the possibility of more than three feet of rain in the coming days alone. our team is spread out across the gulf coast as hurricane harvey barrels down, today, saturday, august 26th, 2017. ♪ >> from nbc news, this is a special edition of "today" -- "hurricane harvey makes landfall." live from studio 1a in rockefeller plaza. and welcome back to "today" on a saturday morning. i'm craig melvin. >> i'm sheinelle jones. dylan and lester holt are in texas covering hurricane harvey with a team of nbc news correspondents. >> we will get to them in a moment. first, here's the latest information -- this is a look at a satellite image of harvey as it rolls over texas now. it's a huge rain maker. >> and check out the scene from up in space. the astronauts aboard the international space station capturing this image of the enormity of hurricane harvey. here's a live look at galveston where the rain and wind has been nonstop since harvey came ashore. >> this is the latest -- hurricane harvey made landfall around 10:00 p.m. central time. it came ashore as a category-four storm but has been downgraded to a category one. >> harvey brought with it winds of 130 miles per hour. now top winds have diminished to 80 miles per hour, barely a category-one storm. we're getting initial damage reports of buildings that have partially collapsed, downed trees all over, and lots of damage to cars and homes. >> one of the hardest hit areas was rockport, texas. that's where the eye made landfall. city officials telling us that they are experiencing "utter devastation." >> daylight is just about to break in texas, and residents will be able to get a clearer picture of the devastation from harvey. >> we have our team spread out throughout texas. lester holt and dylan dreyer are in texas, good morning. >> good morning. >> good morning. it was an interesting drive to say the least, from san antonio. we landed in san antonio late last night. and then we drove down here to corpus christi. and the thing that i found interesting was, you know, we were on the western side of the storm which i guess was the less intense side of the storm. i looked at the radar before we left. we could sneak in between the bands of real heavy rain. on the east side and west side, we had torrential downpours. then we were able to make it here with some gusty winds, some debris on the roads -- >> we were in separate cars. a convoy on highway 37. i was watching the radar and realized this was a great way to come in. on the weak side. >> we were a little concerned about one bridge that might have been flooded out. >> a viaduct. we slowed down because there's a big creek that runs underneath it. that would have been the show stopper for us. we made that -- flying in, we should note, the pilot made a comment, he said, "we had a 55-knot wind on the nose coming in." it was bouncy. >> we felt it. >> keep in mind, that was san antonio, far from this. you pointed out something that i hadn't noticed earlier. the waves are going out now. >> yes. that's why if looks eerily calm even though we're on the coast of the gulf of mexico. now we're on the back side of the storm. winds are pushing everything out to sea. on the eastern side, the storm surge is still a major concern. we're searing it alleviated because the water is being pushed out to sea. >> you note as it gets light, people have a better idea of the damage. i drove around about an hour ago on my way back to this location. we could only see what was in the headlights. we saw downed traffic signals, trees in the road, other bits of debris. you couldn't see the buildings because the lights weren't hitting them. we'll get a better view of damage later on. the most important thing is we're not talking about post-storm damage assessment. this thing is still a hurricane. it will be around for quite a while. >> reporter: we are getting pummelled now -- >> hurricane harvey slammed into the texas shore overnight. >> reporter: we have been praying for quite a while for the eye to pass over so we could get some kind of break through here. >> a category-four storm, winds up to 130 miles per hour. strong enough to rip the roof off this building in fulton near the point of landfall. nearby in rockport, in the eye of the storm, scenes of devastation. this hotel suffered severe damage, forcing 128 people to evacuate. reports of people injured inside a senior center after the roof collapsed. at the local high school, several buildings were badly damaged. rockport's mayor earlier issued a grave warning to those who did not evacuate -- write your social security number on your arm so your body can be identified. destruction quickly piled up as the storm blew ashore. when the wind and water are gone, what's left could amount to $40 billion in damage. >> i was hoping to wake up in the morning and i had a town. >> the air pressure from the storm caused the ceiling to buckle eight our affiliate, kris. local officials praised the weather service reporting for giving them time to prepare. many in corpus christi heeded the warning and got out. >> i figured we got the kids and, you know, it's -- as much flooding. >> a 14-foot wall of water could have come in. we couldn't risk it. >> the most important thing you can do is to guard your own life. >> reporter: governor abbott told people in houston to head north, away from the coast. that led to confusion because county officials did not call for an evacuation. hurricane harvey is going to cost us all. this oil drill ship was last to the dock in port aransas, just one of the many gulf coast oil operations shut down ahead of the storm. gas prices nationwide are already up 10%. no business will take place in galveston for days. the slanted is practic-- island is practically cut off from the mainland. the spirit is strong in texas, but is just the first of many difficult days ahead. we should note, this hurricane made not one but two landfills. it will -- landfalls. it will ton soak the area and be an issue. an ongoing event for many, many days to come. back to you in new york. >> thank you. nbc's gabe gutierrez has been in the middle of this thing all night. he's now in sinton, texas. that's near where the eye of the storm made landfall. what are you seeing now? >> reporter: good morning. we're starting to see first light. authorities here want to assess the damage from this and get an understanding of any injuries and also how many buildings were damaged. we're here in sinton, texas. you see this brick structure heavily damaged. was boarded up. the winds plowed through here overnight as harvey made landfall. we were trying to make our way through rockport, texas. that is near where the eye of the storm hit. and we ran across high water, had to double back quickly. tried to stay safe as the storm came ashore. right now we're still feeling the rain. it's lettu up a bit the last ho or two. the wind is still making it treacherous on the roads. as you mentioned, craig and sheinelle, more than 200,000 people remain without power. first light is expected to bring some understanding of the extent of damage and injuries at this point. here in sinton, authorities trying to keep people off the roads. it appears that most people have left, but it's unclear at the coast how many people heeded the dire warning to evacuate. back to you. >> gabe gutierrez in sinton. the sun starting to rise there. we'll get a better look at the damage. galveston also in the middle of this. that's where we find joe fryer. what's it looking like there in galveston, texas? >> reporter: good morning. the winds have picked up. a few minutes ago we had hard, sideways rain blowing here. that is the big concern moving forward from today on. avenue are rains caused major flooding. the system will keep dumping rain. people in the low high lying areas are concerned. we've had the winds, storm surge, even tornado warnings the last 24 hours keeping everyone on their toes. there were dramatic moments overnight. we had power outages at our hotel. to the east all over the peninsula, there were homes that caught fire. imagine being a firefighter trying to fight the flames with these winds going on. witnesses say the winds were blowing around embers, making it hard to keep the fires under control. meanwhile, we want to go way to the southwest here to port mansfield, texas, just off the waters there. the coast guard yesterday had to rescue 12 people from a commercial diving vessel. that 160-foot vessel was taking on water. the coast guard was able to come in and hoist the 12 on there all to safety and get them to dry lands or semi dry land hurrican. that was a close tall thecall t. now, it dsn assessing the wind, it's the rain the next few days. many in galveston staying in town, sandbags ready, they've shuttered themselves in. they have water and generators. they want to see what happens and if the floodwaters are going galveston.ord levels. thank you. dave price is in while dylan is in texas keeping a close eye on harvey's path. good morning. good morning to you. it's been the beginning of what will be a very long week for folks who are in texas enduring all of this ra rain. here's what we know -- 20 miles west/southwest of victoria, texas. winds down to 80 miles per hour. the movement to the north/northwest at six miles per hour. it's moving nowhere quickly. hurricane-force winds extend 35 miles from what is the center of the storm. and tropical storm-force winds expanding 140 miles. this is the path we anticipate the storm taking the next several days. this one i want to note. thursday morning. thursday morning. this storm is still circulating and dumping rain. areas to the southwest of victoria have lived already 16 inches of rain. that's -- received already 16 inches of rain. that's in the last 12 hours. the annual norms for that area are just about double that. in half a day, we've received half a year's worth of rain. the numbers are simply remarkable. storm surge another issue. dylan talked about the fact at that where they are in corpus christi, the back end of the storm, water is beginning to filter back out. keep in mind we are going to see on the northern end higher numbers, and the water is pushing inland. the rain is coming down, and there's nowhere for it to go. even though the winds are diminishing and the category strength is also going down, this story will develop over the next several days and good morning. i'm krystal klei. a beautiful forecast moving forward today. 80 in center city, also 79 in lansdale and mid upper 70s for the lehigh valley. just high level clouds to start the day. in new jersey, 79 for voorhees, mid upper to 70s possible over the jersey shore. and in wilmington, a forecast high of 79 degrees. enjoy your day. saying, "the world is watching. be safe." president trump also said that he got the message loud and clear about mobilizing several resources early. the white house says the president plans to visit texas sometime next week. given the expected duration of the storm, that could be challenging. critics including top democrats accused the president of using the hurricane for political cover. to deliver that controversial pardon late friday of arizona sheriff joe arpaio. he was convicted of criminal contempt for failing to stop immigration patrols described azerbaijas discriminatory and based on racial profiling of latinoss. the 85-year-old former sheriff tells nbc news he is grateful the president stood up for him. the pardon has drawn quick bipartisan criticism. the president has also taken action on another controversial irish -- sending his policy to the pentagon for the ban of transgender service members. now the secretary of defense will get six months to determine what happens to those already serving open leap as transgender. the policy stops payments for gender reassignment medical care and ends recruitment of transgender individuals. >> thank you. a busy news day on all fronts. let's attornturn to some other headlines. north korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles into the sea on friday night. the move likely in retaliation to the united states and south korea's annual war games in the korean peninsula. the second missile seems to have blown up immediately, but none threatened guam. president trump has been notified and is monitoring the situation. in england, counterterror police are detaining a man who was outside of buckingham palace with the weapon. he drove up with the web e weapon in his car -- the weekend in his car. no members were there at the time. security has been high since attacks this year. the move is on for a missing service member after a black hawk helicopter crashed off the southern coast of yemen. five other troops on board that aircraft have been rescued. officials are calling it a training accident. the accident is now under investigation. two free speech rallies scheduled to take place in northern california this weekend have been canceled. organizers grew concerned that local law enforcement would fail to protect them. the right-wing group patriotic prayer scrapped plans to rally by the golden gate bridge following threats by left wing protesters. san francisco's mayor has spoken out against the group. another rally at nearby berkeley was also canceled. there's still growing fear over possible violence and unrest. dave priets in for dylan while she's in texas covering the hurricane. he's back with a rest of the country's forecast. >> yeah. we've got items of interest as we head to the north and to the southwest, heat advisories and watches in effect. look at the temperatures in the pacific northwest, into the mid 90s as we head through the beginning of the workweek. and it is going to be a scorcher. in the northern plains states, we're watching severe storms. the other area of interest, right there in the florida peninsul some tropia.ca . >> that's a look at the national maps. 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arrival this morning, the end of a run of good luck. the longest stretch of hurricane-free weather now over. >> your life is in potential danger. >> the last hurricane this strong to hit the mainland, wilma, 12 years ago in 2005. we haven't had a stretch that long since hurricane records were first taken in the 1850s. noaa did predict an above-normal atlantic hurricane season this year. so harvey's landfall isn't surprising. >> as they say, get out of dodge. >> what safety officials fear is that it's been so long, residents in the south might not be prepared. among the worst hurricanes in u.s. history, katrina, which made landfall on august 29th, 2005. more than 1,800 people dead. new orleans under water. $108 billion in damage. the costliest hurricane in u.s. history. 25 years ago this week, hurricane andrew ravaged south florida. >> although the relief effort is well underway. urgent need exists. >> 65 dead, 127,000 homes damaged or destroyed. the cost -- nearly $27 billion. the rush to prepare for sandy is on. and superstorm sandy, not considered to be a major hurricane because it hit the u.s. as a category-two storm. still left tremendous damage. >> we've never seen this. unprecedented. >> the 2012 hurricane affected 24 states, killed 72 people in the u.s., and cost $65 billion in damages, making it the second-costliest weather disaster after hurricane katrina. how have we managed to dodge a bullet until now? the general consensus in the weather community -- pure luck. that lucky streak now has come to an end. and it is going to take more than luck, unfortunately, at this point. even though harvey is weakening, we're still forecasting about 40 inches of rain. that could lead to proerdbreaking flooding. guys -- record-breaking flooding. guys? >> thks. more canov still much more coverage ahead. hi. oh, hi! welcome to the neighborhood. i brought you this pie to see if you're weird. wow, that smells intrusive. it is. did you want to come in, maybe snoop around a bit? that's why i'm here. wouldn't it be great if everyone said what they meant? ooh, i smell onions! the citi® double cash card does. only citi lets you earn 1% cash back when you buy, and 1% as you pay. the citi double cash card. double means double. #. temperatures are nice this morning and we have a beautiful day on top. 67 in philadelphia and wilmington. up and up to 69 atlantic city. and in the afternoon, we moo make our way into near 80. here is a look at 11:00 a.m., already 74 in philadelphia, 2:00 at 78 and again the high in philly 80 degrees with mostly sunny conditions. now take a look at hurricane harvey, winds are sustained at 80 miles per hour. still a category 1, but likely to down grade this afternoon to a tropical storm. regardless heavy bands of rain will continue for several days straight leading to dangerous flooding concerns. and rescuers and volunteers from our region are heading south. philadelphia firefighters are part of the national team being deployed. a dozen red cross volunteers from philadelphia and new jersey are on the ground in texas this morning. the red cross is mobilizing hundreds of others along with truckloads of food, water, clothing and shelter supplies. here at home, we will likely feel the effects from harvey at the gas pump. in delaware county, a gallon of regular was going for $2.69. but that price is expected to jump since refineries loochk the gulf coast are shut down until harvey passes. we'll be back in just 30 minutes for "nbc 10 news today" at 9:00 a.m. good morning. harvey roars ashore. the monster hurricane is slamming the texas coast overnight. trump signed a disaster decoration overnight. amid fears the damage could be catastroph catastrophic. >> and harvey furry is far from over, today, saturday, august 26, 2017. >> live from studio 1-a in rockefeller plaza. good morning. welcome to today on saturday morning. >> glad to have you with us. down in texas covering hurricane harvey with team of nbc news correspondence. we will get to them in a moment. first, a look at the latest information. this is a look now, satellite imagines rolls over texas. >> this is the scene from up in space. the astronauts aboard the international space station capturing this image of the enormity of hurricane harvey. here's a like live at galveston. >> this is the latest on the storm itself right now. hurricane harvey made land fall around 10:00 last night central time. it came ashore as a category four storm. it has since been downgraded to a cat one. >> harvey brought with it winds of 130 miles an hour. now top winds have diminished to 80 miles an hour. daylight breaks, residents getting first look at all of the damage it caused. >> one of the hard et cetera hit towns overnight is rock port texas. officials tell us they're experiencing utter devastation. >> let's go back to dylan in corpus christi. good morning, as you mentioned it is a category one hurricane right now. winds at 80 miles an hour. to make first land fall as category 4 hurricane. hurricane charlie back in 2004. this is also the first time texas has received a double land fall with a hurricane. first made landfall in port aransis then the national storm center said a category three. winds up to 125-mile-per-hour. so at this point, we are starting to see the storm itself weaken because it's now beginning to move over land. that does not mean things are over because now the big concern is that since there is no steering mechanism to push in storm away, it's as if you dropped a leaf in a pond. until a breeze comes. going to spin around. that's the storm across eastern texas. so with that in mind, we are looking at the possibility of up to 40 inches of rainfall. the story of texas has already picked up 16 inchings of rain and you can see the devastation happening there. i say you can see because now that we finally have sunlight, all the areas that have been without power are now beginning to assess the damage because so many areas were hard hit, but it happened overnight. now, we are still going to see the effects of the wind and storm surge because tropical storm surge winds are likely. we're also going to see 12 foot storm surge which could lead to coastal flooding. on the eastern side of the storm, tornados are a threat. reported tornados near galveston and houston. even though they're far from the center of the storm right now, there is still all of that emergency triggering those tornados too which obviously causes significant wind damage as well. even though the storm has weakened, we have several days to go to keep alert level high for this storm. >> the intense flooding that area is expected to get. when it's all said and done, nearly three feet of rain could fall from harvey in houston alone. jac jacob, good morning. >> good morning. clear skies for you. just 30 minutes ago you could hardly see. then two to three inches. for hours you could get that. >> prepare iing the lightest da more than 6 million people live here. ap atop the world's largest medical center. doesn't hurt to pray we're in for the long haul. houston is shutdown. >> jacob for us there in houston texas. >> on the phone this morning, mr. mayor, good morning to you. >> talking about the flooding. fear, people are worried about here. >> this is a -- every storm is different. this is a serious one. we're expecting a lot of rain over the next four days and that's a lot. i mean, just in the past 12 hours, look at what's happening. they've received about nine inches of rain. as we indicated. rain is falling from one to two maybe some cases three inches. we have a few creeks. one is nearest the bank. this is going to be an ongoing situation over the next four days. that's what makes this storm so unique. it's a serious one. there will be flooding. and at some point, maybe over the next three or four days, maybe some rescues. >> sorry, i didn't mean to cut you off there. there was some confusion yesterday. governor in texas says folks should get out of houston. you insisted folks probably should not leave in mass. the folks should stay put. this morning any idea what majority of people in houston decided to do. >> people in the area have decided to stay. most people have decided to stay in the houston area. the county jung ajudge and i hae worked very closely together and we both recommend the people in the houston harris county area to stay. people that were in the direct path of the hurricane, that's a different situation. they're further along the coast. we were not in the direct path of the hurricane for us it was a major windfall event and quite frankly more damages for them to try to get on the road. we're asking people to stay off the streets, stay off the roads today if you can. as well as tomorrow and monday and tuesday. allow the first responders to do their jobs. that's the main thing. take care of their family. watch and look out after the seniors. those with disabilities and check on our neighbors. the recommendation is to stay in place, no evacuation order for the city of houston. >> mayor, have you had any reports of injuries or property damages or power outages at this point. >> at this point in time, fortunate thing no reported injuries of any kind. expecting more things to progress. at this point, no report of any injuries and we'll be very grateful for that. the people in this area will face this time and time again. every storm surge is very different. this is a serious one. this is yet the beginning. still have day two, three, four to go. and pray everything will go well. the city, the kcounty. the barricades up. people going on the passes. we tried to move people off the street, the homeless population into shelters. looking after our seniors and watching out for those who are disabled to make sure they get the attention they deserve. >> there's been a major concern about the oil refineries there in the houston area. potential impact on the gasoline supply in this country. what more can you tell us about that. >> i've talked to the chairman of the port of houston. the port is shutdown. many of the ships are safely anchored away. sent away early. the refineries pretty much are shutdown. waiting for the storm to pass. i talked to the ceo of exxon the other day. they made the necessary preparations. you know, the port of houston is the number one port in the country in terms of foreign. we are doing everything we do to protect that asset. we supply gas to the rest of the country. not just this region. we need to take every necessary precaution to make sure we protect the port as well as the refineries so once this storm passes, we'll be ready to get back into business. let's go to sanders now. in texas south of houston. i understand you're dealing with ferocious winds there. gary? >> reporter: indeed. victoria, propped behind the van which is actually moving -- you can see the loop actually going over gary sanders right now. the deep red that you see. that's victoria texas. that's where carry sanders is crouched behind the van. >> the fact he has to crouch next to a van, goes to show how strong the winds are. >> if you look at the radar picture again, you can see how close to the center of the storm carry's location is right now. there are several dangers to a storm like this. there are near terms, short-term issues and that is the intensity of the rainfall and wind speed. then there are longer terms issues as long as this storm konl continues to hang over texas, we worry about flooding as a continued problem. so the winds that carey is seeing right now, you can see how intense things are right around victoria at this hour. don't let the category fool you. must a lot less dangerous now. not so. life threatening impact. flooding right along the texas coast and indeed inland. damaging winds and tornados. tornado watches in effect all the way up through the houston area. could be extended into the evening. up to 40 inches of rain around the region. that's our big concern. and, again, as we head into the next several days, these numbers are going to skyrocket. victoria just around that area, 16 inches of rain so far in the last 12 or so hours. that's basically half a year's worth of rain in underalf a h good morning. i'm krystal klei. a beautiful forecast moving forward today. 80 in center city, also 79 in lansdale and mid upper 70s for the lehigh valley. just high level clouds to start the day. in new jersey, 79 for voorhees, mid upper to 70s possible over the jersey shore. and in wilmington, a forecast high of 79 degrees. enjoy your day. the wind is going to be a major issue. the rain taking us all the way through next week. >> had to crouch behind the van. he is just fine. he did have to go inside though. >> for safety. >> absolutely. hospitals are bracing for the worst this morning. federal officials say the combination of wind and water could leave areas uninhabitable for weeks and months. hospital and health care providers are all prepared for this massive storm. doctor, good morning. >> good morning. you're right. the storm is massive. it's been around for hours. people have been evacuated. a lot of health care providers are saying to do. midwife beth never thought of evacuating. she has one mother left in town. she's past her due date. >> i'm leer fhere for a reason. >> she's stocking supplies to deliver the baby. >> i've delivered babies by phone before. >> doctors and medical experts around the region are prepared for the worst. it's hurricane harvey. power lines, trees falling. polls crashing through. the debris from a hurricane is what gets people hurt. driving too dangerous and power out across the region, those in need of medical care took measures before the storm hit. that included evacuations of dozens of critical patients from hospitals near the coastline. at least ten newborns from an intensive care unit. flown on planes with specialized equipment. >> they made a wise decision to get them out as quickly as possible. >> 69 yearly guadalupe's last stop. center where the machines do the work of his kidneys. >> if all of this shutdown, it could be life threatening. >> yes, could be. again, not everybody evacuated. the fire station we're at just picked this up outside. the wind is vicious out there. things are flying around. have to be careful. we're at technical rescue fire station. their job here is if people get trapped. if you're under trees, in debris, under water. go out and make sure they're doing okay. we've been here a few hours. they've been here before the hurricane. extra staff to take care of everybody. since we've been here, they've been running out. call after call. they had one call hours ago. in that call, pregnant woman was delivering. by the time they got there, she was in the process of delivering a baby. luckily they were there. the baby and mother were transported to the hospital. seem to be doing fine. we'll check in a few minutes. talk to the captain here. his word for people as they start coming out of the house and want to clean things up. be very, very aware of your surroundings. there are wires out there. look not active. can be turned on at any moment. there could be debris. the water could be deeper than you electrified water. be aware of your surroundings and stay safe. they are here for the people they need to rescue. technical rescue going out and went out in the midst of the hurricane and worst of the hurricane to take care of people. to make sure everybody can stay health. that's the job they do on a regular basis here. >> thank you so much for that. we will have much much more of our coverage of hurricane harvey coming up. including important safety reminder for anyone caught in raging floodwaters from a result of the storm, but first, this is today on nbc. take a look at this car. this is corpus christi. a car as you can see almost completely submerged by the rain. low lying area. how to survive a flash flood if you were trapped in your car. today national investigative correspondent has some life saving tips for what to do if you get caught in a flash flood. >> reporter: harvey is here. new video emerging overnight. now the focus shifting to the torrential rain yet to come. potentially catastrophic floods that can wash cars away with drivers inside. dramatic cases across the country showing us how dangerous it may get. >> it's scary. it happens fast. >> it overtakes you in an instant. first the rain. then the wall of water. from colorado to texas. already this year, record breaking flooding in california sweeping drivers away. >> when you hit that creek bed, it's fish tailing and just took him in seconds. >> watch rescues toss a life vest to a little girl and her father trapped on the roof of their car. water rushing all around them. thankfully they were pulled to safety. and in this new case, a family stuck in this truck. the mother desperately hanging on to her young child as a rescue swimmer lashing on and pulls the toddler to safety. incredibly everyone was saved. all across the country the power of flood water just too ferocious. you would be surprised how little water it takes to float a car. that's why so many people get trapped. what happens if you get trapped? how do you get out? this morning we're about to show you. here in wisler on a special training course. they're going to turn this into a raging flood. and today inside a pickup truck. they're going to turn the water on and we're going to see how long it takes for this thing to wash away and then how will i escape. let's get going. turn it on. >> oh, boy. here it comes. watching everything from the side. jim douglas, certified trainer with raven rescue. >> how much water does it take to float a car. not even a foot. just this much will make a car float. >> what about suvs and four-by-fours. >> those thick tires will make a truck float even easier. they're like big buoys. they float even faster. >> the water is so low you can still see the cement below when my pickup truck is swept away. thankfully mine is tethered with strong chains otherwise i would be barrelling out of control downstream. the water is seeps into the car. this is crazy and scary. ky not open the door to get out. i cannot open the door at all. >> you need the roll the window down. >> and that's a critical test. roll the window down the second the water rises. >> what do i do. you need to get out on the roof. >> this is very scary. the water keeps pouring in. he struggles to escape. >> much harder than it looks. i get out. just in the nick of time. the water is nearing the roof. already over the steering wheel, but now that i'm on the roof, i have a new set of problems. >> now what? >> now, you need to get stable. stay low, hang on with the truck moving you're going to have to ride with it. do i stand up on is this. stay low, get stable. >> like this? >> exactly. >> can this car flip. >> the car can flip in as much as six feet of water. you need to stay on the high side. >> oh, my lord. it is so scary with this water coming at you like that. and remember, i know this is a drill. how it must feel in a real emergency. >> so i should just stay with the car no matter what. >> now you're going to be going downstream with the car. you're going to have to wait for rescue, but at least being on the roof, you've got a fighting chance. if you're inside and the car flips over, you've got no chance. >> life saving advice when the flash flood strikes. jeff rossen, nbc news. that also goes to what we heard a few moments ago, if you don't have to be out on the streets, don't be out on the streets. >> people hear that, but time and time again. we say turn around, don't drown. i remember storm sandy. my husband called me. everyone was panicking. he was trying to get home. it happens all the time. >> forces emergency service personnel to have to go and help these folks out of the cars when they should be going home. >> or trying to help someone else. >> burning resources. >> yes. >> there's repeating if you can watch or listen to us right now. if you're not one of the 250,000 without power, if you don't have to be out, don't go out. >> stay home. still ahead on today this morning, the latest on the ground in texas as hurricane harvey roars ashore. >> but first, these messages. good morning. i'm katy zachry. just ahead on nbc new 10 news, hurricane harvey hits the southeastern coast of texas with a wallop. strongest storms, and we're live in galveston. and behind me, that is hurricane harvey on our radar. we'll track out the newest update to the future track of where harvey will go and we'll also talk about a much better forecast for our neck of the woods coming up. and a car bursts into flames on the schuylkill expressway after being hit by another vehicle. that driver takes off, we'll have an update on the search for that person and the victim's condition. and for given by the president, donald trump has pardoned a former arizona sheriff who became the face of the crackdown on illegal immigrants. why critics say trump is using the hurricane as cover for some controversial moves. those stories and much more coming up next on nbc 10 news "today." downgraded, but still dangerous. hurricane harvey is now a category 1 storm, but the rain is predicted to be catastrophic before it's own. we're live from texas. path of destruction, the feer fiercest hurricane to hit in more than a decade, reports of fires, homes ripped apart and the flooding is just beginning. hit and run on the schuylkill. police are searching for the person who drove off after hitting a car which then burst into flames. good morning and welcome to "nbc 10 news today." it is just about 9:00 a.m. on your saturday morning. let's take a live look right now at galveston, texas as hurricane harvey pounds the coastline there. the storm came ashore around 11:00 last night our time as a category 4 hurricane. the second most powerful kind. and it may linger for days to come. krystal klei is tracking the storm. this is supposed to dump a possible 3 feet or more of water in parts of texas. >> yeah, that's right. 15 to on 30 inches possible, isolated up to 40 inches, that is when everything is said and done which could be mid to late the next workweek. so we're talking a system that just continues to pound the coast. this is a look at hurricane harvey right now. latest updates show the arm bands just powering through houston and then the center of the storm just to the neeforthe of corpus christi. this is around the eyewall. the storm itself has been slowly chugging along the coast here and the problem is it's now meandering in one spot and it will continue doing so for several days straight. so this leads to major threats not just with the storm surge we've been seeing, but major threats with rain totals as well as strong wind gusts. here is the latest update. now winds 80 miles an hour. this started at a category 4, and now a category 1, but that does not mean the threat has dissipated. this is still a very dangerous storm. and it's north to northwest only 6 miles per hour, so it's stuck in one location. here is the newest track projection. by tonight, dropping down to a tropical storm. 60-mile-an-hour winds, but still dangerous. it looks to loop around the exact same spot it's currently in, right through monday early morning. even through tuesday. still in the exact same location. so we're talking heavy rain and strong winds for several days straight before it starts to arch up to the north by thursday. coming up, we'll talk more about harvey and we'll bring you a look at your local forecast. hurricane harvey is lashing the gulf coast of texas with damaging winds while dumping huge amounts of rain over hundreds of miles of coastline. there are no death concerns, but officials warn that emergency crews cannot get to places to help rescue people because of the high winds. take a look at what harvey eye wi winds did, gusts tore off this roof before the structure was completely destroyed. local police posted this video to their facebook page. it this is some of the damage in rockport, texas. buildings are damaged there. the roof of a senior housing complex collapsed injuring 10 instead and the roof of the town's high school partially caved in, as well. sarah dollop is live in galveston showing us the conditions there. hey, sarah. >> reporter: good morning. you know, just because the strength of this hurricane has lessened didn't mean that this still doesn't continue to be a catastrophic storm. harvey is the hardest hurricane to hit texas in nearly half a century and as you can see, it's not done. a hard hit from a sudden hurricane. extreme winds, life threatening storm surge and dangerous debris as hurricane harvey made landfall overnight. corpus christi, texas near the buld's ey bull's-eye. >> outer bands are hitting rockport. >> reporter: it grew rapidly from a tropical depression to a category 1 hurricane and continued to gather strength. >> we're starting to see trees go down, a lot of debris. >> reporter: harvey is expected to linkser inland for several days bringing with it record rains, as much as three feet in some areas and historic flooding. forecasters say houston roads and neighborhoods could be inundated as early as saturday night. >> record flooding at multiple locations ranging all the way from corpus christi area all the way up to the houston area. >> reporter: hurricane harvey, not loosening its powerful griffen on t grip on the gulf region. and harvey has begun to affects houston already. the national weather service within the last hour issuing its first flash flood warning for the area. >> sarah dollop live in ghal investigation ton, thank you. and most people in the area had either evacuated or were hunkered down somewhere. but not tv reporters. >> you can see for yourself, we're being hit by a specific significant band from harvey. >> that is brandon walker of houston's nbc station. he was about 50 miles from where harvey made landfall last night. you can see from that video he had to fight to stay standing in that wind and he was pelted in the face by the driving rain. rescuers and volunteers from our region are heading south to help hurricane victims. philadelphia firefighters are part of the national team being deployed by the federal government. a dozen red cross volunteers from philadelphia and new jersey are on the ground in texas right now. the red cross is mobilizing hundreds of others along with truckloads of food, water, clothing and shelter supplies. here at home, we will likely feel the effects from hurricane harvey at the gas pump. refineries along the gulf coast are shut down until the hurricane passes. randy gyllenhaal is live for us at a gas station with a look at how you can feet effects starting pretty soon. >> reporter: aaa tells us it's still wait and see right now. prices in philly up by maybe a penny or so, but that could change this week. take a look, average price right now across the city, about $2.54. across the street though, we're looking at 13 cents higher. and experts warn by monday, we could see prices spike by ten cents or more, a lot of that depends on whether we see flooding in that region. this is a toledo from a meteorologist there posted to twitter. those dots you see are oil and gas refineries along the texas coastline. hurricane harvey has been hammering oil production. we know exxon has shuts down at least two of their refineries, dozens more across texas also closed. drivers we spoke with now preparing for a possible spike. >> whenever something is cut off, it becomes in demand more and you will get higher price for it. just like anything else. if it's readily available, it won't be as bad. >> reporter: hurricane katrina back in 2005 caused prices to spike about 40 cents overnight. we're not expecting anything that high, but experts say it really depends on whether a lot of the flooding over the next few days impacts refineries on the ground in texas. randy gyllenhaal, nbc 10 news. nbc 10 is with you every step of the way as we track hurricane harvey and the damage it is causing. the nbc 10 app has instant updates and notifications to keep you on top of what is happening with the storm. and your weather here at home. new this morning, pennsylvania state police are searching for a driver who hit a car on the schuylkill expressway and then took off. as you can see in this video, the crash caused the car to catch on fire. it happened around 2:30 this morning. three young adults were inside the car and were able to escape before it burst into flames. they were treated for minor injuries. we're coming offer of a busy night at the trump white house with three major stories coming out of the oval office. first trump administration pardoned joe arpaio, a former arizona sheriff. a federal judge convicted arpaio of contempt for ignoring an order not to detain suspected undocumented immigrants. the president praised his political ally for, quote, worthy for pardon due to arpaio's history in border enforcement. critics pounced. >> it was a cowardly and pathetic move by a cowardly and pathetic man to wait a few days while we're in the midst of a hurricane are people's lives are in danger to try to slip this pardon in under the radar. >> protesters in phoenix accused the president of breaking his promise to uphold the rule of law. arpaio said he appreciated the president's pardon. also last night, president trump ordered the pentagon to ban transgender recruits from joining the military. the president gave defense secretary jim mattis leeway to come up with a policy on transgender troops who are currently serving in the military. and finally in another white house shakeup, aide sebastien gorka is out. the national security assistant was closely aligned with the chief strategist steve bannon who left the white house last week. gh gorka made headlines in january when he wore the medal of a nazi linked group to an inauguration ball. and president trump is huddling with his national security team after north korea launched three test missiles last night. you're looking at previous missile launches by the north. now, u.s. pacific command says two of the short range missiles failed in flight while the other appeared to blow up just after launch. back here in our area, several philadelphia leaders say the latest demands for an officer to face murder charges went too far. >> people loved him, a neighborhood that respected him. >> this is cellphone video of a surprise "black lives matter" protest thursday at the northeast philadelphia home of afternoon officer. other officers stood outside the home to keep things under control. investigators say officer shot david jones in the back in june after a struggle. the officer stopped jones for riding an illegal dirt bike and during the skrufcuffle police s jones grabbed the gun in the waste boistban waistband. the shooting is still under investigation. some are causing for legal action against asa comfort ha halif. >> did you cross the line? >> absolutely not. he crossed the line. >> will n. response, the fop obtained a court order preve preventing the release of police officer names in shootings unless approved by a judge. that will remain in effect until a full hearing happens in late september. 10 after 9:00 on your saturday. and we are tracking hurricane harvey. trees are down, be buildings destroyed and hundreds of thousands are without power. coming up, we'll look at the threat that could last for days. and here is a look at hurricane harvey spinning over coastal texas. we'll talk about those specific threats over the next several days and then take a look at our forecast. i think many of you will like it. and walking for a cause. thousands of women and men across our region are lacing up their sneakers for day two of the komen three day breast cancer walk. here is a live looks at galveston as hurricane harvey continues to do damage. this category 1 made landfall near corpus christi. damage reports include fires and collapse roofs and walls. and take a look at what harvey's fury did to the high school in rock port, texas. high winds blew down at lease o least one wall, and several surrounding buildings collapsed. there are no reports of anyone hurt just kret. crystal cl krystal klei is following it. >> and we have many threats that will continue for many days thanks to hurricane harvey. that view of rockport, wind gusts in excess of 100. and it moved in as a category 4, it's now category 1. you can see it's still a well organized storm. the arm bands are massive in reach past houston and now stretching into austin as well. this is starting to arch to the northwest. slowly moving only about 6 miles per hour, but it is moving to the northwest. so i want to talk about a couple of these threats that harvey will continue to provide over the next several days. this is a look at the wind forecast. 74-mile-per-hour and above makes it hurricane force. anything blow, tropical storm force. so this yellow is a tropical storm force winds stretching all the way up to san antonio, austin and houston. but take a look at we go in to sunday, still a very large circle stretching to san antonio. and notice spots like rockport, they stay under the threat day after day. so we go from sunday to monday. the threat for tropical storm winds continues in the same exact area. and from monday to tuesday, still the exact same area because of the worry that this thing will do a little loop moving right over where it made landfall. so this is a several day worry that the winds will be gusting very strong. the issue with that, planes won't be able to fly in these types of winds. and then we have the threat of rain, flooding. this is a look at the european model as we go through the workweek ahead. through the weekend, through tuesday, wednesday, thursday. look at these numbers. nearly 30 inches for victoria, texas. about 20 inches in port aransas and houston around 10 inches for san antonio. so this area will see flooding no questions asked over the next workweek. let's talk about around here. clear conditions for us. mostly sunny. tomorrow, too just a mix of clouds and sun. partly cloudy both days at 80 degrees in philadelphia. 79 in new jersey. 80 tomorrow. and 79 both days for delaware. going to be really comfortable in the afternoon, too, because of the low humidity. if you're going down to the shore, rehoboth beach, you're at 76. 78 atlantic city and 76 for avalon right along the coastline going to feel very nice with the uv ebb deindex high at 7. rip current risk is low. but still swim near a lifeguard. and as for the hour by hour as we go through rest of your saturday, only a few scattered clouds for today. tomorrow fairly dry as well. we'll talk about the 10 day on 10 coming up. in weekend women and men are walking 60 3450i8 0 miles to he breast cancer. this is the second day of the susan g. komen three day. the walk ends tomorrow afternoon at the philadelphia navy yard. since 2005, the event has raised more than $68 million in the fight to end breast cancer. happening today, a book bag giveaway in west philadelphia to help children in need to prepare for school. the event runs is 1 1:00 to 2:00. the back bags are packed with school supplies. the philadelphia development t outreach council is hosting. and tonight the 49th miss black america will be crowned in philadelphia. this is video from 2015. tonight contestants from across the country will compete in categories like switch wear swim wear and talent. this young man loves to play sports and he has a serious goal, be finding a forever family to love achbnd support h. vai sikahema introduces to us jeremiah. a are. >> this 11-year-old is a high energy and exceptionally athletic young man who is a magician with basketball. you kept practicing? >> yeah, and i got it. >> you got it now. >> today we're having a day of competition and fun. but also to find jeremiah is forever family. you can tell me what a family can do to help you? >> be nice to me and take care of me, support me. >> help you? yeah. and what do you do, what would you do to help a family? >> be good. >> jeremiah is good. he's also a twin. so naturally he'd love a home that has room for the two of them. he loves to eat, read and stay active. >> honestly, i think just cooperation, just his attitude, you're constantly learning new things and he's teaching you. i think he's honestly just a good kid. >> jeremiah is this week's wednesday's child. and if you would like to make jeremiah's credream come t, go to nbc10.com and search wednesday's child. you can also call 1-866-do-adopt. nbc 10 continues our commitment to clear the shelters and find homes for adoptable pets. time now to meet kiwi. amy, you're here with us every weekend. and tell us more. >> you're the dog whisperer this morning. kiwi is only about two years old and she does have a lot of personality and spunk even though she's calm right now. she loves to run around outside. we were playing with a jolly ball this morning. >> what's that? >> it kind of looks like a kettle bell, but plastic. dogs love them. she was running around with that. and she has that funny personality will she will come and chu on the toy right in front of you and she wants you to take it, but she'll act like she doesn't. so we were having some fun. she was found as a stray. one of our animal control officers picked her up. so she could use some tlc. but she's a very sweet girl. >> do you think she'd be good with a family with kids or no kids? >> she hasn't met children that we know of, but what we recommend is that you bring your kids in and have them meet any dog or even a cat. i think she would be good with children. she has a good personality. >> and other animals, as well? >> we don't know yet. she was by herself. but we can do a dog meet as well if you have dogs at home, see how they do. >> definitely likes scratches. >> yeah. adorable. >> amy, thank you so much. and kiwi. if you want more information about any animal, call the animal care and control team at 267-385-3800. and you can also check out their website acct philly.org. here is a live look at galveston as hurricane harvey continues to do damage to the companies line ther coastline there. it made landfall near corpus christi last night. flooding is expected along the gulf coast and areas inland. and before we go, let's get one last check on harvey and our weather here at home from krystal klei. >> and we are watching har swve closely. it could potentially drop to a tropical storm later today. our 10 day forecast, philadelphia 80 today. mostly sunny. low humidity. same deal tomorrow, a mix of clouds and sun at 80 as well. and we look to stay dry monday into tuesday as well as temperatures fall to the mid upper 70s. showers do return wednesday, thursday, but a pretty good seven day forecast. >> looks not bad at all considering what people in texas are dealing with. and tonight lester holt will lead the nbc new coverage of hurricane harvey in corpus christi with a special edition of "nightly news" at 6:30. and that is all we have time for right now. for all of us here, thanks for watching and spending part of your morning with us. hi, i'm tamra judge, in for sara gore, and this is open house. this week, we're getting chic decor tips as we head inside celebrity homes. ryan and emelia serhant from "million dollar listing new york" show off their spacious loft. before we got married, we decided that we wanted to find our own apartment. tamra: and victoria's secret stunner erin heatherton takes us on a tour of her revamped manhattan pad. erin: so with big dreams in a small space, this is what i made. tamra: plus we take a trip south to new orleans to learn bryan batt's style secrets for big easy living. bryan: well, i believe a home should really match someone's personality. it should reflect your style, your personal style. tamra: and we get a sneak peek inside two designer nurseries. angela told me very early in the design process that she absolutely had to have this completely acrylic crib. and it is a total showstopper. 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