talk about that. disaster on a delay in some places. several hundred people now evacuated in new jersey as flooding continues three days after hurricane irene tore through. residents say it's the worst they've ever seen. in vermont, a dozen towns cut off by flooding had supplies air lifted in. more than 250 roadways cut off by high water and the layers of mud it left behind when it went down. and in connecticut, shoreline communities are in shambles. look at these pictures, homes torn to shreds, the force of irene bending steele, knocking some homes off of their foundations. 43 people now dead in 12 states and close to 3 million people are still without power. we're all over the story with reports from many of the hardest hit areas. alina cho live along the connecticut shoreline. mary snow live in front of the raging passaic river in little falls, new jersey. let's start with you. what's the situation where you are? >> well, ali, as fierce as this looks, take -- crested about 7 feet above flood stage, and as intense as this is, it's a big improvement from just the last 24 hours. passaic river crested in several places yesterday, but with the rising waters forced evacuations in several towns, including patterson, new jersey. >> reporter: for a city that is used to flooding this became too much as people could no longer get out of homes on their own in patterson, new jersey, rescue crews in boats had to bring them to safety, from adults to babies. the passaic river hit levels not seen in more than a century. this woman had gone to her mother's house with her two children. 30-year-old couple kelly said he ignored evacuation orders because he's experienced many floods before. he lives on the second floor, but when waters topped the door to his building he waited by his window for help. >> i had food, water, things to survive and i was pretty much all right. it just got scary to me at a time where i see the water keep elevating i had to leave. >> reporter: this father and son were swept away by currents. this youtube video shows crews rescuing them. they were said to be checking on their property when the water took hold of them. rescue crews found them holding on to a log. >> they were scared. they were more scared than anything, holding on and they yelled out in the beginning, a lot of people around, that couldn't get to them and they were the ones screaming. >> reporter: while patterson has a history of flooding, city officials say what's different this time is that some areas not prone to flooding were under water. it's just one of several communities in northern new jersey seen here on monday that have been inundated by water following the heavy rains dumped by hurricane irene. and what you're looking at right now are some live pictures from patterson, new jersey. and you know, while the river has crested, county officials say that some areas in passaic county could be under water for several more days. ali? >> mary, it's quite dramatic, the pictures behind you. we'll stay on top of the story with you in new jersey and take it to connecticut now. >> that's right. where you're seeing mary, there usually are falls behind her, they don't look like that. alina cho live in east haven, connecticut, where beach houses crumbled to the ground when irene hit. dramatic be pictures coming out of connecticut on the shoreline as well. good morning, alina. >> christine, good morning to you. we are in cozy beach, a small shoreline community in east haven, connecticut, and all you have to do is take a walk along this stretch of beach and for as far as the eye can see, almost every home has been either damaged or destroyed. three days after hurricane irene made landfall in this community, residents here are only now beginning to assess the damage. and it's not pretty. so many homes simply wiped out. >> the whole first floor is gone. this was the second floor actually. >> this is the second floor? >> this is the second floor. >> reporter: the living room, kitchen, rooms that were once one floor up in dino's home are now hugging the beach at ground level. >> oh, my gosh. >> reporter: homes sheered in half by what many here call the perfect storm. >> it's eerie. you come back and it's almost like it's so surreal. >> reporter: like this scene, people enjoying their summer, just feet away from total devastation. these are the pillars on which the homes were built to protect them. this is what's left after irene. one resident told me it's as if someone picked up their home, threw it and stomped on it. all of the homes here, flattened and reduced to rubble. >> we believe that we have 25 homes that are a total loss and maybe another 20 that are uninhabitable. >> reporter: adding to the heartbreak, cozy beach is tightit in and many families have owned their homes for generations. like jim. >> we did get a little water in here. that's very unusual. >> reporter: 65 of his 70 summers have been spent here. he says with all the beach erosion over the years, owning a home on this stretch of beach is like playing russian roulette. >> it wasn't a question of if, it was a question of when. >> reporter: life-long resident roberta ignored the mandatory evacuation order. >> what did you see? >> i saw the house coming down. i saw this. this coming down and at me. >> reporter: her home was spared. but for dino and his family, there's little to salvage. yet, for him, leaving the area is not an option. >> i would not let this stop me from coming back. >> when you hear the name irene now? >> i won't be naming any of my daughters or pets irene. >> reporter: that's for sure. you're looking live now at dino's home or what's left of it. what is remarkable is that the mayor tells me there were no fatalities, not even any injuries, following irene. it appears that most, not all, but most of the residents did heed the warning and did get out ahead of the storm. as for the cleanup, the national guard, the salvation army, the red cross will be back in this community again today. president obama has declared an emergency in connecticut, but he has not declared the state a federal disaster area. and that is an important distinct. an emergency gets you preliminary aid like food and water, but it is only when the president declares a disaster area in this state that the millions of dollars pour in for rebuilding and we're told that declaration, christine, is days, if not weeks, away. >> we're also watching kind of a strapped, if you will, fema, with its federal emergency management fund down below a billion dollars. that's when people start to get nervous. thanks. coming up at 7:40, we'll talk to mayor jeffrey jones of patterson, new jersey. the latest on water rescues and rescues there. what his city needs to recover from this storm. also in our 8:00 hour, we'll speak to govern dan maloy of connecticut about the recovery effort in his state. we're also watching this. it's happening now. a devastating wildfire burning out of control in northern texas. take a look at this spectacular new video from our dallas affiliate wfaa. the 7500 acre fire has burned ability 30 homes to the ground. 125 other homes have now been evacuated. officials say the blaze is 0% contained and it's growing. the fire is located 50 miles west of dallas/ft. worth. this is the worst fire season ever in texas with a record 3.5 million acres burned. more destruction in oklahoma city. a wildfire there burning down 12 structures, including two homes. 600 acres have been scorched and officials have now evacuated several hundred people. they're going door to door to get people out of their homes. officials say two people have been hurt, including a firefighter who was overcome by the intense heat. and in eastern new orleans, people with respiratory problems are being told to stay in their homes, as a marsh fire continues to cover the metro area and choking smoke look at that. national guard helicopters have been brought in to dump water on the fire. there is hopeful news this morning. a 60% chance of rain in the forecast. that's for later this week, but at least there is rain in the forecast, right? >> it's coming. look at what weather looks like across the country in addition to these unusual spots we've been talking about. good friend, rob marciano is back in the extreme weather center. good morning. >> good morning. high fire danger in the spots seeing those fire issues. oklahoma, texas, here you go. that area and also the intermountain west. as far as the flooding is concerned live pictures i believe out of patterson and new jersey where the waters continue to rush over that area. we're looking at, my goodness, that shot just still takes me back, dramatic rescues and evacuations last night. the river has crested, but that does not mean the danger is over. look at this graphic highlighting the fact that we will be in major flood stage until friday morning. so those folks are not going back any time too soon. and adding insult to injury here's tropical storm katia. way out there in the atlantic, that's the good news. bad news, it's forecast to become a hurricane, almost there, 65-mile-an-hour winds right now. little bit of encouraging hope at least, the forecast for this will likely, likely keep it out to sea, but we have to wait until we get to the beginning of next week before we can give the all clear. history tells us that this sort of track or the start of this track may curve it, bermuda or the carolinas not out of the woods. this thing of more immediate concern, northwestern caribbean, this will get into the gulf of mexico. the computer models are developing it into something, the texas coast line or florida coastline closer towards the weekend. we have to wait and see. more indication later today and tomorrow. texas would take the rain from that system, but if it lingers in the gulf of mexico past the weekend, then it will become a stronger than just a tropical storm. another nice day for rescue and recovery efforts across the northeast. that's one little bright spot as that -- really, really odd, obviously, to see the rivers rise to these record levels with days of gorgeous, dry weather and these folks being -- having to flee from their homes as the rivers rise where they've never been before in parts of new jersey and connecticut. >> thanks very much. it is incredible to continue to watch. you do think when these things pass, that's when it's done, but for new jersey, for vermont, it's just not getting better. >> and connecticut the rivers haven't crested yet. >> rob said all along, inland flooding is the story here. the storm will pass. inland flooding is the story. ahead on "american morning," a new twist in the case of the american woman missing in aruba. the only suspect could go free. a live report coming up. and a most unusual find. when a passenger tries to get through security at miami international airport, here's a hint. you wouldn't think you could keep it in your pants. get your mind out of the gutter. >> oh. a young -- young conservative women not happy after a magazine refers to them as baby palins. hear their objections. our talk back question of the day. it's 13 minutes after the hour. 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[♪...] >> male announcer: now, for a limited time, your companion flies free, plus save up to 65%. call 1-800-sandals. conditions apply. we're following developments from aruba in the case of a missing american woman. gary giordano is the only suspect in the disappearance of robyn gardener. he's been held for almost a month in aruba. at a court hearing later today, giordano could go free. martin savidge is live for us in aruba. good morning, martin. >> good morning, christine. there's a new report out that says that gary giordano on the day he reported robyn gardener missing was stumbling along the beach and had blood coming from a cut on his throat according to witnesses. the reason that's important is some say look, those might have been defensive wounds, robyn gardener struggling with him. take a look at that mug shot photo. you can see his neckline clearly days after he was arrested and no indication that there was a scratch there. this just goes to show you that the eyewitness accounts coming in on this story vary all over the map and that's the problem the judge will have today. gary giordano goes before a judge, and the judge is going to make a decision whether there is enough evidence to continue to hold him in this case or not. the defense attorneys will argue and say look, you've held my client over a month, this was nothing more than an accident, we don't care what proof you put forward, because they really don't have much, you have to let him go. the prosecution will say look,s theres a more to this case, how about the million and a half dollar insurance policy gary giordano took out on robyn gardener days before she vanished. that's motive but isn't necessarily proof. there's a lot of back and forth. talk to legal experts on the island and they can't tell you how it's going to turn out today. the proceeding is closed. we'll try to be outside and we certainly will give you the first report whenever that comes down. but it could be a very big day for gary giordano. he could walk. he could go home. and the mystery of robyn gardener still isn't solved. >> martin, are they still looking for her, or have they determined that she's gone? are they -- is there still a search for her? >> no, there is no active search going on. that ended i think it was the saturday after she disappeared. she disappeared on a tuesday. there's been a couple of what they call spot searches based upon intelligence or information that they gather from witnesses or gary giordano himself. so they've looked in large areas where the couple was near when they were down there on the southern part of the island. not a trace. no clothing, no indication, no sign of what happened to robyn gardener. the people who have drowned in that area have always been found. which is why people wondering was she ever really in the water. >> thanks so much, martin savidge, thank you. now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. the question this morning, are conservative women unfairly stereotyped. take a look at this month's issue of "elle" magazine. it says the best and the rightest. that's okay. but the article labels these young conservative women "baby palins" and that stings not because they dislike sarah palin but because all the negatives attached to palin. thanks to the media and, of course, "saturday night live." >> ultimately what the bailout does is help those that are concerned about the health care reform that is needed to help shore up our economy to help, um, it's got to be all about job creation too. >> and i can see russia from my house. >> i don't know. is it? boom boom boom. >> karyn agnus featured in the "elle" article and founder of the conservative women of enlightened women says the palin brand has been so damaged by the media the baby palin label serves the purpose of quickly stereotyping and delegitimizing us at the same time. you know, like not all liberal women fit the stereotype of a man-hating, harry leg bra burner. but the article's author defends her work, stating the women profiled are into guns and motherhood and low taxes. a rather new conservative female ideology first introduced to the national political discourse by palin. so the talk back this morning, are conservative women unfairly stereotyped? facebook.com/americanmorning. facebook.com/americanmorning. i'll read your comments later this hour. >> i need more choices than those two, the bra burning man hating, harry legged liberal or the not so bright mother of five. >> i'm sorry, as a woman -- i think in general women are lumped together and we only care about certain things and we don't care about other things. like women don't really care, first and foremost, about the economy, although i know that you do and you're a mother too. so i think in general, women are lumped into this category where our interests are limited. >> i also think it's an easy narrative for headline writers and when you're in the political horse race to start throwing people together in groups. >> calling them things like baby palins in other words. >> i don't know what you two have against harry legs, but whatever. coming up next a father and his two young daughters fighting for their lives in a rager new hampshire river and it's caught on camera. >> we're talking within seconds of them letting go. there's nothing between them and the falls. >> we're going to show you how this desperate rescue turned out when "american morning" continues. 22 minutes after the hour. who cuddle up with your soreness and give out polar bear hugs. technology. 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