i'll post every now and then. the neighbors back here, down here, everybody's dead. >> i would describe the damage that we have seen in the area as catastrophic.>> tornadoes reachl ef-4 with 170-mile-per-hour winds. the victims involved and the search for those sll unaccounted for continues. struck down by a stroke at the young age of 52. actor luke perry gone too soon. but doctors say his condition was not tt uncommon. chaos in theal capits the investigations surrounding president trump are getting more intense.ck he's ba. larry the giant gator has returned to strike fear in the hearts of many at a florida retirement community. plus over 220 million americans will be waking up to face freezing temperatures.

is there any relief in sight? buckle up. "early today" starts right now. good morning. i' marlie hall. >> great being with you. i'm frances rivera. a desperate search for svivors is under way in alabama this morning as aight-knit community is forced to confront the unimaginable. dozens are still unaccounted for after tornadoes carved trail of destruction across the south. at the center of the devastation is lee county, where a pair of power. twisters touched down, killing at least 23 people and injures dozensmore. nbc's gabe gutierrez iar the h hit town of auregard. gabe, good morning. >> reporter: frances, the national weather service now says the tornado that rippes through t neighborhood was an ef-4, packing winds of about 170 miles an hour. as it sped across eastern alabama, the massive tornado taking out a cell phone tower, going on to splinter treesnd obliterate homes.

communities in lee county are sealed off, and an urgent srch fo survivors is under way after outbreakiest tornado in five years. >> it was awfu i've never seen something like it before in my life. it was bad. >> reporter: tornado warnings were issued less than ten minutes before thein terri winds whipped through the area. so far at least 23 people are dead. the governor hasen ed the state of emergency. >> we l,t childr ths, fathers, neighbors, and friends. >> reporter: the national weather service says this tornado cut a path of destruction about aalf mile wide. there is damage as far as thean eye see. several people died in this neighborhood, and the devastation is overwhelming. >> everybody in this house is dead. >> reporter: anthony franklin is mourning the loss of his girlfriend of more than 20 years. this is what's left of her home in beauregard, alabama. >> maggie is the type of patson th come through this thing once in a lifetime. >> reporter: the tornado, an ck

ef-4, paed winds of 170 miles an hour, tossinghis billboard some 20 miles. a series of twisters sliced rough the deep south, also pounding georgia, and south carolina. >> to the community of lee county, we grieve by your side, and we pledge our unwavering support to help you rebuild from the very depths of this horrible tragedy. >> this is where you crowded into? >> this is where my two boys and i crowded into, >> reporter: miles tatum says he huddled with his two sons in a closet while the storm roared through in less than a minute. >> the only reason this part of the barn was here is i'm convinced the lor saved us and my kids. > reporter: k-9 units are sc scouring neighborhoods for any signs of life and anthony franklin is remembering the life he once had. authoritts have confirmed least four tornadoes in alabama, and here in lee county, dozens unaccounted e still for. frances? >> gabe, thank you. this was the first deadly

tornado outbreak of 2019, killing more peopl than all of last year's tornadoes combined. but many are alive because they heeded the warnings and leapt into action. nbc's kerry oanders has morn what to do when a tornado strikes. >> reporter: best friends alive because they knew what to do. >> when the sirens went off, that's when we took cover. >> reporter: they heard the thunder, taking cover in a center room with no windows. >> we were down onnd the gr there's a pillow right here. we were down right here, and i was like this. >> and her mom w sitting right here. >> reporter: experts recommend having a plan long before a tornado threatens. go to a basement, storm cellar, or interior room away from windows and outside walls. in a mobile home, your best bet is to evacuate to a more sturdy building or shelter. and the weather service suggeste having multi ways to receive warnings, like on a phone, tv, or noaa weather radio. >> get indo that tor safe

place. >> reporter: safe spaces can include storm shelters, which can cost more than $5,000. these test videos show they can withstand the equivalent of an ef-5 twiste >> it can protect you against lying debris such as cars, trees, metal. >> reporter: most important, be prepared. >> take action before you see the storm. typically fast-moving storms are common this time of year. if you wait until y see it, it may be too late. >> reporter: the power of these tornadoes everywhere you turnn the impact zone, including this overturned mobile home. as twistereason gets under way in this part of the country, knowing whato do, a life saver. >> that was kerry sanders rt reg. now to the news that shocked many. the untimely death of actor luke perry. perry, who rose to fame as a teen heartthrob in the 90s died monday athe age of 52 after suffering a m lsive stroket week. according to "people" magazine, perr-year-old daughter was

in africa when her father fell ill and rushed back to los angeles before he died. 90210 co-star shannen doherty telling the magazine that perry's biggestt accomplishm was his children. quote, they were his heart. nbc's joe fry has more on the stroke he suffered and the warning signs that everyone should know. ♪ os reporter: in a show about perhaps thet famous zip code in america, luke perry took up real estate as both the resident bad boy andheartthrob. >> welcome to paradise, man. welcome to your dream come true. reporter: his turn as dylan mckay in "beverly hills 90210" launeeed perry inton idol stdom. even a simple appearance at a mall could stir up hysteria. >> i want toet do somhing with my life, you know. when my time here is up, i don't want to look back and see i didn't do anythingor >> reporter: recently he played a parent in riverdale, a show that has spauwned a new generation of teen idol. >> even though it's tough, even

though it might costyou, you got to do it. >> reporter: fans are surprised sufferinge died after a stroke at age 52. but according to the cdc, 34% of stroke patients are less than 65 years old. >> mosteople think 65, 70, 80 years old they're going to have strokes. eople in their 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s can have strokes just as well. >> reporter: doctors say it's important to know the signsus g the acronym fast. face, is it drooping? arms, is there difficultyem raising speech, is it slurred? and time? if yes, quickly call 911. perry iseing remembered by his co-stars, including ian ziering, who writes, god, please give him a seat close to you. he deserves it. perry leaves behind a fiancee, two children, and a legion o fans. joe fryer, nbc news, los angeles. ru longtime adviser roger stone is in hot water again this

morning f possibly violating his gag order imposed last month.ge the joverseeing his case has asked his attorney why the release of a new book from roger stone wasn't discloseduring testimony. his lawyers argue it's just an update of a book he wrote in 2016. meanwhile, special counsel the judge about a new instagram post from stone that says, w quot framed roger stone? that too may have violated the gag president trump's former attorney and fixer isn't finished yet. michael cohen is set to appear before the house intelligence committee tomorrow amid new revelations from the months leading up to his stunning turn against the president. "the wall street journal" reports that a lawyer for cohen approached mr. trump'ttneys about a possible pardon. the paper claims the topic was broached in april after federal agents raided cohen's home, office, and hotel room. well, the journal reports that the president's lawyer dismissed the idea of a pardon at the time, but rudy giuliani did leave open the possibility of

one down the road. meanwhile, the newlyoi aed attorney general william barr says he won't recuse himself from the russiabe p despite penning a controversial memo that questioned the special counsel's investigation. and with robert mueller's report expected within the coming days, house docrats are launching an investigation of their own. nbc's kristen welker has more. >> reporter: president trump vowing to cooperate with the rapidly growing investigation by house democrats. >> i cooperate all the time with everybody. and you know the beautiful thing? no collusion. it's all a hoax. >> reporter: democrats issuing a request for duments from more than 81 people and groups associated with the president, including the esident's eldes son, donald trump jr., son-in-law jared kushner, and trump organization cfo allen weisselberg, looking into what they call allegations of corruption, obstruction, andab es of power. but still insisting they're not yet building a case for wimpeachment. have to do the investigations and get all this. we do not now have the evidence

all sorted out and erything to do an impeachment. >> reporter: among the events democrats appear to be target , hat 2016 meeting between trump family members, campaign officials, and a kremlin linked attorney, and those hush money payments during the campaign. democrats pressing ahead with theior investigation even b the report by special counsel robert mueller is turned over. >> there's no collusion. so now they go and morph into, let's inspect every deal he's ever donee weoing to go into his finances. we're going to check his deals. we'reoing to check -- these people are sick. >> reporter: and another headwind for president trump this morning, the republican-led sena seems poised to block mr. trump's emergency eeclaration now that four republicans oppit. but it won't stop funding for a border wall because president trump will veto the legislation. this will likely be decided by the courts. frances. >> kristen welker for us, thank you. president trump's emergency declaration is about to hit a wall in the senate. in a new op-ed, senator rand

paul announced he will vote with democrat toverturn the emergency order to build a border wall, saying it uld, quote, expand the powers of the presidency beyond their constitutional limits. he would likely be the deciding vote on the resolution, which has already madehe it through house. if it passes, president trump has vowed to veto the >>measure. part two of some incredible video we showed you yesterday. drivers captured this avalanche in florida, but check out this perspective. it happened sunday along i-70 between copper mountain and frisco. the driver's car was swept all the way into the median,ut he was okay. thankfully, there were no injuries. wow, that's amazing when you're watchi something like that a recording. let's check in now with meteorologist michelle grossman. today we've got millions, i think 220, waking up with frigir teure. >> 226 million waking up to these freezurg temper. it's going to stick around fr a few days. we are unseasonably cool by 15 to 30 degrees in many spots. we're looking at windchills well

below zero in many spots. today we're seeing temperatures again 15 to 30 below what is typical for this time of year. wednesday, same story. 27 in chicago. memphis, 44. that's a look at the big weather story of the day. here's a closer look at the day ahead. it's all about the cold. you see the pinks and the purples and the blue on the map. we're looking at temperatures in in the northeas even down to the south parts of georgia, louisiana, alabama, a're looking at temperatures below normal the well. you got to go down to miami for some warm weather. i think we mentioned this yesterday. we'reoing to head to ami. i mean it's a two-hour flight. we can get there by noon. >> wemean. >> thanks, michelle. how would you like to fly for free for a year? jetblue will give three lucky winners aear of free flights. but you have to delete all your photos on instagram first. the all you can jet sweepstakes offers unlimited flightsith free companion tickets until march 2020. to enter, wipe your instagram pageosclean, then a custom image using a template of

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even on glass. and it even removes four times more permanent marker per swipe. try mr. clean magic eraser, for your impossible kitchen and bathroom messes. ng lea the news, explosive allegations in that new docu-series, "leaving neverland," which aired over the past two days on hbo. it tells the account of two men who say they were abused by michael jackson. hec's miguel almaguer has story, but first a warning. the allegations are disturbing. >> every night that i was with him, there was abuse. >> reporter: sharing stories of alleged childhood abuse in graphic detail, wayne robson a james safechuck describe michael jackson as a sexualpr ator. >> so not getting caught was a big like just kind of fundamental. he would tell me that if anybody

found out, his life would be over. >> reporter: in the explosive new docu-series, "leaving neverland," now airing on hbo, iclechuck and robson chr alleged abuse years in the making. >> i'm the most happiest when i'm onstage and when i'm with jimmy safechuck. >> the tour was the start of the sexual like couple relationship. >> reporter: it started, they say, with sleepovers often arl ned ranch. >> taking showers together and, you know,in fon and kissing. >> reporter: jackson's estate c denies tims and is suing hbo. they point out both men testified on behalf singer when he was accused of sexual abuse in separate cases years ago.as jackso never convicted. >> michael would d nevero that. >> reporter: while michael ckson is gone, his legacy is under attack. miguel almaguer, nbcnews. still ahead, we'll go behind the scenes of one of the country'it top hoals. and the gargantuan alligator

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so probably your first thought when you see an alligator is to probably freak out, but that is certainly not the case at one florida retirement community where that ssive gator hasecome kind of a local celebrity. he even has his own facebook page. reporter michelle meredith has o

. >> reporter: the villages. the retirement community is now known for two things, its leisurely living -- >>hat is huge. >> reporter: and larry the alligator. larry lives in a lake by a golf course, and when heets bored, larry h gives hisan neighbors a thrill and makes his gargantuan presence known, which he did this weekend. >> how long do you think he is? >> reporter: mark scherr's t so shs video of larry strutting his stuff across a path.cart needless to say, traffic stopped both ways. >> first scared out of my pants because he was so large. at first didn't believe what i was seeing. it was like looking at a prehistoric monster, and i had one foot on my accelerator on mr golf cn case he made a move. >> reporter: larry is not just toanother florida he's a gator celebrity. people stop and stare at him. he has plaque with his name on it. heck, he even has his own

facebook page. >> we come down to see larry the gator, and sometimes he's here. sometimes he's not. >> reporter: we were assigned thisstory,e were told find larry, and we did. we caught a glimpse of him taking a sun bath way across the lake. people here know the rules. don't feed him. keep your children and pets away. keep your distance. but he is a entertainment because here in the villages, there's something about larry. >> maybe larry's retired and h s wants a cool place to hang out. >> well, he certa wlyks slow enough. >> that was michelle meredith. just ahead, we'll go inside one of the nation's top-ranked medical centers. plusol why v plans to cap the top speed of its vehicles. you're watching "early today." with neulasta onpro patients get their day back... to be with family, or just to sleep in.

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good morning to you. i'm eun yang. >> the scariest moment for this woman's life. the warning she has for everybody after being carjacked with her little boy in the backseat. old man winter is back and here for awhile. mpatures runerni

and he was jumping in my car. i didn't think i would see him again. >> a mother opens up about the worst mistake she made in her

life. and a push for equality whes it com to your paycheck.>> an incredible survival story. two little girls lost in the woods for days, found. we're hearing in their words the life-saving lessons that kept them aliv >> it started to drizzle. i knew we had to find shelter fast. >> news 4 today, starts now. >> first this morning, a live look outside, as we track aig cold start to your tuesday.s the temperatu we're used to feeling in january, are back for another round this week. >> yay. several local areas arender hypothermia alerts. d.c. is the first to offer shelter service because of the cold weather. make sure you are limiting your time outdoors if you can. i can't believe we're talking about this on march 5th. >>