swept away and a 4-year-old boy drowned. even with more rain predicted, residents today began cleaning up. >> you cross your fingers and hope everything will come out okay. hope the insurance covers it and go on and see what we can do. >> reporter: in northern georgia, ten inches of rain washed out several roads. officials are unsure when they'll all reopen. in southern kansas, hundreds of homes damaged. dozens of campgrounds evacuated. after six inches of rain hit the area. tonight, thousands in central tennessee remain without power, but for some who remember the devastating flood of 2010, this was just too much. >> i know one thing. i've got to move. i can't stay here. >> reporter: tonight, the red cross has opened shelters here in nashville. officials say it's still too early. they are calculating the extent of the damage. lester? >> kerry, thanks. let's bring in weather channel meteorologist mike

seidel in hollister. what aree looking at behind you? >> reporter: the turkey creek and a massive flash flood before sunrise because of all that heavy rain. the water came up and over the banks. it came roaring through this mobile home park. it moved this mobile home the length of a football field. the one behind me, this white one, a family of four inside. the mom swam over to the basketball hoop. she hung on for two hours. the fire department came in and rescued everyone. everyone is all right at the nearby red cross shelter. more heavy rain, look at this. a swath from kansas through here in southern missouri. nashville, you could be looking at another four to five inches of rain. locally heavy amounts. flash flood watches continue. it will be some time next week before we can get some drier air into this area. lester? >> mike seidel tonight for us, thanks. moving west, a big battle going on in southern california tonight against a wildfire that has blown up out of control with an army of firefighters trying to contain what is now a raging

inferno. nbc's miguel almaguer is in banning, california, for us tonight. miguel, good evening. >> reporter: lester, good evening. i want to give you some perspective of the terrain we're in, what this fire is feeding on. acre and acre of bone-dry brush. take a look at this fuel. see how dry this is? it is the perfect fuel for this fire. it's charred across more than 11,000 acres, and it's growing larger every minute. >> if we can get some air support, anything at all will help. >> reporter: from the air, a moving monster. the so-called silver fire exploding out of control at a, quote, critical rate. >> several structures involved. >> reporter: in less than 24 hours, this inferno quadrupled in size. 16 square miles up in smoke. >> it hit here very fast. that wind started pushing that fire up over the ridge lines and before they knew, it was upon the community. >> reporter: this is erratic and aggressive fire behavior, even for seasoned california

firefighters. >> i'd like to request five strike teams of crews. >> reporter: at least 15 structures destroyed. >> mandatory evacuations. you need to evacuate immediately. >> reporter: nearly 2,000 people had only minutes to flee the flames. >> i got here and the house was already half burned. >> reporter: dave clark watched his home burn to the ground. >> i knew where a bag of legal documents were so i ran in and grabbed them and ran out. >> reporter: these tinderbox conditions are always dangerous and can be deadly. four firefighters are injured. one neighbor severely burned. for some, there was no time to escape the flames. sheriff's deputies were evacuating locals when the fire tore through here. they rode out the firestorm and, luckily, survived. a small blaze when it began wednesday, overnight the silver fire became a blow torch. structure after structure devoured during the time when fire typically lays down. >> the wind we got last night was cool, and it even had some

moisture in it but it was still 35 miles an hour and continued to push that fire. >> reporter: with an army of nearly 1,000 on the ground and steady air attack, crews are making progress. but tonight, if the winds return, this fire could be poised to make another dangerous run. wind speeds are expected to gust at around 20 miles an hour tonight. some 500 homes remain threatened. the good news, this blaze is 10% contained. that number rising. lester? >> miguel almaguer in california, thanks. what what began in california with the killing of a woman four days ago has expanded to a manhunt in four states tonight for a murder suspect who is on the run and believed to be holding a 16-year-old girl. millions have been asked to help if they can, receiving amber alerts on their cell phones. we get our report tonight from nbc's joe friar. >> reporter: at an emotional vigil just outside of san diego -- >> i love her dearly. >> reporter: friends and relatives hannah anderson pray for the missing teen's safe

return. >> she's a strong girl. i know she's going to come back. >> reporter: the search for 16-year-old han aher 18-year-old brother ethan and suspect dimaggio continue to grow. the suspect may be armed with explosives. they are asking the public not to approach his blue nissan versa if they see it. amber alerts are active in california, oregon, washington and nevada. the children have been missing since their mother's body was found sunday inside dimaggio's home, which was devoured b flames. a second body, possibly ethan's, was also found in the remains. >> the gentleman that was a friend of ours for a long time has taken everything. >> reporter: the kids' father, bret anderson, spoke directly to his daughter. >> if you have a chance, you take it. you run. you'll be found. >> reporter: like most amber alerts, this one appeared on freeway signs across california. but for the first time in this state, the message appeared another way, by phone. it's part of the new wireless

emergencies alert system which sends messages to cell phones where the alert originates. >> when a child is missing, we need to engage the public as the eyes and ears of law enforcement. we need to do it rapidly. >> reporter: but the loud alarm startled many prompting some to turn off the ambert alert feature on their phones. >> we really ask them to reconsider because their participation is key to saving lives. >> reporter: 656 kids have been saved through amber alerts since they started in 1996. friends and relatives hope hannah's alert will lead to another happy ending. joe friar, nbc news, san diego. like millions of us, they bought their tickets and crossed their fingers. the difference is, they won. the people who bought three winning tickets will share the powerball jackpot worth $448 million. one came forward today in minnesota. two more winning tickets were purchased in new jersey. katy tur is there for us tonight. >> reporter: good evening. at this stop and shop where a winning ticket was sold and up

in minnesota it was one of those mornings where you looked around and said, who is not there? if you thought a winner would not show up to work today, well, you'd be wrong. >> whoo! >> reporter: 45-year-old paul white couldn't have said it better. >> i think i had ten people verify the ticket before i left the office. >> reporter: a project engineer from minneapolis, white only learned he was the big winner after his girlfriend called him at work. >> ron this morning was my boss. he started the day my boss. he's going to end the day my chauffeur. >> reporter: here's tonight's first number. >> reporter: white is one of three people with the magic numbers in the jackpot. that's $149.4 million over 30 years. white chose the $86 million cash payout. but after taxes, that's only about $60 million. but if you want feeling benevolent, $60 million is more than enough to send 265 students to harvard for four years. if white has any love for coffee and sweets, he could franchise

61 dunkin donuts. and he may not be able to buy a whole dream team, but he could still have lebron james. the two other tickets were purchased in new jersey and at this stop & shop where one of the tickets was sold. the unlucky locals were still smarting. >> i woke up to a screaming wife running down the hallway asking to check the tickets. when i told her we didn't buy it here, i had another screaming wife saying, why didn't we buy it here. >> reporter: as for the winner we know of, paul white, his immediate plans? >> i would guess there might be a party or some vacation in there. >> dominican republic. >> i've spent my whole life trying to figure out what it is i want to do when i grow up. now i get the opportunity to do whatever i want. >> reporter: and if you notice there have been a lot more major jackpots lately. powerball changed its rules upping the price of 1 ticket from $1 to $2, which means it's spiraled out of control. also, there's been 34 other $1 million winners from this

drawing, which means it was very lucky indeed, lester. >> katy tur in new jersey, thanks. black boxes not just in planes but in your car. keeping track of what you do behind the wheel like how fast you're going, and raising concerns about privacy. later, a baby kidnapped from the hospital. then found and returned to his parents only to find out half a century later, he's not their son. tonight, the fbi dives into a mystery. pearls. hairbands.er ] and now hot pink toes. seems tough for a tough dog like duke. but when it has to do with gwen, he's putty in her hands. for a love this strong, duke's family only feeds him iams. compared to other leading brands, it has 50% more animal protein... ...to help keep his body as strong as a love that can endure any fashion trend. iams. keep love strong. now you can keep love fun with new shakeables meaty treats.

her long day of pick ups and drop offs begins with arthritis pain... and a choice. take up to 6 tylenol in a day or just 2 aleve for all day relief. all aboard. ♪ why let erectile dysfunction get in your way? talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away, if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor. this is the age of taking action. with freshly bakedeve in whole grain bread.right then we add all-natural eggs... lean antibiotic-free ham... and vermont white cheddar. get 16 grams of protein and 23 grams of whole grain in the breakfast power sandwich.

you know, from our 4,000 television commercials. yep, there i am with flo. hoo-hoo! watch it! [chuckles] anyhoo, 3 million people switched to me last year, saving an average of $475. [sigh] it feels good to help people save... with great discounts like safe driver, multicar, and multipolicy. so call me today. you'll be glad you did. cannonbox! [splash!] there is mixed news tonight about the safety of some of the most popular small cars on the road. two honda civic models were the only compact or subcompact cars tested that got the top rating in front end crash tests from the insurance institute for highway safety. half of the dozen cars tested fared poorly, but the other six performed well. we posted the full list tonight on our website. as those tests show, for decades it's been a great deal of attention on making cars

safer. but what many drivers don't know is that in most newer model cars today, a small recorder is keeping track of critical data, just in case of an accident. that information is useful to police and insurance companies. but privacy advocates worry about who is allowed access to that readout about what you are doing behind the wheel. we get our report tonight from nbc's tom costello. >> reporter: at 50 miles per hour, a rare view of a crash test with a human behind the wheel. to learn how a car performed or to gather evidence in a real world crash, investigators are increasingly turning to a car's event data recorder, a black box. >> just got word that the governor's motorcade has been involved in an accident. >> reporter: when former new jersey governor jon corzine was seriously injured in a car crash, the black box helped determine his police driver was going 91 miles per hour and corzine wasn't wearing a seat

belt. >> i apologize to the public. you know, i have no excuse. >> reporter: not unlike a commercial plane, the black box is usually buried deep inside the car. usually in the air bag control module where it monitors the car's speed, engine performance, whether the brakes are applied and seat belts buckled. if the air bags deploy, the black box usually captures and records only the last few seconds of data before the crash. >> from a module like this, we'll see a little precrash data. how fast the car was going. the application of the throttle. >> reporter: crash specialist rusty hait travels the country teaching police officers how to use the information. >> accessing data from cars involved in a crash should be part of every accident investigation. it gives another data element to work with. it gives us something that's objective. >> reporter: pubuprivacy advocates warn there's no national standards on analyzing black box data and no word on who gets to look at the data about how you and i drive. >> in many states, insurance

companies can access this information without your consent. law enforcement can access this information without first obtaining a warrant. >> reporter: but the boxes don't record video or sound, who is driving or even the road they're on. by september 2014, the government hopes every new car will come with a black box. part of a focus on making cars and drivers even safer. tom costello, nbc news, washington. we're back in a moment with word of one of this nation's highest honors tonight for oprah. "i'm part of an american success story," "that starts with one of the world's most advanced distribution systems," "and one of the most efficient trucking networks," "with safe, experienced drivers." "we work directly with manufacturers," "eliminating costly markups," "and buy directly from local farmers in every region of the country." "when you see our low prices, remember the wheels turning behind the scenes, delivering for millions of americans, everyday.

"dedication: that's the real walmart" diarrhea, gas, bloating? yes! one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues... with three strains of good bacteria. [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. do you mind grabbing my phone and opening the capital one purchase eraser? i need to redeem some venture miles before my demise. okay. it's easy to erase any recent travel expense i want. just pick that flight right ther mmm hmmm. give it a few taps, and...it's taken care of. this is pretty easy, and i see it works on hotels too. you bet. now if you like that, press the red button on top. ♪ how did he not see that coming? what's in your wallet? how did he not see that coming? i tthan probablycare moreanyone else.and we've had this farm for 30 years. we raise black and red angus cattle. we also produce natural gas. that's how we make our living

and that's how we can pass the land and water back to future generations. people should make up their own mind what's best for them. all i can say is it has worked well for us. but, dad, you've got... [ voice of dennis ] allstate. with accident forgiveness, they guarantee your rates won't go up just because of an accident. smart kid. [ voice of dennis ] indeed. are you in good hands? [ voice of dennis ] see lioutdoors, orth light. to ask about our newest lenses, transitions vantage and transitions xtractive lenses. experience life well lit. ask which transitions adaptive lens is best for you.

we're back with a stunning announcement from the fbi which says it's reopening a kidnapping case from nearly a half a century ago. one that has left a lingering mystery. it involves a stolen baby and a grown-up man who is now left to wonder who he really is. our justice correspondent pete williams is following this story from our washington newsroom. hello, pete. >> reporter: lester, at the

center of all of this is a man in nevada who has had some lingering questions about who he really is, and now the fbi is trying to help find out. the trouble starts one april day in 1964. a baby boy, paul fronzak born to a chicago couple is snatched from a hospital by a woman disguised as a nurse. the crime sets off an intense search, national attention, urgent pleas from the parents. then 14 months later, a child is found abandoned in newark, new jersey. investigators conclude it's the missing boy based on the shape of his ears. but when he was 10 years old, the boy discovered a stash of newspaper clippings about the kidnapping and began to wonder, was he really that stolen child? he recently talked his parents into taking a dna test. result? no match. he was not their child. now age 49, he wants to know who is he. and whatever became of that stolen baby? first the fbi says it could not help because the case files were long lost, but now agents have found those files and are hoping that advancements in forensics

and some public attention might provide the answers, lester. >> remarkable story. pete, thanks. margaret pellegrini has died. she was one of the original munch k munchkins who appeared in the "wizard of oz." she wore a flower pot on her head. she often spoke at schools reminding kids there are two roads you can take, the wrong road and the right road. margaret pellegrini was 89. only 2 of the 124 original munchkins are still alive. and karen black has died. she was oscar nominated for her role in "five easy pieces" and had memorable roles in "easy rider" and "nashville." karen black passed away after a long battle with cancer. she was 74. it's this country's highest civilian honor. today president obama names scene distinguished americans, recipients of the presidential medal of freedom. among them, bill clinton and oprah winfrey. the late sally ride who was the

first american female astronaut in space. the late senator daniel inouye of hawaii. country music legend loretta lynn, ben bradley, former executive editor of the "washington post" and baseball great ernie banks. when we come back here tonight, making a difference. and an extraordinary outpouring after we first told you about the folks helping a lot of young caped crusaders face their fears. this is kevin. to prove to you that aleve is the better choice for him, he's agreed to give it up. that's today? [ male announcer ] we'll be with him all day as he goes back to taking tylenol. i was okay, but after lunch my knee started to hurt again. and now i've got to take more pills. ♪ yup. another pill stop. can i get my aleve back yet? ♪ for my pain, i want my aleve. ♪ [ male announcer ] look for the easy-open red arthritis cap. yeah? then how'd i get this... [ voice of dennis ] ...safe driving bonus check?

every six months without an accident, allstate sends a check. silence. are you in good hands? silence. and you wouldn't have it any other way.e. but your erectile dysfunction - you know, that could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medications, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sexual activity. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as this may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess with cialis. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or if you have any allergic reactions such as rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat, or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away.

ask your doctor about cialis for daily use and a 30-tablet free trial. vietnam in 1972. [ all ] fort benning, georgia in 1999. [ male announcer ] usaa auto insurance is often handed down from generation to generation. because it offers a superior level of protection and because usaa's commitment to serve military members, veterans, and their families is without equal. begin your legacy, get aauto insurance quote. usaa. we know what it means to serve.

finally tonight, a follow-up to a "making a difference" report we brought you last month on an organization called "heart heroes." it provides capes to kids battling forces beyond their control. they've got heart problems. and lifting their spirits goes a long way. after our story, many viewers responded and nbc's kevin tibbles has an update for us tonight. >> oh, look at that. >> reporter: in spite of three open heart surgeries, nothing is going to slow 5-year-old crusader cyrusrixie down. not in his shiny new cape. >> he's been through so much. incredibly strong kid. >> he's had three open heart surgeries. >> reporter: these are heady days in the superhero business. >> we're just plugging away trying to get cape requests out

the fastest we can. >> this is her signature cape. >> reporter: two mere mortal moms from omaha, nebraska, who each raise kids with congenital heart defects. founded heart heroes four years ago to help other children battle illness with extra special powers. >> we knew that this story would reach a lot of people and that we would get, you know, a lot of requests. but we had no idea. >> look at that little smile. >> reporter: since our story first aired last month, traffic on the heart heroes website soared 12,000%. more cape requests than in all previous years combined. >> it's been crazy, but it's been a good crazy. >> reporter: e-mails like this one, now arrive daily. my 12-year-old son is scheduled to have open heart surgery. i am terrified. >> it's a hard time. and when that happens, you want to put the request out to anybody that can say a prayer for your child. >> reporter: let's face it. any kid facing the fear and

uncertainty of a medical procedure wants to take it on like a boy or girl of steel. >> they feel empowered. and resilient. and invincible in these capes. >> reporter: the home-grown group now holds fund-raisers like this one at tcby, hoping to keep the capes coming for kid like cyrus. >> it's also fun because he likes to wear capes and he's really into superheroes. >> reporter: right here on earth, not a bird or a plane but heart heroes filled with newfound courage. kevin tibbles, nbc news, chicago. and that's our broadcast for this thursday night. thank you for being with us. i'm lester holt sitting in tonight for brian. we hope to see you right back here tomorrow evening. good night.