good morning. epic flooding. the carolinas under water this morning amid rainfall not seen in centuries. raging flood waters stranding drivers, leading to dozens of rescues. residents clinging to each other for safety. >> the house is flooding and they can't stop it. >> and today, another eight inches of rain in the forecast. dylan is tracking it all. coast guard searchers find a life ring in the hunt for the missing cargo ship with 33 aboard, but nothing else. this as hurricane joaquin raging in the atlantic with the island of bermuda in the cross hairs.

hillary the ham? hillary clinton makes an appearance on "saturday night live." >> dond ald trump, isn't he the one that's like, you all losers? >> all the highlights from "snl"'s premiere. the french bulldog who took on curious bears roaming around his home. score, bulldog, 1, bears, 0. 2015. >> announcer: from nbc news, this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. good morning, welcome to today on this sunday morning. erica is on assignment. i'm sheinelle jones. >> i'm craig melvin, alongside dylan dreyer and frances rivera. the french bulldog, the name, jules.

>> he has a pair of jewels. >> there you go. >> 20 pounds. >> we'll have more on the dog in a moment. these are some troubling images from down south. this is harden street in columbia, south carolina. for folks not familiar with the area, that's where a lot of the university of south carolina students hang out. this is charleston right now. the low country. historic, epic, life-threatening in some cases, the flooding going on there. >> they call some of these storms 100-year storms. this is a 500-year storm is what they're calling it. you just don't see rain of this magnitude. >> that is our top story on this sunday morning. another harrowing night in south carolina, as even more rain pounded the palmetto state. it's getting even worse today. nbc's gabe gutierrez is in charleston's historic downtown, which is underwater this morning. gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: craig, good morning. this is what many people here in charleston are waking up to. roads, impassable, cars,

abandoned and water rescues are underway. this city got almost a quarter of its yearly average rainfall in 24 hours. this morning, parts of the southeast are under water, life-threatening floods. in columbia, south carolina, people waded through the raging waters hand in hand, fighting against the current, azores s as rescue crews rushed to help. hundreds of emergency calls. >> we got them out of the water. we can get to the vehicle now. >> legit rain, huh? >> reporter: more than 11 inches of rain fell here saturday, the city's wettest day on record. overnight, the rains picked back up, flooding the neighborhoods again and inching closer to these homes. >> it was unbelievable. i mean, this street has not flooded since i've been here 14 years. >> reporter: the three-day rain total topped 13 inches, also a record. the president declaring a state of emergency in south carolina,

>> this morning was kind of mass chaos. >> reporter: from the carolinas to the northeast, storms are ripping down power lines, washing out roads and destroying homes. >> i heard this loud boom, and it was loud. i knew it wasn't -- i knew it was a tree. >> reporter: in new jersey, this house broke apart and floated down the bay. down the east coast, officials are urging residents not to venture out. >> we're dealing with record rainfalls. take it seriously. >> reporter: a warning not everyone is heeding. a historic downpour that's let's kathy jefferson cleaning up, as she braces for more rain. >> my house is full of water. the floors are all damaged. the furniture is all wet. everything is gone. >> reporter: over the past few day, these torrential rains have been blamed for at least four deaths throughout the country. here in charleston, this

of the night. many roads are oe opening reopening. we could reach record flood stages by tomorrow. >> gabe gutierrez in the low country. stay safe. >> how much more rain can we expect from the storm? >> the rain is letting up in charleston, but when you have river and creek flooding, it takes several weeks for the rivers to subside completely. we're still looking at the flooding threat even after the rains shut off. this has been the past 12 to 24 to 36 hours. right in through here, the rain is finally starting to lift to the north, although columbia is still dealing with this heavy rain. so far, we've already picked up about 16 to up to 24 inches of rain in some areas, and that is just record amounts of rainfall that this area has not seen in years. we've got this area of low pressure and this moisture just being pumped in from the atlantic. eventually, this area of low pressure will finally start to

up into parts of north carolina, right along the coast through the day on monday. tuesday, the whole thing finally starts to exit. we do have flash flood warnings in effect. north of charleston, that's where we could see perhaps up to another seven to ten inches of rain. again, the creeks are flooded, and they're going to remain flooded until the waters get a chance to recede. >> all right. >> thank you. now to a development in the search for the missing cargo ship in the atlantic. searchers say they have found the life ring, but nothing else. the family members of the 33 crew members on board, most of them american, are not giving up hope today. nbc's kristen has the latest on that. >> reporter: good morning. the life ring was found 75 miles from the ship's last known position. we're told there may have been other life rings spotted in the water, but when they lowered a diver into the water, conditions were so bad, they were only able to recover that one.

what does it all mean? it's too early to tell what it tells us about the fate of the ship. what the coast guard is saying it tells them, they're searching in the right place. after hours spent scanning the vast and churning sea, a discovery in the water. >> three life rings and one life jacket. >> reporter: it's the first sign of the el faro in three days. >> our highest hopes are that the crew remain with the ship and they're riding it out. >> reporter: so far, search conditions have been rough. >> the winds were in excess of 100 naughts. visibility, less than one quarter mile. >> deborah's son was on board. >> the coast guard has been working tirelessly and putting their lives in their hands to find our loved ones. >> reporter: the ship was last heard from near the baja hamas on thursday, as hurricane joaquin bore down. a distress call said the ship

had taken on water and was listing to the side. 33 men and women on board. daniel randolph is the ship's second mate. frank hamm is a husband and father of five. >> he's strong. he better be strong, because i just pray everything is okay. >> reporter: his daughter desiree and wife rachelle don't allow themselves to think the worst. >> i know he's coming home. i'm waiting for the phone call. i don't know if i have to fly to puerto rico or where i need to be, but i'll be there. >> reporter: for those that know the crew, hope is very much alive. >> fight, fight and fight some more. because you know you can make it. >> reporter: kenneth worked on the el faro last week. he knows the crew, the training and the equipment on board. like neoprene survival suits like this one. >> once you put the suit on and expose yourself to the water, you'll float. if you're unconscious, you'll

>> reporter: they've searched 31,000 square miles but this find narrows they're focused. they're up flying now. >> thank you. turning now to oregon, where a tragedy is uniting a community devastated by the loss of nine people killed in a mass shooting on a college campus. more on how they're coming together. we learn more about the gunman's final moments. jacob is outside of the college this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. investigators discovered another gun at his home where he lived with his mother. more revealed on how the shooter died. new information about the gunman who killed nine people at the community college in oregon. authorities saying christopher harper mercer shot himself to police. his stunned father told cnn he had no idea his son has acquired an arsenal.

of the guns, it wouldn't have happened. >> reporter: in oregon -- >> we have lost precious souls. >> reporter: the congregation lost one of their own. moore, a single mother who never finished her business degree. >> i miss her. i'll miss her. >> reporter: for this family of believers, there is some comfort in how she died. the shooter reportedly asked some victims about their religion, including serena. >> she did stand up and say, "i'm a christian," knowing that she would be shot. i'm sorry. >> reporter: several of the wounded are still hospitalized, including an army vet, mint, shot five times after confronting the gunman. investigators say a 26-year-old

himself after the rampage. the community and nation, searching for answers and peace. for the first time since the shooting, the road leading to the community college has been reopened. students allowed to retrieve their cars from the parking lot. classes won't start until a week from monday. sheinelle? >> thank you. to politics, where speculation is mounts about whether vice president biden will enter the race. the pressure is also growing because the first democratic debate is nine days away. kristen welker is at the white house with the latest. >> reporter: good morning to you. biden supporters say while it is late, the vice president technically has until the end of the month to make a final decision. multiple sources are telling me he is still undecided. all this as he and secretary clinton shared a forum together saturday at the human rights campaign. the dual appearances only fueling the buzz about a possible biden run. hillary clinton and vice

different times saturday but on the same stage in d.c., a potential preview of what could become reality. >> i'm running for president to stand up for the fundamental rights of lgbt americans and all americans. >> reporter: still undeclared, biden shrugged at the august suggestion of a run. >> didn't say that. >> reporter: he sure sounded like a candidate, taking on the gop. >> the american people are already with you. look at the numbers. there's homophobes still left. most are running for president, i think. >> reporter: vowing to fight for stiffer gun laws after the oregon massacure. >> i will continue to fight. >> reporter: sources close to the vice president say his team is ready to deploy a plan the moment he says go. >> he seems to be comfortable

delaying a decision. first, we thought he was going to decide by the end of the summer. now, it looks like we'll get, perhaps, to the end of october before we know, or even later. >> reporter: biden acknowledges he's still undecided, grappling with the loss of his son, beau. >> you have no right as an individual to decide to run. your whole family is implicated. >> reporter: clinton has been rebounding from the e-mail situation. >> bartender, keep them come ing. >> reporter: saturday, she appears on "snl." >> all anyone wants to talk about is donald trump. >> donald trump? isn't he the one that's like, oh, you're all losers? >> reporter: of course, that was "snl's" premiere. biden's supporters say key states have deadlines in november and december. >> thank you. we'll have more highlights from "snl" in a few minutes.

first, let's bring in chuck todd, moderator of "meet the press." >> busy show. >> time is running out. is biden going to be or out? >> i think if he's in, we'll know in the next week. the longer he waits, the more likely it is he's not going to run. the only way to put together a campaign that can win is to do it in the next week or two. longer. >> you sat down with republican front runner donald trump in an interview that will air today on "meet the press." he talked about what he'd do if his support starts to fall apart. let's take a listen. >> number one, i'm not a massicist. if i was dropping in the polls, why would i continue? it's tunny, maybe it's not like me because it's a power positive thinker, and i'm a positive thinker, but the truth is, i'm a realist. >> is his campaign built for the long haul? >> we'll see. it's only a question he can answer.

i thought it was fascinating, he basically said when he stops leading in the polls, if he falls and thinks he can't win, that's when he pulls the plug on this thing. it was a fascinating tell. he even said, if i'm falling in me. sometimes interviews can be expect. i have to say, it was -- that part was revealing in a way i didn't expect him to say. challenging week for jeb bush. he was slammed for comments he made in the wake of the community college shooting. let's look at the poll numbers. they show him dropping to 4% among possible republican voters. can he pull out of this? what's your take? >> he's pouring a bunch of money into iowa and new hampshire right now. the fairest way to assess whether he can pull out is to see where he is november 1st. after he spent a month advertising on the air. we'll have new polls coming out on the show in 45 minutes.

evidence that early money, that he is spending in new hampshire, is starting to pay off. can he sustain it? we'll find out in a month. >> never a shortage of news to discuss. >> for sure. >> we'll look for more of your conversation with donald trump in a little bit on "meet the press." join us tomorrow when we sit down for an interview with hillary clinton and told a town hall meeting with her. that's tomorrow on "today." if you want to ask secretary clinton a question, post it on facebook, twitter and instagram, using #hillary today. a high profiling firing at the vatican. >> good morning to you at home. proep pope francis asserted marriage being a bond between man and woman. his comments came hours after the vatican fired a priest who came out as gay saturday night and challenged the church's position on homosexuality. police in california say

they've arrested fourteens in an alleged plot to shoot students school. the plan included names of targets, how they'd be killed and where. the school was apparently tipped off by students earlier this week. at least 25 people were hurt when a ryder truck slammed into a high school, causing the roof to partially collapse. many victims were believed fob ed d to be studented ed s on site for band competition and testing. firefighters say when they arrived on scene saturday, the entire front of the apartment building had been blown into the street. three bystanders were hurt. tragic story, where a young skate border was struck and killed by a hit and run driver. when trauma nurses tried to identify the victim, one was horrified to discover it was her brother. >> i recognized the wallet, and she opened it up and it was my

brother's face right there. >> heart wrenching to hear that. witnesses say the victim has the street. arrested. finally now, taking a turn here, two bears found themselves barking up the wrong tree in california. this is what we're talking about. this incredible home video of that tiny french bulldog taking them on, the bears, on his owner's property. the 20 pound dog named jewels, confronted one bear and then goes after the other bear. they weigh 100 pounds. chasing right out. they jumped the fence. jewels wins. bring it. bring it right now, big bear. >> i fell like we should get together and write a children's book. there's a theme in that, right? >> dylan has another look of where joaquin is right now. >> joaquin is approaching bermuda as a category three hurricane. it'll stay to the west.

the northeastern side of a hurricane is very strong. it's windy, and we are looking at the potential for gusty winds. obviously, the rough surf in that area. the storm races to sea. across the country, the rain continues across south carolina today and north carolina tomo >> good morning, everyone, temperatures right now in the 40s and lower 50s, coolest inland. breeziest abeing lo the coastline as we've wind gusting close to 30 miles an hour. so it will be a breezy day along the waterfront. a bit of a breeze inland but we're dry. even some breaks of blue sky out there this morning. for some towns, do enjoy a better day. overall i think more clouds than breaks of sun and it will be a windy day. temperatures into the 50s. seven-day forecast bringing in mild >> that's your latest forecast. >> thank you. up next on "today," hilarious.

"snl" was seeing doubles, from hillary to how do you stay on top of your health? ahh... ahh... ahh... cigna customers have plan choices and tools to take control. so they're more engaged, with fewer high health risks and lower medical costs. take control of your health at cigna dot comr slash take control. "saturday night live" is back for the 41st season. >> miley cyrus was there, but hillary clinton was serving up laughs and drinks, as well. francis has more on that. >> tv programming is complete with the return of "snl." miley was host and musical guest.

clinton, who played a bartender to the version of her. >> you can say that. hi, i'm hillary clinton. >> great name. i'm val. do you think he'll win the primaries? >> he must. i want to be the one to take him down. i will destroy him, and i will mount his hair in the oval office. [ applause ] >> well, that's kind of a lot. maybe you should take a vacation. >> a vacation? >> a vacation. >> what did you say? >> a vacation. >> did somebody say vacation? >> all right. that's good enough, right? not to be outdone, donald trump was taken on. >> this is blown out of proportion.

>> he was worried. he said she's bleeding everywhere. go to the hospital. >> that's right. i was afraid she was going to die, honestly. i love megyn kelly. i think she's great. she's talented and beautiful. she's always on her period and i hate her and i hope see dies. >> i think we have 13 more months. more material from those guys. >> looking f there's something in me...

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news now. >> good morning. it's 8:26. live look outside over the city skyline. there let's get over to chris lambert who has a check of the weekend forecast, at least what is left of it. >> it's nice not to see the rain drops on the lens either. so we're not dealing with much drill. still an active northeasterly wind. the breeze is strong gusting 25-30 miles an hour along the coast. we'll keep that coastal wind around. overall more clouds than sun but we've had some breaks of sun, mid 50s overall this afternoon. we have improvements. back into the low 70s by wednesday. >> enjoy that. thank you so much. on the top stories, house goes up in flame in upton overnight. upton police tweeted out this picture of the fire. main street was closed for a time as police warned people to avoid the area so firefighters could put out the fire. the fire broke out around 4:00 this morning.

still no word yet on a cause or whether there were any injuries. a breaking story from overnight. a truck in woburn hitting a telephone pole. happened around 4:00 as well. you can see the pole, it's laying there in the street. thereto is also a lot of damage to the front of the truck you see. no word on the condition of the driver of the truck. the department of defense has identified two airmen from hanscom air force base who died in a military plane crash in afghanistan. airman nathan sartain and airmen first kass casey ruiz of georgia died early flitted along with four other u.s. airmen. stay with us. today in new england returns at 9:00. so we hope to see you then. if you told us that simply was the most perfect orange juice in the world, gosh, we wouldn't know what to say... except the customer is always right.

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we are back on a sunday morning, october 4th, 2015, with a look at historic downtown charleston right now, where the relentless. the flooding there, horrific. life-threatening, we're told. streets, impassable. cars, abandoned. no break in sight eier. in fact, i talked to the mayor of columbia a short time ago, a text message, said, it's the worst he's ever seen. we want to go back to gabe gutierrez in charleston. good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. what we've just gotten is a bit in the rain, but this city got a historic amount of rainfall. nearly a quarter of the average

as we mentioned this morning, many roads are impasse able impassable, cars are abandoned and water rescues are underway. we saw many water rescues in columbia, south carolina, and that is where several people were caught in the raging currents. they had to hold hands azores s rescue crews rushed in. the wettest day on record saturday. there were hundreds of emergency calls overnight, and at least 37 water rescues. this weather system has pounded the east coast over the last few days, killing at least four people. here in charleston, much of the peninsula was cut off overnight, but many of the roads are starting to reopen. the concern now is these rivers throughout the state are rising at this point, and they could reach record flood stages by tomorrow. back to you. >> gabe gutierrez in the low country. again, it's amazing to see the pictures coming out of south carolina. now to the tragic death of a

johnny, killed while attempting a jump in the swissal p s alps, is the latest casualty in this extreme sport. >> the record-holding daredevil was 23 years old and doing what he loved, base jumping. this morning, many are asking if the thrill of the sport is worth the deadly risk. >> reporter: johnny found fame at age 17, when he was the youngest person to climb the so-called seven summits, the highest peak on each continent. the california native was known for his risky stunts. wing suit base jumping, just one of them. something went horribly wrong in the swiss alps on thursday. he crashed a few seconds after taking off around noon. strange posted his final youtube video, showing him soaring high above the country side in his suit. he's the latest jumper to die

last may, a rock climber was killed in yosemite. strange paid tribute, writing, thanks for your wing suit advice. i'm sorry to hear you died flying. see you on the other side. sutton was perhaps the most famous base jumper in recent years. he doubled for daniel craig at the opening ceremony of the london to limp pix olympics. his life was cut short a year later after crashing in the alps. 200 base jumpers have been killed from 1981 to 2012. 50 were wearing wing suits. despite the risks, the sport is growing in popularity, thanks to videos shot with go pros. >> the scenario s s in which there are deaths, most of the time, could have been prevented. could have been because of the gear itself, poor decisions the people made. >> reporter: sky diving experts are quick to point out that wing suit diving from a plane is very

different from base jumping. >> you have to distinguish between the activities. one is an air sport. one is a dangerous activity, to fly a wing suit down a mountain. >> reporter: a dangerous activity with another fatal outcome. >> this sport has gotten to popular. there is a competition in illinois, the first ever wing suit national championship. strange will be weighing heavily in their hearts. >> thank you. dylan dreyer is back. when will our friends in south carolina get relief? >> tomorrow. and north carolina gets relief on tuesday. in the meantime, we have flash flood warnings in effect with another six to eight inches, possibly up to 12 inches in some areas, with the next round of rain that's moving through. we've already picked up almost a foot and a half of rain in some areas. it's incredible, what is going on down there. now, you wait for the streams and the rivers to start to subside, which could take weeks. it's a slow, slow process in the low country down there.

the area of low pressure will start to pull away into tuesday. out in the southwest, we've got moisture moving in. it's raining in l.a. today, and it is chilly across the northeast. temperatures today will top out in the upper 60s in parts of the mid-atlantic, and eventually upper 50s tomorrow in the northeast. we have gloves on the plaza for the first time. my first set of gloves i'm seeing, and you're from michigan. >> yes. >> you think you'd be used to the chilly temperatures. >> yes, but i like to take >> good morning, everyone, temperatures right now in the 40s and lower 50s, coolest inland. breeziest abeing lo the coastline as we've wind gusting close to 30 miles an hour. so it will be a breezy day along the waterfront. a bit of a breeze inland but we're dry. even some breaks of blue sky out there this morning. for some towns, do enjoy a better day. overall i think more clouds than breaks of sun and it will be a windy day.

temperatures into the 50s. >> that's your latest forecast. >> thank you. up next, some great sunday stories this morning. the man behind the martian tells erica how he turned a hobby into a hollywood blockbuster. the activity helping breast cancer survivors in recovery. how avid readers are turning back in time to get their fix. right after these messages. is your head so congested it's ready to explode? you may be muddling

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we're back on a sunday morning with a story behind the story of one of this week's biggest films. it's "the martian," and it tells the tale of an astronaut who gets stranded on mars. >> the story behind the film is almost like a film in itself. andy wrote "the martian" as a hobby. convinced he'd never make it as a writer. the universe had other plans. >> reporter: for the man who created "the martian," the film's success is the latest in a series of events he never expected. >> am i in a coma? you know, i'm just dreaming all this? >> andy weir's tale of an astronaut stranded on mars scored this self-described space geek a four-day, vip visit to nasa. >> i went into the mission control center.

control, camera mounted to the outside of iss. >> reporter: and has earned him praise from fans. >> former iss commander. i'm feeling very still >> he liked it. buzzal buzz aldrin, he's taken a liking to me. >> probably the biggest feeling of victory i had was getting the ed ed initially. writer. >> reporter: you weren't sure you had the right stuff? >> all evidence indicated i didn't. i had given up on being a professional writer because i failed too many times. i just said, this is going to be my hobby. >> reporter: weir began penning

>> when i had errors, it was like having 3,000 fast checkers. >> reporter: he was asked for a e-version and kindle download. he posted it for 99 cents. >> i pulled down a pool cool 30 cents per book in royalties. >> reporter: the story that had taken three years to write suddenly changed weir's life in a matter of days. >> when they were negotiating the book deal, then fox came for the movie rights, and those two deals were agreed to four days apart. >> reporter: when you saw what ridley scott put together as his vision, did it match what you initially had in your mind when you were writing it? >> mostly. it's a faithful adaptation. >> reporter: did you have any hand in the screenplay? >> mostly my job was to cash the check, and i feel i did it well. >> reporter: w eir's main character shares the author's

sense of humor. >> i have to grow three years worth of food here. luckily, i'm a botanist. mars will come to fear my botany powers. >> has any of this changed the way you look at potatoes in. >> no. i'm a fan of potatoes. i like how they taste. >> reporter: just don't expect him to follow him into space. would you go to mars? >> no, hell no. i write about brave people, i'm not one of them. >> reporter: his knowledge of what happens in space has impressed many, including a former astronaut. >> the book, "the martian," nails the integrity of the astronauts creativity and improvisation improvisation. >> reporter: weir hopes his story will inspire other authors to reach for the stars. >> self-publish. you have nothing to lose. >> i'm still alive, surprise.

>> reporter: erica hill, nbc news, san francisco. >> i love it. erica tells us andy's first big purchase was a piece of a meteorite from mars. if you'd like to read some of "the martian," we have an excerpt on today.com. dylan has our fans of the day. >> you guys are from jacksonville, florida. they're on a mother-daughter trip, which i love. it's not just you guys, there's a whole group of you. >> yes, it is. >> they're all sleeping in the >> they are. >> ranging from 80s to 4. i guess it's making sense. you're missing out. still to come, living life on the fly after battling breast cancer. the retreat helping happy anniversary i'm messing up every dish, pot, and plate... ...to show my love. ta-da! all this devotion only calls for a little bit of dawn ultra.

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we're back with pink power awareness month. this morning, we head out west, new skill. >> nbc's hallie jackson explains how catching a fish and letting it go is helping these women heal. >> reporter: it's not always easy to catch trout in wyoming. >> they're smart, like, are you kidding me, really?

>> reporter: but the challenge keeps kristen kelly focused on the fish and only the fish. >> actually, haven't thought about cancer that much, for once. >> reporter: she was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago and had a radical mastectomy at 42, spending months in intense chemo. >> i felt like no one understood what i was going through. it's lonely. >> reporter: the women at these fly fishing retreat do understand. >> i never thought i'd go to cancer camp. >> here you are. >> here i am. >> reporter: they've all survived breast cancer. like tonya hanson, a lawyer. >> for me, it was very much like, i've got a monster inside of me, get it out of me. don't tell anybody that i'm sick. i was afraid it would affect my business. i didn't feel like i could share my illness with anybody. but coming here, i can. >> reporter: allowing women to

recovery, the non-profit that sponsors the retreats. the motion of fly fishing helps exercise muscles that may be weaker after treatment. this unconventional support group offers much more than physical therapy. >> most importantly, the opportunity to be here for the weekend and connect with other women who know exactly how you feel and what you've been through. it's an amazing thing. >> reporter: with practice, each day on the water gets a little easier. >> look at that. >> reporter: for some, the hardest part isn't catching the fish, it's the release. >> you catch it, and you let it go. it's just hard. my peaceful journey is today >> talking about cancer is emotional and exhausting, and it wipes you out. catching a fish and not catching is exhilarating.

it's life. this is life. i'm doing more of it. >> reporter: for "today," hallie jackson, nbc news, wyoming. >> beautiful. >> there's something healing about nature and being outside and letting everything else go. >> makes sense. >> clear your mind and find that peace, wherever it may be. in a pond with fish or elsewhere. >> strength in numbers, obviously. good to see the women coming together for healing and recovery. just ahead, harry smith will take us on the road where the wheels and the pages are still turning. when is your flu shot more than a flu shot? when it helps give a lifesaving vaccine to a child in need in a developing country. thanks to customers like you, walgreens "get a shot. give a shot." program has helped provide seven million vaccines. make your flu shot make a world of difference. walgreens. at the corner of

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harry, america is a big, complicated, diverse place, as we know. there are a lot of people. there are a lot of different but interesting things. >> you can say that. part of harry smith's job is to stop in and see what you're up there. good morning to you. >> good morning, everybody. if you're ever wondering what must it be like, or who does that? fortunately, there are people here at nbc who wonder the same thing. they tell me, why don't you go find out? >> reporter: what's blue, yellow and read all over, it's a bookmobile. in an age where it seems everyone on the planet is connected to the internet, one would think bookmobiles would long ago have been sent down the exit ramp. >> there you go. >> thank you very much. >> reporter: not so, say the folks who live in and around idaho. >> there are no branch libraries in the south end of the county, so the bookmobile is our library library. >> reporter: ed and linda have

>> my wife and i have gotten addicted to agatha christie murder mysteries. >> reporter: best sellers to dvds. if you ask for it, chances are, the bookmobile will come up with it. >> each month is christmas for me. there's always something new and interesting. if i reserve something, i know she'll have it for me. >> wow. >> it's wonderful. i love it. i wouldn't miss it for anything. it's better than going to church. >> reporter: debbie johnson is librarian and chauffeur to the 3,000 books and other items on board. growing up in rural idaho, she remembers loving the day the bookmobile came to town. >> when i was little and on the bookmobile -- >> hold on, you're from idaho. >> yeah. >> where did you grow up? >> cul-de-sac, idaho. >> that's a real place?

we had no library, so the bookmobile from 25 mile ace s away would bring it up. >> reporter: she's behind the wheel. >> people come to the bookmobile? >> especially those who can't drive. people have their kindles and read books, too, but some people, they'll never not have a book in their hand. >> reporter: for the homeschooled foodie family who live up the road, the bookmobile puts the world in reach. >> i watched your kids as they came in here, and their eyes are wide and they're excited about what's inside. it's pretty cool to see. >> debbie is awesome. they come in here with their list of things they're interested in, and she always books. >> reporter: requests limited only by your imagination. >> i was curious about, well, what's great about snorkeling. >> reporter: books from a bus, why not?

we get food from trucks. nourishing. >> how great is that? >> isn't everybody connected? why would anybody in the world need something like that, right? >> the patience to wait for >> right. >> to come to your town. >> there's lessons inherent in this vehicle. the other thing that's interesting, is on some of these people only see their neighbors when they go to the bookmobile. i said, you need a coffee pot. that to scale. it'd be nice to see those around the country. >> what's interesting also is this bookmobile, for instance, stops in town, too. their neighborhoods, older folks come on, listen, the bookmobile houses. >> it's fantastic. >> you hit a pothole and the books tumble down.

>> apparently, a curb or two is gone in some spots. >> my favorite part of the story, it's better than church. >> just like this. so great. reminder to tune into "meet the press" this morning for trump. >> that'll do it for us on thank you for being with us. have a fantastic sunday.