The south where christmas was ruinin for many americans. Abcs Kenneth Moton has the latest. Reporter holiday weather for the record books. This Christmas Morning the Weather Threat continues for parts of the south with heavy rain causing flood watches. We woke up to Civil Defense pounding on our door telling us we had 20 minutes to leave our homes. Reporter people evacuated their homes to escape floodwaters from the south the weather turned deadly. More than a dozen killed when 24 tornadoes. And one stretched 150 miles destroying hom and lives. If you look at the damage here, it is as bad as any tornado that weve had and ive reporter in wisconsin, crews are working overtime to restore power after strong winds wreaked havoc in other parts of the midwest, snow and lots of it. Nebraska, caused a traffic nightmare before christmas. Its impossible for me to get there. Its insane. Reporter along the east coast its not a White Christmas but its definitely a warm one. Record highs from florida to vermont. In new york city, 70degree weather had people in shorts and tshirts. Im loving it. Everyone should have a hot holiday. I dont have to go to florida or california. Im fine right here. Reporter those residents should enjoy the warm christmas because temperatures are expected to drop next week. Kenneth moton, abc news, there were several tornadoes in Northern California east of sacramento. Some roofs were damaged. Trees and fences torn down. But there were no reports of injuries. One Traffic Accident is plamed on the tornadoes though the driver was distracted by the storm. Holiday travel could be a nightmare in other parts of the country. Heres accuweathers cam tran, good morning, cam. Good morning. Itll remain balmy out in the east so if youre looking for a White Christmas you have to head out west. Pressure will bring widespread snow utah and western colorado and will shift and brings it into the northern plains. Could see Poor Visibility as well as drifting snow making travel a bit dangerous. The system will move into minneapolis by saturday morning but the big storm system were talking about will be over the weekend. We have a major storm saling across the south that will bring blizzardrdike conditions into nenemexico, even into the texas panhandle and could see wards of tenennches of snow in el paso, as well looking at heavy rain in east texas and Severe Weather possible in the Lower Mississippi so heading back home for the holidays could be a bit dangerous. Back to you, kendis and marci. Breaking news from africa where more than 100 have died in a gas explosion. It unfolded when a tanker truck ignited an inferno at a gat hundreds of people were lined up to refill their cooking gas cylinders in time for christmas. Witnesses described the horrible scene with many of the victims bubued beyond reregnition. And froro the vatican, the pope sending a somber message during his Christmas Eve mass. Noting the simplicity of jesus christs birth pope francis condemned what he called societys intoxication with consumerism, pleasure and abundance and wealth and said jesus calls on christians to act in a way that is a little more simple, balanced, consistent and capable of doing what is essential and delivers his christmas message and blessing and hell do that in 50 languages. Fewer pilgrims in the holy land put off by a surge of violence between israelis and lestinians. The palestinian president joined chriian faithful for Midnight Mass in bethlehem. In North Carolina chaos at a mall after gunfire erupted between two groups of feuding teenagers. Police in charlotte say an offduty officer shot and killed one of the gunmen. Panic shoppers scrammed for cover and the officer was placed on administrative leave until an investigation is complete. There were black lives matter protests on Christmas Eve including in chicago. Investigators released recordings of Chicago Police teenager Laquan Mcdonald w w shot and killed. The radio traffic shows only five minutes pass between a request for a taser and when Jason Van Dyke opened fire. Shots fired by the police. Shots fired by the police. You guys okay . Everything is fine. Roll an ambulance over here. Reporter the protest about that shooting 100 demonstrators marched along chicagos busiest protest appeared to have less impact on merchants and a bigger one held on black friday. The obamama administration i i getting gting to launch a new salvo. The department of Homeland Security is going to sent thousands of immigrants living here illegally. Pierre thomas has the latest. Reporter they came from the southern border by the thousands. Children and families, in some cases fleeing violence and persecution in central america. Many bussed beyond the border inside the u. S. Some facing angry crowds while the government determined their fate. Now with illegal border crossings spiking again, hundreds of those families are being targeted for deportation inin series of sweeps that could beginns early as next monthf approved by the white house. I think what theyre trying to do is send a message saying dont come and in order to do that, i think they believe their images of families being offloaded in planes in central ople from coming. Reporter the families targeted had their requests denied but their removal isp sparking controversy because the Obama Administration has typically focused on deporting criminals, not families. A very tough day for this news to break on Christmas Eve. Reporter some said the plan is symbolic window dressing that will do nothing to stem the tide of illegal immigration. In many cases these familiess will haveeo be tracked down but immigration and customsms enforcement agents are confident they can be located. Its too difficult for families to hide, they say. Opposition to this plan is already fierce. Washington. Well, straight ahead, 2015 is so over when it comes to your money. Forward to. Fedex not making any friends this morning thanks to some deliveries that still need to be made. Yeah, so what is the company doing about it. The americans who spent 444 Christmas Gigi to them. Well, if you have been waiting and waiting and the Christmas Gifts still havent arrived, believe it or not fedex says theres still some hope. Oh, good. The shipping giant will be delivering packages today and opening counters at its express offices so customers can pick up gifts themselves. He bad weather in t t south and lastminute surge of Holiday Shopping delayed some Christmas Eve deliveries. Analysts agree the biggest bargains in stores tomorrow will be clothing. Thats always true but this years discounts may be even expected temperatures has put a crimp in winter clothing sales. One analyst says the best deals will be at Department Stores which are struggling the most this year. Twothirds of us plan to shop the postchristmas sales. And when it comes to the money you have invested, those who manage it are already looking ahead to 2016. Some Mutual Fund Managers and analysts say you should expect lower returns from stocks many could the new year and a f f economists are predicting a recession with one week of trading left this year the dow is in negative territory, nasdaq is up for the year. We may never know exactly what caused the e. Coli outbreak at two chipotle restaurants. Thats the word from chipotle which says it no longer has any of the ingredients that might have been contaminated. Health officials also acknowledge the problem, chipotles emphasis on fresh, locally produced ingredients may work against it here. Chipotles sales have taken a beating in recent months. Jackson. Some bad news for fans who might have beeee looking forward too seeing her b bk on stage. Quite a surprise on the streets of the mile high city. Elevation. Lets put it that way. Stay with us. Od clot. What about my family . My lil buddy . And what if this happened again . I was given warfarin in the hospital but i wondered if this was the right treatment for me. Then my doctor told me about eliquis. Eliquis treats dvt and pe blood clots and reduces the risk of them happening again. Not only does eliquis treat dvt and pe blood clots, but eliquis also had significantly less major bleeding than the standard treatment. Knowing eliquis had both. Turned around my thinking. G. Dont stop eliquis unless your doctor telel you to. Eliquis can cause serious and in rare cases fafal bleeding. Dont take eliliis if you have artificial heart valve or abnormal bleeding. If you had a spinal injection whilon eliquis call your doctor right away if you have tingling, while taking eliquis, you may bruise more easily. And it may take longer than usual for bleeding to stop. Seek immediate medical care for sudden signs of bleeding, like unusual bruising. Eliquis may increase your bleeding risk if you take certain medicines. Tell your doctor about all planned medical or dental procedures. Eliquis treats dvt pe blood clots. Plus had less major bleeding. Both made switching to eliquis right for me. Ask your doctor if its right for you. You ner know when itll be your moment to shihi. So dont truru your smile to any regular toothpaste. Improved crest 3d white brilliance removes 5 times more stains than the red box. Right when you feel a cold sore, abreva can heal it in as few as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Without it the virus spreads from cell to cell. Only abreva penetrates deep and starts to work immediately to block the virus and protect healthy cells. You could heal your cold sore, fast, as fast as two and a half days when used at the first sign. Learn how abreva starts to work immediately at abreva. Com dont tough it out, knock it out, fast. With abreva. As we mentioned earlier one place having a White Christmas is omaha. The 6 inches or snow of fell that fell werent in the not only caught the meteorologists by surprise but the road crews, a leading to accidents and traffic jams, but no major injuries. Snowy roads likely in many more places this morning from the rockies across to the twin cities in the south flooding is the main problem with wet as cross the ohio valley and possibly into the midatlantic states. If youre flying airport delays are likeliest in houston, memphis, washington and denver. 36 years after their capture the americans taken hostage in tehran in 1979 are set to receive millions of dollars in compensation. Its news that brought tears to the eyes of the former hostages. Tom llamas has the details. Repor more than 30 years after those american hostages were paraded before the world, a measure of justice. The 53 americans seized by an angry mob that stormed the u. S. Embassy in tehran in 1979. Will spend at least another night imprisoned in the embassy. Reporter they became their ordeal dragging on for more than a year, rodney sickman was one of them, a 22yearold marine serving as a Security Guard at the embassy. Being held hostage was 444 days of a bad nightmare where each day we woke up, we thought we were dead. Reporter finally on the day Ronald Reagan was sworn in they won freedom for 52 americans. Reporter in all the years since the former hostages fought for compensation and now its finally come. Buried in a budget bill president obama signed last friday, they will each receive up to 4. 4 million. Thats 10,000 for every one of the 444 days they spent in cap difficulty. Sickmann calls it justice. Tom llamas, abc news, new york. Some personals in the news this Christmas Morning. Bristol palin gave birth to sailor grace. She hasnt publicly identified meyer posted best Christmas Present ever. Troubling news about pop star janet jackson. She posted on instagram that she is postponing her unbreakable world tour until the spring because of an undisclosed upcoming surgery but told fans to hang on to their tickets until her concerts are rescheduled. California governor jerry brown has given actor Robert Downey jr. An official pardon for that 1996 drug conviction that landed him in prison. Browns office says he has since lived an honeses and upright life. The ironmans conviction will remain on his record but Voting Rights to him will be restored. Five games on the nba christmas schedule including a rematch of last seasons finals between the warriors an cavaliers. As for the Christmas Eve football action, highlights now from espn. Good morning, america. And especially those watching in utica who like john buccigross. Merry christmas to my favorite utica viewers. On Christmas Eve, an nfl football game. Nfl football game, a lot of college. Its the capital one bowl mania. Charles woodson, final season in the nfl. Final home game in oakland, saying goodbye from free month, ohio and will return to ohio into the hall of fame, canton, less than two months of free month and phil rivers in overtime incomplete. Jankowski kicked a field goal and raiders win in his final homee as a raider. A balmy 82 degrees in the bahamas thursday for the popeyes bahamas bowl between western michigan, middle tennessee. Jamari bogan stealing the show, 215 yards rushing. Four touchdownwn the kids from kalamazoo are happy and broncos win it, 4531. I dont know what you got, two highlights. Merry christmas, utica. Merry christmas, america. Environmentalists delivering a buzzkill over christmas lights. While Holiday Light displays are just a small fraction of what we consume consider this. They burn up more energy than nations use in an entire year. Cambodia as an example. Up next, that surprise we mentioned in denver. It was all for a good cauue actually. And the holiday treat, nfl locker room style light the is straight ahead. When heartburn hits fight back fast tums smoothies starts dissolving the instant it touches your tongue and neutralizes stomach acid at the source tum, tum, tum, tum smoothies only from tums y amanda, sorry to bother you but i gotta take a sick day. Moms dont t te sick days, moms take dayquil severe the nondrowsy, coughing, aching, fever, sore throat, stuffy head, no sick days, medicine. A little bit. And it feels like im just cradled. At Mattress Firm get zero percent apr financing. And there you have it. Visit Mattress Firm, americas number one tempurpedic retailer today. What if the sweet stevia leaf was discovered. Before the sugarcane. And everything had fewer calories. Truvia. Life with less sugar is just t sweet. When cigarette cravings hit, all i can think about is getting relief. Only nicorette mini has a patented fastdissolving formula. It starts to relieve sudden cravings fast. I never know when ill need relief. Thats why i only choose nicorette mini. Were making our way to the fireplace here and christmas threw up on me on the way over here. A special christmas edition, of course, of the pulse and were going to start with the traditional christmas meal in japan. Christmas is not a National Holiday there but having a meal of kfc Fried Chicken with the colonel is the way many celebrate the day there apparently. It is so popular that people start making reservations in october. Thats insane. Wait time, by the way, can be as long as six hours without a reservation. The tradition dates back to 1974. But why . How did that get started . I have so many questions about this. I have no idea. But i like it. Its a good idea. Delicious tradition. Agreed. Next , the nfl team that is as hot as this fire burning behind us talking about the carolina panthers. As hot as this suit. They are undefeated, 140 right now with two games left in the regular season, and they can wrap up Home Field Advantage throughout the playoffs with a these panthers arent all rough and tough, though. They have a seasonal musical side as we check them out right now. Really . Yeah. Sleep in heaven heavenly peace Merry Christmas to all of you all of you and we mean it Merry Christmas to all of you Merry Christmas, everybody. Merry christmas. I love that they were hitting the notes while completely stark naked, the other guy there. I like it as well and i like when you sing along to it. Ill pass on that but thats panthers running back Fozzy Whittaker in his rudolph suit and his friend all nude hitting all the right notes in the carolina locker room after practice. Simple suggestion, g gs, dont id give money to watch more of this. Really . Oh, yeah. Also hitting a high note on the way in to christmas, a Nonprofit Group in denver that gave free marijuana joints to the homeless and anyone else who wanted one. The Group Cannabis can says its high time that the homeless had access to rest rooms and showers so the group is raising money. Oh, by giving this to them. Its illegal to smoke marijuana in public in colorado, by the way, but giving it as a gift is okay. The group wishes everybody, quote here, a happy cannimas. Very festive. O there are a lot of homom guys with the munchies this morning in denver. All right. Stay with us. More news coming up. Im going to burn this over there. Just head around the corner to walgreens en youre searching for that Perfect Little something. Walgreens has great gifts and its all just a hop, skip, and a bark away. Most stores open til 10pm on christmas day. The flu virus hits big. With aches, chills, and fever, theres no such thing as a little flu. And it needs a big solution an antiviral. So when the flu hits, call your doctor right awawa and up the antnt prescription tamiflu is an antiviral that attacks the flu virus at its source and helps stop it from spreading in the body. Tamiflu is fda approved to treat the flu in people two weeks of age and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. Before taking tamiflu, tell your doctor if youre pregnant, nursing, have Serious Health conditions, or take other medicines. If you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash, or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. Children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion, or abnormal behavior. The most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. Antiflu . Go antiviral with tamiflu. Our top stories more than 100 people are dead following a gas explosion in nigeria. The disaster unfolding when a at a gas industrial plant. At least 14 people are dead the south. There was also heavy rain, flooding and at least one seven of the deaths were in mississippi. Freaky weather also in michigan. A rarereornado there in detroit and severarato Northern California. The brief twisters east of sacramento damaged cars and property, but there were no serious juries. And looking at todays weather, chilly in the west, a snow across the upper plains. Valley. And finally on this visit, shall we, to whats being called californias Miracle Manor. Families with children who are critically ill. The Miracle Manor is near what is kno as choc, the Childrens Hospital of orange county. Visit. Reporter Bridgette Colby unpacks boxes while her two kid ss it may not seem like much but to them its a miracle. Our family is whole and that we can be a family and do what we need to do. Reporter when she was 1, doctors diagnosed sophia with hlh, an extremely rare disease that causes her immune system to attack her own tissues and organs. She began intensive treatment including chemotherapy and her Family Spending weeks at a time at Childrens Hospital o o orange county, all of it taking a serious toll . I iit the meds, is if t t food . All those things add up exponential. Reporter the family nearly lost their home and the nonprofit asked them to be the first family to move into the Miracle Manor, an apartment complex less than a mile when choc built specifically for families with critically ill children. A place where they could feel safe and comforted and part of the community. Reporter doctors continue to monitor sophia after a bone Marrow Transplant from her doesnt know what to expect the new home and the friends dealing with the same things. I like it very much and i like how its for families so that way theres more kids to play with around here. Reporter the colbys manage the property for four other families with critical illnesses, and while they wait to open their presents, bridget said this new community is more than a gift, its a miracle. This gives the ten years of what weve been doing a purpose and hopefully we can help them get through it a little easier than we did. Reporter construction is under way on seven more units. Miracles for kids hope to have families moved in by the spring. Reporting in orange, greg lee, abc eyewitness news. Our thanks to greg fofothat. And thats whats making news in america this morning. Christmas day mostly cloudy afternoon. Slight mix after 4pm. That