storm hit. take a listen. >> i want to be safe with the kids. you know? i don't want to sit here with the wind and possible flooding. >> the wind is going on to be bad but we will be okay. our house is still standing. we have been coming to hours a long time. 20 years. we will be arthur. >> hurricane arthur, the earliest hurricane to hit north carolina since records began in 1851. there in north carolina, nbc sarah dollof is in kill devil hills, north carolina. we have seen all kinds of different conditions from you, sarah, from wind, then it was quiet. you are expecting some sun perhaps later on this afternoon but tell us about what you're seeing now. >> if you promise, richard, there will be some later. right now we have seen the rain stop within the last ten minutes and starting to clear up a little bit. we don't have that sideways rain coming at us. the winds have died down rather significantly. it's not a struggle to stand any more. they really have dropped and

conditions seem to be improving right now. we are starting to see a few people out walking on the beach. most people still staying inside but, yeah, things have remarkably improved the last half hour here. max winds out here last night were 60 to 70 miles an hour and extreme but not as extreme 30 minutes south where winds topped a hundred miles an hour. >> sarah, those high winds also means you have to watch the surf conditions and the waves. what are you seeing out in the ocean? >> reporter: let me show you what we are seeing. the ocean is calming down a little bit but we have quite a bit of spray and angry waves and coming up on low tide right about now. you can get an idea of it. we had some people out here swimming earlier today. they have gone inside. somebody kind of came out and talked to them and got them back inside. people are concerned about being in the water because those rip tides are so dangerous right now and they easily catch people off guard who aren't from here and

who aren't used to those conditions. and they don't know what to do once they are caught in them and panic. >> along with that, you know, what can be deceiving as you know because you're right there as the center passed by you, is that as those bands from arthur swing through, you might think everything is okay and then things can change very quickly. you've seen that throughout the last 12 hours. >> reporter: we have seen it change. it seems every five minutes we are on to a completely different storm. wideways rain and blowing sand and you have to hunch down to walk and then you get a moment of calm. just beautiful, beautiful calm. you step back and kind of look at the ocean and you think, this isn't so bad. then, bam! it comes out of nowhere and hits you again. it's just proof how vigilant you need to be during a hurricane. don't assume because the winds have died you're done and you're

safe. >> the latest advisory from national hurricane center at 5:00 a.m. and we expect another intermediate report shortly, but that 5:00 a.m. report said that the center has moved offshore. did you get that sense of that happening around that 4:00, 5:00 a.m. time period? >> reporter: you could definitely sense a shift, richard, in the weather and you started to hear -- we were fortunate enough we are surrounded by meteorologists. you started to hear from them that it was moving and that the worst of the storm would soon be passed. >> what about those 250,000 people that are crowded on to that island along with the 57,000 local residents that are permanent residents there, does it people like that many people, 00,000 and what are they doing? >> reporter: this morning it sure didn't. it was a pretty empty beach as people were hunkering down inside. here at kill devil hills we were never under any mandatory

evacuation order so most chose to stay here. a lot of people at the store buying food and water and batteries and lanterns in case the power went out. a lot of people actually up and down this beach kind of soaking in those last few minutes of sun and then once this storm hit, everybody headed inside and it became a bit of a ghost town out here. >> we hope it stays that way a while. you're standing on the beach. earlier you reported these 80 to 100-mile-an-hour gusts or sustained wind. that means the sand is moving. you were talking about it hitting you. what are the conditions now on the beach itself? >> reporter: well, the wind just kicked back up here on the beach. i'll walk down. you can kind of see this erosion here. three feet of beach erosion from the water and waves right now. so you're noticing a different beachfront than what we had yesterday. this erosion and this dip.

you're still getting quite a bit of beach front. people will come out and see something new they don't quite recognize from yesterday but still, at the moment a lot of room for people to be out here and enjoying their fourth of july week. which, you know, i guess they earned. they rode out the storm and now they get to enjoy the weather the next few days which is supposed to be sunny and mild. >> folks are looking forward to that. that was a step down that you just did about two or three feet in terms of the height of the stand? >> about two or three feet of beach e rows erosion here. the rain swept it out over the last six or seven hours now it's been, right? >> it has been. hopefully, not too much erosion because that means expense later on as they try to bring the sand back out or do what they need to do on the coast. sarah, great reporting. i know we will get back to you later on. sarah is in kill devil hills, north carolina, in the outer banks where a lot of folks are

looking forward to enjoying themselves later on today and throughout the weekend. from there we go 200 miles south where the weather channel's reagan is there. reagan, they dodged a bullet there, didn't they? >> that is right. basically here in wrightsville beach, north carolina. the mayor tells us it's a sigh of relief. our crew decided to assess damage if there was any at all about two hours worth. mayor says one thing he was worried about is beach erosion. beach erosion a month ago this area got done with a renourishment program of the beach. 8,000 pounds of sand were brought in because the beach has been eroded. so this storm didn't do much

beach erosion at all which is a good thing and there have been about 1,500 power outages not many and also a good thing says the mayor. the mayor is very excited for this fourth of july holiday weekend because arthur packed its bags and now the tourists here can enjoy their holiday vacation. back to you. >> raegan mississip, thank you. bill karins, it's what we will see up and down the east coast? >> wrightsville beach a gorgeous beach and glad they came through it all right. didn't seem like a category two hurricane went through those areas. when you think category two hurricane you think devastation and maybe some deaths and haven't heard any of that. we are getting a look for the

cape lookout to kill devils hill. you can follow it on social media. not a lot of bad things that happened last night. considering only 20,000 to 30 thousand people without power is fantastic and they will get power to them in a hurry. 100,000 people without power because of thunderstorms in eastern carolina yesterday. it's barely raining anywhere in north carolina any more. the storm is racing away from north carolina and we are watching the band of rain setting up on the west side of the storm that we were thinking was going to happen. this is going all the way up through the chesapeake and all the way up to the beaches there of atlantic city. virginia beach you probably have four to five hours of this the heavy rain and gusty winds and no damage out of it but definitely an inconvenience to start your morning and definitely any fourth of july parades in this area still scheduled, they will be difficult in the power rain. ocean city and up through atlantic city, new jersey, now

bands of rain finally making their way up to the jersey shore. new york city is kind of in the sucker hole along with philadelphia. a band of rain to the left of you. that is with the cold front. then a little band of squall setting up from south of long island to the atlantic city and that is the beginning band of arthur. the other stuff just associated with a cold front. another couple of hours new york city will remain on the dry side. let's take another view of the storm. from here on out, we do expect to begin to slowly weaken. you can see a well-defined eye as it exits north carolina and heads up now parallel to the southeast coastline large waves definitely a problem and rip currents are a problem and a lot of people are told to stay out of the beaches and still 100-mile-per-hour winds of it near the center but well over land. the winds aren't that bad. virginia beach 30-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain. you can deal with that. it's squally type weather. the winds will not be harsh 25u8 at all from ocean city through

wildwood. the only damaging winds we are still getting on the outer banks in the orange colors. later tonight, maybe towards about 8:00 or 9:00, some of the strong winds will arrive on cape cod but hatteras winds down to 39-mile-per-hour gusts. what is next? we are getting finished with north carolina and we have to deal with cape cod, nantucket and martha's vineyard possibly tonight and winds could do minor tree damage and then the storm slams into nova scotia saturday morning and they may get more damage there than in north carolina. if you're on cape cod or martha's vineyard tonight 40 to 50-mile-per-hour wind gusts arriving at 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. a lot of the fireworks have been rescheduled so that is not too bad. by the time in cape cod saturday morning, the sun should come out and we should have a nice

saturday and nice sunday. i'm not expecting a lot of damage in the cape. we will see it rain. it will pour throughout this region today and the bands of rain will soak new england and not a memorable fourth. >> took you about three minutes to say sun but a lot of people like it when you do say that. >> the sun is out in north carolina. they will be out soon on the beaches walking around. >> you got that front you're telling us about and arthur coming up the coast. any concerns about that sandwiching together? >> that is the heavy rain threat that is going to evolve. our computers are estimating 2 to 6 inches from maine and new hampshire through massachusetts. so it's going to be a soaker of a day and especially eastern new england. >> so we watch the national hurricane center's advisories very carefully and they will have an intermediate one in an hour. >> next path is 11:00 a.m. >> what do you expect? >> not many changes and accelerating toward nova scotia and not make a turn to cape cod or maine. the question is what will the intensity be when the storm goes

by caped cod and nova scotia? it may be a hurricane landfall up to the canadian maritimes. >> i don't want to talk too soon here, but this was a good roo hearsal should we have a more extreme hurricane coming up. >> in the ourt banter banks, i' they will have one more scare this season. >> bill karins, thank you for the latest on arthur and what is happening on the east coast. now as arthur turns north, looks like the popular new york and new jersey beaches will be spared a direct hit but that does not mean swimmers can let their guard down. we are live in long beach, new york, next. really... so our business can be on at&t's network for $175 dollars a month? yup. all five of you for $175. our clients need a lot of attention. there's unlimited talk and text. we're working deals all day.

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we are still following hurricane arthur right now and we got word from county officials in north carolina that entry to the north portions of the county is no longer

restricted, but access to hatteras island will remain closed until further notice. meanwhile, arthur threatening holiday plans up and down the east coast. right now the category two storm is climbing north towards new england and while the new york area should escape a direct hit, forecasters warn of high surf, dangerous rip currents if you're heading out to the beach. ron allen is live in long beach, new york. you've been watching those conditions as they evolve this morning. ron, you're saying the people are preparing, but some of them are still getting out there into the water? >> reporter: indeed, rich. it's a bit early. i think i felt a raindrop a little while ago. the clouds are building above us and dark over in that direction especially. a lot of people down here enjoying the morning. there are joggers and walkers along the boardwalk up there. behind me you perhaps can see surfers out there in the water. what you can't see perhaps is a sign over here that says no swimming, the beach is closed

because of hazardous conditions. but those conditions are what the surfers live for. rough seas and rough water. they have been out here since basically the crack of dawn and they are trying to get out there and get as much surfing as they can before the rain comes because everyone expects here is heavy rain. the last couple of nights in this new york area, heavy downpowers and thunderstorms and 2 inches of rain falling every hour to a brief period of time inundating the area. concern that could happen again today as we move through the day and as the hurricane gets closer to this part of the country. it's not going to hit shore here p.m. people here know what a hurricane can do because when superstorm sandy hit a couple of years ago, this entire beach was covered with water and the boardwalk was wiped out and they just rebuilt it and got it open again. a beautiful stretch that runs two or three miles across this community and people are enjoying it today. most people we talk to say they

are just trying to get out and get their morning routines done. probably not going to be a beach day. sun is not going to be out. but the worst thing is going to happen here is probably just going to be more heavy rain, some flash flooding and nothing worse than that. >> i can see in the horizon there, a tanker that is trucking its way north and it looks like probably trying to get away from arthur at the moment. >> reporter: indeed. yeah, it's been sitting out there actually for some time and that is actually south facing and that is the way this beach faces, south, and that is the way the storm is coming up from the south in this direction. we are watching and we will see. but, again, the forecast are calling mostly for rain. the winds are not very strong either. they are sort of very mild. the temperature in the seventh so it's going to be warmer and cooler than it's been with high humidity the past couple of days. so maybe you won't be able to barbecue and they cancelled the

o outdoor concert. the macy's fireworks is going on rain or shine the organizers say so that to look forward to. >> what have you seen in terms of small businesses, bars, hotels, those eateries that might be in the area, how they have responded to arthur and what may happen in the next couple of days? when i was down in central florida, the little shops didn't see much business. a lot of folks just staying away. for instance the chair rental place had no chairs rented the entire day i was there. >> well, there won't be many chairs rented for this beach today because it's going to be rainy and cloudy. inland, you know, things are as they would be. there have been been evacuations in this area and there haven't been cancellations. people are concerned and watching to see what happens. but -- again, the biggest problem has just been rain,

flooding, that sort of thing in minor areas and the places where that happens from time to time over the years. the big concern, of course, is the currents, the rip currents out there. >> right. >> reporter: you see there are signs that say no swimming. so, again, people may be staying away from the beaches and staying out of the water and trying to wait until saturday and sunday because, again, that is the rest of the holiday weekend. those two days are supposed to be just wonderful. >> it's a good thing we have an extra day to enjoy the weekend given that the storm is going to be perhaps taking one of those away. ron allen, thank you very much for the latest there. nbc's ron allen following the storm as it makes its by toward the east and off the coast of new york and new jersey. right now, the storm is spinning about 80 miles southeast of norfolk, virginia. erin sutton is with the office of management for virginia beach, virginia. she joins us now by phone. tell us, at the moment, what you know, erin. you're from the office of emergency management. are you at a level of alert now,

maybe one, two, three? i'm not sure how you rate it there at your emergency management office. >> well, what we do is look at whether we're in a monitoring status, partial evacuation or full evacuation. at this time we are at a monitoring status. >> what about the concerns of storm surge? noaa for the first time this year putting out surge estimation models that are real-time. a good part of where you are at could see up to three feet, maybe even up to six feet of flooding because of the storm surge. what are you seeing and hearing? >> actually, we use that model quite a bit to look at where areas of concern would be and those are along the -- our bay front and looking at that three foot of storm surge and

identifying the areas of concern for us. and it's still, for us, below the minor flood stage as we have observed and that model has been extremely helpful for us. it really helped us pinpoint some areas. but for us, it's based on the direction of the winds. really the bay front that we are concerned with and keeping an eye on. >> what about for on the residents that you are following and that you are trying to ensure stay safe? what sort of anecdotes or reporters have you had? >> we haven't had too terribly much. we have got some flooded roads down in the southern end of our city, down by the virginia/north carolina border which is getting the heavier rains and winds as the storm is moving off right now. but ocean front bay area, obviously, we did keep a close eye with our police and fire assets and they are not seeing the significant flooding we were concerned about. and pretty much the residents are sitting tight and waiting

for the storm to completely move off. >> erin, what would you tell the residents there of virginia beach right now if they are listening what they should do the next 12 hours? >> in the next 12 hours, we would just ask them to stay informed and keep an eye on the news media. we have been communicating information through our alert system. we did have a tornado warning in the middle of the night that did go out to our residents. so our biggest thing is for our resident to stay informed, keep a close ear to the media, and that is the best way that they can hear any information we need to communicate to them. >> erin sutton office of emergency management in virginia beach, thank you for the latest there. i know you're having a busy 24 hours. >> thank you. the storm is making a travel nightmare for tons of people. perhaps you. once you hit the road, you're getting slammed at the pump. all that is putting a damper on this holiday for some people. are the largest targets in the world, for every hacker, crook and nuisance in the world.

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well, hurricane arthur charging across the state's outer banks overnight of north carolina with winds packing 100-mile-an-hour punch and downing trees and knocking out power. the category two storm is moving north right now along the eastern seaboard towards cape cod where a tropical storm warning is in effect. we expect to get another intermediate advisory from the national hurricane center in about 30 minutes. we, of course, will be updating you with that latest information, plus bill karins is here all morning and day watching arthur for us as it moves north towards new york and off the coast of new jersey in those areas. hurricane arthur causing travel mess on this fourth of july as well. flights have been delayed. vacations cancelled over the last couple of days. but aaa says 41 million travelers are going away for the long weekend. that is higher than last year.

along the way, they will be paying more at the pump. in fact, fourth of july gas prices are the highest they have been since 2008. heather hunter is with aa and she joins us right now. heather, what have you heard in terms of what arthur has done to people's travel plans? >> hurricane arthur is hitting many of the popular destinations along the east coast as we enter the holiday. many people traveling in that region may delay their plans or have to cancel, unfortunately. on a national level, aa is still projecting 41 million people will travel, about 2% more than last year. >> where are they going? >> people generally stay within a few hundred miles of their home when they are traveling for the holidays. so there are many popular destinations. national parks and beaches are extremely popular during the july fourth holiday. >> because of hurricane arthur,

are people also staying even closer than normal based on what you've just said? >> people traveling in the east coast region should definitely monitor the weather forecast and alter their plans, change their travel dates. but stay informed of when arthur is going to hit that region. >> let's talk about gas prices. the highest this july fourth, by the way, the highest on this holiday since 2008, the national average for a gallon of regular is at $3.48. how much is that factoring into what people are doing and where they are going? >> price last year were about $3.48 a gallon and we are about 20 cents higher this year for $3.67. what aaa has found in the past is when prices are higher for gas, once plans are made, this will keep their travel plans but cut back in other areas. maybe staying in a cheaper hotel or looking for hotels that offer free breakfast and taking part in free activities such as fireworks displays to help

offset the cost of gas. >> help me with this one, erin. the statistics say air fare has gone down 5% since last year. the average round trip, the number that we have gop got here, $215. if you shop for those puppies sometimes it doesn't seem like the prices have gone down. what can we expect in terms of this weekend and airports and as people plan for the rest of the summer? >> we expect airports to be busy this weekend too. about 3.1 million travelers are going by air. what is important to remember about those fares is last year, prices were at the highest level we have seen in five years so it's slightly down from last year about 5% less that people are paying this year. >> sometimes, it seems like more that and i know what you're talking about there. heather hunter, thank you with aaa. >> thank you. nbc chris polon.

you have been watching the center of arthur hit you and then leave. at the moment, it looks like you're glad that arthur is moving off the coast? >> yeah, richard. it was a fun night and i use that term cautiously. this was a powerful storm, category two and more than 100-mile-an-hour winds. during the thick of it, as the eye wall was passing over kill devil hills, it was really nasty out here. a lot of rain, a lot of high wind. that wind was bringing the sand off the dunes here and just hitting you in the face. you know what it's like when you get it out here. you get it in your teeth and hurts your face and eyes to hit you but much more pleasant now. we are clearly on the back edge of this and quickly moving out of it. we have had a couple of squalls. the wind has died down significantly. every now and then we get a good gust, but it is clear that this storm is moving off the coast. >> chris, a good indication of how the conditions change is what you're wearing and how

you're wearing it. at the moment, i can see you don't have your hood on. >> reporter: i missed the last part because we had a gust but i heard you say something about what i'm wearing here. yeah. just trying to keep it as waterproof as possible. when i started off last night i just had a polo shirt on but i've got my rain pants and my rain jacket and i'm relatively, that is a look term again, relatively dry at this point. but at some point, i'd love to get some of this sand out of all of my various crevices. >> the joy of hurricane reporting, my friend. nbc chris pollone with the latest for us there in kill devil hills, north carolina. thank you, my friend. >> reporter: sure. we stay on top of arthur as it makes its way toward the northeast. we will have more on this here on msnbc. (vo) after 50 years of designing cars for crash survival, subaru has developed our most revolutionary feature yet.

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coastal areas in north carolina. this picture tweet out by jeff rogers in the say of avon. and here are some pictures tweeted out the weather change jim cantore. at times where jim was at, well, his satellite truck could not connect with the satellite and, therefore, became difficult for him to broadcast what he was seeing so he tweeted and worked out well in the indiana. wind and flooding is not the only dangers posed by hurricane arthur. the storm surges and rip tides representing a deadly threat to people in the water. rip tides are long narrow bands of water as you might know. they can pull swimmers away from shore and out to sea. the best way to escape a rip tied, not to swim directly in but to move parallel to the shore. joining us now to discuss how to stay safe in a storm like this is aton edwards director of the international preparededness network and ellen prager is also with us.

how fast are these rip tides, ellen? >> the rip currents and, again, they are narrow jets that flow offshore. you know, they are fast enough that they are extremely hard to swim against, even for strong swimmers. as your graphic showed, the best thing to do is not try to swim directly against them, but swim along the shore or parallel to the beach. basically, you just want to get out of that narrow strong jet of water going offshore so you can swim back to the beach. >> 30 feet wide in some cases. how deep, ellen? >> you don't know how deep they are. they could be fairly deep. what is happening here, as you have prolonged high winds and waves pushing water onshore, the water naturally will flow along shore to low points on the beach. and it's those low points on the beach that will funnel water and sometimes sand offshore so it on be fairly deep but, again, you're going to be at the surface so you can't swim against it.

but, again, they are strong, narrow, you just got to swim along the shore. >> duck diving will not work there. >> no, no! >> aton, to you, my friend. with this hurricane and not only the rip tides that we are worried about, there are the storm surges. >> right. >> as noaa has warned many up and down the coast 3 to 6 feet of storm surge in some areas. that is a danger and how might be we aware of when it does become a storm surge? >> obviously, when you see that the water is swelling and you see it poweriuring into your ar you know you're probably part of one. make sure you got all of your gutters and drain, if they are clogged, get them cleaned. you know, in some areas if you live in a low lying area you might want to even sandbag your property to prevent it from being flooded. you know, make sure that if you have a home with a basement that you've got a lot of your

valuables that could be destroyed by a flood moved up into higher areas of your home. so that way, it's not destroyed. something else too, because, again, because of the high winds, you have to watch out for fallen power lines. a live power line in a pool of water can present an enormous hazard for people who would come into contact with it. >> aton, there is also folks might think, okay, that is only 6 inches of water. i can walk through 6 inches of water they might be saying but noaa says that is enough to sweep you away. >> it will sweep away a car so if it can sweep away a vehicle, you are a lot lighter than a vehicle, so you've got to be very concerned about that. also in debris. there is also, you know, to some degree, depending on where you are and how far in land you actually are, that there are different hazards in the debris. certain parts of the country that there are even snakes and things like that that you have to be concerned about! so it's something that we have got to be very mindful of and to

make sure that we are careful and to stay away from the surge when it comes up. >> ellen, quickly. storm surges, we will see this now that it is arthur is moving out of north carolina. when can they feel more comfortable about not worrying about storm surges? >> well, let me add one thing to what anton was saying is that one of the dangers are storm surge it's not just when the water is coming in. it's when the water is going out. so the storm, you know, you get storm surge, the hurricane itself may have passed and people go outside and say, look, the water is not rising any more. but the water flowing back out is just as dangerous. so please on, if you have storm surge, don't go out to see what is happening after the storm has passed. wait until all of that water has receded. it will just depend on how fast the storm is moving away. already i think they are seeing the water recede off the outer banks of north carolina. it just depends on that changing wind direction and when the water recedes.

>> noaa estimating an hour ago even some spaces as close as washington, d.c. at the moment where they do have some warnings about concerns of storm surge so this is an important issue as we look up and down the coast here on the east coast. thank you both so much. we appreciate all of your guidance there on storm surge, as well as rip tides which we will see throughout the next couple of days. another update on hurricane arthur in a moment. first, following the heated immigration debate going on right now this independence day. more bus loads of undocumented immigrants expected to arrive in california today and protesters could try to block them again. an update next. [ male announcer ] type 2 diabetes affects millions of us. and for many, it's a struggle to keep your a1c down. so imagine -- what if there was a new class of medicine

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into the atlantic. a quick pause from weather and talk about what is gripping the nation today is immigration. in a few hours, president obama will host a naturalization ceremony at the white house on this independence day as he has done nearly every day of his presidency. swearing in citizens holds significance as the debate rages over what to do with the massive influx of undocumented immigrants crossing the border into the u.s. this afternoon, more bus loads of immigrants are expected to arrive in marietta, california. the folks that met them with intense protests earlier this week have promised to return. joining us is bob franken and from charleston, ellis hanakin at newsday. ellis, we start with you. as you look at the headlines and what we are seeing in california, these protesters out there saying, we don't want

these undocumented immigrants in our state this as we are on independence day july fourth. >> the optics are terrible. pretty good news for the president and the democrats. you got a bunch of crazy people screaming at children in buses who, you know, you can have a complex immigration debate but look at the little children and those flag waving zealots out there interrupting the buses. you know, it's going to seal democratic votes from latinos for a couple of generations to come and certainly help turnout coming up in these midterm elections. i think you're seeing some smiling in washington about it. secretly, of course. >> bob, some democrats being very quiet in california, not commenting on what is happening in their very state. >> well, that gets to the term

craven politician which oftentimes sechems like a redundan redundancy. how sad it is a country founded on immigration, dare i say it, the ellis island tradition, we have this kind of reaction to people who are only trying to flee to a better life in the united states. yes, yes, there are complications. and the people in california are saying that this just puts a very heavy load, financial load on the community. but let's contrast that to nagalos, arizona, they are having the same kind of influx and there the people of the city are providing food for those coming across the border and other services. so what we are seeing in california, as ellis seems to be indicating that he agrees, is really a terrible optic, a terrible commentary on a certain point of view in the united states. >> bob, talking about opt onnics, we cannot pull away this is such a political issue and

divisive at the moment and has been the last two or three years when we look at immigration reform. the white house saying that the president will not necessarily get close to the border as he does make his texas trip and that sort of indicates to us how difficult it is to split the difference here, at least if you're sitting in the white house. >> well, i suppose that the reason might be given that he doesn't want to exacerbate the problem. >> finish with you, ellis, as we are talking about the optics and the divisive nature when it comes to the political angles on this very topic. those saying if there is executive action and there will be should not be more to deal with the children themselves? they are saying we are not seeing that. instead we are seeing things and

positions coming from the white house that don't indicate a focus on the children themselves. >> you're right. but hold on a second. the attorney general and the head of homeland security have just been tasked with coming up with some specific executive actions the president can take. you look at that list when it comes in. i bet a couple of have to do with unaccompanied kids coming over with the wide owes aeyes ae in their hearts. don't rule that out. >> thank you both on this july fourth. >> have a nice fourth. >> good to see you guys. >> thank you. back to the top story. hurricane arthur moving along the east coast. washing out many a fourth of july plans. we are watching it closely. a look at kill devil hills, north carolina, which is just about where arthur left land and that happened probably about three hours ago, at least by noaa's estimation. arthur blasting the outer banks

winds up to a hundred miles an hour there last night. we get the latest on the storm's path next. [ malesome come here to build something smarter. ♪ some come here to build something stronger. others come to build something faster... something safer... something greener. something the whole world can share. people come to boeing to do many different things. but it's always about the very thing we do best. ♪

well, flooding has been reported along highway 12 and that is in the outer banks of north carolina. overall we haven't heard of significant damage. the concern there, of course, if that highway is damaged, it leaves what could be over 300,000 people stranded with no land connection. they'd have to use boats to get to the mainland. now, the storm is currently off the coast of virginia. it will stay offshore until it brushes cape cod later today. now, the number of people without power in north carolina, that appears to be going down slightly below 20,000. it was at 25,000 earlier. joining us right now with the latest on power outages in north carolina is paige lane, spokesperson for duke energy. give us the latest number that you have heard. we've got about 19,400, paige.

what are you seeing? >> right now duke energy covers between wilmington and moorhead city and that was the area hit hardest in our service area. we have about 16 thousa,000 cus without power in that strip of coast. >> and what has caused these power outages? >> certainly it's the high winds. the winds tend to topple trees, power poles. one of the main things we're looking at right now, we do have one of our primary transmission lines that is without -- that is out of service and the transmission lines are those really big power lines that carry lots of power to the smaller distribution lines. so we've got one of those out. we've got a helicopter up flying to see what repairs need to be made so we can get some repairs going today. >> and the fact that you've got

a helicopter up, that's good indication because that means the conditions are allowing it to be up there. when do you think that might be repaired, worst case scenario? >> it's really hard to tell until we're able to look at the damage. it would be great if we could find that it's something that just requires just a minor repair, we can get that back on today because that would probably get a lot of those 16,000 customers back on. >> got it. >> it's hard to determine until we really know. >> the concern is, as least as we watch it as news people, is that one outage leads to others and that cascading nature of power outages. is that no longer a concern for you at this 8:00 a.m. hour? >> the storm has actually cleared our service area and the weather is great, so we feel like we have really good weather on our side. we've got about -- we have about 600 people, that includes line workers and vegetation workers who are in the area now completing damage assessments

and getting to work on those outages, so we should see our numbers start to come down instead of up. >> good news. paige layne from duke energy giving us the latest there from north carolina, thank you. >> thank you. >> that does it for me this hour, i'm richard lui. up next, craig melvin picks up our coverage at the top of the hour. we'll have the latest on the path of hurricane arthur and what this storm means for millions on the east coast as the storm moves north. stick around. the cadillac summer collection is here. ♪

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the fourth of july. and also, the first to make landfall in the united states in two years. happy fourth of july to you. good friday, i'm craig melvin. it has been a very long night for folks along the carolina coast with hurricane arthur unleashing fierce winds and lashing rain. >> the wind is fierce right now and kicking up a lot of stuff, a lot of debris flying around too. rocking some of these suvs that have been out here. >> we saw transformers exploding in the parking lot. our power at the hotel did stay on, but a lot of the area is in the dark, so a very powerful storm. >> take a look at this. we caught these images overnight of mike seidel from the weather channel, he's been covering the storm overnight, but this was him earlier this morning, around 3:00 a.m., really struggling to stand up. >> we've got reporters stationed along the coast. also nbc meteorologist bill karins tracking the storm here in ttu