lana zak joins us right now. lana: good afternoon. president trump is currently deciding whether or not to declare a state of emergency in advance of hurricane harvey making landfall. that is expected to happen in about se

michelle: lana zak begins abc7's team coverage now from houston. lana: president donald trump and first lady melania arrived in corpus christi to receive a briefing on the flood. >> this is of epic proportion. >> nobody has seen anything like this. >> many of the officials present told the president recovery is just beginning. >> recovery is a slow process. rest assured we are doing everything we can. >> in houston, epic rescue effort continues around the clock to save people trapped by rising floodwaters. this man stuck on top of his car waited for crews on a dinghy to take him to high ground. we saw shelters beyond capacity. >> we are not going to turn people away. >> emergency shelter in the convention center in downtown

lana zak joins us live where the storm is headed. it is not just the flooding, people dealing with the threat of tornadoes. reporter: that is right. we have had reports of at least eight tornadoes touching down. many of them as houston. we have been issued an emergency flood warning in the houston area. they are concerned about those waters that continue to rise in the rivers and by use. kimberly: -- and bayous. ki like? reporter: the pouring rain has stopped for a second. five minutes ago, it was coming down in sheets. because the rain to come so weekly, the ground is saturated. we have heard the colorado river may actually reach a historic flood level. we understand other rivers are coming close as well. not a lot of rain, but a brief little break. thanks.: let's check in with molly. the sky lighting up behind her. molly: the amount of lightning is incredible. the tornado threat continues until 2:00 in the morning. a huge flood threat. this rain is going to continue into wednesday. it was downgraded from a hurricane. that doesn't m

lana zak reports. lana: in an angry, defensive scree, president trump tried to shift the blame for charlottesville. president trump: i got the white supremacists, the neo-nazi, i got them all in there, kkk. i got them all. lana: for nearly half an hour of his 75-minute speech -- president trump: they are bad people. i really think they don't like our country. lana: the president said the media was to blame. president trump: you want to discover the source of the division in our country, look no further than the fake news and the cricket media -- crooked media. president trump: to tell the truth, i'm an honest person. what i'm saying, you know is exactly right. lana: as the president read his statements, he left out his two most controversial points. president trump: displays of hate, bigotry, violence on many sides. on many sides. people -- very fine people -- on both sides. arpaio --iff president trump: do the people in this room like sheriff joe? lana: the divisions in the country were on display just

. >> nbc's lana zak is in the thick of it. good morning, lana. >> reporter: thank you very much. good morning. i'm trying hard not to be blown over. a band of punishing rains is launching an assault in houston. there is a tremendous need. the red cross is asking for all assistance in the city of houston. in the need of medical professionals, nurses, doctors, mental health professionals and social workers. the convention center is beyond capacity. expected to host 5,000 refugees, but that number was quickly exceeded. >> this is what katrina was like. >> reporter: thousands alived by busloads, even by dump truck. >> please proceed into the shelter. >> reporter: lorena was rescued with her four children. >> i'm trying to hold it together for them. >> reporter: she how long they will be here. were you able to get a cot? >> we didn't. not net. >> reporter: there's an outpouring of generosity. but it is dwarfed by the need. >> we lost everything in our apartment. >> reporter: the water and air rescues continue. as millions of gallons of water are being released from reservoirs. >> ther

lana zak joining us from houston. and we'll have another live report from lana a little late other on. >>> houston hospitals are facing several challenges that may be making things tough to stay open. two critical issues. getting staff to and from work and getting splice. >> two have decided to evacuate patients. bayshore is moving patients. it's also suspending services, including the 24 hour medical emergency service center. and bens hob canceled treatments. so many people trapped in their homes, including this paraplegic girl. we spoke on the phone with wendy waterman. she and nearly two dozen of her neighbors are in her house waiting for water to recede. >> it's like a movie. we were outside, would see one helicopter fly by in one direction, another fly by in another direction. we heard boats. but when we were outside, you would go in the front yard, in the back yard, and you would see one or the other, a helicopter lowering someone down to save them. this was going on for a good couple hours. >> are you planning

lana zak, abc news, washington. >>> our thanks to lana there. and the president offered few details on how his approach would significantly different from his predecessor's. but his speech is getting positive reactions from some rps. >> the president is also facing plunging poll numbers specifically related to his handling of charlottesville, and his opening words still show that that's on his mind. ali, i want to start with this new war plan. is it new actually, and what's the general reaction? it sounds some positive. >> there's a saying the more things change the more they stay the same. that is a lot of the reaction from democrats and republicans there wasn't a whole lot the president said in tonight's speech that president obama also didn't say when he decided to put his mark on the afghanistan strategy, when he came into office in 2009. some of the reaction from republicans today, as you mentioned, there's just not that many specifics in this plan. so it's hard for democrats and republicans to comment, specifically, about what they thought

lana zak joining us from houston. we'll have another live report from lana later on in the next half hour. >>> houston area hospitals in the meantime are facing several challenges that may be making things tough to stay open. two critical issues, getting staff to and from work, and the delivery of supplies. >> at least two area hospitals have already decided to evacuate patients. bay shore medical center is moving nearly 200 patients to several other hospitals in the area. it's also suspending services, including its 24-hour emergency medical center. >> and one hospital there, ben taub, canceled the evacuation of 200 patients because the roads are too difficult to travel there. we spoke on the phone with wendy waterman. she and two dozen other people are waiting for water to recede. >> we would see one helicopter fly by, another helicopter fly in another direction. we heard boats. but when we were outside, you would go in the front yard and the backyard, and you would see one or the other, a helicopter lowering someone

lana zak joins us right now. lana: good afternoon. president trump is currently deciding whether or not to declare a state of emergency in advance of hurricane harvey making landfall. that is expected to happen in about se it is starting to get real. >> the winds are ripping and the rain is falling and the water is getting choppy. this is nothing what coastal residents will experience after hurricane harvey hits laterment to. >> we are dealing with human life. >> massive flooding, three feet of rain in some areas. storm surges that are projected to reach 12 feet. whyspread power out -- widespread power outages. >> the power could be off for three to seven days. >> evacuations are in effect. the measure heard over and over again don't risk it. >> the storm could change. they are not going to risk the rescue. >> tell drivers to prepare. >> in corpus christi the tiniest new residents relocated. they are tweeting praise for the support team evacuating the nicu there. >> in houston there are a lot of concrete. that plus the massive rainfal

. >> let's start off with the lana zak live with the latest. lana? lana: >> good evening.he need is profound. the air and the water continue. >> the fourth largest city is under water. more rain to come. four felt of rain in some areas. this interstate is a river. this is hobby airport. before harvey and now. the army corps of engineers releasing the water from the dams filling up too fast. people down river were told to evacuate. the governor activating the national guard ordering 9,000 more troops to assist 3,000 on the ground. >> something fell off a night stand. i woke us up. >> shelters rapidly. >> people receiving cheer from batman and his son. >> the city needs a hero. we have to help the city. >> more continue to come. evacuees at hotels to find there are so more rooms. >> so much tried to take advantage and prayed on the homes and the businesses. one person asking for help. showing pictures of the looters unpunished. >> the people stream in here by the thousands. there were 4,000 people here. 5,000 is the capacity and they believe they will reach it tonight. jonat

lana zak is in houston with some of the evacuees. >> reporter: good evening. so much generosity here but the need is so great. here in houston and elsewhere, officials and the red cross are calling for additional assistance. they ask for volunteers particularly anybody with medical training. >> houston's george r. brown convention center is beyond capacity. originally planned to host 5,000 can haves that number was quickly exceeded but the red cross doesn't want to turn anyone away. >> this is what katrina was like. >> reporter: thousands arrived by bus load and dump truck. for many the only possessions the damp clothes on their bodies. everything else is gone. >> please proceed into the shelter. >> reporter: lorena campos was lifted from rising waters with her four children. >> i'm trying to hold it together for them. >> reporter: she doesn't know how long they will be here. >> have not gotten a cot. >> reporter: jenn ross ritity dwarfed by the need. >> bedon't have anything. it's just really unfortunate reporter. the water and air rescues continue. >> anybod

lana zak, abc news, washington. >>> well, now to the eclipse. we waited 38 years for the great american eclipse and millions came out to watch the spectacle. abc news reporter maggie ruehle is in charleston, south carolina, the last state to see this celestial phenomenon. >> reporter: we were some of the last people in the u.s. to see the great american eclipse and the crowds here in charleston, well, we sent it off in style. >> the best part was when it kept getting smaller and smaller and smaller. >> reporter: the young and just born and the young at heart. >> i was trying to be part of this. i don't know if i'm going to have a chance to see it again. >> reporter: the canine and feline. after so much participation, the moon arrived right on schedule. >> appreciate that we're able to predict it and understand it to within fractions of a second. >> reporter: as totality sped across the u.s. at an average of 1800 miles an hour, americans from coast to coast ooed and ahed. >> i have goosebumps literally. i've never seen anything like it. >> the sp

lana zak in houston with the new information as president trump gets look at the devastation. >> president trump and first lady melania arrived in corpus christi to receive a briefing on >> this is of epic proportion. nobody has seen this. >> recovery is just beginning. >> recovery is a slow process. rest assured we are doing everything we can. >> the police chief announced the death of one of the officers who drowned while driving to work. >> it was too treacherous to go under and look for them. >> they are looking to save the people trapped by rising floodwaters. this man on top-his car waiting. we saw the shelters filled beyond capacity. >> the emergency shelter in downtown houston meant to help 5,000 people. it's now almost doubled that. beyond capacity at nearly 9,000 and growing. the mayor promised more shelters will open and has requested more cots. to make matters worse a pair of reservoir dams built houston overflowing the levees. adding to the rising floodwater. others are releasing at twice the normal rate. five consecutive days of rain set a record in the continental united sta

lana zak is there in the rain. it looks like it's not really letting up. what's the latest? >> it really is not. good morning, kendis and diane. some parts of harris county has three feet of rain. that's record breaking, certainly. it's all the more concerning when you realize that the water doesn't stay stationary. it pools. it has been pooling in reservoirs, bayous, levees here in houston and the gulf coast. they are oversaturated. we saw that on the first day of the tropical storm. as a result today, many -- yesterday, rather, two of the reservoirs had to have planned releases of the water there. that affected thousands of homes with additional flooding. that was a necessary precaution that officials needed to take to relieve some of the pressure from the dams. those dams broke, we wouldn't be talking about even more serious circumstances. that's part of the reason why we have seen so many evacuees continue to pour in throughout the day, overnight. and the rescues just continue. people calling in saying the rainwaters, as you can see, have been unrelenting. and the winds

. >> abc's lana zak is in the thick of it. you can still hear and see the rain coming down on her. lana. >> reporter: good morning, kendz condition and diane, i'm trying hard not to be blown over at this very moment. another band of punishing rain launching an assault here in houston. and there is such tremendous need out here. the red cross is asking for all assistance in the city of houston. like so many others, are in the special need of medical professionals, nurses, doctors, mental health professionals and social workers. houston's george r. brown convention center is beyond capacity. originally planned to host 5,000 evacuees, that number was quickly exceeded but the red cross doesn't want to turn anyone away. >> honestly, this is what katrina looked like. >> reporter: thousands of evacuees arrived by bus load, even by dump truck. for many, their only possessions are the damp clothes on their bodies. everything else is gone. >> laura campos was lifted by our four children. >> i'm trying to get -- you know, hold it together for them. >> reporter: she doesn't know how long they w

reporting from washington, lana zak channel6 "action news." >> and we'll have much more on the trump tensions with north korea. that's coming up on world news tonight with david muir right here on "action news." >> well, five days after a woman was run over and killed in center city, police have released a picture of the person of interest. this is the man right here and the vehicle they are looking for. anne broderick was crossing the 1300 block of race street sunday morning when that white jeep rubicon hit her and kept going. police say the vehicle was captured on surveillance cameras after the crash driving through the city. the jeep rubicon has a very distinct look. it has black fenders big tires and a white top. >> we did not recover any car parts on the scene. so, there might not be that much damage to the vehicle. there may be a dent in the vehicle from where the impact occurred. >> and here's one last look at the person of interest and the jeep involved in that deadly hit-and-run. if you recognize either, please call philadelphia police. >> surveillance video captured a robbe

we get more from lana zak. >> reporter: after meeting with veterans in reno. >> reporter: president trump has returned back to the white house with a budget fight looming in washington. >> believe me, if we have to close down our government, we're building that wall. >> reporter: previously, president trump had promised voters that mexico would pay for the border wall. now the president is threatening a government shutdown if congress doesn't fund it. the president issued the threat during a campaign rally in which he relitigated his response to charlottesville. >> here's what i said on saturday. we're closely following the terrible events unfolding in charlottesville, virginia. >> reporter: but he omitted his two most controversial points. >> on many sides, on many sides. you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides. >> reporter: instead, blame being the media for the charlottesville fallout. >> if you want to discover the source of the division in our country, look no further than the fake news and the crooked media. >> reporter: but the majority of americans think that

abc news reporter lana zak has the latest from houston. >> reporter: good evening, dan and ama. there's been so much generosity here but the need is so great here in houston and elsewhere. officials and the red cross are calling for additional assistance. they ask for volunteers, particularly anybody with medical training. >> houston's george r. brown convention center is beyond capacity. originally planned to host 5,000 evacuees, that number was quickly exceeded but the red cross doesn't want to turn anyone away. >> honestly, this is what katrina was like. >> reporter: thousands of evacuees arrived by bus load and dump truck. for many, the only possessions are the damp clothes on their bodies, everything else is gone. >> please proceed into the shelter. >> reporter: lorena campos was lifted by chopper from rising floodwaters with her four children. >> i'm trying to hold it together for them. >> reporter: she doesn't know how long they will be here. >> i mean -- >> reporter: were you able to get a cot? >> we didn't, we haven't yet. >> reporter: there's been an out pouring of gen

reporting live from houston, lana zak. >> as she pointed out, it's not over yet. drew tuma is reporting on a warm-up for here in the bay area. >> feet of rain in the gulf, but back here at home, it is all about dangerous heat today and even a hotter air moves in tomorrow. the numbers ahead in the accuweather forecast. >>> plus a special field trip for dozens of bay area girls sending a message of equality. >>> and -- >> do you remember me? >> how far would you drive to pick up your best friend? >>> more than a hundred peninsula school children marked a milestone in the fight for equal rights today. abc news was at the rosie the riveter and women's equality day. in 1920 congress passed the 19th amendment which gave women the right to vote. congress declared women's equality day in 1971. >> women were really, in some respects, treated like chattel and told that either their father or their husband would be responsible for voting for their interests. >> it's great that we have places like this where we can go and learn more about what women did so you can just -- it

abc's lana zak joins us from houston. good morning. >> reporter: certainly, we all rejoiced when we saw the sun peek out for the very first time. to give you perspective of how much rain we've gotten in harris county, more than a trillion gallons, the equivalent of 15 niagara falls. so you can imagine how elated people are here despite all the hardships that lie ahead for so many people at the first glimmer of hope, according to houston officials. they say one of the first times, they are starting to see the reservoirs and bayous receding. for the first time since harvey roared into town, the sun peeked out of houston's sky for just a few minutes. it was a brief moment of hope after five days of record-breaking rain and devastation. there have been at least nine confirmed deaths, including houston police officer, steve perez. he drowned in floodwaters two d days shy of his 61st birthday. >> it was too treacherous to go under and look for him. >> reporter: the official tally of rescues topping 13,000. but the actual number

abc news reporter lana zak has the latest from houston. >> reporter: good evening, dan and ama. there's been so much generosity here but the need is so great here in houston and elsewhere. officials and the red cross are calling for additional assistance. they ask for volunteers, particularly anybody with medical training. >> houston's george r. brown convention center is beyond capacity. originally planned to host 5,000 evacuees, that number was quickly exceeded but the red cross doesn't want to turn anyone away. >> honestly, this is what katrina was like. >> reporter: thousands of evacuees arrived by bus load and dump truck. for many, the only possessions are the damp clothes on their bodies, everything else is gone. >> please proceed into the shelter. >> reporter: lorena campos was lifted by chopper from rising floodwaters with her four children. >> i'm trying to hold it together for them. >> reporter: she doesn't know how long they will be here. >> i mean -- >> reporter: were you able to get a cot? >> we didn't, we haven't yet. >> reporter: there's been an out pouring of gen

reporting live from houston, lana zak, back for you. >> laura anthony is in houston helping shoulder some of the reporting duties for our sister station enabling their reporters to tend to their families and homes. laura is traveling with a convoy of boats heading to neighborhood where rescues are needed and joins us live from richmond, texas, just outside houston. laura. >> reporter: hi, kristen. this scene is, unfortunately, playing out all over this area. this is richmond, texas, just outside houston to the west. this is a very hard-hit neighborhood today. we've been watching this scene unfold all day. you can see the boats. these are many of them civilians boats going in, taking people out. these are folks who may have been resting easy a day or so ago because the water hadn't gotten to them yet but it certainly did get here overnight and into today though at this point we're thinking it's receding a little bit. let show you some of the rescues that occurred here this morning. we've seen whole families come out. we've seen babies, small children. many of these folks just coming o

. >> let's start off with the lana zak live with the latest. lana? lana: >> good evening.he need is profound. the air and the water

lana zak reports that president trump changed his tone and called for national unity as the nation struggles with divisions following violence in charlottesville. lana: president trump promised changes. >> i will sign another historic bill that the american legion help us deliver the veterans appeals improvement and modernization >> this is a subject reignited in charlottesville. >> you will not -- >> less than 24 hours earlier a different donald trump on display on a campaign rally in phoenix. president trump: they are trying to take away our culture. they are trying to take away our history. and our weak leaders do it overnight. lana: the president sought to reit rate his remarks about charlottesville specifically. >> i said saturday we are closely following the terrible events unfold in charlottesville, virginia. >> but he admitted the two controversial points. president trump: violence on many sides. on many sides. you also had people that were very fine people on both sides. lana: and instead blamed the media for the charlottesville fallout. >> if you want to discover the source of the

lana zak has more on the path of destructi city is under water. more rain to come.feet of rain predicted in some areas. people are on top of the submerged mailboxes. the interstate now a river. this is hobby before harvey and now. catastrophe is about to get worse. the dams are filling up too fast. people down the river told to evac it. the governor activating the national guard to order 9,000 more troops to assist the 3,000 already on the ground. >> hundred of rescuers in boats, helicopters and the trucks saving animals and the people from the rising floodwaters. >> the water was coming in fast. >> shelters filling up rapidly. >> 2900 people seeking refuge and receiving cheer from batman and his so

reporting from houston, lana zak, abc news. >> lana, thank you. >>> president trump and first lady melania are set to travel to texas tomorrow. the administration has not yet released specific details about the trip but we are expected to hear from the president within the next half hour when he holds a joint news conference with the president of finland. >>> texas governor greg abbott praised the government's help so far and says he's looking forward to hosting the president. >> and what i would like to hear from him is his understanding of the magnitude of the damage that texas has faced because it's not just the houston area but also the corpus christi area where the hurricane first came across the shore of the state of texas. this is going to be a very long term project helping texas dig out. >> hurricane harvey is the first major natural disaster of the trump presidency. "action news" will bring you today's news conference just as soon as it gets under way. >> this storm is causing so much massive damage because it's essentially stuck in one place continuously swirling over the housto

reporting from houston, lana zak channel6 "action news." >> all right, lana thank you. >>> as the storm gets closer we are watching and waiting to see if the many oil refineries in the gulf will be damaged. now here in our area aaa midatlantic is keeping a very close eye on what happens there because it could affect our gas prices here. >> if production pipes were so heavily damaged that our region were to send gasoline to texas to help them recover, that would put the squeeze on our gasoline supply and then our prices may go up. >> something to keep in mind. gas prices are expected to jump up soon regardless of the hurricane. that's because we are close to the time when gas stations switch to the more expensive winter blend of gasoline. >>> now let's get the very latest on harvey from meteorologist melissa magee. >> she's in the weather center tracking the storm as it moves closer. >> hi, monica and brian. this is something we will be tracking as we head into the weekend and for the days to come. here's the very latest with hurricane harvey. as you mentioned it has been upgraded to a c

abc's lana zak is in that washington with more on that tonight. >> reporter: good evening, rick.nt insists that the 17 days that he is spending away from the oval office are not part of a vacation and if you watch his twitter feed it's clear that at least on social media, it is business as usual. president trump launched another twitter war this time taking aim at democratic senator richard blumenthal sponsoring legislation that would protect robert mueller from being unilaterally fired by president trump. on cnn senator blumenthal criticized the president who then quickly followed up with a series of attacks on twitter writing interesting to watch senator richard blumenthal. he was a vietnam con artist and never in utz history has anyone lied or defrauded voters like senator richard blumenthal. back in 2010 blumenthal apologized for saying he served in vietnam but he served during a conflict but was stationed in the united states. blumenthal says the president is trying to deflect attention from the real issue. >> our national security and rule of law are at stake and i am not g