in a few minutes. first let's check the forecast. check out this guy. chuck bell is that you? >> you used to have brown hair. [ laughter ] >> he's out on the weather deck getting ready to kick us off. chuck, you looked good. you were a handsome boy. >> the first day of third grade back in 1975. so that's -- if i'm 31 now -- >> then i'm 14. >> my hair wasn't always this color on the side. looking for a good day today. plenty of sunshine here. especially the first part of the day. but that weather front promises a dramatic drop in temperatures between today and tomorrow. rain chances are relatively low. there you can see not much on radar now. future weather carries a chance for an isolated shower or two later on in the day. start off temperatureos

lawn of channel 4. 63 in leesburg. 59 in martinsburg. let's find out more about the commute from sheena parveen. good morning. >> good morning, chuck. i thought your hair looked nice in that picture. i love the throwbacks. i mentioned the hair. i like it. 70 degrees by 7:00 a.m. as you head out the door and hit the roads. roads will be dry this morning, even around lunchtime. 82, mix of sun and clouds. a warmer day. 85 degrees. by 5:00 p.m., like chuck mentioned, isolated shower chance in the forecast. don't be surprised if you run into them. the good news is, weatherwise, the commute is looking good right now. it's not going to be until late friday and into the weekend we're looking at a more rainy weather pattern if you're hitting the roads. your labor day weekend travel. a closer look at the rain timing coming up. the commute this morning, let's check in with jack taylor. wtop. good morning, jack. good morning, sheena. 66 right now. an early day lay getting in. at

rowe boulevard at 50, i believe the eastbound right lane remains closed. a lot of the flashing lights reflecting off the guardrail. sounds like a new trouble spot in damascus. >> this is blocked in both directions. you need to find an alternate. that's about the only way out. plan ahead. back to you. 6:02. let's give you another look at where harvey is this morning. the storm now a tropical depression. it's moving through northern louisiana into mississippi. >> look at this video in louisiana. harvey moved through there. the parish surrounded by gulf water. it's right up to people's doors. it doesn't appear that water is getting inside the homes. most people evacuated from the area as a precaution. >> we continue to monitor conditions in both texas and ui

new developments overnight. we'll run them down for you overnight. first up, we've learned that as we continue to track harvey, the headlines coming out of that area, the death toll continues to rise. so far, 28 lives have been lost in this historic storm. plus, chemical plant concerns as well this morning. the plant outside houston is poised to explode. lost power that left volatile chemicals. >> evacuations began on tuesday. vice president mike pence is visiting texas as well. he'll be joined by his wife and entourage of secretaries appointing to the trump/pence administration. it's hard to imagine that things can get back to any type of semblance of normal when you look at video like this. this is one of the drone shots, the aerial shots of houston that we've seen. as harvey moves on and the water does begin to recede, the task of cleaning up begins. sarah dallof is in houston to explain what officials are concerned about this morning as they begin

>> reporter: good morning, erika and aaron. floodwaters expected to recede in more neighborhoods today. officials are concerned that, as they do, they will uncover more victims of this storm. now, 28 people confirmed dead right now. 14,000 national guard troops on the ground assisting with a variety of tasks. more than 30,000 people have sought shelter at some point during this ordeal. and now the focus becomes caring for their longer term needs, including prescription medications. a lot of people had to flee with nothing but the clothes on their backs. makeshift medical center are up, not only providing pringss but also treating people. the mayor of houston imposed an overnight curfew amid reports of looting and armed robbers posing as law enforcement. erika and aaron. >> sarah dallof in houston. right now, we're showing you whatpe

this is some time lapse video showing a garage flooding over the course of ten hours. you can see how high that water gets. more than halfway up the van you see in the garage. the water does eventually guion recede. today, some people are allowed to go back to their homes and assess the damage caused by harvey. meteorologist amelia draper shows us the damage to one family's home near houston. >> take a look at how high the water level was. you can see with debris on the walls still. everything here in the home touched by water has to be trashed. take a look as we come in the home. water just everywhere on the floors. you can see already items removed from shelves, put into bins. the cleanup process, though, only just beginning. >> the governor of texas says 219,000 people have already applied for fema assistance to rebuild. >> many people in texas have lost everything and for a lot of people that also includes their pets.

will be looking for homes in the d.c. area. justin finch is live with what local shelters need help doing right now. he's at the humane rescue alliance here in d.c. justin? >> reporter: hey there, aaron. if you've been thinking about taking home a pet, you can do this. you can adopt for free here at the humane rescue alliance. they're trying to take in as many pets as possible from the houston area. the pet victims of hurricane harvey already 100 dogs flown in to the new jersey area from houston. their owners had to surrender them or leave them because they can't always have pets in the shelters here. so they'll be arriving there and also coming here to our area as well for adoption here. on social media, you may have been seeing a lot of this. local shelters trying to reach out and get the word out, like the lucky dog animal rescue. the last chance animal rescue and theum

adopt. you saw lots of dog faces and cats coming as well. the big take away, you can be adopting for free these animals. that's because nats pitcher matt scherzer and his wife erica will pay for adoptions between now and sunday if you come in to the humane rescue alliance and find the pet of your choice. a lot of pets, we're told, need help. live in northwest, justin finch, news 4. back to you. >> justin, thank you. we'll keep you updated throughout the day on harvey and our nbc washington app. we're monitoring that chemical plant that could explode at any moment. if it happens, we'll break in and send you an alert on your phone as well. breaking news. we found out a man was killed in a busy part of the district. this happened about two blocks south of the columbia heights metro off of 14th street. the man was shot and killed there last night. d.c. police are looking for a suspect in this case. this shooting happened before metro ed

maybe heard something, you're asked to call police. if your kids ride metrobus to school, a warning this morning. metro trans ipt police are looking for a woman who tried to abduct a 7-year-old. this happened yesterday on a 92 metrobus. it runs across capitol hill to u street. if you have any information, you're asked to call metro transit police. in a story only on news 4, the woman accused of throwing a cup of her own urine told us why she did it. the woman says the bus driver was rude. opal brown actually called us after she saw the story about herself right here on "news4 today." hours later, we were the only ones there as police took her into custody. she spoke with our adam tuss and gave her side of the story only on news 4. >> i was asking her, why are you so mean to the customers that come on the bus? for real? i

redeem herself. that's all. if metro is interested in -- [ inaudible ] >> brown is due in court today. police say the attack was unprovoked and brown is being charged with simple assault. >> 6:09. breaking news on the korean peninsula. kristin wright at the live desk. >> things really ratcheting up to the u.s. and south korea are coming out with a clear show of force against the north. a south korean military official confirms to nbc news that our military flew bombers and fighter jets over the south today for training drills with south korean fighter jets. this coming a couple of days after they launched a ballistic missile over japan. >> back to you. today, the redskins are hoping for a win. they will take on tampa bay buccaneers in their final preseason game. >> while the starters won't play, there's a lot on the line. guys are still trying to make

kickoff is at 7:30 right here on nbc4. that will be followed by the redskins post game report and news 4 at 11:00. we don't want to stop with chuck bell's back to school photo we showed you. everybody in our studios has pictures from the past. >> right. >> throwback thursday as you might know. we call it that. who do you think this is? >> erika. >> that's me. >> littler ka. >> with the '80s backdrop there. just quintessential. >> the life touch pictures. >> tells you what era it was from. it looks like -- hey little girl, will you stand in the shot? sure thing, i will. >> no hesitation. let's show you another one. this young man has big things ahead of him. ta da. look at the cheeks. so sweet. aaron's little pictures. pre-k, first grade. >> the cap and gown is pre-k. you see myea

you can kind of see. we'd love to see your throwback pictures or your kids first day at school. send them to us at nbc washington and use the #ready for school. lot of fun there. 6:11 is your time. remembering princess diana. how many fans are flocking to and remembering her life and legacy today. 20 years after her death. >> reporter: look who woke up early to help stuff backpacks. >> dalton and brodie. >> how cool is that, right? we're still working hard at the firehouse in stafford county. nearly 700 backpacks and supplies as irene swings that camera around to show the hard work being done. we're going to sort them, stuff them and then they're going to be delivered to kids in need. that's coming up on "news4 today." speaking of

it looks pretty good at the bus stop. many of the suburbs, a makes of sun and clouds today. by lunchtime, near 80 this afternoon, 85 with isolated shower

thursday morning, we're nice and dry on radar. we'll stay this way most of the day. an isolated chance this afternoon. >> we're watching for the weekend. harvey down in louisiana. but the moisture will be moving here for part of your labor day. chuck is back in a bit with the timing. let's check the roads. jack taylor, wtop. good morning, sheena. problem up in damascus. glows at rowe boulevard. the

the boulevard. right lane traffic is still getting by. i'm kristin wright at the live desk. right now and all day today, people are remembering princess diana. hard to believe, but today marks 20 years since her death. so people are laying flowers, leaving personal messages at this memorial outside kensington palace in london. princess diana lived there. she and her boyfriend and chauffeur were killed in that car crash in '97. >> so the grief and outpouring in the uk today explains why diana was called the people's princess. back to you. >> kristin wright at the live desk. 16 after the hour right now. two campuses paused for a moment of silence honoring second lieutenant richard collins iii. >> his life was just getting started when he was stabbed to death five months ago on the university of maryland campus. both maryland and bowie state

yesterday in honor of his life. former maryland student sean urbanski has been charged with the murder. police say he belonged to a racist facebook group. students in houston will be receiving new school backpacks filled with supplies. the prince george's county public school system says it collected more than it expected during the back to school fair. they will be sending 1,000 backpacks to texas now. they're also trying to raise money for the students and challenge other school districts to help houston students as well. >> i love hearing everything -- they're trying to do something to help. we're working for you in the community this morning. >> molette green is hanging out in stafford county. she's live with a very exciting school supply drive. hundreds of lucky kids going to go back to school in style. molette, what's happening there? how can folks get involved? >> oh, yeah, we have started the sorting process with the firefighters and the volunteers. 'r

nearly 700 backpacks that they have collected to help the young people in need to get the right start out of the gate. that's what it's all about. as you see this assembly line process here. the fire chief mark lockhart joins me now to talk more about this effort and the passion that your firefighters have to make sure the kids in your community get what they need. >> absolutely. you know for the fire service, a big part of our mission is taking care of those in their time of need. for many, that's a medical emergency, a house fire, something like that. for us, there's another need in the community. that is, we have underresourced families that have a desire and need for their kids to have school supplies for the year and just aren't able to do that. we're able to step in with the help of community partners and fill that gap. >> nearly 700 backpacks, 31 schools. after we get all of this stuffed, sorted, stuffed, then you guys are going to deliver them? >> that's correct. schools will send personnel in

we'll get the rest out today. >> i was so excited to see a box of hundreds of erasers. it took me back to when i was in school. look how cool this is. you're going to be doing this from 10:00 to 12:00 today this whole process. i want to tell you more about how you can donate. if you still have supplies or a back pack, you can drop it off at any firehouse. >> that's correct. any firehouse will be happy to take the donations. >> look at the line of supplies. doesn't it bring back memories, guys, of when we used to get the as in math? >> that was a long time ago, molette. >> i will say, if you had professor chuck bell as a teacher, we probably would have done better in math and science. >> you never know. my mom w t

fifth grade teacher. she was always the hardest teacher, but they loved her for it because she was a challenger. >> pa pays off. >> i was challenged continuously at home. did you do this? did you do this? you know how that goes. >> did do you the forecast? >> i got a weather station nor christmas in the third grade not long after that picture. started keeping weather records immediately. yes, indeed. a bit of weather fanatic since way early on. outside, on a thursday morning. quiet start to the day today. hope you have a plan to get outside and enjoy it. 68 degrees now in washington. a very light wind out of south as you plan out your thursday today. 60s here for the next couple of hours. a quick warmup. we'll spend the afternoon with plenty of sunshine into the low and mid-80s. there will be a little rain chance as the cold front sneaks on in. the front doesn't have much moisture to work with. as a result, rain chances will be few and

and miss shower. that's about it. otherwise, it will be a nice day. 60s to get you started. highs today in your hometown, gaithersburg, 80 degrees. 85 washington. 83 in culpepper. for tomorrow, behind that cold front, it's going to be considerably colder. some 15 to 20 degrees cooler on your friday afternoon than today. a lot of clouds around tomorrow. there's a chance of a shower just about any time during the day. better rain chances, higher rain chances come in after the sun goes down tomorrow and then on into saturday. so saturday, if you're going to the beaches, saturday, sunday, monday, looks like saturday will be the worst of the beach days. sunday and monday are actually looking really nice. ocean temperature 74 degrees. staying home, not much of a rain threat. tomorrow, rain chances increasing. most of the rain from harvey will be before 3:00 or 4:00 saturday afternoon. rain should be gone before the sun comes up on sunday morning. jack taylor, that means two out ofhe

holiday will be fine. >> i'll take two out of three. not a bad average. thank you, sir. heavy traffic on 50 eastbound in annapolis. you see traffic continued to move. chopper 4 is headed north into damascus where there's a closure on 27. no traffic is moving. headed there, they should be there in ten minutes or so. traffic will be rerouted under police direction. plan head if you're planning to leave north or south near gu road. back to you. >> jack, thank you. getting you ready for school. internet safety should be on the list. the things to do right now to protect your kids when they go online. remember the local choir director on "america's got talent"? find out if his prayers were answer answered. it's a

ellen. >> you should watch anyway. check out the throwback picture. it's ellen. >> share your pictures with us. you've got great photos on twitter

for those of you who just got new shoes or maybe some old one that is are so darn cute but slippery on the soles, real easy fi fix for you. you need a hot glue gun and hot glue and draw a couple lines on

name and let it dry and there you go. instant grip. and it works with slippers, too. we both are working for you to get you ready for school. if you're a parent, you know times have changed out there. the internet, it is a must-have for kids to do schoolwork these days. >> with so much online, how do you protect them? this week we're helping you keep your children safe. we talked with an pecks eexpert suggested a contract. it might require that your kids share user names and passwords with you. the safety institute recommends these type of things. he said parents have to stick firm to the ground rules and the penalties. but you want to steer clear of scaring your kids about going online. >> do not use fear-based language. we don't eou

use fear either. it's not a good motivator. it tends to switch off the frontal lobes of the brain and discernment and understanding resides. you talk to them plainly, talk to them with fact. the institute also says that adults have to be digital role models. that means if your rules call for no devices at the dinner table, that goes for parents too. >> for a look at a sample contract, go to our app and search safety contracts. thieves targeting parents. the one place crooks are using your kids against you. how to prevent being the next target. . >> reporter: how much time and money do we waste trying to park in d.c.? the surprising numbers coming up in a live report. one big impact we're watching for your labor day weekend would be harvey. the remnants of it will be arriving as we start the weeken comingd. u

enjoy the day while you can. we have a big change coming in. i'm aaron gilchrist. i'm erika gonzalez in for eun yang. wow. hello thursday morning. come on. sun just coming up this morning. we're monitoring quick wild swings in the forecast. >> this young lady has everything you need to know. that is the pre-meteorologist sheena parveen. throwback picture. this thursday morning. >> share your pictures with us. now the current meteorologist sheena parveen out on the storm team 4 weather deck. hey, sheena. >> did you like the necklace i had on. my grandmother got that at the flea market. i wore is all the time. you should have seen my outfits. my goodness, if i had those pictures, i would have shown you those. that's the only one i could find last minute. you saw the beautiful live shot. temperatures are just as nice to go with a 68 in

63 leesburg, 64 in clinton. as you walk out the door, comfortable start. mid to upper 60s, then by 8:00 a.m., we'll be seeing that mix of sun and clouds in the morning and the morning we'll stay dry. later on this afternoon, morning shower possible. let's check on the rest of the day. >> if you don't want to carry the umbrella around, you could probably get around without. only in the 20 to 30% range at the most to for rainfall. temperatures in the 80s, short sleeves and sunglasses. today gets an a-plus. there's that little chance for a shower later on in the day. most of the impacts from harvey will be on our saturday. heaviest, steadiest of the rain tapering to showers into saturday evening and night. sunday is looking nicer. sheena will get the ten-day forecast to you in a

issues outside. >> unfortunately, we've got this indents in damascus on 27 near gue road. it's going to be under police direction probably. i believe that's southbound travel in the northbound lane. be cautious, plan ahead. there's a potential for a sizable delay between damascus and mt. airy. not too bad of a driver out there. as you make your trip around the beltway, no trouble spots so far. knock on wood he says. erika, back to you. >> jack, thank you. 6:33. we're following breaking news about explosions and a fire at a chemical plant in texas. >> this is a really dangerous situation that kristin wright is keeping her eye on. >> this is the last thing houston needs this morning. yes, paying close attention to reported explosions at a chemical plant near the city. two explosions so far since we've been on the air this morning. also, black smoke coming from the plant. niece are pictures from outside. you see

there. i'm assuming on stand by in case anything bigger should happen. we understand that fumes are getting to the first responders who are out there. several of them are at the hospital right now. so the reason for this, the plant is flooded, lost power, lost backup generators and chemicals stored inside become unstable without proper temperature control. you're also looking at pictures of evacuations. emergency officials evacuated anyone, anyone nearby, including pets there. anybody close to the plant there. aaron and erika, we're going to keep watching this closely because things could get much worse there. >> we'll check back, kristin. the other top stories, we could be headed towards a major crisis in the country. the colonial pipeline transports more than 3 billion barrels of diesel, gasoline and jet fuel every day. gas prices in our area already

week. it's a big day for prince george's in montgomery county. some are pleepg preparing for orientation day. middle and high school students will meet their teachers and classmates. they will take part in programs to transition them into their new schools sghiefrjt a couple is suing amazon after being left with eye dodge they claimed they purchased -- amazon warned them of potentially defective glasses but the couple claims they never got it. we've been driving forever trying to find a parking spot. >> we're learning that we're not wasting precious time. it's hurting our wallets too. megan mcgrath has a look at how much it's costing us. she joins us live now. megan? >> reporter: yeah, guys. it is frustrating and it can be expensive. we

street. a little bit after 6:30 in the morning, and look at all the spaces already taken up. things will continue to get worse, tighter as the morning wears on. people who park in d.c., you're not surprised. but now we have hard evidence here that the parking is just wretched in the city. take a look here. according to a report at the transportation firm, we waste 65 hours a year driving around looking for parking spaces. that translates into about $1300 a year wasted in gas and maintenance on your car. here's another thing. $350 in wasted money because people overestimate the amount of time that they're going to be parked at a meter. you put more money in than you need to do. all bad news for folks who park in d.c. talked to one man this morning who says he's not that surprised. it's pretty frustrating all over the city. especially

area. it's frustrating. hard to find parking. you can circle for 15 or 20 minutes trying to find a spot on the street. one way to avoid it all is to leave the car at home and take public transportation. back to you guys. >> megan mcgrath live on the road. megan, thank you. some breaking news overnight. the new show of force from the u.s. while you were sleeping. plus, they are trying to prove to america that they've got what it takes. that they've got talent. the results are in for a prince george's county fire director, next. we continue to share your ready for school pictures on this throwback thursday. check this out. uyo

is.

sound. they're headed to the next round of america a's got talent. >> their performance wowed the judges and the voters. the choir is made up of people from all over the country. damon is also the choir director of mt. ee none in clinton. you can watch the choir on next tuesday's show live at 8:00 on this station. chuck, the forecast has something for everyone. >> august will feel like summer. we'll be in the low to mid-80s for afternoon highs today. but, about a 15 to 20-degree drop in temperatures for friday. more about that and the rain on the weekend plans coming up in a minute. chuck, chopper 4 has been in damascus with two accidents. the first one is on 124, woodfield road at 108. we had a crash there last week.

being cleared out of roadway. authorities standing there doing a little direction. our crash on 27 at gue road there. traffic is alternating one direction at a time. jack, thank you. molette green is working for you in the community. >> molette, what are you up to this morning? happy to be awake this morning. >> reporter: we've got a long way to go to stuff nearly -- we've got a long way to go to stuff 700 backpacks. this is my favorite so far and i've got my firefighter helpers here. we're in stafford. it's a big effort to make sure that kid in need get what they need to get out and go to school next week. right? more coming up, including a conversation with the county schools. we'll see you in a few. >> we're celebrating throwback thursday. back to school style. here's actress taraji p. henn

a look at the headlines as we track what's left of hurricane harvey much the death toll continues to rise along the gulf coast. so far, 28 lives have been lost in this historic storm. plus, chemical plant

two explosions have been heard overnight outside houston at a flooded chemical plant. >> vice president mike pence is visiting today. it's hard to imagine things can get back to normal like the images from the gulf coast. as harvey moves on and the water begins to go down, the task of cleaning up begins. >> news 4 sarah dallof is in houston to explain what officials are worried about when they start going door to door today. sarah? >> reporter: good morning, aaron and erika. these are called secondary searches once they feel the rescues have been completed in a particular area. then they go into recovery mode. the concern now is as they start this new effort that more victims of this storm will be uncovered. 28 people confirmed dead and that total expected to rise. meanwhile, on the ground, national guard members helping out with a variety of tasks, a

sought shelter since this storm began and now comes the issue of addressing more longer term needs. meanwhile, the mayor of houston has imposed an overnight curfew amid reports of looting and armed robbers disguised as law enforcement. back to you. >> sarah dallof live in houston. let's go back to kristin wright at the live desk. >> breaking news with what is going on at the chemical plant. kristin. >> new information about the explosions we've been telling you about at the flooded chemical plant near houston. the sheriffs office saying that fumes have overcome ten deputies. all of them at the hospital now. these fumes being described as nontoxic irritants. now, two explosions. we've heard about so far since we've been on the air this morning. also black smoke is coming from the plant. you're looking at the police response there at the chemical plant. we're going to be watching this very closely. they've

these are pictures of the evacuations going on now. couldn't get them -- >> watching it for you. back to you. >> kristin wright, making a difficult situation more difficult. many pets are looking for homes as they evacuated the floodwaters as well. shelters in our area are getting ready for many of the pets to arrive here. >> justin finch has more on what they need help with. >> reporter: a lot of help indeed, aaron. very soon hurricane harvey pets will arrive to the humane rescue alliance shelter here. once they do, they need more help as well because the pets already here are going to have to make room for the pets coming in. that's where you're stepping in here. they're hoping you'll come out and adopt, especially if the fee is free. take a look at what the pets have been up against here. the kittens in a

pulled from the water. showing door to door pet rescues in extreme flooded conditions. 100 dogs already flown east and heading to shelters in our area. local shelters, perhaps you've seen this here are getting out the word to help. lucky dog rescue. the main rescue alliance asking you to step up. the big take away is going to be the adoption fees will be free. that's because nats pitcher matt scherzer and his wife are covering the fees from now until sunday. the doors open this morning at 9:00 a.m. for you to come in and start looking at these pets. back to you. >> justin finch live at the humane rescue alliance. our area is sending more help as they deal with the damaging floods. 40 soldiers and from the national guard -- the crews will

will focus oon assessing the damage and search and rescue efforts as well. it is an alarming crime, an unexpected place. thieves are targeting a preschool parking lot in fairfax county. the latest car break-ins reported at chester brook academy in fair lakes. they're targeting parents when they pick up their kids. we want to send things over to jack taylor for a check on the roads this morning. jack? >> jack, can you hear me? are you there? >> yes, here i am. hi. >> hi. >> we've got our crash unfortunately in damascus. unfortunately, you see traffic is getting by one direction at a time. the tow truck arrived on scene. 27 is a two-lane road. traffic is seeing a much larger delay. southbound, northbound, there's delays in damascus proper. this should only cost you a -- please plan ahead.

morning. weatherwise, sheena sounds like a decent day shaping up. looks pretty in the chopper shot anyway. >> warmer today than yesterday. cooler into tomorrow. we'll see a lot of changes into your weekend. harvey recommend manremnants are late friday into saturday. temperaturewise, in the mid to low 60s. upper 60s in the district. if you're walking the dog, this is paige, one of the dogs available at the rescue alliance. we have to clear the shelters out. we're not talking about what we had. this is another big issue with all the animals coming from houston. we need to adopt them and make room for the other ones. for today, 8:00 a.m., feeling nice. low 70s. isolated shower chance this afternoon. mid-80s. here's future weather for today. the stray showers popping up mainly after 2:00 p.m. don't be surprised if you run into one of those. locally right now, we're dry. there is harvey spinning i

its way here as we go into the end of the week. this is future weather. friday across parts of tennessee. then moving into the area saturday. there's saturday morning. through the afternoon and evening. we had rain in the forecast. saturday is not a good day this weekend for grilling or the beach or the pool. 74 for a high there. as we go into sunday, much, much better. 81 degrees by monday. looking great. mid-80s. the beach forecast looks good after saturday. i mention the remnants will be here. they'll be along the coastline too. sunday and monday look really nice. here's the forecast. we go into the end of the week and back in the 80s. i want to mention, tomorrow might be a shock to you. the high only around 70 degrees. >> wow. >> sheena, thank you. 6:52 right now. we're working for you in the community. >> molette green is live in stafford county in a huge school supply drive and hundreds of kids will head back to class with everything they need. molette, what's going on

>> oh, my goodness, the firefighters have taken on a huge, huge task. this is my favorite backpack so far. my kids love the minminions. i'm here with school spokesm spokesperson sherry johnson. the firefighters are still stuffing backpacks. nearly 600 of them. you can speak to the need in stafford county schools. why the young people and their families depend on this kind of outreach. >> they definitely has a need for collect the kids and the school supply drive. i got a call a couple of days ago from department much social services, they had a mother wanted to know could she still be a part of this and get back f packs for her children. said of course you can. it's about helping our students succeed in the classroom. of course, we added those names to the list and they will be a

receive supplies and a backpack. >> 28,000 kids in the school system. many of them with needs for the supplies. this has been eight years of the firefighters doing this. this is wonderful. take a look. we sat 600-plus backpacks to stuff. we've got to get them all done. how are we going to do it? >> you're going to get it done. >> we're going to get it done. >> that's the whole goal. if you want to donate a backpack and supplies, you still can. come to any firehouse in stafford county or this firehouse, engine number 12. they'll be doing this from 10:00 to 12:00 and then they'll take the backpacks to those kids and families in need today. we're live in the community in stafford county. it's great to be here. can i show you the big old box of pencils? this makes me feel so good for some reason. we need a giant pencil sharpener. >> it's a pencil and not a stylus. the real pencil. >> imt know.

too. >> molette green live in stafford county. we know you're going to hand off that backpack you have, too. all eyes onhe chemical plant outside houston. the building lost power because of harvey and now harvey is a tropical depression moving through northern louisiana into mississippi. >> in a show of force against north korea, the u.s. flew bombers in south korea overnight. the ballistic missile over japan, more than 28,000 u.s. troops are stationed in south korea. they are in the crosshairs. princess diana died 20 years ago today. crowds are gathered outside kensington palace to remember her. keir simmons will show us what they're doing coming up on "today." the redskins take on the buccaneers tonight. kickoff at 7:30 right here on nbc4. that will be followed by

11:00. one final check of the forecast. nothing to worry about today. an isolated rain chance this afternoon. 85 today. nice and warm. in the 60s and cloudy tomorrow. saturday, we're dealing with the rains from what's left of harvey. but sunday and monday look just fine. particularly monday. chuck, thank you, sir. >> one last time, don't forget to send us your back to school pictures. >> we're happy to share ours with you. this young lady, ms. erika gonzalez. hello. that's pre-k, kindergarten. >> look like a sunflower. >> there's aaron. we've been having fun with you this morning. chuck and sheena shared theirs as well. just a fun way to get us in the back to school groove. >> throwback thursday action going on. >> you can reach out to us on facebook, instagram, twitter. we've seen some of your pictures on twitter. you guys look great out there.

nbcwashington.com. >> thank you for joining us for "news4 today." the "today" show is coming up next. >> a shoutout to melissa mollet doing back to school shopping with three kids in tow. she handled it like a champ. we'll be back here in 25 minutes with all of your weather and traffic and local news. >> make it a great thursday everybody.

good morning, breaking news. good morning. breaking news, explosions rock a flooded chemical plant near houston. ten officers being treated at a hospital. the surrounding area evacuated. the death toll from harvey rising this morning to at least 28. much of southeast texas still under water. this morning, new flooding, new evacuations and new misery. >> it's just devastating. >> as the powerful storm moves north targeting millions more today, thursday, august 31st, 2017. >> from nbc news, this is a special edition of today, the impact of hurricane harvey, with