this morning on "world news now." hurricane maria pounds puerto rico. >> the entour island is without power, leaving more than 3 million people in the dark. an official says the country has been destroyed. we have the latest details coming from the caribbean and the current track and whether the u.s. mainland could be impacted. and the frantic search and mission to pull survivors from the rubble. children remain trapped under heaps of steel and concrete. and chunks of metal around the neighborhood, forcing some to keep kids and pets out of their yards. emergency landing is still causing a mess after a plane's parts rained down.

family for the big day. a groom asked his wedding guests to pay $200 to attend, but the question is, do you still get the couple a gift in addition to that? could this be a revolution in wedding etiquette or just sort of annoying? it is thursday, november 21esst. from abc news, this is "world news now." we do say good morning on this thursday. we are going to start with hurricane maria's assault opt caribbean. >> the category two storm is churning off churning off the coast of the dominican republic. >> the entire island of puerto rico lost power. >> some areas have seen as much as 30 inches of rain. residents are being warned to stay inside to protect themselves from flash floods. >> look at those scenes from the island there.

telecommunications have collapsed and the island has been destroyed. victor oquendo is in san juan. >> reporter: maria's direct hit, devastating puerto rico. the first category four storm to strike puerto rico in 85 years, slamming onshore around sunrise, debris flying. many of these homes not built to withstand any hurricane, let alone a category four. we are outside of san juan. it was hit very hard. a lot of destruction to homes, downed trees and power lines as well. now they're dealing with this, flooding in every direction. up to 30 inches of rain in some areas, areas, engulfing neighborhoods. people called to get to shelters, including othur hotel ballroom. they sing about strength

the fear. i'm victor oquendo, san juan, puerto rico. >> and the oust militau.s. mili stepping up to help. >> a kohlcoast guard cutter is g from curacao. supplies will be delivered as needed. the coast guard is still involved in recovery efforts from irma. >> earlier i spoke with new york assemblyman felix ortiz about the recovery. what have you heard in terms of how puerto rico is doing? >> caller: it is 100% without power, without electricity. there is a curfew from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. question wiwhich w saturday. this is a

because we have no light after 6:00 p.m. and to allow people who work on the road to clear off the trees that have collapsed and electrical workers to ensure that the poles that are hanging around on the street will be able to be clean up. >> having been through a hurricane thayer beforere befor you think this storm compares? >> everyone in puerto rico right now feel the same way, that this has been one of the worst hurricane, especially the way this hurricane came through and the magnitude per hour, 185-mile-per-hour. and the eye really crossed in the middle of the island, from south to north. and the devastations are just amazing. >> what was it like for you knowing this storm was hitting and knowing your family's still there in. >> a l-- a lot of

finally, we couldn't connect with each other. >> what are you hearing in terms of the damage? >> my cousin house is under water right now. our house is under water. what i'm hearing from my friends and officials, and my family, this has been one of the worst hou hurricane in the history of puerto rico since 1928. >> he has gotten ahold of his family and found out they are okay, but their house is not so much. >> amazing to think over 3 million people all in the dark right now on that island. and over the next few days, maria may increase strength yet again. it could be a category three storm with winds of 120 miles per hour as it reaches turks and caicos. that's like monday. it will get to the carolinas, forecasts say it's too early, still, to determine whether maria will directly impact the continental u.s. and tropical storm jose is

warnings are in effect for southeast massachusetts. it's possible people in that area could experience power outages. the system has sustained winds of 70 miles per hour, kicked up rough surf. coastal flooding will remain a concern. let's turn to mexico where rescuers are stepping up the search for survivors of that earthquake. the death toll up to 232 people. >> emergency officials have made contact with a girl trapped in her school. they managed to give her water and oxygen but she is reportedly wedged under a granite table. two others are trapped with her, but she can't tell whether they are alive or dead. >> reporter: a daunting task for first responders as they work their way through the rubble of what was once an elementary school. the frantic search for life

continuing. raising hands above their heads to silence the crowd. they've made contact with a girl still trapped inside but alive. at least 21 children and four teachers have died there. students' backpacks still hang eerily on their hooks. rodriguez escaped. part of the structure collapsed and blocked the exit he says. we had to be evacuated by crawling over a wall. this is one of dozens of buildings collapsing. it sent fireballs into the sky and people scrambling into the streets. some sharing videos of buildings crash around them. all around mexico city, rescuers are digging their way through the wreckage. more than 40 buildings have collapsed. nearly half of the city is without power. and closer to the quake's epicenter amid the rubble and

begin to mourn the dead. and here in the central district where there has been a lot of damage, you can see a building that collapsed. there are still rescuers in there as long as they believe someone might still be alive. reporting from mexico city, abc news. >> thanks to carlos there. and the mexican president has declared three days of national mourning. we'll have have more from mexico in the next half hour. debate is escalating over the new gop plan of abolishing obamacare with a vote expected next week. the bill's co-author is responding to criticism from jimmy kimmel, saying kimmel doesn't understand the legislation. kimmel entered the fray after his son was born with a congenital heart defect and last night he accused cassidy of lying. president trump defended cassidy overnight, tweeting that the senator doesn't lie and just wants to help people. republicans are still short of the 50 votes they need, but the president says

>> i do think it has a very good chance of passage, and i certainly hope it passes. and there will be voting in the not too distant toout. >> the legislation would give states wide latitude on coming up with their own require months. there is no stipulation that coverage must remain affordable. the trump administration is being sued over the border wall saying that they have failed to comply with federal and state environmental loss. they say it infringes on states' rights and violates the clean water act and other regulation. three advocacy groups also sued the government to block construction of that border wall. yet another cabinet member is under fire for use of a private jet are. this time it's health and human services secretary tom price. now price took private

american taxpayers footing the bill. the trips to maine, new hampshire and philadelphia could have been reached by commercial flights or train other cr car c of the one from philadelphia. some democratic lawmakers are calling for an investigation. and the faa is investigating after parts of a spirit airlines jet rained down on suburban detroit. one of the engines caught fire after taking off on monday. engine piece the were found on the runway and at a number nearby houses. some of them smashed car windshields and windows in a few homes. luckily no one was hurt. the plane also returned to the airport safely. a lot of parents said they kept kids and pets inside, afraid they might get hit by some of these places. >> the faa says it will cover hom homeowners' damages. new mea

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another march is planned for downtown st. louis tonight. officials are hoping this one will be a lot more peaceful than the last six nights. demonstrators trying to stop traffic near a major mall were stopped by officers overnight. now the protests began after last week's acquittal of a white, former police officer in the shooting death of a black man. and many are hoping that calm will return to the streets of st. louis. over in illinois, a teacher is be being praised as a hero after tackling a student who opened fire inside a high school calf tear yeah. one student was injured and in stable condition. another, a suspect is in

custody. the teacher likely saved many lives. the high school is offering counseling services to students. and the white man accused of killing two black men in baton rouge has asked to be taken off suicide watch. he was in court on video feed. he is accused of shooting up a black family's home. the judge said she would refer gleason's request to medical staff at the jail and attorney. a dramatic drug bust at sea off the west coast. >> the coast guard chased down a so-called nar coe sub, carrying three tons of cocaine. here's abc's pierre thomas. >> reporter: watch as the dramatic high seas drug bust unfolds off the california coast. customs and border protection officers using high-powered surveillance, locking in on a tiny object on the horizon. it turns out to be a submarine type

completely under water to prevent detection. the suspects growing under the infrared cameras. it's been a record year for high seas drug seizures like this. valued at more than $500,000 confiscated since august. >> we are facing a tremendous challenge. in 2015, we had 52,000 people die from drug overdoses in this country. numbers the likes of which we've never, ever seen before. >> reporter: the coast guard firing shots at drug smugglers who frantically throw their contraband overboard. and here jumping on board to make arrests with a boat stocked reque with cocaine. they've intercepted a record $6 billion worth of drugs. it's a battle that seems to have no end. pierre tom a

news. >> coming up in the next half hour, the scare at the ballpark for one young fan hit by a line drive foul ball. the emotional reactions in the stands and on the field. and why there still isn't more netting to protect fan. and the new sinkhole emergency in florida threatening homes and lives.

with florida still cleaning up after hurricane irma, a new danger is sprouting up across the state. >> nearly a dozen sinkholes have opened up since irma made landfall more than a week ago. and at least one of them has destroyed an entire home. here's gio benitez. >> reporter: this h

survived irma, a total loss, swallowed by a massive sinkhole. >> we pamade it through the hurricane. we were really, really lucky and then this. >> reporter: their oven clearly lost in the wreckage. >> i saw big, deep cracks in the bathroom. apartme and the tub was sinking and the window was coming loose, i said it's time to go. >> reporter: residents told to keep clear of this area behind a middle school that was washed out over the weekend. at reported sinkholes opening up since irma made landfall last week. including part of this road and in orlando, ac units falling into the earth. >> it has to happen at some point when you have a tremendous amount of water from irma. it exacerbates the situation and makes it happen more quickly. >> reporter: experts say sinkholes are extremely common in florida especially after a big storm.

sand below the surface, creating an underwater cave and the weight above event lually becom too heavy. >> these things happen over thousands of years and suddenly they appear at the surface. the several inches of rain after irma was the last straw. >> reporter: as for she and her family, thankfully, no one was hurt. >> this is the only home i know. >> reporter: and back here with our drone cam, you can see that sinkhole there. the family lived here for nearly 50 years. now they're just watching that home go into the ground. there are early warning signs to look for, for sinkholes. if your doors and windows are sticking, cracks in the wall. if you hear those cracking and popping noises, that's when you know you need to get out and call for help. gio benitez, apopka, florida. could there be a new business model for weddings?

charging your guests. . and the world's first hostel made entirely out of sand. a spot for the honeymoon? >> good to exfoliate. >> that's true. the mix is next.

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♪ all right, time for the mix. we start off with a debate. genius or cheapskate. a british couple is charging their wedding guests about $200 to attend their wedding. they're getting married. the wedding is taking place over the course of three nights, and the groom says he came up with this whole idea of charging the guests to attend before even proposing. >> oh, okay. thinking ahead. >> instinct was, that's sort of uncouth. how cheap are you? however, he says the whole cost is $200, 150 pounds, around

$250, and that includes access to the indoor pool, spa, food and drink. so he says it's more like an all-inclusive vacation. for $200, all-inclusive vacation, that sounds pretty awesome. >> there's something wrong in the fine print. there's no way it includes the free hotel stay. that would be a bargain. >> they were able to book this place, this hotel at the last minute. my guess is they had to book the whole place. so this is how they were able to afford it. everything sta everybody stowe staays there fo whole weekend. sg >> i don't mind the idea. it's the same thing as giving a gift. >> that's thing, do you still give them a gift? >> oh, hell no. that's like a destination wedding. do you give a gift at a destination wedding? you already traveled to the

>> your presence, kendis's presence is the present. >> this is a present you could give them. remember those cute little game boys that we used to have as kids. >> a nintendo in your pocket. >> you could play with one hand. >> do, do, do. do. >> this is a student who came up with his own game boy, created it here. it's this megagame boy. it's three feet by two feet, and it holds a record for the largest came boy in t largest game boy no tin the wor. >> i appreciate he's playing tetris, but the whole point is to have it small. over to australia, shall we? and you will not have to complain about sand in this hotel, because it is everywhere. the entire hostel made of sand. check out what happens when you look at the after

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this morning on "world news now." in the dark and under curfew. it's pitch-black in puerto rico after hurricane maria carves a deadly path of destruction across the island. and in mexico, we're watching the round the clock efforts after that deadly earthquake, including moments like this one, tense moments call for silence, whistles, while everyone nthen pauses to listen for clues as they try to save school children trapped under the rubble. and new this half hour, the first lady making good on one of her promises, to fight cyber bullying and does so on the world stage. >> hear melania about setting good examples for children.