professional pause captured a nation and you heard about the ghostly sound drifting across san francisco since early june some call it soothing. others say it's unsettling and even alien "early today" starts right now glad you're with us to end the week i'm frances rivera >> and i'm phillip mena. hurricane laura leaves a path of death and destruction on the gulf coast hundreds of people are still without power and thousands of louisiana residents are waking up with their lives upside down. in the town of west lake, people had to shelter in place after an oil refinery went up in flames plumes of smoke released hazardous chlorine gas and this is what lake charles looks like boats were tossed around, roofs were peelestorm-ravaged areas ts week our chris pallone has more >> in southwest louisiana, it was a day of taking stock and cleaning up. >> there's so much damage here, you're going, this is a disaster area you know, it's a literal disaster the recovery time from this is going to be phenomenal >> reporter: hurricane laura struck the area just after midnight, the most powerful storm ever to make landfall here packing 150-mile-per-hour winds and heavy rain, the storm destroyed buildings, toppled trucks and brought trees and power lines down lake charles, one of the hardest-hit cities >> i'm thinking the apartment building is going to fall on top of us, because you can hear stuff knocking against the brick. >> reporter: a chlorine gas leak at a plant near lake charles caused a major fire. the smoke could be seen for miles and nearby residents were told not to go outside and despite all of it, the governors of louisiana and texas are counting their blessings >> we're thankful we didn't get more storm surge than we did >> a terrifying night which will be followed by weeks, maybe months of cleanup and construction chris pallone, nbc news, lafayette, louisiana more than 500,000 people were ordered to evacuate ahead of the storm the number chose to remain and endure the dangerous night in their homes. and others with concerns about coronavirus and helters. sam brock spoke with those who rode out the storm >> reporter: frances, good morning. ahead of a category 4 hurricane, thousands of mandatory evacuations in texas and louisiana, although not all heeded the call. why they decided to stay behind. >> reporter: families across texas uprooted by a category 4 hurricane after opting to ride out the storm. why'd you stay home? >> because we had trouble getting back in here wherever hurricane rita come through. and i swore i would never leave again after that >> reporter: the cracked trees and splintered roofs >> last night, heard a crash, and of course this oak tree is in the middle of the house >> reporter: destroying homes, but not shaking foundations. we've done it a few too many times in the last 20 years, but anyway, we will rebuild. we always do >> reporter: they batten down their property as in past storms, but this one bore a new threat coronavirus. >> being in a large shelter or a large building with a lot of people, it was a huge factor in my thinking of evacuating. >> reporter: he also said he couldn't afford to evacuate. the five-year marine corps veteran tied up his life savings in a yoga and jiu-jitsu gym. he just opened last week along with his fellow veteran partner, tyler pete the pair weren't sure what they'd find. how relieved were you when you walked up here and found your gym still intact >> it was insane i walked in and it was literally like someone had taken a 45-pound plate off of my shoulders. >> i'm extremely relieved. i could probably kiss him. >> reporter: a ray of hope shining through a frightening storm. as you can see, not every homeowner in laura's path was so fortunate. many now forced to begin the rebuilding process under a cloud of covid-19 and economic uncertainty. frances, back to you >> some tough times ahead. sam, thanks. let's turn now to the latest in kenosha, wisconsin. according to court documents, 17-year-old kyle rittenhouse is facing two homicide charges related to the shootings that happened after the protests. after several nights of escalating tension, there were more peaceful demonstrations and new calls for change wendy woolfolk has this report >> the kenosha community is grieving as a result of this tragic shooting. >> reporter: a grieving community, but a fourth night of protests over the police shooting of jacob blake, peaceful >> the voice of those people is not falling upon deaf ears we are hearing what is being said >> reporter: and new calls for swift action >> urging the attorney general to move and move quickly we must know that justice works for the people >> reporter: wisconsin's attorney general identified the officer who shot blake seven times in the back as rustin shesky, he's been with the kenosha police department for seven years. but also announcing that investigators found a knife in the driver's side floorboard of his car. according to investigators, shesky and two other officers were responding to a domestic incident and unsuccessfully tried to taser and arrest blake. meanwhile, 17-year-old kyle rittenhouse is charged with intentional homicide after two people were shot and killed during protests tuesday night. >> there are orlando magic players heading back into the locker room. >> reporter: and unprecedented aftermath in the sports world, after the nba abruptly canceled games this week, and some major league baseball and soccer teams followed suit. >> they're using that voice to be heard, and now they're using their lack of playing to be heard even louder. >> reporter: professional athletes using their actions to call for change. wendy woolfolk, nbc news president trump didn't go far to accept the republican nomination in an unprecedented move, he delivered his acceptance speech on the south lawn of the white house. the final night of the rnc was more upbeat, including a moving message on second chances from a criminal justice reform advocate pardoned by the president. >> the nearly 22 years i spent in prison were not wasted. god had a purpose and a plan for my life. i was not delayed or denied. i was destined for such a time as this. >> i recognize that my dad's communication style is not to everyone's taste and i know that his tweets can feel a bit unfiltered but the results, the results speak for themselves >> we face an invisible enemy that we didn't ask for nor invite, but we will defeat it. we will defeat it because america is where innovation happens. >> nbc's tracie potts joins us with more from d.c tracie, the president's message was decidedly darker than that >> reporter: well, it was, frances. and it was actually the second longest convention speech that we have ever seen, in either party. the first was the president's speech four years ago. and while he was speaking at the white house, there were protests happening outside. in fact, senator rand paul said that he was attacked by what he called an angry mob. he described it as a crazed mob of about a hundred people. this while inside, a thousand people were on the white house south lawn, listening to president trump and a large part of that speech was attacking joe biden and his recot a savior of america's soul he is the destroyer of america's jobs and if given the chance, he will be the destroyer of american greatness. if you give power to joe biden, the radical left will defund police departments all across america. they will make every city look like democrat-run portland, oregon no one will be safe in biden's america. >> the problem we have right now is we're in donald trump's america. they're looking for more violence and more disruption, because it helps them politically. he views this as a political benefit to him you know, he's rooting for more violence, not less and it's clear about that. and what's he doing? just kept pouring gasoline on the fire >> reporter: also countering the president's speech in washington, vice presidential nominee kamala harris, she said that the president had failed the most basic and important part of his job, protecting the american people. frances? >> all right, traci, thank you another confederate statue has been toppled, this time in lake charles, louisiana. the south defenders' memorial monument survived the summer protest, but could not stand up to hurricane laura just two weeks ago, officials voted to keep the statue on the courthouse lawn after a lot of debate it has been damaged in other storms before and extraordinary, but critics hope that that will not be the case this time. >> we see the damage there let's talk about now laura's aftermath and where she's added. let's talk to. >> necessajanessa webb good morning >> good morning, everyone. we now have tropical depression laura. it's been downgraded i think we'll see our last advisory from the national hurricane center this afternoon, but still, it's causing a lot of rain for central arkansas, as it makes its way through the mississippi valley we're still going to watch the leftovers of this storm system across the ohio valley for your saturday morning, before it starts to really push into more of the northeast it is going to be a soggy one, from charlotte all midwest we're going to watch the severe weather threat orlando today, cloudy skies all the way into charleston. we'll look at that all-important weekend forecast coming up >> great job with all the hurricane coverage this week, janessa. two people are lucky to be alive after their small plane crashed and flipped upside down in the florida everglades. it happened in an isolated area of broward county, so rescuers needed to pick them up in airboats the pair suffered minor jurat a injuries coming up, the country's oldest department store closes up shop for good and marching in the footsteps of dr. martin luther king jr. the big plans for the 2020 march on washington. no cover-up spray here. it's the irresistibly fresh scent 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>> oh, my god! >> reporter: and social media lit up with a range of reactions, calling it soothing, unsettling, even alien >> close encounters of the third kind >> reporter: but it's not supernatural, it's the city's most iconic landmark, the golden gate bridge. the big factor in designing a bridge is of course wind this, the golden gate, is a big cut in the landscape that acts as a wind tunnel that means that the whole design of the bridge turns into one big sail when the wind is strong enough, and these, the original 1937 struts of the railing, catch the wind it's the new, thinner version of those struts that are creating that noise when you ask engineers why wind matters on a bridge, well, they always name the same one, the tacoma narrows bridge. >> the bridge whips about like some fluttering ribbon >> reporter: it was nickname gallop iing gertie for its tendency to shake in the wind. >> it literally shook itself to pieces the consensus was the solid sail railings were responsible. >> reporter: engineers everywhere are haunted by it >> this wind retrofit project was to ensure that that type of effect or phenomenon doesn't happen here at the golden gate bridge >> reporter: the important thing is that scale model tests of earthquakes in high winds showed the bridge will be stronger than ever but those tests didn't reveal the eerie sound it would make. engineers here are working on a plan to quiet the hum. but in the meantime, the bridge harmonics are a reminder of the high stakes and complicated work of building and maintaining a roadway high above the waves jake ward, nbc news, san francisco. >> wow it's fascinating at least after all of this time, we know now the cause of it. just to make everyone safer. >> it's some creepy wind chimes, but better than that fotacoma bridge >> that's freaky to watch even after all of this time. still ahead, janessail veour weekend forecast >> and live to louisiana as residents assess the damage and destruction from hurricane laura. not again! we're seeing a doctor when we get home. myrbetriq treats oab symptoms of urgency, frequency, and leakage. it's the first and only oab treatment in its class. myrbetriq may increase blood pressure. tell your doctor right away if you have trouble emptying your bladder or have a weak urine stream. myrbetriq may cause serious allergic reactions, like swelling of the face, lips, throat or tongue, or trouble breathing. if experienced, stop taking and tell your doctor right away. myrbetriq may interact with other medicines. tell your doctor if you have liver or kidney problems. common side effects include increased blood pressure, common cold or flu symptoms, sinus irritation, dry mouth, urinary tract infection, bladder inflammation, back or joint pain, constipation, dizziness, and headache. looking for a destination that isn't always the bathroom? 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[ deep inhale ] claritin-d. get more airflow. did you know the existing chlorine in your home's water [♪] can cause your clothes to fade? try new snuggle supercare®. the supercare® technology helps neutralize the chlorine in your laundry cycle, helping to keep your clothes looking newer for longer. try new snuggle supercare®. good morning, everyone it's all about the weekend now and it's going to be a soggy one for the east coast after the leftoverins of that tropical system, laura. in you're across the east coast, sunday will be the day we'll start to dry out and temperatures very comfortable. the heat and humidity starts to die down really want everyone to enjoy the weekend, because when i see you on monday, let's talk about the tropics once again we have two systems that have potential development late next week frances. >> some whiplash after that. we'll make sure we enjoy the weekend, again janessa, thank you still ahead, an update from a louisiana city that had a direct hit from hurricane laura. "early today" will be right back just between us, you know what's better than mopping? anything! at the end of a long day, it's the last thing i want to do. well i switched to swiffer wet jet and its awesome. it and the pad absorbs it deep floors, even wood.and haze better than my old mop. glad i got that off my chest and the day off my floor. try wet jet with a moneyback guarantee hey allergy muddlers... achoo! ...do your sneezes turn heads? try zyrtec... ...it starts working hard at hour one... and works twice as hard when you take it again the next day. zyrtec muddle no more. when you order a hot-and-juicy quarter pounder. a normal amount of napkins, just won't do. ♪ ba da ba ba ba the gulf coast is now assessing the damage after a direct hit from hurricane laura. lake charles, louisiana, was in the path of the eye of the storm as it made landfall. the city likely has a long road to recovery ahead of it. nbc's jay gray is on the ground there. jay, tell us more about the aftermath that you see there >> well, you know, frances, it's overwhelming it seems everywhere you turn, there's devastation and debris this twisted, sheared metal part of what used to be a gas station here you can see the pumps still there, but this one is gone. ripped away and tossed away by the storm. evidence of the sheer power of laura. at first glance, it has the appearance of a child's messy playroom cars and trucks scattered on their sides. but a closer look and it's clear, this mess is no game. >> there's so much damage here you're going, this is a disaster area you know, it's a literal disaster >> reporter: from cameron, where the massive storm came ashore through lake charles, the devastation from laura stretches for miles. >> this was the most powerful storm to ever make landfall in louisiana. >> reporter: a category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 150 miles an hour ripping apart homes and l businesses, literally pulling trees from the ground. snapping power poles, scattering and twisting lines most of the area still without electricity. communities and we now know families cut to their core at least six people killed in the storm and officials fear that number could grow >> certainly, i'm concerned that as we continue to go out and do primary and secondary search and rescue, we're going to find more fatalities i hope not >> reporter: survivors now working to piece together what laura left behind, the hurricane tearing away most everything here, except -- >> we will rebuild we always do >> their resolve >> yeah, and look, it's the strength this community is definitely going to need, frances and phillip. this is going to be a long and very difficult recovery here back to you. >> tough days ahead for them jay, thank you all right, there's a lot it's full of musicia memorabilia and it's all going up for auction soon and all for a good cause items range from a pair of oszz osbourne's glasses, a jacket worn by cher, a billie eilish track suit, john stamos' leather jacket uncle bidding has already i just think it's a step in the right direction. right now at 4:30 happening today from pools to gyms to wine tasting. east bay outdoor businesses get expanded. but not everyone is excited about this. a live report on those concerns coming up next. plus, off the court the plaque lives matter movement. this new ad from the warriors and when the nba playoffs resume. >> we continue to track all wildfires. next the impact our weekend weather could have on that firefight. "today in the bay" srt

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