let's start with kristen dahlgren >> reporter: for the family, it seemed like a good idea to rent bikes today. i i'm drenched >> reporter: two ice cream stops later. >> we're not going make it back any time soon. >> reporter: oppressive heat now stretching coast to coast, with advisories in effect for 146 million americans. >> today just feels hot, looks hot. >> reporter: in the west temperatures soared portland 98. spokane 98 and sacramento 103 degrees. in the midwest, kansas city and st. louis skyrocketed into the 90s with overnight lows remaining well above 80 in springfield, virginia, a 5-year-old died after being left in a car the dome of heat making temperatures dangerous from the midatlantic through new england. >> we can't stay out for too long because it's this hot. >> reporter: here in new york, it's now reached 90 degrees but with the humidity, it feels more like 100, and officials warn tomorrow will be even hotter, potential even a record breaker. an excessive heat warning remains in effect through thursday dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 109 degrees

here is kristen dahlgren >> reporter: 73 million children in the u.s. now at the center of the covid debate, and why covid protocols aren't the same as those for the seasonal flu. >> there are more differences between the seasonal flu and covid-19 than there are similarities the only similarity is they're both airborne. >> reporter: pediatricians say comparisons reveal clear differences on almost every level >> number one, we don't even have a vaccine for our children under the age of 12. >> reporter: two-thirds of american children get the seasonal flu vaccine, and 90% of child flu deaths are among the unvaccinated more children have now died from covid than any flu season in recent memory, about 400 so far on average, between 34 and 200 children die from the seasonal flu each year. as schools return, covid case counts are surging. >> delta is changing the game of what we thought we knew about everything with covid. >> reporter: there were 94,000 new cases in children last week. while hospital rates are tripling icu doctors tell nbc news they're seeing

reporter: a mother's pain a warning as the pandemic again pushes the system beyond its limits kristen dahlgren, nbc news >> our thanks to kristen. when we come back, inspiring america. nurses keeping the youngest safe during the storm. >>> we are coming to you from south rampart street tonight, and that's what the building behind me looked like before the storm. honoring jazz music, the soul of new orleans. and now it's been struck with significant damage as we mention, hospitals have also been hit inside some of the quiet heros of this crisis helping newborns weather their first storm. they were the calm during the monster storm. the nurses inside this neonatal intensive care unit at ochsner baptist health hospital in new orleans volunteering to stay through the night with the babies who desperately needed them the new mothers forced to evacuate. are you proud of your team and your fellow nurses >> i am so proud my team pulls together it doesn't matter what's happening they're going make sure that the babies are taken care of and that their team members are taken care. >> reporter: we met nur

kristen dahlgren tells us what parents need to know. >> reporter: this year back to school shopping lists may have a lot more than pencils and notebooks. >> number one first and foremost is going to be masks. sanitizer. and then the third would be those wipes to really have available to help your teacher out in a classroom setting. >> reporter: with 15% of new covid cases involving children, doctors say it's important to send kids to class with covid supplies >> we're trying to get all the kids back to in-person learning but now we're, you know, challenged by this variant that could cause outbreaks in the school >> reporter: while you can get kn95 masks for children, the best mask is the one your child will wear. make sure it fits well and consider labeling your child's mask clearly so it doesn't get mixed up pack multiple masks so they always have a backup and send a clean resealable bag to put the mask in at lunchtime. the cdc recommends staying three feet apart in school. what about school sports this year >> we know outdoor sports are at lower risk than indoor we do know that you shou

kristen dahlgren has the latest. >> reporter: for this family it seemed like a good idea to rent bike. >> i'm drenched. >> reporter: two ice cream stops later -- >> we're not going to make it back any time soon. >> reporter: oppressive heat stretching coast to coast. heat advisories in effect for 146 million americans. >> it feels hot, looks hot. >> reporter: in the west, temperatures soared, portland, 98, sacramento, 103 degrees. in the midwest, kansas city and st. louis sky rocketed into the 90s with overnight lows remaining well above 80. in springfield, virginia, a 5-year-old died after inc.beingt in a car the dome making it dangerous from the midatlantic to new england. >> we can't stay out for too long because it's it hot. >> reporter: an excessive heat warning remains in effect through thursday dangerously hot conditions with heat index values up to 109 degrees expected in new york a fashion fou if the grips of multiple eat waves with days to go before traes rereef kristen dahlgren, fbs if yous, fork >>> the rapid spread of the delta variant. with many of the worst outbreaks ha

kristen dahlgren, nbc news, middlebury, indiana. >>> coming up. th e i am robert strickler.been involved in communications in the media for 45 years. i've been taking prevagen on a regular basis for at least eight years. for me, the greatest benefit over the years has been that prevagen seems to help me recall things and also think more clearly. and i enthusiastically recommend prevagen. it has helped me an awful lot. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. if you're 55 and up, t-mobile has plans built just for you. switch now and get 2 unlimited lines and 2 free smartphones. and now get netflix on us. it's all included with 2 lines for only $70 bucks! only at t-mobile. what makes new salonpas arthritis gel so good for arthritis pain? salonpas contains the most prescribed topical pain relief ingredient. it's clinically proven, reduces inflammation and comes in original prescription strength. salonpas. it's good medicine. [♪♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control. it's clinically shown to help m

here is kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: at hospitals across the country, the delta variant fueling a surgenant patients. >> this is just a game changer for us. >> reporter: texas dr. jessica erica has seen more pregnant covid patients in the last three weeks, all of them unvaccinated. >> i told my husband i feel like i'm drowning. i cannot breathe. >> reporter: she was three weeks pregnant when admitted to the hospital. at one point her heart stopped. she was on a ventilator and sedated. ten days later she woke up to find out they had delivered her daughter seven weeks premature. >> all i could do is cry. i'm putting my baby in harm's way because it was too hard headed. >> reporter: for month there have been mixed messages. while the cdc said it appears short, they stopped short of encourage it. but in the last week, the world's largest obstetrician groups started recommending vaccines for all pregnant women. 140,000 women have already gotten the vaccine. while safety studies are ongoing, preliminary research has been positive. >> we saw no increased risk of still births, no increased risk

nbc's kristen dahlgren is in new york city with more. >> reporter: good morning, eamon. few more days to get through of this dangerous heat. another blast of punishing heat, from the pacific northwest to new england. some parts of the country seeing their hottest day of the year thursday. >> i might be melting just a little bit. >> i'm burning. >> reporter: washington, d.c., hitting 96 degrees. portland, oregon, topping 103. in redding, california, temperatures soaring to 106 degrees. seattle seeing a high of 95. a blistering reality in a region where summer highs normally hover around the 70s and 80s and many residents don't have air conditioning. >> you're seeing shelves throughout the city sold out of ac units, this is probably not ideal. >> reporter: it's so bad karuna long is closing his restaurant until it passes. >> if i can't take my dog to walk, i'm not having my employees come into work. >> reporter: the high temperatures is tied to climate change, say experts. the severe weather taking a dangerous turn in maryland. 15 kids rescued after hiking along the potoma

kristen dahlgren, nbc news. >>> meanwhile, guys, the european union is recommending member states reinstatetion mandates. they removed the u.s. from what they call a safe list of countries whose residents can travel without requirements like quarantine, like testing. the change is not mandatory. each member state imposes its own travel rules. they choose whether or not to follow those guidelines and then the council updates the safe travel list based on criteria like covid infection levels every two weeks. >> here in the u.s., the department of education has launched a civil rights investigation into whether states that have banned mask mandates are discriminating against students with disabilities who could be at a higher risk for illness from covid. the office of civil rights has opened offices in five staves, iowa, oklahoma, south carolina, tennessee, and utah. all of them have barred requirements to wear masks. federal investigations haven't yet been opened in florida, texas, arkansas, nor arizona because their bans on indoor mask mandates are not currently being enforced. >>> stick aro

kristen dahlgren, thank you so much. >>> and new video to share that came into us just moments ago. those are the conditions on the eastern end of long island. pretty close to where the center of henri passed today. also there, ron allen, who's in montauk, new york for us. what are you feeling? lots of wind or has it pretty much passed? >> we're feeling some rain. some mist. the winds have kind of died down considerably and the feeling is that everything is just very, very soaked and that this rain might continue. there's a lot of clouds, thick clouds still out there and the feeling is that the winds were not as strong or as long as many people feared. remember, this was thought, long island was thought to be the bull's eye. there was concern about the first hurricane here in more than 30 years. well, that did not happen. but of course, tropical storms still cause a lot of damage and a lot of concern like sandy, irene, others. here, as we've been surveying the community, we're not seeing a lot of damage. we're not seeing a lot of power outages. a lot of people here are breathing a s

kristen dahlgren is there. >> reporter: flash flooding could be a threat overnight especially to the west of where we are here in connecticut four nursing homes had to be evacuated. 250 residents moved as the storm was approaching. with winds clocking over 50 miles per hour, massachusetts, trees didn't stand a chance. further inland roads turning treacherous. a damaging blow from henri as it winds down and moves out >> can't get out quick enough. kathy, thank you. >>> let's find out where henri is now and what's ahead for us nbc's janessa webb is reporting from the tip of long island out in montauk >> reporter: i'm getting lucky this morning where the behavior of the storm system has been up and down and ifyou're across new york city, washington, d.c., philadelphia you are seeing the brunt of this system right now yes, it has been downgraded to a tropical depression. the impacts though, they are still the same flash flood advisories and watches. they are still in place across new york city to the philadelphia area and even southern new england throughout the afternoon. look at some o

our kristen dahlgren is there. >> reporter: flooding is also an issue even as some places begin to breathe a sigh of relief. flash flooding could be a threat overnight, especially to the west of where we are and here in connecticut four nursing homes had to be evacuated. 250 residents moved as the storm was approaching. with winds clocking over 50 miles per hour in massachusetts, trees didn't stand a chance. and further inland roads turning treacherous. a damaging blow from henri as it winds down and moves out >> all right, kathy, thank you >>> flash flooding took a very tragic turn in tennessee a huge rainstorm there has left at least 21 people and an urgent search continues this morning for at least 20 more who are still accounted for. nbc's vaughn hillyard is in tennessee. >> reporter: heavy rains beared down in the heart of tennessee 17 inches. causing floods that turned deadly >> well, the water was -- had such tremendous force. i mean, it looked like -- i've been whitewater rafting and i've never been down water like that. that's how the water was coming down >> reporter: at least 21

kristen dahlgren is there. >> flooding is issue as some places again to breathe sigh of relief, flashoding could still be a threat west of where we are. and four nursing homes had to be evacuated, 250 residents moved as storm was approaching. >> reporter: with winds clocking over 50 miles an hour in massachusetts, trees didn't stand a chance. further inland, roads turning treacherous, a damaging blow from henri as it winds down and moves out. >> other side of the coin, flooded street in connecticut neighborhood turned into skim boarder's playground. nearby creek overflowed from tropical storm henri. young man had a heck of a day in middle of all that water. >>> new at 11:00, signs cryptocurrency market is rebounding. bitcoin hit $50,000 today, more than three month high. in april all-time high more than $64,000 but sold off heavily in june and july, dipping below $30,000 at one point. other digital coins are also higher now. >>> back to school season. including college. circumstances can derail student's semester. a way to protect the investment. >> reporter: a lesson college students

kristen dahlgren has more. >> reporter: hey there.ling some effects here in new bedford, massachusetts, but thing have been getting better as we've got through the afternoon here. if you look out in the distance, by the lighthouse there's an opening for the harb ore. earlier today, they had that closed. the harbor was closed. it has since you opened. while the ferries that go from here to nantucket still aren't running, there's a possibility they may -- we're still seeing the chop, some rain come down in advance here. the biggest concern is probably -- the numbers are climbing over 10,000, possibly into the tens of thousands. think about it, you've got really saturated gowned from a rainy, rainy summer. also tree branches down. >>> we want to bring in a former fema administrator, thanks for joining us on this. let's talk through your experience here you full well know and prepared for sandy. i think probably because this stayed a tropical system. where i don't think we'll see the lost of life like we did from saechbd, but power outage

kristen dahlgren has more on an athlete that has overcome the unthinkable to set her sights on paralympicnger swimming because i would ask for harder workouts. >> reporter: determination that she soon had to draw on outside the pool when a rare genetic disorder restricted blood flow essentially killing the bones in her lower leg. >> there wasn't anything they could do except amputate it. i would sob every single night it was, like, you didn't want that to be your future >> she lost more than a leg. >> i didn't think i would ever swim again >> reporter: but then morgan found the para-games and rediscovered her love for the pool >> for me, that was my spark of hope >> reporter: life seemed back on track. she won para nationals, was at the olympic training center in colorado when for a second time, it all came crashing down. the disorder was affecting her remaining leg. she would have to lose that too. >> it's unimaginable >> there were times it was excruciating when she was screaming out. so that's difficult to watch your child be in so much pain. >> reporter: now a double amputee, swimming

building in miami ordered to evacuate after city officials deemed it an unsafe structure nbc's kristen dahlgrenoins us with the very latest on this kristen, what can you tell us? >> reporter: good morning, craig. well, the building has 137 units. officials say that many of the residents are old. they say some of them even have covid. all of them were told to get out so that engineers can shore up five or six columns they worry may be at risk of failure. overnight, a miami condo building evacuated over safety fears. after the devastating surfside building collapse in miami beach spotlighted condo safety residents of this building were told to leave on short notice after officials ruled it an unsafe building. >> we have a lot of elderly owners here that have no place to go. some of them have covid. some of them cannot walk >> reporter: the condo building was added to miami's unsafe buildings list earlier in the summer after an inspection >> so the first day we found that notice, i came home from work and i started crying. >> reporter: miami's building director said the building started to make re

>> thanks to you, morgan chesky, kristen dahlgren, more pregnant women now are being urged to get vaccinateder some concerns about side effects earlier. you spoke to a mom who regretted not getting the shot. tell us about that. >> right. she has such a harrowing story, andrea. you know, we know that being pregnant puts you at risk of complicated covid and it's frightening for moms on whether or not to get the vaccine. it is safe for pregnant women and stopped short of encouraging it and now obstetrician groups are saying they are encouraging all women, all pregnant women to get the covid vaccine. 140,000 pregnant women have already gotten the vaccine and they say the data that they're seeing from them shows that there is no risk of severe complications. as you said, we spoke with one mom and she decided not to get the vaccine and she got covid back in april in the beginning of may and she was hospitalized and she almost died and here's what she had to say about that. >> i toll my husband i feel like i'm drowning. all i can do is cry saying i'm putting my baby in harm's way because i was just

first, kristen dahlgren is keeping an eye on the heat from new york's riverside park. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. let's start with good news. there is an end in sight. but for much of the country, still a few more days to get through of this dangerous heat. another blast of punishing heat from the pacific northwest to new england, some parts of the country seeing their hottest day of the year thursday. >> i might be melting a little bit. >> i'm burning. >> reporter: washington, d.c., hitting 96 degrees. portland, oregon, 103. in reading, california, temperatures soaring to 106 degrees. seattle seeing a high of 95. a blistering reality in a region where summer highs normally hover around the 70s and 80s. and many residents don't have air conditioning >> when you're seeing shelves all throughout the city get sold out of ac units, i'm like, you know, this is probably not ideal. >> reporter: it's so bad this man is closing his restaurant until the heat wave passes >> if i can't take my dog out on a walk, i'm not going to have my employees come in and work >> r

al is standing by with the forecast, but first, nbc's kristen dahlgren is at the beach on coney island here in new york with more on the problems caused by the heat. kristen. >> reporter: good morning, sheinelle. yeah, another soupy one. about half of americans under some type of heat advisory or warning and places like seattle could see records broken today this morning, blistering temperatures have millions sweating it out across the country. >> can't wait to get home and get into my ac. >> reporter: out west, dangerously hot conditions, excessive heat warnings, for washington state, northern california, and oregon in portland, soaring to triple digits officials urging people who don't have air conditioning to get to cooling centers a string of heat advisories also spanning across the central and eastern u.s. >> it's real hot, thinking about today. >> reporter: in houston, st. louis, washington, d.c. and new york, triple-digit temperatures are expected. >> it's almost like walking through water. like it's just so humid you hit a wall. >> reporter: in nebraska drake geiger died after

let's get to kristen dahlgren first who is in central park under a rare excessive heat warning this morningristen, good morning to you >> reporter: good morning, savannah some new yorkers getting in their early morning workouts before the heat gets too oppressive that alert was issued for today and tomorrow temperatures could feel as hot as 105 degrees, but it's not just here in the northeast this heat expected to stretch across the country this morning, sweltering conditions threatening millions from coast to coast. >> this is dangerous heat and humidity >> reporter: in new york city, a rare excessive heat warning in effect >> the next few days are not just your regular hot summer day in new york. they will be extremely dangerously hot and people need to take precautions. >> reporter: boston's acting mayor declaring a heat emergency through the end of the week. >> please stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids, especially water >> reporter: and it's not just the east out west, people from washington state to northern california are expecting scorching temperatures soaring into the triple

our kristen dahlgren is there. >> reporter: flood is an issue even as some places begin to breath a sighad to be evacuated. 250 residents moved as the storm was approaching. >> reporter: with winds clock being over 50 miles per hour massachusetts trees didn't stand a chance. further inland roads turning treacherous. a damaging road from henri as it winds down and moves out. >> reporter: heavy rains beared down in the heart of tennessee, 17 inches, causing floods that turned deadly. >> the water had such tremendous force. it looked like -- i have been whitewater rafting and never been down water like that. that's how the water was coming down. >> reporter: among those killed two doddlers. national guard in other state and emergency teams tried to account for those missing. knocked out cell service and mass power outages complicating loved ones efforts to find each other. >> there was a house right here. the woman and children were on top of the roof waiting for someone to come help them. >> reporter: homes, cars and roads wiped out as residents clung on for life. what did the storm look l

nbc's kristen dahlgren explains. >> reporter: at hospitals across the country, the delta variant fueling more hospitalized pregnant patients in the past three weeks than the entire pandemic combined, all of them unvaccinated. >> i told my husband, i feel like i'm drowning. i cannot breathe. >> reporter: she was 33 weeks pregnant when she was admitted to the hospital with covid. at one point her heart stopped, she was on a ventilator and sedated. ten days later she woke up to find out they had delivered her daughter seven weeks premature. >> all i could do was cry, saying, i'm putting my baby in harm's way because i was just too hard-headed not to get the vaccine. >> reporter: for months there have been mixed messages about the vaccine for pregnant women. while the cdc said it appeared safe, they stopped short of encouraging it. but in the past week, the world's largest obstetrician groups began recommending the vaccine for pregnant women. 40% of pregnant women have already gotten the vaccine. studies have been positive. >> we've seen no increased rick of stillbirth, no increased risk of