nbc's thanh truong reports tonight from historic vicksburg, mississippi. >> reporter: at the junction of the mississippi and yazoo rivers, golden barge line has been in business close to 50 years. a river company now on an island because of severe flooding. >> we knew it was going to be bad. >> reporter: austin golding now navigates his boat across what used to be the parking lot of his family's business in vicksburg, mississippi. >> it is pretty surreal. i never thought i would see water this high. i don't think anybody in this town thought they would see water this high. >> reporter: golding is a third-generation river rider. his grandfather started the barge company in the 1960s with just a handful of boats. today, golding moves millions of barrels of gas and diesel up and down the mississippi. >> not many people wake up and want to be a tow-boaters. it's a 24/7 job. you have to know what you're getting into. >> reporter: golding knows what he's getting in. relying on the river has its rewards and risks. >> it's just a way of life. this river gives a lot of people their living and

parts of vicksburg, mississippi, been under water since last week. imate the flooding could cast $9 billion. we'll have a live update from mississippi coming up at 5:45 this morning. >>> well, they had them for earthquakes and today the california geological survey will release its latest map pointing out the state's landslide danger zones. show which areas are most vulnerable to destructive walls of mud. the agency has been required to release this map ever since the disastrous el nino storms barred california in the early 1980s. >>> dozens of people turned out in san francisco to complain about what they call racial profiling by police officers. >> what they need to realize is that there needs to be a level of trust with these communities that currently doesn't exist in san francisco. >> human rights groups say san francisco police officers assigned to the f.b.i.'s terrorism task force frequently circumvent local laws. chief suhr wants to remind officers local laws trump federal policies. >>> in a separate issue the chief says he's also considering

the river is expected to crest at vicksburg, mississippi in about week from >>> the high waters of the mississippi show no signs of receding. the river is expected to crest at vicksburg, mississippi, about a week from today. holly firfer is live in vicksburg with more on this. good morning, holly. >> reporter: good morning. yeah. i'm standing in a parking lot believe it or not close to shore here in vicksburg. the water is already about 5 feet above flood stage. and as you said, it's not expected to crest here until next thursday. the swollen mississippi is continuing its relentless flow south. in its crosshairs an area far too familiar with damaging natural disasters. in louisiana, memories of hurricane katrina are still fresh, officials are faced with a difficult decision. opening the spillway could spare baton rouge and new orleans from damage but would flood another area of the basin. >> our hearts go out everybody to downstream. this is monumental water. never been seen before. >> reporter: the spillway will open if the river's flow reaches 1.5 million cubic feet of water per seco

. >> reporter: further up the river in vicksburg, mississippi, neighborhoods are already flooded. three times a day david clark gets in his row boat to go and check his submerged house. he says he is just mum to the new reality. >> the hardest part is moving out and then just trying to settle back in a new place while this one is flooded. that's the hardest thing about it. >> reporter: chris lynn makes his living on the water fishing. he can't believe what he is seeing. >> as high as the water gets, the more it sinks many. it's just depress, actually. >> reporter: the river won't crest in vicksburg until later this week. now, here at the morganza spillway, two bays are open, and officials will continue to open more bays in an effort to manage the river until it crests here next week. officials also say that this spillway could remain open well into june. lester. >> ann thompson this morning. ann, thank you very much. as ann mentioned, vicksburg, one of the places fighting rising waters. nbc's tom trung is in vicksburg, mississippi. >> reporter:.river is expected to rise above 58 f

it could be weeks before floodwaters recede in vicksburg, mississippi. issippi river crested there 14 feet above flood stage. >>> and expect more tearful testimony today from nancy kerrigan's mother. she defended her son who is now on trial for manslaughter near boston. prosecutors say mark kerrigan is responsible for his father's death because at the time, mark, they say, was drunk and he and his dad were arguing. >>> also queen elizabeth's historic trip to dublin ends today, but she'll continue her state tour elsewhere in ireland. >>> finally this half hour let's just call this guy, determination personified. >> those closest to him know him by another simpler name, superman. our dr. richard besser shows us why. >> reporter: what you're witnessing is groundbreaking. rob summers making history by standing up. to understand just how incredible this moment is, you have to go back to a summer night in 2006 when rob, a baseball player nicknamed superman, met tragedy. >> i was playing the best i ever had and was hit by a car in a hit and run while i was stand

al roker reports live from vicksburg, mississippi, as flood waters rush farther south. and meredith vieira is live from the french riviera talk, antonio bandarres and selma hyack about their debut at the film festival. >>> now keep it on this channel for continuing local news, weather, sports and more. i'm lynn berry. thanks for watching "early today," just your first stop of the day today on your nbc station. have a good one. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

. >> the mississippi river is expected to crest at vicksburg, mississippi in the next 24 hours, a fews lower than the army corps of engineers predicted. further down the river it seems that everything that can be done is being done to shore up levees. damage estimates are at $7 million. >> rain clouds finally moving out. more sunshine for today and also over the next couple of days. we still have some patchy fog to talk about first thing tomorrow morning. we still have some lingering rain showers to the north and east of the bay area. cranes guys out there. we can show you this. we have mostly clear skies in san francisco. a bit of a breeze with winds around 15-20 miles per hour. partly cloudy and still breezy out there. we will buck up those numbers for thursday and friday. for the weekend we have a few clouds and temperatures will be cooling off. most locations will be in the lower 40s. hayward at 49 and san jose at 48 degrees. this is the storm system we have been talking about over the past few days. it is moving out to the east we will have some patchy morning fog. most areas in

. >> reporter: this is thanh troung in vicksburg, mississippi, where 1,400 homes and businesses are expected to be flooded as the mississippi river surpasses levels set back in 1927. >> this home is elevated, so you can tell the difference between the ones on either side of it. >> reporter: for families in low-lying neighborhoods, disaster is already at their doorstep and well beyond. >> you have to think of the human element as you come through here, you know, that each of these homes you're passing by, there's a family that has been forever changed because of this. >> reporter: along the state's flood zone, more than 3,000 people have evacuated. on saturday, debra emery built this dirt levee around her house, hoping to block the rising water. >> we decided it was up to us. if we didn't save our house, nobody else would. it was our house. >> reporter: today, she discovered her makeshift levee broke. >> a devastating loss. something my husband and i worked for all our lives. now we have to start over. >> it's a heart-wrenching situation and a true disaster, and my heart goes out to everyone

in vicksburg, mississippi, i'm martin savidge. you. >>> meteorologist jen delgado joins us from the world weather center. >> a very slow process with the river actually cresting in several parts, right along the mississippi river. we are expecting today the river to actually crest in vicksburg. later on this morning and we're talking about 17.4 meters, that's roughly around 57 feet, incredibly high. record levels up and down the mississippi river. it looks like it will stay that way, cresting at least for the next five days. it's going to be dangerously high through many parts along the mississippi river. as we talk more about vicksburg and how it's been affecting the region, how widespread this flooding is. if you want to get an idea of the area affected, we're talking roughly the size of italy. 200,000 square kilometers. typically right along vicksburg, the mississippi river is roughly around 1 kilometer. well, because the flooding is so bad and so widespread, we're talking 40 kilometers wide in some parts. you can see in this i

vicksburg mississippi, is one of the hardest-hit area, and will release one person is dead. 2000 people are displaced, the good new news is that, this could be coming to an end soon. >> forecast much better for us today, here's a look of the golden gate bridge, not a lot going on on the road this morning. freddie partly cloudy, mild temperatures in the '60s and '70s. saturday a little cooler, we'll start to decrease our temperatures as we have in the sunday. sunday a brief system rolling through the north, and is the chance of a sprinkle. here's temperatures and where they are here at this early hour, at 4:17 a.m.. 540 plan, still chilly out, done fremont livermore valley 55, san jose 55, this afternoon you'll enjoy a much warmer temperatures. santa rosa 73, 76 naphtha, san francisco 61. may 3rd four degrees cooler today than yesterday. mid to upper 70's and upper antioch. much cooler is all. here's our 70 forecast, we're watching for these nice temperatures to continue, fewer degrees as we head toward sunday. we'll rebound nicely as we head towards next week, mid to some upper '70's ne

. >> reporter: in vicksburg, mississippi, that water is already beginning to swallow homes as it continueso move in. many are being forced to move out and up to higher ground. but in louisiana where most of this water will ultimately end up, higher ground is hard to find. the army corps of engineers opened 28 of the 350 gates on the spillway diverting some of the water into lake pontchartrain hoping to ease some of the pressure on the swollen river and tensions for those still in its path. jay gray, nbc news, memphis. >>> well, details continue to emerge into last week's mission to nail down osama bin laden. according to the "new york times," two teams were on standby to handle any scenario that could unfold. one to bury bin laden it if he was killed, and a second team of lawyers, interrogators and translators in the event he was captured alive. meanwhile u.s. relations with pakistan continue to be tested after suspicion rose monday that the country's intelligence service leaked the name of the cia chief in islamabad. although since the image wasn't revealed, there are no plans to pull the

jim ryan is now in vicksburg, mississippi. >> reporter: the swollen mississippi river rolled into the delta. in tunica, mississippi, the river swallowed up homes along with people's livelihoods. >> it's just a question of waiting to crest and seeing when it comes down. >> reporter: 15 of mississippi's 19 riverside casinos, employing thousands of people, are now flooded. farther south, engineers have been anxiously checking and reinforcing the levees. near vicksburg, mississippi, contractors lined one side of the levee there with sheets of plastic. >> this helps with erosion to keep it from damaging the levee if the water should go over. >> reporter: downstream in louisiana, inmates have been filling sandbags for residents to use to protect their homes. over the past week, the overflowing mississippi had its backed up tributaries have already washed away crops. in arkansas, nathan reid watched hopelessly as the waters drowned his fields. >> millions of dollars economic loss, just back here. i've got a neighbor that's got $2.5 million worth of wheat flooded right now and it's gone. >> r

he's on flood patrol in vicksburg, mississippi. al. >> hey, matt, thanks so much. mak, the emergency management agency director. thank you for joining us. >> sure. >> you look behind us, the mississippi river and the flooding. what's the latest on flood stage in mississippi? >> right now, we're expecting another 4.5 feet rise right here at vicksburg. you can see how flooded it is already. it will be over the top of the fences here. many neighborhoods in the north part of the city that will be flooded. numerous other community from memphis and the louisiana line are flooded as well. >> have you been able to calculate or estimate what the economic impact of this is going to be? >> well, certainly in the tens of millions of dollars. our casino industry closed down for 30 days or more, more than 300,000 acres of farmland flooded. numerous industrial port facilities all along the mississippi that are having to close. >> and people being unemployed? >> absolutely. the casinos in tunica, i think 5,000 to 10,000 employees up there. huge economic impact on the state of missi

it's expected to reach its high mark in vicksburg, mississippi, a week from tomorrow, baton rouge may 22nd, new orleans a day later. joel brown has our report from near vicksburg. >> reporter: the swollen mississippi river is washing away crops and swamping homes. >> our whole neighborhood devastated. >> reporter: floodwaters crept right up to diane white's front door. >> things you see on tv you never think it will happen to you. >> reporter: she's one of hundreds of north memphis residents forced from their homes, but when the mississippi reached its nearly 48-foot crest there, the levees held. downtown memphis and the city's major landmarks are staying dry. now the disaster is slowly making its way downstream. the water on the inis miss is so high right now it's spilling into the yazu river. several homes are underwater, more flooding is expected and farmers are bracing for the worst. in tunica cutoff, mississippi, floodwaters left this deer stranded on a rooftop. all 350 homes in the community are underwater, including charlotte smith's. >> i just really am in bad shape but not ad

in vicksburg, mississippi, residents are hoping the yazoo back water levee will remain intact until the mighty river crests sometime tomorrow night or thursday morning. >>> meanwhile the u.s. is treading dangerously close to defaulting on its debts. after officially maxing out its federal borrowing limit yesterday, timothy geithner told congress that creative accounting will keep the country afloat for now, but warned lawmakers they need to agree on a solution by august 2nd. republicans refuse to raise the debt limit unless the obama administration first agrees to massive spending cuts. however, according to the congressional budget office, republicans' debt reduction plan only slashes $122 billion from the budget, less than half of the $300 million savings they projected. >>> and now here's a look at other stories making news early today in america. a case of police brutality has put a former south carolina deputy behind bars. surveillance video recorded last august shows the officer hitting a handcuffed victim 27 times with a steel baton breaking his leg. he's been sentenced to five y

farther south, around vicksburg, mississippi, residents are bracing for the rivers to crest at record levels. a dozen roads have been blocked, including highway 61 which is a major highway for the state. engineers in louisiana are considering opening the morganza flood gates. >>> and the bay to breaker race organization is wrapping up. mayor ed lee presented organizers with a proclamation. in exchange, lee received bib up in 1200. >> it will be in the at that significant that they will be. you can wear any whacky uniform that you want. >> for many, the event is more party than race. because of that, this year's running will have some major changes, including a banning of alcohol and floats on the course. it may be wet for sunday's bay to breakers and california's bike race is beginning and they may dealing with snow. they may have snow in lake tahoe. snow and chilly conditions are forecast. race organizers say they do have several contingency plans and have made it clear that safety will be their top priority. >>> good afternoon to you. giving you a life look outside our doors. we hav

the flood zone do whatever they can to save their property, prayers were offered today in vicksburg, mississippi, a community battling record-setting flooding, with the mississippi river still rising. >> our neighbors here in town and even more out in the county are facing significant loss. many others being displaced. >> reporter: chris lynn makes his living on the water fishing. even he can't believe what he is seeing. >> the higher the water gets, the more it sinks in. it's depressing, actually. >> reporter: emotion and pain levels rising, along with the floodwaters. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> despite the fact that it seems like every other car in the bay area is a prius, the bay area may be the exception to the rule. there is pretty strong evidence out there that americans just aren't buying into an idea that was supposed to save gas and save the environment. more from nbc's chris clackum. >> reporter: so you think with gas prices this high that sales of hybrid or electric cars would really get charged up. but think again. so far they make up only 2% of all vehicles sold in the u.s. now we

. >> this has been a slow moving disaster even so, a man from vicksburg mississippi was killed when theiver crested earlier than expected. hundreds of homes were flooded nearly about 2000 people displaced. deputies have traded in patrol cars for a boat to. they want to make sure that people are out of danger. they are now hearing that some local residents will not come back. some mississippi land owners are taking protection to their own hands, they're building small levees around their houses, they're holding up well, you can see some of the dirt washing away. public levees and flood walls seem to be holding despite a few weeks. is if there is a silver lining, they said that the water will be good for fish birds even trees. after weeks of sour news, in other casino has reopened in mississippi. a little good news for the economy. it is open for visitors. >> if you have not been here for a while, it was lonely without you. >> a few days ago this happen, a tank full barges a couple of them sank after hitting a bridge, a 5 mi. stretch of the mississippi had to be close, is believed that hi

this is vicksburg, mississippi, where theiverill not peak until the weekend.here is an eerieuiet with residen long gone, only e snakes remain. upriver inemph, the miissii has already done s worst. crestedarly onuesd, just inches sht of the storic hh war mark. lolying neighbo vs.- neighborhoodwereompletely suerge theowntown ofheseidheir job. allcross the historiouth, sinees are beginni to imagine the costs. in arkansa, thfloods have swamped t farms thatrodu half oamera's rise. >> -- ameri' rice. >> we ha hadrobay 80% to 9 totally lost. >> prevention is t ord o the day. in luisia, these pson inmates e prering sandbags to shore up defens nea bat roug just of countless mmittees wondering h bad it will be. >> yre watching bbc news. still ahd, calls for the art world to close its doors f the y to aw attention to a chinese artist. in the u.k., the by belfeld, a coictedouble killer,as gone on ial rilling a scolgi. she disappeared nine arsgo. shwalk home fromchoo her body w fou in hamhire six mohs ler. he pleaded notiving to murder and kidnapping. >> an ordinary 13-yea

vicksburg. it looks like you're sitting in in front of a movie set when in actuality this is all too real for those in mississippiter: it certainly is. vicksburg is a beautiful old city. the water is continuing to rise and that's the concern here. it's not expected to crest until later in the week. maybe another foot to go. we went on a boat ride today, thanks to the sheriff with warren county sheriff's department. he showed us some subdivisions located to the north of town. the images that we saw were really quite striking. so many homes, over 100 under water. sometimes the water is all the way up to the roof and in other cases you've seen homes sticking out of the water and that's not that bad. those are up on stilts and they, too, have water in them. another foot to go. so even though they thought they built them to the point where they could never get flooded, they have been flooded. there are hundreds of homes and essentially about 1700 people forced to flee the rising waters. they have water in their neighborhoods now or the fear is that they could get water or that they could be a levee that breaks and the

. >>> the raging mississippi river is expected to crest today in vicksburg, mississippi. people have evacuated their homes already and that river may not fully recede until july there. >>> and executives from mobile phone manufacturers testifying before senators on capitol hill will face tough questions about the privacy of smartphone users, something that affects millions of folks. >> yes, for sure. we do want to give you an update on the guy from wisconsin, the one we have been talking about, eaten more than 25,000 big macs in his life. we wanted to give you an update on this. >> the question this morning, how can he pack the calories, cholesterol, fat and all that and seemingly have no ill effects on his health? well, jim avila went looking for answers. >> pretty close to 90% of my diet is just the big macs. >> reporter: he is a freak of nature, wisconsin's don gorske, able to eat big macs every day and everywhere. >> this picture is my 19,000th big mac. >> reporter: more than 25,000 in all. >> they haven't killed you? >> nope, not even close. i am doing really good he

. >> reporter: vicksburg, mississippi, still needs help. this week, they set a new record, reaching 57.1 feet. some 14 feet above flood stage. here martha haggard can barely see the home she bought in 2004, now submerged in feted water. >> i don't think i'm going to go back, to tell you the truth, i don't think i'm going back. >> reporter: the flood has been a boon to ronny tyler's t-shirt business. >> this is where my daughter sleeps. >> reporter: but he can't get to his home. >> excuse the mess. it gets hectic. a mandatory evacuation. it's hard to do it, i'm sorry. >> reporter: the flooded mississippi rolls south at 13 miles per hour, more than double its normal speed. with historic amounts of freshwater, it's beginning to impact some of louisiana's delicate oyster beds, trying to recover from four hurricanes in five years and last year's bp oil spill. >> if the oysters die, we lose that for the market this year. however, that's material for new oysters to grow on next year. >> reporter: and there's more trouble on the mississippi tonight

. >> crests are expected in vicksburg, mississippi, baton rouge on thursday. they are pushing gas prices higher because of worry that flooding could impact refineries there. >> officials warn the cleanup will be putrid and expensive. the governor says some neighborhoods won't see water recede for at least two weeks. >>> the levees, some of the stronger ones were built by the army corps of engineers but some were built by farm ears and they are questionable strength. that is the problem, trying to figure out which ones will hold and which ones might not. >> so it has crested. >> you still got more levees especially down around louisiana and that is where all the water is going. also the river widens, too. >> away from the coast we'll see warmth out there but don't get too used to it. if you like the heat, this is not the forecast for you at least beyond today. we are looking at downtown san francisco, all was the way over to the bay bridge. let's talk temperatures as you step outside this morning. we have recess had n antioch. low 50s around san francisco, oakl

. >> in vicksburg mississippi with a crest is expected on thursday.sidents are banking on the yazoo at water levy to hold the water. if it fails, the consequences are dire year. >> that will flood 1.2 million a., 4000 homes, the town will be completely under water. >> louisiana state officials expect that 25,000 homes will be flooded after all is said and done in mississippi more than 5000 residents have been displaced. state officials are warning flood victims watch out for snakes, there are three venomous kinds that can be lurking in the flood waters. in morgan city louisiana my name is sandra in del. >> checking traffic on the golden gate bridge this wednesday traffic is moving in medium speed north and southbound, will be backed [music] ♪ you'll run outside ♪ i'll pass you by ♪ ♪ i want to see the sunshine ♪ ♪ take me where you are ♪ take me where you are ♪ afternoon ride ♪ afternoon ride [ male announcer ] now everyone can explore the world from home. get high speed internet from at&t, just $14.95 a month for 12 months with select services. no ho

city officials in vicksburg, mississippi warning residents. >> this flood is going to be historic based on the predictions of the national weather service. >> reporter: casinos in tunica aren't gambling with mother nature's destructive power. money taken away for safe keeping. many casino operators expect to be shut down for at least three weeks. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> here is a look at other stories making news around america today. the dramatic rescue of a 93-year-old woman who made the mistake of trying to cross a flooded highway was recorded by a sheriff assisting from shore. using a safety line and cable, two missouri national guardsmen battled raging water to pull her ultimately to safety. no injuries were reported. >>> chicago's lake front has become the new hangout for raccoons. the spike in population has been a problem since last summer, leading to the capture of approximately 120 of the scavengers. officials have classified the situation as an infestation and caution residents not to leave any trash around because that is a steady source of food for the animals. >>> fina

city officials in vicksburg, mississippi, warning residents. >> this flood is going to be historic based upon the reduction of the national weather service. >> reporter: and casinos in tunica aren't gambling with mother nature's power. many operators expect to be shut down by flooding for at least three weeks. kurt gregory, nbc news. >>> 4:51 right now. coming up -- ♪ imagine all the people >> a bay area teen auditions on "the voice." did she make it? >>> we're looking over here no bonk on the road for 24, caldecott tunnel moves smoothly i'll show you some spots in the east bay. ♪ imagine all the people >> now, mike tells me it's good when they hit the button. a san jose high school student wowing judges on "the voice." she is only 18, didn't miss a note on last night's show. the senior says her experience is proof that dreams can come true. >> keep trying because seriously we all get so many nos and you never know when that lucky yes is. >> now you can find her strumming a guitar on youtube. her parents say she is devoted to music. >>> we mentioned san rafael native lily elise. ♪ >> so

. >> reporter: upriver, in vicksburg, mississippi, highway 61, a main thoroughfare is closed so crews can build a levee to keep the water at bay. this farmer is doing the same. using dirt from his corn field to construct a 19-foot wall of mud around his house. >> i don't have flood insurance, so i have to try to save it. >> reporter: in baton rouge, neon colored tiger dams are rolled out to protect louisiana's capital city, but 10% of the state's onshore oil production is in the flood zone. more than 2,200 wells that produce 19,000 barrels of oil a day. a drop in the bucket compared to the 19 million barrels america consumes each day, but enough to unsettle a jittery oil market. >> there's a lot of tension in the oil markets. any disruption, no matter how small, has the potential to affect pricing without question. >> reporter: as more dirty water heads south, there are growing concerns about the hidden toxins in the debris. health threats that won't become known for years. yet, among all the dire prediction, among the resilient louisianians like randy, you can still hear the sound of

we barrel south on the mississippi as the floods head toward vicksburg. houses caught in the deluge, and we test the toxins in that water. as we look back at the last big one in 1927. >>> son of bin laden. omar bin laden speaks out about his father's death, as bin laden's wives get ready to face u.s. interrogators. >>> the bravest woman in mexico. the 20-year-old mother who tried to bring justice to the border. we find her and learn why she had to flee. >>> and, change your life. a simple, proven secret for health and success? we'll show you what so many people have started to do. >>> good evening. there are now 4 million people down river from memphis, bracing and beginning their long wait tonight for the giant mississippi to arrive and tell them how bad it's going to be. we just returned from memphis this afternoon, where we waded into those waters. and there is news tonight that the river did crest, just under 48 feet, which is just shy of the record. and the swollen water is still pushing at the levees, but those leaks underneath, we showed you, those

. >> upstream in vicksburg, mississippi, the scope of this catastrophe is still hard to measure. >> wait. that's all we can do. there's nothing else you can do. >> reporter: and downstream, the worst is yet to come. >> this is certainly going to be a marathon and not a sprint as we go through this tremendous amount, huge amount of water as it comes through. >> reporter: desperate times, desperate measures and a fight to salvage as much as possible from the mighty mississippi. brian mooar, nbc news. >>> the list of republican presidential hopefuls is just a little shorter tonight. former arkansas governor mike huckabee ended speculation about a presidential run in 2012. he made an announcement on his fox news program. huckabee said he appreciates the encouragement from supporters but he will not seek the republican nomination. recent polls showed huckabee at or near the top of the field of republican candidates. he and former massachusetts governor mitt romney were within a point of each other as party front-runners. >>> and coming up, we'll have a look at the santa cruz idol james durbin

since the 2003 columbia explosion >>> the mississippi river has reached a record level at vicksburg, mississippibut forecasters now say that the crest is not quite as high as they expected earlier. northed of vicksburg a levee protecting thousands of acres of farmland is expected to prevent widespread flooding. down river in louisiana, mandatory evacuations are in effect in areas being flooded as more gates of the morganza spillway are old. >> we're look at a much better day around the bay area. we are going to see more sunshine. the temperatures are going to warm up. >>> we are starting out with a couple of patches of fog this morning. out the door, watch out for that. 50s and 40s at this hour. by the afternoon, sunshine and temperatures into the 70s in many spots inland by the afternoon. inside the bay warmer, 60s with mild conditions. and at the coast, a mix of sun and clouds. and some breezy conditions. finally getting this low kicking to the east and that means we are going to dry out nicely across the state at least for a couple of days. there is a system that's a little further off that w

. >> up river in vicksburg, mississippi, highway 61, a main thoroughfa thoroughfare is closed so they can build a levee to keep the water at bay. farmer everett dear is doing the same using dirt from his corn field to construct a 19-foot wall of mud around his house. >> i don't have flood insurance so i've got to try to save it. >> in baton huge, neon colored tiger dams are helled out to protect louisiana's capital city but 10% of the state's on-shore oil production is in the flood zone. more than 2200 wells that produce 19,000 barrels of oil a day. a drop in the bucket compared to the 19 million barrels america consumes each day, but enough to unsettle a jittery oil market. >> there's a lot of tension in the oil markets. any disruption no matter how small has the potential to affect pricing, without question. >> at the north end of baton rouge is this exxonmobil refinery. the second large nest the country. it remains open for now, as does the mississippi river to shipping. and as more dirty water heads south, there are growing concerns about the hidden toxins in the debris. health th

in vicksburg, mississippi, the mississippi river reached a record level of 56.38 feet. the river is still rising. many worry it could comp mice the yazoo levee that protects the town of vicksburg. martin is watching this. what happens on the other side? >> reporter: it's a really big question right now. i have to tell you, there are about 700 miles of levees currently in the state of mississippi that are struggling to hold back this historic flood from the mississippi river. all eyes, when it comes to state officials are focused on this one 26-mile stretch of a dirt road to nowhere. it's actually the levee. see the crew on the left hand side, it's for the yazoo and mississippi river. this levee is holding it back. however, there's one foot between the level of the water and when it goes over the top. the prediction is it's going to go over the top. we were talking with the secretary of state of mississippi, they expect it to happen overnight. water going over the levee is not the end of the world unless it triggers the collapse of the levee. they don't want to guesstimat

the river will crest today at vicksburg, mississippi, and stay near that high water mark for days, maybe even weeks. but for communities up and down the river, it's already too late. karen brown reports. >> reporter: just south of vicksburg, what was once a neighborhood -- >> this is my aunt's front yard, actually, right now. >> reporter: is now a sea of sunken houses. >> i hate to see my family or anybody go through this. >> reporter: a boat is the only way that austin and his extended family can get to their homes. >> this right here is the -- is her play room right here. >> reporter: two of them are already destroyed, including his aunt debbie's. record-setting floodwaters broke through a levee they had specially built. >> we're going to have to restart everything. >> reporter: 2,000 people in the area have been displaced. i am standing on austin's front steps, and the only reason that his parents' home is not under water is because they raised it up on eight feet of cinder blocks. now the mississippi is not expected to crest here until tomorrow. and it's already 14 feet above flood l

. >> reporter: up stream in vicksburg, mississippi, the scope of this catastrophe is still hard to measure. >> wait it out, i guess is all we can do. there's nothing else you can do. >> reporter: down stream, the worst is yet to come. >> we're not expected to see a crest until about the 24th of may. that crest is then expected to be with us for probably 10 to 14 days. >> reporter: surrendering ground to mother nature to save even more lives and property. brian mooar, nbc news. >>> former arkansas governor mike huckabee is expected to announce today or tonight whether he plans to run for the white house in 2012. huckabee is reportedly going to use his fox news channel talk show to announce his intentions. the talk show is the centerpiece of huckabee's enterprises. and this time, he could enter the race with a front-runner status rather than when he entered in 2008. another huckabee run would be renewed -- bring renewed scrutiny over his support of some tax increases in arkansas and his record on clemency, including commuting the sentence of a man who later killed four seattle area police of

further south, communities like vicksburg, mississippi, are preparing and there are already homes underater there, whole neighborhoods under water and vicksburg won't feel the brunt of this until the weekend where the river will peak. in louisiana, we see prison inmates help prepare sandbags as they shore up their flood defenses there and those scenes are being repeated all the way along the flow of the river. >> steve kingston, you're watching bbc news. still ahead, a call for the art world to close its doors for a day to protest against the detention of the chinese artist ai weiwei. here in the u.k., levi bellfield, a convicted double killer has gone on trial accused of murdering the school girl millie dowler and disappeared nine years ago when she walked home from school. her body was found in woods in hampshire six months later. bellfield pleaded not guilty to murder and kidnap. >> an ordinary 13-year-old who would have been a fine young woman, the words of the prosecution as they outlined the case against the man who they say abducted and murdered her. the jury heard levi bellfield

the river is expected to hit record levels, including a high of more than 57 feet in vicksburg, mississippi, before cresting eventually in new orleans. right now, the projeblgted date for that is may 24th, still two weeks away. >>> as the texas/mexico border as a backdrop, president obama renewed his call for immigration reform. he told residents to urge their lawmakers to help the 11 million illegal immigrants become citizens. >>> today, he's making it official. newt gingrich is in the 2012 presidential race. gingrich is now expected to formally announce his candidacy today on twitter. this is despite the fact that recent abc news polls showed him as trailing the president by 15 points. >>> and one-time gop front-runner, donald trump, is sliding in the polls. a recent survey found only 8% of potential republican primary voters say they would back trump. this is down from 26% in april. >>> in other news, now, judges in virginia have heard arguments in two lawsuits challenging president obama's health care reform. they're the first of 31 such cases to reach this stage in federal appeals cour

. >> reporter: crests are expected in vicksburg, mississippi, tomorrow. baton rouge on thursday. they're pushing gas prices higher, because of worries flooding could impact refineries there. >> the water will be with us for quite some time. >> reporter: officials warn the cleanup will be putrid, expensive. what's worse, it won't begin for a while. tennessee governor says some of the neighborhoods may not have water begin to recede for at least two more weeks. rob and peggy? >> tough time for those folks. >> definitely, that's true. >> emily, thanks a lot. >>> for elvis fans out there, the king's former home, it is safe. graceland is built on a hill, far from the river, actually. and fans from around the world have been actually calling memphis city hall, to ask about the landmark mansion. again, it is okay. >>> there is also danger in the flood zone from snakes and rodents. diane sawyer reports on the wildlife escaping to higher ground. that report coming up in a few minutes. >>> now, to another big story this morning. american officials say that pakistan will now allow them to i

holly fiefer is in vicksburg, mississippi. ve heard in inches, mississippi, it's already up to -- natches, it's up to 60 feet any receding yet? >> reporter: no. the waters are still rising. i'm standing in another flooded parking lot in vicksburg, mississippi, where, we're already almost -- we're at 54.14 feet the record was 52- point of 2 -- 52.62 feet. and they are expecting the crest to be at 57 feet. people are watching. this barge company here, they have basically sandbagged themselves in. they've built a big wall here to try to keep the water out. unfortunately, it's seeping in underneath the sandbags. there's been a lot of seepage. we've been here since 3:30 this morning and those pumps have not stopped. on the other side, this is a parking lot of a casino. a casino that's fill up with water, up to the first floor practically. i don't know if you can see this, the treetop, that's -- i don't know if you can see it, but that area right there, that was a fence there, a three and a half, 4-foot wide fence. as i said, it's no

. >>> the flooded mississippi river crested at 57.1 feet in vicksburg, mississippi, today. that's five inches below what was predicted. sadly, there's a death to report. the first of this great flood, which has turned into a kind of history-making, slow-moving natural disaster. a 69-year-old vicksburg man drowned. he was found clinging to a fence, but rescuers couldn't get to him in time to save his life. >>> here in california, talk about scorched earth. a refueling tanker, an old 707, flown by a navy contractor, crashed on takeoff last night, sparking a massive fire. took hours to put it out. the three crew members up front were not badly hurt. a spokesman at the navy base called that a miracle. >>> also news here in southern california today about the big story here of late, arnold schwarzenegger put out a statement today saying he's putting his planned return to the movie business on hold. earlier this week, the former governor admitted he fathered a child with a member of his household staff. in the statement today, he said he's focusing on personal matters now and wil

first casualty, a 69-year-old man who died after being overwhelmed by the flood waters in vicksburg, mississippi. and down river, a different kind of heartbreak. imagine this suggestion. that your entire town be wiped off the map, that it shouldn't have been there in the first place. yunji de nies is in louisiana tonight with more on this. yunji? good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. this is the front line of the flooding. you can literally see the destruction in progress. on this side, a dry soybean field. and on this side, the rest of the crop, now completely underwater and completely destroyed. this thin sliver of land is one of the few dry places on george la cour's farm. more than 2,000 acres of his crops are under water. >> it's such a sad, sinking feeling to see all the time and effort put into making a crop be washed away. >> reporter: water is now gushing through the morganza spillway. this is the land below before. and here it is today, completely submerged. how much money do you think you stand to lose this year? >> i'm not going to add it up yet. that will be another depres

mississippi river to get out. they expect to make a decision in the next 24 hours whether to open the flood gates near vicksburg doingt would flood homes near the levy but could save cities including new orleans and baton rouge further downstream. the mississippi river is not expected to crest until next week. >>> an elderly parent at napa -- patient at napa state hospital is still in the coma. that is after the second brutal attack inside that troubled facility this week. a hospital spokeswoman said a 31-year-old patient viciously beat the roommate wednesday night. that was only days after a patient attacked a staff member. this is just a series ovines sents raising safety concerns. >>> times hearld reports city officials plan on installing two surveillance cameras by the end of this month. that area is described as the prostitution zone. the cameras probably won't end prostitution in vallejo but any footage captured could be used as evidence. >>> it's on to the conference finals for the san jose sharks. after missing three chances to put away the series with detroit, it came down to game seven. sharks won 3-2 thank

then it's expected to be at full height in vicksburg, mississippi, by wednesday morning, and crest in baton rouge by thursday. new orleans opened its floodgates today, saturating farmland but saving the city from high water expected friday. >> if we didn't have the elements that were put in place in '27 there today, this would be a massive disaster that would dwarf hurricane katrina. it would be easily the most enormous disaster in american history. >> reporter: so those are the stakes and that's why these floodwalls are here. the army corps of engineers saying the risk they'll break in any way is low but agree if some breach does happen it will be catastrophic because there's no way to get the water back through a breach and repair things. diane. >> 24 hours watching, as we said. and those who have watched the floods themselves through the years, through the decades here on the mississippi, say you know they're coming. when you see the snows way up north, long before these parts of the river begin to rise. and our weather editor sam champion is joining us now. he is right down in the

the river has already crested in vicksburg, mississippi.bour warning residents about the health risks once they get back. he says tests of the water show levels of e. coli bacteria 200 times the normal level. >>> a disturbing sight in yazoo city, mississippi. caskets have started floating from a cemetery. so far three have floated away. >>> floodwaters in the region aren't going anywhere any time soon. some placed expect to be under water until mid-june, making it tough for everybody especially people who live and work right on the river. jeanne meserve is right on the river for us this morning. jeanne, good morning once again. it's one thing, you try to just save your home, but then you have to worry about saving your livelihood as well. >> reporter: that's right. you have to worry about your business and the full cost of business and to farmers has yet to be calculated, t.j. the good news for this story is that the levee system appears to be holding. there have been minor problems, sand boils keep cropping up but thus far able to control

mark strassmann is in vicksburg, mississippi, tonight. mark, i understand some communities are a losing what little they have. >> reporter: katie, these are folks by and large who have no place to go but a shelter. that is the now massive mississippi behind me, up another foot here in just the last 24 hours. flooding has now reached the mississippi delta and people who can least afford it. >> it's a struggle. it's a struggle. >> reporter: gloria king's stunned. her home disappearing in rising water. >> who would think the water would get this far up? >> reporter: this vicksburg neighborhood is called king's community. low-lying, low-income and sinking from sight. one of its streets yesterday. that same street today. >> i hate to even look at it. >> reporter: william jefferson paddled us to this house, his home since 1968. >> well, when that's all you have, you know? it hurts. >> reporter: just in mississippi, $275 million is a conservative estimate of total damages. $150 million to farms, $50 million businesses, $75 million homes and prop

yunji de nies found one of those homes, she's in vicksburg, mississippi, tonight, on the story. yunji? good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. i'm actually standing on a levee this homeowner built himself from the ground all the way to the top. it's taller than i am. and you can see, that's his neighbor's house over there. it's under water. he didn't build a levee, obviously. beyond that is the mississippi river itself. this house really has become a bit of an island. the homeowner has been experiencing a little bit of water coming through, so he put in a pump and is pumping that water right back out. they are expecting some rain here tonight. they're not worried about the river level, but because this is all made of dirt, it is going to be a muddy mess. still, the homeowner says he believes this will hold. david? >> we're hoping, too. yunji de nies on the story again tonight, yunji, thanks to you. >>> and, there was a tense face to face meeting at the white house today. president obama hosting israeli prime minister benjamin netanyahu, just 24 hours after those harsh wo

vicksburg, mississippi, is waiting for the floodwaters to crest, and that's expected to happen there later this week. a stretch of the mississippi river was closed on tuesday, and there are complications at ports in louisiana that could impact shipping. let's go to the latest. this story has been running for weeks now, jen. i don't know what to say. basically we just have to wait for the waters there to move down the mississippi and just create destruction all the way down. >> yeah, absolutely. it is a slow-moving problem. we're going to continue to see the river cresting in locations as we go through the remainder of this week and potentially into saturday and the water levels are going to remain potentially high for about a month you. mentioned how the u.s. is recovering and really dealing with the wheat industry. we're also going to talk about how the high level of the mississippi's also affecting the economy. we're talking about the transport. roughly 500 million tons of cargo actually moved along the mississippi river. as you mentioned, part of the mississippi river was closed ye

in vicksburg, mississippi no evacuations are expected unless a levee breaks. however mandatory evacuations are starting in the louisiana's bayou country as the flooding peak moves downstream. >>> some very hard work by some people to protect their homes appears to be paying off. take a look at these photos showing homes in yazu city surrounded by water but actually spareed from the flooding. the resident actually built their own levees around their houses ahead of the flood waters. the mississippi river could remain above flood stage until mid-june. >>> okay, let's talk about our weather because it was beautiful today. the weekends is here though. what are we looking at bill? >> if you go back to early this week, you know it was raining and we've moved into this weather pattern. along the coast plenty of coastal fog and that's sort of the story through the weekend. another nice weekend ahead with lots of fog, nice in pacifica. down the coast at least in the morning hours. the forecast tonight, look for the fog, the coastal variety moving into your neighborhood

vicksburg has crested. pretty much all of the lower gauges in the lower mississippi valley have crested or are cresting. see vicksburg. it's crested but it's still almost 14 feet above flood stage, so we still have lot of high water making its way downstream. we're cresting in baton rouge and new orleans. new orleans is at 17 feet and that's because they're opralting the spillway, diverting the water, down through the atchafalaya, and that's why things are steady there. that's a manmade thing because of what they did by opening up the gates. we had record volume of water moving through the areas late last week. the crest has happened. i thing this is the peak. we're starting to wane off now, but we're not out of the woods just yet. why is that? a couple different things. one of which is we're still looking at flooding going on into the middle miss miss river valley. in cape girardeau, you're above flood stage. there's still high water all over the place. as long as the levees hold, we'll be okay, but that's a lot of pressure. in addition to that, the threat of rain. unfortunately in the next five days, 3

in vicksburg, neighbors are underwater. the crest here, the mississippier this week on thursday at a record level of 57.5 feet. that kind of flooding hasn't been seen here since 1927. in doing so right now, people are trying to do what they can to shore up the levees and prepare to evacuate. back to you. >> thank you. >>> the field of republican presidential chachb presidential challengers is taking shape on friday. in texas, ron paul is going to run. and mike huckabee is expected to announce on his show what his presidential plans are going to be. >>> the countdown is back on for the launch of space shuttle "endeavo "endeavour." nasa hopes to launch the mission on monday. an electrical problem scrubbed that launch. gabby giffords is expected to be there once again. >>>finally, every kid wants to be a superhero. he might have a shot at it. 6-year-old ivan. he's magnet boy. he has this unusual ability to attract metal. his powers are stronger in the morning and is calm and can hold up to 55 pounds on his chest at a time. he also walked at 8 months old and

then in vicksburg, mississippi, by wednesday. and in baton rouge on thursday.y corps partially opened the bonnet carre spillway to ease pressure on levees in new orleans and protect the crescent city from severe flooding. >> if we didn't have the elements that were put in place in '27 there today, this would be a massive disaster. >> reporter: so why is this happening? it's actually the result of a sequence of events. first, rivers in 31 states, more than half of the country, drain into the mississippi or its tributaries. second, there was record snowfall this winter and finally, above-normal amounts of rain. and for now all of those million people in eight states can do is watch the mighty river rise. larry jacobs, abc news. >> all eyes on the river again today. >>> well, heartbroken farmers in missouri have gotten a first look at their land which is now under water. 130,000 acres were flooded last week when the army corps of engineers blew a hole in a nearby levee as a way of relieving pressure on the mississippi river. the intentional flood washed away the w