alphonso van marsh, cbs news, england. >>> well, a u.s.n was honored on tuesday at the polish consulate in new york. staff sergeant michael ollis was serving with the tenth mountain division when his unit came under attack in august. ollis led his men to safety and then returned the fight the insurgents. when an attacker exploded his suicide vest, ollis stepped in front of the blast, saving the life of a polish officer. >> the polish officer is here and thanked us for michael. so i know my son did a damn good job. >> poland awarded ollis a gold medal, calling him a true hero, and the u.s. honored him with the silver star, which his parents received last month. >>> well, caroline kennedy leaves tomorrow for japan where she will be the new u.s. ambassador. secretary of state john kerry hosted her swearing-in on tuesday at the state department. the daughter of john f. kennedy says she's excited for the opportunity. [ bells dinging ] ♪ hark how the bells, sweet silver bells ♪ ♪ all seem to say throw care away ♪ ♪ from everywhere, filling the a

as alfonso van alphonso van marsh reports for wjz. the military is traying to keep order as emergency crews are trying to speed up aid efforts. >> reporter: more security appointments are on the streets of tacloban after mobs broke into a rice storage house. looters hauled away thousands of sacks of food, while hundreds of typhoon victims waited in line, hoping to get something to eat. disaster specialists are desperate to get supplies and medicine to victims. but authorities say it's a logistical nightmare. 90% of the port city is in ruins. tacloban's airport is destroyed. with hundreds of bodies on the street, there is fear that spreads. this woman says the smell is overpowering. there are so many dead bodies not picked up. forensic teams are preparing to pick up the bodies and prepare for mass burial. the head of the orphanage says his kids survived. >> they showed the true filipino spirit. they refused to give up. they were holding onto each other. >> reporter: the u.s. is among dozens of countries sending aid to the philippines.

first, alphonso van marsh explains how emergency crews are responding. >> reporter: more security forces are on the streets of tacloban, after people crashed a house. looters hauled away thousands of sacks of food, while membership waited in-- many waited in line to get something to eat. authorities say it's a logistical nightmare. 90% of the city is in ruins. stacloban's airport is destroyed. wohundreds of bodies on the streets, there is fear disease will spread. is this woman says the smell is overpowering. there are so many dead bodies that have not been picked up. forensic teams are working quickly to identify the dead and prepare for mass burials. but there are tales of survival. the head of this orphanage said his kids survived 20-foot waves that nearly swept them out to sea. >> they showed the true filipino spirit. they refused to give up. >> reporter: the u.s. is among dozens of nations sending aid to the philippines. >> reporter: alphonso van marsh, wjz eyewitness news. >> our complete coverage continues. wjz is live at the river of life international church. that's in whitemars

alphonso van marsh. wjz eyewitness news. >> if you'd like to help, the red cross is one of the agencies taking donations. call 1-800-red cross, or go to their website, www.red cross.org. >>> another day of unseasonably cold temperatures. let's take a live look outside. multiple layers of clothing are a good idea for these people in hampden. this won't keep a few skateboarders from doing a few tricks. and there is no immediate need for these plows and salt trucks. just the city showing that it's ready when winter does arrive. we like to know they're ready. plenty of salt in the dome. a live look outside now. feels as if we've skipped the rest of november, jumped right into december and january. meteorologist tim williams is live in the first warning weather center with updated temperatures. >> good afternoon, everyone. you know, temperatures really are on the cool side, as mary mentioned. and there's not much difference today than yesterday. but certainly with that breeze coming in from the northwest, mak

as alphonso van marsh reports, everyone wants to prove wounded veterans can still achieve their dreams>> reporter: former u.s. air force lieutenant, terese frens is gearing up for a race to the south pole. a suicide blast nearly killed her nine years ago, when she was deployed in baghdad. now, friends are joining other disabled veterans for a 200- mile plus trekking team. prince harry is part of the british team, nicknamed wounded warriors. >> if you've lost an arm or leg, whatever the illness may be, you can achieve pretty much anything. >> reporter: the american service members in blue will be competing with other wounded warriors from canada, britain and australia. >> reporter: the four-week competition aims to raise money and awareness for wounded vets, returning to civilian life. former u.s. army officer, mark weis, wants to inspire others after nearly losing his life in a bomb attack in afghanistan. >> everything from head to toe on my left-hand side, has had some sort of surgery or reconstruction. >> competitors say they can relate to prince harry, because he served in the front

alphonso van marsh, wjz eyewitness news. >> great job, jack. and jack said he plans to do a charity skywalk in june, where he will strap himself to the top of a propeller plane. we've seen that before. oh, my goodness. >>> well, a connecticut couple is being honored for their honesty, after they make a shocking find. the couple found $98,000 in a desk they bought on craigslist. the money was behind a drawer in the desk. am finding it, the couple immediately tracked down the owner. the man is a rabbi and said that it is important to be honest in life. the owner said the money was her entire inheritance. >>> gangs, predawn rage to track down violent criminals with police, as they take suspects into custody. >>> and like it or not, winter is on the way. snow is falling from parts of maryland. the pictures from western maryland. check in for these stories and all the day's breaking news, coming up at 6:00. back to you. >> all right, vic. thank you. >>> still ahead on eyewitness news. high cholesterol. new guidelines are released. it may mean more o

alphonso van marsh is in london with the latest. good morning. >> that's right, anthony and vichb nita. day after the pakistan and taliban leader had been killed they're discussing possible replacement including the number two leader. the taliban chief on america's most wanted terror list and with a $5 million bounty over his head died in a drone attack in pakistan. they targeted the leader of the pakistan on friday. he has been reported killed by drone strikes many times before. this time american officials confirmed his death. ahead of the burial, they say his body was damage bud still recognizable. he was wanted in connection with two suicide bombings that killed several american soldiers. he appeared in this video with a suicide bomber who carried out the attack. he also claimed responsibility in the bombing in 2010. he took over in 2009 after two previous leaders were also killed by two drone strikes. he vowed as recently last month that he would continue to attack. however, he died while talking peace talks with pack stab's go

alphonso van marsh reports for wjz from london. >> reporter: swiss scientists say new analysis of palestinian leader yasser arafat's remains show his body was full of radioactive poisoning that could not have been ingested accidentally. the forensic experts wouldn't say he was murdered but said his body 18 times the normal level of puloneium 2 testing. medical records say a stroke from a blood disorder killed him. scientists say the time frame was consistent in death with puloneium poisoning. some accused israel of killing the 75-year-old. israel has always denied the claims. >> reporter: suhat arafat teamed up to have his bones exhumed. one said if the french did an autopsy that would have stopped allegations. conspiracy. >> reporter: scientists admit their study was challenging, since nine years have passed since his death. make puloneium even that much harder. >> the palestinian community that has been investigating arafat's death will hold a news conference tomorrow. >>> a pro football hall-of- famer is the latest to be diagnosed with signs of cte, a degenerative condition, many scientist

first let's go to alphonso van marsh for the latest. >> reporter: the typhoon unleashed 20-foot waves. it forced more than a million people out of their homes. forecasters say the massive typhoon measures some 300 miles wide and may be the most powerful storm to ever hit land. philippine officials blame haiyan for many deaths and say the storm put some 12 million at risk. this man says "i saw those big waves and i immediately told my neighbors to flee. we thought it was a tsunami ." the roaring winds and downpours knocked out power and telephone service. flooding and land slides bury villages. rescuers carry children to safety and distribute supplies including to tourist resorts. haiyan is on a path to hit china next where emergency preparations are underway. >> complete coverage continues now. bob turk is tracking this monster storm. >> this is moving quickly. that's the only caveat. it didn't slow down. it moved across central philippines around sea boo about 200 miles south of manilla. there is a big arch of islands there. this is one of the worst ever to hit the philippines. they

let's talk with alphonso van marsh with a look at the dramatic damages. >> reporter: the typhoon unleashed 20-foot waves and forced more than a million people across the philippines out of their homes. the massive typhoon also known as hurricane in the western hemisphere measures 300 miles wide and may be the most powerful storm to ever hit land. officials blame haiyan for many deaths and say it's put 12 million people at risk. this man says "i saw those big waves and i madely told my neighbors to flee. we thought it was a tsunami ." the super typhoon's roaring winds and downpours knocked out power and telephone service flooding and land slides have buried villages. rescue workers carry children to safety and distributed supplies. haiyan is on a path to hit china in vietnam next where emergency preparations are underway. >> our first weather coverage continues as bob has more on the storm, its strength and track. >> let's look at what it looked like when it went through the philippines. it was about 200 miles south of manila, the center. as you mention the winds probably up to 195, maybe h

alphonso van marsh is in london with the latest. good morning. >> that's right, anthony and vichb nita. day after the pakistan and taliban leader had been killed they're discussing possible replacement including the number two leader. the taliban chief on america's most wanted terror list and with a $5 million bounty over his head died in a drone attack in pakistan. they targeted the leader of the pakistan on friday. he has been reported killed by drone strikes many times before. this time american officials confirmed his death. ahead of the burial, they say his body was damage bud still recognizable. he was wanted in connection with two suicide bombings that killed several american soldiers. he appeared in this video with a suicide bomber who carried out the attack. he also claimed responsibility in the bombing in 2010. he took over in 2009 after two previous leaders were also killed by two drone strikes. he vowed as recently last month that he would continue to attack. however, he died while talking peace talks with pack stab's go

alphonso van marsh, wjz eyewitness news. >> complete coverage continues now, meteorologist chelsea ingram has more on the incredible magnitude of this. chelsea? >> thanks, vic. let's go ahead and take a look at a loop of satellite images, as typhoon hai yan roared across the sea. it went with a strength of what here in the atlantic basin would be a category 5 hurricane. now, let's take a look at some mind-boggling numbers, associated with this system. we saw speeds up to 195 miles per hour. maximum wind gusts estimated to be around 235 miles per hour. nearly 16 inches of rainfall fell in spots. and vic, this typhoon may be one of the strongest tropical cyclones to have ever made landfall. back to you. >> apparently from all the damage we is seen. you can help the victims of the philippines. you can call 1-877-help-crs or log onto their website, www.c s.org. >>> dozens of people are forced from their homes when a car makes a wrong turn in montgomery county. the vehicle slammed into a hill. the crash caused a gas leak. so everyone tuesday inside was evacuated. no one was injured. repairs ar

alphonso van marsh, wjz eyewitness news. >> and our complete coverage continues with meteorologist chelsea ingram. she has more on the sheer power of this super typhoon. chelsea? >> hi. thanks, mary. let's first take a look at footage. it's satellite images as the satellite roared across the south china sea. it brought upon us very mind- boggling numbers. wind speeds up to 195 miles per hour sustained. that's a one-minute average. maximum up to 235 miles per hour. and nearly 16 inches of rainfall fell in some spots. and the clouds across the entire storm, the diameter, estimated to be about two- thirds the size of the entire country. back to you guys in the studio. >> all right, chelsea. thank you. and you can help the victims of the philippines typhoon. catholic relief services is taking your donations now. call or log onto their website. www.crs.org. >>> a roller coaster ride for ravens' fans. but in the end, the team pulls out a much-needed win over cincinnati. wjz is live at the ravens' training facility in owings mills. sports director mark viviano has more on what the team is saying