. >> the emergency situation right now in new bern, north carolina. hundreds are trapped in homes, on roof n. cars. we're speaking with some of them live as rescue crews and the volunteer cajun navy race to save them. >> now fears growing of catastrophic flooding. up to 40 inches ofrain. a month's worth in just a few days. power already knock the out for hundreds of thousands. we're tracking the monster storm as it barrels ashore on our air. our team right there in the storm zone. a special edition of "good morning america" starts now. >> announcer: live in times square and across the storm zone this is a special of "gma," hurricane florence, state of emergency. >>> good morning, america. let's get right to that breaking news. hurricane florence has hit the east coast right now. want to take a live look at wilmington, north carolina, right there. we have amy robach there. our correspondents, you see the wind is picking up across wilmington right now. the rain coming down. hurricane florence hit as a category 1. >> we'll talk to ginger but it's roaring

life in this in newbern and pray for the folks that did lose their life in eastern north carolina john allen mayor of new bern north carolina thank you so much back to you in the studio thank you that was my way to reporting from north carolina. now to some of the other stories making news around the world syrian state media say israel has launched a missile attack on the main airport in damascus the claims were backed up by the syrian observatory for human rights it said the attack targeted arms warehouses and caused heavy damage no casualties were reported them. israeli man has died after being stabbed by a palestinian man at a shopping mall in the west bank the israeli army says the assailant was shot following the attack near a busy junction south of jerusalem it has been a major flashpoint in recent years in western germany demonstrators failed to stop police from the victim activists from a force that's to be destroyed to make way for an open pit coal mine police say about four thousand people tried to enter the woods near cologne they were stopped by police who continued removing activists from tree ho

new bern north carolina what looks like swamp land. is actually small town suburbia. newburn usually sits at the confluence of two rivers right now it's residents on nearly underwater and in need of rescue that's all terrified of my life. it was hard i'm. just wondering what. and where the water's going to go and now it's going to hell and how we're going to get out and hopefully we're going to get trapped in the attic and that help has already reached hundreds of people up and down the east coast of the united states and many more have evacuated but it's not over the flood danger from this storm is more immediate today then when it was then when it made landfall just twenty four hours ago we face walls of water at our coast along our rivers across four million in our cities and in our towns war people now face imminent threat then when the storm was just offshore i cannot overstate it floodwaters are rising and if you are watching for them you are risking your life. people and wildlife have been overwhelmed. this is a risky team about eight hundred miles further nort

with our miguel marquez who's feeling the brunt of the storm right now on carolina beach, north carolina. new bernf the hardest hit towns in the carolinas where forecasters say another foot of rain could be headed. my next guest, a woman who decided to ride it out there. why bother mastering something? why test a hybrid engine for over six million miles? why hand-tune an audio system? why include the most advanced active safety system in its class, standard? because when you want to create an entirely new feeling, the difference between excellence and mastery, is all the difference in the world. introducing the all-new lexus es. every curve. every innovation. every feeling. a product of mastery. experience amazing at your lexus dealer. starts with great sleep. and the sleep number 360 smart bed is my competitive edge. it intelligently senses our movements and automatically adjusts our firmness and support on each side to keep us both incredibly comfortable. it can even warm our feet to help us fall asleep faster. it's great sleep i can feel and see. better sleep keeps me at the top of my game. for

and pray for the folks that did lose their life in eastern oregon or john allen mayor of new bern north carolina thank you so much back to you in the studio thank you that was my way to reporting from north carolina now to some other stories making news around the world syrian state media say israel has launched a missile attack on the main airport in damascus the claims were backed up by the syrian observatory for human rights it said the attack targeted arms warehouses and caused heavy damage no casualties were reported action. now. marathon took place today and was once again the scene of a new world record mild weather and a flat course means that the last seven men's records have been broken here and today. lowered the fastest time to the two hour mark. kenya's. set the pace at the berlin marathon on sunday over forty thousand runners competed in perfect conditions when he defended last year's title he started off with an impressive pace and quickly shook off his biggest opponent will see. three pacemakers were pushed to the limit and so the canyon completed the last seventeen kilometers so

in new bern, north carolina, jim handly, news 4. >>> as b s as therm has been for many communities, the worst is yet to come. and wng are get a clearer sense of the human toll florence is take on families in the carolinas. nbc's jay gray is in hard-hit it carolina beachthe latest on conditions there. >> reporter: a day later, the effects of florence are no longer measured by wind or water. the storm has lost a bit of the power, but none of its bunch. >> we faced walls of water, at our coast, along our rivers, across farmland, in our cities and in our towns. >> reporter: stalled over the carolinas, the massive weather system continues, dumping recrdd re amount of rain, in many areas of feet, notch . >> we'll see areas flood that have note. flooded bef >> reporter: rivers and tributaries are spilling over theirnk bas, pushing into places water has never been before. and more is on the way. rescues continue in new bern, ave cityed by a ten-foot storm surge. >> it was horrifyi. wondering what's going on and where the watter is going to go and how high it's goingo go and how we're going to g

up to 10 feet in new bern, north carolina. rescue crews have been called in to save hundreds of people who have been trapped. >> our weather team is spread out all over the storm zone, and we'll begin with our "world news tonight" anchor, david muir. once again, it's acting up there. good morning, david. >> reporter: yeah. this is the backside of the hurricane we're now seeing, robin. as you know, the front side, that eye wall generally brings the most destructive wind and rain which is what we saw in the early morning hours as we were on the air. now that we're on the air live in the west, you can see the winds though do continue here, and the rain which is going to be the really big story over the course of this day, and straight through tomorrow for the next 24 to 36 hours. i want to show you the wind actually. dale will spin around and show you the traffic lights and this is how dangerous it is. authorities don't want people on the streets here. that's the biggest wind gust they have had since 1958, since hurricane helene.

bethany richards in new bern, north carolina. i want to go to matt bradley. i last saw matt two days ago in north carolina, in wilmington. he was headed out down here to south carolina. i don't even know where you are. you're in south carolina? >> hey, ali, i actually couldn't hear what you said, but i'll go ahead and respond anyway. the situation here, it's deteriorated quite a bit in the last couple of hours. now what we're seeing actually is some really strong gusts. i know it looks like there's a lot of rain but really the rain is -- well, probably a little lighter than where you're at right now. what we're really feeling is 60 to 80 mile an hour winds with gusts of up to 100 miles an hour. that's what we're hearing. the fact is, that's what makes it so dangerous for rescue workers here. that's well above the level -- which rescue workers, the fire departments, are willing to go out and brave the storm and try to rescue people. that's important information for some of the people that you are

: hurricane florence's i want is on the cusp of reaching the coast of north carolina, 100 people stranded in their homes in new bern, north carolina, some waiting help on their roofs. jillian: 200,000 customers without power throughout the state and in morehead city, life-threatening storm surge turning businesses into debris. the marriott on the coast could see 40 inches of rain. first responders saving 100 people that found themselves stranded in new bern, north carolina. rob: joining us by phone with an update is dana outlaw. you came on yesterday and told us what you were expecting and sounds like you were the epicenter of the problem. what are you seeing in new bern? >> trying to make every effort to get them to shelters. at the same time we provide a safe working environment for first responders. our power is down, 14,000 customers out at this time but we feel the winds. jillian: how frustrating is this? you have been warning people to get out and get to shelters, don't stay, get to safety and now you are already seeing all these people that need to be rescued and putting first responders at risk. >> the most

reporter: shomari stone, news 4. >>> back to our top story now, hurrheane florence battering t carolina coast. we're seeing major storm surge already tonight in places like new bern, north carolina. here are live pictures of nags head, in the outer banks. florence wil makeandfall by this time tomorrowin mo >> florence, a category 1 storm right now, but still extremely dangerous, even at thave jim handly and doug cakammerer >>> and we're back live on the outer banks now. we spent a good hunk of this day, about 45 minutes south down in hatteras, where they have endured some storm surge already and some significant overwash on a lot of their roads down there that t have just had to shut down early this morning and late this afternoon, thtoo. 're worried about people trying to get back in. we've shown you the past couple of days howhey're trying to shore up the dunes so they peopleac can getin in three, four, five days from now. we want to take you down about three hours from us inland, to show you some real storm surge already that is a eady happening and it is river storm surge. this is new bern, north carolina, about three hours from us. the river has already risen rapid

new bern north carolina what looks like swamp land. is actually small town suburbia. sits at the confluence of two rivers right now it's residents. need of rescue that's all terrified and i. just wondering what. and where the water's going to go and how it's going to go and how we're going to get out and hopefully get trapped in the attic and help has already reached hundreds of people up and down the east coast of the united states and many more have evacuated but it's not over the flood danger from this storm is more immediate today than when it was then when it made landfall just twenty four hours ago. we face walls of water at our coast along our rivers across far. in our cities and in our towns war people now face imminent threat then when the storm was just offshore i cannot overstate it flood waters are rising and if you are watching for them you are risking your life. people and wildlife have been overwhelmed. this is a risk about eight hundred miles further north in upstate new york. the storm when it made landfall was huge stretching across most of the east

in new bern, north carolina, we have video of that. extensive flooding.overnight. there are reports of 150 people in kneeled of water rescue in that area. reports of people stuck on rooftops. thankfully, though, no one has died in that. there are no reports of any injuries. certainly a dire situation for people, who for whatever reason were not able to evacuate or chose not to evacuate. that will be the big story as the storm stays over this carolina coast the next couple of days. the rain and the flooding is the big concern. that is why officials were warning people, urging them to evacuate before this came in. not because of the wind but really because of the rain and the potential for that devastating life-threatening flooding. that is the latest here from jacksonville, north carolina. back to you guys in san francisco. >>> derrick, you mentioned the people in need of rescue in new bern. have there been any rescues in your immediate area? and are emergency crews able to mobilize? >> reporter: so in this immediate area, we have not seen nearly as bad of

. >>> okay, you are watching the president here, he is in new bern, north carolina, as he is gettingat florence has left behind. he has just visited a church that's giving aid to victims. there was significant, significant flooding early on in this town, on the coast, the city, actually, more than 300 years old. it was a colonial capita of north carolina. you saw reporting from new bern as the area was inundated for hours, the days on end. let's listen in for a moment. >> how many? >> go sign up at the front door and we'll get you signed up, okay? >> he's checking in with the recipients and asking if they needed anything. he's there with a number of officials there to assess the damage. based on the swollen rivers in that state, some preparing to crest a second time. we know there's still more to come. so we'll bring you more of the president's visit as he continues to tour the devastation left behind by florence. >>> china slapping morte tariff on u.s. goods, after the u.s. of course hit china with tariffs on another $200 billion in products. allison is live at the new york stock ex

she is in new bern, north carolina. yor in new bern, north carolina and gave us an update. now one from diane. you've had to be moved twice since you got there? >> yes, don. two times since we got here. initially we were at union point park. the water came up so far that it starred flooding the downtown area. at some point, 4 1/2 hours, it was now or never moment. this is before any of this wind began or anything like that. it was strictly water at that point. and much like mayor dana outlaw told you, that's what they deal with here in new bern. it is a water issue here. the wind while it's sort of been a pain for me over the past couple hours here and obviously at this point we have no more street lights at all. we've watched them go one by one by one with them sort of basically just bursting here. the wind has caused a couple problems here at the hotel. we had to finally come back inland four miles because downtown had flooded so severely. we were going to be trapped there. we finally came up and the wind ripped the fr

if you want to see what flooding looks like, new bern, north carolina.n reporting on this now over two hours. there are rescues, the national guard is out there. local authorities are out there 67 . we are in new bern, bill karins is here. what are you seeing with respect to rescues? >> the peak of the storm surge was midnight at ten feet. the water level dropped to six feet above where it should be. it's still extraordinarily high. we have a ton of water in place. we have homes with water surrounding them and we also continue to watch the problems there with the wind and the rain. garrett, i know you are near the national guard trucks. give us the latest. >> hey, bill, yeah, we are watching the national guardsmen. they are going block by block, house by house, peeking in windows, making sure no one gets left behind. the water depth is hit or miss. in some places over my knee. in some places you can walk down the street in flip-flops. folks have gotten trapped in neighborhoods like this, surrounded by water in the low lying areas and by the river, which

north and south carolina. warn of catastrophic flooding and say up to two point five million people could be left without power. new bern north carolina what looks like swamp land. is actually small town suburbia. sits at the confluence of two rivers right now it's residents. need of rescue that's all terrified of my life. i'm. just wondering what. and where the water's going to go and it's going to tell us how we're going to get out and hopefully we're going to get trapped in the attic and help has already reached hundreds of people up and down the east coast of the united states and many more have evacuated but it's not over the flood danger from this storm is more immediate today than when it was then when it made landfall just twenty four hours ago we face walls of water at our coast along our rivers across four million in our cities and in our towns or people now face imminent threat then when the storm was just offshore i cannot overstate it floodwaters are rising and if you are watching for them you are risking your life. people and wildlife have been overwhelmed. this is a risky team about eight hundred miles fu

landfall at 7:15 near wilmington, we had storm surge and more than 150 water rescues in new bern, north carolina, about a 10-foot storm surge there well before the storm made landfall. then the slow crawl along the north carolina/south carolina coastline. this has been one of the reasons we've had such intense rainfall that is still going on in these areas that started well before the storm made landfall. >> moving forward what concerns you most the next 24, 48 hours? >> rain, rain, rain. flooding, flooding, flooding. a lot more of it. you're going to be surprised who gets involved with this storm as it curves up the u.s. long former, by tuesday and wednesday of next week, we're into northern new england with some of this moisture. the stoert term, those totals are small. they're 1 to 2, 2 to 4 inches in extreme new england. but the big rainfall totals, this is rain yet to come. locally we could have 15 more inches of rain just outside of wilmington. look at what goes on in south carolina. 10 to 15 inches of rain additional there. not unusual to see intense flooding with that kind of number. but

new bern. at least 150 people stranded waiting for emergency responders to make their way there and, of course, again that flooding just continuing there in that town of new bern, north carolina. >> ginger, this is a town we are most concerned about. you're based in wilmington but what are you concerned about? what community? >> so, yeah, new bern obviously. one of my -- my old students i used to teach a meteorologist class at my alma mater and one of my students works there in her second job in television and she and i have been in close contact because i needed to know more about new bern as i woke up and she was telling me about the community, about the people there. it is heartbreaking to know that that river backed up and has backed up now so much so with the flash flood warning over them that they are so far from over with what this catastrophe is happening as we speak and it's not going to stop throughout the day today and that is the very scary part and think it's a -- it's showing us precedence of what could happen in other rivers, in other creeks and in other towns and that's very frightening as well to see because, again, like i talked about she actually hooked me

this is new bern, north carolina. it has been one of thereas hardest hit. >> we're going to take a trip around the carolinas. gabe gutierrez is in myrtle beach but we'll start with akmariana in island, north carolina. >> reporter: now we're seeing the flooding that we've been predicting near the beach. i want to show to you my left, for exple, these streets, these mailboxes, you can see. i want my camera man to pan to my left, how high the water has risen in some streets. v it iy hit or miss but it is what we've been talking about. as we keep getting pounded by this rain, this flooding is what we're going to continue to see. it is what many residents who left the island feared about not teing able to come back. i was j on the mayor of oak island and she said bh bridges will remainlosed so nobody can get on or off the islandt the moment. we're starting to see treeson fl top of some cars and some homes.n, age're still getting the brunt of the water. the brunt of the flooding. and we're still a couple hours out from seein

living there on the water, which is what has attracted so many people to the lifestyle in new bern, north carolina hope everybody keeps a level head and toss the right thing. we keep seeing a video of a guy driving a new silverado up to the headlights in standing water. that's not helping anybody. >> no. >> least of all your new silverado. >> yeah. i don't -- i don't know what that one was about, but you do get those type of folks riding around. we have a curfew. we have a curfew at 9:00 at night through 7:00 in the morning, and we do that to protect our citizens. we have a lot of folks chose to go west of 95, and we're really stepping up our security the make sure that our residents are safe and their belongings are safe. >> sorry, mayor. have you talked to any of your friends, your fellow mayors of any of the small towns around to see how they're faring out on the river? >> yeah, i talked to chuck allen over in goldsboro and they're doing pretty good. he was very concerned about what is going on in new bern. you know, we have a metro mayors group and we really work very close together and we pro

helping you buy better. >>> i want to show you new images from new bern, north carolina. ee that crashed through the roo. this is an upstairs bedroom. henry of new bern tells cnn quote my dad went to sleep in his own bed upstairs in the second floor of the house. about an hour after he fell asleep a piece off dry wall came in from the sealing and woke him with a loud bang. after taking a look we realized rain water was coming in. three or four more feet it would have crushed my dad to death. that man is a not injured, despite what you're looking at. florence is pound thing carolinas, moving at a measly two miles per hour now. president trump meanwhile is continuing to question the official death egtoll from hurricane maria and puerto rico. tweeted that it went up quote like magic. it was raised late last month following a study by researchers at george washington university. former senior advisor to the trump campaign with us now. grrs morning to you. so why do you think the president is there are things that still need to be take in care of. why do you think the president

north carolina. you can see the heavy winds that the drivers thood contend with. this is an abc news affiliate in new bern, north carolina. you can see even their studio was flooded. they were one of the hardest hit towns. in fact, there were rescues overnight. i also want to show you some pictures. trees coming down in north carolina. in fact, all over the state, you see these trees crashing down onl onto a car. a lot of power poles knocked down, a lot of people without electricity today. also, here's another picture of trees falling down. this is in a home in new bern, north carolina, and the homeowner on instagram saying they're lucky so far, the storm surge not approaching their home, and they were okay, no one was injured after taking this picture. again, we're watching social media closely as a lot of stunning images come into our newsroom. i'm jessica castro, abc7 news. >> thank you. reporters have been out in the elements to make sure you know what's happening in the storm. this is a good reminder. it's an excellent idea to take shelter when a hurricane hits. >> this is what a category 1 storm loo

north carolina, marci gonzalez, abc 7 news. >> thank you, marci. and check out this video. the storm surge is flooding a county emergency services building in new bernna. let's get to sandhya patel. >> florence is hours from landfall. outer bands of raynhamering the north carolina coastline. ten-foot storm surge has been reported in new bern, north carolina. wind gusts between 80 to 100 miles an hour. tornado watch boxes up until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow as the hurricane interacts with land. could see some tornadoes. it is weaker, category 1. packs winds of 90 miles per hour. but it is sprawling west-northwest at 6 miles per hour. landfall tomorrow morning at 8:00 a.m., and then it weakens to a tropical storm, making that sharp right-hand turn towards the northeast as we head into the weekend. rainfall could be isolated in areas, up to 40 inches through monday. storm surge up to 11 feet. we've already seen that storm surge of ten feet. and look at this. atlantic beach, almost 13 inches of rain and counting. dan? >> okay, sandhya, thanks very much. >>> now, medical teams air force base are ready to go. carlos salcedo shows you the life-saving techniques th

at this hour to save dozens of people still stranded in rising floodwaters in the city of new bern, north carolinaing us now is lieutenant david daniels with the new bern north carolina police department thank you very much sir for being here for your service for what you're doing especially at this moment. you're on the ground what are you seeing what is most urgent for you in your department? >> thank you and good morning. what we're doing right now is still working on our water rescues we're hoping to have those completed by the end of the day our electric crews are working to get power restored we're still down about 6,400 customers without electricity but our electric crews are diligently working to get that up and running at this point. ed: that's pretty remarkable lieutenant because i recall earlier this morning checking twitter feed for the city and i believe they said there were 21,000 out of 30,000 residents who did not have power if you're now saying only 6,400 do not have power that obviously seems like a lot of progress. >> yes they're working diligently and they won't stop until we g

north carolina where they need him and the services there. the coast guard has been involved in a number of rescue operations including one in new bern, north carolinader, thanks for joining us. >> neil, thanks for the opportunity. i appreciate the time. >> neil: so what are you hearing from your men and women on the scene? >> first of all, this is a coast guard response. we're working closely with our partners from the state and the federal government as we do this. this is not just coast guard. this is working with our other agencies. the coast guard is ready. why have to add responses out and resources out and we're ready to respond. we're encountering some challenges. the storm moves slowly across the state of north carolina. impacting our ability to get our helicopters on scene. we did try to launch a helicopter in new bern. we have some folks on a rooftop. we tried to launch and got in the weather there and had to land just because the weather and the winds were too significant and surpassed our capabilities of our aircraft, this is different than some of the storms in the past. >> neil: admiral, we've seen a lot of the rooftop rescues after p

ask your doctor about once-weekly trulicity. >>> we're watching the president in new bern, north carolinath his secretary of homeland security. just touring the neighborhood of new bern and having conversations with people. just a while ago a woman told him that she has lived there for 30 years and this was the worst. then he moves on to south carolina. republicans make no secret of the fact they want to confirm brett kavanagh before the new supreme court term begins in october. but the november election is now just as central, as senate republicans and now the president wave off calls for an fbi investigation before any testimony by krchristine blasey ford. kavanagh is the only preelection option. the president touched on the politics in a tweet last night. he said the supreme court is one of the main reasons i got elected president. i hope republican voters and others are watching and studying the democrats' playbook. we touched on this earlier, senator lindsay graham said it was all about midterm politics. requiring an fbi investigation of a 36-year-old allegation without specific refe

you are looking at the extreme conditions, including some rescue efforts in new bern, north carolina. >> that's right. the storm surge continues to be the biggest life-threatening danger to the carolinas. people who did not evacuate are calling for rescue as water enters their homes . the fema rescuers just cannot get to them at this time. in the city of new bern, north carolina at least 150 people called to be rescued. city officials say some people are trapped in cars or ran up to their rooftops since water has entered the second stories of homes. 200 people had previously been rescued overnight. unfortunate, rescue attempts have stalled since the wind is above 55 miles an hour. the rain has been relentless. the most dangerous element of this storm is the storm surge that has already reached 10 feet. on emerald isle north carolina the storm surge is at seven on emerald isle north carolina the storm surge is at 7 feet and could climb up to 11 feet. fema wants that as hurricane florence moves on land it will slow down, but create extremely dangerous widespread flooding. making matters

in new bern, north carolina, homes are now islands. teams going door to door, rescues underway in counties across the southeastern part of the state. north carolina's governor today warning the danger is getting worse. >> i cannot overstate it. floodwaters are rising, and if you aren't watching for them, you are risking your life. >> reporter: where the creek is fed by the cape fear water, risinger rising by the hour. >> if it gets closer to my truck, i will get worried about having to leave home. >> reporter: south carolina bracing for flooding, too. >> how are you? >> talking about a tree. >> reporter: and downed trees, downed power lines are everywhere. a big pine crushed the goodson's car. your daughter was asleep in that room >> riactly, yeah. >> reporter: so another couple of feet? >> another foot would have been, it would have been on top of zwroefr view. let's zero in on the impact of the storm in the days to come. as we said, our correspondents are spread out across the region. let's begin with garrett haake in hard-hit new be

that is the flooding already happening in new bern, north carolina. the public information officer there. she said that 200 people in new bern have already had to be rescued this morning. 150 more are still trapped in these flood waters. 150 calls have come in to their police department and their fire department and people are executing rescues as we speak. what her quote was and it was so striking. she said she wanted people to know, we will get to you no matter the cost. it might just take a while. so volunteers are going out in their own personal crafts. the town is going out. lots of people are still stranded in new bern, north carolina in these flood waters you are seeing on these screens. coverage continues right after this. your enamel is very precious. acidic foods can wear away your enamel. your tooth is going to look yellower, more dull. i recommend pronamel because it helps protect and strengthen your enamel. it's pro enamel. it's the positive thing. ♪ ( ♪ ) it's the details that make the difference. only botox® cosmetic is fda approved to

new bern for us. you have been with the rescuers. what are you seeing and hearing? >> reporter: overnight, wolf, many residents here in the town of new bern which is rather inland from the north carolinaoast started seeing the floodwaters rising from rivers and tributaries coming into their homes, many neighborhoods looking like this, taking on three to four feet of water. one rescuer told me they've seen six to ten feet of water in some places, and that led to a flurry of activity throughout the day with not only swift water rescue teams, professional teams that came in from across the country to help in this crisis, but also a fleet of volunteers who, reminiscent of hurricane harvey and what we saw there a year ago, where volunteers showed up with their own boats and launched boats into the floodwaters to pull people from their homes. that's very much what we saw today throughout this town, in the pockets of the areas where floodwaters had come up and overtaken some of these homes. the mayor of the city says more than 300 people were pulled out of their homes throughout the course of the day. last we heard, we still haven't gotten any final updates from the mayor today, but roughly

david: we're talking about rescue efforts underway as many remain stranded in new bern, north carolinarricane tore through the town. joining us is bill redden, not from the carolinas. is he from new york task force, number one bravo member. when did you guys from new york arrive in north carolina? >> yes, sir, we got in last night. david: got in last night. how fast did you actually get on the ground and start rescuing people? >> well, they got us into action this morning. we got a phone call around 5:00 this morning and we popped into action. we're working down in riverbend, city of new bern. david: we've been seeing extraordinary rescues, bill, in fact one person in a wheelchair. those must be the toughest. >> we have personnel. they have expertise in swift-water rescue and boating. they were able to get that person really, it was a little challenging but, they got the job done. david: i am guessing hurricane sandy, bill, in 2012 had a lot to do with the formation of the unit or at least perfecting what you guys do? >> you are correct, sir. definitely drove the boat, no pun intended.

this is north carolina. this is new bern, north carolina. and a long stretch of highway 70 between kinston and new bern where communities are all but cut off. people can't come in and out easily. and they are in line for sustenance products. water, food, the basics. you see the president there. and i can lower my voice if my team can tell me we might be able to hear him. he is in line as these cars pull up giving out plates of food in styer row foam containers and give a helping hand. let me lower my voice to see if we can hear anything. >> he said here you go. >> harris: imagine what it's like. you have been through this. rivers are about to crest. it's stopped raining. the trouble looms now. it lurks in the distance rivers crest creating a worse flooding situation for many people. a flooding situation. mandatory evacuations came after florence had really started to move away in the outer bands of that rain were hitting these areas. just to let you know how big that beast was. and so now we are seeing the aftermath with the president going

we are looking live at rescues going on across the north carolina coast. this is in the new berna. this is a slow and steady trudge. it's kind of parking itself over parts of north carolina and i think the worst water-wise is still yet to come. >> you look in the truck and it appears it's most lye ely elder people. they don't have other folks to help them evacuate. >> or they feel like they can't evacuate. going to a shelter is not an option. we see what happens and they are a sight for sore eyes. they are out there doing the hard work. >> they are playing beat the clock. depending on where you are going up the coast. >> he is seeing the water rise and fall and rise again. what can you tell us? >> i'm standing here behind this north carolina national guard truck. they are going door-to-door and doing the lord's work. these national guardsmen are from north carolina in their own communities and they have been methodically working through the neighborhoods going door-to-door and checking and looking in windows making sure no one gets left behind where the water level trapped people

in new bern, north carolina, 385 people rescued from their homes. this deadly storm has taken the lives of five people so far. >> the storm has claimed numerous lives already. five deaths have been confirmed as related to the storm. and several others are under investigation. >> we have a lot to get to with a number of nbc carolincarolina. in jacksonville, north carolina, nbc correspondent joe fryer, with whom we spoke at the beginning of the last hour, joe, i want to get to the story about that couple or family leaving with their pets. first of all, the governor of north carolina has said the floodwaters are rising in places that don't usually get affected like this. are you seeing evidence of that? >> reporter: that's exactly what we're seeing here. now, where i'm standing right now, this is a street that's flooded a little bit before, not quite this much. but earlier this morning, we were actually in another neighborhood about 15 minutes from here. the people who live there tell us they've been here since the '80s, they've never seen any flooding

has been downgraded to a tropical depression that continues to ravage the states of north and south carolina new bern in north carolina was among the worst hit by florence heavy and continuous rain has flooded homes and daybreak strewn across neighborhoods. are reports from you been the cleanup could take weeks. the floodwaters from hurricane florence still surround some homes in new bern but as they recede the extent of the damage is becoming clear. it will be days before the water is pumped from many of the homes and businesses here months before repairs a complete a lot of work it's. just terrible all over flooded people lost. boats destroyed. just crazy in nearby james city many of those living in mobile homes couldn't afford to evacuate others are afraid of looters stealing their positions these flood prone areas of north carolina remain among the most fragile many people in this area say they feel lucky to have survived florence despite the extensive damage but when you consider that scientists say global climate change will make these storms more powerful and wetter in the future the prospects

in new bern, north carolina. ere a boat is going down a city street as we await the brand new update from the national hurricane center in miami. there are changes to report on this hurricane. direction change, central pressure change, wind speed change. for all of it, let's go straight to miami and the director of the national hurricane center standing by live now, here is ken graham. >> walking back to the national hurricane center, this is ken graham in operations with the hurricane specialist behind me continuing to look at several different systems. one in particular hurricane florence. right now it's 2:00 eastern. this is your update on florence. you can see the center is still moving very slow. in fact, the latest information that we had with the aircraft and also looking on radar moving west at only 5 miles per hour. so moving very slowly. so around that center you can see that intense rainfall and also some still gusty winds with the latest information still remaining at 75 miles per hour. so, still a lot

we know at least 190,000 people in north carolina alone now in the dark and more than 100 waiting to be rescued in new bern, north carolina so the conditions really getting worse here as this storm just gets started. kendis and stephanie. >> emily, we can definitely see that wind there just kind of pushing you around. have you seen any emergency responders in the

in new bern, north carolina. going down a city street as we await the brand new update from the national hurricane center in miami. there are changes to report on this hurricane. direction change, central pressure change, wind speed change. for all of it, let's go straight to miami and the director of the national hurricane center standing by live now, here is ken graham. >> walking back to the national hurricane center, this is ken graham in operations with the hurricane specialist behind me continuing to look at several different systems. one in particular hurricane florence. right now it's 2:00 eastern. this is your update on

across north carolina 185,000 people are without power as we speak. up in new bern, which is 80 miles north of where i am, they've had a real issue with storm surge. 10 feet of flooding at times, 200 water rescues already, our understanding is some 150 people are in need of rescue, but it's hard to get to them now because of the wind speed. rescue crews are low to go out when wind speeds are 50, 60 miles an hour. that's why there's been so many evacuation orders up and down the coast here. and one more reminder though you will see that the wind speed has been reduced to a category 1 storm, that's not what's this storm is about. and that's not where the danger is. the danger here is in the duration, the days -- the duration is in the size. huge because it's so big so many areas are affected and makes the storm surge all the greater. it's a big threat up in north carolina, a huge looming threat down in south carolina, north myrtle beach. that's where we find cnn's chris cuomo. chris. >> now, look, this is wind event right now my little friend. and luckily one thing my

and the streams we're worried about, that's an issue we're going to face.in the town of new bern, north carolina, flooding began shortly after the first hit...voice of peggy perry, new bern, north carolina: in s, my house was an heed warnings to been rescued homes, according to mayor. and awaiting voice of clyde cain, louisiana we've had, i probably over 500 calls. we're gonna get in here rescues as soon as they get here, in the mean time we're staging up. and according to officials up and down the carolina coast hurricane florence is just beginning florence is hurricane the latest. now i am now i am here with john shrable in the weather center tracking hurricane florence and tropical storm olivia which is set to hit hawaii today. ( james ) nice weather continues today as temperatures will eventually peak into the afternoon in a range of 50's and 60's along the coast to the 70's inland. skies will again bring sunshine into the afternoon. the rest of the weekend will continue to bring comfortable weather with highs eventually climbing back into nice weather continues today as temperatures will ev

died in the state of north carolina alone and nine hundred had to be rescued at the moment approximately seven hundred thousand are without power our correspondent. is in new bern north carolina which was hit by florence pretty much head on she asked the local mayor dana outlaw about the challenges ahead now that the storm has moved on. what is it like looking around at your town now and the condition it's in what goes through your head recovery. newbern is a very resilient community where a very loving community we all reach out to each other we put our differences aside and we all get our rakes and shovels and get together and we're right now it's getting hot food nourishment to our to our residents we have twenty twelve hundred people in shelters we've had three church services this morning to provide you know what is needed this we need some miracles here in this in the city as you know the outpour from communities outside of new and has been tremendous and we've had twenty eight crews come in to help us with restoring power we did a pretty good job of evacuation we went door to door we had a fire truck with p.a. system going around we had newbern recreatio

pummeling the east coast with 90 mile an hour winds, 100 people stranded in their homes in new bern, north carolinarefighters have rescued hundreds. 200,000 customers are without power throughout the state of north carolina and in morehead city, life-threatening storm surge tearing apart businesses. some areas on the coast could see 40 inches of rain. really amazing. team coverage all across the area. much more on that and your forecast. this was incredible, video going viral showing how dangerous a storm surge could be. carly shimkus with fox news headlines serious xm 114 with that. in that new bern area they have reported 10 foot storm surge. >> that is incredible and you are about to see how scary that situation is. for days officials have been talking about the life-threatening storm surge, the weather channel is pulling out all the stops to show viewers how dangerous this storm could be. >> 6 feet of water carries large objects like cars that connect as battering rams and enhance damage and we know that conflict lower levels of many structures. >> look at that technology. that encourages folks

we're going to get the read from some of the hardest hit areas in north carolina for example, including the mayor of new bern, north carolina. now remember this was a city that had a curfew put into effect and people were told to hunker down and get out, and the latest from what's happening there, after this. neil: you know, new bern north carolina sort of has been a visual reminder of the severity of hurricane florence now tropical storm florence but hundreds have already had to be rescued the city's mayor joins us right now on the phone, mayor thank you for taking the time. how do things look now? >> well, its finally quit rain ing and we're getting out starting to assess the situation we're asking residents to stay home. a lot of folks are starting to get out and ride around and at this time is very dangerous. we have a lot of power lines down, we have 22000 customers and about 6,000 of them are still without power, so there are energized lines down, there are unsafe conditions with the wind, so please cooperate with the city of new bern and give us the opportunity to give you back the safety and security

new bern. there was a mandatory evacuation ordered for new bern, not for every place in the carolinas or at least in north and south carolina. new bern was one of them. we saw so much flooding. a lot of people there did decide to stay. unfortunately, you see what happened. we'll continue on with our coverage of tropical storm florence. we're getting new updates as you see. don't go anywhere. friends, colleagues, gathered here are the world's finest insurance experts. rodney -- mastermind of discounts like safe driver, paperless. the list goes on. how about a discount for long lists? gold. mara, you save our customers hundreds for switching almost effortlessly. it's a gift. and jamie. -present. -together we are unstoppable. so, what are we gonna do? ♪ insurance. that's kind of what we do here. toujeo not only provides you control your blood sugar. stable blood sugar control around the clock, the max solostar holds 900 units of insulin in one pen. this could mean fewer refills of toujeo. all that and a $0 copay! that's something to groove about. ♪ let's groove tonight. ♪ share the spice of life from the mak

s s seema is down in new bern. >> just here population new bern, north carolina, where the damage isicane florence piles of debris stacked up here. over all 400 homes and 300 businesses have been impacted. taking a step back and looking at the broader impact of hurricane florence, $221 billion. if this recovery takes longer than expect, a potential economic impact. that is something we are watching very closely. another critical challenge that is slowing down the recovery efforts is electricity power access has been a big challenge. local utility providers, including duke energy are working around the clock to restore power as soon as they can. brian, for now, sending it back to you >>> experienced the natural disaster first hand, the stsunam of 2004. an organization that rebuilds safe schools in areas impacted by natural disasters we're joined by petra and howard sherman. really matching companies, if i get this wrong, howard, let me know excess goods with charities that need those goods petra on the services side this is really, in some ways, a vertical integration on the charitabl

watching another potential human calamity developing in the area, specifically an area called new bern, north carolina. 150 people are waiting to be rescued after the surprise surge of 10 feet of water, so on the left side of your screen these are pictures of new bern. local officials is already been able to rescue some but look at this woman in a wheelchair being pushed out through what appears to be about a foot of water there, but i am hearing reports of feet up to seven feet of water, slowly but quickly enough , filling people's hopes to the point where they are climbing up to their second floor or their roofs at the moment so we're watching this developing story within new bern , north carolina. 11 million other people are in harms way as hurricane florence could create this once in a millennial flood. this is a live look at north top sail beach, north carolina. can we get to that shot? the category 1 storm bashing the carolina coast and moving slowly inland. there you can see a reporter standing that may very well be one of our reporters, leaning back against the wind. that's how strong the wind

in newborn north carolina at least 150 people -- in new bern north carolina alleys 150 people called to be rescued. rescue efforts have stalled due to windows there. trapped residents are now being told to head to the highest parts of their home. >> once the wind is starts blowing at that tropical storm rate it will be virtually impossible for the rescuers to get into rescue you. >> more than 300,000 customers in north carolina have already lost power. hurricane florence is producing a life-threatening storm surge and the threat of a freshwater flooding will increase over the next several days in both north and south carolina. >>> we will go right to steve paulson who is going to give us a lot more on this. >> the wind is part of the story, but this is based on the stafford simpson skill. even though it's 90 miles an hour wilmington is now getting gusts over 100 miles an hour. the storm surge is one of the issues. that is rising water associated with the hurricane. or the area of low pressure. as that moves onshore it starts to go from deeper water to shallow water and the intensity

new bern. highest wind gust: 106 miles- per-hour, cape lookout, north carolina. and rain-- get this-- nearly two feet in carteret county. and, again, that flash flood emergency for areas near new bern, because they are getting this hefty band of rain-- which will slowly, very slowly-- shift southward and westward over the course of the next 24 hours. so i suspect here in wilmington, we'll likely get a little taste of that coming within the next day. jeff? >> glor: already coming down at an unreal pace here in wilmington. megan, thank you very much. that is tonight's "cbs evening news." coverage continues all night long on our streaming network cbsn, and then tomorrow on "cbs this morning." i'm jeff glor in wilmington, north carolina. good night. captioning sponsored by cbs captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org finding himself front and center. good evening, i'm allen martin. >>> now at 630, the star- studded climate comments -- conference missing key democrats. this self-made billionaire finds himself in front and center. x new york city mayor mi