gabe gutierrez has more on the survival story for the love of the game. >> reporter: at this stadium in central puerto rico, the fans cheer for more than just their team. for me, this is therapy, this woman says. the torredos are part of the island's main amateur league. for players like rafael sanchez, there's more at stake than ever. >> this is more than just about baseball? >> it's about giving to the fans, giving to the people and just giving back. >> reporter: in the year since hurricane maria hit, the island's favorite pastime was put on hold. >> after a hurricane, baseball was a question mark for everybody in puerto rico, we can give back to the community. it was a blessing to be part of this, and giving the community a chance to forget about all the problems. >> reporter: in puerto rico, the home of roberto clementa, baseball is more than a pastime. it's a passion. >> it's everything. i mean, you can go outside,oue a kid playing with a ball. >> reporter: the storm heavily damaged the home stadium, now they're playing in another. the financially strapped league shortened its s

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the latest. >> reporter: today the dallas police department announced r g. it comes after outrage after the botham john in his own apartment. >> we believed the only right thing to do was fire the officer. >> reporter: she entered the apartment, thought it was hers, saw a large silhouette and gave commands and shot. witnesses heard her banging on the door demanding to get inside. there was growing tension after the release of a search warrant showing several items seized including marijuana. tonight at jean's funeral in his home country, outpouring of grief. >> reporter: guyger is out on bail and out of a job. gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >>> the fbi has joined the mis wi police say 6-year-old maddox rich was last seen by his father and another adult saturday at a park east of charlotte according to officials, maddox has autism and is non-verbal. police are asking anyone with information to come forward. >>> now to an nbc news exclusive with music publicist rob gold stone that set up that trump tower meeting between trump officials and a russian lawyer promisin

we get details from nbc's gabe gutierrez. >> reporter: he's the brash billionaire and owner of the dallas mavericks whose even hinted at a presidential run but tonight, mark cuban is apologizing. >> never in my wildest dreams did i think this was happening right underneath me. >> reporter: in a bombshell report in february, "sports illustrated" detailed sexual misconduct against the mavericks and the team launched an independent investigation. it found sexual harassment by several mavericks' employees over several years. most importantly, improper workplace misconduct by the mavericks' former president and ceo, including inappropriate comments, touching and kissing. nbc news couldn't reach him for comment but investigators said he denied inappropriate kissing or touching and only acknowledged complimenting women. >> it's impossible for me standing here to overstate to you how devastating it is for an organization when the ceo is the person who is engaged in sexual harassment. >> reporter: cuban himself did not face any misconduct allegations, but the report finds several disciplinary deci

>> gabe gutierrez, thank you. we cannot stress the biggest threat to life will be the water, storm surge. the rising water florence is pushing inland from the ocean it could reach record levels of 11 feet high. nbc's kerry sanders is in carolina beach where he's been monitoring the rising surge. >> reporter: at 1:43 this afternoon even before the hurricane-forced winds reached the outer banks, the storm surge began to flood streets and homes. photographer jenny kuntz documenting minute by minute changes. >> the road is flooding more approaching low tide than it was at high tide, which is very odd. >> odd say experts at national hurricane center. the explanation lies below the violent atlantic on the seabed. 60 miles offshore, the continental shelf the ocean goes from a depth of a mile to 120 feet and a steep incline to shore. as it gets more shallow, the storm surge rises. in that storm that rapid rise of water is moving moving five miles per hour until it crashes into shore. the national hurricane center predicti

>> gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> still ahead, a look at the cutting edge technology to keep you safe during your commute. >>> also, we'll tell you the amstory of survival about a young castaway lost at sea for 49 grueling days. >>> next tonight, securing the rails that so many of us ride. even many of the biggest u.s. train stations don't have security checkpoints. but there's new cutting edge technology rolling out to them that could catch terrorists before they strike. nbc news national investigative correspondent jeff rossen has your first look in tonight's "rossen reports." >> reporter: at airports, body scanners check every single passenger. but at train stations they don't. the ultimate soft target. potential bombers allowed to board. and when they strike, it can be deadly. new york city, a terrorist detonating this bomb in the subway. amazingly, that terrorist was the only one seriously injured. but in minsk, 11 killed in a train station. brussels, 32 dead and more than 300 injured targeted the train station and airport. but now, the new technology that can revolutionize secur

. >> reporter: this is gabe gutierrez in south carolina where ambulances are scrambling to evacuate the sick and elderly from hospitals and nursing homes. today patients were rushed out of this facility in myrtle beach. more than 1,700 medical evacuees across the state. this touching picture capturing the grueling journey to safety. >> it affects the elderly because they don't have the means to be assisted. >> reporter: edward is spending his second night at this emergency shelter. he's 83 years old and needs oxygen. >> i'm not crazy about hotels and it cost me a lot of money and i don't know how long i'll be in there. >> reporter: his daughter mary says the biggest challenge is finding somewhere that wouldn't lose power, critical for his health. >> i want to make sure my parents are okay and they are well protected. >> reporter: in katrina, 60% of deaths were people age 65 and over. last year heartbreak as harvey flooded this nursing home. after irma, a dozen elderly patients died at a facility in the stifling heat. the conway medical center is staying open and taking patients from myr

here is gabe gutierrez with tonight's above and beyond. >> i'm a true puerto rican. i carry my island in my heart. >> reporter: a year ago as hurricane maria closed in, carlos was the last helicopter in the sky in a frantic mission. were you evacuating people? >> my cell phone never stopped ringing. >> at that point did you think this was life or death? >> it was life or death. >> reporter: the monster storm left the island under water and without power. but risking his own safety, carlos got back in the air. >> there was no air traffic control? >> no air traffic control. it was coming more than i can tell you more than 50 aircraft flying around at the same time. >> reporter: do you feel like you were all alone out here? >> i felt like we were in another world. >> reporter: he rushed food, supplies and medicine to remote areas evacuating sick patients. now he's returning with us to that same area for the first time. >> how does it feel to know some of the people right there and there might have survived because of you? >> well, i just feel blessed. >> reporter: in th

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, new york. >>> diabetes is still an epidemic in the u.s. a new report from the centersis forease control estimates one in seven adults now has diabetes. that's around 30 million americans. among that alarming number, nearly a third don't even knowa they it. the cdc report published every two years shows the number of diabetics has over 12% of americans had the disease in 2015. in 2017, 14% of u.s. adults developed diabetes. >>> an incredialy close caught on camera in north texas. it all happened while a cop was sponding to an accident on a blind curve. while he's talking with that stranded driver, a truck comes careening around a the corner smashes into the crashed car. luckily the officer was able to yank the driver out of harm's way just in the nick of time. nobody was seriously injured. >>> presint trump visited the carolinas wednesday to get a firsthand look devastation from florence. the president met with storm victims and handed out food. while touring new bern, he asked a man if a shipwrecked boa h behind he was his. that was a comm

gabe gutierrez is in myrtle beach and migel almaguer in wilmington. gabe, let's go to you first.inds there and rains coming down. >> reporter: hi there, alex, good morning. more than 130,000 customers in south carolina are without power. we have some wind. overnight this playground was tipped over, but that's not the big story. myrtle beach is under storm surge warning. you can see choppy surf behind me. the concern among local officials is the potential for flooding. we have been getting drenched overnight. the problem could be the next several days, local rivers are expected to rise sharply, crest near record flood stages. we have been seeing damaging effects of florence up in north carolina. now we're getting hit with the tropical storm florence. at the same time, the concern is the next several days as rivers continue to rise, places in and around myrtle beach could see devastating effects. >> gabe, i spoke with the mayor of myrtle beach and i know tammy leitner has been there in the more commercial district. the point of concern from those rising waters of rivers is that cut

>> gabe gutierrez, thank you. >>> stilahead, a look at the cutting edge technogy to keep you safe during your commute. so, we'll tell you the amazing story of survival about a young castaway lost sea for 49 grueling days. coring vve because you've made sure this se and this machine are integrated. & she can talk to him, & yes... atta, boy. some people assign genders to machines. and you can be sure you won't have any problems. except for the daily theft of your danish. not cool! at&t provides edge to edge intelligence. it can do so much for your business, the list goes on and on. that's the power of &. & this shipment will be delivered... every year 790,000 americans it can happen anywhere, anytime. but during a suspected heart attack, immediately calling 911 and chewing bayer aspirin can help save a life. carry bayer aspirin. help save a life. (tiffany) with counseling nicotine patch and gum, quit for good. my tip is: get help to find the best way for you to quit smoking. (announcer) you can quit. for free help, call 1-800-quit-now. no matter how much you clean, does your house still sm

. >>> this is gabe gutierrez in south carolina where hundreds of emergency vehicles are standing by. first responders on alert rence creeps closer. >> what we would say is all hands on deck. >> reporter: corporal tom is on patrol checking up boarding up businesses and urging stragglers to leave before it's too late. have most people heeded the warnings? >> from what we've seen mos and headed out early. >> reporter: also today, the cajun navy arrived. hundreds of volunteers from at least ten states rushing to this g area bringing boats and determination. >> we brout out every possible airboat that we can get on our team and also medics and a lot of people coming in on stand byby. >> reporter: clyde came from louisiana and so in stranger from strong storms. they have been rescuing people since hurricane katrina. >> you can't put a price bringing somebody hope in a hopeless situation. that's just priceless. >> reporter: the ay national guard is also in place. specialist rmond felton from anderson, south carolina is a park ranger with a 7-year-old daughter. this is hirst hurricane. >> gi

nbc's gabe gutierrez has the latest. >> florence's fury is not over. new water rescues on the way as rivers swell after torrential rain. in rocky point, north carolina the smallest evacuees were rushed to safety. nadine hayes woke up when the rising water set off her car alarm. >> when we opened the door that's when we saw all the water and we were like oh, my god. >> reporter: among the greatest fears the rising cape fear river near fayetteville. >> this storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now. >> reporter: dangerous and dramatic from the air. the coast guard on urgent rescue missions has plucked dozens of people from their homes. others trapped after a giant sinkhole swallowed parts of the major highway. some communities cut off. >> it was waist deep inside the house, and then once we got off the porch it was up to our shoulders. >> reporter: we were with the swift water rescue team as they evacuated desperate residents from richlands, north carolina. >> our rivers are already overflowing, and we're just going to get more water comin

gabe gutierrez, nbc news. >> security cameras caught this manntoming the bar after hours and snatchingze. it happened just before the morning on monday. police say he threw a brick through the glass window to get inside. there is a reward for up to $1,000 for information leading to an arrest and. indictme >> police in california are investigating a break-in at the home of singer rihanna. police were called to the home for reports of a burglary. police say a number of items were taken from the home.ot it's clear if rihanna was ho at the time. r house was broken into also a few monago. >> a wild police chase in l.a. ended in a train tunnel. this happened back in february but the video was justea rd overnight. can you see the train go down the tunnel. about 30 seconds later, he comes the truck i the video. >> another camera picks up the male driver and femaleassenger after they ditched the truck. they tried to find a spot to hide in an evacuation passage. with police closing in, the man hides beneath thelo boards. the woman walks out of thenn as is never caught. the man under the floor an

once again we have our team fanned out throughout the area, and we begin with gabe gutierrez. gabe? >> reporter: tonight, florence's fury is not over. >> two, one, up. >> reporter: new water rescues are underway as rivers swell after torrential rain. in rocky point, north carolina, the smallest evacuees were rushed to safety. naydene hayes woke up when the rising water set off her car alarm. >> when we opened the door, that's when we saw all the water. we're like oh, my god. >> reporter: among the greatest fears, the rising cape fear river near fayetteville. >> this storm has never been more dangerous than it is right now. >> reporter: dangerous and dramatic from the air, the coast guard on urgent rescue missions has plucked dozens of people from rs trapped after a swallowed parts of a major highway. some communities cut off. >> it was waist deep inside the house, and then once we got off the porch it was up to our shoulders. >> reporter: we were with the swift water rescue team overnight as they evacuated desperate residents from richland's north carolina. >> our rivers are overflo

that was gabe gutierrez reporting.e were noticg the cars driving through the richmond area while the tornado is going how much notice are people getting to get out of the way in in. >> theead time might b 10 or 15 minutes. if someone ran errands. e smartest thingo do when you see that happen, pull off the side of the road immediately. ss it's directly at you. if it's paralleling you. pull off, lstop and let it go o in front of you. as opposed to risking driving into more and more oblems. that is my best recommendation. you see something like that. if you have the opporgenity to off and get into a secure structure, that would be even better o if you're o i-95, sometimes you can't get off the road that quickly. speaking of rainfall, boy, have we taken it onrohe chind here this year. another crazy rainfall month.e thre over 7 inches of rain in the month of september. so far the year now, reagan national airport, 47 inches of rath. that's mor we normally get in an entire calendar year. we have 3.5 mths left. we're carrying

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, gastonia, north carolina. >>> jpmorgan chase and company there ringing the opening bell stocks looking good right now. they actually held higher on today after the federal reserve raised rates as widely expected. >>> affecting where you shop. a target in east contra costa just got hit with a discrimination lawsuit. a deaf man named john hayes said he applied in antioch back in 2014. he had an interpreter to communicatve wit the hiring team, but hayes says -- he claims that the human resource representatives hung up on him twice. he says that he never got an interview, and antioch actually hired seven nondisabled people. >>> a southern california college student credits his own interest in i.t. for stumbling on an to an unusual fraud. he says a couple of years ago, he signed up for lyft, and used it just once. but h ordered. so show up. but eventually, he figured out, along with each phantom ride, his local health insurance provider was getting billed. >> my biggest concern would be this is happening to other people. and insurance companies are getting defrau

joining me now is gabe gutierrez in conway, south carolina, and today show coco-host al roche ser here in the studio, and gabe, first to you. you are in a shelter there, and what are people doing, and how are the preparations going, and mou are the evacuations? >> hello, andrea. yes, we are in a shelter outside of conway, south carolina, and near myrtle beach, and people are trickling in throughout the morning and many more expected throughout the afternoon, and more than 100 people here, and we have spoken with this couple here, and edward and esther cottingham who say they have decided to ride out the storm at the shelter, and they did not want to risk it this time even though they have ridden out others. and this is a medical wing with the red cross and they are prepared to take care of the residents who have medical condition, and this shelter is prepared to do so. and the local authorities are saying that if you have any doubts whether to heed the mandatory evacuation ord oer, you should get out. we have been speaking with a few residents who have decided not to and use sandbags t

nbc's gabe gutierrez spent weeks on the ground after the storm roared ashore. in the aftermath, he has been down multiple times over the past year. what is life like right now on the island? >> they bounce back quite a bit. a lot of businesses are closed. there are still a few people without power despite the government saying that 100% of power had been restored to customers. we spoke with one person. he still doesn't have power. the ability to run his businesses, his restaurant, because of a recently installed fema generator. some people say it could take a long, long time, years really to fully recover from this. >> you spoke to one official many blamed for the power failures on the island. >> his bore the brunt of the criticism. his name is ricardo ramos. he was the head of the puerto rico power electric authority. he was the one who signed off on that controversial contract with whitefish energy, the small montana company, a warded that contract of up to $300 million to help repair the electrical grid. he, in hindsight, thinks that he would do it again. i

gabe gutierrez is in the thick of it, in myrtle beach right now. what's it like, gabe? >> reporter: lester, first slamming into north carolina, florence is finally here. myrtle beach is just starting to get hit hard. we're feeling stronger winds than we have for most of the day and we're getting drenched now. flooding is the major concern here, and we're expecting more rain over the coming hours. storm surge is also a major worry. high tide is expected at midnight. over 80,000 people in south carolina are without power and that number is expected to grow, lester. >> all right, gabe, thanks. >>> tonight we're seeing the first casualties of this powerful storm. at least five people across north carolina have died, including a mother and her 8-month-old baby. killed inside their own home by a downed tree here in wilmington. we were there during those heart-wrenching hours as firefighters and first responders rushed to try to save their lives. >> reporter: as massive trees uprooted across the region, crashing into streets and homes, firefighters knew that calls like this wo

nbc's gabe gutierrez is just outside myrtle beach. he's in conway.at's 501. it would seem as if traffic there has been turned one way. >> reporter: hi there, craig. yeah, we're near the intersection of 501 and 544. as you can see behind me, well, there's a lull right now, but we had been seeing a steady stream of cars for the last few minutes as well. this is one of the streets that had been shifted from a two-lane highway to a four-lane highway. all traffic now heading away from this monster storm. you can see this is where authorities want that traffic to go. now, the governor here in south carolina says that nearly 2,000 members of the national guard are on high alert. some of them are directing traffic right here. we can see people, we have throughout the day, stocking up on gas, stocking up on other supplies. thankfully not too much of a backup thus far. seems to be pretty orderly at this point. but as authorities have been saying, craig, and you have been reporting, this is a monster storm. authoritying a authorities are urging people to be ext

>> gabe gutierrez, i will tell you what i have told every reporter on this show. please stay safe. no joke. i know you will. you've been through this. we'll watch for your reports throughout the day. >>> as we head to break, house speaker paul ryan is talking about all of this on capitol hill. the impact from hurricane florence and that tweet from the president on hurricane maria, an incorrect claim that the death toll was not what they said it was. we'll bring that to you after the break. s. we'll bring that to you after the break. needles. essential for the cactus, but maybe not for people with rheumatoid arthritis. because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr. a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz xr can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections, lymphoma and other cancers have happened. don't start xeljanz xr if you have an infection. tears in t

gabe gutierrez, conway, south carolina, thank you. florence is getting closer to making land fall as you have been hearing on the show. president trump says, it's okay. fema is ready to go. here is what he said ahead of last year's storms. >> this is a storm of historic, destructive potential. the biggest ever. they are saying the biggest, historic. it's like texas, if you think about it. it looks like it could be something that will be not good. believe me, not good. >> the president is giving himself props for last year's cat troughic hurricane in puerto rico, calling that response an incredible success. what is the mayor of san juan have to say about that? she joins me after the break. fact is, every insurance company hopes you drive safely. but allstate helps you. with drivewise. feedback that helps you drive safer. and that can lower your cost now that you know the truth... are you in good hands? and back pain made it hard to sleep and get up on time. then i found aleve pm. the only one to combine a safe sleep aid, plus the 12 ho

gabe gutierrez is just south of there in conway, south carolina. what's the situation where you are? >> reporter: behind me is the intersection of 501 and 544. this is one of the areas where authorities here in south carolina have turned it into a four lane highway. closed down one of the directions in order to keep traffic flowing. we've been seeing a steady stream of cars here this afternoon. mandatory evacuations kicked in at noon. authorities have been trying to keep that traffic flowing. we have seen a few people, including this guy, gordon. you've been having a tough time finding gas around here? >> we've been looking around for about an hour. most gas stations don't have regular gas. they're all closed. >> this one has a few pumps with premium. you haven't been able to find regular unleaded anywhere? >> no, not anywhere. >> that's something we're seeing a lot here. this is something we expect as preparations continue. south carolina's governor saying that 1800 members of the national guard are on alert ready to step in. they're directing tra

gabe gutierrez has the latest. good morning. >> reporter: frances, good morning. a hurricane warning went into effect in myrtle beach. is popular beach town is shut down. the colinas bracing for their strongest hurricane in two decades. the rush is on to g out. from the carolinas to virginia. more than 1 million people are desperately trying to outrun hurricane florence. how terrifying is this storm? >> yeah, t it's somethint i've been dreading since i moved here. >> reporter: in south carolina, authorities closed this highway in onelirection. al lanes now leading west away from the massive storm that's ominously thurning inhe atlantic. w this is the incredible vom noaa's hurricane hunter. >> weer are in a vy deadly and importan game of chess with hurricane florence. >> reporter: in myrtle beach. >> hurricane nor pflorence, bri on. >> reporter: there's a rush on sand. she is using it to protect home, but she's bolting for higher ground. >> we don't need to tak chances or put personnel on the line to save us. we need to go. >> reporte still,ot everyone's fleeing fl

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, myrtle beach, south carolina. >> reporter: i'm kerry sanders at ft. bragg, north carolina where the u.s. army ordered more than 80 chos fema staging. more than 200 semis and more coming, filled with critical supplies. so you're doing something different? >> we are, because we're putting supplies in various places. at an earlier time. usually you wait until after the storm. >> and you chose to do that with this hurricane because? >> because it's so wide, so intense. >> reporter: on the coast, residents preparing, but some also skeptical the government will be there when they need them. >> it seems like they're not doing as much as they used to. >> reporter: a recent gao report found fema was woefully understaffed during last year's unprecedented hurricane and fire seasons, with 54% of employees doing jobs they were not qualified for. at the time the storms hit, the agency was stretched thin, responding to 692 federal disasters. >> there's a lot of lessons we learned from 2017. we are at the ready. >> reporter: in carolina beach, a town of 6,000, they'r

we want to gutierrez in south carolina where those mass evacuations are under way. gabe, set the scene for us there. >> reporter: lester, huicane warning just went into effect here. this popular beach town is now shut down. the carobracing for potentially their strongest hurricane in decades. tonight, the rush is on to get out. from the carolinas to virginia, more than a million people are desperately trying to outrun h florence. how terrifying is this storm? >> yeah, it's something that i've been dreading since i moved here. >> reporter: in south carolina, authorities closed this highway in one direction, all lanes noleading west away from the massive storm that's ominously churning in the atlantic. this is the incredible view from aa's hurricane hunter. just look as the plane reaches the hurricane eye. the blue sky clearly visible. >> we are in a very deadly game of chess th hurricane florence. >> reporter: in myrtle beach -- >> hurricane florence, bring it o >> reporter: -- there's a rush on and nichols is using it to protect her home. t tonight she's bolting to highe

>> gabe gutierrez tonight, thank you. >>> as al roker mentioned, the greatest threat to life from a hurricane is the storm surge. we could see it hit near histolevels when florence roars ashore with powerful winds essentially driving that water as ndhigh as 13 feet inla according to estimates. here is more from nbc's kerry sanders. >> reporter: tonight s carolina beacha ghost town. among the last to get out toda and her sister karen, their condo right on the beach. >> the atlantic is there. r the river is o there. when that storm surge comes in, what happens to this island? >> the water levels. 0% >> reporter: 5 of deaths in hurricanes are drownings often in the deadly powerful storm surge. >> we were gng to stay and yesterday i said no, it's getting too dangerous. >> reporter: the storm surge? >> yesep orter: i've experienced it s irsthand. >> thi what storm surge looks like. it's a fast-moving, fast-rising flash flood with the power of the atlantic ocean behind it. what causes that building wall of water 100 plus mile an hour winds whipping across the surface of the water. piled higher and

hurricane maria change our live >> reporter: gabe gutierrez, nbc. >> there is more about carlos and puertomentary "powerless" on ruk amazon fire and apple tv. that's "nightly news" for this thursday. i'm lester holt. for all of us at nbc news, thank you for night.ng and good for all of us at nbc ♪ lights camera access >>> r! >> yes, hart plus haddish equals hysterical. but where does kevin draw the line in this friendship? >> absolutely not. >> what? >>> he

gabe gutierrez, nbc news, north carolina. >>> i'm kerry sanders in fayetteville, north carolina. teor those who evaclike the rodgers whose home is less than a mile from the cape fear river today is another day of misery as they anxiously wonder if their house is now submerged. when you hear 62 plus feet what do you think? >> i think that's nature. >> we have insurance on the house, but not flood insurance. >> reporter: and that's a problem for the rodgers and so many others here who only have homeowners insurance. >> i have been there 20 something years and problem. d no >> reporter: they're not alone. it's estimated less than 3% of residents who live well inland in the north carolina coarry a $700 a year flood insurance policy. but as a resident discovering in the vast areas of the impact zone the cost according to fema just six inches of floodwater in a home costs a homeowner $52,000 in damage. at a foot, the loss is $72,000. and four feet, more than $100,000. adding to confusion, agents say most ehomeowners mistakenly beliif they're in the flood zone they don't need flood e ns

gabe gutierrez has more as the investigation continues. i.d. orter: the official of the body is pending from the medical examoler but pe believe it is that of 6-year-old maddox ritch. >> this is not the end we hoped for. >> his body was found partially submerged in a creek. the boy had autism and for day search teams had scoured the area in a desperate attempt to find him. more than 0 investigators were on the case. now the investigation is not over. there are still many unanswered questions about how the body ended ue. ther there are barriers along the way. local authorities say it is possible maddox could have walked to the creek itself. maddox's father had said that his son had ran ahead of him 25 to 30 feet chasing after a jogger and he just couldn't keep up with him.ni ovt maddox's father took to social media writing "for t rest of my life i will live with the guilt ofot being there to save my son." >> reporter: overall just a heartbreaking story all around. >> certainly not the way anyone wanted that to turn out. developing this morn

gabe gutierrez is there right now. gabe, you look like you are in it.ter bands now. >> yeah, hi, al. yes, within the past half hour or so, things have picked up here in myrtle beach. we had been seeing over the past several hours all those heavy winds and massive amounts of rain that are hitting north carolin carolina. you can see behind me the diner has structural damage and that's considering we aren't even seeing the height of the winds just yet. now, to my right i'm blocked by a building here to prevent any debris from hitting me from this side but we are still getting pelted by heavy rains as well as these winds. ocean boulevard is the beach. these businesses have been boarded up for days. the mayor telling us she believes at least 60% of this towne evacuated. many heading to emergency shelters. the question is what about the storm surge. we're expecting high time in a short time? emergency vehicles, dozens, have been stationed inside the convention center in myrtle beach in order to be ready to depl deploy. we expect rain to continue throughout mu

gabe gutierrez for us there in north carolina. ys it has full confidence in ceo elon musk despite a federal lawsuit that's seeking to remove him as head of the company. securities and exchange commission sued musk for fraud on thursday. he's accused of misleading investigators when he tweeted last month that he had secured funding for what would have been the largest corporate buyout ever. the lawsuit comes at a time when tesla is struggling to deliver its model 3 sedan after a long series of delays. >>> 8:08. we have the news. hoda is off so somebody has to do the boost, and, craig, you are the man for the job. >> i will give it a shot. jeopardy usually the answers come before the questions, but on last night's show a contestant decided to break format. take a look. >> i just wanted to say one quick thing and ask maria shaffer right there -- >> who is maria, where is she? oh, hello, maria. >> is she would make me a winner today and marry me. will you marry me? >> yes. of course. >> maria, you responded too quickly, i was about to

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 seeing the worst of hurricane florence. >> reporter: here in myrtlebe h we're just beginning to see the outer bands of the stor and there's there is some damage. we expect to see more rain throughout

. >> that was gabe gutierrez reporting there. so the cape fear river is predicted to crest at almost 62 feet, and that would be a record. >>> stocks rising on tuesday. the latest tariffs on chinese goods not as bad as feared. strong gains in tech also lifted the broader market. the dow jones industrial average up a little over 200 points. >>> new rules requiring routine inspections of apartment balconies and decks. this is in specific response to a deadly balcony collapse in berkeley in 2015. the problems you recall when a five-story balcony just fell, ripping off the building, killing six young people and hurting seven others. poor construction work was to blame. governor brown signed a new law saying 15% of all california balconies must be inspected every six years and owners must cover the cost. >>> a new push to better train doctors to help transgender kids. the american academy of pediatrics is calling for gender affirming health care, saying there needs to be formal training, standardized tests and more research. the policy

team is assemble and joining me is al roker from "today show" is joining us about the path, and gabe gutierrez, and marianna atencio in oak island, and also, gadi schwartz in morehead, north carolina, and first to you, g a, di. >> yes, good afternoon, andrea. i don't know if you can see me, but this is behind me, the outer bands and this is not the worst of the hurricane, and you see that the dock is starting to take the brunt of the water levels rising, and with are seeing part s of ts of the dock starting to break off. and again, this is just the beginning of what could be 24 to 48 hours. the wind gusts right now, they are not catastrophic, but they are g are going to be increasing throughout the day and the night, and right now, we are in an island called radio eisland , and that is beaufort, north carolina, and up the way from morehead, city, and this is an area that has seen some catastrophic hurricanes in the past. in the 1950s they saw one called hurricane hazel with a storm surge that took out many houses in the area. that storm surge was about six feet and almost seven feet. the storm

gabe gutierrez is in south carolina. he's just outside myrtle beach. he is in conway. one of the shelters set up there. gabe, what are you seeing? what are you hearing from homicide who evacuated to that particular shelter? >> reporter: hi there, craig. we are here at conway high school and seen a steady stream of people coming the last several hours and there's emergency shelters throughout south carolina. and we expect to see the influx of people later on this afternoon. as it gets closer and closer. this shelter in particular, they have a medical wing and talked to 583-year-old man who decided to evacuate with his family. >> it's going to take them a week to clean things up and make it available for us do go back to our double wide. >> yeah. but you feel much safer here than at home? >> definitely. i wouldn't have stayed in that trailer. they blow away. >> reporter: now we're here with a woman from the american red cross helping run the shelter. what are you seeing in terms of people and where are you in terms of capacity? this shelter, a lot more capacity. where do

gabe gutierrez is in myrtle beach. good morning. >> reporter: sheinelle, good morning. 160,000 putple are witower in south carolina. the playground was tipped ove over overnight, the wind is not the big story. myrtle beach is under a storm surge warning. the concern is the rain. wee been getting drenched for hours. that is expecteda o continue for while. rivers in the area will continue to rise sharply. they are expected to crest at near record levels by mid next week. leading to potentially catastrophic flooding. sheinelle and peter. >> gabe, thank you. >> now is a good time to bring in brenda bethune. mayor of myrtle beach. mayor, good morning. we spoke to you earlier this week. we want to get a sense of thesi ation. 7 inches so far. 7 more on the way to your city on the coast. what is it like there now? >> it is raing and very windy. we still have a tropical storm in effect. as well as flash flood it is still not a great situation here. >> you talked about the winds. what kd of rescues did first responders deal with

i want to go back to gabe gutierrez now. also in myrtle beach, south carolina. showing us some of the damage that's -- that you can already see there along the drag there. gabe, what are you seeing? >> reporter: hey there, craig. we have been driving around for the last two hours or so. trying to find some of the reports of damage. we had showed you this awning that was blown off earlier. we are here at ocean boulevard and what we have been seeing is a lot of power outages throughout the country. 55,000 people without power. just one section we are at still has power. there have been trees down in the area. the winds picked up. pelting rain really picked up in the last hour or so and seeing the outer bands of hurricane florence. as it heads further west into the myrtle beach area. as you heard from contessa a little earlier, expecting the worst of this later on this evening and the concern here is also the flooding that could happen over the next day or so as the storm lingers. so this ocean boulevard, for the most part, people are -- just not here. it is deserte

. >> we have two reports beginning with gabe gutierrez on a boat with the coast caguard in north carolinaat's happening where you are? >> good morning. this is one of the communities further inland that is now dealing with flooding problems. it's all that rain rushing down river. in this community the may fair community in lumberton about 200 homes. lumberton, population about 21,000 people. it was hit hard two years ago but matthew. it's flooding again. we saw several people evacuated. a mother with twins was evacuated. i'm joined by nathan cox with the u.s. coast guard. you guys have been out here since yesterday. right? how many people have had to be evacuated from this neighborhood? >> close to 12 to 20 evacuated. many families want to stay with their homes. that's their choice. we urge them to come with us. we're doing wellness checks. going through the neighborhoods, knocking on doors and ensuring the citizens are safe. they need water, food, anything like that. >> reporter: this is one of the areas further inland. this wasn't one near the coast that had any wind damage or any of th

nbc's gabe gutierrez was on the ground for this story when it happened and has been covering it the lastyear. >> we've been on this island reporting the past year and i can say life is starting to return back to normal. in those bigger cities and puerto rico has come such a long way. power is back to the entire island. we found one man who is still not on the electrical grid, was only able to have power to his restaurant because of a recently installed fema generator. he says he feels abandoned. a year after the storm and you're still without power? he has run this restaurant in the yucca national forest for almost 40 years. i didn't think the hurricane would be this bad, he says. he was trapped in his restaurant for five days after the storm. his business and home are powered by a generator that fema only recently installed. and something we have to notice and have to underscore, a year after the storm, everyone that we spoke to all say puerto rico is not ready for another major category 4 or 5 storm. this is something that could be devastating for years to come. there's no real answer

. >>> joining me now is nbc's gabe gutierrez. he's in an evacuation shelter in conway high school in conway, south carolina. this is a major issue. there are more and more people under this hurricane watch who may not have the means to get away or the speed or the transportation ability or issues that stop them from getting away. these shelters are popping up all over the place. >> yeah, ali, that's exactly right. we've been seeing people trickling into these shelters throughout the day and we expect many more. more than 100 people are at this shelter right now here in conway, south carolina. it's about 20, 25 minutes inland from myrtle beach, and, again we expect more and more people to head up the highway as they head inland. this is the area where those highways, the eastbound lanes were closed down and all westbound lanes were heading away from this massive storm inland, and we were actually just speaking with this woman a short time ago. you just got here, didn't you? >> i did about probably 20 minutes ago. >> about 20 minut

gabe gutierrez is somewhere around me here in myrtle beach. , this is really in the last hour or so is the first you and i have seen of what it feels like, the outer bands of a hurricane. >> reporter: yeah, that's right, ali. we're not too far from you. we're here on ocean boulevard, and we're really starting to get pelted by this rain and heavy winds. just within the past half hour or so in this location. i want to show you behind me, this is an awning that has blown o over at this diner here. here in south carolina we expect to see the heavier rain and the winds really pick up throughout the afternoon. we've spoken with the mayor. she says that the main concern here is the storm surge and the flooding. she estimates that more than 60% of myrtle beach has evacuated heeding that mandatory evacuation order. emergency vehicles have been sheltered inside the convention center here, dozens of them ready to be deployed when the conditions, when the storm passes and there are conditions, in case there are any water rescues that need to be done. ali,

first, gabe gutierrez is in fayetteville, north carolina. hey, gabe, good morning. >> repor ngda, good mor rivers are rising throughout north carolina. florencethis rain from rushing downstream. the death toll from the storm is now up to 31 across several ates. overnight tornado watches across virginia. >> oh! >> reporter: after powerful twisters left debris over an 18-mile stretc richmond to chesterfield, downed trees, flooded cars. one person died at this flooring business. >> we have nowords. they are our neighbors. you know, to have thelose somebody so close to hem is the tornados remnanfl of hurricaneorence, still packing a punch days after landfall. >> it's just been crazy. >> reporte in north carolina, rivers are rising after days of rain.ti huge swaths of the state are underwater. s cut off. >> catastrophic flooding a clai lives and property. >> repor boat erator from floridaound a pregnant bottwoman and y clingi. e small townf lumberton was ravaged by hurricane matthew two s ago. now it's devastated again. we were there as the cst gu

gabe gutierrez is in myrtle beach with more on that.er: the terminal at myrtle beach may be open, but the last flight left thisg. mornin the rest are now canceled. across the country, more than 1,000 flights have already been canceled through tomorrow. now, overnight charleston's airport closed and other major airports are set to be impacted. american's hub in charlotte raleigh-durham, and atlanta could see heavy rains. that could impact air travel across the eastern half of the country over the next several days. as for travel on the roads, the bulk of that already happened the last two days. south carolina's governor says more than 300,000 people t evacuatehe coast. many of those are nowtaying in emergency shelters. others are staying with family members further iand. but as for air travel we are talking about impacts ofy potentiaundreds of thousands of passengers over the coming days across a huge swath of the country. airlines faiving changes. do that now if you haven't already. >> what aogtical nightmare. thank you. let's go back t