good morning. good morning. epic flooding. the carolinas under water this morning amid rainfall not seen in centuries. raging flood waters stranding driving, leading to dozens of rescues. residents clinging to each other for safety. homes facing serious problems. >> the house is flooding an they can't stop it. >> and today, another eight inches of rain in the forecast. dylan is tracking it all. ominous sign, coast guard searchers find a life ring in the hunt for that missing cargo ship with 33 aboard.

but nothing else. this as hurricane joaquin rages in the atlantic with the island of bermuda in its crosshairs. hillary the ham. hillary clinton makes a surprise cameo appearance on "saturday night live." >> donald trump? isn't he the one that's like, you're all losers? >> this morning, all the highlights from snl's 41st season premiere. and small but mighty. meet the brave french bulldog who took on two curious bears roaming around his home. despite his size and being outnumbered, score, bulldog, 1, bears, zero. today, sunday, october 4th, 2015. from nbc news, this is "today," live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. >> good morning.

>> that french bulldog, its name, jewels. >> how about that? >> he's got a pair of jewels. >> there you go. >> she's 20 pounds. >> more on that 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 though. down in the low country. historic, epic, life-threatening in some cases, the flooding going on down there. >> they call some of these storms hundred-year storms. this is a 500-year storm. 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 under watter this morning.

gabe, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning. this is what many people here in charleston are waking up to. roads impassable, cars abandoned, and water rescues under way. this city got almost a quarter of its yearly average rainfall in just 24 hours. this morning parts of the southeast are under water, battling life-threatening floods. in columbia, south carolina, people waded through the raging waters hand in hand, fighting against the current as rescue crews rushed to help. around charleston, hundreds of emergency calls. >> we got them out of the water. >> reporter: more than 11 inches of rain fell here saturday, the city's wettest day on record. overnight, the torrential rains picked back up, flooding these neighborhoods again and inching closer to these homes. >> it was unbelievable. this street has not flooded since i've been here for 14

>> 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 residentings not to venture out. >> recognize we're dealing with some record rainfalls here. let's take them seriously. >> reporter: a warning not everyone is heeding. >> the flowers were floating. >> reporter: but a historic downpour that's left kathy jefferson cleaning up today as she braces for even more rain. >> my house is totally full of water. the floors are all damaged. the furniture is all wet. everything is gone.

>> reporter: over the past few days, these torrential rains have been blamed for at least four deaths throughout the country. here in charleston, this peninsula was cut off for much of the night. many of the roads are starting to reopen. the big concern now is the rivers that are rising and could reach record flood stages by tomorrow. back to you. >> gabe gutierrez there in the low country in south carolina. stay safe, friends. >> dylan, how much more rain can we expect? >> the rain is finally starting to let up in charleston. the fact s when you have river and creek flooding, it takes several weeks for the rivers to subside completely. so even when the rain shuts off, we're still looking at that flooding threat. this has been the past 6 to 12 to 24 hours. the range is training over the same area. look 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. 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 pull away so the rain will shift up into parts of north carolina right along the coast through the day on monday, then tuesday the whole thing finally starts to exit. we do still have some flash flood warnings in effect because in this area right north of charleston, that's where we could see perhaps up to another 7 to 10 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 that missing cargo ship in the atlantic. searchers say they have found a life ring but nothing else. but the family members of the 33 crew members on board, most of them american, are not giving up hope today. nbc's kristen dahlgren is in florida with the latest on that. good morning. >> reporter: hey, good morning, craig. that life ring was found about 75 miles from the ship's last known position. now, we're told there may have

been other life ringspotted in the water, but when they lowered a diver down into the water, conditions were so bad that they were only able to recover that one. so 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 searchinged 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 ship in three days. >> our highest hopes are that the crew remained with the ship and they're riding it out. >> reporter: so far search conditions have been rough. >> the winds were excess of 100 knots. >> reporter: deb roberts' son mike holland is an engineer on board. >> the coast guard has just worked tirelessly and putting their own lives in their hands to try to find our loved ones. >> reporter: the massive cargo

ship was last heard from near the bahamas on thursday as hurricane joaquin bore down. the ship had taken on water and was listing to the side, 33 men and women on board. danielle randolph is the ship's second mate. >> he's strong. he better be strong because i just pray everything is okay. >> reporter: his daughter dez ree and wife rochelle don't allow themselves to think the worst. >> oh, i know he's coming home. and i'm just waiting for the phone call. i don't know if i got to the fly to puerto rico or where i need to be, but i'm going to be right there. >> reporter: for those that know the crew, hope is still very much alive. >> fight, fight, and fight some more because you know you can make it. >> reporter: kenneth benton worked on the ship just last week. he knows the crew, the training, and the equipment on board. like neoprene survival suits

>> once you put the suit on and expose yourself to the water, you're going to float. if you're unconscious, you're going to float upright. >> reporter: they've now searched some 31,000 square miles, but this find really does narrow their focus, and they are back up there flying now, craig. >> kristen dahlgren for us this morning. thank you. turning now to oregon, where tragedy is uniting a community devastated by the loss of nine people killed in a mass shooting on a college campus. nbc's jacob rast cone has more on how they're coming together, and we learn more about the gunman's final moments. he's outside the community college this morning. jacob, good morning. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. an investigator discovered yet another gun at the shooter's home where he lives with his mother. this as the sheriff reveals how the shooter actually died. new information this morning about the gunman who killed nine people at that community college in oregon. authorities saying christopher harper mercer shot himself to death after a gun bat with police.

had no idea his son had acquired such an arsenal. >> if chris had not be able to get ahold of 13 guns t wouldn't have happened. >> reporter: in myrtle creek, oregon -- >> we also come to you with a heavy heart. heavy because we have lost some precious souls. >> reporter: the modest congregation lost one of their own. serena moore, a single mother, who never got to finish her business degree. >> i miss her. i 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 army vet chris mintz, shot at least five times after confronting the gunman.

investigators now say 26-year-old student chris mercer, who was armed with five handguns and a rifle, killed himself after the rampage. the community and nation searching for answers and peace. for the first time since the shooting, the road leading to umpqua 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? >> jacob, thank you. to politics now, where speculation is mounting about whether vice president joe biden will enter the race. the pressure is also growing because the first democratic debate is just nine days away. nbc's kristen welker is at the white house with with the latest. >> reporter: craig, good morning to you. biden supporters say while it is getting 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 sad at the human rights campaign.

the dual appearances only fueling the buzz about a possible biden run. hillary clinton and vice president joe biden spoke at 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 suggestion of a run. >> no, didn't say that. >> reporter: but 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 of them are running for president, i think. >> reporter: and vowing to fight for stiffer gun laws after the oregon massacre. >> i will continue to speak until it is passed. >> reporter: but is biden's moment passing? clunn to is courting super delegates and has raised more

than $75 million. still, 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: for her part, hillary clinton has been rebounding from the e-mail controversy. part of her strategy, showing voters her lighter side. >> hey, bartender, keep them coming. >> reporter: on display saturday when she appeared on "snl." >> all anyone wants to talk about is donald trump. >> donald trump? isn't he the one that's like, uh, you're all losers? >> reporter: of course, that was "snl's" premiere. biden supporters also note key states like new hampshire, texas, and florida have filing deadlines that start in november and december. craig?

>> all right. kristen welker, thank you. >> more highlights from "snl" coming up. in a minute. first, let's bring in chuck todd. good morning. >> good morning. busy show. >> very true. let's get your take on this whole biden issue. time is running out. is he going to be in or out? >> i think if he's in, we'll know in the next week. i think the longer he waits, the more likely it is that he's not going to run. when you look at it, the only way to put together a campaign that can win is to do it in the next week or two. i don't think he can really delay much 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 would do if his support starts to fall apart. let's take a listen. >> number one, i'm not a mass consist. if i was dropping in the polls where i saw i wasn't going to win, why would i continue? it's funny. maybe it's not like me because it's the power of positive thinking, but the truth is, i'm a realist. >> so far he's still going

strong. what are your thoughts? is his campaign built for the long haul? >> we'll see. i think that's only a question he can answer. but i thought it was fascinating. he basically said when he stops leading in the polls. if he starts falling and he thinks he can't win, that's when he pulls the plug on this thing. it was a fascinating tell. he even said, because i'm falling in the polls, you guys will stop calling me. it was just a -- you know, sometimes interviews can be revealing in ways you don't expect. i have to say, it was -- that part was revealing in a way i didn't expect him to say. >> really quickly, let's talk about a challenging week for jeb bush. he was slammed for some comments he made in the wake of that community college shooting. let's take a look at these poll numbers quickly. they show him dropping to just 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. i think the fairest way to assess whether jeb bush can pull out of this or not is to see where he's at on november 1st.

advertising on the air, we're going to have new iowa/new hampshire polls coming out on the show. i think in one of them, you'll see some evidence that early money he's spending in new hampshire is starting to pay off. can he sustain it? that's what we'll find out. >> never a shortage of news to discuss. thank you. we'll look for more of your conversation with donald trump coming up on "meet the press." we hope you'll join us tomorrow when we sit down for a one-on-one interview with hillary clinton. that's live from new hampshire tomorrow on "today." if you want to ask secretary clinton a question, you can post it on facebook, twitter, and instagram using #hillarytoday. other news this morning, a high-profile firing at the vatican as the world's bishops gather there. frances is here with more on that. >> good morning. pope francis started off the meeting of bishops this morning strongly asserting marriage is a bond between a man and woman. his comments came during mass at

after the vatican fired a priest that game out as gay. police in california say they have arrested four teens in an alleged plot to shoot students and teachers at their high school. on saturday, police told parents about the plan, which included names of targets, how they would 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 north carolina high school saturday causing its roof to partially collapse. many of the victims were believed to be students on site for s.a.t. testing and band competition. at least one person is dead after an apparent gas explosion in new york. firefighters say when they arrived on scene saturday, the entire front of the apartment building had been blown into the street. three bystanders were also hurt. and a tragic story out of southern california, where a young skateboarder was struck and killed by a hit-and-run driver. when trauma nurses tried to

was horrified to discover it was her brother. >> i recognized the wallet as she opened it up and it was my brother's face right there. >> just heart wrenching to hear that. witnesses say the victim had the walk sign while crossing the street. the suspected driver was arrested. and 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 on the bears on his owner's property. the 20-pound dog names jewels charged down the porch steps, con fronting one bear. ten he goes after another bear. those bears weigh about 100 pounds. just chased them right off. they jumped the fence. in this case, jewels wins. he's like, bring it. >> she's 20 pounds? i feel like we should get together and write a children's book. i feel like there's some kind of theme in that, right? >> dylan is back with another look at where joaquin is right

now. >> joaquin is actually approaching bermuda, believe it or not, as a category 3 hurricane. it is going to stay just to the west. keep in mind that northeastern side of a hurricane is very strong. it's windy. we are looking at the potential for some gusty winds and obviously the rough surf in that area. then the storm races off out to sea. elsewhere across the country, the rain continues across north and south carolina. still looking at an additional 8 inches of rain in that area. that's a look at the weather across the country. here's a peek out your window. >> good morning, everyone. another windy, cool day out there on this sunday. lots of clouds, especially along the coast. also watching out for close oastal flooding later today. high temperature of 61 degrees. you still need the jackets out there, especially with that wind gusting throughout the afternoon. overnight tonight, some clearing, down to 52. still breezy. not quite as windy. take a look at the seven-day forecast. tomorrow looking a little better. still breezy with a high of 64 degrees. the good stuff, tuesday and wednesday. sunshine, back to the 70s.

>> that's your latest forecast. >> dylan, thank you. up next on "today," hilarious. "snl" seeing double digits on the season premiere. we have the wrap after this. 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. welcome back. welcome back. you can feel the excitement around here. "saturday night live" is back for its 41st season. >> miley cyrus was there last night. then was hillary clinton serving up laughs and drinks.

frances has more on that. >> tv programming is complete with the return of "snl." miley was host and musical guest. all eyes are on hik, llary clinton, who played a bartender to kate mckinnon's version of her. >> hi, i'm hillary rodham 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. >> 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.

but not to be outdone, they also took on donald trump. >> all of this stuff has been blown out of proportion. >> people say he was not nice to her, but he was worried. he say she's bleeding everywhere. >> i was actually afraid she was going to die, honestly. i love measuring gyn kelly. she's talented and beautiful, but she's always on her period. >> 13 more months before the election. a lot more material. >> looking forward to that. thank you. right back after this. there's something in me...

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good morning. it's 9:26. 53 degrees this sunday morning, october 4th. a live look at the brooklyn bridge. a gas explosion has killed a woman and leveled a three-story apartment building in brooklyn. three people also injured in that blast, believed to be caused by a disconnected stove. news 4's sheldon dutes has the story from borough park. >> reporter: firefighters stayed out here through the night keeping an eye on the explosion site, which is just about a block away from where i'm standing. today more inspectors are expected to come back to the scene. they're focusing their efforts on some of the wreckage and debris you see here on 13th avenue. flames and thick plumes of smoke filled this stretch of 13th avenue shortly after the deadly explosion. that blast happened just after 1:00 p.m. yesterday afternoon, killing a woman who was inside the building. officials are looking into the possibility that it may have been caused by den nants who disconnected their stove. >> of course, to take a stove with you, it entails

disconnecting the gas line, which leads us preliminarily to look in that direction for the cause of this explosion. >> reporter: a father and his 10-year-old son who were walking here along 13th avenue were hurt by some of the falling debris. and a 27-year-old man was also injured. all of them, however, are expected to survive. in borough park, sheldon dutes, "today in new york." >> all right. let's check the weather now. mostly cloudy and breezy with a shower still possible along the coast. a high of 61. overnight, breezy and cool, low of 52. monday, partly cloudy, mild we are a light breeze. we'll see a high in the 60s. tuesday, mostly sunny and nice. goes up a little bit. we go into a stretch of the 70s there. be aware of a chance of flooding along the coast today. high tide between 1:00 and 3:00. i'm gus rosendale.

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live in charleston. >> reporter: we've gotten just a bit of a break in the rain, but this city got a historic amount of rainfall. nearly a quarter of its average yearly rainfall in just 24 hours. this morning many roads are impassable. cars are abandoned. water rescues are under way. we saw many water rescues as well in columbia, south carolina. that is where several people were caught in the raging currents. they had to hold hands as rescue crews rushed in. here in charleston, saturday was the wettest day on record. there were hundreds of emergency calls overnight. at least 37 water rescues. this weather system has pounded much of the east coast over the last few days, killing at least four people. here in charleston much of the ninsula was cut off overnight. the concern now, however, is that rivers throughout the state are rising at this point. they could reach record flood stages by tomorrow. guys, back to you. >> gabe gutierrez there in the

low country. just amazing to see those pictures. >> tough to see. now to the tragic death of a young american adventurer. johnny strange killed while attempting a jump in the swiss alps, has become the latest casualty in what's known as one of the most dangerous extreme sports. frances has more on that. >> the record-holding daredevil was only 23 years old. he was doing what he loved, base jumping. but this morning, many are asking if the thrill of the sport is worth the deadly risk. johnny strange found fame at age 17 when he became 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. but something went horribly wrong in the swiss alps thursday. police say strange crashed just a few seconds after taking off the mountain around noon. strange posted his final youtube video, showing him soaring high

above the swiss ountry side in his wing suit. strange is the latest jumper to die while wing suiting. last may, rock climber dean potter and another climber were killed while jumping in yosemite national park. strange paid tribute to potter in this instagram post, writing, thanks for your wing suit advice. i'm sorry to hear you died flying. see you on the other side. mark sutton was perhaps the most famous base jumper in recent years. he doubled for james bond actor daniel craig during the opening ceremony of the london olympics, but his life was also cut short loa year later after he crashed in the alps. at least 200 base jumpers have been killed between 1981 and 2012. 50 of them died while wearing wing suits. despite the risks, wing suit jumping is growing in popularity, thanks in part to videos shot with go-pros. >> the scenarios in which there are deaths most of the time can be prevented. we end up finding afterwards why those happened.

of the gear itself or because of or decisions those people made. >> sky diving experts are quick to point out that wing suitr vingwfrom a plane is very different from base jumping. >> you have to distinguish between the two different activities. one is an air sport. one is a dangerous activity, to fly a wing suit down a mountain. >> a dangerous activity with yet another fatal outcome. this sport has gotten so popular, there's even a competition going on this weekend in illinois. the first ever wing suit flying national championship. no doubt johnny strange will be weeaighing heavily in their hearts thpeere. >> that's for sure. frances, thank you. >> dylan dreier is back. when are our friends down south going to get some relief? >> south carolina will get some relief tomorrow. then north carolina will get some relief on tuesday. but in the mean me, we have flash flood warnings in effect with another 6 to 8 inches, possibly even 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. that's a slow, slow process in the low country down there. that area of low pressure will finally start to pull away as we go into tuesday. out in the southwest, we've got some moisture moving in. it's even 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. then upper 50s tomorrow in the northeast. this is good because we've got gloves on the plaza for the first time. this is my first set of gloves. and you're from michigan. >> yes. >> you think you'd be more used to the chilly ma temperatures. >> yes, but i still like to take precautions. >> i like that. my hands are freezing cold. that's a look at the weather across the country. now here's a peek out your window. >> good morning,deveryone. another windy, cool day out there on this sunday. lots of clouds, especially along the coast. also watching out for coastal ooding later today. as you head inland, sunshine by the end of the day. high temperature of 61 degrees. you still need the jackets out there, especially with that wind gusting throughout the afternoon.

ernight tonight,ome clearing down to 52. still breezy, not quite as windy. tomorrow looking a little better. still breezy with a high of 64 degrees. the good stuff, tuesday and wednesday. sunshine and back to the 70s. >> and that's your latest forecast. >> all right, dylan. thank you. up next, some great sunday stories this morning. the man behind "the martian" lls erica how he turned a hobby into into a hollywood block buster. and helping breast cancer survivors reel in recovery. ayd how avid readers are turning back a few pages in time

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fifteen percent or mor on car insurance, you switch to geico. it's what you do. 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." it tells the tale of an astronaut who gets straned on mars.am>> the story behind that advent onure is almost like a hollywood film in itself. andy weir wrote "the martian" as a hobby. convinced he'd never make it as a writer. as he tells erica, the universe had other plans. >> reporter: for the man who created "the martian,"s film success is the latest ind ri%s of events he never expected. >> i'm like, am i in a coma and i'm just dreaming all this? >> reporter: andy weir's tale of an astronaut stranded on mars scored t

geek a four-day vip visit at nnasa. >> they let me go into the mission control center. i'd sit a the a station and remote control a camera mounted to the outside of iss. >> reporter: and has hern earned him some praise from well-known fans. >> commander chris hatfield, former iss commander. he liked it a lot. buzz al dren and i have hung out many times. he's taken a liking to me. >> reporter: yet, the biggest thrill for this commuter programmer came long before buzz or hollywood called. >> probably the biggest kind of eling of victory i had was just getting the book published initially. all my life i've wanted be a writer. >> you say you always wanted to be a writer, but you weren't ireally sure that you had the right stuff. >> oh, right. all evidence indicated that i didn't. i'd given up on ever being a prtrofessional writer because i failed too many times. so i just said, this is going to be my hobby. >> reporter: weir began penning "the martian" as a serial,

posting the story one chapter at a free time on his blog. quickly developed a loyal following, who happily offered feedback. >> they would tell me whenever i had math errors ors rrors in chemistry or biology. was like having 3,000 fact checkers. >> reporter: readers asked weir for a downloadable version. he posted it on amazon for the lowest possible price. >> i pulled down a cool 30 cents per copy. >> reporter: it quickly took off. topping the best-seller list, the story that had taken three years to write suddenly changedy weir's life in a matter of days. >>er when they were negotiating the book deal, then fox came for the movieorights. those two deals were agreed to four days apart. >> reporter: when you saw what ridley scott put together as his vimbsion, did it match what you in trywially had in your mind when you were writing it? >> mostly. ityo's a very faithful adap frtion. >> reporter: did you have any hand in the screen play? >> mostly my job on the film was to cash the check.

i feel like i did it well. >> reporter: weir's main character, mark watney, shares the author's sense of humor in. >> i got to figure out a way to grow three years' worth of food here. luckily, i'm a botanist. mars will come to fear my botany powers. >> reporter: as any of this changed the way you look at potatoes potatoes? >> no t i'm a big fan of potatoes. >> reporter: just don't expect him to follow watney into space. would you ever go to mars? >> no. hell no. >> reporter: why not? >> i write about brave people. i'm not one of them. >> reporter: for a man who has nog desire to leave karth's orbit. weir's knowledge of what happened in space has impressed many, including fors.r edastronaut, dr. john grunsfeld. >> the book really nails the integrity of the astronaut's creativity and improvisation. >> reporter: weir hopes his ory will inspire other authors

to reach for the stars. >> if you can't break into the indust th, then self-publish. you've got nothing to lose. >> i'm still alive. surprise. >> reporter: erica hill, nbc news, san francisco. >> erica tells us andy's first big purchase, by the way, fter signing his book deal, was as piece of a meteorite from mars. if you'd like to read some, we have an excerpt on today.com. now to dylan and the plaza fans of the day. >> i'm joining by adele and kathy. you're from jacksonville, florida. ey're on a mother/daughter trip, which i love but it's not just you guys. there's a group of you. >> there is. >> they're all sleeping in the hotel room. ranging from 80s to 4. i guess it makes sense they're >> ill leep. but you're missing out. still totcome on "today," living life on the fly after battling breast cancer. the retreat helping survivors recover after these messages. in' i'm messing up every dish, pot, and plate... ...to show my love.

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for some great food, fun, and entertainment, come on down to grand central this weekend to find out what macao has to offer. >> there are over 22 world heritage sites. this year marks the tenth anniversary of this honor. it's one-hour ferry ride from hong kong. we have a lot of connecting flights as well. people can enter for a chance to

we're back with pink power today in honor of breast cancer awareness month. this morning we head out west ere some women are learning a nelyw skill, fly fishing. >> halle jackson explains how catching a fish and letting it

go is helping these women heal. >> reporter: it's not always easy to catch trout i wyr:ing. >> they're like, are you kidding me? really? cgood luck, lady. >> reporter: but the challenge keeps kristen kelly focused on the fish and only the fish. >> actually, i haven't thought about cancer all that much. >> reporter: she was diagnosed with breast cancer a year ago and had a radical mastectomy at just 42, spending months in intense chemo. >> it was a very lonely process. i felt like no one understood what was going through. >> reporter: but the women at this 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 hansen a lawyer. >> for me, it was very much like i've got a monster inside of me, get it out of me. and don't tell anybody that i'm sick. i was afraid it would affect my business.

my illness with anybody. but coming here, i can. >> reporter: allowing women to share their stories is part of the mission for casting for recovery, the nonprofit that sponsors these retreats. the motion of fly fishing helps exercise muscles that may be weaker after treatment. but 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.g>> reporter: with practice, each day on the water gets a little easier. >> look at that. >> reporter: but 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 to let go. >> talking about cancer and

and exhausting and it wipes you icout. catching a fish, and even not catching a fish, just being able to hit your mark is exhilarating. it's life. this is life. i'ypm doing more of it. >> reporter: for "today," halle jackson, nbc news. >> beautiful. >> there's something so healing about nature and just being outside and letting everything else go. >>n makes sense, doesn't it? >> to clear your mind and find that peace, wherever it mayile. a pond with fish or elsewhere. >> strength in numbers obviously too. good to see those women coming together for healing and recovery. just ahead, harry smith is here. he's going to take us on the groad where the wheels and the pages are still a turning. that's right after these messages. 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

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this this morning on sundays with harry, america is a big, complicated, diverse place, as we all know. there are a lot of people doing a lot of different but interesting things. >> part of harry smith's job is to stop in and see what you're up to. >> good morning, everyone. i am forever wondering, what must that be like, or who does that? fortunately, there are people here at nbc who wonder the same thing. and they tell me, why don't you go find out? what's blue and yellow and red all over? you give? it's a book mobile. in an age when it seems everyone on the planet is connected to the internet, one would think book mobiles would long ago have been sent down the exit ramp of obsolescence. >> thank you very much. >> not so, say the folks who live in and around idaho.

>> there are no libraries in this end of the county. so the book mobile is our library. >> reporter: ed and linda joy have been patrons for 35 years. >> my wife and i have gotten very addicted to agatha christie murder mysteries. >> best sellers to dvds, if you ask for it, chances are the book mobile will come up with it. >> i have the dates on the calendar. each month it's like christmas to me. there's always something new and interesting. if i reserve something, i know she'll have it for me. >> wow. >> it's nderful. i just love it. i wouldn't miss it for anything. it's better than going to church. >> debbi johnson is library and chauffeur to the 3,000 books and other items on board. growing up in rural idaho, she remembers loving the day the book mobile came to town. >> when i was little and on the book mobile -- >> hold it. you're from idaho. >> yeah. >> where did you grow up? >> cul-de-sac, idaho. >> that's really the name of a town?

it's a dead end too. pretty much. >> that's amazing. >> but yeah, we had no library. so the book mobile from liston, which is about 21 miles away, would bring up the book mobile. >> now she's behind the wheel. people still happy to see the book mobile? >> oh, yeah. they are. especially people that can't get out and drive. and there are the people that have their kindles and read books too. but there's some people that will never not have a book in their hand. >> for the home schooled foodie family who live up the road, the book mobile puts the world in reach. >> i just watched your kids as they came in here. their eyes are wide. they're excited about what's inside. it's pretty cool to see. >> debbie is awesome. they come in here with their lists of things they're interested in, and she always manages to find them lots of books. >> requests limited only by your

>> i was curious about, well, what's so great about snorkeling? really, it's quite enthralling. >> books from a bus. why not? we get food from trucks. and what's in here is that much more nourishing. >> amen. >> how great is that? >> isn't everybody connected? why would anybody in the world need something like that, right? >> and the patience to wait for something like that to come to your town. >> there's so many lessons inherent in this vehicle. and the other thing that's interesting, some of these people live sort of way out on the end of the road. they don't see their neighbors except when they go to the book mobile every other week. i say, you guys need a coffee pot in the back here. >> it would be good if they took that to scale. it would be nice to see more of those over the country. >> what's interesting also is this book mobile, for instance, stops in town too. there are neighborhoods in town where it stops, especially where there are collections of older folks. those people come on. listen, the book mobile, people

>> so fantastic. >> you hit a pothole anywhere in a big city, those books come down. >> i did ask about that. apparently a curb or two is gone over. books go this way and that way. >> my favorite part of that story. it's better than church. >> just like this. >> thank you, harry. now a reminder to tune into "meet the press" this morning for chuck's one on one with donald trump. >> that's going to do it for us this sunday morning. have a fantastic sundays.