victor oquendo, houston. >> you can donations they finally got once they said all right, you can come on in. >>> coming up, we've seen unusual rescues in texas. >> a paddleboard, a jet ski. wait until you hear the next one. (cough) i'm never gonna i'll take a sick day tomorrow. on our daughter's birthday? moms don't take sick days & moms take nyquil severe. the nighttime sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep with a cold &medicine. >>> we're back with one of the amazing images from the disaster there. that is 78 year old karen spencer getting rescued from their home in a jet ski. >> but the jet ski isn't the strangest part. it came about not because karen and her husband called 911 but because they called chick fil a. they're regulars. they ordered two chicken sandwiches, two waffle fries. by the way, they mentioned that they were trapped while they're at it. the chick fil a manager sent help. so the spencers say they didn't get the name of but the big tragedy, they didn't get the order from chick-fil-a. somewhere waffle fries going cold. >> good thing they didn't ca

in the forecast, the officials are keeping a close watch on this unpredictable storm, tom. >> victor oquendo tonight. victor, stay safe. thank you. >>> now to massive emergency response to harvey. the governor of texas declaring a state of emergency in about 50 counties. about 1,000 people involved in search and rescue operations. abc's clayton sandell is in austin with the latest. >> reporter: tonight, in texas military might helping the search and rescue mission. the coast guard saving 18 boaters today, including these four from a sinking tug near port aransas. near rockport, one couple stranded with their dog got a chopper lift to a nearby hospital. in houston, floodwaters turned this suv into a submarine. one man escapes out the back, another helps to tow it out. >> we're in the middle of hurricane harvey. >> reporter: the national guard force now battling harvey, up to 1,800 troops. their effort, appreciated by even the smallest texans. >> thank you! >> thank you! >> reporter: and tonight, swift water rescue teams across texas are gearing up for what they believe will be a very busy nig

cuba denying any involvement, and abc's victor oquendo is in havana. >> reporter: tonight, a mystery unfolding in cuba -- american officials in cuba suddenly falling ill. >> our americans were not safe, they were not secure. >> reporter: the state department and fbi not revealing what made them sick, or their symptoms, but sources tell abc news that starting in the fall of 2016 it appears some officials were exposed to a "sonic device" that caused hearing problems and other physical symptoms. this all unfolding just a few months after president obama made that historic visit to cuba re-establishing diplomatic relations. >> so why now? >> the time is right. obviously, our intention has always been to get a ball rolling knowing that change wasn't gonna happen overnight. >> reporter: but this latest incident, triggering retaliation. the u.s. expelling two cuban diplomats from washington in may, despite not knowing who exactly is to blame. >> we can't blame any one individual or country at this point yet. >> so let's bring in victor oquendo in with us live from miami tonight, and victor,

tonight's victor oquendo tonight. >> reporter: tonight new details about the mysterious illness that sickened american officials in cuba. >> this is unprecedented. we have not seen this type of reporter: the state efore. department revealing today that some of those americans had to be medically evacuated to miami for treatment and testing. >> the best equipment is not going to necessarily be on the ground in cuba. we are bringing people to the best medical experts on the >> reporter: starting in december of 2016, sources say it appears some officials were exposed to a sonic device in havana that caused serious health problems and physical symptoms including hearing loss. now sources are telling our miami station those symptoms included memory loss, loss of balance and vision issues. experts tell abc ynews that soud waves above and below the range of human hearing could potentially cause permanent damage. the state department today pressed on a report that some officials were diagnosed with injuries as severe as brain injury. >> i'm not going to confirm the medical status of any u.s.

>> and so many powerful stories from inside the convention center, and that's where victor oquendo now joins you live, and victor, there's an urgent need more shelter, but it will soon become an all-out effort to find homes for so many of those people. >> reporter: tom, the people we spoke to hope to return home, but fema's administrator saying, quote, housing in texas will be very frustrating. the last resort will be manufactured homes or travel trailers and that would be a process, tom. >> still many months away. all right, victor. thanks so much. >>> the flooding emergency here in houston is triggering a dangerous health situation as well. one hospital is under evacuation. others strained to the limit, and people with chronic illnesses are in special need. add to that, the lack of electricity, clean water, medicines and stress, and this area could be experiencing a full blown medical crisis. here's abc's eva pilgrim. >> reporter: some of the most vulnerable families today begging for help. >> we cannot get out. >> reporter: bernadette colon-paget trapped inside her home with six chi

abc's victor oquendo has the story. good morning. >> reporter: kendis and diane, ever since the lakewood church started accepting donations they have not stopped coming in. take a look at this mountain of baby supplies behind my. beyond that a mountain of towels and pillows. and clothes on the other side. and here that little signup desk. that's all volunteers. they have not stopped coming in either. they've had to tell volunteers to come back to work later shifts. now this move comes one day after the famous pastor here, joel osteen came under fire facing fierce criticism. he kept his doors closed while other places of worship around houston opened theirs. on thursday, they posted it was inaccessible due to severe flooding and later sharing these photos. but locals started posting these images, appearing to show the area around the church was not saying i care deeply about our fellow houstonians. lakewood's open. the donations are continuing to pour in. the church says anyone seeking refuge can stay here as long as the

. >> abc's victor oquendo is joining us now there this morning on how this monster storm is affectingt city of houston, victor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy and dan. right now things are starting to really pick up in the houston area. hands down the strongest rain and wind that we've seen so far overnight and into the morning. and just about an hour ago all of our phones went off, a flash flood warning in effect for the next few hours here. right now the message from the mayor, stay safe, stay put. do not hit the roadways. right next to a busy roadway, 59 south. normally very busy. right now light traffic passing by at the moment. as far as evacuations, the mayor does not want to see that. urging them it stay off the roadway. in rita a number tried to leave and and 100 died trying to flee the city. pore dying trying to evacuate than the hurricane itself. the major concern is the flooding. we think of 2001 and tropical storm allison which is just pwie area. tens of thousands of homes destroyed. 23 people died. since then the city has spent a ton of money, nearly a billi

amy, dan. >> all right, victor oquendo in houston.will definitely be checking back in with victor throughout the day today. >> absolutely. the key message, don't get complacent. this can be very dangerous with that flash flooding. we'll be right back with more coverage of hurricane harvey. keep it here. my day starts well before i'm in the kitchen. i need my blood sugar to stay in control. i need to shave my a1c i'm always on call. an insulin that fits my schedule is key. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ (announcer) tresiba® is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. don't use tresiba® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. don't share needles or insulin pens. don't reuse needles. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause dizziness, swtiting, confusion, and headache. check your blood sugar. low blood sugar can be serious and may be life-threatening. injection site reactions may occur. tell your prescriber about all medicines you ta

amy, dan. >> all right, victor oquendo in houston.will definitely be checking back in with victor throughout the day today. >> absolutely. the key message, don't get complacent. this can be very dangerous with that flash flooding. we'll be right back with more coverage of hurricane harvey. keep it here. my day starts well before i'm in the kitchen. i need my blood sugar to stay in control. i need to shave my a1c i'm always on call. an insulin that fits my schedule is key. ♪ tresiba® ready ♪ (announcer) tresiba® is used to control high blood sugar in adults with diabetes. don't use tresiba® to treat diabetic ketoacidosis, during episodes of low blood sugar, or if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. don't share needles or insulin pens. don't reuse needles. the most common side effect is low blood sugar, which may cause dizziness, swtiting, confusion, and headache. check your blood sugar. low blood sugar can be serious and may be life-threatening. injection site reactions may occur. tell your prescriber about all medicines you ta

a abc's victor oquendo is there. good morning, victor. >> reporter: kendis and diane, the evacuees coming in by the bus load at the houston convention center and have watched them come in cold tired and hungry. we spoke to one woman who walked in right after a helicopter rescue shivering cold and holding a 3-month-old baby. they walked in with enough supplies just to last them a few days. those are the types of stories that we're seeing here at the convention center. take a look behind me. that is the registration desk. that is where all of these people who have left their homes are now checking in with the red cross, getting all their information in and then that room directly to the left right behind the registration desk, that's where they're getting their dry clothes, food and water all very welcome after going through per a half of just nonstop rain and flooding that they've been dealing with. the good news here, the donations continue to pour in. that is excellent for the red cross. however, they've made it clea

here's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, the total devastation, evident from the sky. every neighborhood within sight, under water. but this life-threatening emergency first unfolding in the dead of night. >> anybody up there that wants to go? >> reporter: the houston police chief pulling people to safety, livestreaming from the flood zone. >> any kids? two kids, all right. you got the baby? >> reporter: our team, with a local police officer, witnessing firsthand this morning how fast that water rises. >> this is insane. >> reporter: within a matter of minutes, the water, waist-high. >> we're here in houston, downtown houston. it's a very dangerous situation. >> reporter: this is what a high water rescue looks like. officials have come out to our crews and told us we need to get to safety. this rescue truck carrying us and others to higher ground. >> i got stuck on the freeway. i'm just really worried about all of my houstonians that are out there. >> reporter: it went from bad to worse very quickly this morning. you have no idea how deep it is rain still coming down.

here's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, the warning for corpus christi clear. >> get out of dodge. >> reporter: about 130 flights cancelled in the region in all. already about 160 reported delays in and out. the mad rush to get out, with time running out. >> i do not have back-up plan, if i get stuck, i'm stuck. >> in this situation, stranded, away from home, no electricity, flooding. we're not from here, so, good luck to you guys. >> reporter: major airlines tonight saying they'll waive change fees. allowing passengers to rebook travel in harvey's path at no cost. from the air, to the sea, the port of galveston. a popular docking point for cruise ships, now closed. tonight, four cruise ships, with an estimated 20,000 passengers, diverted. carnival saying three of theirs will "remain a safe distance from the storm" and will "return the ships to galveston as soon as feasible." >> and victor is live with us now. the cruise ships waiting it out at sea. and where you are in houston, we heard officials pleading with residents to stay put. >> reporter: that's right, davis. houston's may

. >> so let's bring in victor oquendo in with us live from miami tonight, and victor, what are cuban officials saying tonight? >> reporter: david involvement here, but just today, saying their personnel in havana are showing similar symptoms. >> victor, thank you mplgt in the meantime, next to a bombshell accusation at a hearing today from members of a penn state fraternity. they are accused in the death of tim piazza during an alcohol-fueled party at a frat house. someone testifying that one of the accused deleted security camera footage, and tonight, abc's gio benitez. >> reporter: those 16 fraternity brothers filed into a pennsylvania court today, a prosecutor arguing they should all stand trial for the alcohol-fueled death of 19-year-old pledge, tim piazza. >> we have a friend who's unconscious, he hasn't moved. probably going to need an ambulance. >> reporter: that 911 call not made until 12 hours after piazza fell head-first down a flight stairs, after taking part in an alleged hazing ritual called "the gauntlet" -- >> they had to go from station to station and chug alcohol. co

abc's victor oquendo is there. >> reporter: houston in the firing line again. this coming after the first wave of twisters striking early this morning. >> my camper is on its side. i'm basically homeless. >> reporter: we're standing in front of what's left of a storage facility in katy, texas, and just take a look around here. torn up wood, mangled metal, all over the place here. if you take a look around, there's a number of items. what's left of a chair. that's an old tv, but here's the thing. this didn't all come from inside the storage facility. it came from across the street. >> we were out here yesterday with sandbags, probably 100 of them trying to prepare for the flood, but it ended up being a lot worse. >> reporter: in nearby sienna plantation, neighbors taking cover. more than 50 homes damaged. >> once he heard the boom across the house, we just ran to safety. >> reporter: the ceiling caving in on the woman who lives here. the sky now visible from the living room. that all unfolding as harvey hit. this time lapse video showing it eclipsing houston. ri

here's abc's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, police in central florida in mourning as they investigate what led to the violent deaths of two officers. >> a regional two trauma alert. >> reporter: kissimmee officer matthew baxter, a father of four, the first on the scene, checking out a suspicious persons call in an area known for drug activity. howard responding to his call. both officers gunned down, baxter dying friday night. howard succumbed to his injuries saturday. the chief calling them the put it me of what you would ask for in law enforcement officers. you see we don't get to stop for a minute >> reporter: 45-year-old everett glenn miller, a marine veteran, under arrest, charged with first degree murder. but the violent night for law enforcement across the country was far from over. 90 minutes after the kissimmee shooting, two jacksonville officers shot with a high-powered rifle while responding to a man threatening suicide. >> ems responding in a 58, west church street in fairchance. reporting an individual being shot. >> reporter: and two state troopers in western pennsylvani

here's abc's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight -- we were there as dozens of volunteers at joel osteen'swelcomed families seeking refuge. the 16,000 seat and former houston rockets football arena, lakewood church, claiming 45,000 congregants a week and broadcasted around the world tonight filling up with donations for evacuees. the move comes one day after the famous pastor faced fierce criticism he kept his doors closed while other places of h thiers. on sunday the church posting online it was "inaccessible due to severe flooding." and later sharing these photos of the facility. but locals started posting these images appearing to show the area around the church was not flooded. and that roads around the facility were accessible. osteen rejecting the criticisms. tweeting "i care deeply about our fellow houstonians. lakewood's doors are open and we are receiving anyone who needs shelter." the church told us their parking garage was flooded and water was 1 foot away from breaching their flood gates. >> the doors had been open from the very beginning. >> reporter: the donations continue po

abc's victor oquendo is at the convention center which now 5,000 people now call home. >> reporter: they were brought here in dump trucks lifted out one by one. but by afternoon, they were coming in by the busload. take a look outside the convention center. bus after bus dropping off more evacuees, some arriving here without even shoes on their feet. long tables of volunteers handing out clothes. asma flowers arrived with her three kids, volunteers wrapping them in towels. she tells me it took her three hours to get here by boat, by foot, and finally by bus. >> as long as my babies safe, i'm okay. >> reporter: the red cross prepared cots for 5,000 people. most are now taking. this shelter nearing capacity. >> this shelter rescue is going to be a very heavy lift. we're anticipating over 30,000 people being placed in shelters temporarily. >> reporter: smaller shelters also filling up. in nearby dickinson, rescue workers carry an elderly woman in a blanket into city hall. the corridors crowded with children, shivering and frightened. >> these kids need help. >> they're soaked to the bone. >

. >> victor oquendo in miami. thank you, victor. >>> tonight, major fallout after the navy's newest disaster at sea. the commander of the 7th fleet has been dismissed just weeks before he was set to retire. the collision between the "uss john s. mccain" and an oiler tank was the fourth major incident in the fleet this year. two of them deadly. navy divers have located the remains of some of the ten missing sailors. more divers are expected to arrive tomorrow. >>> we have been reporting here on the opioid crisis in america for more than a year now, and tonight, we're back on it with an extraordinary partnership between abc news and more than 60 of our affiliates to show the scope, the size, the heartbreak across this country. and tonight here, the new front here in new york city. what we just discovered at jfk airport today. fentanyl coming from china? here's abc's senior justice correspondent, pierre thomas tonight. >> reporter: jfk airport today, agents in protective suits. finding the powerful opioid, fentanyl,

abc's victor oquendo was there with the latest on what's happened there this morning. victor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. after they leave their hope has is the first room they come to inside the convention center for the dry clothes. the food and the water. more than 2500 people have already come through here. separate area with cots finally getting some much needed rest as the red cross puts it, this is their home now so you can think of this area as their living room. we were here, we watched as people came in in droves so many of them being dropped off on the back of city dump trucks taking with them only what they could carry. the red cross says they're set up here inside the convention center to take as many as 5,000 people. they're halfway there and with more evacuations, more rain in the forecast, they're expecting the numbers here to grow. they show up hungry, tired, some in need of medical attention, some with pets. they're in a separate area for them. the red cross says they will be here for as long as they're needed. amy. >> so many incredi

victor oquendo, thank you. george. >> thanks, amy. >>> we're joined now by the houston police chief art acevedo. thanks for joining us. i know how much you're dealing with and i know you've been out there trying to rescue people trapped in those floodwaters. give us a sense of what you're seeing and what you're dealing with. >> well, i mean, we're seeing really widespread flooding that we haven't seen here in a while and so far we've rescued or actually completed 2,000 rescue missions. i'm happy to report we're down to about 215, 220 folks that are still waiting for rescues or locations and so we've made some great progress and we just are really grateful that despite the power of this storm we haven't had more loss of life. >> you only have a couple hundred left to be rescued. how long is that going to take? >> i'm hoping that as soon as this sun comes up or some daylight comes up that it's a couple hundred more rescue missions so we're hopeful that we'll be able to get that done at some time today before the

it is a frightening situation happening in houston and that's where we find our victor oquendo live this morning. good morning victor. >> the flooding is widespread across houston. take a look at this parking lot. the latest numbers were in the 24 inches of rain, more than 1,000 rescues. the officers say they have never seen anything quite like this. overnight the situation in hoose teen getting dire. some youngest victims rescued by boat. torrential rains battering america's fourth largest city. reports of people trapped inside their homes. a local police chief live-streaming throughout the night. >> hey, is there anybody up there that wants to go? you guys okay? >> reporter: officials rescuing more than 1,000 residents. >> any kids? two kids. all right. you got the baby? >> reporter: unable to get to everyone. >> it breaks your heart for our city. and our state. >> reporter: some residents wading through waist-high waters, doing everything they can to get to safety. more than 20 inches of rainfall already in some areas. >> let me tell you, it is dropping a lot of water. and the streets

city in this country and they are dealing with an enormous amount of rain and tornados and abc's victor oquendoright there. victor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, dan. the outer bands of harvey continue pounding houston. the rain has been relentless and it's going to be here for a few daysme days. we're still under a flash flood warning. some of the major interstates dealing with flooding. people are being told to stay home and stay off the roads. we've been bringing you live pictures of the roadways here in houston which is under a tornado watch as well. tornados have been reported in nearby missouri city. in galveston they're dealing with strong storm surges there. coastal flooding could increase. at sea, there are about 20,000 passengers on board cruise ships that were supposed to arrive in galveston this weekend but they can't. the port is closed. the ships are being kept at a safe distance. the houston area is embracing for rain. it's here, it's going to be here for a few more days. some spots could see as much as 40 inches of rain. dan, amy. >> heading into some tough days in ho

they're sharing their grief and abc's victor oquendo joins us with that part of the story. victor, good morning to you. >> reporter: good morning, paula and dan. this couple had just finished having sangria. they were looking at souvenirs, a typical day in the heart of barcelona but in an instant their dream trip turned into a nightmare. jared tucker and his wife heidi left for spain to celebrate their one-year anniversary but a trip that was supposed to mark a year of marriage turning into tragedy. the couple separated while shopping in la ramblas as this van tore through the busy street. >> no more than a minute after he left to go to the bathroom mayhem broke out. you know, screaming, people running. >> reporter: heidi frantically looking for jared pushing survivors further and farther back back. >> i got pushed into the kiosk and crawled over their merchandise and ended up having a nice little cubby spot where i was safe. >> reporter: she did not expect her husband to be hurt until a friend sent her a photo from twitter. >> i ended up seeing the picture and it was defini

abc's victor oquendo was live outside ben taub hospital in houston and, victor, tell us what you're learning there this morning. >> reporter: good morning, amy. this hospital is one of two trauma one centers in the houston area. the situation here was dire. so far they've moved out s still working on moving out 60 more patients. hospitals across houston trapped by flooding facing power outages and rapidly dwindling supplies racing to evacuate. here at ben taub, floodwater and sewage overwhelming the hospital's basement, affecting much needed food and medicine. >> the situation happening at ben taub right now, for example, where they're apparently running out of food at one point there and there was also some flooding concerns, what can something like that do to a hospital. >> if you start to run out of supplies and can't feed people that's a big problem. >> reporter: while the hospital struggled neighbors turning to each other for help. this dramatic moment from ktrk shows one of their reporters trying to help a woman deliver her baby in northeast houston. the pregnant woman received help an

it's a life-threatening, flash flood emergency fo let's get to victor oquendo live on the scene. >> reporter: good morning, rob. houston has just been getting pounded all night and into the morning. we're standing next to an exit ramp right off the highway. where down this way, more than 20 feet of rain has accumulated. one officer we spoke with says he's never seen anything like this. overnight, the situation in houston getting dire. some of the youngest victims of the floodwaters rescued by boat. torrential rains battering america's fourth largest city. reports of people trapped inside their homes. a local police chief live-streaming throughout the night. >> hey, in there anybody up there that wants to go? you guys okay? >> reporter: officials rescuing more than 1,000 residents. >> any kids? two kids. all right. you got the baby? >> reporter: unable to get to everyone. >> it breaks your heart for our city. and our state. >> reporter: some residents wading through waist-high waters, doing everything they can to get to safety. more than 20 inches of rainfall already in some areas. >> let me