this is "nightline." >> tonight, total blackout. hurricane maria slamming puerto rico as a category 4. destructive winds of 155 miles an hour, rooftops peeling off, structures collapsing. 100% of the island without electricity. more than 10,000 in shelters. plus rescue missions. >> they think they hear a 75er in the rubble. >> in mexico city, the race to save a little girl trapped inside this elementary school. a powerful quake flattening buildings, crushing vehicles, killing hundreds. and celebrating

roberts underwent a life-saving bone marrow transplant. her emotional journey. >> keep moving, keep believing that the best is yet to come. >> and the poignant meeting a little boy coming face-to-face with his bone marrow donor. >> thank you for saving my life. >> but first here tonight the "nightline 5." to keep hair strong against hot styling tools, you need more than a conditioner. you need a miracle. pantene three-minute miracle daily conditioner has a super-concentrated pro-v formula that makes hair stronger in just three minutes. so your hair is smoother every day. pantene three-minute miracle daily conditioner. because strong is beautiful. >> and number one is coming up in just 60 seconds. sweet 4k tv, mr. peterson.

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good evening. we begin here tonight with the breaking news, the destruction in puerto rico after a direct hit from hurricane maria, one of the worst storms to strike that island in decades. knocking out the spire power grid. abc's victor oquendo is on the ground tonight. >> reporter: tonight, maria's direct hit devastating puerto rico. the first category 4 storm to strike puerto rico in 85 years, slamming ashore around sunrise. roofs peeled from buildings. debris flying. many of these homes not built to withstand any hurricane, let alone a category 4. we're outside of san juan in a town hit very hard. a lot of destruction to homes, downed trees and power lines. now

in every direction. up to 30 inches of rain in some areas engulfing whole neighborhoods. 12,000 people needing to get to shelters, including a hotel's ballroom. ♪ terrified residents singing about strength during trying times, to ease the fear. ♪ for "nightline," i'm victor oquendo, san juan, puerto rico. >> our thanks to victor. we turn to another developing story tonight. that powerful earthquake in mexico. more than 200 people confirmed dead. many others missing after dozens of buildings collapsed. now rescue teams working around the clock to clear the rubble and free people trapped inside. abc's matt gutman is in mexico city tonight as people scramble to find survivors. >> reporter: here under tons of brick and concrete, a race against time. to save the life of a girl trapped inside the enrique

repsmen elementary school, the wing collapsing after that devastating 7.1 magnitude earthquake which struck mexico on tuesday. >> it was a three-story building. it pancaked into a one-story building. they think they hear something and they're trying to listen to see if they can hear a survivor in the rubble. officials tell abc news they believe there are at least two others trapped with her. at least 21 children or teachers were killed. at least 11 people from that school have been rescued. like these children. they're terrified, dusty, but alive. miraculously saved after being buried under the rubble. workers are now racing to save that little girl and whomever else may be trapped with her. they don't know exactly where she is inside the building. bucket brigades, people removing brick by brick from that collapsed school. looks like they're going to send the dog in that tiny crevice between what was i guess the second and third story. now they're lifting the dog

again, hoping to catch a scent of whomever might be inside still. 13-year-old rodrigo one of the lucky ones crawling out of his collapsed school. the others who were rescued were listed on these handwritten slipts of paper with their names and the hospital where they could be found. that 7.1 quake striking central mexico on tuesday, shortly after 1:00 p.m. local time. >> i'm in mexico city airport. the whole building started shaking. >> reporter: shaking lasted for several agonizing minutes. >> it got even more intense and really started shaking. people trying to grab the tables and walls. >> reporter: jesus lives with his wife and baby girl next to that elementary school. were you here during the earthquake? >> yep. it was really, really scary. scared my baby. i grabbed my baby and i saw the school collapsed and i thought, we are next. everything was moving so bad. i couldn't actually walk. >> the ground w

much you couldn't walk? >> exactly. when i heard the thunder of the school going down -- i just looked at the window and it was like this big huge smoke of dirt. >> right, the dust. >> and we started hearing the screams, really loud, coming from the school. >> we just lost the building. mexico city. >> reporter: the quake so far claiming the lives of more than 200 people in mexico, causing extensive damage to mexico city. 100 miles from the epicenter. >> everyone ran outside of our office. and crowded into the streets. lots of people crying, hugging, calling friends and family. >> reporter: it was powerful enough to level at least 44 buildings, including homes, schools, and offices. >> things in your house are falling over and shattering. >> reporter: inside this newsroom, the walls shaking. throughout central mexico, those choking

people panicking and praying. >> we still don't know if there's aftershocks, we don't know if there's going to be a power line coming down. there's debris still falling from buildings. >> reporter: windows slipping down buildings like sheets of ice. debris crushing vehicles. the water at this park splashing as if in a giant bathtub. rescue workers scrambling to find the missing. overnight they clawed at the wreckage, some with bare hands. mexico is no stranger to earthquakes. >> mexico city was built in an old lakebed. and so it has this layer of very soft soils. the soils there amplify shaking by a factor of 100 or more. by comparison the worst we get in l.a. is about a factor of 5. >> reporter: the u.s. is gearing up to help. this disaster assistance response team from los angeles deploying to mexico to help with the search and rescue.

stunningly -- the quake struck just hours after the country had conducted earthquake safety drills. drills that were put into place after mexico's deadliest earthquake in 1985, which killed thousands. that was 32 years ago to the day. tuesday's earthquake is the second to strike mexico in just the past two weeks. on september 7th, close to midnight, a massive 8.1 magnitude earthquake hit off the country's southern coast. houses were toppled. the quake introduced tsunami waves that sent people running into the streets in panic. that earthquake claimed the lives of at least 90 people. >> in general, whenever you feel earthquakes you've got to expect to feel more. and about 5% of the time the triggered earthquake ends up being bigger than the first one. >> reporter: back here in mexico city, in the midst of so much loss, there are so many signs of

to the collapsed almost tear school, moving rubble with his bare hands, just him and other neighbors. you were there trying to pull away the rocks. you still heard people inside the rubble screaming? >> at the beginning, yes. yes. >> and then did the screaming die down? >> yes. yes, sorry to say, died down. stayed there until we pulled out kids. and i saw it. and they put his own sweater on his face. and they pulled him out on a -- >> stretcher? was he alive? >> no. >> reporter: hope is not yet lost for the others still missing. the calls for dogs and doctors intensifying as the rescues continue. >> we've been granted permission to get as close as you can get to the school. you can see where they're trying to peek through the cracks. the eerie sound of silence, despite that massive crowd. you see those hands in the

that means they're trying to listen to see if they can hear the person they're looking for inside. it's incredible, probably 1,000 people around here, but it's eerily quiet when they raise their hands. it is agonizing work. but after nearly 24 straight hours of desperate effort, rescuers finally make contact with the little girl they have reportedly given her water and oxygen. but now they have to find a way to reach her and the others. still in a day and in a country that has been filled with grief, a glimmer of hope tonight. for "nightline," i'm matt gutman in mexico city. >> our thanks to matt gutman on the ground in members. >> up next on "nightline," a very different kind of story. robin roberts, a hero here at abc news and a crock the country, celebrating five years of good health tonight. a young boy saved by a bone marrow donor he didn't even know, now meeting his hero. s shk at red lobster. and we went all out

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here at abc, a very special anniversary today. five years ago gma's robin roberts was fighting a deadly blood disorder. she not only received a bone marrow transplant, she has inspired thousands to join the bone marrow donor program. today we cheer robin's health and the donors who have saved so many lives. here's my "nightline" coanchor juju chang. >> reporter: robin roberts has a lot to celebrate. it's a birthday party. marking five years since her life-saving bone marrow transplant. your beloved mother said, as you often quoted, make your mess your message.

>> left foot, right foot, breathe, keep moving, keep believing. that the best is yet to come. i pray that i am a symbol of resilience. that of hope. >> reporter: it's that hope which propelled her on the long road to healing. >> robin shared some news with us -- >> reporter: she shared with the world back in 2012, just a few years after she overcame breast cancer. >> sometimes treatment for cancer can lead to other serious medical issues. and that's what i'm facing right now. it is something that is called mds. >> reporter: myelodysplastic syndrome, mds, a rare blood disorder that required an agonizing bone marrow transplant. >> my big sister is a virtually perfect match for me. and she is going to be my donor. she's going to be my donor. >> reporter: robin's the youngest of

volunteered to be her bone marrow donor, but only sally ann was a match. >> it wasn't until we were matched you told me only 30% of people looking for a match find it in their family. >> what was that moment like when you discovered you were a match? >> i was ecstatic. it was -- it was an answer to prayer. rejoice. rejoice that you have been chosen to help someone. >> reporter: five years ago today, surrounded by her family and close friends, she was given the gift of life. ♪ >> i feel all the love in here. all the love. >> we're keeping it boring. keep it boring. >> reporter: this is the moment her doctor inserted millions of sally ann's stem-cells into a port in robin's chest. >> i say a small prayer, a small saying that both my wife and mother-in-law have. let god do miss work, and it will work. >> i

this man by my side. this is why we have been brought together. >> i think that was a good in my opinion to say, go sally go! >> reporter: the weeks after robin's transplant were brutal, spent mostly in isolation. if she wanted to leave her room, she had to wear mask and gloves as did everybody around her, as she built up her immune system. >> we got to stop meeting like this. ♪ rejoice rejoice ♪ emanuel ♪ we love you dear sister yes we do ♪ ♪ rejoice oh robin >> we have to show people the difficulty, the challenges. i'm not

>> it's only when you go through the darkness that the light is so bright. >> going home now! >> reporter: after 30 days she walked out of the hospital and took her first breath of fresh air. robin's story a powerful inspiration. thousands registered with the simple swab to be the match. the national marrow donor program. >> our story led to 18,000 people joining the registry of be the match. of those 18,000, 173 were a match. and they gave me this pin, meaning the potential of 173 lives were saved. >> reporter: among those lives saved, a.j., who was diagnosed with leukemia on his 4th birthday. and by the summer of 2015, he needed a bone marrow transplant. >> the first step was for all of us to be tested. none of us were a match. >> reporter: the family turned to be the match, and within weeks they found one. a 22-year-old female.

a.j.'s mom wrote her a letter. >> i thank you from the very depths of my heart. for what you've done for my little boy. >> reporter: after 270 days in the hospital, the transplant worked. and now, 2 1/2 years later, 8-year-old a.j. is cancer-free and back in school. and this morning, he's about to meet his donor for the first time ever. face-to-face. >> saying thank you, that never really feels like enough when someone saves your child's life. >> a.j.'s match is here, though you've never met in person. >> you've talked on the phone but haven't met in person. >> are you ready to meet her? >> yeah, really ready. >> my heart is pounding. i don't know if i can take this. all right, everybody, give a round of applause to a.j.'s match. alex monley.

>> she didn't know a.j. she didn't know who was going to receive that. and to be so unselfish. and that's just what i thought. this beautiful, unselfish young woman. something you want to say to her? >> thanks for saving my life. >> it was my pleasure. >> why did you want to be a donor? >> because it's the right thing to do. >> it's so beautiful. i know that without even meeting him, you wrote a letter. >> i did. >> can you read on portion of it? >> this boy may be somebody's -- may someday be someone's husband, someone's father, grandfather, son-in-law. maybe he will take the world by storm and find the cure for cancer, or maybe he won't. the point is, he is important. >> if eveon

registry, think of the lives that could be saved. >> reporter: robin's life was saved, yet there are still challenges. how is your immune system? early on you talked about having your immune system of a newborn, of a 2-year-old, of a 5-year-old -- >> okay, let's be honest. i'm doing very, very well. i've had some setbacks. there have been hospitalizations. there's been medication. but i can look you in your beautiful eyes and tell you, i am blessed. i am doing well. there's no detection of any sort of virus or illness. i feel stronger every day. it took some time to get there. >> reporter: robin's is a story of survival, of rebirth. but it's also a story of sister ly love. >> the one thing that came out of this for me is a greater appreciation for you. a greater appreciation for your strength and your ability. and the fact that you're here. that the thought of possibly losing you has made me

every time we're together. and i'm just so very grateful that you are here. >> reporter: for "nightline" i'm juju chang in new york. >> it will be hard to overstate how much we love robin around here. thank you to juju and we'll be right back. (vo) more "doing chores for mom" per roll more "doing chores for dad" per roll more "earning something you love" per roll bounty is more absorbent, so the roll can last 50% longer than the leading ordinary brand. so you get more "life" per roll. bounty the quicker picker upper. if yand constipation,ling and you're overwhelmed everything you've tried-- all those laxatives, ily probiotics,

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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. we are the tv doctors of america, and we may not know much about medicine, but we know a lot about drama. we also know that you can avoid drama by getting an annual check-up. so go, know, and take control of your health. it could save your life.

we want to thank you for watching abc news tonight. as always we are online 24/7 at abcnews.com and on our "nightline" facebook page. thank you again for watching and good night. >> drama, emotion, excitement, and maybe, just maybe $1 million worth of celebrating at the end. it's time to play "who wants to be a millionaire." [cheers and applause] [dramatic music] let's do it. ♪

let's do it! welcome to "millionaire." are you guys ready for what could be a historic day? [cheers and applause] this could be the day. and this could be the guy. our returning contestant is just four questions away from winning $1 million. from seattle, washington, john davis. i noticed you're a little spiffed up today. >> yeah. >> lucky suit. >> lucky suit, yeah. this is my lucky suit and it is my lucky suit. just six months ago, i was hit by a car wearing this suit, but, luckily, i-i walked away... >> right. >> no broken bones. no permanent injuries. so, i actually bought-- this is a replacement. the last one was ruined. >> so you're a glass is half full guy because some could say, getting hit by a car in the first place... [audience snickering] is not lucky. >> you could. you could. >> but i'm glad you're here because somehow, someway you survived and you have worked your way to $50,000. >> that's right.