people are fighting to survive, fighting to find out what's left of their homes and their livelihoods. as we come on the air right now the assessment of the damage from hurricane irma is grim. alison: fema is estimating a quarter of homes in the keys are destroyed. another 65% have sustained heavy damage. larry: that is in addition to the human toll at least 55 deaths now blamed on this monster storm. 18 of those in the united states and almost all of them in florida. 3/4 of florida still without power. marci gonzalez right now looking at the fight to recover. reporter: the start to this literal long road to recovery in the florida keys covered in sand and seaweed lined with ship wrecked boats. the first evacuees now returning, many to find a kind of utter destruction they feared. neighborhoods flattened, businesses badly damaged. no cell phone service, electricity, or running water. >> seems like everybody just tipped everything over.

everybody is alive. reporter: new images from st. marten capturing just a glimpse of the catastrophe. >> everything is broken down. e need water and food. this is not no maybe. it's for sure. water and food. we don't have that. reporter: some americans rescued from the islands now stranded in florida. airports here finally starting to function. lights selling out fast. >> every time we looked it would be gone. reporter: while much of the sunshine state starts to recover, now record flooding hitting jacksonville. storm surge inundating communities. more than a hundred people rescued. from fast rising water overnight. >> i've been here 47 years and i've never seen the water this high, never. >> even in parts of florida that aren't dealing with flooding and damage there are lo

than 4 million people here are still without power. in naples, florida, marci gonzalez, abc 7 news. >> take a look at this in myrtle beach. our sister station was shooting video of this hotel damaged by irma when suddenly entire roof just rips off. no one inside or nearby was hurt. the hotel, though, had to be evacuated. >> we have more video from irma's effects. this is a plane right here being blown sideways, trying to land at myrtle beach international airport. it makes it down only a couple hundred feet off the ground when finally you hear the engines roar. listen. and that is the pilot waving off the landing. the flight was one of several diverted to other airports as a result of all the wind and the shear out there. >> airports meanwhile are back open in florida but the domino effect of flight cancellations and delays nationwide is far from solved. some 3,000 flightsav

canceled today alone. >> it's not just the canceled flights affecting the entire nation. we'll look at the effects both irma and harvey will have nationwide and also right here at home. >> whether filling up your gas tank or your grocery cart, the economic impact of back-to-back hurricanes is clear. even hundreds of miles away. >> it's consumers at the end of the day. >> vendors say produce supplies were already low because of a california heat wave this summer. then came the massive mexican earthquake and hurricane irma in florida pushing prices higher for citrus, avocados, and many other crops from those regions. >> everything you will see starts spiking up because hurricanes are causing freight prices to go up also. >> in naples, florida irma completely washed away this tomato field. >> hard to ship up to the east coast at this point. >> here they normally have 15 to 20 of these tomato

of florida because of the hurricane. they only have one left. >> this week our shipments stopped. >> meanwhile economists warn the rebuilding efforts in texas and florida will raise construction costs nationwide with skilled carpenters and building materials in high demand. here in the d.c. region triple-a reports gas prices jumped nearly 40 cents after hurricane harvey. while more oil refineries are now coming online port closures along the east coast have slowed shipments. for all take weeks hiccups and glitches to work out and prices to level off again. >> abc 7 news in northeast washington. >> in the storm watch 7 weather center now with doug hill, we'll be feeling some of the left over from irma, the storm that was once irma. doug: i think very minor effects. we saw some yesterday and today, high cloudiness, maybe some showers in the morning and maybe showers and isolated thunders

>> not bad. we get off easy. doug: the best thing is a gorgeous weekend ahead. a little preview of what we're doing outside right now weather wise and what it will look like through the evening and the next couple days. partly cloudy skies through the evening. 70 degrees about 7:00. we'll drop into the 60's but with a little cloud cover and the winds out of the east and southeast temperatures will stay mild in the 60's overnight. satellite and radar shows some of these bands weakening across the outer banks of north carolina and we'll go back to that for a second. i don't think we'll see much of anything. just a few light showers. once the remnant circulation out here travels up in that direction by later thursday, then we might see an isolated shower and thunderstorm. otherwise, overnight cloudy. maybe a shower by morning. and then the same deal in the morning. some clouds in the morning. maybe a shower and afternoon sunshine. check out a great weekend forecast and the next 10 days coming up in about 10 minutes. michelle: of course the storm watch 7 weather team will keep you up to date on timing of the rain from what is left of irma. track the forecast on

> more than 40 years after sheila and katherine vanished, two little girls, today a conviction. that is 60-year-old lee welch who will spend the rest of his life in prison for the murder of two little girls. he maintains his evidence but does admit the evidence would convict him. prosecutors say more people could still be facing criminal charges in the case. their parents are very grateful to the investigators who never stopped seeking justice. >> we just want to say simply, thank you. and it's been a long time. >> welch is currently serving time in delaware for a sexual assault. he won't begin serving his 48-year sentence in virginia until the year 2026. michelle: family, friends, and students of a missing pregnant teacher from montgomery county are doing what they can to find her, posting flyers with laura wallin's photo all over

of support on her home. a teacher at the high school in howard county, wallin disappeared september 4. her s.u.v. was found near the school a few days later. >> well, all it took was one swipe. thieves managed to steal thousands of dollars from dozens of people. >> plus, a plane slams into a car. the new information just coming into our newsroom about the pilot and the driver.

ralpand i sponsoredralph northam, canthis adfor governor narrator: ed gillespie says dr. ralph northam doesn't show up? dr. ralph northam was an army doctor and a volunteer medical director at a children's hospice. he passed the virginia law requiring concussion standards for school sports. the smoking ban in restaurants. and dr. northam is working to connect veterans to good paying jobs in virginia. ed gillespie is a washington dc corporate lobbyist. he shows up for whoever pays him.

michelle: incredible video taken moments after a small plane slammed into a car north of salt lake city. more incredible, though, we just learned the pilot walked away with only a few bumps and bruises and the woman whose car he hit also relative h i unharmed. >> wow. incredible sur vifles are going around. check this landing out. the ple

landing goes into a tree. it grabs the plane, turns it over, and puts it on its belly. as a result, that broke the crash of the small plane and the pilot walked away. we did learn the plane was owned by a company that teaches pilots. we think it might have been a student with more learning to do. michelle: impressive. a judge in philadelphia has dismissed criminal charges against the engineer in the deadly amtrak crash that happened back in 2015. the judge said there is not enough evidence to allow the case against brandon bostian to continue. eight people died when the washington-to-new york train went off the tracks. federal investigators concluded bostian became distracted by a report that another train had been hit by a rock. >> the national transportation safety board has found driver error is to blame for a deadly crash which took place in may of 2016. investigators say a truck driver's failure to yield and a tesla driver's reliance on the

the crash. the ntsb has been recommended that regulators and car makers take steps to ensure such auto pilot systems are not misused by the drivers. the driver of the tesla was killed in this crash. for us here at 6:00, slipping through the cracks. what happened moments after the loving proposal went sideways? >> just added more. michelle: and dozens of people's bank accounts cleaned out. one swipe that cost (vo) there's more to life than the climb. there's the view. you've got to stop... ...and look around a little. remember who you are. let the child inside you out to play. come... shed life's layers in asheville. visit lonely planet's best destination for 2017. and let the magic find you.

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the monumental gift shop at mgm national harbor. now through november 7. this is monumental. >> maryland has joined a second lawsuit challenging the president's decision to end deferred action for childhood arrivals also known as d.a.c.a. the program keeps undocumented immigrants brought to the u.s. as children from being deported. >> we're coming for your jobs. >> now, d.a.c.a. supporters gathering outside the capitol today but the president made it very clear and said congress has six months to act before he ends the program. the college park

is set to vote tonight on allowing residents not u.s. citizens to vote in municipal elections. 10 communities in maryland already allowed noncitizen voting at the local level. we'll let you know if college park becomes the 11th tonight on abc 7 news at 11:00. >> an 8 on your side consumer alert. after high tech thieves managed to swipe thousands of dollars from people using their own bank's a.t.m. we'll go to stafford for the warning and the hunt for the team of thieves who have left some penniless for now. >> a thousand dollars. >> $1500. >> just a couple upset customers shared these totals with us, the parking lot full of victims. >> when i it won't use my debit card it rejected it. >> we caught up with vietnam war veteran, butch, walking in to get the bad news. stafford county sheriff's deputies say these men played a role in the crimes using this a.t.m. >> according to detectives customers were walking up to the machine as normal pulling

in the machine and going about their business. little did they know their information was being copied. >> deputies say the suspects placed a skimmer over the a.t.m. scanner, swiping card and pin numbers to make fake cards and later draining accounts dry. >> you only have a little bit in it and you go to take a little money out and you don't even have that. they get you for $1500. >> the sheriff's office has taken more than 30 fraud reports so far, a number expected to grow. the skimmer was installed at this bb & t in fredericksburg. two and a half hours later --. >> somewhere over $1300. >> he found out his money was withdrawn as far away as new york city. >> we already live paycheck to paycheck pretty much. trying to get ready to retire. this is kind of a scary thing for me. >> customers told us they should have their money back in a week's time. if you've seen any of these men give the sheriff's office a call. in fredericksburg, abc 7 news. >> j

well, the must see video, watch this. a guy goes down on his knee. proposal nightmare. you going to marry me? he opens up the box. >> oh, my god! >> yeah. that happened. right through the cracks. didn't just land on the wood. could have done that. right through the crack and into the river. this is a great picture. all of these people went in there looking for it. dozens of friends jumping in look forgue a little old ring. kind of the needle in the hay stack. hay stack won. they haven't found it. as for the proposal she did say yes. ring or not. look at his face. that is priceless. you know that's going to end up in the wedding. michelle: is that really his shocked face? i don't know. >> due know how much he paid for that ring? michelle: all week we here at abc 7 are preparing to say farewell to a local tv legend. >> this is a sad week. this is chief meteorologist doug hill's final week before retirement. here is how moll

saying good-bye to you. >> doug, i just want to say thank you very much for all of your advice, especially just starting out in industry. it is very valuable to me. i was a little nervous to start working with you at first. i felt like we really bonded. one day i worked with you and we covered severe weather and watched some tornadoes. i am wishing you the very best of luck in your retirement. >> hey, doug, i am so excited for you to get this opportunity to spend time with your family and doing the things that are most important to you. we'll miss you a lot around here. you give incredible advice and you are just so much fun to forecast with and be around but i can't wait to see what sort of adventures you get into next. doug: thanks, guys. nice. keep watching facebook. you'll find out. >> the funny thing is people on the street go what is he really like? i always say he is genuinely one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet and he knows his stuff cold. doug: appreciate that. >> we will miss you. doug: i just try to be me. >> mission accomplished. harold: how does it feel the last few days? doug: a

of months and something i want to do. my idea. but when it gets closer, yeah, a little daunting. i'm excited about what life has to offer. >> you've lived your life with five or six deadlines every day with this job and it all goes away now. doug: fewer deadlines. one thing i will not wear anymore is this. tie and a microphone just for old time's sake. >> no makeup though. doug: i don't wear any now to speak of. maybe i should. maybe i could pass for 66 instead of 67. high clouds around the area now. that is about all we've seen from the fringe effects of what was formerly known as hurricane irma. but even that has broken up a fair amount across the area. we're really in pretty good shape here. this was the scene in frederick during the day with the cloud cover but here, too, you'll see it thin out with little patches of blue sky at times. that will be the story for the rest of the evening. the evening forecast is good. low 70's, 7:00. dropping into the 60's and in the 60's we shall stay. mostly cloudy skies in some areas. partly cloudy skies in ot

and that will be the story tomorrow. this little spin you see, satellite and radar, a visible satellite so the sun angle gets lower and the visible satellite sensors don't pick up much cloud cover but it does reveal a nice picture of the rain associated with the circulation from irma and it is diminishing but this is aret ya that may come in tomorrow morning. showers up from the carolina coast. we'll include that in the forecast. isolated shower. otherwise partly sunny through the morning. warmer. more humid. winds turning more southerly. 83. warmer than recent days. thursday, the kickoff of the charles county fair on the fairgrounds in la platea, could be a few showers and thunderstorms thursday. 80 degrees climbing into the lower 80's in the afternoon. as we get through the weekend it looks terrific all across the area. a very pleasant late summer weekend. jose, going to do a loop and a loop and head back and if everything works out go zipping across the north atlantic and leave everybody

our extended outlook. for tomorrow showers in the morning. otherwise partly sunny and a little muggy, 8 p. a 50/50 chance of showers and storms. that remnant from what is left of irma passes to the north and west. other than that clearing skies on friday. plenty of sunshine over the weekend into monday. maybe some showers on tuesday with the next cold front. behind that more beautiful september weather for middle and end of next week. stay with us. abc 7 news at 6:00 continues

>> and now the toyota sports desk brought to you by your local toyota dealer. >> despite the injury issues that have plagued the nationals this season, washington is still on pace to be the best regular season team in franchise history. if the nats take 2-3 from atlanta starting tonight they would be the fastest nationals expos team to reach 90 wins. since the dodgers have lost 11 straight games, which is hard to believe, the nats could try to catch l.a. for the top seed, but as dusty baker explains making sure his players get the right amount of rest is also a priority. dusty: pitchers and players rust out before they wear out. you have to -- it's a fine line. i mean, you want them healthy. i mean, you want them not

up on your adrenalin in the game. >> moving on redskins wide receiver is finally healthy after being limited to two games last season with achilles injuries. it appears head coach jay gruden is taking a it off love approach. he was not targeted at all by kirk cousin during sunday's loss to the eagles. >> the more reps he'll get. i know that will happen. gosh is a great receiver. now a mat of putting day in and day out consistently. stacking days together. he'll get plenty of catches by the time the year is up. >> finally the mystics will play the minnesota lynx in the semifinals all starting tonight. >> they got to find a way to win. >> they do. >> we thank you so much for watching. doug, one last check on weather? doug: a few showers in the morning. other than that pretty good stuff. >> all right. >> thanks for being with us tonight. we'll see you at 11:00.

ralpand i sponsoredralph northam, canthis adfor governor narrator: ed gillespie says dr. ralph northam doesn't show up? dr. ralph northam was an army doctor and a volunteer medical director at a children's hospice. he passed the virginia law requiring concussion standards for school sports. the smoking ban in restaurants. and dr. northam is working to connect veterans to good paying jobs in virginia. ed gillespie is a washington dc corporate lobbyist. he shows up for whoever pays him.

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tonight, breaking news. the catastrophe in the keys. extraordinary access tonight, all the way down to key west. the full scale of irma's wrath. in some places, up to 90% of homes damaged or destroyed. we're embedded with the air national guard unit. we witness the search and rescue teams now going door to door, knocking on front doors to make sure the people who stayed behind survived the storm. there are still millions without electricity across the state tonight. concerns about the drinking water. in many place, there is no public water at all. and tonight, how long will it take to restore power? as neighbors across florida just begin to return to their neighborhoods to see if they still have a home. also