"nightly news" begins now. reporting tonight, craig melvin. and a good saturday evening. we are following two major developing stories tonight in a few moments, thomas roberts will have the latest on thursday's shooting massacre at a community college in oregon. but first -- historic flooding. many parts of charleston are under water tonight. some roads look more like small rivers. more than 20 million people along the eastern seaboard are under a flood watch or flood warning. some communities are expecting epic amounts of rain. 16 inches in some places. this afternoon, president obama declared a state of emergency in south carolina. forecasters say some there could experience a once in a lifetime rain event. we start tonight in greenville, south carolina, with kerry sanders. >> reporter: wide areas of charleston, south carolina, under water tonight. adding to the relentless rainfall, coastal flooding. with more than 11 inches of rain in the last 36 hours, some residents already forced out of their homes. and there are still at least two more days of this dangerous weather. >> house is flooded. >> reporter: at least four storm-related deaths on roads this week. >> please be extremely careful when you're in or around especially water, because that's where most of our deaths occur during these types of storms. >> reporter: and what may look like harmless puddles can actually disable vehicles. tow truck operators have had a hart time keeping up today. >> the car will just pick up off the ground. most are water-tight on the inside. and you turn into a boat. and you got no control. >> reporter: near north wildwood, new jersey, this house broke apart, and floated down the bay. >> it was like armageddon. it just looked like the end -- the wind was blowing, i don't know how. 50, 60, 70 mile-an-hour. >> reporter: in charlotte, strong winds snapped old trees heavy with rainwater. in north and south carolina, at least 25,000 customers lost power. >> a lot of rain still yet to come. shifting weather patterns, unpredictable. we know we'll get a lot of rain's what we have to look out for. >> reporter: in columbia, south carolina, all eyes are on the broad river dam tonight. by tomorrow, the rivers are forecast to be ten feet above flood stage. [ chanting ] >> reporter: those who tailgated in the rain today at the clemson/notre dame football game, humor amid the misery. one way to gauge the amount of rain that's fallen, these waterfalls behind me here in greenville, south carolina. normally you see the rocks. now just covered in raging water. next two days of rain. craig? >> kerry sanders in upstate south carolina for us tonight. thank you. tens of millions will feel the impact of the storm for days to come. what's next, and is there relief in sight? let's get the latest if nbc meteorologist dylan dreyer. >> craig, looks like the flood threat wee mains until at least tuesday. look at the rain over the last 12 hours. streaming over the same part of south carolina since thursday. in fact, since thursday, we've already picked up in some areas 16 inches of rain in spots just outside of myrtle beach. we also ended up with about 10 to 12 inches of rain especially just outside of charleston. there you see right in through there, and this is the area where they are looking at more rain over the next several hours. so we do have flash flood watches in effect over the western part of the state through tomorrow. the eastern part of the state through monday, because we could still see an additional 7 to up to 10 inches of rain right in this bull's-eye to the north and west of charleston leading to flash flooding and also to lead to mudslides since the ground is completely saturated. we also have a coastal flood threat from long island all the way down into new jersey, with each high tide as they're much higher than normal levels as that easterly wind continues to push the atlantic onshore. so coastal flooding will remain a concern. here is hurricane joaquin now. exiting the bahamas after washing out home, cutting off communication. it is a category 4 storm passing just to the west of bermuda as it weakens to a 3 and eventually races out to sea asbecomes extra tropical. craig? >> dylan, thank you. the u.s. coast guard continued its search today for a cargo ship that ran into trouble and disappeared as hurricane joaquin battered the bahamas. more than two dozen americans part of that crew. more from kristen dahlgren. >> reporter: from the first light rescue crews scour mile after mile searching for any sign of the "el faro." a cargo ship missing since thursday. with 33 men and women onboard, including 28 americans. one of them, mike holland, an engineer on the ship. today his mom is desperately trying to get to florida from maine, delayed by weather. >> worked tirelessly in putting their own lives in their hands to try to find our loved ones. >> reporter: the "el faro" and its crew set off tuesday night from jacksonville on course to saturday. thursday morning, trouble. "el faro" radioed in a distress call. it had taken on water and listing to the side. >> any ship, when you have a list like that, it puts you in an unstable position, and when you're disabled, it compounds the problem. so that's why we're very concerned. >> reporter: for more than two days now there has been no other woshd. frank hamm is a father of five. his wife believes he'll come home, but can't help but wonder why the "el faro" was out there at all during a dangerous storm. >> the ship should have never left. and being that it did, then something should have happened -- to intervene before it became a hurricane. >> reporter: kenneth benton worked on "the el faro" just last week and knows the ship and its crew well. >> most of that crew have been sailing for at least 15 years. and i know that wherever they are, whether the ship is floating or whether they had to abandon ship, that they're fighting for their survival. >> reporter: now, just got off the phone with the coast guard. they've searched almost 31,000 square miles. it sounds like a huge area, but they say conditions are absolutely terrible. 30 to 40-foot seas, high winds, just two to five-mile visibility. so far there has been no sign, but, craig, searchers will be back out tomorrow morning. >> kristen dahlgren, thank you. afghanistan bombed by an american air strike aimed at taliban militants. dozens more wounded. run by doctors without border. more tonight from nbc's john yang. >> reporter: daybreak revealing results of an hour-long bombardment. the hospital run by doctors without border, still burning. inside, bloodied staff slumped in hallways. surgeries still under way at a makeshift operating room. >> they saw patients burning in their beds. i mean, completely traumatic, distressing scenes. >> reporter: the a group said from 2:08 a.m. until 3:15 local time, its hospital was rocked by aerial assaults every 15 minutes. they say it continued for 30 minutes even after they alerted u.s. and afghan forces. they gave the pentagon their gps coordinates as recently as this week. afghan officials claim as many as 15 taliban fighters were the charity flatly denies it. >> but we also lost doctors. we will do everything to ensure safety. >> reporter: u.s. forces say the air strikes targeted taliban directly firing upon u.s. service members, advising and assists afghan security forces in the vicinity of a doctors without borders medical facility. as outrage grew on social media, defense secretary ash carter called it tragic and offered, my thoughts and the prayers to everyone affected, but stopped well short of an apology saying a full investigation is under way. late today as afghan forces try to drive the taliban out of kunduz, wounded civilians still arriving at the partially destroyed hospital. doctors without borders is demanding an independent investigation how death and destruction came to a place solely devoted to care and john yang, nbc news, london. we turn now to the other big story we continue to follow in this country. the deadly shooting rampage at a college in oregon. my colleague thomas roberts remains on duty in roseburg, oregon. thomas, good evening. >> reporter: craig, good evening to you and the community of roseburg remains in stunned mourning after nine people were murdered on the campus of umpqua community college just to days ago. encouraging news to report on the nine other shooting victims who survived we begin our reporting from here with new information about the student shooter's movements during his rampage and are getting a clearer picture of his state of mind. nbc's miguel aum lmaguer has details. >> reporter: the grief is matched by the intense search for answers. we now know the gunman took hit own life in the hills from the campus behind me. tonight many in this community why? chris harper mercer's shooting spree inside the class where he was enrolled at umpqua community college is the deadliest in oregon history. took nine lives in ten minutes his own. >> as those two officers arrived at the scene, there was an exchange of gunfire. the shooter was neutralized at that point in time. >> the medical examiner has determined the cause of death of the shooter to be suicide. >> reporter: armed with six guns, extra ammunition and body armor, harper mercer left behind a document which investigators say detailed his poor state of mind. the 26-year-old appeared bitter ober not having a girlfriend. against him. he lived alone with his mother, where we are learning tonight police found eight guns. harper mercer graduated from a school for children with learning and emotional challenges. >> he was quiet. straight-a student. pretty much left everybody alone. nobody picked on him. he didn't pick on anybody. >> reporter: tonight in roseburg a community hurting, hoping to heal. tears still fall from victims like rebecka ann carnes who had just started college. amazing grace >> reporter: they remember every incident life lost here. the youngest 18. the oldest, 67. first responders lost members of their own family. >> it is with great sadness we learned that our firefighter -- justin answer pak lost his son treven that day and a niece lost, rebecka ann carnes on that day. >> reporter: this mom speaking for the first time says she was shot in the back, survived by playing dead but lost a kidney. >> she's having -- a tough time. healing is going to be -- slow. >> reporter: chris mintz, still recovering, is hail add ed a hero. he charged the shooter saving lives. more than half a million dollars raised by strangers for his recovery. >> i'm doing well and overwhelmed by the support that i've gotten from everybody. >> reporter: tonight there is some hope in all of this heartbreak. a community that has lost together now pulling together. the campus will reopen for staff and students on monday, but classes won't resume until a week from monday. many telling us tonight it is simply too quick to come back to this school. thomas? >> reporter: nbc miguel am ma gair. thank you. heroic stories of survival emerging from that tragic and heroic morning on campus. more about what we know about the youngest shooting survivor. a 16-year-old college freshman, her name, colleen fitzgerald. recovering to remove a bullet and a kidney. credited with saving the life of another teen survivor, anna boylan, telling her friend to play dead. cheyenne's mom sat down with me tonight to talk about her youngest child and how she learned about the shooting. >> bonnie x tell me about your daughter? what is cheyenne like? >> very energetic. on the go. >> she wants to be a nurse? >> she wants to be a nurse. >> so she was at school, her fourth day, on campus. and this happens. how did you hear about it? >> started texting my daughter. but she wasn't replying, or responding back, which that meant -- i was going to go to the school, and instead i came here to mercy medical center, because my inside feelings, brought me here. >> reporter: what was the first thing you said to cheyenne? cold. and she -- she was in shock, but talking, and she said, mom -- she didn't want me to see her in her condition. so they took me out and then she was rushed to the operating, into operating. >> reporter: what was going through your mind why you were waiting? >> i was praying. >> reporter: what's her attitude like now? have you had a chance to speak to her while she's in recovery? >> i don't bring anything up to her. i don't ask her confess. she speaks a little bit at a time and i just listen. >> reporter: she's reacting to noise in a way that. >> right. >> reporter: you're afraid -- >> a chair got moved and she just went off. she got -- she's having some nightmares. and she's starting to remember. >> reporter: how grateful are you that cheyenne is alive? >> unspeakablygrateful. very grateful. more than grateful. >> reporter: and our thanks to the fitzgerald family. no telling how long cheyenne will be in the hospital, but we do know there will be a big birthday celebration. cheyenne turns 17 coming up in november. when "nightly news" continues on this saturday, after the shootings here, how do keep guns out of the wrong hand, and why congress has found it so difficult. when my doctor told me i have age-related macular degeneration, amd we came up with a plan to help reduce my risk of progression. and everywhere i look... i'm reminded to stick to my plan. including preservision areds 2. my doctor said preservision areds 2 has the exact nutrient formula that the national eye institute recommends to help reduce the risk of progression of moderate to advanced amd... after 15 years of clinical studies. preservision areds 2. because my eyes are everything. want bladder leak underwear that moves like you do? 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the country is deeply divided on the issue. a division reflected in congress. a report on this tonight from nbc's kristen welker. >> reporter: the nation is collectively outraged but sharply divided about a solution. a sentiment reflected in congress seemingly paralyzed on the gun control issue. >> our silence has become a quiet endorsement of this mass slaughter. >> when i first got the news about oregon, i -- i wept. because it is so painful to know that we can do something, but we're not doing something. >> reporter: in the aftermath of the 2012 sandy hook massacre, connecticut passed tough, new gun laws inclood now pushing for federal measures. >> states with tighter background checks laws have less gun deaths. >> reporter: pennsylvania republican tim murphy says new gun law, not the answer, improsing laws to improve health care. >> focus on what is in their minds at not just what is the in their hands. >> reporter: in a recent poll, 93% of americans support background checks for all gun buyers, but the nation is about evenly split on whether they want stricter gun control laws, and it's always been that way. after the 11 981 assassination attempt of president reagan, background checks. in 2011, tucson, arizona, two people killed and gabby gifford seriously wounded. even after one of their own targeted, no laws passed and when sandy hook's parents walked the halls, capitol hill rejected legislation expanding background checks defeated by republicans and red state democrats arguing it would threaten the right to bear arms. sandy hook's families' outraged. >> congress failed us. >> reporter: according to center for responsible politics, pouring millions into their cause. outspending gun control advocates 6-1. those who want new laws need too figure how to match the nra's money and influence. >> this isn't about taking anyone's guns away. what it is about is keeping guns out of the hands of the wrong people. >> reporter: the nation's most 30uerful gun lobby, the nra, declined our multiple requests for comment and here's a reality check. since 2012, congress added more pro-gun lawmakers. thomas? nbc's kristen welker. thank you. coming up, we'll go back to craig mel virn vin at 30 rock in new york with more news about a race against time after a mudslide bury es part of a town. quit. but i couldn't do it on my own. i needed help and chantix was there. and i did it. along with support, chantix (varenicline) is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. some had seizures while taking chantix. if you have any of these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of mental health problems, which could get worse or of seizures. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if have these, stop chantix and call your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. tell your doctor if you have heart or blood vessel problems, or develop new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack or stroke. decrease alcohol use while taking chantix. use caution when driving or operating machinery. most common side effect is nausea. i never thought i would be a non-smoker and i'm so proud. ask your doctor if chantix is right for you. jake reese, " day to feel alive" jake reese, " day to feel alive" whatever you're doing, plan well and enjoy life... or, as we say at unitedhealthcare insurance company, go long. of course, how you plan is up to you. take healthcare. make sure you're covered for more than what just medicare pays... consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company... the only medicare supplement plans that carry the aarp name, and the ones that millions of people trust year after year. it's about having the coverage you need... plan well. enjoy life. a sdes prit scene in guatemala. rescue workers recovered for bodies today after a massive mudslide swallowed more than 100 homes. authorities said the death toll rose to 56 and hundreds more could be missing. it happened thursday night just outside the capital of guatemala city. hundreds are taking part in the rescue effort. in the middle east, a new wave of russian air strikes in syria. a russian military spokesman said they flew 20 missions hitting nine isis targets. russia insists its targeting isis as well as an al qaeda group in syria, but the attacks reportedly hit western-backed rebels fighting the assad government in syria. the u.s. and other countries condemned russia's involvement. and a bold move by a polish priest brought a quick response from the vatican today. monsignor worked at the vatican for 12 years. he admitted in media interviews partner. at a news campus called the church homophobic and planned a vatican. the vatican responded dismissing the priest from his job calling his actions grave and irresponsible. we're back in a moment with an update on our top stories. red carpet where our next arrival is... whoa! toenail fungus!? 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what remains clear, there is not one easy solution to combat senseless gun violence in this country, but the outpouring of love from this community is one solution to not letting the shooter win. craig? >> thomas, thank you. neighbors are helping neighbors there in oregon. soon in many places along the eastern seaboard neighbors be also do what we do so often in this country when tragedy or disaster strikes. helping rebuild. as historymaking impacts declared. several states are dealing with epic flooding and the rain is expected to continue in many places. we'll be watching the weather closely tonight, and that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday. i'm craig melvin reporting from new york. stay safe, stay dry, if you can, and i'll see you tomorrow thanks for watching, and good night. ready to head out when others head home. at eversource, we prepare for ugly weather all year long. upgrading technology, managing vegetation, improving how we get information to you, because we know you're counting on us. we're ready for winter, and we want to make sure you're ready, too.

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