staff here today pretty shak to the core and stunned after learning two of their own were on that sinking ship. meanwhile tonight, family and friends and everybody on this campus praying for a miracle. >> anchor: we're praying deeply for the men and women on board the el faro . >> anchor: a stunned staff at mass maritime academy after learning two of their graduates keith grave an and jeff me mathias were among the crew of 3 33 aboard e cargo ship that sank off the bahamas after . cadets are trained very thoroughly in emergency procedures. what do you do in the circumstance of heavy weather? >> anchor: in this case that included winds of 130 miles per hour and 30 foot seas. the u.s. coast guard confirming earlier in the day that 225 square mile debris field they located was the remnants of the 800 foot container ship that was headed for puerto rico last thursday when it lost power,

tipping to the side. mariners are trained on how to cope with certain elements of weather particularly that tropical cyclone like a hurricane but that, those desays are not always available when you are skirting the coastline . >> reporter: keith griffin graduated in 2005 and moved from winthrop to florida with his family. 42-year-old jeffrey mathias graduated in 1996. a father of three who was living in kingston. during this difficult time we want them to know the massachusetts maritime academy community and the entire maritime community stands by them. >> reporter: everyone here anxious for answers. at the same time both the admiral and captain told us today everyone here on this campus is well aware of the dangers of their profession. live in buzzard area bay tonight steve cooper, 7 news.

when an amtrak train details in vermont. rocks had fallen on to the track so they are calling this one just a freak accident but investigators say they will be looking at the safety of rock ledges along the route now. 7's tim caputo with more on this developing story . >> reporter: it was three stops into that 13 hour trek when it derailed. vermont's governor believes there is nothing the driver would have been to avoid this collision and it doesn't appear the train was speeding either. >> anchor: a scenic tour of vermont took an unexpected turn when an amtrak train went off the tracks, injuring 7. you felt something just lick a bump and negative thing we knew there was like we kind of swerved to the left and then swerved to the right and we are all going you oh . >> anchor: 98 on board a vermonter train that does trims from northern vermont to washington, d.c. the train derailed near the town of northfield sending an engine and passenger car into a creek. a few other passenger cars were knocked off the tracks, but remained up right. saw the car in front of us

come up this way and that's the one that went down the difficult and ours ended up on its side . one person was hurt and flown it a trauma center in new hampshire. six others were aiken to a nearby er with minor injuries. vermont's governor says rocks from a ledge fell on to the tracks and caused the wreck a wreak of nature . there is no belief there is any wrongdoing here. a freight train wept through last last night it. passed without any incident. so the ledges had to have fallen in the last several hours. the developmenter which is a specially popular in the fall will be out of service for the foreseeable future as crews rebuild the tracks and clean the diesel fuel leaked into a creek there. live in the newsroom, tim caputo 7 news . >> anchor: police under fire due during a tense standoff. officers swarming a home after a woman called 911 staying her husband threatened to burn down the house. police say the man barricaded himself in the basement with a gun. they also say he shot through the door to try to provoke them. parents nearby were left shaken up.

just look and a police officer shooed me inside and said go inside and close the door so at that point we locked ourselves in the building. >> anchor: swat teams arrested arresteded man. one man was injured but expected to be okay . >> anchor: wild weather slams south carolina. that area is seeing catastrophic flooding and it's leading to deaths. nine people have died. the national guard has been called in to help. the situation is dire. right now south carolina is still under water. historic flooding that's tossed aside cars, torn away roads, bridges and dams and swallowed communities from the coast through the mid lands . we are continuing rescue and evacuation operations throughout the state. >> anchor: in the columbia area alone there have been 150 swift water rescues and first respond responders expect that number to climb. the national guard has moved in to help with the ongoing effort in the flood zone. focusing much of its attention in the columbia area where the

water has had an effect on just about everyone and everything. >> anchor: infrastructure is promised . >> anchor: one of the most severe issues is water. not the flood levels that continue to climb but the public water system that has been compromised leaving thousands without usable water. the situation so dire fire teams continue to pump tens of thousands of gallons of water into area hospitals. we're going to continue to provide the water to the hospice as long as we can sustain it and we just don't know how long we can sustain that . >> anchor: most everyone here has been pushed to their limit but the struggle for many is still far from over. when it finally does stop racing and floods recede, then we have to deal with all of the incredible amounts of property damage which i'm sure will total into the billions of we have a lot of work to do. but we're doing it together. the same way so many have survived this historic storm. the governor there says the danger is far from over. urging residents to stay off the

roads and so as the rain begin to move out there is little hope but parts of that state will be dealing with flooding for quite some time . >> anchor: good news that rain will not be leaving us today. we saw sun with some cool temperature and we are settling into a very dry pattern. pete bouchard is here with more in our warmer week . >> reporter: long way back for folks in south carolina too. that's right, ryan. for us, we're high and dry but this weather system is still spinning offshore. in the as intense the rain now over north or south carolina but at least some rain coming in the last 24 hours we've had reports of up to five inches. right near the outer banks and also 3.4 back near central south carolina. some of the rainfall amounts from the national weather service down in south carolina are incredible. over two feet in king street along with 2.374. these are like snow total. myrtle beach picking up almost 17 new hampshire inches of rain.

high temperatures today for us in the lower 60's and it will be warming as we do stay dry. a look at the forecast ahead . >> anchor: talking us back to the breaking news in waltham with a serious van crash out there, john cuoco is on the scene. what do you know? >> reporter: we just pulled up to the scene here. both vehicles involved have been cleared. we spoke with the driver of the van and we also spoke with someone who lived in the home where that van sort of ended up. most of people we spoke with say they don't think the driver was actually speeding. he just somehow kind of lost control and ended up going right into this house here. we are trying to go through some of the inviews we have right now but we are on scene. vehicles like i said are both cleared. there is a tree here, small tree that's kind of bent over where these two vehicles were but much more coming up on this story. we're just getting here on scene just getting ourselves settled here to figure out what's going on. >> anchor: now to voice your

choice coverage. today it's about a battle between the two female candidates vying to their party party's nomination. democrat hillary clinton and republican carly fiorina are both polling in second place in their respective parties in the granite state them mid a number of stops in new hampshire trying to gain ground with voters. 7's byron barnett is live in manchester to tell us exactly how things went. >> anchor: a battle it was. hillary clinton and carly fiorina crisscross the state. at one point they even ended up calm rain paining just a few blocks apart. today hilary clinton attacked republicans in congress while carly fiorina saved her attacks for clinton. clinton.. >> anchor: hilary clinton and a live, nationally televised town hall meeting laying out her plan for gun control. the democratic presidential candidate says if congress won't act, she would using executive powers as president . i don't blame you for looking at your nine-year-old son and thinking, do i have to tell him to be scared?

about it and i will try in every way i can to get those guns out of the hands of people that shouldn't have them. >> reporter: also campaigning criminally fiorina. at this stop she only mended with you other candidate by name and it wasn't one of her republican rifles. the truth is, most of you in your heart of hearts really want to see me debate hilary clinton. . fiorina says while she admires clinton as a woman, she hit the former secretary of state hard on her e-mail controversy and the benghazi investigation. i think she has put our national security at risk and i think she lied about her e-mails and her server and her involvement and what really happened in benghazi . >> reporter: clinton reminded everyone she apologized and took responsibility for her e-mails but she also launched a forceful attack on the republican led ben goody committee that's investigating her. this committee was set up

purpose of making a partisan political issue out of the deaths of four americans. i would have never done that. the political rhetoric heating up as we get closer to inch's first in the nation primary with just four months away. that's the story live from manchester, new hampshire. a byron barnett, 7 news . >> anchor: let's give you a look at the latest poll numbers first with the republican side. carly fiorina is gaining ground shrinking. this is a new nbc news poll. it shows trump now holds a five point advantage over fiorina. a month ago you may recall trump trump's load over the nearest competitor in new hampshire was 16 points then on the democratic side vermont senator bernie sand sanders still leads hilary clinton by nine points. that's 48% to 39%. that's essentially unchanged from a month ago when sanders was ahead 49 to 38%. coming up on 7 news at 0 clock 7 7's political editor andy hiller is weighing in on who he

believes the democratic nominee will be and how he came to it this weekend. >> reporter: that's when i knew that this is it. it.. i'm probably going to die. ton a bone chilling account of the or gone community college massacre from a woman who survived. she says the gunman didn't seem to think twice about his actions or two he was about to kill. her story comes the same day the school reopens to staff and some students. tracy hue was inside a classroom saying gunman entered the room calm and ready to kill. she lived because she played dead. she said she was face down on the ground hit by a bullet on in the hand around thought about her three children while she was waiting to die. he just came in and shot toward the back of the wall and told everybody to get around the room then shot the professor then just started shooting everybody on the ground and that's when i knew that this is it. i'm probably going to die. i probably won't see my kids any more.

i probably won't see anybody any more. >> anchor: nine people were killed if last week's attacks. the 26-year-old gunman killed himself during a shoot out with police although some of the campus reopened today. classes won't resume until next week . >> anchor: closer to home a north andover resident is award awarded the nobel prize. scientists william campbell received the prestigious award today in sweden. he is 83 years old. recognized for his discoveries ing a potential cure for malaria malaria. his efforts earned him and his team $1 million. >> anchor: still to come here tonight patrick kennedy opening up. what he is revealing about his father in a new become and why some family members are upset . >> anchor: coming up asking for a show of hands. this is a proposal to take phones out of the hands of drivers . >> anchor: a threat putting all philadelphia colleges on high alert. what police feared someone was planning . >> anchor: then in just one hour, scary situation at a mall in salem, new hampshire. what happened when police tried to confront a man sleeping in

s they didn't tell us very much until we got back on the plane and they said the pilot passed away . high anxiety for passengers on board a flight to boston when they learned the pilot passed away of the those stories and more coming up on 7 news at 5:00

does this $20 family fill up meal have eight pieces of original recipe chicken? yes. [ding] two large mashed potatoes and gravy? yes. [ding] and are you the real colonel sanders? yes... [buzzing]

>> anchor: patrick kennedy revealing family secrets in his new book opening up about his parents struggles with alcoholism. he said many americans are dealing with those issues . >> anchor: not everyone in his family is happy about this book. but he says staying silent would be far worse. you know, i think he definitely had a problem with alcohol. >> anchor: a code of silence broken. patrick kennedy revealing family secrets in his new memoir a common struggle and in a 60 minutes interview the youngest child of the late senator ted kennedy says he watched his father live in silent desperation. he says his father's self- self-medicated with alcohol after the assassinations of miss two brothers . when my uncle bobby was killed it was like absolutely the floor dropped out from my father. and then his brother was killed. show over. >> anchor: those december led to fear. will former long island congressman was afraid he would

be killed during his 1980 presidential campaign writing a letter to patrick that would only be delivered in the event his father was assassinated. patrick kennedy says his father struggled with alcohol was long lasting, detailing a family intervention in the are we 1990 1990's which his father chose to leave . he felt that we really had no place, no place whatsoever to question him . >> anchor: some family members are upset about these revelation revelations. ted kennedy junior releasing a statement in part i'm heartbroken patrick has chosen to write an unfair portrayal of our family. his recollection are quite different from my own. patrick kennedy is now five years sober and he also details his own struggle with alcoholism and mental illness. he says he hopes that in break breaking his die sense he can change the way those illnesses are treated in this country. >> anchor: still ahead, a little life saver, a fourth

grader being called a hero for springing into action when his bus driver had a medical emergency. hear from him at 5:30 >> anchor: our pattern is pretty quiet this week although those temperatures will go up and down all week-long. that's ahead. >> anchor: who wants to see great video when we come back? even bears break down from a little guard dog. you will see . >> reporter: many of us have a routine to get rid of that groggy feeling when we first . >> anchor: maybe it's just not cutting it any more. we have some tips on what you can do the night before to help out . >> reporter: we get started at

>> anchor: bars you better beware of the dog at this home in california. you think you are tough? watch this guy. he is tougher. al caught on surveillance video. bears come to family's front lawn that. little french bulldog, look at it. chases after them and the bears, they are scared. they get the message. watch those. i wonder why? they run away . >> anchor: a lot of noise then barking loud and it goes against everybody you have been taught though . >> anchor: it's not that small. that's great, huh, pete? >> anchor: that is something else to see. the dog was like tough. tough. for lack of a better word. although if you knew what he was getting up against the bears were angry then he may not be so tough. 5 boston.

dew point read act 49 of a for the northeast wind at 8 miles per hour. that breeze going but it's not going that strong any more and it looks like the breezes will be light over the next couple of days. hurrah. along the coastline it has been the ongoing story of the northeast wind and the gust to 30 miles per hour better. not so much though away from the coast it's been breezy but it hasn't been as strong as right near the water's edge. milder days ahead. stays mostly dry. we have a chance at some showers coming up later in the week and the breezes remain light and will switch directions too. 5 the current reading in boston. 56 worcester. 60 on the vineyard though. 56 lawrence. so some clouds came in and it did look like it would rain for a little while. things. the skies did darken up. but we didn't see any drops. this is a plume of clouds that was kind of just stretching off of hurricane joaquin which is going anywhere near us. that's for sure. or halifax or st. john's new finland so staying far out to sea and going over the north

the winds are still 85 miles per hour category one and should remain strong. you know, it's funny out over the ocean maybe not so much funny or interesting to see out over the ocean how these storms slowly weaken as long as they remain over some water source the weakening process is slow on the water as opposed to when it comes inland and that source of energy and source of moisture is cut off. just take away the ocean. those things decay pretty quick quickly. clouds just offshore tomorrow there were signs they would should the cape and island. partly sunny there. elsewhere mostly sunny like deep blue sky october look to the sky for tomorrow. looks great, sea breeze is at the coastline will keep us in the mid 60's so don't be expect expecting 70's or upperics tease just yet in boston and revere, beverly or down through cohasset and hingham. but 70 certainly close by and bedford and lexington up through lawrence and lowell. haverhill to about norwood and

back into places like hudson mass. our temperatures peak on wednesday, then dive on thursday then start recovering by the end of the week. normal high is 65 degrees so, yeah, it can still get warm around here. by the way, record high temperatures still in the 80's even near 90 degrees this time of year so that can happen too. not saying its, but we haven't lost that potential to have some hot days. late september we typically get near peak color across northern most new england. northwestern vermont, northeastern vermont, upstate new york. early object, that's almost right about now across central new england. however, things are about a week late so our color is very low all the way to the coastline of new hampshire and maine and low color across southern new england too. and moderate color now where we should be peaking so it's coming on but slowly because we had warm weather and because we haven't had a lot of chill. 38 to 50 tonight. partly to mostly clear and then tomorrow mostly sunny. 66 to 70. that 7 day forecast has one shower, one drop or a couple

otherwise the weekend looks okay and another cooling trend turns to a warming trend. i will see you next half hour . >> anchor: we'll see then. up next are you looking for someone to turn to in a time of need? the couple looking to strike it rich by cuddling. >> anchor: new at 6:00 we have more election coverage coming up include why 7's political editor andy hiller says this is hilary clinton's time to win. >> anchor: news is always happening, you can get caught up wherever you are, wherever you want.

results. we made florida number one in job creation... 1.3 million new jobs, 4.4 percent growth, higher family income, and tax cuts eight years in a row that saved our people and businesses 19 billion dollars. and if i am elected president, i'll show congress how that's done. right to rise usa is responsible for

>> anchor: thank you soap for

7 news at 5:30 starts right now. >> anchor: hands free driving on the mind of some lawmakers. why the way you use your cell phone could potential leland you a ticket . >> anchor: then, a dangerous discovery in new hampshire. thousands of rounds of ammunition and weapons found inside a home . >> anchor: plus, colleges in philadelphia on high alert after a threat of violence on campus . >> reporter: joaquin passing harmlessly offshore. for us some clouds and a bit of a milder trend. >> reporter: 7 news at 5:30 starts now! >> anchor: first here at 5:30 breaking news out of waltham where an accident ended up with a van on top of a car. right now crews are there working to clear that accident. police believe the driver of the van crashed if a parked car on river street. the impact wedging that van right on top of the car. police tell us one person was hurt by the injury is not serious. we'll continue to follow break breaking news and bring you the very latest as it comes in .