hurricane florence is a category 4, likely to make landfall along the coast of the carolinas friday morning between 6:00 a.m. and noon. this all could change, of course, and just look at this tonight. the eye clearly visible right there. a very strong storm. and one of the things they're also worried about is once it slams into the u.s., another system might just hold it in place, dumping several feet of rain. and at this hour, 10 million people in its path, this image says it all. both sides of the highway there in south carolina going in the same direction tonight to help people get out. millions across several states will be effected by this. north carolina's governor tonight warning this could be deadly. tonight, the newest track, when it hits and abc's steve osunsami leading us off. >> reporter: from charleston to columbia tonight, and from myrtle beach into north carolina and virginia, more than a million and a half people are heading one way -- away from danger. >> enough clothes for about a week, in case we can't come back right away. >> reporter: jennifer forte and her son, robbie, piled their dog into the car and didn't look things ready at the house up there, because it's not looking so great for there, either. >> reporter: jeff nichols told us his wife wants to leave, but he wants to stay. >> it can divide families, when some of the family wants to leave and some wants to stay. >> reporter: the johnsons are having a similar debate. she wants to obey the evacuation order, he's not so sure. you guys haven't really decided? >> not as of yet. we're packing like we're leaving but we're hoping that we get to stay. >> reporter: before we left, a hurricane alert lit up their phones and may have changed their minds. >> is that my sign? >> no. no, we'll see. >> we need to look at the news. >> steve osunsami live with us tonight in charleston, south carolina, and steve, i know those hurricane alerts coming through on so many phones, theirs included, urging folks to take this seriously, because once it hits, it's the rain afterward expected to be potentially life-threatening, as well. >> reporter: that's right, david. and we can show you what people are so afraid of. look at where we're standing right now. we're at the corner of east bay and water street. and a year ago this time, when hurricane irma hit, this is what it looked like. streets were flooded. cars were under water. and this wasn't even a direct hit. they don't call this the low country, david, for nothing. >> that's right. that was several hours after irma made landfall in florida. steve, thank you. a powerful reminder of what this will do. and as steve reported, there is a massive effort tonight to get ready for this hurricane. families, businesses and communities are boarding up buildings and racing to get supplies. hundreds of national guard troops have been called up to help. authorities warning the flash flooding and power outages could last days or even weeks. abc's gio benitez in kitty hawk, north carolina, tonight. >> reporter: tonight, a massive effort underway. from virginia to maryland to the carolinas, communities along the coast bracing their towns for florence. fema trucks on the ground in north carolina delivering supplies. at low country food bank, workers help pack disaster relief boxes. teams from local fire departments and the red cross are already coming in from louisiana, indiana, even north dakota. >> our shutters are always where they need to be -- where they're accessible. when a storm starts coming in, we get them out and we put them up to protect the windows. >> wishing for the best for all those families who are getting their homes ready. gio benitez live for us tonight from kitty hawk, north carolina. and gio, you met families there today doing what they can, obviously to secure their homes, and now they're getting out, worried about the low-lying areas? >> reporter: yeah, that's right, david. they're taking this very, very seriously. mandatory evacuations are under way right now for both residents and visitors. and i want to show you the view from the air right now, our drone cam, because this is what residents are really concerned about. those low-lying areas, all of this water here in this area. this storm surge could be devastating. david? >> gio benitez with us tonight, as well. gio, thank you. so, let's break this down, when we think this is going to hit, shifting as we get closer. abc's senior meteorologist rob marciano live tonight in wrightsville beach, north carolina. rob, take us through the track. >> reporter: all right, well, the track hasn't changed a whole lot, david. but the timing has. now not expected to arrive until friday. even though it's under 800 miles away and moving this direction at 17 miles per hour. it will slow down eventually. let's break it down. 140-mile-an-hour winds. tomorrow, could become a category 5 storm, albeit briefly, we are on strengthening mode, it is getting bigger, the wind field is huge. as it approaches, it's going to hit that blocking high, going to slow things down and that's not necessarily good news. but it brings it in on friday. the worst of the weather will be from 8:00 in the morning to 4:00 in the afternoon. hurricane warnings are posted. storm surge, up to 13 feet in spots. and beyond that, the rainfall inland is going to be significant. two to three feet of it, david, so, far away from the coastline here, there will be life-threatening conditions for multiple days after this storm eventually hits. david? >> rob marciano with us. you heard him say it, two to three feet of rain after this hits. rob, thank you. president trump talking about the impending hurricane tonight at a briefing with fema director brock long and homeland security chief kirstjen nielsen, saying the government is, quote, totally prepared for this hurricane. the president went on to talk about the response to last year's hurricanes, saying the response to puerto rico was, quote, an absolute unsung success. here's abc's senior white house correspondent cecilia vega tonight. >> reporter: president trump today sounding the alarm and promising his administration is ready for hurricane florence. >> we are totally prepared, we're ready. we're as ready as anybody has ever been. they haven't seen anything like what's coming at us in 25, 30 years. maybe ever. it's tremendously big and tremendously wet. tremendous amounts of water. >> reporter: but even as he prepares for the coming storm, the president is raising eyebrows by praising his team's response to the last one -- puerto rico's devastating hurricane maria. >> i actually think it was one been de.>> reporter:he pside ignoring the fact that maria was the deadliest hurricane in modern american history. >> i think puerto rico was incredibly successful. puerto rico was an incredible unsung success. >> reporter: his response criticized from the beginning. he tossed paper towels to hurricane victims. and sitting next to puerto rico's governor, he declared maria's destruction far short of hurricane katrina's. >> if you look at a real catastrophe like katrina and you look at the tremendous hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of people that died. what is your death count as of this moment? 17? >> 16, certified. >> 16 people, versus in the thousands. you can be very proud. >> reporter: the death toll was ultimately staggering, nearly 3,000 people. and now, as president trump and the nation brace for another potential disaster, the mayor of san juan telling abc news, "he never got it. he will never get it." >> all right, cecilia vega live with us tonight from the white house. and cecilia, you were in the room with the president today and you did ask him what his message for americans in the path of this current hurricane is, and what did he say? >> reporter: well, david, he said everybody should get out. you have to listen to your local authorities. we know that fema is working closely with state governors. here at the white house, they are monitoring this storm around the clock. but you heard the president make that promise today, david, they say, he says the government is ready. >> all right, cecilia vega, rob marciano, gio, steve, all on this hurricane tonight, we thank you all. and we will stay on it. and we also want to point out, involving the president early this morning, the president and first lady marked 17 years since 9/11 with a visit to shanksville, pennsylvania, where passengers and crew from united flight 93 stopped hijackers from attacking. the president saying the field is now a monument to american defiance, and a message to the world that america will never, every submit to tyranny. we will have much more on this 9/11, images from around the country and what we heard from a woman, a survivor, who you met right here. we have been following her for years. that's coming up. in the meantime, we do move onto other news this tuesday night, and a hospital scare playing out today south of los angeles on live television. doctors, nurses, patients, all seen evacuating a medical center after a report of an active shooter, a man allegedly saying he had a gun. authorities then racing to the scene. that suspect in custody at this hour. and matt gutman is on the scene. >> reporter: tonight, an malteofy evacuation at doey los angeles, after reports of a possible shooter. >> responding code three to downey kaiser, active shooter. >> reporter: witnesses describing an angry man who was threatening people inside. some people taking cover, locking themselves into rooms. >> we just heard a loud noise, like shattered windows. >> and he was saying, i have a gun and people are going to die. >> there you see a large law enforcement presence. >> reporter: heavily-armed police descending on the scene, sweeping the campus floor by floor before confronting the suspect, who then surrendered. >> he was causing a disturbance inside the hospital. onof kser security onnel r and coacted him, at which time he threw a chair through a window. >> reporter: authorities have confirmed, david, that they found a gun on the scene, though they have not been able to confirm reports that it was fired multiple times. we do know, however, that nobody was hurt in that hospital ward behind me. david? >> matt gutman in downey, california. matt, thank you. next tonight, authorities have released new surveillance video that they say reveals a sinister plot to burn down an apartment building to, quote, kill all the jews. cameras show the suspect pushing a cart down the hallway where he lived and then in the elevator, with gas canisters in that cart. tonight, he's facing attempted arson, attempted murder and hate crime charges, and here's abc's linsey davis with the images just out. >> reporter: tonight, for the first time, we see what prosecutors say was part of an alleged plot for a massacre at a florida condo. 72-year-old walter stolper, now behind bars, on surveillance video. police say he planned to, quote, kill all jews, a reference to his neighbors. back in july, police in miami beach say they stopped stolper before he was able to set fire to his condo after receiving a notice of eviction. in the newly released video, we see him pushing a shopping cart down the halls and then inside an elevator. once inside the elevator, he lifts the cloth, revealing gas containers. police located this storage room with 28 additional containers with gasoline, sulfur powder and potassium nitrate. >> he had already poured gasoline down 15 floors of this building. >> reporter: stolper allegedly bought padlocks and planned to place them on fire hoses to prevent the fire department from putting the fire out. but before he could carry out his alleged plan, police were tipped off by this man. >> he was tired of the association many this building, these jews in the building. and he was going to do something about it and he told me he was going to burn the building. >> reporter: stolper faces first degree arson, premeditated murder and hate crime charges. a judge has ordered a psychological evaluation before moving forward with the case. david? >> linsey davis with us tonight. thank you, linsey. there is still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this tuesday. the chilling robbery, the search for suspects tonight. and they need the public's help. the store clerk collapsing from a heart attack. the suspect seen on surveillance stealing money out of his hand and then stealing from the store. they did not help him. there is also news tonight about elizabeth smart, that kidnapping case that made national headlines, of course. why one of her kidnappers is about to be set free. and what she's saying tonight. and the pilot flying solo. it was her first trip across the country, trying to make an emergency landing because of something that happened mid-flight. you'll hear the emergency audio as the news continues. stay tuned. your privacy makes you my number 1 place to go number 2. i love you, but sometimes you stink. febreze air effects doesn't just mask, it cleans away odors. because the things you love the most can stink. and try febreze small spaces to clean away odors for up to 30 days. breathe happy with febreze. vof hundreds of families, he'se hmost proud of the one the heads he's kept over his own. brand vo: get paid twice as fast with quickbooks smart invoicing. quickbooks. backing you. give me 30 seconds and i'll give you three things to know about aarp medicare supplement insurance plans, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. one, plans like these help pay some of what medicare doesn't. two, they let you choose any doctor who accepts medicare patients. three, these are the only plans endorsed by aarp. call unitedhealthcare today and ask for your free decision guide. but prevagen helps your brain with an ingredient originally discovered... in jellyfish. in clinical trials, prevagen has been shown to improve short-term memory. prevagen. healthier brain. better life. walking a dog can add thouswalking this many?our day. that can be rough on pam's feet, knees, and lower back. that's why she wears dr. scholl's orthotics. they relieve pain and give her the comfort to move more so she can keep up with all of her best friends. dr. scholl's. born to move. next tonight, this is next tonight, this is incredible, the teenage pilot making an emergency landing on her first cross-country solo flight because of what happened mid-flight. here's kayna whitworth. >> reporter: a terrifying ordeal. this plane losing a wheel just after takeoff. behind the controls, 17-year-old maggie taraska. >> are you a solo, ma'am? >> i'm a student pilot solo, yeah. >> we're going to get some people out to help you, okay? >> okay. >> reporter: fear in her voice while taraska was embarking on her first solo cross-country flight from massachusetts to maine. >> i was really scared at first. just kind of felt my heart sink. and i realized, like, i'm all alone. >> reporter: taraska relying on her training and her instructor on the ground to land safely. >> maggie, this is john. how are you doing? >> i'm okay. >> okay, you're doing a great job flying the airplane. just try to relax, and you always heard me say, go back to basics, so, we're going to work the basics here as much as possible, okay? >> all right. >> reporter: emergency responders standing by as she lands the plane on the runway before skidding onto the grass. >> bad things happen all the time and it can't deter you from doing what you want to do or doing what you love. >> reporter: david, that brave pilot walked away without injury and plans on getting back up in the air this week. she also hopes to join the air force. the faa is investigating the incident. david? >> brave pilot. kayna, thank you. when we come back, the major recall tonight involving eggs and salmonella. and that robbery, the clerk collapsing from a heart attack. the suspect stealing money from him and then from the store. back in a moment. the clock is ticking on irreversible joint damage. ongoing pain and stiffness are signs of joint erosion. humira can help stop the clock. prescribed for 15 years, humira targets and blocks a source of inflammation that contributes to joint pain and irreversible damage. humira can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious, sometimes fatal infections and cancers, including lymphoma, have happened; as have blood, liver, and nervous system problems, serious allergic reactions, and new or worsening heart failure. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you've been to areas where certain fungal infections are common, and if you've had tb, hepatitis b, are prone to infections, or have flu-like symptoms or sores. don't start humira if you have an infection. help stop the clock on further irreversible joint damage. talk to your rheumatologist. right here. right now. humira. digestive advantage probiotics have a strong natural protein shell. so while other brands may have billions of probiotics many can struggle in stomach acid. ours survive 100 times better. let our strength help you stay strong. tailored recommendations, tax-efficient investing strategies, and a dedicated advisor to help you grow and protect your wealth. fidelity wealth management. watch out, piggy! (giggles) get symbicort free at saveonsymbicort.com. if you can't afford your medication, astrazeneca may be able to help. to the index of other news. the robbery in auburn, washington. that clerk collapsing from a heart attack. the thieves then steal from him. they did not help him. the owner is in critical condition tonight. police are looking for the suspects. the controversial decision tonight in the elizabeth smart case. wanda barzee, who helped kidnap smart in 2002, will be released from prison in utah next week, nearly six years early. authorities say they miscalculated her time served in federal custody. smart calling the decision tonight incomprehensible. and that egg recall in three states tonight. gravel ridge farms recalling eggs because of salmonella concerns. the cdc says at least 14 cases have been reported in alabama, georgia and tennessee. packages have a best if used by day of october 3rd. when we come back tonight, someone we heard from on this 9/11 we think you will all want to hear. george woke up in pain. but he has plans today. hey dad. so he took aleve. if he'd taken tylenol, he'd be stopping for more pills right now. only aleve has the strength to stop tough pain for up to 12 hours with just one pill. aleve. all day strong. and something amazing happens. that's our inspiration for fancy feast medleys. wild salmon primavera. tastes amazing. also in pate. fancy feast medleys. 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