Transcripts For KNTV NBC Nightly News With Lester Holt 20241

Category 5 storm and taking dead aim at florida. Milton rapidly strengthening over the past 24 hours, now packing winds of 180 miles per hour. The strongest hurricane of the Gulf Of Mexico in nearly 20 years. In florida a state of emergency. Storm surge warnings up to 15 feet. The race to get out. Mandatory evacuations. Al roker has the new track for us tonight. It comes as florida and the southeast are still reeling from hurricane Helenes Blast just 11 days ago. Thousands still without water. Were with the National Guard on an urgent mission to deliver relief. And in tennessee growing questions at a Plastic Factory where nearly a dozen workers were swept away. Also tonight, the solemn ceremonies as israel marks a year since the deadly hamas Terror Attack. Here in the u. S. The memorials for the victims and the hostages. And protests returning to campus as the deadly war expands to new fronts. The race for the White House with just 29 days to go Kamala Harris launching a media blitz. And Donald Trump under scrutiny after suggesting bad genes are to blame for migrants who commit murder. And like father like son. Lebron and bronny james taking the court together and making nba history. Announcer this is nbc Nightly News with lester holt. Good evening and welcome, everyone. In Florida Tonight the calls to evacuate are being met with a renewed sense of urgency as floridians with fresh memories of Hurricane Helene prepare for the second major hurricane to strike the state in just two weeks. Hurricane milton has rapidly intensified today, now a category 5, spinning sustained winds at an eyewatering 180 miles per hour. One of the strongest atlantic hurricanes on record. The storm powering its way across the Gulf Of Mexico toward the florida peninsula tonight, where forecasters anticipate it will be an extremely serious threat to florida as it aims toward the states widely populated midsection, likely late wednesday into thursday. The storm potentially will dump up to five to ten inches of rain, local amounts up to 15 inches and expect to generate a Storm Surge potentially as high as 15 feet. Right now 51 florida counties are under states of emergency with many coastal areas under mandatory evacuation orders. Al roker is here now with the latest on miltons path. Al, good evening. Good evening, lester. Much of the state of florida under hurricane watches, hurricane Warnings Tonight as we watch this system start to push in. We can see right now 180mileperhour winds moving east at 10. 80 miles westnorthwest of progreso, mexico. As this system pushes to the east, we look for Landfall Sometime Tomorrow Night as a category 3 storm. Dont worry about the categories. Its this system that is going to be a Monster Storm. Were talking about Storm Surges five to ten feet from Cedar Key to tampa. 10 to 15 feet from tampa to sarasota. 6 to 10 feet down through fort myers. 11 Million people at risk for tornadoes, damaging winds as well. And were looking for anywhere from 10 to 15 inches of rain, a moderate risk of flash flooding, river flooding. And lester, this is just going to keep going right on into thursday. It finally clears out but were going to be talking about this right into next week. All right, al, thanks very much for that. There is an urgent race to get out of the Storm Zone in florida and clear out the debris from Hurricane Helene that could make this new hurricane all the more dangerous. Tom llamas is there, and tom, this is definitely a race against the clock. Reporter it is, lester. And you can see why just behind me. Theres damage all the way down this block from Hurricane Helene. And residents know this next hurricane is even more powerful. Plus theyre dealing with this right now. Piles of debris, which is going to make the Storm Surge even more dangerous, and its going to add projectiles to the air because of those hurricaneforce winds. Tonight in florida residents facing mountains of debris from one hurricane and now another Monster Storm barreling towards them. The second time in less than two weeks. And this one may be even more catastrophic. And you always worry, but this one, theres something about this one that im feeling very uneasy about. Reporter with Hurricane Milton strengthening to a dangerous category 5, at least six counties have issued mandatory evacuation orders. If you remain there, you could die. My men and women could die trying to rescue you. Reporter highways are clogged with people fleeing inland. On nbc 6 South Florida Meteorologist John Morales reporting on miltons intensification. Its dropped 50 millibars in 10 hours. I apologize. This is just horrific. Reporter that rapid intensification fueled by climate change, just like helene before it. The remnants from helene, broken furniture and downed trees, are still everywhere. This creates a safety hazard. And it also will increase the damage that milton could do with flying debris. Reporter Floridas Governor has called it a debris removal mission, asking counties to work nonstop to get rid of all this junk, even ordering Waste And Landfill sites to stay open through the night. Nbc newss Marissa Parra found that effort continuing today in overdrive. Reporter im in treasure island, one of Floridas Barrier islands. It is filled with debris like this. They have called in all reinforcements to remove it. Just look at this line of city trucks, Garbage Trucks behind me. Reporter all over the Gulf Coast theyre getting ready. Including at tampa general. This video went viral during helene. Facilities chief Dustin Pasteur checking the Aqua Fence as it kept Tampa Bay from entering hospital rooms. He hopes its strong enough for milton. 12 feet with a High Tide gets us very close to our limit here. And so thats a little concerning if thats actually what we see. Reporter in nearby Madeira Beach we were with Abby Lewis as an Emergency Notification went off telling her to evacuate. Helene took her home, and milton may take more. You dont even have time to cry. Well, you cant no. No. So that will be like after milton. Or whats to follow. Reporter tom llamas, Nbc News, Madeira Beach. And in western North Carolina no end to the struggle after Hurricane Helenes Flood Waters isolated so many communities. Many people forced to rely on Each Other for help. Antonia hylton is there. Reporter Tonight President Biden sending 500 more troops into North Carolina as the reality of Recovery Sets in. Thousands still without running water. Some Loved Ones still missing. The National Guard showing Nbc News their challenging operations. As they navigate through North Carolinas blue ridge mountains. Wyatt bumgarner grew up in this terrain, a cowboy and professional horse trainer. Hey, sweetie. Reporter when helene Hit Washing away roads and homes that homegrown knowledge became crucial for towns like burnsville. Come on, friends. Reporter word got out that wyatt and his friend Tracy Adams will the skills to head up into hills and bring Hay And Food to isolated farmers and rescue horses lost in the storm. How does it feel for you to see people experiencing that kind of loss, to be finding animals whove been stranded for days in some cases . Its kind of hard because it is such a devastating time. Calling on our community and the community is showing up. Reporter residents here feel theyre getting less federal support than the city of asheville and when help does come people arent always equipped. Weve been having constant landslides. There is quicksand everywhere. Theres mud that looks solid but if you step on it you sink up to your hip. Reporter this blackhawk blowing away Community Supplies on Sunday Night when they failed to land. For many federal aid feels slow. Have you seen anyone from fema . No. Reporter fueling some misinformation about how fema works. My understanding is theyre broke. I mean, the most theyre giving out is like 750. Reporter governor Roy Cooper and Fema Assuring Residents Today funds and help are here. Fema has i think more than 104,000 people who have registered for assistance. More than 31 Million has been distributed. Reporter but the list of needs is only growing as the weather gets colder. [ speaking in a global language ] Mom Maria Sebastian tells us her daughters have been asking what happened. Was it a little scary . But they trust kind neighbors will get them through. And antonia, thousands of residents are still without Power Tonight as well. When is it expected to be restored . Reporter governor Roy Cooper announced that as much as 90 of the Power Supply could be back on tomorrow but that fixing the Water Systems will take time, lester. All right, antonia, thank you. In israel and beyond a day of mourning on the anniversary of the October 7th hamas Terrorist Attack that left 1,200 people dead and sparked a war that has killed tens of thousands In Gaza. Heres raf sanchez. Reporter as the sun rose, israel stopped to remember. A nation still reeling in grief, thousands gathering at the site of the Nova Music Festival at 6 29 a. M. , one year to the minute that the Terror Attack began. This is the last track that played at the festival before the music stopped and the shooting started. Of the 1,200 people massacred by hamas on October 7th, nearly a third were killed here. Executed on the Festival Grounds or gunned down trying to escape. We first visited the Nova Site five days after the attack. Scattered belongings, the debris of lives cut short. This was a place of music, a place of joy, a place of dancing. And now there is just a deathly, deathly silence here. Reporter One Year Later noah yaffi returning to the place where her Little Brother Binyahu was murdered. A musician with big dreams, he was killed weeks before his 23rd birthday. If you could speak to your brother what would you tell him . That i love him and i miss him so much. I just want to hug him and listen to his voice again. Reporter amid the bloodshed 251 people taken hostage. Men, women, and children. 101 remain in captivity, including seven americans. The youngest hostages, kfir bibas, nine months old on October 7th, and his 4yearold Brother Ariel unaccounted for. Their fate unknown. Israel fighting back against not just hamas In Gaza but also hezbollah in lebanon and their backers, iran. The u. S. Supplying israel with weapons but also trying and failing to secure a ceasefire. The war that started on October 7th now a deadly regional conflict. In Gaza Today no memorials. Palestinian families just hoping to survive. In Israels Effort to destroy hamas its killed 41,000 gazans, according to the hamasrun health ministry. Almost half of them children. Manal Abu Hathar is responsible for her eight grandkids. Their fathers, her two sons, were both killed in an israeli strike. I cannot bear their loss, she said. But setting her own grief aside to care for children trapped in yearlong war that feels like it may never end. And raf, we understand the sirens have been going off in israel throughout the day. Reporter thats right, lester. The Israeli Military says it intercepted rockets and missiles fired from gaza, lebanon, and yemen today. No one was killed here, but it underscores just how widespread this conflict has become. Lester . All right, raf sanchez, thank you. The anniversary met with Remembrance And Rage in the u. S. , with proisrael and propalestinian demonstrators marking the attack and the deadly war it sparked In Gaza. Stephanie gosk has our report. Reporter demonstrations growing tonight on the anniversary of the October 7th attack. Fueling familiar tensions across the country, especially at columbia university. How do you feel with this demonstration going on here on Campus Today . I feel unsafe as a jew. We are a group of people just supporting and mourning the loss of lives taken. Thats all we want to do, is to mourn. Reporter propalestinian demonstrators, many with faces covered, calling for an end to the war. People are dying. Were doing nothing about it. Reporter outside the gates proisrael demonstrators waved flags and prayed for the hostages amid heightened security. Firstyear Grad Student Sarah Kashani says she considered not studying at columbia. Its hard as a proud jew and a proud zionist to commit to a school that doesnt value you as a person. Reporter while for many today was a day of remembrance, recognized by President Biden with a Candle Lighting Ceremony in the White House, nationwide universities have been bracing for protests. At usc and the university of maryland. On this day in particular its very difficult for the jewish community. This is our chance to make sure that our Campus Community is actually aware of whats happening in palestine. Reporter in the last year schools have struggled balancing freedom of Speech And Safety on campus. University president s testified on capitol hill. Ill be the first to admit our existing rules and policies are falling short. Reporter the clashes at colleges reflecting growing Antisemitism And Islamophobia in the country. More than 10,000 antisemitic incidents in the last year. And a 69 increase in complaints about islamophobia. Tonight there are dueling protests in New York including here in times square. Theres a large Police Presence and theyve set up barricades to prevent confrontations. Lester . Stephanie gosk tonight. Thank you. In 60 seconds a new Battle Over Abortion Playing Out In The Supreme Court on the first day of the new term. Plus, with one month to Election Day why new comments about immigrants are drawing scrutiny. Rer skin. With bimzelx, this is my shot to say im back. Most people got 100 clear skin. Some after the first dose. Serious Side Effects, including suicidal thoughts and behavior, infections and lowered ability to fight them, liver problems, and inflammatory Bowel Disease have occurred. Tell your doctor if these happen or worsen, or if youve had a Vaccine Or Plan to. Start to get yourself back with bimzelx. Ask your dermatologist about bimzelx today. Youll love this Centrum Silver is clinicall