and water is the reason why. you're looking at where prattsville, new york, used to be. prattsville, parts of it are gone. the town of 600, parts of it washed away. everyone got away safely but don't have much to return to. of course, compared to jop pin, missouri, she was stranded there by rising floodwaters and joins us shortly. still stranded there tonight. irene dumped as much as a foot of rain on to full rivers and reservoirs. look at that truck trying to get through. that water has to go through somewhere. this scene in new jersey where big military trucks are having a hard time getting around. rivers and streams overflowing. some above record flood levels or soon to be. largely because of the damage could hit $7 billion making it one of the ten most expensive disasters in american history, as many as 5 million are still without people. lines are down nearly everywhere. several have been electrocuted. some have drowned. the death toll rose to 27. first how we got there, saturday, 7:30 a.m. hurricane irene makes its first landfall as a category 1 hurricane. waves slammed the north carolina coastline as the storm packs winds of up to 85 miles an hour. >> look this way. nothing but rain. the sea is absolutely white. awe churned up, whipped by this wind. and again we're getting hit with some of those strong gusts right now. >> what you're looking at here is houses that are about underwater in places, and this is the bogue sound. you can see that. you're looking out right now at the bogue sound that has come inland here, and there goes the camera. you can feel the wind and the rain. we have waves literally racing inland. >> irene drops more than 15 inches of rain here, causing massive flooding before moving north. in virginia, rivers swell. neighborhood streets fill with water. >> this is normally a rod but it has turned into a huge lake. and it's about a few blocks long and about three to four feet deep. that's way too deep for your car. >> irene is still a category 1 hurricane when it hits new jersey early sunday morning. heavy winds and driving rain pound the shoreline. >> these waves are scary. >> in long beach, new york, waves surged beyond sand barriers to protect the city. >> you get a certain of this. this is the boardwalk and it's breached it. street flooding as i can see still huge. >> a very serious storm, a category 1 storm. there have been fatalities. >> let's get out of here! get out of here! grab the m. c. >> new york city is spared the brunt of the storm, only heavy rain and some flooding in some areas of lower manhattan. but as irene continues north, vermont is pummelled. >> i was just woken up about 15 minutes ago with a policeman knocking on my door telling me it was time to get out of town because we are flooded. >> hotels and residents are quickly evacuated as waters raged through battle borough cresting the banks of the river. >> it's all the way through route 9 and bridges are out. main street is closed here in brattleboro. haven't seen it like this in a long time. >> reporter: with the waters continuing to rise in rivers and creeks in many states, heavy flooding could be a major problem in the days to come. it's amazing how fast that water is moving. that's the breaking fuss right now. waters still rising, vermont facing the worst flooding since 1927. 260 roads affected. numerous bridges including some right off of a picture postcard. one of those covered bridges just getting overcome with water, the water final rell treating in places but still cresting or yet to crest in others. gary tuchman joins us from. gary, what's the situation there? >> anderson, we're in the northern part of vermont near the state's biggest city of burlington, and these are the waters from the wimuski river. but we're nowhere near the wimuski river. the river is behind me about a quarter mile. this is a street and flooding in northern vermont is just starting to crest an hour after the worst tropical storm came through. but the worst damage and the worst devastation is in the southern part of the state where we spent much of the day, and that's where creeks and brooks became raging rapids, hundreds of places that were in some cases just ponds where children used to swim became rapids. and in three cases, fatalities, three people have been confirmed dead in vermont, another person is missing but it was incredible, the sights we saw. in one particular place, we saw rapids going through a building, a building that collapsed. and was hanging precarious over the waters. old-timers we talked to had never seen anything like this. the state had never seen flooding like this for more than eight decades. fortunately, the waters have receded in southern part of vermont, but many homes are flooded and what we see during these catastrophes, the flooding has receded, but the problems don't, because many homes, hundreds of homes in the state of vermont are flooding flood right now, and as soon as these waters start to recede, these homeowners will see their homes are full of mud, too, with a lot of repairs to make. in the state of vermont, it's known for its green mountains, but it's inland, it's not known for hurricanes and tropical storms, and the people are suffering greatly today. back to you. >> and, gary, how long has the water been at that height at that location? >> reporter: well, right now it's really in the process of cresting. within the next couple of hours, authorities believe it will diminish, and they think by tomorrow, all this water, a huge amount of water with a very strong current, they think it will all be gone. that's what's amazing about hurricanes and tropical storms. you see all this water, and you can't imagine it disappearing but it does. one of the cases of this is where we spent a lot of time. this water will disappear, but the mud will remain, the problems will remain for a long time. >> no doubt about it. gary, be careful out there. a few hours west, a small town has suffered major damage. more video here of the area around prattsville, new york, a town established back in 1824. briefly a boom town thanks to local hemlock trees that were used for processing, but until the weather hit, there were about 80 homes occupied in prattsville. megan crews and our photographer both from kynn are responsible for the video you're seeing. i spoke to her a short time ago. megan, you said last night this town looked like it had been wiped off the map. >> reporter: oh, definitely. we arrived here probably in the late afternoon, and we didn't know what prattsville looks like. i mean, this is not in our usual coverage area, but when we came here, it was just all water. i would not have known there was an established community unless somebody had said, see that house there? there is supposed to be other houses around there. >> and you've been trapped there since last night, right? >> reporter: i have. i have. let me give you an idea of the flooding so you understand why we were probably trapped here last night. if you can follow me, can you see where the creek is right now? imagine where i'm standing, that creek flooded to this point and actually a mile out of town, even more. so definitely this is flooding that no one has ever seen here before, and, yes, all the other smaller roads around this area have been flooded, so we're being told that there is no way for us to get out. >> so for residents there, what comes next? what will they be able to go back to their homes? >> reporter: it's on a case-by-case basis. some people, their homes have been flooded throughout the basement, others not so much, or more, actually, so they're staying at the area's two shelters or they're staying with family and friends on higher ground. it's different for every person, but a lot of people have been affected. if you could see the video we shot, i mean, this town has just been devastated. there are parts of the main street that there are plots of land that people are like, there used to be a gas station there, there used to be a home there, and all it is is land that's been completely swept away. right now it's just recovery on their mind. >> at this point, do oflts have a toll of how many properties have been destroyed, how many homes? >> reporter: no. they're still serurveying the area. what they do know is of the 800 residents in this town, all have been accounted for. they did have to rescue some people on sunday, but in terms of the people, they're fine, and they're still evaluating the property. >> and you're going to stay tonight for the same reason. >> reporter: that's what i just heard. my assignment said they've spoken to the sheriff and the roads around us have not been open yet. i don't know, i'm hoping i can try to figure something out, but yes, it seems we might have to stay here another night. >> it's great they were able to rescue all the folks and no one lost a life or was really injured. megan cruz, good luck to you and your crew. appreciate the work and thanks very much. >> reporter: thank you. no problem. let's turn now to the bigger picture and where things go from here with chad myers in the cnn weather center. >> just a lot of flooding still to go, because all this water that's up a hill has to come down a hill. we have all these purple maps now, all these purple spots. i want you to be able to go tonight to something called water.weather.gov. if you're in any of these areas where the water has to run downhill to get to the ocean or to the sound, even whether it's new jersey or up into vermont or on up into lake champlain, you can see what your creek or stream is forecast to do. it's a great website. you may want to take a hard look at what to expect. some people in north carolina had no idea what they were going to expect today, tornadoes. big storms right now. here's raleigh and those tornadoes, spinning storms headed out to the ocean, headed out toward the outer banks where they can't even get out of there at this point in time. the next thing i want to show you is what rutland, vermont looks like. can't even get out of town. i talked to our i-reporters there. mr. ritter said can't get out of town at all. all the bridges are gone. then tropical depression number 12. i know you wanted to hear about that. it's katia, k-a-t-i-a, katia is the pronunciation. it replaced the name katrina because it's the six-year anniversary of katrina today, and they recycle names every six years. katrina's name will never come back. katia forecast a category 2 hurricane in five days. not too far from where irene was, but this looks more like a right-turning gutter ball than a landfalling hurricane. anderson, we all know about the forecasts, how they can come and go, turn left and right. still too early to tell. we'll keep watching. >> you see the pictures and hear the reporting and wonder what you can do. you can get involved if you want. go to cnn.com/impact if you want to help those in the affected areas. we're going to stay on the story throughout the hour, update you on any new developments. let us know what you think. we're on facebook. i'll try to tweet some tonight. up next, a cnn exclusive, nic robertson locating the pan am 103 bomber, the one who was let out of prison to die. the only person held responsible for the bombing of that plane for all those deaths. stayed alive for two years after getting out of prison. he appears to be in pretty rough shape right now. you'll hear from his family about the outlook and what's happening in libya. self-proclaimed prophet and convicted sex offender and child rapist warren jeffs. the latest on his condition, and his condition has taken a turn for the worse. we'll tell you why he is now in a coma. he looks completely different than he did just a few weeks ago in trial. whether the state can keep him alive against his will. isha? >> new reports tonight in the disappearance of robyn gardner who disappeared in aruba. reports that the man she went there with made what sounds like a stunning admission and we'll see what authorities are doing about it in crime and punishment. that and more when "360" continues. anananananananannounc] this...is the network. a living, breathing intelligence that's helping drive the future of business. in here, inventory can be taught to learn. ♪ machines have a voice. ♪ medical history follows you. it's the at&t network -- a network of possibilities... committed to delivering the most advanced mobile broadband experience to help move business... forward. ♪ [ male announcer ] it's been a good year for the chevy silverado. and not because of the awards or the accolades. no, it was good because you told us so. the chevy model year wrap up. get in on our greatest model year yet. just announced -- celebrate labor day with an additional $500 bonus cash. with all other offers, including the all-star edition discount, that's a total value of $6,500. ♪ our greatest model year yet is wrapping up. -woohoo! -yes! ♪ it was the best day ♪ it was the best day yeah! ♪ it was the best day ♪ because of you [echoing] we make a great pair. huh? progressive and the great outdoors. we make a great pair. right, totally. uh... that's what i was thinking. covering the things that make the outdoors great. call or click today. a lot of news out of libya tonight. the claim that one of the dictator's sons is dead. he was head of the 42nd brigade. that's a video of him visiting children in a hospital, reportedly killed in battle. he died in a local hospital and was buried nearby. meantime, gadhafi's wife, his daughter asha, and two sons, hannibal and muhammad, have fled. they left behind a dent life. lifestyle, now a rebel commander plays where gadhafi's sons used to party. this compound of opulent beachside villas is dripping with every luxury imaginable. it's ransacked but still looks like a hideout in a bond movie. in one we find rebels sharing out hundreds of bottles of fine bordeaux and champagne. each bottle worth hundreds of dollars. but amid this decadence, there were acts of unspeakable cruelty. this house belongs to hannibal gadhafi and what went on in here was truly horrendous. a 30-year-old ethiopian man who describes how she was horribly tortured by hannibal's wife. >> she took me to a bathroom and tied my hands behind my back and tied my feet. she taped my mouth. she started pouring the boiling water on my head like this. >> a crime she says she refused to beat hannibal's toddler who wouldn't stop crying. she was scalded twice. the most recent was three months ago. her wounds are still raw and weeping. >> we'll knock on the door and see if we can get any answer. hello? for 15 minutes or so, nothing. i'm not sure if they've heard me. let's try the last-ditch means which is shouting over the wall. hello? hello? then all of a sudden someone comes. nothing prepares me for what i see. megrahi apparently in a coma. his aging mother at his side. >> oxygen and -- >> we just give him oxygen and nobody give us the advice and some food by injection. >> reporter: he had been expected to die almost two years ago but convict ed pan am 103 bomber abdel al megrahi lives. this wasn't the way he looked when he was released from a scottish jail two years ago. he came home to a hero's welcome. freed on compassionate grounds because doctors said he would be dead in three months. >> nic robertson joins us fromship along with ar want damon. >> do we know anything about the circumstances? as you know, opposition forces have claimed, you know, before they've captured or killed people and it turns out not to be the case. >> reporter: that's right. in fact they have claimed khamis was killed on a number of occasions and that turned out not to be true. they are saying now he was killed in battle on sunday around 40 miles to the southeast of tripoli. they say they buried his body in the desert but they have put forward no real evidence. there's no images to corroborate their claims. they have in the past made allegations that certain members of gadhafi's family were detained. they then came out and admitted that that was part of this psychological warfare so until there is concrete evidence that he was killed this should be treated with a certain level of skepticism, anderson. >> so, nic, other members of the gadhafi family have fled to algeria. do we know how they were able to get there? it's not just women in the family. there are also two gadhafi sons mohamed and was it unis, i think his name is. >> reporter: yeah. >> hannibal, i'm sorry. >> reporter: mohamed and hannibal, and their children fled. i think most people believe gadhafi and his family were in the south and would have driven westward to the border with algeria. the crazy thing about the situation now, algeria is the only country that still recognizes gadhafi as a legitimate ruler here. they say they have taken the family in on humanitarian grounds. but already the national transition council here says we want them back. we want to put them on trial, unspecified charges so far. beyond that, they say if algeria doesn't hand them back, they will treat it as an act of aggression against the will of the libyan people. they're really drawing a line in the sand here. you get the impression that they don't want moammar gadhafi and anyone else going there. it's a message to the algerians, too. >> arwa, this guy, we have seen a number of sons like saif, khamis who was allegedly killed who have a very active role in the military and military in the government. do we know much about these two sons? are these the playboy sons? i know a bunch gave money to american entertainers to perform in st. bart's and clubs. are these people living off the state getting money from businesses and traveling the world. were they playboys? >> it would appear to be the case. hannibal had instances of allegations that during various visits to europe he was beating up police officers. on a number of occasions he was accused of breaking his wife's nose. as for mohamed, he is if i'm not mistaken gadhafi's oldest son, if i'm not mistaken, from a different mother from hannibal. neither of the sons have charges brought against them in the international criminal court. algeria saying it is allowing these specific family members access to the country on humanitarian grounds, but this most certainly is something that the national transitional council doesn't want to be as an option for gadhafi or any of his other family members like saif or khamis. they do not want them escaping justice. >> we have pictures of hannibal's home, now occupied by opposition members. they interviewed the nanny. she said she had been badly burned with boil iing water from hannibal's wife because she refused to beat their toddler son. quite a scene there. nic, you had remarkable images. you got into the home of the lockerbie bomber who was released by the scottish government two years ago. he looked in really bad shape. i feel like i had seen pictures of him a few months ago in which visible or at some sort of an e eve event. it looks like he's declining quickly. was that legitimate? you don't think -- he wasn't faking it while you were there, was he? >> you know, when you go into a situation like that you think in the back of your mind, are they faking it? i saw megrahi two years ago. he was about ten feet from me on a stage at an event after he came back to libya. he looked much better than he does now. i really got the impression that his family were tense, nervous. you got the impression they were very low at that moment really just sitting in the room there waiting for him in a way to die, if you will. he didn't look -- i kept looking. i went back to look at the video, did his eyes move, how was his head on the pillow, did it look like the pillow had been there for a long time but really when you looked at his skin, it looked very thin. when you looked at his