Page 8 - Drought Condition News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

interest in her disappearance. i'm going to talk with holly hughes here in just a minute, a criminal defense attorney. but first i'm joined on the phone by pierce county sheriff spokesperson ed troyer who has new information for us. what do you know, mr. troyer? >> well, at 12:15 this afternoon there was report of a fire. a social worker was bringing the kids for a visit with josh from foster care network and she dropped them off as she of before. within this particular occasion he lock her out and within minutes the home was within flames. burned very hot and fast, fire department...

>> good to see you. have a great day. from studio 7, i'm fredricka whitfield in for suzanne malveaux. let's get you up to date for this wednesday, september 7th. in texas, more wildfires break out as the state battles its worst fire season on record. at last count, 22 new fires are burning. those and dozens more have scorched 120,000 acres in the last week. and across the state, four people have died and more than 700 homes have burned. for many people who have evacuated, there is heartbreak when allowed to go back home. >> my heart is pounding. it's pounding so hard right now becaus...

>> we're going through a slow opening of the spillway so that the water is making its way downstream. like you touched on the drought condition. so a lot of the overgrowth in the spillway since we last operated it. but other than that, we think that -- i lost it on that one, sorry. >> a busy man. easy to lose your thoughts when you're juggling so many balls. bust best of luck in the days ahead. it is just stunning to see water in places where there's not been water for years. where is it all going to go? chad myers in the weather center. governor jindal and a conversation with the governor jus...

the state making a decision to open the spillway and release water into some communities, burying homes in those communities to protect communities like baton rouge, new orleans, one of the extraordinary measures this state is taking. the stakes are enormous. governor jindal saying $300 million alone in crop damage, tens of millions in other property damage. there are a dozen oil refineries in flood zone. there are chemical factories, homes and businesses as well. listen to governor jindal here explaining the tough decision to open the spillway he says will protect larger communities...

This morning, with heat exhaustion, portions of the country are waking up to the start of the summer's fourth heat wave this morning. while there's relief in sight for some areas by the end of the week, the effects of this year's dry, scorching conditions will be with us for weeks and months to come. nbc's chris clackum has details. >> the dry lake beds confirm what federal forecasters say. nearly 60% of the country is in some stage of drought condition. >> the heat has been a big factor. the lack of rainfall combined with that have created a tremendous deficit in moisture across a vast swath ...