in the u.s., americans with loved ones in the philippines, like jeannette branscom of virginia, anxiously await word. >> it's hard. no sleep. you know, just sitting around, waiting. hoping that i would hear something. >> reporter: in los angeles overnight, california families welcomed home storm survivors back to the u.s. >> i was scared. i thought, i'm not coming back. >> i appreciate family that's still over there. and the ones we have here. that's really all we have. >> it's good. i miss them so much. >> reporter: back in the philippines, just when it seemed things couldn't get any worse, a new, far weaker tropical storm made landfall. and word this morning of a small earthquake. tahman bradley, abc news, washington. >>> and back here, now. a north carolina man has been charged with attempting to help an al qaeda-linked group in syria. basit sheikh is alleged to have posted messages on facebook and communicated with an fbi informant about his plans to join a group the u.s. considers terrorists. now, he was arrested at the airport just before leaving for the region. >>> in other news th