he joins us now from minot. stewart, first, tell me what did you grab when you heard it is time to evacuate? >> you know, the first thing you grab is your family. i got two kids. i grabbed my youngest, she's 5 and i grabbed my son, he's 15, and he was a huge help. i tell my wife to just gather up what you need to live for that moment, clothes, some shoes, some underwear. your mind just goes crazy. you don't know what to grab, what you're going to need. and inevitably you end up just grabbing things that other people might find silly. there is always, you grab some comfort items and things like that, just, i think a lot of it is you're in shock because really there was very little warning of what was going to happen. like i say, it is mostly just clothes and make sure your family is safe. >> was the water already close to your house when it was time to go? or what kind of notice were you given when it was time to round everybody up? >> well, about -- i think about two and a half weeks ago there was a scare. we ev

the red cross has set up temporary shelters at our university and minot city auditorium. last night, we only had less than 250 people stay at those shelters which i think is a testament to the type of people we have here in minot and in north dakota. people are staying with friends, relatives, loved ones, and in many instances, it's people that they don't even know that have just opened their homes to anyone who has been displaced by the floods. it's a real-- like i said, it's a real testament to the type of people that we have here in north dakota and especially minot. >> warner: this is, as i understand, the second time since memorial day that many residents have had to flee the water. how are people coping psychologically with that? >> it's a psychological rocket, to be honest. we had to-- we had to evacuate. we let people back in. fortunately, with no flooding, we were able to keep the river in the banks. so that was aed any thing. and the spirits were high, and we really did think that the flood was behind us. we thought we were over that hill. and, unfortunately, du

before minot looks like minot, it's going to be months, at least. t.j.? >> jim spellman for us in minot. appreciate you, as always. thank you so much. >>> also this morning, the family of a missing indiana university student hoping volunteers show up today to help search for clues. they're calling this find lauren day. we're talking about 20-year-old lauren spierer. she's been missing since june 3rd. her parents are hoping today's search could possibly turn up new evidence. membership rewards points from american express. they're a social currency. with endless possibilities. just got more powerful. introducing precise pain relieving cream. it blocks pain signals fast for relief precisely where you need it most. precise. only from the makers of tylenol. >>> all right. 18 minutes past the hour now on this cnn saturday morning. go grab your phone bill. all right? because you need to take a look at it. you might be one of the estimated 20 million people being wrongly charged hundreds and hundreds of dollars by your phone company. it's a practice that the fed

. >>> minot misery. residents of flood-ridden north dakota are told to head for higher ground. >>> and wild ride. some pi-sized cowpokes prove themselves inside the rodeo some pi-sized cowpokes prove themselves inside the rodeo ring. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> hello, and good morning. welcome to our viewers across the nation, includes the pacific time zone. i'm lynn berry, and today we begin withdrawing down. last night president obama addressed the nation unveiling his plan for the next steps in the war in afghanistan. it's a proposal that will have thousands of troops coming home from the nearly decade-old conflict. for more we go to tracie potts in washington for us. tracey, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, lynn. president obama said it is time to bring this war to a responsible end. with the american economy in mind, president obama says the war in afghanistan is coming to an end beginning next month. >> we have spent a trillion dollars on war. at a time of rising debt

in minot, north dakota. thousands of people are out of their homes in minot. homes they know they may never be able to live in again. at least a third of the people of minot had to get out of there. cnn's jim spellman is in minot with the latest on this disaster. >> reporter: t.j., it's been heartbreaking for the people of minot, north dakota to watch their city fill with water over the last few days. this was once a major intersection with a train track an a tune that'll went under it. and now you'd think you're in the middle of a pond or a lake. 4,000 homes under water, t.j., 12,000 people evacuated with uncertain futures. they knew days ago that they couldn't protect this whole city from the floodwaters. the dikes they had were just too low. with the water coming fast, time running out, they focused only on critical infrastructure like city hall and police station complex here. they've built these temporary dikes here that were higher but you can see only after a day of having heavy water against it, already storm drains are backing up, they have to pump wa

this is not the case in minot. it is at the base of the valley, so the rain falls and in essence it just pools and has nowhere to go. terrain a big factor with this. again, a quarter of the population has been evacuated. the old record dating back more than a century. and we're going to watch that water rise another 5 to 10 feet. here is this -- how much rain we're expecting from now through monday. you see here is minot. we are going to see the rain. the jet stream is farther north where it typically is in the summer. rain, thunderstorms, part and parcel this time of year. and, of course, this part of the country. but you can see the heaviest rains stay south and stays east around fargo. so minot will see a little bit of rain. shouldn't even see about half an inch or so. so one more look at the big picture, what we expect for the country. here is where the storminess is, again. minot north of really where the aggravated storms will be. to the west, sunny skies, but the bottom south of the country, what we're going

the mayor of minot, north dakota told the people there today to pack up and get out. the army corps of engineers spokesman put it bluntly, a flood is coming. it's expected to break an all-time record there, 11,000 people are on the move tonight. we're talking about the souris river and the water from the historic snow melt and heavy rains so far unstoppable in this awful season. kevin tibbles is there for us tonight. good evening. >> reporter: brian, tonight minot is bracing for flooding set to overwhelm the record books as the fast moving, fast-rising souri sirks river already seriver -- souris river here threatening to devastate the city. this brother and sister scramble to move their worldly possessions out of their family home. >> it's a big empty feeling inside and like i said, you salvage what you can, and tomorrow's going to be another day. we'll be here to clean up. >> we all say we can rebuild. >> reporter: some 11,000 people, a full quarter of the town's population heading for higher ground. >> with all the dike work we have had done, i never imagined we wou

this is unbelievable. >> reporter: ruth schmidt usually walks around oak park in minot. it's closed. she brought her camera to the broadway bridge. >> they really worked hard. >> reporter: on highway 352, just east of minot, traffic cannot get through, except for trucks hauling sand and local authorities. they're checking out what's been lost and what soon will be gone. >> yes, it's heartbreaking. >> reporter: markers near the broadway bridge -- >> their roofs are going to be covered. >> reporter: it what surprises locals the most. >> kind of makes a big lump in your throat. >> reporter: water will likely not just flood homes but soon cover them. >> that was jamie yuccas of minneapolis station wcco reporting. >>> in washington it appears talks to reach a deal on raising the debt limit have stalled. republican lawmakers walked out of the talks yesterday. joel brown is in the capitol with more on that this morning. good morning, joel. >> manny, good morning to you. they had sped up the pace of the debt limit talks this week in anticipation of a breakthrough and instead fou

>> kevin tibbles in minot. thanks. >>> meanwhile in the south, the danger isn't too much water, it's too little. hundreds of wildfires sparked by a drought are burning tonight and this could be just the start of a very long, hot summer. nbc's tom trong is near one of the hot spots in the oak kkie f folk i can swamp south of waycross, georgia. tom? >> reporter: lester, good evening to you, an outbreak across the south of wildfires has burned more than half a million acres is forcing families to flee for safety. more than 700 firefighters are working to control massive wildfires in south georgia. despite their desperate efforts, the weather will dictate the outcome. >> we have had a little bit of rain over the last few days, but not enough to really put this fire out. >> reporter: just over the border, 380 fires are burning in florida, putting enormous strain on the state's resources. >> you get to a point where you don't have any personnel to send to these fires. >> reporter: dramatic video mounted on the helmet

over at minot's municipal auditorium. the red cross shelters some of the 11,000 evacwees. >> here we are and then decide what we're going to do. >> reporter: as for the levee system, protecting the city of minot, we witnessed firsthand as the army corps patched a steady leak and while it's sunny right now. any rain could weaken the walls making their job a whole lot harder. jamie yukis for cbs news, minot, north dakota. >>> first votes in the presidential campaign are still months away. but the new leaders in the pack are in the gop. >> before you know it you're in trouble. >>> a record number of river rescues already this year in fast moving water. how to keep yourself from getting into trouble while cooling off this summer. >>> cooler temperatures, widespread showers and thunderstorms are all on the way. i'm erika martin, the pinpoint forecast is next. to ral deficit. >>> president obama is preparing to meet with senate leaders tomorrow to tackle the federal deficit. pressure is mounting with an august 2nd deadline loom

these have been some anxious hours in and around the city of minot. that's where nbc's john yang starts us off tonight. good evening, john. >> reporter: good evening, lester. the city is holding its breath. the army corps of engineers are standing by in case any of these levees fail. the advance of this water may have been swift but the retreat is going to be agonizingly slow. this water isn't going anywhere any time soon. in minot today, the furious effort to reinforce the last lines of defense around the city's critical infrastructure. >> this is our war zone here. and this is where we continue the fight. >> reporter: so far the levees are holding at the water filtration plant. but officials have ordered already weary residents to boil their drinking water in case the supply is contaminated. >> until there's a significant reduction in the water level, we all have to remain vigilant. >> reporter: the souris river crested in minot about two feetó lower than forecast, but still shattered a record set in the 1880s. the historic flooding across the regi

the flooding in minot looks like it's peaked. more than 4,000 homes have been damaged or destroyed. jamie yuccas of our minneapolis station wcco reports. >> reporter: despite losing their home to floodwaters, josh hawkins and his wife angela consider themselves fortunate to have somewhere to stay. >> we kind of figure we'll be here until at least september, october maybe depending. >> we have no idea how long we're going to be here, so. >> reporter: angela is two weeks from delivering their second child. >> our family is safe, the baby will have a place to go when he or she is born. ♪ we are waiting >> reporter: their pastor, andy perry is also displaced after his home went under water. >> going through this has been worth it because it is drawing us closer together and reminded us of what is truly valuable. >> reporter: the river is flowing fiercely at six feet above major flood stage through the neighborhoods in minot. people who evacuated their homes can't get close enough to see how bad the damage is and it could be weeks before the river drops to a level that allows them acce

we begin tonight with the ongoing drama of the battle against the rivers in minot, north dakota. today, residents and city officials braced for another bad day as record crests were expected. a second evacuation has been issued in a nearby town, and tonight, while there is some good news to report, the fight to save the area is far from over. jamey yuccas, is in minot tonight. >> reporter: as the mouse river begins to crest at its highest and most historic levels it's come time for drastic decisions to save another neighborhood in minot, north dakota. the river is flowing more than 50 times its normal speed and has expanded to 10 times its size. as it passes through the city, dragging debris downstream from miles away. with manmade levees threatening to fail in the heart of downtown, minot's mayor, curt zimbelman knows how dangerous that is. >> everything we're looking at is in jeopardy. if this goes, everything goes in this whole area for several blocks up, several businesses, all of broadway. we either hold this whole dike, this whole temporary dike or we lose it all. >> report

. >>> 4,000 homes under water in minot, north dakota. but the mayor says despite all the hardships, there is actually great news. we will explain. >>> first, president obama will get in the middle deficit negotiations tomorrow. he has white house meetings schedule as he tries to break the stalemate over the debt ceiling. talks over the two parties broke down last week, and our correspondent has more on the disagreements keeping a deal from getting done. >> reporter: to the surprise of democratic negotiators, republican house majority leader, eric cantor, pulled out of bipartisan debt ceiling talks, which was a contentious meeting. he is abandoned negotiations, and cantor said democrats continue to insist any deal must include tax increases. john boehner publicly backed him up. >> i know the frustration that he feels when democrat members continue to want to bring tax hikes into the conversation and insist we have to raise taxes on the american people. >> reporter: behind closed doors, republicans insist on cutting medicare. >> yes, we do

if it goes under, minot will be cut in half. new forecasts put the crest two feet lower than expected, but the city remains on edge. >> tonight and the next several days are going to be critical and give it the highest level of risk. >> across town, national guard bulldozers rip down another bridge. this one in danger of being swept away by the rushing water. it swamped 4,000 homes and businesses so far and both are boats are the only way in to most neighborhoods. dean anderson's job is to rescue those still trapped in their homes, but like so many helping here, his own house is under water. >> our first call happened to be in the neighborhood write live. i did have the opportunity to see my home and that was good to see it. and i'm not alone. there's several thousand others dealing with the same thing that i'm dealing with. >> even the head of the local red cross is homeless, with a quarter of the town forced to evacuate. >> i looked at my house, under about nine feet of water. it's right to the top. >> volunteers from as far a

john yang, in minot tonight. john, thanks. >>> big news out of chicago today, former illinois governor rob blagojevich convicted this afternoon of 17 out of 20 corruption charges against him. most of the charges related to his attempts to benefit from choosing a replacement for president obama in the u.s. senate, in effect trying to sell a senate seat. jurors said fbi wiretaps of his phone conversations were the key here. and as he met with reporters after the verdict today, blagojevich told them he was trying to learn his lesson about talking too much. >> i frankly am stunned. there's not much left to say, other than we want to get home to our little girls and talk to them and explain things to them and then try to sort things out. >> jurors added they wanted the verdict to send a message to public servants about the line between deal making and corruption. blagojevich will become the fourth illinois governor in recent memory to go to jail. his predecessor george ryan is still in federal prison, also for corrupt

. >>> a collective sigh of relief along the minot, north dakota. the much needed break residents needed to keep more of their towns from being submerged. >>> and for the tourist who tried everything, how to go airborne. >>> well you have cooler temperatures, early morning fog and widespread showers on the way. i have your detailed pinpoint forecast next. ,,,,,, i know you're worried about making your savings last and having enough income when you retire. that's why i'm here -- to help come up with a plan and get you on the right path. i have more than a thousand fidelity experts working with me so that i can work one-on-one with you. it's your green line. but i'll be there every step of the way. call or come in and talk with us today. dakota... the souris river is now projected to crest nearly >>> they dodged a bullet tonight in minot, south north dakota. the damage is already done. >> as the river begins to crest at its highest and most historic levels, it come time for drastic decisions to save another neighborhood in minot, north dakota. the riv

the next few hours will be critical on souris river in minot, north dakota. the floodwater is already at record levels, people in the nearby small town of sawyer are being told to evacuate. >>> the cnn family and sports fans everywhere are remembering this man. nick charles, he was cnn's first sports anchor and he, along with his co-anchor fred hickman were fixtures on "sports tonight" for two decades. charles died of bladder cancer this morning. he was 64. >>> and today marks the sixth anniversary of the death of an angel. farrah fawcet died of cancer two years ago. she became an icon with 12 million of her pin up poster were snapped up in 1976. you know exactly the one i'm talking about, the one with fawcet in the red swimsuit. >>> syria has banned reporters since march. they are being allowed in, but they're being closely watched by government minders. >> so this young man here, he just came out of the mosque and he said he doesn't want any trouble. but you're seeing a small group of pro government demonstrate fors there expressing their support for the re

. >>> the water is as high as it's going to get in minot, north dakota. now everyone is just waiting for the floodwaters to recede so that they can see if there's going to be anything to salvage of their homes. that includes allison and brandon hendrickson. they're joining us right now from minot. give me an idea, when did you leave? at what point did you get notice it was time to pack things up and leave? >> father's day. we got kind of notification on father's day that there was going to be some increase and had to start packing up and preparing for the worst. >> what did you pack up? what were you able to take out? >> we were able to take out pretty much our whole home. >> we cleaned it out. everything out of the basement. got almost all of our furniture out. kids' clothing, kids' bedding, pretty much everything out of the house. just left a few things that kind of put some things up high that we thought maybe would be safe from the water. >> i think a moment ago we were looking at your home where it appeared water was maybe at the windows or so, kind

the situation starts to ease just a little in minot, north dakota. there are new worries for a pair of nuclear power plants along the flooded moss river. jamie yuccas of wcco-tv is in minot with the latest. >> reporter: good morning, rebecca. people getting welcomed news this morning that the river crested over the weekend and water levels are starting to go down. further south in nebraska, they're seeing water level rise on missouri river there, threatening two nuclear power plants near omaha. 20 miles north of omaha, the ft. calhoun power plant has been closed since april for refueling. it's here where a collective wall or berm collapsed yesterday after river levels reached dangerous levels. >> they've been designed to what we think historically is the largest possible flood. this plant is set to deal with a flood at a much higher level than we're seeing now. >> reporter: gregory jaczko toured the other plant, cooper plant south of omaha is still dry at this point. if the river rises another three feet, the nrc will have to shut down the plant. >>

if this bridge goes, minot would be literally cut and a half. covering the story for weeks now is tom ross of nbc affiliate kmot, he doesn't just work here, he and his family have lived here for generations. >> being a member of this community, it's tough to keep that emotion out of it. >> reporter: what's equally tough is knowing nothing can be done to hold the water back. by the time this river crests on sunday, some 4,000 homes and businesses are expected to be under water. brian? >> what a terrible drama they're waiting for in minot, north dakota. kevin tibbles thank you for being on the scene for us tonight. >>> now we turn to a crime drama so celebrated it's been portrayed in a major motion picture, because it's such a great yarn. in the city where they know this story best, it's called a great yawn. anyone who's ever been in boston shows who whitey bulger is, a ruthless mobster, accused of over a dozen murders, on the run for years, a fixture on the fbi's most wanted list. until his life on the run came to an end on the other side of the

the sun is just coming up here in minot. this what is people are waking up to, in neighborhoods across the city. flooding, you know, like this just goes on and on from neighborhood after neighborhood. it's the scope of it that's struck me here. like you mentioned, the battle is still begun here. they still have a lot of work to do until this water goes down. the river has gotten as high as it will get, but the battle to save minot goes on. >> putting ring banks where we think bad spots are. >> reporter: the water came too fast and too high to save the majority of homes along the souris river. the focus has been on erecting and maintaining dikes around vital infrastructure like this bridge. even though the river has crested it's expected to remain at flood levels for at least a week so the question remains, will these dikes hold? if they don't, even more homes than the 4,000 currently flooded can expect to take on water. >> we're just the second house past the stop sign. >> reporter: for residents showing at the water's edge

record high floodwaters are expected to top minot's levee system tomorrow or friday. thousands will be displaced and the heart of the city will be shut down. minot's mayor says there's a good chance parts of the city are going to look like a lake. >> we could have some really catastrophic type of event here. and it will be. there's not much of a hope. so i think people have to understand that, you know, even if you were on the edge before, you may not be on the edge the next time. >> the flooding is expected to last at least two weeks. and at least matching the disastrous flood of 1969. >>> overseas at least 44 people were killed in the crash of a russian passenger jet. the russian-built jet came down on a highway near the finnish border, broke apart and burst into flames. there was heavy fog at the time and the airport's fog lights weren't working. four of the victims are described as having dual u.s./russian citizenship. eight people survived that crash. >>> and iraq suicide bombers attacked a government compound south of baghdad. at least 22 people were killed, doz

. >>> the waters as high as it's going to get in minot, north dakota. the river that flows through it has crested at the river high. it could be days, even weeks before some people can get back to their homes. >>> about a third of the city of minot was evacuated. jim spellman was there. any word on how much damage has been caused there? >> reporter: fredericka, just this morning we heard from officials here that about 4,000 homes have flooded. it's really terrible. we're right at the edge of the floodwater in northwest minot, you can see this did he have vase tags here. you don't have to go but a block or two before the water is up to the roof. some people along the edges have been a little lucky, they built sort of sand bags around the homes and they are just hoping that it didn't come up a little bit more and they got a little bit lucky. it ended up being 2 feet less than estimations. people have been showing up to take a peek down into the flood area and see how their own homes made out. most of them have found pretty bad news unfortunately. >> it's

over at minot's municipal auditorium. the red cross shelters some 11,000 evacuees. >> here we are until we find a place to stay for a while. and then decide what we're going to do. >> reporter: after those temporary levees protecting the city, we witness first happened as the army corps had to patch a steady leak on the wall just behind that bridge. it's sunny now but any rain could weaken the walls making their job that much harder. >> mitchell: jamie, thank you very much. later, emergency workers at japan's nuclear meltdown risking their lives for love of country. drug store robberies on the rise with prescription drugs as the prize. and he's a mechanical whiz who makes money out of discarded junk. those stories when the "cbs evening news" continues. heard all day! i'm soooo amped! i've >> mitchell: the head of the nuclear regulatory commission is visiting two nebraska nuclear plants near omaha. it's surrounded by water. but a berm or levy collapsed today. officials say the plant was shut down two months ago for refueli

we'll get to temperatures in minot in a built. first we'll show you the lower 48 with a new system moving into the pacific northwest bringing rain throughout the morning and afternoon hoursle. you can see most of the west coast seems to be pretty nice. the four corner states continues with the high pressure system bringing very, very high temperatures. it continues to be very hot with no precipitation in sight. we are tracking this big s.w.a.t. of big severe. this is a severe storm we have been tracking since sunday >>> this weather report sponsored by the roundup brand, kills weeds to the root so they don't come back. >> thanks so much. that's your latest weher. >>> that's your latest weather. here's chris. >> thank you. coming up next, poor communities losing jobs and homes and now losing hospitals. we'll look at a growing and disturbing trend here on the early show here on cbs. thought they were dead. [ laughter ] [ grunting ] huh? [ male announcer ] should've used roundup. america's number one weed killer. it kills weeds to th

this is happening to people throughout the minot community. and these pictures that ran in the newspapers tell the story in a powerful and clear way. what we have is somebody trying to go into a neighborhood. you can see, there's a police vehicle because they're under mandatory evacuation. this person tried to get over to perhaps rescue a pet or take care of some last-minute business. maybe turn off the gas. and there he is, stuck in the water as these flood waters rise and rise very rapidly. madam president, this also gives a perspective on what we're confronting. here is the dike levee that had just been raised, and you can see there's maybe two or three feet of free board there and what's coming is ten feet more of water. there is absolutely no way these dikes can hold, no way they can protect the city. these dikes are going to overtop, and thousands of residents are displaced. this shows another shot in this place. they didn't have the dikes covered by plastic. you can see a couple of feet of free board there. but all these houses at risk

. >> in the town of minot, the river has risen almost four feet just today. and many more at risk. >> the river expected to keep rising through sunday. >> and. >> whether you survey damage from air or ground, the flooding in minot, north dakota is nothing short of utter devastation and residents are preparing for more water incoming day autos if you don't get completely taken over by water you're likely to have some water. so we'd urge you to use caution. >> amy hopkins says her house was one of the first to get hit. >> i don't know what we're going to do when this is done and there is tough choices in minot. >> this will affect the city. officials focusing on city hall. and it's all hands on deck effort. >> and they're to assist in flood in minot. >> and there are makeshift sandbags before fleeing. neighbors helping neighbors to safe whatever they can. >> many people in minot have been at this for this sm time z are foregoing return to jobs to fight this flood. 50 but despite this effort on behalf of the community that is determined to put up a fight, what i

the people of minot north dakota, but doesn't mean their problems are over. and leigh glaser coming up to talk about a chance of rain in the forecast. we'll be back. >> mike: the thunder you heard in the north bay was not a storm. it was nascar rolling through at infineon raceway for the save mart 350. >> alan: the siruscrested below projected levels and is retreating slow limp it's a relief for the residents of the city of minot where businesses flooded on friday. but authorities are warning it will be days before the water falls low enough for people to return to their homes. minot is under an order to boil their water because it may be contaminated. >>> we're talking about a chance of rain yesterday. chance increase organize decreasing? >> leigh: looking better, especially north of the golden gate bridge. a great day today. this is live shot here from the high definition mount tamalpais cam. mill valley, and you can clearly see the city in the background. a few wispy clouds here and there, but turned out to be a nice day, and temperatures warmed up nicely

but this is an intersection in downtown minot. you can see how fast they have to work to try to save the city from this coming floodwater. whether you survey the damage from the or from the ground. the flooding in minot, north carolina is nothing short of devastation. residents are preparing for ten more feet of water in the coming days. >> if you don't get completely taken over by water, you very likely will have some water. so we would urge you to use caution. >> reporter: heavy rain water from canada, coupled with snowmelt was too much for the region's region's dikes. unable to protect the entire city, officials are focusing on key buildings like city hall. >> hall state employees are free to leave their state employment to assist in the flood fight in minot. >> reporter: 12,000 residents are under evacuation orders. some tried to shore up before the fleeing water approaches. >> many people in the minot have been at this for quite some time in our -- and are -- and are foregoing returning to their jobs to stay in minot and figh

if it goes, minot would be literally cut in half. covering the story for weeks now is tom ross of nbc affiliate kmot. he doesn't just work here. he and his family have lived here for generations. >> being a member of this community, it's tough. it's tough to keep that emotion out of it. >> reporter: what's equally tough is knowing nothing can be done to hold the water back. >> that was nbc's kevin tibls reporting. >>> to washington now where it appears there's been a collapse in bipartisan budget negotiations after a sudden walkout by republicans. for seven weeks vice president joe biden and a handful of lawmakers have been working on a deal that would allow congress to raise the debt limit. but republican congressman eric cantor led the pull-out yesterday because of an impasse over tax increases, which democrats want. now republicans are demanding to speak to the president directly about the issue. >>> he's the accused mob boss who managed to elude the fbi for 16 years. that is until his arrest wednesday. now one of the agency's mos

it's going right through minot, north dakota. the river is flooding much faster than expected there. the water is rising to levels they have never seen before. 12,000 people have already left their homes. many homes already flooded. workers and volunteers racing against the clock trying to save what they can of minot. jim is there for us. hello. want to make sure we're not overstating it here, but i have seen a number of places where the people are saying this could essentially wipe out this town. >> reporter: yeah, absolutely, t. j. this river runs right through the middle of downtown. so many businesses and homes. 12,000 people have already had to evacuate. you mentioned in the beginning how fast the water is coming up. when we started to report from here three days ago they were calling for the river to crest on tuesday. now, today the latest estimates is late tomorrow. they run out of time to try to protect the whole town. you can see how much the water is coming at. this is an intersection right here in the heart of minot. y

let's go back the minot, because we are talking so much about minot and what we are seeing. we will expect now that it has crested. it did early, early this morning and as quickly as it got there, it will be exponentially slow to recede. it is expected to fall two feet by wednesday, that is it. and even by next sunday a week from now, still a foot above record stage, and that record secenturie centuries' old record, and it still needs to drop another ten feet to exit the flood stage portion. so through july 4th, we will be dealing with above-flood stage in this area. it is a very slow process to recede. >> alexandra, thank you very much. we appreciate that. >>> another developing story into cnn. we are talking about children now trapped in the wreckage of a school bus and dozens of rescuers scrambling to help. this was the scene in pennsylvania and this video is just into cnn. 25 people were hurt when the people from the cumberland valley christian school crashed on interstate 81 in the harrisburg area. a highway patrolman told our affiliate that a driver in a cadillac tried

. >>> the souris river is spilling over levees in the minot, north dakota, area today. 12,000 minot residents have evacuated. and that's a third of the town's population. >>> flooding from the missouri river is threatening a nuclear plant today. water is just less than three feet from the cooper nuclear station south of omaha. the plant remains fully operational. dozens of workers are reportedly staying on-site around the clock as a precaution. >>> and president barack obama leaves for ft. drum, new york, next hour. he'll discuss his draw down plan. many have just returned from afghanistan. the president plans to bring 33,000 forces home by the end of next summer. >>> and the drawdown is far bigger and faster than the one war commander general petraeus ideally wanted. republicans warn congress will hold the administration accountable if it undermines progress in afghanistan. a mrunt senator john mccain says this is not the modest withdrawal that he hoped for. >>> the president dispatched his top lieutenant to capitol hill today to answer questions about the drawndown. joint chiefs chairman ad

low 80s inland. >>> a third of the people living in minot, north dakota have left their home because of a historic flood. jim, we understand there is significant concern about the levies there this morning. >> reporter: yeah in fact it's a done deal that the levies in town will fail but they are focusing on to save key infrastructures here. when you survey the damage from the air or the ground the flooding in minot, north dakota is utter devastation. residence are preparing for 10 more feet of water in the coming days. >> if you don't get completely taken over by water, you will very likely have some water. we would urge you to use caution. >> reporter: heavy rainwater from canada was too much. unable to protect the entire city they are focusing on key infrastructure like city hall and it's an all hands on deck effort. >> all state employees are free to leave their state employment to assist in the flood fight in minot. >> reporter: 12,000 residence are under evacuation orders. some tried to shore up their homes with sandbags. neighbors helping neighbors to save whatever they can. >>

this is an epic flood breaking a record set in 1881, and david kerley is in minot with the latest. good morning, david. >> reporter: good morning, bianna. this is it. the crest is coming now. this is how high this river is going to get. and it is a mess. look at this. these are houses. you can see the water has almost reached the roofs. if you go further into town, roofs are covered with water. it is so dramatic what happened. and if this isn't bad enough, last night there was a tornado warning. no tornado, but the thunderstorm poured more water on this already water-soaked town. and we actually didn't expect that to affect the river level of this devastating flood. there was little they could do in minot but watch as the river reached its final heights. 11,000 people evacuated. 4,200 homes lost. the water has washed away lives. in sawyer, it was a scramble. >> we need to get the rest of the sandbags to the back of the house. >> reporter: sawyer residents, seeing what was happening in minot, were forced to evacuate with the determination to wall off of the water. >> cowboy's corner

in minot, 4,000 homes and businesses have been damaged and more than 11,000 people have been evacuated. for residents allowed in to evacuated areas for the first time, the scene was stunning. >> you hear so much about what it's like out here. but when you actually see your house, and you know it's -- it's not just your basement, it's your whole house, i'm sorry. >> that was nbc's john yang reporting. >>> from flooding to fires, officials in new mexico are battling a fast-moving blaze that forced the los alamos national laboratory to shut down. smoke filled the sky sunday as nearby residents were evacuated from their homes. officials say the uncontained fire hasn't crossed onto lab property but all radioactive and hazardous materials are being protected. >>> meanwhile progress in neighboring arizona, where one of three major wildfires has been declared fully contained. fire officials say a second blaze in the state is nearly out. and a third is growing only in a sparsely populated area. >>> well, the field of republicans hoping to run against president obama in 2012 will add another con

. >>> there is a river of trouble this morning in minot, nod nort dakota. thousands of homes are flooded and the worst is yet to come. rain is forecast for today and the river is expected to crest at more than 8 feet. our minneapolis station wcco is in minot with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the only thing stopping water from rising in parts of minot this morning are these man-made dikes. as you can see, the rest of the neighborhoods here are submerged, just like those traffic lights. and today, waters are only expected to rise. surveying the swollen river, people in north dakota know they're witnessing history. >> nobody has ever seen water levels at this dimension. >> reporter: the suarez known locally as the mouse river, surged past record level in 1881 and kept going. the water has risen more than 4 feet in the past 24 hours. and it's not over yet. >> if you look at that water now, those -- i mean, those houses could be totally gone in a day. >> reporter: residents watch in shock as their homes and a lifetime of memories are wash

let's go back the minot, because we are talking so much about minot and what we are seeing. we will expect now that it has crested. it did early, early this morning and as quickly as it got there, it will be exponentially slow to recede. it is expected to fall two feet by wednesday, that is it. and even by next sunday a week from now, still a foot above record stage, and that record cent centuries' old record, and it still needs to drop another ten feet to exit the flood stage portion. so through july 4th, we will be dealing with above-flood stage in this area. it is a very slow process to recede. >> alexandra, thank you very much. we appreciate that. >>> another developing story into cnn. we are talking about children now trapped in the wreckage of a school bus and dozens of rescuers scrambling to help. this was the scene in pennsylvania and this video is just into cnn. 25 people were hurt when the people from the cumberland valley christian school crashed on interstate 81 in the harrisburg area. a highway patrolman told our affiliate that a driver in a cadillac tried to pa

we want to take you to the live picture of the vast amount of water in the city of minot. and abc's david kerley will lead off us again tonight. david, good evening. >> reporter: good evening, david. some first good news today for this city. this is about it. a couple more inches and then the crest. that's two feet below predictions. but it's still 12 feet above flood stage. look at the houses here. look at this debris. an inflatable boat. a jacuzzi stuck on a fence line. there was nothing they could do here. almost 500 homes and businesses lost. but downriver, a frantic fight today. >> do you need diesel? >> reporter: connie, awakened by an evacuation siren, is on a mission. >> on the corner. trying to save my business. go. what are you doing? come on. let's go. >> reporter: nothing is slowing her, as she surrounds her steakhouse in the tiny town of sawyer, with five feet of dirt, hauled and donated by her customers. >> she's a great gal. i don't want to see her lose her place. that's for sure. >> reporter: but you're talking about hours the water's going to be here? >> y

there was a flood in 1891 in minot that came close, but there wasn't a town of minot at the time. this is still going to go up today. going to go up to levels we've never ever seen before. those levels are going to inundate 12,000 homes. i know it's north dakota, and it doesn't seem like it's on the top of the list, but let me show you some of the pictures now, and this water, just to keep in mind. that water is going to go up another 8 feet from what you see right now. water still climbing. this is going to go all the way to not even record levels. 6 feet over record levels, and then you think about all the people that live up there and there's obviously the air force base up there as well. just 15 miles north of there. a couple other things to talk about. severe weather possible in kentucky, a little bit east louisville. here's what happened 9:00, 10:00 last night in louisville, kentucky. a bunch of ef-2 tornado, 100 miles per hour. even churchill downs damaged. they had to move some of the horses out down to keeneland. otherwise the spires are still in good shape. one thing we

the river in minot, north dakota, broke through the levees. it's rising so fast, you can watch it inch up the sides of homes, as now 40,000 people brace themselves. hundreds of businesses likely to be lost. and abc's david kerley has the story tonight. david? >> reporter: good evening, diane. this water is moving very fast. in fact, watch this ball travel down central avenue in just the next couple of seconds. it is rising fast, too, about a food every four hours. down river, they are actually trying to evacuate as quickly as possible, but for thousands here in minot, it's too late. water is swallowing parts of minot, and this isn't even the worst of it yet. already more than ten feet above flood stage, another four-plus feet of water is coming. cassandra martin moved to town just ten days ago, and already knows her house is under water. were you able to get everything out? >> no. we had to leave everything. and i'm due in six weeks with a new baby and we have nothing. >> reporter: the dam protecting town is spilling water at a rate 200 times

at least 11,000 people in the city of minot, north dakota, have to flee their homes and businesses in record time, and they say they have never faced anything like this. neal karlinsky is at the foot of one of those levees. what is happening in the next 24 hours, neal? >> reporter: diane, we can't stay here very long. this is exactly why those alert sirens went off earlier today. this is one of the first breaches of the levee here. take a look, you can see the level of the water there just right at the tippy top. it is getting higher all the time, rushing over, straight into neighborhoods like this one, which have now been totally evacuated. [ sirens ] in minot today, the warning sirens came sooner than anyone expected, and with an unmistakable message. time is up, pack your things and get out now. >> i think we pushed our limit. i think we need to be out. >> reporter: right now? >> yeah. pretty much. we're packed up. >> reporter: the urgency bordered on panic for some. desperate to save whatever they could from homes they were told would never flood. >> really big hurry. trying to sa

we have two incredibly rough days for minot. a quarter of the population has been evacuated with more st steadily being added. we're talking about an eclipsing century old record. why? it's about the rain and terrain. four to six inches of rain coming to minot, and the key is so much different than what happened in the mississippi river, and minot sits in the base of the valley and all the water has nowhere to go but down. about 100 to 300 foothills to the side of it, all the water just moves in the one little valley area. it saturates the region. more rain is expected. negligible in terms of not four to six inches of rain, but here is minot. in the next few days isolated storms expected, and any rain egg sanlger bates the area. and you know, the last couple days what we have seen is incredible flooding around new york state. what we have seen is the bowling ball of low pressure. move to the east. it will stay here in the northeast today and tomorrow and then finally by sunday the northeast clears out but the southeast stays uns

topping our news this news hour, first to the flooding in minot, north dakota. the souris river is cresting. it may be another week or so before a lot of people could actually get back into their homes. cnn's jim spellman is standing on the edge of the once flooded out neighborhood. jim, it still looks like it's very much flooded out. how are things? >> reporter: yeah, indeed, it's crested. people are happy it's not going to come up any higher. but believe me, it's done plenty of damage. just take a look around here. it goes on for blocks and block. we're right at the edge, so these houses only have water up to about their first floor line. even just a few houses down the block, it's higher and higher. it just goes on and on for blocks and blocks. fredricka, this is what you need to get around this neighborhood right now is a boat. it's really the only way to get around. we just went out for a little trip on this boat a few blocks away. some neighbors are here saying can you check on my house and giving us their address. we make it down there and have to bring t