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i think this is an exceptionally victorious day for us all. >> reporter: for "nightline," i'm mike von fremd in salt lake city. >> and our thanks to mike von fremd for that report. >>> when we come back how far some women will go to look good in torturous heels. we examine the growing trend of plastic surgery for the feet. if you live for performance, upgrade to castrol edge advanced synthetic oil. with eight times better wear protection than mobil 1. castrol edge. it's more than just oil. it's liquid engineering. exchange traded funds. some firms offer them "commission free." problem is they limit the choice of etfs to what makes financial sense to them. td ameritrade doesn't limit you to one brand of etfs... they offer more than 100... each selected by investment experts at morningstar associates. only at the etf market center at td ameritrade. before investing carefully consider the fund's investment objectives, risks, charges, and expenses. contact td ameritrade for a prospectus containing this and other information. read it carefully before investing. [ female announcer ] skin this soft

mike von fremd, abc news, highland, california. >>> earlier this week, we showed you san diego's qualcomm stadium. it was a watery, muddy mess because of all the rain in that region. the race was on to get ready for last night's college bowl game. >> they pumped 1.5 million gallons of rainwater out. it was a little slippery for players from san diego state and navy. by the way, san diego state won, 35-14. >>> we're following a developing story in india this morning, where a terror alert is underway in the city of mumbai. police say they have credible evidence, four men are trying to carry out an attack like the one that struck the city in 2008. nearly 200 people died in that incident. now, an intense manhunt is under way for the men, who all belong to a pakistani-based terror group. >>> italian investigators believe anarchists were behind two mail bomb attacks in rome. workers at the swiss and chilean embassies were hurt when they opened the packages. miguel marquez is in the italian capital. >> reporter: the first bomb exploded around noon. an embassy employee opening a small package, ab

and mike von fremd on this christmas eve, the homecomings that have left many in tears. >> reporter: families lined up for a chance to see what remains of their homes. one look in the window is more than monica morton could bear. >> it's all right. >> what are we going to do? we have no place to go. >> reporter: claudine rushed to get all of her prescriptions. her house may be full of mud, but she's grateful she survived. >> i'm so lucky. i'm the luckiest person you'll ever see. >> reporter: everywhere, people were dashing out the door with bags of gifts. did you get most of the christmas presents? >> most of them, yeah. we still have a lot more stuff. >> reporter: families are making some very tough decisions. they have only a precious two hours to collect their belongings. then, it's once again, a mandatory evacuation area. firefighters helped 78-year-old jenny over the ladder to her home. >> you know, compared to these other houses, we're doing okay. >> reporter: boots the cat is also just fine tonight. >> we heard him crying yesterday and then today he wasn't making any noise. an

mike von fremd has been with those families for more than a week now. and he starts us off again tonight from highland, california. mike, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. as you see, we are flooded yet again here in highland, and the second storm has washed even more mud here. and there is now misery all across the state. it is a furious effort to pile more sandbags, as residents watch the water rising into their homes for the second time in two weeks. >> i had about 2 1/2, 3 feet of mud come through the back door into the house. >> reporter: california inmates assigned to help with the disaster almost have leslie best's living room cleaned out. but the kitchen is still a mud pit. this is pretty rough as far as sinking in. with this fresh storm, there are fresh fears that these hills could give way again. bulldozers cleaning the streets now leave a wake of water behind them. the storm brought wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour, knocking over this oak tree that instantly killed gail falco, camping in her tent north of san francisco. her 7-y

mike von fremd continues our weather coverage in highland, california, tonight. mike? >> reporter: good evening, david. volunteers are frantically working to try and dig out these buried trucks and homes. and experts are testing the limits of the storm drains to see if these vulnerable areas can withstand what is expected to be a one-two punch. for the volunteers, it's a tough task to clear the mountain of debris without doing more damage to the homes and cars beneath. >> we shoveled a lot today. >> reporter: how does your back feel? >> right now, okay. in a couple of hours, maybe another story. >> reporter: thousands of sandbags have been stacked to protect the community. engineers estimate 50,000 cubic yards of debris plugged this storm basin. it has been cleaned and tested today to see if the water will flow, instead of flood. a second storm is forecast to hit tonight. >> i think it's going to be a mess. hopefully there's no more damage. doesn't undo what we've already done. >> reporter: shell-shocked homeowners who have been evacuated say they don't know how things

mike von fremd has the story. >> reporter: this courageous 23-year-old woman was unafraid to confront the man who she says put her through nine months of hell. she was taken by knife point when she was just 14 years old. >> i'm so thrilled with the verdict but not only that, i'm so thrilled to stand before the people of america today and give hope to other victims who have not spoken out about their crime. >> reporter: in his prison jump suit, brian david mitchell sang hymns loudly as the verdict was read. elizabeth and her family looked satisfied as they heard guilty on both counts. her father, ed smart, never gave up hope. >> it's real. >> reporter: when she was found alive, everyone called it a miracle. but worried if she would ever psychologically recover. the five-week trial seems to have answered that question, with her family in the courtroom, elizabeth, with unshakable courage, answered excruciating personal questions about nonstop sexual a a abuse and being forced to drink alcohol and take marijuana. >> that young woman had the ability and the willingness to recall the graphi

mike von fremd is tracking the storm. >> reporter: blinding heavy snow from washington state to arizona is turning travel on the highways into a treacherous journey. near fargo, north dakota, icy roads caused a massive 100-car pileup. amazingly, no one was injured. in new mexico, drivers slid and spun out. near the grand canyon, all lanes of i-17 were shut down overnight, stranding drivers in a traffic nightmare. arizona reporting more than 100 accidents in just a three-hour period. >> we know that the weather is going to be bad, but we didn't think it's going to be like that bad. >> reporter: and the winds. ski resorts across the west are reporting hurricane-force gusts. mammoth ski resort in california clocked in at 105 miles an hour. in lake tahoe, wind and snow hampered the search by national guard for missing snowboarder shawnte marie willis. >> it's very unfortunate that we have a sad ending to this. >> reporter: willis' body was found this morning after a three-day search. in california, a day of recovery from the storms. still, a neighborhood in the san joaquin valley was evacua

abc's mike von fremd has more on the investigation. >> reporter: harold martin smith.he first time we see photos of the convicted felon, the person of interest, in the death of powerhouse publicist ronni chasen. abc news has learned that smith, in fact, had a lengthy criminal past and was out on parole. smith took his own life in this los angeles hotel, when confronted by police. beverly hills investigators confirm they were checking out a lead they received from the tv show, "america's most-wanted" about what he was telling residents at this hotel. >> he said he was expecting a big pile of money. he was saying the publicist on there, i did it. i got hired. he said, i'm waiting on my big pay. >> reporter: but others say it was ridiculous to think he was involved. >> ain't no conspiracy here. this guy wasn't intelligent enough. he would stand out here for hours, on a bicycle. >> reporter: residents describe this as a transient hotel, located in one of the rough sections of los angeles. hardly the sort of place that you would expect one of the most elite publicists to ha

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mike von fremd, once again, is in los angeles this evening. mike? >> reporter: diane, the west officials have just announced a mandatory evacuation for many homes. with tonight's torrential rains, they fear it could happen again. this 29-year-old woman was driving her pickup truck across a swollen creek 50 miles east of los angeles when her truck simply was swept away. >> she was lucky. >> reporter: it was a day full of rescues all across the golden state. in the tijuana river by san diego, three undocumented workers were trapped by high water and a team of lifeguards pulled them to safety. in the normally dry canyons in orange county, four young hikers reported missing last night were spotted by helicopters today. a family reunion they will not forget. >> it was a sleepless night. yeah, it was. and i'm just glad they're okay. >> reporter: near riverside, california, the water was four feet and rising before these 37 horses could be let out of their locked stables and led to higher ground. from the air, you can see abandoned vehicles swept away, dan

mike von fremd, abc news, rio rico, arizona. >>> and still ahead on "world news," what is different about the letters to santa this year? parents asking for something new along with their children. >>> and, would you be willing to shiver a little if it meant you could burn 50% more calories? at purina one, we want your dog to be as healthy as possible. so, we set out to discover the science in some of nature's best ingredients. we created purina one with smartblend. new, delicious shredded morsels and crunchy bites, with real meat, wholesome grains and antioxidants, for strong muscles, vital energy, a healthy immune system, and a real difference in your dog. purina one improved with smartblend. discover what one can do. [ man thinking ] i'm so stuffed with gas. ohh, noo, not that! not, not here! [ male announcer ] prevent uncomfortable gas moments with gas-x prevention. just one before meals helps prevent gas before it starts. from gas-x, the gas-xperts. to bring you a low-price medicare prescription drug plan called the humana walmart-preferred prescription plan. it's a new plan that cov

here is mike von fremd. >> reporter: harold martin smith.ted felon. the person of interest in the the death of powerhouse publicist ronni chasen. abc news has now learned that smith, in fact, had a lengthy criminal past and was out on parole. smith took his own life in this los angeles hotel when confronted by police. beverly hills investigators confirm they were checking out a lead they received from the tv show "america's most wanted" about what he was telling residents at this hotel. >> he said he's expecting a big pile of money. he just said, oh, that publicist on there, i did it. i got hired. i'm waiting on my big pay. >> reporter: others say it was ridiculous to think he was involved. >> ain't no conspiracy. this guy wasn't intelligent enough. he would stand out here for hours. on a bicycle. >> reporter: residents describe this as a transient hotel, located in one of the rough sections of los angeles. hardly the sort of place you'd expect one of the most elite publicists to have any connection with. investigators are reviewing surveill

mike von fremd is in highland, california, tonight, and mike, you've got a sense of just how hard that cleanup is going to be. >> reporter: we really do, george. it's staggering to see this entire neighborhood just buried in mud. and look what's happening. it's beginning to harden. and officials say just trying to clean up the outside of this community could take weeks. after a week of torrential rain, biblical flooding and noxious mudslides, california's beaches are now contaminated with debris, pest side pesticides and bacteria that gushed into the pacific. inland, no place was hit harder than here in highland, where the storm creek burst and people could not even open their doors. >> we stepped onto the window into the water and the water went up to here. >> reporter: just sounds horrifying. >> it was. i thought we were going to die. >> just get your stuff and get out. >> reporter: tell me the thing you lost that hurts the most. >> my home. i've been here 30-some years and i paid for my house. >> reporter: many do not yet know if they're be allowed to rebuild. in fact, when this fam

mike von fremd is in la canada, california. >> reporter: good evening, diane. the hills in back of me are saturated and may give way. california's been battered by a storm system that is predicted to last all week. homeowners here have been warned to be ready to evacuate. and all across california, people are scrambling to take cover. calls to more than 2,000 residents of kern county went out to evacuate immediately. an estimated 500 homes are in danger in the central valley. in sacramento, high winds toppled a wall at a shopping mall, panicking those inside. >> i was just screaming, everybody was kind of running. >> reporter: there's already been more than 6 inches of rain in beverly hills since friday. 8 inches in san lewis obisido. mammoth mountain could receive more than 20 feet of snow through wednesday. in northern california, more than 280,000 customers are without power. and in spokane, washington, the treacherous ice caused a chain reaction pileup that never seemed to end. meteorologists say these huge rain totals are because of a weather system just s

as mike von fremd reports, the worries about mudslides are mounting. >> reporter: early this morning, a devastating mudslide slashed through highland, california, near the foothills of the san bernardino mountains. most of the residents' cars are now buried in mud. more than 20 homes destroyed. the horror happened in an instance. >> i have a river in my living room. all through the downstairs. i got nothing left. nothing. >> reporter: it appears no one was hurt. but tonight, many here do not know where they will be sleeping. officials were most concerned about la canada, a suburb of los angeles, where police tried to enforce a mandatory evacuation. >> are you guys going to stay? >> yeah. we're going to stay. >> reporter: a mudslide destroyed much of this neighborhood last february. >> we're going to stay. >> reporter: but this time, most residents decided to stay put. >> this is the holidays and i really don't want to be dealing with this. >> reporter: authorities say la canada is not out of the woods yet. the threat remains. look what happened earlier today in dove canyon, california

mike von fremd has more details from arizona. >> reporter: a manhunt is under way, in the air and onh, for a suspect in the murder of a u.s. border patrol agent. brian terry was shot and killed in a firefight when his four-man team came across five armed individuals. the shoot-out was with bandits who prey on illegal immigrants. robbing them as they attempt to cross the border. terry, an iraq war veteran, is the first border agent to have been killed in the line of duty since 2009. >> he used to call us when he was going out on a mission and he'd call when he got back in. that was his life, that job. >> reporter: while crossings are down 30% because of fewer jobs in the united states, agents say their job is becoming increasingly dangerous. >> the unspeakable violence in mexico is unfortunately starting to seep across that border. >> reporter: a treacherous situation, both for those trying to cross the border and those trying to stop them. mike von fremd, abc news, rio rico, arizona. >>> we are learning more about the gunman who opened fire at a florida school board meeting. friends

mike von fremd, abc news, highland, california. >>> and another condition is south dakota. helping people in flagstaff, arizona, get in the wintry mood. a half foot of snow fell on the northern areas of the states. temperatures should be in the upper 40s the next few days so a white christmas here is pretty likepy. >> but it could be a white christmas in atlanta. for the first time in 100 years. >> and the snow is already falling in the middle of the country. accuweather's amy aaronson has today's travel outlook. >> thank you, vinita and mike. it is going to be a white christmas eve in parts of the midwest from chicago down through st. louis. we are looking at some light snowfall there. certainly cause something travel concerns, especially along interstates 35 and 65. icy conditions to the south of i-70. and a rain event for the lone star state. the snow and the rain traveling into the southeast by christmas day, snow making a very unusual appearance in cities like atlanta, charlotte, and also raleigh. now back to you, vinita and mike. >> all right, thanks amy. >>> now for

mike von fremd is in la canada, california, with the very latest. ning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. it does seem incredible to think this is happening in southern california. during our broadcast, we're on the lookout for hail, or the they does, lightning, thunderstorms, and staggering amounts of rain, which is why officials in this neighborhood were forced to evacuate so many people right before the holidays. the biggest and worst of five storms in a row is pounding the west coast. high-water rescue units in california are working around the clock, rescuing people and livestock. this woman rescued in lionelcreek, california, where nearly 20 inches of rain has fallen since friday. >> she was lucky. when she went off the edge, we thought we were going to do a body recovery. she is very fortunate. >> reporter: this home in arizona, completely washed away. in la canada, california -- >> this is an evacuation. >> reporter: police went door to door, telling more than 200 homeowners it's not safe to stay. >> sure. >> we know from past exper

mike von fremd reports. >> reporter: devastating mudslide slashed through highland, california, nearhills of the san bernardino mountains. most of the residents' cars are buried in mud. more than 20 homes destroyed. the horror happened in an instant. >> i had a roaring river in my living room, all through the downstairs. i've got nothing left, nothing. >> reporter: it appears no one was hurt. many here do not know where they'll be sleeping. officials were most concerned about la canada, a suburb of los angeles, where police tried to enforce mandatory evacuations. >> are you guys going to stay? >> yeah, we're going to stay. >> reporter: a mudslide destroyed much of this neighborhood last february. >> we're going to stay. >> reporter: but this time most residents decided to stay put. >> this is the holidays and i don't really want to be dealing with this. >> reporter: authorities say la canada is not out of the woods yet. the threat remains. look what happened in dove canyon, california, which is now drenched and buried in mud. >> we performed 60 rescues and evacuated 30-plus homes. >>

mike von fremd reports from a soggy highland, california. >> reporter: it is a furious effort to pileore sandbags as residents watch the water rising into their homes for the second time in two weeks. >> i had about 2 1/2, 3 feet of mud come through the back door into the house. >> reporter: california inmates assigned to help with the disaster almost have leslie best's living room cleaned out. but the kitchen is still a mud pit. this is pretty rough as far as sinking in. with this fresh storm, there are fresh fears that these hills could give way again. bulldozers cleaning the streets now leave a wake of water behind them. the storm brought wind gusts up to 70 miles per hour. knocking over this oak tree that instantly killed gail falco, camping in her tent north of san francisco. her 7-year-old granddaughter next to her survived. throughout the state, california highways have been closed due to downed trees and flooding. 1,500 homes near hollywood are without power. in riverside county, animal services rescued this horse that was trapped in a mud hole. back here in highland, in the m

>> mike von fremd, with all of the fascinating details.ound the world are seeing red on this world aids day. dozens of iconic landmarks, including sydney's opera house, turned red to mark the day. new hiv infection rates are down by 20% worldwide but much work remains. the red campaign's goal is a generation of babies born free of hiv by 2015. >>> now, diane sawyer has a look at a poignant update for tonight's "world news." diane? >> tonight on "world news," a very personal story from someone you know well, who tried to help an iraqi boy start a new life in america. what happened next? something no one expected. it's on "world news" and "nightline" on abc. >> and we look forward to that. that's the news at 8:05. >>> time, now, for the weather and sam champion, who has been out in the rainy muck. good morning, sam. >> good morning, juju. we like to say if everybody else has to be in it we should be, too. it's a warm rain. it's going to be a lot of rain. it's not just the east that has weather problems. let's start with the west. some dents

mike von fremd, abc news, la canada, california. >>> no surprise, minnesota can count on a white christmaseek's huge snow storm that destroyed the metrodome roof, several inches of new snow now expected. and that's great for a holiday but the morning's commute, as you can imagine, will be very slow going. most schools have already announced late starts. >>> and cape cod in southern massachusetts caught the edge of a nor'easter that spared the rest of the east coast. up to ten inches of snow will fall before it's all over. that front is now fading but boston, vermont, and maine could get more snow today before it's finally gone. >>> boston and new york are still shivering in the cold that's for sure. >> the good news just keeps coming in from our weather trouble spots all over the map this morning. accuweather's ava dinges is tracking it all. good morning, ava. >> good morning, rob and vinita. the winter season officially beginning into these evening hours, but it's already been feeling wintry-like across the northeast. now we have that cold flow coming out of canada. new york city barely i

mike von fremd is there. >> reporter: for the volunteers it's a tough task.to clear the mountain of debris without doing more damage to the homes and cars buried beneath. >> we shoveled today. we shoveled a lot of mud. >> how's your back feel? >> right now, okay. couple of hours when i get home, may be another story. >> reporter: thousands of sandbags have been stacked to protect the community. engineers estimate 50,000 cubic yards of debris plug the storm basin. it has been cleaned and tested to see if the water will flow instead of flood. a second storm is forecast. >> i think it's going to be a mess. hopefully there's no more damage, doesn't undo what we've already done. >> reporter: shell-shocked homeowners who have been evacuated say they don't know how things could get any worse. >> what am i going to do? i can't stop it. >> reporter: in la canada, near los angeles, water is still oozing from the saturated earth. experts say even a little bit of rain here can cause mud slides, debris flows and flooding. with heavy equipment, a mountain of sandbags and a

for "good morning america," mike von fremd, abc news, salt lake city. >> and ed smart joins us live nowagain. >> good to see you, george. >> watching you watch elizabeth at that press conference, it's a picture of a father's pride. >> i couldn't be more proud. you know, to think of your daughters having to do that and to go through -- >> i can't imagine. >> and to go through that kind of a nightmare and then for her to have to get up on the stand and repeat it. you know, as we were riding across the country this summer for ride for their lives, i talked to her on the phone as she was brought in from france to prepare for this. and she said, dad, there are things that i just thought i would never have to say. and the bottom line came down to the prosecution said, there's only one way that we are going to win this. and that is to make it absolutely clear that the insanity defense is not possible, that he knew exactly what he was doing, and i mean, i think that was the biggest fear. >> and that moment when the verdict came in must have been so gratifying. what went through your mind? and w

mike von fremd, abc news, los angeles. >>> and that powerful weather system could affect holiday travelay's signing ceremony at the invitation of the president. >>> mr. obama appears on the verge of another major legislative victory. this one dealing with foreign policy. the senate today is expected to approve the nuclear treaty with russia. jake tapper has the latest development. >> reporter: the president is closing in on one of his top priorities. nuclear disarmament with russia. >> every minute we drag our feet is a minute that we have no inspectors on the ground at those russian nuclear sites. >> reporter: the s.t.a.r.t. treaty will reduce the number of nuclear warheads each nation has by one-third. cut the number of long-range missile launchers and heavy bombers in half. and require inspections and monitoring of these dangerous stockpiles. the treaty took more than a year to negotiate. >> it took patience, it took perseverance, but we never gave up. >> reporter: negotiations with republicans have proven almost as tough. republican senators point to language in the preamble to the

first, let's go to mike von fremd.e has the latest. >> reporter: these behind-the-scenes airport security videos went viral on youtube. >> airport security is kind of a farce. >> reporter: the pilot who secretly took them was upset about the tsa, extensively screening pilots and the traveling public. while ground crews got access, with a simple swipe of a card. >> this is their screening. as you can see, there's only a card slide and one door. >> reporter: after 500,000 hits on the internet, the anonymous pilot went public, and gave his first interview to kxtv, in sacramento. >> my name's chris liu. and i'm an airline pilot. >> reporter: he says he has been with american airlines for 12 years. flies 757s, and has a website. the patriot pilot, an american hero. >> upstairs, they're going through all of the metal detectors and the x-ray machines. and downstairs, they're swiping a card. >> reporter: managers at the san francisco airport say, the door shown in the video provides access only to an employee lunchroom. >> rig

mike von fremd, abc news, rio rico, arizona. >>> we are learning more about the gunman who opened fire at a florida school board being. friends and family say clay duke suffered from bipolar disorder and had a lot of anger bogged up inside of him. he was particularly upset that his wife had recently been fired from her job as a teacher. yesterday, rebecca dukes defended her husband. >> i love my husband. he's really a gentle guy. he's actually -- he's tender and he's loving. and i'm sure that if any of y'all have gone from having something to having -- absolutely having nothing, and being poor, and not knowing where you have to get your next food. >> we are expecting to hear later from one of the heros in that incident. he was treated for stress and later released from the hospital. he'll speak with reporters later this afternoon. >>> so were there any important survival lessons to be learned from those florida shootings? sharyn alfonsi spoke to an expert about what to do and what not to do in a situation like this. >> reporter: what should you do faced with a crazed gunman? we asked w

mike von fremd is in los angeles with more. mike? >> reporter: good morning, george. beverly hills detectives confronted a hollywood man they discovered was a person of interest in the murder of ronni chasen, the powerhouse publicist. and when he was confronted in the lobby of his hotel, he shot himself with a handgun. beverly hills police are calling the man a person of interest in this sensational mystery. but are releasing no details. this father and son from alaska, staying at the hotel, had a front-row seat in an unfolding, live episode of "law & order." they saw the cops waiting for the man. >> they were having conversations with the manager, ascertaining who, in fact, was here. where he might be. >> reporter: it was most certainly dramatic. >> they attempted to talk to the suspect. when they did, the suspect produced a handgun. and there was a self-inflicted gunshot wound at that point in time. >> reporter: ronni chasen was one of hollywood's most elite publicists. and the interest in who may have wanted her dead is off the charts. >> the investigation is ongoi

and mike von fremd is in la canada with the latest. good morning, mike. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. earlier this year, this house behind mean much of this neighborhood was completely covered by mud antd west coast is once again bracing itself for the big one. from the mountains, to the freeways, to the foothills, people are ready to run for cover. in what could be a storm of epic proportions, snow is blanketing western colorado, leaving cars stranded along interstate 70. the central colorado mountains, getting as much as two feet of snow today alone. in utah, an avalanche warning is in effect outside of salt lake city. parts of utah getting nearly 4 feet in the last 36 hours. in northern california, more than 300,000 customers have lost power. further, in jenner, a 62-year-old woman apparently became disoriented by the storm. she drove her minivan into the river and her body was discovered last night. getting from point a to b is treacherous. >> i was driving. the wind is what pushed me and caused me to hit the pole. >> report

mike von fremd joins us from los angeles with more. mike? >> reporter: good morning, george. police say they have videotape of the man shooting himself inside this hotel lobby with his handgun, after he was approached by police. fellow residents say, it was apparently his big mouth that may have made him a person of interest. abc news has obtained these photos of the suicide scene. a crime scene that remains at the epicenter of what's growing into one of the great hollywood murder mysteries ever. >> i'm mark brown, eyewitness news reporter robert -- >> reporter: it was another head-spinning day in los angeles. >> it is the latest twist in a saga that has captivated the country. >> reporter: and on the worldwide web. as more details were emerging, reports are that the neighbor who was known as harold, and who killed himself in this hotel lobby as police accosted him was expecting a big payoff for killing chasen. >> then he said, i got hired. i'm waiting on my big pay. >> reporter: police say he is a person of interest. and they are conducting ballistics tests to see if the gun

mike von fremd is in highland, california, with more on all of the mud. good morning to you, mike. >> reporter: good morning, elizabeth. there is still a mountain of mud in this community. but california is calling in the cavalry to try to clean up this mess. the storm has battered and bruised so much of the golden state, it will take patience and true grit to make things right. southern california is used to not seeing a white christmas. but a muddy mess certainly wasn't on their list. all these residents in highland want is a clear path to spend the holidays at home. >> because of all of this mud, we're talking probably hundreds of metric tons of dirt and mud. so you gotta dig it out, put it on a truck, dump it, you dot that come back. it becomes a 24/7 process. >> reporter: this storm is turning out to be costly. officials in highland estimate it cost $17.2 million in damage. in riverside county, the damage to homes and cars is $30 million. and in orange county, they are looking at $23 million of damage. heavy equipment will be attempting to make a dent

. >>> and mike von fremd has the latest. . >> good morning, robin.oing interviews, ballistics tests and using common sense, beverly hills investigators now say harold martin smith who took his on life may have no connection to the murder of publicist ronni chasen. >> reporter: it was a tip called into the tv show "america's most-wanted" that alerted police that he killed ronni chasen. he ended up kills himself. >> lot of times you have false leads running down tips from the public. >> reporter: investigators have impurities and text messages and a massive amount of work. the hollywood reporter says investigators you nor reviewing surveillance camera video that shows the moment chasen crashed her mercedes. investigators are also reviewing video of a black lincoln town car that drove by minutes after the crash and chose not to stop. as curiosity intensifies, more of chasen's close friends want america to understand she was not a woman born into privilege. she often opted to get her hair cut at bargain salons. >> if this was a professional hit, then you

mike von fremd joins us live from los angeles this morning. ng, mike. >> reporter: good morning, robin. the tragic death of publicist ronni chasen has hollywood in tears. but some of the most talented screen writers were speculating this might become the ultimate celebrity whodunit. facts just released by the beverly hills police have ended that one fast. >> we believe that mr. smith acted alone. we don't believe it was a professional hit. >> reporter: the beverly hills police now believe they have a solid theory on just who is behind hollywood's hottest whodunit. >> the gun used to shoot ms. chasen was the same gun used by harold smith to commit suicide. >> reporter: the chief said harold smith used that gun when he took his own life in his apartment complex. investigators also say smith was desperate when he came upon ronni driving her mercedes. so desperate, he reportedly shot her five times from his bicycle. a bicycle could have been used to make the hit? >> we believe his mode of transportation was by bicycle. >> reporter: it may be a quie

mike von fremd joins us from highland, california. he has the latest. mike? >> reporter: good morning, chris. as you can see, this devastated community is a long way from cleaning up the mud from the first storm. what we expect to get hit with today is really a triple threat of rain, wind up to 75 miles per hour, and it's already starting to get cold. hundreds of volunteers tried to shovel and clean up what they could before highland gets slammed again. those who came to help say they underestimated the task. what did you think when you first saw this? >> when we got here, it was a lot worse than you see on the news. >> reporter: engineers estimate 50,000 cubic yards of debris plugged the main storm sewer. they've worked to clean it, but today will be the test. volunteers say they've done their best. is it back breaking? >> it's hard work. you feel it after a couple hours. but it's good work. >> reporter: residents have been evacuated but say they want what they were forced to leave behind protected. >> i have nothing. i'm done. all i do is cry and sit here a

mike von fremd reports. >> reporter: good morning, george. if i hit a soft spot here, i'm sure i'll never be the same. look how this mud has hardened and trapped this car. the mud is three to four feet high in some places. and as you can see, it's just about everywhere. the poor people of highland, california, have the biggest mess imaginable. these cars are going nowhere fast. the mud came up so quickly when the creeks overflowed, that everything here has come to a halt. homeowners cannot even get in and out of their doors. it's a catastrophe. >> i've had a river in my living room. all through the downstairs. i've got nothing left. nothing. >> reporter: it's incredible that no one was hurt. but today, everyone is furious. right know, prisoners on work release are cleaning what they can. but officials promise to bring in the cavalry to try to clean up this town. >> we will move on to fixing it up, cleaning it up, getting everything assessed, seeing what the damage is. and seeing how we're going to help these people. >> reporter: for now, high

and mike von fremd has more from las vegas. >> reporter: the surveillance cameras captured the thief at 3:50 a.m., simply running with his handgun, in a motorcycle helmet, escaping through the lobby with a staggering $1.5 million in chips, in the blink of an eye. >> they were some high-denomination chips. i believe the highest amount was about $25,000 in one chip. >> reporter: this is where the cat and mouse game becomes fascinating. some of those $25,000 chips allegedly have embedded electronic markers. >> anybody who tries to cash a big denomination chip is going to face scrutiny. and even more so now. >> reporter: the bellagio was the prize in "ocean's eleven." it involved ingenious strategy, precise planning. nothing like the hit that happened here. >> the suspect arrived on a motorcycle and parked just outside of the north valet. >> reporter: he went directly to the high-rollers crap table, where he pulled out a gun. told everyone not to move, snatched the chips, and ran through seemingly nonexistent bellagio security, and vanished on his motorcycle. as dramatized in the movie "

let's get to mike von fremd at the airport in los angeles with the latest. mike? >> reporter: good morning, chris. if you're traveling in the west to the west, krns good. if you're trying to get to the northeast, or have loved ones from the northeast trying to get out west it's a mess. the domino effect is in place. flight delays in los angeles to france, at least a 15-minute delay. flights to the northeast are canceled. we talked to a couple honeymooning from hawaii. they won't be able to get back east for a week. they seem thrilled to have an extended honeymoon in southern california. >> american airlines called us. they said our flight was canceled from dallas to norfolk. we canned if we could get laid over in l.a. instead of dallas because we knew people in l.a. they were nice enough to let us stop here for the week. and keep us some what happy about it. >> reporter: sounds like they did you solid to me? >> they did pretty good. it's an extension of our honeymoon. >> reporter: they can only look at the people back east and feel sorry for them. >> let's get a s

and mike von fremd is in hollywood with more. mike, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, david.who killed ronni chasen has become a real-life miniseries, with no end in sight. as more journalists sift for clues, still no word from the police. but more information on ronni's life is being explored. details that crime experts say have the beverly hills police department staying mum, but are likely very busy. >> they are investigating things in a very deliberate manner. they are not rushing to judgment. so, the police are going to be tight-lipped while there's a swirl of speculation. >> reporter: "the daily beast" says it obtained an e-mail from a woman who says she was threatened by a gunman in the same general area where chasen was gunned down a week before the killing. beverly hills police say they have no such information. and it didn't happen in their jurisdiction. meanwhile, chasen's $6.1 million will is being scrutinized. and her niece, jill, who was left only $10, told e! news, there was a reason why she was given such a small amount. she told the cable channel quote, that'