbor so that she could salvage as much as she could and start the process of rebuilding. with respect to the federal response, over a week ago i directed the federal government to mobilize and do everything we could to help. fe arrived here a week ago to help lead that effort. secretary of homeland security jeh johnson visited last week to make sure state and local officials are getting what they need. to give you a sense of the magnitude of the situation here, more than 100,000 people have applied for federal assistance so far. as of today, federal support has reached $127 million. that's for help like temporary

fema is working with louisiana around the clock to help people displaced by floods find temporary housing and any louisiana family that needs help, you can find your nearest disaster recovery center by visiting fema.gov or calling 1-800-621-fema. i'm going to repeat that. fema.gov or federal assistance alone is not going to be enough to make people's lives whole again. i'm asking every american to do what you can to help get local families and businesses back on their feet. if you want help, if you want to help, governor edwards put together some ways to start at volunteerlouisiana.gov. that's volunteerlouisiana.gov. the reason this is important is because even though federal money is moving out, volunteer

because it can offset some of its costs. obviously private donations are going to be extremely important as well. we want to thank the red cross for everything they're doing, but there are a lot of private philanthropic organizations, parishes around the state and around the country who want to help as well. and that's how we're going to make sure that everybody is able to get back on their feet. so l sometimes once the floodwaters pass, people's attention spans pass. this is not a one-off. this is not a photo-op issue. this is how do you make sure that a month from now, three months from now, six months from now, people still are getting the help they need. i need all americans to stay

make sure that you find out how you can help, you can go to volunteerlouisiana.gov or fema.gov. we'll direct you. you can go to whitehouse.gov and we'll tell you how to help. we're going to stay on this because these are some good people down here, we're glad the families i had a chance to meet are safe. but, you know, they got a lot of work to do. they shouldn't have to do it alone. all right. thank you very much, everybody. >> thank you. >> president obama in louisiana touring the destruction zone, meeting with those who -- >> we discussed that on the way here. what you have is the stafford act provides a certain match, a lot of the homes have flood insurance, but a lot of homes don't. and what craig fugate is doing, what i instructed him to do from the start, is let's get money

know that there is going to be a certain amount of assistance that is going to be forth coming. no point in waiting. we got to make initial estimates and we start pushing stuff out. that helps us and helps the governor and all these officials here do their jobs. and then what we have to do is as we fine tune exactly what is needed when we know, for example, how much permanent housing is going to have to be built, when we have a better sense of how much infrastct need to do in terms of mitigation strategies, that's when congress, i think, may be called upon to do some more. now, the good news is that you got four members of congress right here, and a number of them happen to be in the majority. so i suspect that they may be able to talk to the speaker and talk to mitch mcconnell, but the -- in part because of the

frankly because we have been a little lucky so far and i'll going to knock on some wood in terms of the amount of money that has gone out this year, fema has enough money for now to cover the costs that can be absorbed. the issue is going to be less what we need to do in terms of paying for the short term, going to be the medium term and long term rebuilding. congress should be in -- back in session right after labor day. by that time we'll probably have a better assessment. in the meantime, lawyers will be examining what statutory flexibility we have got and i know the governor has been right on top of making sure that louisiana gets everything that it can get in order to help rebuild. >> do you worry about -- your trip becoming politicized? >> i don't. one of the benefits of being five months short of leaving here is i don't worry too much about politics.

when disaster strikes, that's probably one of the few times where washington tends not to get political. you know, i guarantee you nobody on this block, none of those first responders, nobody gives a hoot whether you're a democrat or a republican. what they care about is making sure they're getting the drywall out and the carpet out and there is not any mold building and they get some contractors in here and start rebuilding as quick as possible. that's t that's what i care about. so, you know, we want to make sure we do it right. we want to make sure we do it systematically. but the one thing i just want to repeat is how proud i am of fema, because if you think about the number of significant natural disasters that occurred since my presidency began, you

country including those in the other party who wouldn't say that craig fugate and his team have been anything less than s exemplary and professional. when i walk through each of the homes, i ask have you contacted fema, have you filed, and uniformly they said that they had been in touch with fema, they had acted professionally, some of them had already been and i think that does indicate why it is important for us to take the federal government seriously, federal workers seriously. there is the tendency sometimes for us to bash them. and to think there are faceless bureaucrats. but when you get into trouble, you want somebody who knows what they're doing who is on the ground working with officials

prouder of the work that fema has done. that doesn't mean that there aren't going to still be folks who need more help and that we're not going to have some constraints statutorily and congress isn't going to have to step up, but it does mean the basic backbone, the basic infrastructure and architecture we have in terms of disaster response, i think, has been high quality. and i'm very proud of them for that and i want to publicly acknowledge that at the moment. all right? thank you, guys. questions after his statement and touring the devastation and meeting the families of the disaster in louisiana. the red cross called it the worst disaster in the u.s. since super storm sandy in 2012. the president fresh off a two week vacation to martha's vineyard. critics say the president should have made the visit earlier. looks like he's back at the

>> come on. >> looks like he's taking a photo-op there with some of the folks here. let me bring in nbc's gabe gutierrez. what have you learned about what the president is seeing and what he'll be doing going forward? >> reporter: good afternoon. as the president mentioned, fema has received high marks and praise from local officials for its response, but what the president is calling on is volunteers and donations. that, even though it has picked up in t lagged behind as to what is needed. the red cross says it raised about $8 million so far. that means its response will cost $30 million. the baton rouge area foundation raised about $900,000. at this point following hurricane katrina, it raised $10 million. there is an incredible amount of need here. the 60,000 homes have been damaged and as the president mentioned, more than 100,000 people have already applied for federal aid.

in any other stops on this trip. >> reporter: yes, he's expected before he leaves town this is an area that dealt with so much heart break over the last weeks and months. he's expected to meet with the families of some of the slain and injured officers in that baton rouge police shooting a few weeks ago as well as the family of alton sterling. using -- appearing in his role as consolar in chief, he'll do that also before he leaves >> gabe gutierrez, thanks. we'll have developments on nbcnews.com and complete

democratic vice presidential candidate tim kaine is in lakewood today, talking about the economy, and the health of small businesses. >> kaine is over at primus aerospace which employs about 100 people. and it is the top manufacturing company. one of them. in the rocky mountains region. he is spending time with the aerospace company ceo and talking about hillary clinton's economic plan which is focused on helping u.s. manufacturers and making sure more are made in america. >> that the american economy really isn't best measured by like what is going on, on wall street. it is best measured by what is happening with small businesses. we want businesses across the entire spectrum, and of course, many medium and large businesses, began as a small business. but two-thirds of the new jobs in this country, are in small businesses. so if you want there to be more jobs, if you want there to be higher wages, if you want there to be innovation, and entrepreneurship, it is the

that happen. >> the aerospace company designs components for the medical, aerospace and defense industry. denver prosecutors say a man has been posing as a doctor for a year and a half. scar lose hernandez fernandez has been facing eight felonies and five misdemeanors for performing medical procedures without a lionels. the -- license. the charge is unlawful sexual contact an abuse. they say he was a licensed surgical assistant but the board suspended him earlier this month because he was performing things like tummy tucks and facelifts. four victims are coming forward and two received serious bodily injuries from the procedures and the other two say they were victims of unlawful sexual contact. he is due in court today at 1:30. a sad day for friends and family members of some of our nation's bravest. a u.s. soldier has been killed

afghanistan. it happened in the city of laskhkagar and the afghan city is at risk of falling to the taliban. yesterday, officials say 100 is u.s. troops had been sent to the city to help defend it. six afghan soldiers were also wounded in today's attack. this is the second time this year that an american soldier was killed in hostile circumstances in afghanistan. around here, cooler weather is coming our way. and pretty soon, how big of a temperature drop are we expecting to face? be

welcome back, everyone. it is the calm before the storm. we have a front approaching colorado today. it is going to bring cooler temperatures, feeling a little more like fall instead of summer. now, so far, we are already starting to see the cooldown in the high country, where the temperature difference just within the past 24 hours is about 10 degrees in some spots in our central mountains. and we have yet to see a big temperature difference here in has not completely made its way into colorado. right now, it is kind of hanging. and in southern wyoming. in the view of doppler 9 across the state, we have a cluster of storms that has started to form out toward the san juans, and that's an area that could get some very heavy rain, and currently under a flash flood watch, because of the scattered storms expected in that part of the state, and meanwhile in northern colorado, a red flag warning is in effect until 6:00 p.m. and it is right there, where we are going to open the door, and

it is going to be pretty dry as well. the gusts in that area will be up to 25 miles an hour. so high fire danger for our friends in wyoming and also in northern colorado. 84 right now at d.i.a. out here in the backyard, our temperatures are at 83 degrees. and we will check the weather with the rest of the state and join me in the high country, especially out toward the san juans, and 60s and 50s. and 80s down low. and 90s on the eastern plains, and a closer look and you will see that most of the clouds are to the south. and in northern colorado, we have a bit more sunshine. our clouds have already increased and they be thicker as the afternoon rolls on. through late afternoon is when you will see the shift in the weather. the winds increase. and we will also see a better chance of rain, especially in the mountains. take you through the future cast and through this afternoon, around 3:30, and darker clouds around the city, and also in northern colorado, as that front approaches, and those showers will be more numerous in the mountains, along i-25, and for the front range, and mostly isolated. we are not expecting to see widespread rain, so possibly

foothills and the south, that is when there could be a heavier amount of rain in parts of park county, up to three quarters of an inch of rainfall. 55 is the overnight low tonight. temperatures in the high country, could drop into the 30s in some mountain valleys. 50s mainly down low and out east and that's about 10 degrees cooler, than this morning. and then after that, that cold front, that cooler air, just kind of settles in on wednesday, 74, with a chance for some showers and same goes for thursday, and warmup on

those who live in colorado springs know it was bad. but we are now learning that the july 28 hailstorm was the sixth most damaging event in colorado history. the rocky mountains insurance information association says the storm resulted in 84,500 auto and homeowner insurance claims filed so far.

million. the storm featured tennis-ball sized hail that damaged the runway and skillets at the terminal. >> -- skylights at the terminal. >> oh, my goodness, that is terrible. and physical fitness may not be going so well over the golden arches. >> mcdonald's is recalling millions of fitness bands that are given away in happy meal, they can cause skin irritations or burns to kids. the fast food chain says would stop distributing the bands in happy meal and recalling 29 million in the u.s. and 3.6 million in canada. and mcdonald's got more than 70 reports of incidents after children wore the band, and they include seven reports of blisters, and that's according to the consumer products safety commission. so don't let the kids wear those. i know one of my daughter's friends gave her one and super excited and might have to go and take it back. >> all of the kids want them now. the fit bits. >> they look like little apple watches.

so when compared to places like new york city, the tax on cigarettes here in our state are pretty low but that could change soon. colorado voters will decide in november whether the triple cigarette taxes, after the tobacco tax rose for the first time since 2004. and the initiative certified yesterday for the november ballot would raise the state tax from 84 cents. the tax would go to $2.59 per pack starting the first of nu colorado says this tax increase would generate $350 million next year, alone. and the money that will go toward -- that money will go toward smoking prevention and ses nation programs. >> and that's a big jump. >> and someone tweeted earlier this morning, is it for the tax revenue or to get people to quit and i think it is probably a little bit of both. >> to hope keep people safer and more healthy. >> and keep kids from smoking