>> well, we will leave it there. lots of excitement to come. thank you all for a great panel. that's all for today. have a very happy new year. chuck will be back next week. if it's sunday, it's "meet the press." you never know when a moment could be your last. >> they very dangerously waved their weapons around and showed signs that they would use them. >> at any time -- >> you better get someone here. this dude is crazy. ah! >> -- a calm day can turn chilling. >> his head went under three times. then people start falling through. just couldn't believe it was still happening. >> out of control. >> i saw terror on my baby's face, and i saw him fly back. >> terrifying. >> she was pleading that she didn't want to die. >> and life threatening.

>> oh [ muted ]. >> hey, chloe. >> i really didn't think we were going to get to her in time. >> "caught on camera: in peril." >> there's a semi blocking. >> when a car accelerator jams on the highway, the race to save the driver's life is recorded on a state trooper's dash camera. and in a desperate 911 call. >> please. oh, my god. i'm scared to death. >> it started to get a little nerve-racking when she was pleading that she didn't want to die. >> i'm going to end up dead. >> you're not going to end up dead. >> oh, my god.

>> august 19th, 2012. lauri ulvestad is driving home from missouri to iowa when her ride takes an alarming turn. >> 911, where's your emergency? >> i'm on 35 northbound. i'm at mile marker 86. and my car is just picking up speed. >> okay. are you able to hit your brakes at all? >> i've tried everything. >> kelly bride has been working as a 911 dispatcher in harrison county for only three months when she picks up the frantic call. >> the first training module i ever did was a stuck accelerator. and it went through the steps to tell the caller what to do. >> all of a sudden it just

started picking up speed and picking up speed, and i'm going, like, 80, almost 90 miles an hour. and i'm scared to death. >> okay. have you put your car in neutral? >> i can't get it to move. i can't get the car to shut off. >> the procedures bride suggests fail to slow down the kia sorento suv. bride alerts the missouri state highway patrol. sergeant sheldon lyon is on duty that day. >> when the troopers finally see her on the interstate, her car is at over 100 miles per hour. >> trooper justin johnson's dash camera is recording when he catches up with ulvestad. he's one of two responders. >> the troopers made their game plan as they were responding. one of them got in front, and the other one followed her from behind, and the plan was if one of them got slowed up, they would leapfrog back and forth always trying to keep someone in front of her. >> i'm coming up on a bunch of cars. >> okay.

>> oh, i am so scared. >> okay. calm down. >> she came very close to hitting people. people wouldn't move over. >> troopers try to warn other drivers with flashing lights and sirens. >> copy. there's a semi blocking at the 16. >> we wanted to make sure there was everything we could do to prevent loss of life or serious injury. >> trying to get ahead of the vehicle to clear traffic ahead of her. a semi can't get over in time. >> in one chilling moment, ulvestad narrowly escapes a crash. >> kia sorento goes under an overpass on the interstate with a guardrail around the supporting pillar in the median.

she came very close to striking that guardrail. >> she made it. >> ulvestad is driving one handed. the other is gripping her cell phone. she's terrified but manages a joke. >> i guess maybe i should be a nascar driver. >> look out, danica. >> yeah, maybe she could have some competition, hey? >> yeah. >> the laughter is brief. there's traffic ahead. >> oh, my god. now i'm coming into des moines. can't they do something? i can't do this in des moines. >> ulvestad has been driving for more than 30 minutes at speeds up to 119 miles per hour, and her gas tank is still three-quarters full. fearing she won't be able to control the car much longer, ulvestad makes another attempt to stop. >> when she pressed on the brake and pulled up on the gas, she said, oh, it shook. i said, do it again. she goes, i am, i am. she's like, it's slowing down.

>> i think i just killed it. >> she's stopping. >> ulvestad's suv comes to rest on the median off interstate 35. still on her cell phone with bride, ulvestad emerges, shaking but alive. >> i'll call your husband, let him know the good news. >> okay. >> sergeant johnson secures the vehicle and for good measure disconnects the battery. he, like others, is impressed by ulvestad's driving skills. >> she went down into the median ten times. and each time she did that, it's a very dangerous thing to do. for someone to have no experience with any of that, and then drive one handed while they're talking to the 911 operator for over a half hour, is really incredible that this ended up the way it did.

>> shortly after her scary ride, ulvestad appears on the "today" show. >> lauri ulvestad. good to have you here, good morning. >> thank you. >> is it hard to watch that? >> it's harder to listen to the 911 tape. >> i can imagine. you must have been terrified. >> extremely. >> ulvestad has reached a settlement with kia motors america. she says as part of the agreement, she's barred from speaking further about the incident. the company issued a statement saying in part that after rigorous inspection, no defect has been identified and the car operates as designed. as for surviving the ordeal, ulvestad says she had some protection onboard. >> this was hanging on your dash. it says "never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly." >> yep. >> you have a guardian angel for sure, lauri. coming up -- >> all of a sudden you hear a huge explosion, see my baby fly airborne from the door. and later --

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a small child walks directly into the path of danger moments before a car crashes into a storefront. >> i saw terror on my baby's face, and i saw him fly back, and i didn't know if he was dead or alive. >> november 24th, 2012. savannah, georgia. harkleroad diamonds is a family business run by marion harklero harkleroad. his oldest son, caleb, is an employee. >> i'm a sales associate and

gofer. >> we've been in business 27 years and in this location for a year and a month now. >> it's just after 5:00. several security cameras are recording. a few employees are working at the display cases while marion's wife and their 16-month-old toddler, gray, visit with the store manager. gray makes a beeline across the showroom, heading for his father's office. >> gray had an opportunity to get down and stretch his legs. he comes over, crosses the floor and be-bops on across and walks into my office. >> an elderly customer is pulling into a parking space directly in front of the main entrance. >> the baby had walked to the front of the store to go into the office. and we knew this lady was coming to pick up her watch, so we were expecting her. >> sales associate david harper sees the customer and steps from his spot behind the counter to go open the door for the woman. >> i go up and greet her at the door which is what i normally do. >> gray decides to wander back out into the main showroom.

>> i looked at him and for some reason he decided to turn around and go back to the door. >> then a flash of pure terror as the toddler stands in doorway. the camera captured his shadow just as the front of the building implodes. >> all of a sudden you hear a huge explosion and see debris flying everywhere, and i see my baby fly airborne from the door. looked like a bungee cord had hold of him. >> marion has no idea what's happening. >> i didn't know if a bomb had gone off in our store. i couldn't see the car. i jump out of my seat and dive across my desk with sheer terror on my face trying to get to my baby. >> marion is trapped behind his desk. he's desperate and can't see gray. caleb takes action. he leaps over the display cases tearing through the destruction and fighting his way through debris to get to the office. >> the glass had shattered and there was dust everywhere and the alarms were going off. it was just terror and fear of not knowing what happened to who and who was all right and who wasn't.

>> caleb fears gray has been hit or is under the vehicle. >> my first thought was to get him because last thing we saw was him walk across the front of the store into the office. >> caleb finds gray sitting on the ground near the car and he's conscious. >> i just remember him kind of looking up at me. i just scooped him up and ran outside with him. my step mom was shortly behind me. >> while caleb carries gray to safety, marion feels his own injuries for the first time. >> i remember something hitting my head. and i remember my head snapping back kind of like whiplash. and i was kind of shocked. i didn't realize that i had taken any kind of hit. >> my worry was once i got the baby out, is my dad all right? he came out grabbing his side and holding his side and he was limping. that only added to the fear that my dad was seriously hurt. >> marion's neck, back and knees are sore, and he has a mild concussion. gray is unharmed. >> he's a lot more flexible than his dad is.

you know? we break, they bend. you know? >> the customer driving the car is not injured, but she's badly shaken. >> when we got to her, she had her car locked. i think any normal person would be in shock, you know, that just experienced something like that. >> it turns out this isn't the first wreck for the 84-year-old customer. police say two months prior, she was in another accident. though there were no serious injuries in either case, she's charged with reckless driving. >> she didn't say a whole lot until she got out in the parking lot and she had apologized to our manager and apologized to our jeweler, you know, and said that she was sorry and asked if everybody was all right. >> reviewing the security videos, marion realizes things might have been drastically worse. >> thank god it was not me being under the car or anybody being under the car. and i think what happened when she went to hit the brake, she hit the gas instead and that was all she wrote. >> the showroom is a disaster.

broken glass and shattered jewelry cover the floor. but thanks to the helpful staff, the jewelry store reopens just a few days after the incident. >> we had a construction crew on site an hour later cleaning up. we're like a family around here. and everybody came together and we got the store cleaned up and three days later, we opened. >> as for gray, he doesn't know how close of a call he had. >> he was probably three steps away from being under the front of the car. the morning coffee rush takes a horrifying turn when robbers burst into a dunkin' donuts. >> they very dangerously waved their weapons around and showed signs that they would use them. >> may 2nd, 2012, delray beach, florida.

at 9:16 a.m., dunkin' donuts security cameras show two individuals rushing into the store. they're wearing masks and carrying guns. patrons dive for cover as one of the men flings himself across the counter to get to the cash register. a customer grabs the robber from behind and tries to overpower him, but the masked thug drops him to the ground and kicks him in the head. turning his attention back to the register, the robber orders employees to fill a black plastic bag with cash. on his way out, the robber delivers a parting blow to the man on the floor. it's all over within seconds, but it's just the beginning of an adrenaline-fueled chase. several witnesses dial 911. >> hello? 911.

>> yeah, there's a robbery right now going on in dunkin' donuts. two guys. >> gulf stream boulevard? >> yeah. >> they are leaving now. >> an alert goes out to local units. the hunt is on for a black nissan altima. a dash camera mounted on one of the police cruisers records the chase. officer greg koch and his partner darren hadarian of the boynton police department respond to the call. >> they were coming a block away from us, half a block away from us. we got into my police truck and started heading toward the area. >> as soon as we got to that corner, the vehicle is heading right toward us. we see it doing well over the speed limit and we see the other officers in their vehicle following behind it, and they're zigzagging in and out of traffic and coming right toward us. other officers were staging in

front of the suspect vehicle trying to deploy stop sticks, a mechanism that we use to disable a vehicle that we're following. >> the thieves swerve around the stop sticks and plow ahead. >> now we're in it. we're in the chase. lights and sirens. we're following behind the vehicle. >> out of view of the dashboard camera, the nissan driver races toward the interstate, veers to avoid traffic, and rolls multiple times down an embankment. >> the vehicle crash definitely appeared like it was out of a major motion picture, like a stunt driver had made the vehicle roll like that. >> the occupants are battered, but they flee from the car. officers chase down and catch three men and one woman. police say they find two handguns in the back seat of the car and $2,000 from dunkin' donuts' registers. >> the four suspects are all charged with robbery with a firearm. one pleads not guilty and a judge withholds adjudication.

another pleads not guilty and is convicted at his trial. the other two plead guilty including the driver who also pleads guilty to fleeing and eluding police. officers say this dunkin' donuts is an especially risky location to rob. >> that particular dunkin' donuts is a very busy dunkin' donuts with law enforcement. >> even so, officer hadarian jokes the day after the robbery, he wanted company on his morning coffee run. >> i told my partner, i'm not getting coffee alone. you're coming with. >> after viewing the security video, hadarian says he's proud they caught the suspected thieves. >> after you see that video, it really hits home on how violent of a crime this really was, and the effect that you had in arresting this person and putting them in jail to possibly never commit something like this again.

coming up -- a baby elephant is trapped, and rescuers must confront its protective mother. >> an angry, scared mother elephant is very, very likely to attack. and later -- >> there's a big dog trapped in the lake, in the ice. >> i really didn't think that we were going to get to her in time. thousands of people came out today to run the race for retirement. so we asked them... are you completely prepared for retirement? okay, mostly prepared? could you save 1% more of your income? it doesn't sound like much, but saving an additional 1% now, could make a big difference over time. i'm going to be even better about saving. you can do it, it helps in the long run. prudential bring your challenges

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go back. >> a baby elephant falls into a well and researchers must confront the agitated mother before attempting a risky rescue. >> i would say that coming between a mother elephant and her baby is one of the most dangerous things that you can do. >> october 8th, 2012, kenya. under the shadow of mt. kilimanjaro near the tanzanian border, this is home to some 1,400 wild african elephants.

vicki fishlock works for the amboseli trust for elephants. >> it is the longest running elephant research project in the world, so for the past 40 years, we've been documenting the lives of the elephants. >> the park's wild elephant population swells in the dry season as thirsty animals gravitate to its swampy wetlands. elephants sometimes drink from the wells that local maasai communities dig for their cattle. occasionally a baby elephant reaches down for water and falls in. >> it has been known that elephants get trapped in wells, and we've had a program for a number of years to try and minimize that by reinforcing the wells, building small, low concrete wall around. >> but the researchers aren't able to find every new well in time. >> i had a phone call from robert to say that there was a calf stuck in a well beyond the western boundary of the park. >> team members drive out in two jeeps to the remote site to investigate.

>> when we got there, we saw the female was standing at the edge and she was frantic. >> the team knows this elephant. she's called zomba, and she's a large, powerful matriarch. >> being dominant and experienced as a mother, she was going to be a bit tougher to persuade to leave the calf alone. >> elephants are extremely devoted to their young. even though she recognizes the researchers, zomba doesn't want to leave her calf. the enormous elephant lunges back and forth, then nearly backs into vicki's jeep. >> an angry, scared mother elephant is very, very likely to attack. she weighs more than the land rover was driving, so if she wanted to, she could have flipped the car. >> vicki is putting herself in an extremely dangerous position, but she knows their only hope of saving the calf is to scare zomba away temporarily. vicki drives forward and starts shrieking.

>> the amboseli elephants trust us. they know we're not a threat to them, so we don't break that kind of position lightly, but when you do break it, you have to make sure you do it in a convincing way. so i was behaving very, very strangely, and she didn't like that. >> vicki's tactic works. zomba retreats across the savanna for the moment. a co-worker in the second jeep blocks zomba from returning, while vicki drives back to the well. her colleagues, robert and mark, get out of the jeep. vicki stays at the wheel where she keeps the videocamera recording and a watchful eye on zomba in case the group is forced to make a hasty retreat. >> if somehow the mother get back and find us there, out of the car, struggling with the calf, i don't know what would have happened. it would have been really,

really, really dangerous. >> the calf is eight months old and enormous, posing a serious threat to rabbit and mark's safety. >> they weigh 200 pounds when they're born, and this was eight months of good food and lots of mom's milk. >> we could not get in there, so our option was to use the ropes. >> their plan is to harness the calf with a rope attached to the jeep and pull. the calf has been in the well for hours and is exhausted. its mother is still nearby, so a quick rescue is essential. the calf has stirred up mud, and the sides of the pit are extremely slippery. >> i was terrified the rope would pull taut and one of them would trip and fall in with the calf. it's very dangerous. >> the baby elephant who they think is female, has turned toward the direction of its mother's cries which unfortunately is also the steepest side of the well. in the jeep, vicki describes what she's seeing.

>> come on, sweetheart. so robert is trying to turn her and bring her to the side that is shallow. apparently she doesn't think that that is a good idea. >> the engine noise further stresses the trapped calf. >> you can imagine the sound of a land rover engine running over. it's basically like shouting at them constantly. oh, baby, i'm sorry. you fell in a well, you silly girl. >> the team members have to coordinate carefully to avoid either man falling into the pit. >> go? >> as vicki waits for the right moment to hit the gas, robert tugs on the rope and nearly loses his footing. >> what they're trying to do is get the rope under the tail as best. the trouble is the water is so deep in the bottom that it floats on the surface. >> 30 minutes later, they've

made no progress. >> for a minute there, we just stood there looking at each other. we didn't know what to do really. >> after a few more attempts, robert and mark get the calf turned in the right direction. they secure the rope under its belly and tell vicki to step on the accelerator. >> careful. whoo! she's out. she's out. she's going to charge you. get back in the car. just let the rope go. >> once out, they realize it's a male calf. and he heads straight for his mama. >> he knew where the mother was. he knew where the direction of the mother was calling from.

>> you can tell that they're desperate to be together and they're very, very happy once they are together. >> once she has the calf, she reaches for him, brings him to her, stands and lets him suck klg, and she's not threatening us, she's not even particularly vigilant to the car. she's just happy to be back with her baby. i have to say, i was crying by the time he got back to his mother. i was just so happy. it felt so fantastic. >> the happy reunion is even more heartwarming in light of a spike in african elephant deaths at the hands of poachers eager to cash in on the valuable ivory tusks. >> every other day you wake up, every other day it's just news, bad news about elephants. >> it's successes like these that keep vicki, robert, and their colleagues committed to protecting elephants.

>> it is the best feeling ever you can imagine. it is really moving. even for a person who doesn't love animals. it's something you don't see every day. they really love one another. coming up -- a motorist comes under attack by a raging driver. >> i can't do anything. he's trying to run me off the road. and later -- >> i kind of kept thinking if they get enough speed, they're going to keep going, and they're going to end up in the water. that's seriously not even funny.

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tand that's what we're doings to chat xfinity.rself, we are challenging ourselves to improve every aspect of your experience. and this includes our commitment to being on time. every time. that's why if we're ever late for an appointment, we'll credit your account $20. it's our promise to you. we're doing everything we can to give you the best experience possible. because we should fit into your life. not the other way around. i'm richard lui with the hour's top stories. we're expecting to get new information shortly from the texas governor on the deadly and devastating storms that hit the state over the weekend. what we know right now at least 11 people died, dozens were injured, and multiple homes were destroyed when a series of tornadoes hit the dallas area saturday night. the national weather service is

classifying the tornado strength as an ef-4. rough weather continues today with rain and high winds in the region making it tougher for crews on the ground right now. we'll cannot with more on msnbc. now back to "caught on camera." somebody is trying to run me off the road. he's doing it right now. yes, please, quickly. they're chasing me all over. >> a shocking episode of road rage. >> i can't do anything. he's trying to run me off the road. >> he was continually colliding with me. trying to push me off the road. pulling in front of me. >> it's a life-threatening confrontation, as a furious driver attacks. >> and i thought once my vehicle is not going, i have no protection, this bloke is going to kill me. >> december 15th, 2012.

brisbane, australia. retired police officer ken olson is driving with his dash camera on when a black pickup truck tries to cut him off. >> i had an in-car recording device which i always use in case something like this happens. >> i looked up to my rear vision mirror. there's a bloke gesturing and pulling signs at me and going berserk. >> olson doesn't recognize the driver or the vehicle. the man pulls in front of olson and then slams on his brakes. >> i had nowhere to go. i just went straight into the back of him, collided with the back of him. >> the man jumps out of the driver's seat, which in australia is on the right side of the vehicle. >> go around the left of his vehicle, and as i did, he punched by driver's window. >> olson swerves past the man and keeps driving, but the guy won't give up. >> he appeared on the right of me into incoming traffic. again he was screaming at me. by this time i knew this bloke

was up to something other than just exchanging details. >> olson veers to avoid hitting the black pickup. he's risking a head-on collision with other vehicles, so olson drives off the roadway and loops back, all the while trying to lose his insistent pursuer. >> he continued to follow me, went into the right-hand lane, still diagonally. i had to go into the footpath. >> olson dials emergency assistance. >> i've got a bloke that's collided with me four times. he's trying to run me off the road. >> and which way are you heading, sir? >> i'm heading toward the logan home police station. i'm heading north. >> keep driving toward the police station. >> there he comes now. yeah, i can't do anything. he's trying to run me off the road. >> all i'm trying to tell you is keep driving to the police station. >> i can't. he keeps cutting in front of me and cutting me off. >> even with the police on the phone, the situation is escalating so fast that olson is basically on his own.

>> nobody would have had any time to help me, and everybody was trying to take evasive action to get away from this lunatic. he had no concern for other road users. >> as the seconds tick by, the driver amps up the chase even more aggressively. >> okay. he's coming up beside me. he just collided with me twice. he's pushing me into the barrier. you better get someone here. this dude is crazy. here he -- oh. absolutely at speed reversed straight into me, smashed the whole front of my car. i was jolted. i nearly shot through the windshield. >> can you stop the car? >> no, he's jumping on my hood. >> the man pounds in the windshield to mere inches from olson's head. >> and the windscreen was coming closer and closer to my face. i had the impression he was trying to make a hole in the wind screen so he could reach in and get me or gain access to the cabin. >> olson floors the accelerator and the man falls to the ground. >> she said, well don't stop.

just keep driving. i said, don't worry, i'm not stopping because i didn't know how quickly he was going to recover. all i needed to do was put distance between me and this person. >> keep driving and don't go back. >> i'm not going back. are you crazy? i'm getting miles away. >> olson is badly shaken and worried the enraged man is still chasing him. >> i'm just keeping an eye in my rear vision mirror. i don't need this bloke sideswiping me. >> it's able to drive to the nearest police precinct where he files an incident report. when the dashcam video hits the -- >> i'm richard lui at msnbc headquarters in new york. we break in to programming to bring you texas governor greg abbott in process right now, in progress, who is providing an update after last night's deadly tornadoes in the dallas area. let's take a listen. >> there are ongoing challenges because of snow, because of ice, because of freezing cold, and because of power outages for many of the families who live in that region.

in the central texas we are still dealing with rain in addition to some potential for ongoing challenges because of tornadoes. in the eastern portion of texas, there will be additional rain today as well as ongoing challenges about the possibility of tornadoes. so, first, i want to make one thing clear, and that is to applaud and thank, you know, all of the local officials for the swift and effective ways in which they are responding in their local communities, whether it be the city level or county level, and we have reached out to them, and they know that the state of texas is ready, willing, and active in aiding them in any way possible. there have been four counties that have declared a disaster.

they have made a disaster declaration for already, that includes cullen county -- now there, may be more that are added to that as time proceeds, but at this stage our key focus is this, and that is, first, rescue and recovery. second, aiding and assisting those who need to get to shelter. third is helping families and communities rebuild from the challenges they have faced. most immediately, however, in the next 24 hours there is something that we are asking of citizens across the state of texas. we need you to remain vigilant. we need you to listen to local authorities' warnings about action you may need to take.

it includes remaining in shelter in places where you may be frozen. it ensures that you stay off of roads unless you have to travel on those roads understanding this, as the roads across the state of texas, especially north of i-10, remain in a perilous condition, whether it be the icy roads of the northwest or the rainy roads in central and eastern parts of the state of texas, we also along these lines need texans to be aware there will be an ongoing problem for the next 24 hours, especially, but really for another several days about rising waters. we've seen already this year many instances of rising waters causing people to be swept away. be vigilant, be cautious, and be aware of your surroundings and the potential for rising waters to sweep you away.

stay out of the possibility of even going into those rising waters. now, there are many people who either need assistance or in typical texas fashion want to help provide assistance. for both of those categories, we suggest that you first contact the red cross. they are providing tremendous assistance to those in need across the state of texas but also they are welcoming those who want to aid in the assistance process. there are also across the entire state of texas shelters that are open for those who may need a place to stay, whether it's because your home has been flattened or because you're traveling across the state of texas and the hotels and motels may be filled and you need a place to stay for the night. contact the red cross or contact local entities to find shelters

where you can stay if you need it. with that, why don't i stop talking and take a few questions. >> governor, you had a report from communities in terms of damage and injuries, but have you tallied it up at the state level what those injuries are? >> on fatalities at the state level, we don't have an official number to announce at this time. obviously the number is far too many, and we need to continue through the process of evaluating the stafts as we make our way through the rubble today and tomorrow. but as you know, there have been approximately 11 fatalities reported, and i use the word approximately with emphasis, and we will wait and see, but i want to emphasize the compassion, support, and prayers that i and the first lady offer for those

families who have lost a family member. >> have you received any updates about how many tornadoes potentially touched down? >> well, on the total number, we've seen varying numbers ranging to even more than a dozen. i can tell you that the tornado in garland was a category 4. another was a category 3, so these are significant, powerful tornadoes that were capable of inflicting massive damage. >> can you just touch on again, whenever something like this happens, a disaster, just how specifically the state helps out just moving things forward over the next weeks, days. >> the state is helping out through a variety of different agencies depending upon the particular region. for example, in the snowy parts

of the panhandle, that is an area where the texas national guard and the state guard are particularly effective with the quill they provide to assist those who have vehicles or other property that simply isn't be moved. in the garland area, in the dallas area, in the areas that have received the greatest damage because of the tornadoes, texas task force one, texas task force two are actively engaged in the search and rescue process. in central texas all the way up to the red river and east texas where we see rising waters, we also see texas task force one, task force two, department of public safety heavily engaged in assisting those who may be trapped by rising waters. i do want to point out one other thing that i neglected to mention earlier, and that is the texas department of public

safety has already been responsive to and will remain responsive to any issues or concerns raised about potential looting because of damages inflicted by the tornadoes, and we will work collaboratively with local law enforcement to ensure that we do all we can to prevent any type of looting from occurring. >> you spoke about listening to local law enforcement when they say stay off of this road or, you know, don't go over here, but then you still see time and time again after these disasters people going out, wanting to see all the damage. why is that such a bad thing to do right now? >> it's essential if you do not need to be on the road, please stay off the road for several reasons. first, there are emergency vehicles and assistance that need to get to the areas that are most heavily damaged, and so please stay away from there is that those who are performing

rescue and recovery services can perform those services. second is as the day continues, we will have increasing areas where rain-covered roads will turn into ice, and whether you're in west texas or even in north texas later on today, you're going to be getting out on roads that could be covered with ice and when you drive across those roads, we don't want you to become a victim yourself, and so as we continue to deal with the challenging weather over the next day or two, please stay off the roads if at all possible. >> anything else? >> any idea how many people have taken shelter? >> that number will go up or down. i think tonight the red cross will give us a good census

count. right now people are trying to recover their property and we do bed counts to see how many people are in a shelter -- >> we are midway through this press briefing coming from the texas governor, greg abbott. the latest details of what had happened details of what had happened overnight there, a devastating and deadly group of tornadoes. he is discussing right now and i want to bring in nbc's charles hadlock who is in the town of rawlet, texas, and charles, we just heard from the governor there an ef-3 he is confirming touching down where you are at, what is the latest that you're seeing? >> reporter: correct. this is what an ef-3 tornado looks like, richard. a lot of roofs are peeled off, trees are down, limbs, cars tossed about, things like that. in the town of garland which is just to the west of here they had an ef-4 tornado and that's powerful enough to wipe the house right off the foundation and that's what you see in that

neighborhood. garwin is also the area where eight people died overnight and five of them were on the highway and five of them were traveling down interstate 30 when the tornado crossed the interstate right in front of them and they were swept off the road and smashed under the pavement below an underpass and were all killed. that's where the majority of deaths occurred. two more deaths occurred in the town of copeville which is about ten miles from here. two people were in a gas station/feed store. they were killed. and an infant was killed in the town of cedar ridge, texas. so a devastating tornado outbreak in texas and 11 storms, two of them and some of the most powerful on record here. >> nbc's charles hadlock live in texas on the latest of the tornadoes that touched down. stay with msnbc as we continue to follow this breaking story. our cosmetics line was a hit.

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middle of an icy lake and the owner races to reach her. >> you're just afraid that you're going to watch her slip off and you can't get close enough fast enough. >> i really didn't think that we were going to get to her in time. i mean, i was in tears the entire time. i'm coming. >> january 2, 2013, kansas city, kansas. it's morning when beth jacoby hears some unusual cries coming from behind her house. >> i could hear this -- it didn't even sound like -- it didn't sound like a dog. i thought maybe it was a cow dying. 20 minutes later beth discovers the source of those cries.

i ran inside and grabbed my dad and i told him there was a dog in the -- that it fell through the ice in the middle of the lake and we needed to go save her. >> mike jacoby calls 911. >> 911. >> i'm in countryview lake and there is a big dog trapped in the lake, in the ice and it is a dog trapped in the ice and he ain't going to get out unless someone gets him out. >> we'll contract animal control. >> down by the lake the jacobies recognize chloe, a neighbor's 16-year-old labrador retriever. >> she was trying hard to crawl up over the ice after hearing her name being called out. >> the 911 dispatcher calls fellow police officer george simms who he knows lives on the lake and has a dog fitting the description. >> that was my wake-up call and my wife was downstairs and she heard my feet hit the floor and she figured something was up.

sims finds his dog in a desperate situation. simms works out a rescue plan with the help of neighbor john applegate. >> she's about 60 feet out and i said we need an innertube and i have one, but i have to inflate it. i threw a 100-foot extension cord that was on the reel that was a tube secured to the extension cord. they gave me a push, and i just started making my way out to her. >> hey, chloe, george is coming! >> while sims struggles through the icy water firefighters arrive. it was not only a neighborhood group effort, it was a community effort baz wye had several fire units there, we had a couple of police officers and animal control. >> she was out there for at least an hour.

because another ten more minutes before everybody else got down there. >> as simms nears chloe it appears the dog is losing her will to fight. >> she wasn't really trying or struggling so much anymore and she got kind of really quiet. i really didn't think that we were going to get to her in time. >> she was running out of energy. any moment you're just afraid that you work your way to her, you get closer and closer and you're just afraid that you're going to watch her slip off and you just can't get close enough fast enough. >> after fighting his way through the ice for several minutes simms makes it and grabs a hold of chloe. >> emergency responders pull them both back to shore. >> easy! easy! watch the ice! >> simms tries to help by breaking the ice with his boots.

>> she's not a young dog, and when she stepped up on to the ground and she was standing on her own and looking around and wagging her tail i knew she was -- she was going to be all right. ♪ ♪ >> it was a good feeling for everybody that we got her because we knew she didn't have much time left. she was out there a long time. >> how chloe ended up in the middle of the lake will probably remain a mystery. jacoby is just relieved the dog got her attention. >> i know if i hadn't been out there, i don't know if anybody else would have heard her or even realized that she was out there. >> since her brush with death, chloe's been enjoying some extra affection. >> my wife says she know, but yeah, we're still close. i give her an extra hug.

♪ ♪ ♪ whether you're ready for it. >> one mistake and you're done. >> or you're not. >> i definitely do not want to burn to death. >> life can get treacherous. >> it's the scariest i've ever seen in my life. >> and fast. ♪ >> immediately i started spinning out of control. >> how do people react when a normal day -- >> i thought i was going to die. >> takes a terrifying turn. >> i started praying because that's what i know to do. ♪ ♪ >> if i'm going to die i'm going to die trying. ♪ ♪ ♪