highive innovation areas. foam 70s for san francisco it. >> not feeling like fall yet. >> not yet. >> we're back at 6:00. >> see you then. tonight the race against time in the bahamas. aid groups rushing in food and water by sea and air as tens of thousands of homeless residents are desperate to get out >> what i've seen here is decimation, annihilation we have no return from this >> our correspondent is in the hardest hit area not over yet dorian lashed nova scotia as a category 2 today. in its wake in the u.s., hundreds trapped on the outer banks of north carolina, roads flooded out, thousands without power. football drama nfl star antonio brown walks away from his team and $50 million just hours after he released this video of

a conversation he taped with his coach >> what the hell's going on, man. >> the new team that hired him just hours later. airborne accident. the crash that sent this race car flying and slamming down. how did the driver just walk away good evening, we begin tonight with the storm that will not end. right now dorian is bearing down on nova scotia, canada, with winds and rain so strong it toppled a crane in halifax more than 300,000 are already without power. this will be the storm's fifth land fall in its wake in north carolina's coast. island residents are trapped, unable to get out. the scene is of complete desperation in the bahamas where as many as 70,000 have been displaced we have coverage across the region tonight starting with nbc's kerry sanders who is in the hardest hit area, great abaco. kerry?

>> reporter: jose, i'm in marsh harbor. this is, indeed, the hardest area that we have seen. this is known as pigeon pea and mudd. and i hope i don't see anything worse than this because it is such devastation we have come upon in this bahamian heat bodies that are exposed out rotting and, sadly, the stench of death is everywhere today one of the hardest hit areas of marsh harbor is believed to be a mass graveyard. as we flew in, it's hard to believe anyone here could have survived the hurricane. >> yeah, i mean, it's total destruction. >> cut through here. >> reporter: yet search and rescue teams from florida are trying and hoping for any signs of life. >> it's hard to take in >> reporter: in the last two days, search teams have had success finding survivors, but today none >> it's hard to scan this area, but we're doing the best we can with the limited resources we have right now. >> reporter: some victims still can't believe what they

experienced. >> smell of death. a lot of -- it's bad very bad >> reporter: and the aftermath they're looking at today >> the life that we lived was bad enough but that life that we're going to live, it's inhuman >> reporter: as relief supplies are now finally arriving, volunteers complain about bahamian government red tape. >> we just brought in medical supplies we've been good to go for two days and have not been able to fly in because of the flight restrictions. >> reporter: we came upon a commandeered damaged ambulance. the crew inside from westin, florida. >> we're here to do the best we can. we get reports of, you know, people needing help, we immediately respond, try to get to them, get as much care as they can. >> reporter: i did get a chance to meet one young man who made his way here from nassau looking for relatives. sadly, he came upon his cousin's body. and tonight all he can do along with all of us is say prayers for his cousin and all the

others who died here jose, it's going to be a very long process to try to find those who did not evacuate and died under all of this rubble >> kerry sanders in great abaco. thank you. that decimation has made getting any aid into the islands a massive logistical challenge. morgan chesky on all-out efforts to get supplies in and people out. >> reporter: in the bahamas, lines stretched for blocks as desperate residents in devastated areas hoped to board boats to safety. >> it's chaos here and the place is uninhabitable. nobody can live here we're trying to get out. >> reporter: on grand bahama, thousands got on this cruise ship to rescue vessel bound for florida. >> it's been really bad. the flood came up to here in our house. we had to swim out with our children to get help no one would pick us up, so we swum like half a mile. >> reporter: with airports opening back up, relief and rescue crews are arriving en masse.

>> once crews land on the ground, what's the first priority >> the first priority is establishing a base of operations. at the same time, sending out crews and doing reconnaissance on the ground. >> reporter: the storm's death toll only expected to rise. >> we have a plan right now, most trying to save a little boy's life, he went in to save the other child's life and the tide took him out. we haven't heard from him since. >> as it stands now, how many people have been impacted? >> reporter: the u.n. says at least 70,000 people in the bahamas are now considered homeless, and i spoke to the minister of health who says of that number at least 6,000 are still unaccounted for or considered missing jose >> morgan chesky in nassau, thank you so much dorian has been unrelenting. at this hour, its remnants are pounding nova scotia. in the u.s., hundreds are still stranded in the outer banks off north carolina after it came across there

our catie beck brings us the latest. >> reporter: dorian isn't over yet hitting parts of canada today as a category 2 downing trees and flooding streets in nova scotia, even toppling this crane in halifax. all day the storm crawled up the east coast with rough surf, closing beaches along the northeast coastline. >> if you're not a very good swimmer, i would stay out of the water today. >> reporter: in the carolinas, the wind and rain have come and gone, but dorian's floodwaters in coastal north carolina remain. swallowing ocracoke island >> we'll be ready and willing to help out anybody down there >> reporter: the coast guard saturday bringing supplies and aid there after it was slammed friday with 90 mile-per-hour winds and massive storm surge. friday morning dorian forced devastating landfall in cape hatteras, an area still evacuated and impassable north carolina's governor touring sites of destruction today including an emerald isle r.v. park reeling from tornadoes there,

too. >> there was significant damage to many homes there it was amazing that no one was hurt or killed at this r.v. park. >> reporter: back in the carolinas, residents in the outer banks are checking in back home. >> power is out everywhere >> reporter: returning to see what dorian left behind. how nervous are you? >> i think it's going to be okay i hope so. >> what is the scope of the structural damage >> reporter: well, jose, most of the structural damage has been spared for the outer banks. what we're looking at now is really flood damage it takes time for those waters to recede and for cleanup to begin. behind me, you can see deputies, they are actually checking i.d.s of people trying to get on to the outer banks. at this point they're only allowing on permanent residents and essential business owners so for a lot of these folks, this is the first time they're going to be seeing home in several days jose >> catie beck in nags head, thank you so much in washington, a new political storm over president trump's

warning that alabama would most likely be hit by dorian. the government meteorological agency took the president's side critics say politics and science should not mix. nbc's hans nichols is at the white house >> reporter: tonight president trump trying to move beyond his warning last week that alabama was in hurricane dorian's path "i would like very much to stop referring to this ridiculous story, but the lame stream media won't let it alone." his late afternoon tweets coming after the national oceanic and atmospheric administration rebuked the national weather service for this tweet last sunday -- "alabama will not see any impacts from dorian." last night the weather service chastised by noaa which called its tweet inconsistent with the best forecast products available at the time they say it could undermine public trust and weather predictions. >> it's unprecedented and shocking >> it's essential to keep weather

forecasting out of politics and politics out of weather forecasting. >> reporter: mr. trump spent the week insisting his original prediction was valid "they went crazy, check out maps," he said in a tweet. on the other side of the atlantic, a new political storm is brewing. "politico" reporting that a u.s. military plane refuelled in scotland close to the president's turnberry golf resort, where the crew spent the night, potentially overpaying for gas. and a house democratic aide telling nbc news the pentagon isn't cooperating with the congressional committee trying to investigate the unusual refueling stops. the pentagon declined to comment and late tonight, the president tweeted he invited taliban leaders to camp david tomorrow he cancelled the secret meeting after the taliban admitted to a thursday attack in kabul that killed an american service member the president asking of the taliban, how many more decades are they willing to fight.

>> hans nichols at the white house. thank you. there are mandatory evacuations in parts of northern california tonight as fires burning there have gargero l the walker fire and the plumas national forest north of sacramento has burned 37 square miles and is california's largest wildfire this season two other large fires, the red bank and the lone fire burning in northern california, were started by lightning strikes. overseas, iran announced today it is exceeding previously agreed upon uranium enrichment levels putting it closer to developing weapons-grade materials. this move puts them further in breach of the 2015 nuclear accord the united states has since left the deal, but european countries have stayed in iran said it would still dial back its efforts if new terms are met. in sports, serena williams once again came so close to the biggest record in tennis and once again fell short nbc's ron mott has more

>> reporter: disappointment once more [ cheers ] serena williams defeated today at the u.s. open by 19-year-old canadian bianca andreescu, marveling at beating a 23-time grand slam champion to hoist her first. >> this year has been a dream come true, and now being able to play on this stage against serena, a true legend of the sport, is amazing. >> reporter: for williams, a record-tying 24th grand slam which would be shared with margaret court must go back to court, and all the hard work it will take to reach another final. >> i was just fighting at that point. i was just, you know, trying to stay out there a little bit longer >> reporter: from that first slam way back in '99, williams has amassed a dizzying 22 others, wimbledon, france, down under over two decades williams took a break to start a family a couple of years ago and has chased the elusive record ever since, coming up short four times now

>> i have never seen it in my life -- >> reporter: including last year's open today, the same outcome for a legend of the sport who shows no signs of hanging up the racket >> i just feel really honored to be out here, and i'm just so proud that i'm still, you know, out here and competing at this level because it's not easy, you know, to be in this particular sport for 20 years >> reporter: her quest for history bounces on ron mott, nbc news, new york still ahead tonight, wild ride an nfl star's cut after releasing a recording of his coach. we have late-breaking details on the team that now wants him also, former inmate-turned-writer gives hope to those still behind bars.

this is the nfl's opening weekend, and there has already been a lot of drama star wide receiver an antonio brown was cut from the oakland raiders hours after being asked to be released from the team and posting a recording he made of his coach. but within hours, another team hired him back nbc's gadi schwartz has the details. >> reporter: a gridiron breakup tonight between the raider nation and antonio brown, the most talked-about player in the league >> it's all over the news - >> reporter: the bombshell coming after the star wide receiver posted this video to

youtube. >> what the hell's going on, man? >> reporter: the post appearing to contain an edited phone call between brown and head coach jon gruden - >> if you want to be a raider or not -- >> i mean, i've been trying to be a raider since day one. i don't know why it's a question of me being a raider it's do you guys want me to be a raider -- >> please stop the [ bleep ] -- how hard it that -- you're a great football player. >> reporter: all this after a preseason of nonstop controversy. >> you want to see it? >> reporter: first a foot injury seen in hbo's "hard knocks" after a cryochamber mishap next, brown refused to wear a safety-certified league helmet. finally, espn reporting that fines against brown led to an argument with the team general manager >> want to apologize to my teammates, the organization >> reporter: when $30 million of his $50 million contract appeared to be in jeopardy he posted to instagram saying "you're going to piss a lot of people off. release me." four hours later the team did just that >> we tried every way possible to make it work >> the raiders -- free >> reporter: this was the moment brown found

out he was free, and the patriots swooped in to sign him to new england. >> he had something to prove to the national football league that he's not this walking ball of drama who's going to toxify a locker room. >> reporter: despite controversy, brown is considered to be one of the best wide receivers to ever play in the nfl, now donning the patriots red, silver, and blue. >> so essentially he walked away from $50 million with the raiders. any idea how much he's going to be making with the patriots? >> reporter: yeah, this is going to be a very big one year contract 15 million for the first year, plus a $9 million signing bonus. definitely enough for a victory lap like this this makes him one of the top paid wide receivers in the league he could be back on the field as early as sunday playing in miami. jose >> gadi schwartz, thank you very much. we're back in a moment with stories of hope for the incarcerated from a former fellow inmate and a dramatic crash in the formula three race take a look at this -- the driver survived.

a horrific crash on the tracks of a formula three race in italy. australian driver alex peroni's car was thrown into the air when he hit a curb take a look. the car flipped several times before landing upside down. miraculously peroni got out and walked off the tracks with only one broken bone. as part of our ongoing series "justice for all," nbc news has been shedding

light on criminal justice reform here in america. tonight lester holt brings us the story of a former inmate who runs a magazine for incarcerated readers with stories of hope for life on the inside it was a night that -- that we just thought we were out to have fun >> reporter: inside prison, lawrence bartley spoke frankly about what landed him there. >> i fired a weapon that day a little boy was shot. >> reporter: detectives say there were at least a dozen shots. it was a deadly gunfight in a crowded theater. >> when i was being sentenced, his father got on the stand that was his buddy i took his buddy away from him, me >> reporter: he shared his story under a project called "voices from within," featuring the incarcerated trying to steer young people away from landing behind bars. does this still feel strange? no guards -- >> it's like breathing free air >> reporter: today, free on parole after 27 years, lawrence still has a lot to

say. this time in a magazine for those still inside are you asking anything of the public here, or is this you finding a way to reach back to these guys >> that's it i'm just finding a way to reach back. i want them to believe that they can do it because they feel that they are valuable, and they feel powerful in their own right and can do positive things by themselves. all right. i write this to my readers -- >> reporter: after landing a job at the marshall project he created "news inside," a magazine for incarcerated readers curating work written by the nonprofit staff. what is it that you're hoping to provide to prisoners that read this magazine? >> so i want to invite positive feeling with "news inside" by giving them hope >> reporter: today the magazine is in over 300 facilities in 37 states and d.c., featuring stories about the justice system everything from re-entry programs to shakespeare in prison.

>> i made sure "news inside" even down to the way it's binded won't raise any alarms and every story is not any story that's going to insight unrest. >> what lawrence has allowed the marshall project to do is to reach this group of people who are completely cut off from news that's relevant to them >> good job, man >> reporter: back at his former prison, a grateful audience, not forgotten by someone who's been there and back >> every time i do my job, i think of you guys >> reporter: you can't restore the life that you were convicted of taking, but do you feel that perhaps you've saved a life or more than one life in this program >> i hope i did, you know i don't want to be -- i don't want to be so full of myself to think that i have the power to do that, but i really hope -- >> reporter: that's the hope >> that's the hope, that's the hope that i did. >> miss you, man >> miss you, too >> lester holt reporting. when we come back,

any volunteers for the prettiest room in america? yes, it's free courtesy of our national parks

did you ever dream about what you'd do if you were retired for some people the fantasy has become a reality thanks to a program that actually lets you live for free in one of our nation's national parks steve patterson has more >> reporter: cradled by the might of the colossal teton mountains, a stunning expanse of nature is

preserved in the 300,000-acre sprawl of grand teton national park not a bad day at the office for cheryl and tim hayden >> got really lucky. >> reporter: the haydens are doing what so many of us dream about. >> there's creeks down there. that's where the moose was. >> reporter: leaving their suburban lives for the adventure of the great outdoors >> r.v. may seem small but we've got a huge back yard. we don't feel cramped at all >> reporter: for the last three summers, cheryl and tim, both retired, left their home in missouri to actually live inside the park for free. >> grand tetons. >> reporter: in exchange for volunteering what is the appeal of this >> it's an incredible opportunity to get to live here and just be in this beautiful place all the time we get to see wildlife all the time >> reporter: the pair, now part the park's wildlife brigade >> they do traffic management bear management, wildlife management. >> reporter: bear management

>> yep >> reporter: volunteer coordinator jessica irwin says those bear managers get great perks. the national volunteers in parks program allows housing here for volunteers who work at least 32 hours a week out of about 300,000 vip volunteers across all parks nationwide, close to 4,000 actually get to live on site. a spectacular second act for many >> it's competitive, you know, people want to volunteer here and work here, spend their summer here, because it's such an amazing spot >> reporter: and irwin says the training is intense. >> going to be close to the bison >> all of our volunteers have to go through hours and hours of training just so they are specialized in dealing with people, traffic, and wildlife >> reporter: when they're here in the shadow of that tallest peak, there's an undeniable freedom of being part of something bigger >> it's just a way for us to give back to something that we really love. >> reporter: living the dream of a wild life steve patterson, nbc news, great teton

national park. and that's "nbc nightly news" for this saturday i'm jose diaz-balart reporting from new york thank you for your time, and good night right mess at sfo. more than 100 flights delayed and dozens cancelled all together. why this might be the new normal at least nfor a little while. the news at 6:00 starts right now. good evening. thanks for joining us. i'm anoushah rasta. >> i'm terry mcsweeney.

th construction has begun and so have the delays. for weeks officials at san francisco international airport have been warning about a runway repair project. >> live at sfo for us tonight, how long are the delays exactly? >> reporter: well, at the height of the travel delays, they were stretching to about 3 1/2 hours. of course, it is only part of the problem because there were also flight cancellations as you just mentioned. now, this is just day one of a 20-day construction project to lay down a new base layer for a 1,900 foot-long-stretch of runway 28-l. because sfo features a unique cross runway configuration, it will affect two other runways at different points of the project. that means only two of the airport's four runways will be in use until the construction is done. 28-l has been showing signs of major stress over the last couple of years. a large pothole even formed there in april.