14 others presumed dead. Five members of the same family. Tonight new images from inside the ship how the victims were trapped in those final frantic moments. The major change at walmart. New limits on gun and ammo sales, asking customers not to openly carry the pointed reaction tonight from the nra also tonight, on edge as students go back to school they also provide a place for a student to hide behind in hopes that help gets here. Inside the 48 Million School designed to stop active shooters and olympic superstar simone biles breaking her silence on her brothers you triple murder arrest translator this is nightly news with lester holt good evening, everyone. Hurricane dorian is finally on the move tonight after pummelling the bahamas like few places have ever endured the latest images painting a grim picture of surging ocean waters where dry land once existed. And destruction virtually everywhere tonight dorian is marching up the southeast coast of the united states, menacing coastal communities from florida to North Carolina where we could still see a direct hit our team is spread out across the storm zone tonight and we begin our coverage with Morgan Chesky in the hardhit bahamas reporter tonight the bahamas unrecognizable the first images from above abaco show an island paradise turn paradise lost absolute devastation, it really is heart breaking just from the air it looks completely leveled. Reporter debris fields for miles. Houses surrounded by water and boats littered across the island abaco is gone reporter with airports under water, many relief efforts are now on stand by. The island blasted with Hurricane Force winds for nearly two days straight, and on neighboring grand bahama, record floods came fast satellite pictures show the island nearly swallowed up by the sea. A combination of storm surge and feet of rain as dorian stalled over the island. With water pouring in your house, its so surreal reporter local journalist on it just kept coming in reporter dorians early numbers alone are staggering 45 of the homes believed to be damaged or destroyed more than 60,000 people will now need food and access to clean Drinking Water with the weather finally clearing up, todays mission, search and rescue. All day long a team of military helicopters have been making runs to abaco island, picking up the injured and bringing them back here to nassau to receive much need cal treatment. We have never experienced Something Like this in our life. Reporter Adrian Archer treated some of the first people to arrive. I can tell this is hitting you. Its my country, my people. Reporter tonight dorians responsible for at least five deaths and dozens of injuries. As many on the islands remain cut off, still trapped and left waiting for help to come and tonight im told those rescue efforts will be ongoing well into the night. Meanwhile, the Prime Minister will give a full update on the damage come later today. Lester all right, Morgan Chesky at nassau tonight thank you. As the hurricane inches away from the bahamas, tonight it is moving dangerously close to florida, bringing powerful winds and heavy rain Gabe Gutierrez is in jensen beach, florida gabe, whats going on there . Reporter lester, parts of the florida coast are feeling Tropical Storm conditions, even though the eye of this hurricane is about 100 miles offshore. We are seeing extremely choppy surf and some bands of heavy rain as well as wind gusts of more than 40 miles an hour here. Across the u. S. , more than 1800 flights were canceled today, about another 2000 were delayed, many of them in the southeast. Still, many florida residents are relieved that dorian has delivered only a glancing blow, sparing them a direct hit, though some mandatory evacuations remain in effect farther up the coast lester all right, gabe, thank you. And the threat to georgia and the carolinas is growing, especially from potential flooding and that has many on the move tonight Kristen Dahlgren is in the North Carolina coast for us this evening. Reporter mandatory evacuations now in full swing, from florida to the outer banks of the carolinas, more than a Million People have already been ordered to leave concern over dorian gripping the southeast coast. In savannah, people lining up for a spot on a bus headed inland we want to make this as easy and comfortable for everyone as possible because we really do want people to get out of harms way. Reporter a massive response to the storm thats been shifting and stalling. When you have the opportunity to leave reporter in south carode, d. If it werent an absolute get out today, you know, wed definitely try and give it a little bit more time reporter starting tomorrow residents must make their way out, too we know how frustrating, difficult and sometimes costly evacuations can be, but the cost is so much greater with lives lost if people roll the dice and stay reporter the storm surge and rainfall still Major Concerns because of potential flooding. You never know whats going to happen, especially on the highway. Things can change in a spur of the moment. Reporter and tonight officials really hope they start to see more people leaving across this bridge soon. There is just one main road along the outer banks and officials worry it could flood, leaving people trapped if they dont evacuate soon, lester. Kristen dahlgren, thank you and now for where dorian could be headed next, lets bring in al roker al, where is the storm heading lester, dorian is picking up speed moving west at 6 miles per hour, 110 mile per hour winds, east southeast of Cape Canaveral florida. The track of the storm parallels the coast. By thursday morning off of savannah, charleston and then it makes its way past cape hatteras, possibly making landfall sometime friday and continuing on. Heres what were looking at as far as the impacts are concerned. Were talking Tropical Force Winds that stretch out 175 miles from the center, so well be feeling those effects along the coast. That will cause storm surge. Anywhere from 2 to 4 feet in central florida. Coastal jacksonville to savannah, about 3 to 5 feet. 4 to 7 feet all the way to cape lookout, and rain is going to be possibly heavy, upwards of 15 inches of rain in some spots, lester, but from jacksonville to cape hatteras, generally 5 to 7 inches the florida coast, the georgia coast and the carolinas all still have to be on a high alert. All right, al, thank you. In california tonight, the search for answers intensifies after that devastating boat fire authorities now saying all 33 passengers and one crew member are presumed dead. Among those lost, five members from one family. Miguel almaguer tonight with new details. Reporter the boat fire exploded so quickly off Santa Barbaras coast, the sheriff says there was likely no chance of escape for the 34 victims now presumed dead. May day, may day, may day reporter the mayday call came in from five survivors. I cant breathe reporter all members of the conception taking a dingy to bob hansons boat. There are some things you cant unsee. I dont know if ill ever forget the sight of that boat burning reporter switching from a search to Recovery Mission today, what was left of the dive boat has now sunk to the ocean floor. Among the missing, a California Family of five with three daughters who loved to dive. Shari mcdonagh just arrived from cincinnati to identify her daughter ali, the one crew member who died below deck never thought i would ever have to do this. Reporter the conception was wrapping up a weekend dive trip like this one when the blaze apparently trapped those sleeping in these tight quarters the 75foot boat has three levels five crew members were on the top deck when the fire broke out on the second deck in or around the galley the 33 passengers and one crew member below deck, with no way out. The sleeping quarters had an entrance by the bow and a safety hatch toward the stern at this point its the fire was blocking both entrances . That would appear to be what happened at the time it was discovered, the fire was in such a state that it was it essentially fully engulfed that area reporter with no cause for the fire, tonight the conception perhaps holding answers at the bottom of the sea. With 20 bodies recovered, investigators are still combing the waters behind me looking for the missing. It may be sometime until we know the cause of the fire. We also spoke to a former passenger who has been on board those cramped quarters before. He said he cant imagine the scenario in which anyone wouldn that boat alive, lester . Absolutely horrifying miguel, thank you. Also details about the mass shooting in odessa, texas. Officials revealing the gunman evaded a federal background check to get the firearm he used in the rampage nbcs Pete Williams has late details. What are you learning . Reporter lester, they say the gunman who killed 7 people and injured 20 bought the gun he used from a private seller, not a licensed dealer. Authorities in texas said the gunman failed a gun background check in 2014, and tonight several Law Enforcement officials tell nbc news thats because he had a disqualifying Mental Health issue. But a private sale does not require a background check so investigators are now looking into who sold him that gun if that person knew of the gunmans Mental Health issues,c charges. Most mass shooters do complete background checks. They buy their guns legally. The house passed a bill in february that would expand background checks requiring them for nearly all private sales, but tonight the Senate LeaderMitch Mcconnell said republicans wont act on a gun bill until they know whether President Trump supports it. Lester all right, Pete Williams in our washington newsroom. Thank you. That mass shooting was the second to strike texas in a month after the massacre that killed 22 people at an el paso walmart. Tonight in the wake of that tragedy and amid mounting pressure, walmart is announcing new limits on guns and ammo sales. With more on that, heres tom costello reporter the first weekend in august brought two more mass ssacs. 9 killed in dayton, ohio earlier in the week police say a former employee at a mississippi walmart shot and killed two workers. Today walmart c. E. O. Said the status quo is unacceptable announcing walmart will discontinue sales of ammunition for assaultstyle weapons and handguns, and discontinue hand gun sales in alaska, the only state where it still sells handguns and after panic at a missouri walmart male wearing a bullet proof vest and an ar around his neck has just walked into the store and is recording himself reporter one suspect arrested today the company said, we are respectfully requesting that customers no longer openly carry firearms into our stores in states where open carry is permitted. So far this year, 289 Mass Shootings. Walmart leadership is stepping up to the vacuum they see from washington leadership they have to protect their customers. They have to protect their associates reporter the question tonight, will other retailers follow walmarts lead . Dicks Sporting Goods is already cutting back on gun and ammo sales after the Parkland School shooting in a statement, the nra now says it is shameful to see walmart succumb to the pss for its part, walmart is now calling on the nations political leaders to enact stronger background checks and ensure that somebody who shouldnt get a weapon doesnt get a weapon and now kroger late today said it is going to be joining walmart and calling for customers in open carry states, please do not carry a gun into their stores lester all right, tom costello, thank you. And with Mass Shootings dominating the headlines as many children head back to school this week, tonight we go inside a new kind of high school, a 48 million design with features meant to deter an active shooter. Here is indicate snow. Kate snow. Reporter you needed a new high school. We did. Reporter superintendent bob said they had no choice but to think about security when designing their new high school. You have no idea how horribly i feel when i think about these things, when i think about the children having to worry about it reporter so the school in fruit port, michigan, is especiallily designed for safety no more lockers in the hallways. Instead short lockers in a common area so teachers can see 900 students at oncecole of rea. One of the reasons is to cut down on the line of sight of an active shooter god forbid we have one we also installed wing walls to provide safety for students to hide behind if there is a threat down the hallway reporter a grant from Michigan State police paid for impact resistant film on the windows, and a special system to lockdown specific sections of the school how do you lockdown the school if thats needed . So, we would lockdown with the push of a button if im a threat and im here and we go into lockdown, i cant get anywhere else. Reporter inside classrooms, another important wing wall. In this little area here, if god forbid there were an active shooter and were back here, he cant see us right you can fit about 30 students in here sight unseen. Reporter when students fill these halls in january, the hope is theyll see areas for small group work, not security measures parents and students we spoke with are supportive. I think its a good thing i dont have to think about what if the shooter came in right now. I can just focus on, like, spanish class. Reporter Megan Johnson helped raise the bond money for the project. Her kids are still in Elementary School these kids have never grown up without school shooting. Gives they goosebumps thinking about it. Its the world they live in. Hopefully we can make it so its not something they have to focus on reporter a generation learning in a whole new kate, are we seeing other schools add some of these design features yes, we found that yes, most schools being built right now are taking security into consideration, including some features for that. As a parent, i have to say this is hard to see its hard to proce buthe goal is for children and parents to feel more secure and less fearful i didnt know whether to feel better or be watching that, but its the sign of where were at. Thank you. We received an outpouring of interest in our ongoing series justice for all. This week well feature stories on nbc nightly news and across nbc news focusing on criminal Justice Reform our report from the prison in louisiana where i spent three days inside americas largest maximum security prison, culminating friday with a special onehour dateline at 10 00, 9 00 central. And on sunday im moderating the firstever televised town hall from inside a maximum security prison thats at 10 00, 9 00 central on msnbc. There is much more ahead tonight, including olympic superstar simone biles speaking out for the first time about the arrest of her brother after a shooting that left three people dead also, new images of the devastating car crash that injured kevin hartmay ve caused the crash. Next tonight, simone bilef triple murder. Heres stephanie gosk. Reporter a month from defending her title at the World Championship in germany unbelievable reporter gymnast simone biles is responding for the first time to the murder charges her brother faces in ohio. In a statement she says, my heartaches for everyone involved, especially for the victims and their families according to police, kevin biles thomas, a soldier in the u. S. Army, shot and killed three young men on new years eve in cleveland when a fight broke out at a party kevin remains in a georgia jail awaiting extradition to ohio so far he has not entered a plea the olympic gold medallist writes, there is nothing that i can say that will heal anyones pain, but i do want to express my sincere condolences to everyone affected by this terrible tragedy simone and kevin did not grow up together two of four siblings, their mother struggled with drug addiction. They ended up in foster care simone was eventually adopted and raised by her grandparents in texas while kevin grew up with another Family Member tonight simone is asking for privacy as the family deals with the pain stephanie gosk, nbc news, new york there is more to tell you about. Weve got new i am images from kevin harts crash were back now with encouraging news about kevin hart undergoing surgery for injuries from a horrific car crash. Here is joe fryer. Thing is i couldnt even get mad. Reporter two days after surviving a crash inside his vintage muscle car, Comedian Kevin Hart is on the mend. The president of his Production Company says, kevin is doing fine after back surgery and is expected to have a full recovery very soon. Newly obtained images show the damage to harts 1970 plymouth barracuda. No roof. The windshield smashed a mangled mess from front to back the california Highway Patrol says hart was a passenger in his car. The driver lost control after making a turn. The car left the road, busting through this fence, and then rolling into the ditch down below. These pictures from tmz were taken at the scene hart escaped the car on his own, but firefighters had to cut the roof off to rescue the driver jared black and blacks fiancee Rebecca BroxtermanAuthorities Say alcohol was not a factor but investigating excessive speed as a possible factor harts love of cars was on display last month during an episode of ja