>> reporter: just five minutes before the tornado hit ruston, brittney fletcher was woken up by a textessage alert. >> you could hear trees cracking ngd windows shattering. it blew my front door open and it was deadbolted. and so glass started coming in everywhere and it didn't last maybe a minute or so. >> reporter: in the next 24 tours, this storm will actually continue to move east, dropping more rain and kicking up some high winds in alabama, georgia, and florida as well. jeff, while there are some people here that have already started the repair process, the motel owner tells me that it's just not possible for her. is you can see, this place was completely destroyed. thankfully, everybody did make it out okay, but the best she can do right now is bulldoze it town and start all over again. >> glor: all right, mireya, thank you very much. in response to a growing measles outbreak, as many as 100 liversity students in los angeles are under quarantine orders tonight. this comes after the national outbreak of measles hit its highest level in 25 years. at least 695 cases in 22 states si

. >>> people in ruston, louisiana are still picking up the pieces of their shattered community after through town. it was part of a powerful storm system that rumbled east out of texas. mireya villareal has the story. >> reporter: the tornado ripped through ruston, louisiana with winds over 136 miles per hour, uprooting trees and downing power lines. the storm hit around 2:00 a.m. while people were sleeping, tearing the roofs of several homes and businesses. kathy jackson's daughter and 14-year-old grandson were killed when a tree fell on their home. >> they did what they were supposed to do. they were in the middle of the home. they got away from all windows. they did what they were supposed to do. >> it's some of the worst devastation we've seen. >> reporter: governor john bel edwards declared a state of emergency. the storm system started in east texas yesterday. covering 150 miles. bryan and san augustine, texas took a direct hit from tornadoes. just five minutes before the tornado hit ruston brittany fletcher was woken up by a text message alert. >> you cheer trees cracking and

ruston, louisiana taking a direct hit from a massive twister with at least 136-mile-per-hour winds.ping the roof off this motel 6. >> i couldn't move out of my bed, basically, it was that terrifying. >> look at this, stairs at this hotel that once led you to rooms, now you can see nothing but blue sky. falling trees slicing the city's homes in half and claiming the lives of a mother and her son. outside of jackson, mississippi, a tow truck driver killed in a two-vehicle crash on wet roads. his truck plunging off of a bridge. in new orleans, severe thunderstorms swamping streets and delaying the start of the famed jazz and heritage festival. this tornado producing storms tracking across 150 miles, cutting a long swath of destruction. buildings shredded in bryan, texas. northeast of austin wednesday, this truck overturning, stuck in a ditch. good samaritans banding together, flipping that vehicle over. and freeing the young driver trapped inside. and a closer look at the hotel that took a direct hit when this storm came through. it was in the middle of the night while many people were

here in ruston, at least two people were alled.louisiana tech university was also damaged. but thankfully, no students were injured. now, the national weather service has confirmed at least eight tornadoes here in louisiana. most of them carving a path of destructn that stretched about 150 miles. >> all right. really starting to see it with the sun coming up there. >>>he muse ls outbreak has many students under quarantine today. anyone at cal sta and ucla who may haexposed to the rapidly spreading disease or hab notn vaccinated against it must stay home. the order comes as the number of cases nationwide hit a 25-year high. at least 694 cases in 22 states since january. >>> we turn now to aizarre story out of baltimore. a scandal over her own roiled in self-publish book series. >> now she's facing calls to resign. geoff, good morning. >> reporter: hey, craig. good morning. it's the latt development in the months' long scandal surrounding the mayorhr kat pugh. they're looking at whether pugh used sales of her books to get kickbacks.

ruston, louisiana, took a direct hit with the massive twister with at least 136-mile-an-hour winds, this new video taken on the campus of louisiana tech. the softball field in tatters. classes now canceled. >> we were literally just here last night and with a great crowd and great weather and then now look at it. >> it's unbelievable. something like this is so quick and powerful. you don't even know it's coming. >> i've never seen damage like this before. >> reporter: this motel 6 now destroyed with part of its roof torn off. abc's marcus moore is there. >> look at this. stairs at this hotel that once >> reporter: louisiana governor john bel edwards declaring a state of emergency urging people to stay home if they can. >> everyone needs to understand that now is not the time to come could ruston to sightsee. we have a lot of work going on out there to clear debris, to do search and rescue and make sure that overpasses and bridges are safe. >> the storm will slowly make its way into the northeast. we'll have the full forecast in minutes. >>> now to the race for the white house. former vic

that's when i met ruston. say, all these songs are pouring out. >> reporter: people will say, now that she's in love and happy, will the music be as good. were you worried about that? >> i was worried. i'm happy now. my music is going to suck. you turn yourself into thinking that you need to suffer to produce great art. at's a trible miss take. i've kept myself in bad relationships before thinking that good songs will come out of it. what a waste of time. i did get good songs out of it. >> reporter: you did? >> it was a surprise when this whole new facet of art and writing opened up for me. >> reporter: do you struggle with fame? do you worry about fame? >> it's not my favorite thing. ♪ when it rains, it pours >> it used to freak me out when i was younger. as i got older, there is nothing anything to be scared of. i have a wonderful foundation with my family and my husband. i know where i am. >> reporter: do you feel this is your moment? >> i can say it's my moment professionally. but personally, i think it's

an ef-3 striking ruston, louisiana. the roof of this motel 6 completely gone. staggering damage from an ef-2 in bryan, texas. and the line of storms now heading up the east coast, reaching the northeast tomorrow night. at this hour, tornado watches remain in place. abc's marcus moore is in hard-hit ruston, louisiana. >> reporter: tonight, deadly tornadoes striking in the middle of the nights. students at louisiana tech racing to wake each other up. >> oh, my gosh. >> nick, get up! >> reporter: debris strewn across campus. the softball field in tatters. classes now cancelled. direct hit from a massive twister with at least 1 136-mile-per-hour winds. ripping the roof off of this motel 6. >> i couldn't move out of my bed, basically. do rooms, now you can see nothing but blue skies. falling trees slicing the city's homes in half and claiming the lives of a mother and her son. outside of jackson, mississippi, a tow truck driver involved in a two-vehicle crash on wet roads. his truck plunging off of a bridge. in new orleans, severe thunderstorms swamping streets and

ef-3 over ruston. that motel, significant damage there across gas stations.that. winds up to 160 miles an hour blowing that rain sideways and debris sideways as well. this storm at one point a thousand yards wide. here is the storm itself. some of the energy up to the north. the northern part is strengthening and we saw showers and storms across florida but the heaviest rain will be from the ohio valley and pulses, an all day event but the severe weather threat includes north carolina and delmarva, strong os inhe b cities philadelphia and baltimore so we'll watch this throughout the day. back over to you. >> thanks, rob. you're going to be busy this weekend. >>> we turn to the latest on the race for the white house. overnight former vice president joe biden attending his first fund-raising event as president trump took aim in a new interview and anita hill is weighing in too now saying the vice president's apology for what happened in the past is not enough. let's go back to our senior washington correspondent terry moran over at the white house. good morning

if the russians say to the koreans, you don't actually have to give up what the united states is rustoningto give up, we will help you weather the storm of international sanctions, after all, we're under sanctions too. we're doing just fine. we can continue to help you out. then kim may not have an incentive to meet with donald trump, let alone to make any concessions. >> reporter: analysts say there are other ways that vladimir putin could be a destructive actor in this entire equation with kim jong-un. they say the russian president can and probably already has offered more russian cooperation with north korea in cyber warfare against the united states, and they say that weapons and military cooperation are always on the table here, and the russian president can also help kim, as always, evade sanctions and get what he needs on the black market. also so far tonight, no response from the white house or the state department to kim's accusations that the americans acted in bad faith in hanoi. wolf? >> brian todd reporting for us, thank you. >>> breaking news next, president trump getting so

an ef-3 tornado ripped through ruston, louisiana, thursday, winds 136 miles an hour.ll on their home. louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency there. 20 million on the east coast are at risk for severe weather. powerful winds and thunderstorms could impact hundreds of flights. dylan is going to be back in a couple of moents with the forecast. >>> new details this morning about the circumstances surrounding otto warmbier and his release from north korean custody. a former u.s. official says north korea insisted the u.s. agree to pay $2 million in medical costs before warmbier was released in 2017. that official says an envoy sent to north korea to bring the detained college student home signed an agreement to pay the money. president trump says no money ever exchanged hands, tweeting this morning, no money was paid to north korea. warmbier was in a comatose state at the time of his release. >>> good news for amazon prime customers who feel like two-day deliveries aren't fast numb. the online retailer plans to deliver packages to prime members in just one

in louisiana, the hard-hit town of ruston struggled with the loss, much more than just buildings. the winds here were at least 136 miles an hour, ripping this massive tree off its roots and tossing it into that home. inside, kendra butler and her son remington were killed. monday would have been his 15th birthday. >> he won't be here but we'll still celebrate his birthday. >> reporter: cathy jackson lost her grandson and daughter. how are you getting through this? >> god. keep the family praying. i'm praying. we take it one day at a time. >> reporter: this was one of at least eight confirmed tornadoes that slammed into louisiana, carving a path of destruction and stretched about 150 miles, lester. >> gabe, thank you. >>> strong numbers tonight on the u.s. economy growing at a he y3.r. that's far better than most economists expected. >>> no the battle lines being drawn tonight between president trump and his newest challenger, former vice president joe biden. the two taking swings at each other today, and biden also trying to answer questions about controversies arising from his pa

two people were killed yesterday after a tornado hit ruston, louisiana. the national weather service says the twister tore through a track of more than 130 miles from eastern texas to the louisiana/arkansas border. the campus of louisiana tech was hit especially hard by the storm. classes remain canceled at the school today. >>> the ntsb is traveling to illinois today to investigate an intensive massive chemical spill that sent 37 people to the hospital. sheriff's deputies say it spilled in the suburb of beach park yesterday morning. the spill created a plume of chemical smoke. a preliminary examination showed that the leak causes unconsciousness and even death when inhaled. police say at least seven people are in critical condition. >>> the nl held its draft last night and for the 22nd time a heisman trophy winner was selected first. the arizona cardinals chose oklahoma's quarterback kyler murray with the first pick. more notable picks, the raiders took clayland farrell at number four. the new york giants made a shocking choice with the sixth pick pickin

businesses peeled open, debris miles.ed for from the air, you can see the pa of a twister that cut through ruston, louisiana, and this cell phone video captures a tornado near college station, texas. all across the strike zone, power lines and roadway signs seared at their base, sheet metal wrapped around trees. c >> inot believe it. it was just one second and all this happened. >> reporter: other areas swallowed by unrelenting rains as the cleanup and recovery now begins, the sto system continues its march toward the northeast. jay gray, nbc news. >>> bill karins is here tracking those serious storms. how far east will they reach. >> all the w e to theastern seaboard, then be gone byay satu the storm is currently over kentucky and areas o ohio. no severe weather right now. it will be later on this afternoon is when we're concerned, especially if we get ea.ting in this we're talking eastern north carolina from raleigh all the way through greenville, washington. nthen fromfolk to richmond. if we get any isolated tornadoes, it will be from the d.c. area to ,richmondhrough salisbury, maryland. here'

governor declaring a state of of emergency...after a violent ef-3 tornado tore through the town of rustonound 2-am. gov. john bel edwards, (d) louisiana: "it's some of the worst devastation that we've seen to be concentrated."at least two people killed there.. gov. john bel edwards, (d) louisiana: "a mother and son. the mother is kendra butler, 35. the son was remington butler, 14, and a high school freshman here."devastation at louisiana tech university forced the close at least through friday.. dormitory areas, students' cars..and several of the severely damaged.les guice, president, louisiana tech university: "windows and glass blown out. things like that. athletic facilities are basically unusable."just next door in texas..multiple funnel clouds caught on camera tearing through the state..and the violent storms blamed for the deaths of a mother and her two children...killed when their car was swept away by flood waters..the family's father found clinging to a tree when he was rescued.i'm reid binion reporting. turning now to weather with lawrence karnow. (ken) lawmakers at the state c

in louisiana, the hard-hit town of ruston struggled with the loss of much more than just builngs. the winds here were at least 136 miles an hour ripping this e maee off its roots and tossing it into that home. inside kendra butler and her son remingtowere killed. monday would have been his 15th birthday. >> and he won't be here. but we'll still celebrate his birthday. >> reporter: kathy jackson lost both her grandson and daughter. how are you getting through this, ma'am? >> god. people praying, family praying. ca'm praying. all i do is take it one day at a time. >> reporter: this was one of at least eight confi confirmed tornadoes that slammed into louisiana carving path of destruction that stretched 150 miles. lester. >> all right, gabe, thank you. >>> also tonight a highway outside denver remains shut down after a massive fiery crash killed fpeople. and now the semi truck driver accused of causing it faces multiple counts ove cular manslaughter. nbc's morgan chesky has the latest. >> reporter: tonight investigators poring over a horrific crash scene after a collision on thursday

a state of emergency after a violent ef4 tornado tore through the town of ruston.iolent storms blamed for the death of a mother and her two children killed when flood waters swept away their car. >>> it is 6:43. amazon exceeding expectations and the u.s. economy smashing the -- >> joining us is financial reporter jason brooks. good morning. >>reporter: good morning, michelle and kenny. the economy showed swagger in the first quarter. the government reported a gain of -- that blew away market expectations and it was an improve from the 2.2% in the 4th credit. they can credit local and government state funding. they combined -- posted the strongest spending in three years making up for the federal government shutdown that offset the weakest consumer spending in a year. investments were down from the prior quarter. corporate earningsow in. amazonontinues cleanup. had another big quarter. big revenue gain. the company is going to spend much more money as it wants to cut free two-day shipping for prime customers down to free one-day shipping. that's keeping its stock ga

meantime in ruston, louisiana, another tornado touched down overnight. the mayor there telling us the tornado cut through town as well as louisiana tech's campus at the university there. and sadly, at least two people have been killed. >> kerry sanders in hard-hit texas this morning. thank you. >>> dylan is in for al this morning tracking the storms. dylan, what's next? >> we are going to see thesee storms movo the east. yesterday we only had three reported tornadoes. but as you see, it only tak one to cause significant damage. and the one in san augustine actually tossed debris 20,000 et in the air. that shows it was a very, very powerful tornado. right now we have severe across storm warnings mississippi back through louisiana. and this is the zone from louisiana over into the panhandle of florida where we could see wind gusts up to 60 miles per hour. it's all along this cold front that's slowly moving to the east. the mainhreat today will be alonge thlf coa. we are looking at flooding rains expected. th could cause delays at airports tomorrow. but tod

meantime in louisiana in ruston, near louisiana tech university, a tornado touched down there.>> tough day there. tough day ahead. kerry, thank you very much. >>> former vice president joe biden made it official today. he is running for president. the 76-year-old announced his bid on video saying there is a battle for the soul of this nation. >> if we give donald trump eight years in the white house, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation. who we are. and i cannot stand by and watch that happen. >> biden's leap into the race makes 20 democrats officially seeking the party's 2020 nomination. biden is expected to kick off his campaign on monday at a rally in pittsburgh. >>> springtime usually marks the end of the flu season but an unexpectedal wave is spreading across the country making this the longest flu season in ten years bringing us to our medical correspondent dr. john torres with what we need to know. you're seeing more flu? >> confusing people. allergies, flu symptoms, they can be confusing. typically what happened, started around thanksgivi

first time i'm seeing it out of ruston, louisiana.s is where that suspected tornado looks to be. there's certainly damage, potentially a strong one and getting some reports that there could be some people injured so we'll be updating that throughout the day. cedar park, texas, near austin, look at this yesterday. look at the wind blowing the rain sideways, up to 60 miles per hour. we had torrential rains with this and saw the flooding across texas and wind not helping. a lot of wind energy with this. it's now marching down i-10. we mentioned that, and the severe weather threat from baton rouge to new orleans, into nashville will get rain during the draft and rain getting more heavy tomorrow afternoon in through tomorrow evening. pretty strong squall line coming across i-95. time for your hot cities brought to you by febreze fabric refreshener. >>> look what's back. good morning, i'm abc 7 news meteorologist mike nicco. yes, the cool sea breeze, so the record highs are over. this will turn into lahazy sunshine and stick at the coast a