. >> jay gray is live for us once again. we've been getting perspective of the deep waters.

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> well, details continue to emerge into last week's mission to nail downsama bin laden. according to the "new york times," two teams were on standby to handle any scenario that could unfold. one to bury bin laden it if he was killed, and a second team of lawyers, interrogators and translators in the event he was captured alive. meanwhile u.s. relations with pakistan continue to be tested after suspicion rose monday that the country's intelligence service leaked the name of the cia chief in islamabad. although since the image wasn't revealed, there are no plans to pull the operative. for more, we go to steve handelsman. >> reporter: aides say president obama expected tough talk from pakistan. their prime minister denying pakistan was in, quote, cahoots with al qaeda, saying don't blame us for the failure to find osama bin laden. >> cannot be held to account for fraud policies. >> reporter: he warned any future u.s. strike could meet pakistani counter force. no apparent offense taken. >> we remain confident that we will continue to cooperate with the pakista

jay gray reports. >> reporter: the massive tornado cut a path through the middle of town for six miles, neighborhoods were wiped away in a matter of seconds. st. john's medical center was ripped apart. those used to dealing with the aftermath of emergencies now suddenly caught up in their own. >> when we came out, it looked like a war zone. >> reporter: as soon as the wind stopped, rescue and recovery teams moved in, searching for victims trapped in all of this rubble. more than a day later, that effort is continued. but as crews fought through the debris, they were also forced to battle more severe weather. heavy winds, rain and lightning making the job even more difficult. still, one of the hardest tasks on this day was for those returning to what little was left of their homes. looking for any sign of life before the storm. >> pants and tennis shoes. but a little bit of something to help us. >> reporter: help so desperately needed and pouring in from communities in neighboring states. >> i'm gratified and amazed at the outpouring of support from our neighbors. >> reporter: overwhelm

nbc's jay gray reports. >> reporter: a frantic rush to stay ahead of the floodwaters continues in yazoo city, mississippi. >> can't be sure of anything. >> reporter: the house is losing right now in tunikca. the city's nine casinos have been swallowed by water. >> this is a flood of a generation. nobody has seen water this high, and it it likely nobody ever will again. this is a monumental flood. >> reporter: downriver in louisiana, crews along interstate 10 rush to finish a temporary levee. bracing for the possibility that the army corps of engineers will open the spillway diverting the mississippi over 3 million acres in southwestern louisiana putting 13,000 structures and 25,000 people in jeopardy. >> i say huge and immense. it's hard to describe how much water is in the system. it's the most that's ever been in the system. >> reporter: a system already stretched past its limits with more water on the way. jay gray, nbc news, tunica, mississippi. >>> a personal journal found in the raid that killed osama bin laden is going an inside look at the al qaeda's leaders disturbing ambitions

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> now here's a look at other stories making news early today in americaone young man in kentucky made a disastrous decision on a recent late night drive, crashing into a gas station storefront, then leaving the scene. and it was all captured by surveillance cameras. police later arrested the 19-year-old who has been charged with a dui. >>> police in connecticut are having a hard time finding out how this rubber hit the road, investigating the mysterious question of who dumped as many as 2,500 tires behind a restaurant. the mountain of tires discovered by restaurant employees included multiple brands that were both new and used. investigators are hoping nearby surveillance cameras may help them out. >>> and we end with a warm-up for the 137th run for the roses. the annual pegasus parade entertained thousands of spectators live along the streets of louisville. the kentucky derby prerace parade featured clowns and marching bands draped in greek mythology. the race is scheduled for tomorrow and you can see it live right here on your nbc station. >> here is bi

nbc's jay gray reports. >> how are you guys doing? >> reporter: looking to raise the spirits of this battered community, president obama travelled to joplin on sunday. >> obviously the scene speaks for itself. >> reporter: the splintered wood and twisted metal spread for six miles, remnants and neighborhoods stretched to their limits. >> this is not just your tragedy. this is a national tragedy. that means there is will be a national response. >> reporter: it's help this city will need for a long time. >> it's overwhelming. >> reporter: but in this place where everything seems to be torn apart, sunday there was evidence that joplin is actually pulling together. ♪ >> reporter: thousands gathered for a memorial to remember and honor the victims of the storm. >> the loss of even one human life is a tragedy and we have lost scores. >> reporter: a city suffering as it begins what will surely be years of rebuilding and recovery. >> there's no doubt in my mind that joplin will rebuild. and as president, i can promise you your country will be

jay gray reports thousands have been evacuated as neighborhoods are swallowed by water. >> reporter: across memphis, the water continues to rise, pushing up against sidewalks more than 20 years from the normal shoreline. >> this is all astounding. it's overwhelming to see it so high. >> reporter: getting even higher. emergency teams are helping dozens move to higher ground. some loaded into city buses to push through the water. a ride to safety before all the roads in the lowest lying areas are blocked. in downtown memphis, the fight to keep the water out continues. men and machines working around the clock and against the clock with a near record crest expected today. jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> coming up, a new bank program sends you a text before your atm card takes you into the red. there's a catch. it will cost you. >>> could ethanol do more harm than good? how it's affecting small engines in your life, just ahead. >>> a live picture of the bay bridge. it's 4:40. we'll be back in a minute. >>> it's 4:43. you are looking at the bay bridge toll plaza. we'll check in with mike

here now is nbc bay area's jay gray. >> there it is. oh, gosh, that is a monster tornado. >> reporter: violent attack began just before sundown. the massive tornado at times three quarters of a mile wide cutting through the heart of joplin, missouri, ripping apart everything in its six-mile path. >> it's tearing up the entire city on the south side of joplin right now and it's a massive tornado. massive destruction. >> reporter: as soon as the wind stopped -- >> look at that. that is destroyed. >> reporter: the search for survivors began. >> i ended up pulling two bodies out of the rubble. there were people that were trapped. there was one i kind of shoved a wall to help a guy get out of his house. >> reporter: at least 116 could not be saved. >> when i got here, my heart just sunk. >> reporter: his brother and sister-in-law were two of those killed in the storm. >> this hits more at home, you know, it hits to the soul. it's tough. it's very tough. but they're with the lord now. so i feel comfort about that. >> reporter: faith is all th

nbc's jay gray has the latest. >> reporter: emergency teams continue to sift through miles of debris. >> we are still in search and rescue mode and will be for the foreseeable future. >> moving the twisted metal and splintered wood, searching for any signs of life. >> we are hopeful that we will still be finding people. >> but there are families in joplin that just can't wait for help. >> just have to. and we're the only ones that can search for him. >> reporter: "him" is 15-month-old s schuyler log don, called bring schuyler home, even though his home is gone now. this pile of rubble is all that's left. the toddler was inside when the storm hit. >> the father and the grandfather actually shielded the women and the child and were laying over them. >> reporter: five family members survived but no one knows what happened to schuyler. his parents, their injuries so severe they're in an area hospital, don't even know he's missing. >> our only thinking was to get back here to be able to actually dig through the rubble to see if we could find him. i think he's somewhere, we need to find him

jay gray is in memphis, tonight. >> across memphis, the water continues to rise, pushing up against sidewalks more than 20 yards from its normal shore line. >> this is all astounding. i mean, it's just overwhelming to see it so high. >> and getting even higher. emergency teams are helping dozens move to higher ground. some loaded into city buses to push through the water. a ride to safety before all of the roads in the lowest lying areas are blocked and in downtown memphis the fight to keep the water out continues. men and machines working around the clock and against the clock with a near record crest expected as early as tomorrow, but for some -- >> if we had a hole in our living room and cut a little hole, we could probably use our fishing poles right now and do some serious catfishing. >> time has already run out. the lower level of jeanie's home is already under water and now all she can do is watch and wait. >> we wait and see, and hopefully, you know, if the water does recede rather quickly, maybe that will minimize the damage to the inside of the house. >> a hope that is shared by so

jay gray, nbc news, kennedy space center. >> all right. we're going to check in on the weather around here, and it's just been a little bit crazy. >> it has been. >> and today was a good indication. we had widespread rain just before sunrise and hail and thunder at times during the afternoon and look at these totals. ham half an inch came down overnight in los gatos. most of the bay area from san francisco southward saw about a quarter inch or less but quarter than a half inch to san rafael and a third of an inch up towards santa rosa and very impressive totals by may standards. windy and dry around san francisco. we did have a light rain shower pass on by downtown and most of the action now heading off to the east and as the sun sets the atmosphere will stabilize. it's the combination of cold air aloft and the daytime meeting which really started to fire off the showers. one more shower here which went right over downtown oakland and berkeley weakening as it heads off to the north of st. mary's and north bay, things are coming down and ac

>> jay gray, a dramatic view of the flooding there tonight. thanks. >>> this was a mother's day like no other for a canadian woman recovering tonight after being stranded in a remote part of nevada for almost two months. we get the story tonight from nbc's george lewis. >> reporter: back on march 19th, albert and rita chretien left their home in pentington, british columbia and headed for a las vegas trade show. that same day a surveillance camera photographed them at a store in eastern oregon. the last pictures of the two of them together. 400 miles later in the nevada backwoods, their van got stuck in the mud. >> our understanding is that they took a few wrong turns. they wanted to take a scenic route. >> reporter: the van wound up in this wilderness area of nevada just south of the idaho border. rita stayed alive seven weeks subsisting on beef jerky and trail mix, eating snow and drinking from a nearby stream. after 49 days, her strength waning, rita spotted some people riding all terrain vehicles and flagged them down. >> she convinced the

live in joplin, missouri, i'm jay gray. diane, now back to you. >> all right. thanks a lot, jay. >>> there were tornadoes here in northern california as well that caused some damage, although not nearly as severe, of course, as the midwest. the tornadoes hit near chico, paradise, and durham in butte county. that's about 100 miles north of sacramento. most of the damage was to the almond crop in that area, which could severely impact the economy there and the supply of almonds nationwide. almond trees take four to five years to turn profitable, apparently. the tornadoes also hit, as you saw there, some homes and garages. one almond grower said he lost 25,000 trees. others say the storm took them completely by surprise. >> tornado in california. i mean, i saw it when i was on down the road, and i just stopped and was amazed. i'd never seen anything like that. >> reporter: farmers say the damage to the crops could reach into the tens of millions of dollars. >>> the los angeles police department is pursuing cautiously in the bryan stow beating case. the police chief

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> obviously a much different situation around here. it was a gorgeous day in the bay area. but that could change a little bit tonight, as well. rob has a look for us. rob? >> hi there. we're watching the clouds spilling into the bay area now and breezy and chilly temperatures. you can see oakland, 59 degrees, that west wind at 22 miles per hour, san francisco, 58. west wind at 18. into san jose, no escape from the chilly air. we're now down to 61 degrees in san jose. northwest winds at 16. this is pushing the low clouds into the santa clara valley tonight. winds strong through the altamont pass through the delta. wind advisories across those roadways out toward contra costa county and alameda counties through the afternoon. obviously the bridge tops very gusty, as well. now let's show you what's going on in terms of temperatures. no one in the 70s around the bay area now. we've got mid 60s, the warmest that you'll find toward gilroy and santa cruz. tomorrow, high temperatures pretty close to the upper 50s and low 60s we're seeing outsi

jay gray, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >>> checking in on the weather around here in case you haven't been outside. the golden gate bridge it is raining at the golden gate bridge. and, believe it or not, we've got snow in the sierras. memorial day. let's check in with rob. >> unofficial start of summer. entrenched in winter-like weather around the sierra and around the bay area. 63 degrees in oakland. 59 in san francisco. where we have some rain flying on by. in san jose, also not out of the woods in terms of the rain. see that rain from areas mainly off to the south and east of san jose towards just north of morgan hill. some pretty decent showers. around the south bay, rain around the golden gate bridge as you saw just behind diane and a pretty good cell around berkeley. all of this continues to head off to the east at close to 20 to 30 miles per hour. and around the north bay, pretty good rain around napa. yes, for the sierra. we're talking not just a dusting of snow but five to ten inches of snow above 7,000 feet. unbelievable. look at that snow level near 5,000 to 6,000 feet. the

jay gray, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >> a lot to rebuild there. >>> it's 4:47 right now.ore than a foot of snow fell in the sierra over this memorial day weekend. yeah, memorial day weekend. look at that. squaw valley is the last of the resorts still open for skiing. isn't that amazing? although many resorts plan to reopen the slopes for the fourth of july, still a base of about ten feet at the top of squaw, which is very unusual for the end of may. it's just amazing. get a little something of everything up there. are we really in california, christina? memorial day? >> yes, and no place like home. >> i do. i love it. >> me, too. >> good morning to you. unfortunately, even though we have more snow on the way to squaw coming as we speak, tomorrow and wednesday in particular, this is the last day they're going to be open. this is your last chance to hit squaw. >> field trip. >> let's do it. right after the show. we're going to -- we'll have to check with mike and see if it's clear. good morning. we're looking pretty good. the bay area, kind of in a transitionary period befo

nbc's jay gray has the latest. >> reporter: the building may be splintered, but the faith and spiritf this community is not. >> let us pray. >> reporter: the congregation at peace luther ran church gathered today in the rubble that was their sanctuary, like their city battered but not broken. >> god is here. >> reporter: that faith and the fact many are still here is what survivors say keeps them going right now. >> i'm so lucky compared to most people because i walked out of the house with my wife and so many families didn't have that opportunity. >> reporter: a week later it's still an emotional struggle to survive here. one that will take a long time and a lot of help. >> obviously this is not something we can get through by ourselves. we've got to have help and we'll be looking to the state and federal government for that help. >> reporter: president obama traveled to the strike zone for the first time today, offering a handshake or a hug, and a promise. >> what i've been telling every family that i've met here is we're going to be here long after the cameras leave. we are not go

. >> jay gray is live for us in memphis. look at you. talk about a difference in the last 24 hours. >> reporter: yeah, and alex, you are talking about nowhere for the water to go. i am in the play area behind a school. i will give you an example of what the water is doing. you see the row of homes. the first level of these homes is already under water. the homeowner here, the house you are seeing, they moved out their furniture. only the roof of what is a utility shed here, it's about to be completely submerged as we watched the water continue to climb. and then you get to the school, and you can see the sandbag wall they built two or three days ago being pressed into service, and water up against the sandbags and it's only growing here. we learned overnight that the primary gauge they were using to try and measure the floodwaters in memphis was not working collectly. the water rising faster than forecasters first thought. they moved up the crest as you talked about. it was wednesday, and now they say it will be late tomorrow night or in

. >> let's go live again to nbc's jay gray in memphis for us. jay, it's an incredible scene there. we're looking at beale street, the famous beale street. it looks like a river. >> it is part of the mississippi river. over its banks and into the middle of beale street here. just talking with julie mart front weather channel, she says we're going to see showers here today, exactly what they don't need as they deal with all of this water adding to the misery. look, it's not even forecast to crest, the mississippi, until sometime wednesday. it's already washed away neighborhoods in the suburbs of memphis. hundreds of people have moved into shelters, thousands of families were advised yesterday they need to move to higher ground. this is say situation like we talked about, alex, that's going to continue to intensify until that crest at about 48 feet on wednesday. yeah, shelters are open, more are opening. police are blocking off roadways in this area and across the midsouth as you've talked about, as they continue to deal with the rising mississippi river. and it's just getting worse a

as nbc's jay gray reports, thousands of people are evacuating as neighborhoods are being swallowed by the waters. >> reporter: in memphis, water seems to be just about everywhere. >> looking at all of this water, there's nowhere for them to put it. it can't go anywhere. just sit. >> reporter: actually, it's growing. crews continue to move sandbags into place and build berms where they can. the mississippi has already passed major flood stage and on the way to a near record crest. but those who live here are worried about right now. >> my worst fear is they don't have nowhere for this water to go, it's going to have to go somewhere and it's going to flood our house out. >> reporter: jeannie garlock is beginning to realize that fear. >> we are expecting the first floor to be flooded. >> reporter: they have moved everything they can out, as the water continues to move in. >> my husband and i, if we have a hole in our living room, and cut a little hole, we could probably hold our fishing poles and do some serious fishing. because the water right now is underneath this floor. so it is abou

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >> we haven't had nearly the rain they have had in the midwest. of course they had a lot of snow this winter, too. it is not enough to aggravate the flood situation, which is kind of a long-term issue. why -- >> that area of rain will be more of a miss than a hit. showers from last night have left. 98% the humidity. a west wind at 5 miles an hour. 53 degrees in annapolis. op the boardwalk, 57. age in edgewood across the bay. 40's across western maryland. we still have a band of clouds. not a big difference in temperatures here. nonetheless, a front that won't move further south today or much further south. a disturbance that will slide toward virginia and west virginia or at least get closer and bring in a pocket of moisture our way. our forecast calls for a mix of clouds and sun, and toward evening or during the evening hours, we could see more showers. 67 to 72 the high. i think we'll see a few more clouds today. west winds primarily at 10 miles per hour. insta-weather futurecast shows this moisture coming in this evening and overnight tonight.

jay gray abc news, memphis. >> roads buckling, parks underwater. heavy rains from kentucky to arkansas. we have the photos on www.wbaltv.com. just click on "u local." >> now your forecast with john collins. >> we have had rain recently. not the kind like in the midwest that brought on that shower activity. the past three hours there has been thunder and lightning. it is now pretty much diminished. we don't see anything over the area except cloud cover. you can see out over the atlantic, off cape cod, what is left of the rains that passed through here. then if you look off to the west, back in illinois primarily and parts of missouri and up into minnesota, more rain coming our way, and there will be more rain coming after that. so we're in a pattern that's going to bring periodic chances for showers, not wlole sale out and out day-killing rain, but just showers every now and again, and that will effect our weekend. yesterday, the highs 43 at the airport. not as chilly as when we had a few temperatures in the 30's. still wet from showers last night a

nbc's jay gray has a preview. >> the crew of shuttle ide.y. ók lift we're/en faulty have+ near the ship's heater any more in this count. >> all systems are go on pad 39a less than 24 hours now before what will be "endeavour's" 25th and at' posi to the first ttempt, wounded first congresswoman gabrielle giffords made the trip to kennedy space florida aft her houston o>bn >>a again /ly. building,çyiia h safely in ézufeida afterú nt isa'e$hide here, and -- and we hope that mississippi highe submerged. somesz flo dd1927. of water and trying to get as many valuables as they could out of the home. river initia highest stage since flood devastated vicksburg back beforeb2jpvfy evh stage since flood devastated vicksburg back beforeb2jpvfy evh hisx&.8gest marr look ea ni peaceful oí school. stopped the qy

jay gray, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >>> it is 6:19.till to come on "today in the bay," you can help veterans and take in an a's game today. we're going to show you how. >>> and passing the home of the a's. look at that traffic. this map probably showing you more cars than a live picture will show. we'll compare the two coming up. >>> and a live look outside overlooking san francisco. transamerica pyramid. you can see the top of it there. the clearing skies.en [ jolene ] i go lved with honor flight through my job here at southwest airlines. honor flight is an opportunity for world war two veterans to travel to washington d.c. to get to see their monument. you know, joe, i'd like to thank you for honoring our country, for giving your time, and just making us so proud. [ joe ] on behalf of all of the veterans, you're welcome. ♪ hio i twh ♪ >>> new this morning, it's 6:22. a live look from washington this morning. tomb of the unknown soldier where vice president joseph biden will be laying a wreath later this morning. the president will be

nbc's jay gray reports from memphis. >> there's a sense of apprehension rising almost as fast as theer been in nothing like this. this is all new to me. >> karen's backyard has already been swallowed by the floodwaters. >> i've got to wait until the water goes down to see what we can do. >> forecasters say the water will just continue to climb. >> 46.5, 7:00 p.m. on may the 8th, 47.1. >> it's already high enough that a section of the mississippi has been closed to barge traffic because wakes from the ships are pushing over floodwalls and into communities along the river. >> when you close the mississippi river, it has an impact on the economy nationwide. >> the impact is much more immediate on businesses and neighborhoods like these, already under water. >> we're looking at the highest flood level since 1937 in most places. some people call this a flood of epic proportions and i think that's probably accurate. >> and perhaps the hardest part of all this is that it's only going to get worse. jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> and still to come on "today in the bay," running for the rose

jay gray has more.emphis, water seems to be just about everywhere. >> there is nowhere for them to put it. it can't go anywhere, just sit. >> actually, it is growing. crews continue to move sandbags into places and build berms where they can. mississippi has already passed major flood stage and on the way to a near record crest, but those that live here are worried about right now. >> my wife is worried about where this water is going to go. it is going to flood our house out. >> jeannie garlot is beginning to realize that fear. >> the first floor could be flooded. >> they have moved everything they can out as the water continues to move in. >> my husband and i, we have a living room, and we could get our fishing poles right now and do some serious catmardy fishing, because the water is underneath us. it is about to pop through. >> all she can do is joke, but the reality is very serious. a lower level of her home is already under water, and that water is now pushing at her back door. so she leaves. thro

jay gray, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >> and as jay just mentioned, oklahoma is also digging through tornado destruction. last night, weather channel meteorologist mike bettis was there getting a glimpse at some of the shocking images mother nature left behind. >> reporter: well, another round of violent storms and tornados, this time centering in oklahoma. and now, after sunset and on our night vision camera, we can observe some of the damage right here in el reno. we know a tornado crossed i-40 and then crossed highway 81. it did this damage. there's some utility lines down, we have trees that have been uprooted. this is on the property of tom and carla cronister. maybe more impressive is what's in the tree. it's actually carla cronister's convertible. it was tossed about 100 plus yards and right here into this tree. i thought one thing that was really, really telling about the power of the wind is look at that piece of wood that punctured right through the floorboard of the vehicle here. the tops of the trees are all taken off. they've been thrown back and off to the north where t

jay gray has more now from tennessee. >> reporter: as the water moves in, emergency officials in memphis are urging residents in low-lying areas to move out and up to higher ground. >> no need to panic. this is not a flash flood. this, again, is progressive. it will rise, still, about a foot a day on average and so you can -- you still have time to plan. >> reporter: part of the plan now includes stopping barge traffic along a major section of the river in tennessee because lakes are pushing over and into communities along the mississippi. >> when you close the mississippi river it has an impact on the economy nationwide. >> reporter: but the most significant impact is in business parks and neighborhoods like these that have already taken in several feet of water. >> i've never been in nothing like this. this is all new to me. >> reporter: karen sutton's home in the back of the neighborhood has been swallowed by the floodwaters. >> i don't know what i'm going to do. i have to wait until the water goes down to see what i can do. >> reporter: it will be a long and anxious wait as the water

. >> jay gray spent time with one family in hard-hit alabama.ily that vows to rebuild. >> the cleanup and recovery continues across the south today. >> i've been in it for four days now and it's just -- i'm still shaking my head. >> reporter: fire fighters would normally go door to door here, but most of the doors are gone now. in some areas there are windows, but for the most part they must push through the rubble to check on the safety and welfare of survivors. >> i wanted to come by and try to make sure to do anything we can to make something like this. there's nothing you can do other than moral support. >> reporter: a handshake, a hug. that support means so much right now to so many. the attack late last week was so swift -- >> lieutenant was saying, like, ten seconds. if it had lasted that lornng, i wouldn't even give it that long. it will take years to recover. timothy king, his wife and two young children were somehow able to walk away from this mess. >> it's -- it's beyond comprehension that, i mean, we were able to just walk out of her

. >> jay gray is live for us once again. we've been getting perspective of the deep waters. how much have you seen the situation change in the past 24 hours, jay? >> reporter: a lot, alex. unfortunately those folks saying the water doesn't have anywhere to go. it's going to go and it's going in places, rising significantly here. a little faster than we thought. we initially found out overnight the gauge they use in mississippi is off. they've moved to a secondary gauge. over 47 feet right now. take a look behind me. we'll show you what it's doing and why people are being forced into shelters. you're talking 350 being there. that's going to go up significantly. the home nebehind me already gog to the second floor. the woman has pulled everything out of her home. she has pulled out of her home. she's hoping to move back in. as you work across, you can see the rooftop of the shed. we've been showing you that at morning. you can see the water level is coming up on that and it's going continue to rise here back across and to the school. as you said, we're in a playground that's l

as jay gray reports, the weather isn't severe.culty to a recovery that's already very painful. >> reporter: dark clouds and heavy rains bring back painful memories of what happened here almost a week ago. and add to the misery and mess so many are dealing with right now. >> i'm getting a lot of water damage right now that wouldn't have happened if it were not for the rain. we've just really been able to get things out. >> lynn mcadam's foot was injured in the storm. doctors have held her to stay off of it, but she can't. there's just too much work to do. >> it's hard when you are going through your whole life, you know, shattered in dirt. >> thousands of volunteers have poured into the area. >> i don't know what we would have done without them. >> delivering water, food and supplies, basics so desperately needed by so many here. >> it's going to be a long-term recovery process. >> as is the overwhelming task of finding the more than 300 people still missing. >> you don't take any chances. you keep looking. you keep hope alive. we

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >> wow! that is awful.nd it is expected to get even worse before it gets better? >> it is. some areas may not crest for another week or so and in that time you could see more rain and they're looking at a big problem and not just a major flood. this could be the biggest flood in history coming into parts of the area and beating the old floods by more than two feet and this is simply amazing and most of this area, the same area that was affected by the tornadoes last week. >> out there right now we're dealing with cloud cover, but also some blue skies, but intermixed you also see a couple of showers out there this evening. most of us won't remain on the dry side and we're looking at a pretty nice evening and kind of a pretty shot there and the shower, let's go back to the tower cam really fast. you will see a shower right there, right along the potomac river and there is rain right now falling on the camera. you could see the rain right there. how about that. there's the tower cam shot right across the studi

nbc's jay gray has more from memphis. >> reporter: in memphis, water seems to be just about everywhere. >> looking at all of this water, and there's nowhere for them to put it. it can't go anywhere. just sit. >> reporter: actually, it's growing. crews continue to move sandbags into place and build berms where they can. the mississippi is already past major flood stage and on the way to a near record crest. but those who live here are worried about right now. >> my worst fear is that they don't have nowhere for this water to go. going to have to go somewhere, and it's going to flood our house out. >> reporter: jenny garlock is beginning to realize that fear. >> we're expecting the first floor to be flooded. >> reporter: they have moved everything they can out as the water continues to move in. >> i my husband and i, if we cut a little hole in our living room, we could hold our poles right now and do some serious fishing because the water right now is underneath this floor. so it is about ready to pop through. >> reporter: all she can do is joke, about you the reality is very serious. a

jay gray reports now, more rain is just adding to the misery of people trying to pick up the pieces.reporter: dark clouds and heavy rains bring back painful memories of what happened here almost a week ago. and add to the misery and mess so many are dealing with right now. >> i'm getting a lot of water damage right now that wouldn't have happened if it were not for the rain. we've just really been able to get things out. >> reporter: lynn mcadams' foot was injured in the storm. doctors have told her to stay off of it, but she can't. there's just too much work to do. >> hard when you are going through your whole life, you know, shattered and dirt. thousands of volunteers have poured into the area. >> i don't know what we would have done without them. >> reporter: delivering food, water, basics so desperately needed by so many here. >> it's going to be a long-term recovery process. >> as is the overwhelming task of finding the more than 300 people still missing. >> you don't take any chances. you keep looking. you keep hope alive. we keep our prayers and we keep looking. >> while the s

jay gray has more on this from tennessee. >>> as the water moves in, the emergency officials in memphis are urging residents in low-lying areas to move out and up to higher ground. >> no need to panic. this is not a flash flood. this again is progressive. it will rise still about a foot a day on average, and so you still have time to plan. >> part of the plan now includes stopping barge traffic along a major section of the river in tennessee because lakes are pushing over and into communities along the mississippi. >> when you close the mississippi river it has an impact on the economy nationwide. >> but the most significant impact is in business parks and neighborhoods like these that have already taken in several feet of water. >> i've never been in nothing like this. this is all new to me. >> reporter: karen sutton's home at the back of this neighborhood has been swallowed by the floodwaters. >> i don't know what i'm going to do. i'm going wait until the water goes down to see what i can do. >> it will be a long and anxious wait as the water continues to climb. >> 46.5. 7:00 p.m. on

jay gray is live in memphis for us. good morning, jay.he situation like there. >> reporter: good morning, alex. to give you some perspective on that, i'm standing in the middle of field street in downtown memphis with part of the mississippi river. it washed over its banks and into this area. conditions even worse in some neighborhoods. suburban memphis neighborhoods as you talked about, entire communities swallowed by the floodwaters. more than 300 people are already in area shelters, more than a thousand yesterday were warned by emergency officials going door to door that they needed to get out and move to higher ground. as you talked about, close to 3,000 homes are in the danger zone here. and the concern is, alex, that things are only going to get worse. we're not going to see it crest until at least wednesday. and that will be at a near record of 48 beats. so a bad situation getting even worse here. >> yeah. and in terms of evacuations, that area of beale street goes toward the river. so it there anything in terms of evacuations ther

. >> nbc's jay gray is live for us in memphis, tennessee. that is beal street, i'm guessing. does not look anything like a road beneath you, jay. good morning. >> reporter: yeah, good morning to you, alex. the mississippi river in the middle of beal street right now, look, this is the time of year in memphis the weather is perfect. you usually see people flooding the parks down here. now it is -- the water that's flooding this area. all you see are -- memphis residents coming down because they have never seen the water this high. coming down to take a look, take a picture. the concern here, alex, is things are only going to get worse. this water is continuing to rise as you talked about. it is really crippling some of the suburban communities. washing away neighborhoods. more than 300 people are already in area shelters. many others have moved in with family members or friends waiting important the water to recede. that's not going happen for quite some time. and it looks like the mississippi will crest here in memphis. around wednesday. at a near record level of 48 feet, the

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> it is 6:20 right now, 57 degrees outside.o you think some moisture's headed our way? >> chuck said maybe. >> meteorologists say that maybe we'll see -- >> forecasters predict. >> that's right. we were joking about that during the piece, you know, whenever anybody does those weather stories, forecasters say, more sun or whatever -- >> what would you rather them say? >> i don't know, just seems like a bit of a bridge to get from fact "a" to fact "b" in this story. that's just me. inside baseball stuff, really. for us, most of our weekend will be dry. we don't need to worry a whole lot in the way of rain chances, but that being said, there will be an opportunity for some rain to come our way as we head toward the second half of your weekend. late this afternoon, early evening time frame, a drop or two overnight. and then tomorrow, again, maybe a slight little chance of a shower. but again, focus, most of your weekend will be dry. this was the last morning, by the way, kimberly and aaron, this was the last morning for a while tha

nbc bay area's jay gray is in the destruction zone. he joins us now with the very latest. jay, i know you travel all around the world and you've seen many disasters, but this one has to be heart breaking. >> reporter: jessica, it's unbelievable. especially when you see the families that are coming back to homes like this one behind me, what's left of their homes. i've called today joplin moving day, those families moving back in to see what they can salvage, if anything. heavy equipment also moving in to take in some of the larger chunks of debris while severe weather continues to move in on the nation's heartland. violent storms continue to slash across the middle of the country. ripping up property and lives. the latest strike was this afternoon in sedalia, missouri. >> oh, no. >> reporter: a series of tornadoes has caused a deadly path that stretches from texas through oklahoma, arkansas, kansas, and missouri. leaving in its wake more than 130 dead, more than 1,000 injured. the most vicious strike was without question here in joplin missouri. >> we are going to rebuild.

incomes's jay gray. thank you so much from memphis. >>> there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the death of bin laden. including who will take his place. how capable of al qaeda delivering on its promise to avenge his death? that and more coming up. also ahead, more jobs in america. yet, more unemployment. why might yesterday's jobs report encouraging news for those looking for a job. and we are going trackside for a live report at churchill downs. stay with us. don't know what to give her this mother's day? how about a smile? at 1-800-flowers.com, we can design an arrangement that is sure to delight. [ doorbell ] 1-800-flowers. ohh! take our "tote-ally" original, "tote-ally" mom bouquet, a stylish gift that fits her perfectly. this mother's day, don't settle for the ordinary. send a creation that's truly her. call, click or come in, and let us arrange a smile for you this mother's day, starting at $29.99. mom! [ male announcer ] you know mom. mom! [ male announcer ] we know diamonds.

nbc's jay gray joins me now live from memphis to explain what they're seeing. in memphis it's getting much more dire. tell us about the closing along the mississippi and also how large of an impact, jay, does it have on the situation there? >> reporter: a tough go right now. i understand whenever they close a section of the mississippi, thomas, that's going to affect things up and down the river economically. what they've done is shut the river down to barge traffic for a significant portion because they say the wake from those barges is pushing water up and over floodwalls in communities that line the river. look behind me. we're standing along a riverside park. you can see the trees there. the park you'rely extends we ll extends well out into that area. now it's all water. you're looking out at mud island now. many of the businesses there have closed down. a lot of the residents are packing up and preparing to move to higher ground. not so much for fear that water is going to get into their homes, though in some it may, but they're also afraid that as this wa

jay gray, nbc news, joplin, missouri. >>> this morning, a typhoon dumped heavy rain in the quake-ravagedegion of northern japan. typhoon tsonga left flooded streets and stranded vehicles in its wake. it was raining so hard, train services had to be suspended in the area. the storm system has delayed reconstruction efforts following the devastating march 11th tsunami and earthquake. this is the second typhoon to hit japan this year. >>> president obama is expected to introduce his choice for the next chairman of the joint chief of staff today. reports say the president will nominate general martin dempsey for the post. he's currently the chief of staff for the army. if confirmed by the senate, he would replace admiral mike mullen whose term ends september 30th. mullen has been chairman since 2007. >>> it's 5:26 right now. cyberattack hits a bay area company. we'll have details coming up next. >>> plus east bay jails say they have the space but there's another thing preventing them from taking inmates from state prisons. >>> and two homicides in one day in san jose. and no one is in police

nbc's jay gray. thank you, jay. >>> we will return to our coverage of the death of osama bin laden in just a moment with the political implications. will president obama benefit in the long run for his gutsy move to get bin laden? >>> also ahead, it's a matter of trust. more questions about who impakistan might have known about bin laden's hideout and whether the u.s. can really trust islamabad to fight terror? and. >>> and who's next in charge? we'll take take look at who might become the leader and how that might impact the future. [ female announcer ] keurig has over 200 varieties of gourmet coffee and tea to choose from. it's the way to individually brew fresh, delicious coffee in under a minute. way to brew, hon. [ female announcer ] choose. brew. enjoy. keurig. how about a smile? at 1-800-flowers.com, we can design an arrangement that is sure to delight. [ doorbell ] 1-800-flowers. ohh! take our "tote-ally" original, "tote-ally" mom bouquet, a stylish gift that fits her perfectly. this mother's

nbc's jay gray has more. >> reporter: as families -- >> i've got a mess that i've got to clean up. >> reporter: -- and recovery teams continue to sift through six miles of debris in joplin, mixed in with the rubble, many are beginning to uncover an agonizing reality here. >> i think as we've begun to get over the shock of the initial event as we do continue to search and unfortunately find more fatalities, i think we may be going to a second phase of shock realizing the number of folks we've lost. >> reporter: that number is up to 132 today and climbing. there are more than 150 still missing. which is why search and rescue teams continue to look for any signs of life in this debris. >> we will not stop searching for people until the absolute last piece of debris is removed from the last piece of property. >> reporter: though officials warn some of the unaccounted for are in this makeshift morgue. >> we just want to make sure that if we tell somebody that their family member is deceased that we have that accurately. >> reporter: the families that do know are now beginning to say their

jay gray has the latest on another fight against mother nature. >> reporter: the water continues to climb almost as quickly as the concern in memphis. >> what's going to happen? where's it going to top? >> reporter: over 47 feet past its major flood stage and forecasters say on the way to a near-record crest of 48 feet as early as tomorrow night. >> this is all astounding. i mean, it's just overwhelming to see it so high. >> reporter: hundreds have been drawn to the water's edge as it creeps closer to the city. some to take a picture. others to stop and stare. >> i caught a water event. all the people that have lived here all their lives were saying seeing a completely different thing they've seen. >> reporter: they're watching but not waiting here. right now memphis is gained in a full-on fight against the floodwaters. at times it's hand to hand comb combat. other battles waged with heavy equipment. residents in the area say the intersection where the crash happened is notoriously dangerous. >>> have they peaked? after an excruciating streak of rising gas prices, crude oil prices plunged

jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> 9:21 right now. as we sort of shift to talk about things here closer to home, we're looking at a nice day. the temperatures really jumped up in the last couple of hours. >> big-time. a lot of cool spots well down into the 40s, but that has all recovered. and amongst all the other great fun things i was doing all week, went out to ashburn, crayton's corner elementary school. look at this great big sign they made for us. i got a second picture. underneath there, creighton's corner, out in ashburn, virginia, and on each one of the raindrops is the name -- >> a name drop. >> it's a name drop! i just made up another new word! that's perfect. >> our resident mark twain. >> i was out there talking to the fifth grade students and got asked all kinds of great questions, as is usually the case. but this time, a little bit more of an international flair. asked about the floods in pakistan last year, a lot of questions about the earthquake and the tsunami. >> the kids are paying attention. >> boy, are they ever.

jay gray has the latest on cleanup efforts. >> the clean up and recovery continues across the south today. >> i have been in it for four days now, and i still shake my head. >> firefighters would normally go door to door here, but most of the doors are gone now. in some areas there are windows, but for the most part, they must push through the rubble to check on the welfare and safety of the survivors. >> something like this come there is nothing you really cannot do. >> a handshake, a hug. that support mean so much right now to so many. the attack late last week was so swift. >> if it lasted 10 seconds, i would not even give it that long. >> the cruel irony now is that it will take years to recover. timothy king and his family were somehow able to walk away from this mess. >> it is beyond comprehension that we are able to just walk out of here. i have still yet to figure it out. it is the grace of god, that is it. >> they must lean on that faith now as they struggle to deal with what has been left behind. with their lives splintered and spread for miles, the resolve for many here is unsh

jay gray is live at kennedy space center this morning with more on the final countdown. good morning, jay. >> reporter: good morning, laura. less than 30 minutes away from the scheduled launch here. they are working technical issues. the weather is looking spectacular here. all things go as we countdown to the final launch for space shuttle "endeavour." the 25th and final mission. this is an amazing spacecraft and taking a step into history. during the mission, it will deliver $2 billion alpha magnetic spectrometer. all the parts they are taking to the international space station and remember, only two shuttle missions left. they have to get these parts there to keep that station up and running through 2020. there's also a lot of attention to the mission because of what's happening on the ground. gabrielle giffords, the wife of the commander of this mission, mark kelly made the trip from houston yesterday, visiting with him and saying good-bye. she is watching now from a secluded area. she actually tweeted this morning saying good morning. who is ready for the best show o