>> all right, victor oquendo reporting in tonight. victor, thank you. and you heard the troubling numbers on children and the virus tonight, driven by this delta variant. and with millions of schoolchildren heading back to school, we know many of you have questions about all of this at home. so let's get right to dr. richard besser, someone we know well here. former acting director of the cdc, the president of the robert wood johnson foundation and a practicing pediatrician. dr. besser, great to have you, as always. i wanted to get right to those numbers we heard in victor's report. we learned just today that the number of children in the hospital now with the virus is now at the highest number since this pandemic began. i know the cdc hasn't said yet if the delta variant is more severe in children, but in just looking at the math, the sheer number of cases here, we're going to see an increase in severity in cases. >> that's right, david. the virus doesn't have to be more severe for more children to be severely affected. if it's spreading rampantly, we'

>> all right, victor oquendo reporting in tonight. victor, thank you. and you heard the troubling numbers on children and the virus tonight, driven by this delta variant. and with millions of schoolchildren heading back to school, we know many of you have questions about all of this at home. let's get right to dr. richard besser, someone we know well here, former acting director of the cdc. the president of the robert wood johnson foundation. and a practicing pediatrician. dr. besser, great to have you, as always. i wanted to get right to those numbers we heard in victor's report. the number of children in the hospital now with the virus is now at the highest number since this pandemic began. i now the cdc hasn't said yet if the delta variant is more severe in children, but in just looking at the math, the sheer number of cases here, we're going to see an increase in severity in cases. >> that's right, david. the virus doesn't have to be more severe for more children to be severely affected. if it's spreading rampantly, we're going to see more kids who

>> victor oquendo from miami tonight. thank you, victor. >>> and tonight, the major headline out of washington at this hour. president biden moving forward on his two-track infrastructure plan, hoping to pass a bipartisan bill to rebuild the nation's roads and bridges and then psh tlu push through an even larger part of his agenda, that $3.5 trillion package for nontraditional infrastructure. let's bring in our chief washington correspondent jon karl, because on the second part of that plan, the bigger part, with support from only democrats, it did take a major step forward in the house today, but you and i both know it still faces a tough road ahead here. >> reporter: david, president biden was in need of a win and he did get a partial victory today as the house moved one step closer to passing the $3.5 trillion social infrastructure bill. the details are still to be worked out, but the bill would include a big increase in education spending and expansion of medicare, tax increases on the wealthy and on corporations and

>> victor oquendo from miami tonight. thank you, victor. >>> and tonight, the major headline out of washington at this hour. president biden moving forward on his two-track infrastructure plan, hoping to pass a buy partisan bill to rebuild the nation's roads and bridges and push through an even larger part of his agenda, that $3.5 trillion package for nontraditional infrastructure. let's bring in jon karl, because on the second part of that plan, the bigger part, with support from only democrats, it did take a major step forward in the house today, but you and i both know it still faces a tough road ahead here. >> reporter: david, president biden was in need of a win and he did get a partial victory today as the house moved one step closer to passing the $3.5 trillion social infrastructure bill. the details are still to be w worked out, but the bill would include a big increase in education spending and expansion of medicare, tax increases on the wealthy and on corporations and funding to combat climate change. what actio

here's abc's victor oquendo. >> repoter: this back-to-school season, it's the question parents across the country are facing. mask or no mask? >> okay, shar, we have to wear masks at school. you have to wear it all day because that's the way we stay the safest, okay? >> okay. >> reporter: for 5-year-old charlotte in florida, it's not just lunch and a backpack she's taking as she heads to kindergarten. but even with added protection her dad is worried. >> first week back. and feeling much trepidation. much trepidation about this current climate right now we face. >> reporter: despite the availability of vaccines, the nation is grappling with a fourth surge of covid-19 spurred by the delta variant, once again leading to a fierce debate over how states can best protect communities. the.s now averaging more than 110,000 new covid cases a day. hospitals now admitting about 9,300 new patients on a daily basis. the most since february. with many americans and health care professionals asking how we found ourselves back here in yet another outbreak. >> what we're seeing clearly is that this v

rob marciano timing it out in just a moment, but first victor oquendo leads us off from louisiana. >> reporter: tonight, ida rapidly intensifying and closing in on the louisiana coast. more than 6 million americans now under a hurricane warning. ida already lashing parts of cuba with high winds and heavy rain. new orleans' mayor warning residents -- >> prepare yourselves. if you're going to leave, you need to do that now. >> reporter: many heeding that advice. large crowds at the airport. traffic jams across the storm zone as families evacuate. our trevor ault is on interstate 10 near the texas/louisiana border. >> we're just crossing the state line into louisiana and look at all the traffic headed out of the state. we are 240 miles west of new orleans. all of these people trying to evacuate into texas. >> reporter: back in new orleans, we met izzy ezzo boarding up his business. telling me he's worried about flooding. >> we're just hoping that when monday morning comes, we're not calling insurance. >> reporter: hospitals here sheltering in place. ochsner health stocking up with at lea

matt gutman, victor oquendo and chief meteorologist ginger zee with the latest track tonight and now the new concerns heading into the events. >>> and of course, the other major headline tonight, america's longest war now over. the final american c-17 taking off from the airport in kabul today, 3:29 p.m. eastern. the pentagon revealing every single u.s. service member is now out of afghanistan. more than 123,000 civilians airlifted since august 14th, including 6,000 americans. how many americans remain? and tonight, the american general saying there is heartbreak not every american or every afghan ally made it out. the dangerous final hours in kabul. isis-k claiming responsibility for firing several rockets at the airport. after nearly two decades of war, dependcef afghanistan. ian pannell reporting from qatar tonight. martha raddatz with late reporting from washington. >>> and tonight, alarming news on the pandemic. the number of child covid cases soaring across the u.s. more than 204,000 new pediatric cases in just a week. and the breaking headline tonight on those boosters. a spec

but first, victor oquendo is live in new orleans with the latest. victor? >> reporter: david, we've been feeling these hurricane force winds for hours. and the strongest punch is on the way. watch as tn just rips right down the street here in downtown new orleans and the worst is yet to come. tonight, that monster hurricane ida roaring ashore. packing violent winds up to 150 miles per hour, bringing catastrophic storm surge up to eight feet. >> there is a tremendous amount of storm surge, a tremendous amount of wind, and this is tough conditions to survive. >> reporter: as many as 40 people in grand isle defying mandatory evacuation orders. the chief of police telling matt gutman -- >> that devastated some areas. roofs missing. we're out of fresh water. >> reporter: i'm hearing there are a number of people, maybe a few dozen, who are trying to ride out the storm in grand isle. any word on their safety? how they're doing? >> we've recovered most of the pople through the fire department. had a high water vehicle rescue, i think we did seven of those. >> repor

victor oquendo joins us now. victor, with some 90 million eligible americans who still have not gotten a shot, explain why dr. anthony fauci is now warning that the continued spread could lead to a variant that's worse than delta. >> reporter: linsey, dr. fauci is saying that without more people getting vaccinated, the virus will keep mutating and we could end up with a variant that's even worse than delta, that could evade vaccines. that's why it's all the more critical to get more shots into arms now. linsey? >> victor, thank you. >>> now, to the other major news tonight, the dramatic images from this catastrophic fire season in the west. nearly 100 large fires burning and excessive heat and strong winds not letting up. california's largest, the dixie fire, racing across 50,000 more acres in 24 hours, forcing more families to evacuate their homes. destroying the entire main street in the historic mountain town of greenville. the smoke and haze from more thannen a dozen fires in northern california could be seen

>> all right, victor oquendo leading us off here on a monday night. victor, thank you. >>> the spike in cases, of course, is alarming, particularly what we're now seeing in children. we know many of you at home have questions about all of this. so, let's get right back to dr. ashish jha. dean of the brown university of public health. dr. jha, great to have you with us to start off a new week. we're witnesses the huge spikes across the country. particularly across the south. many authorities are now warning that other parts of this country are about to get tested, especially with children going back to school, with fall coming, people going back indoors. give us a reality check here tonight. could this get worse? what should we be prepared for? >> yeah, david, thanks for having me back. i think we should be expecting a few more very, very difficult weeks ahead. i don't expect a peak in the united states any time in the next few weeks. if things go well, maybe by the end of august or early september, but that's a lot of -- a lot more people who are goin

abc's victor oquendo back in surfside tonight. >> is anybody there? >> reporter: this is what three of the first surfside police officers racing to the scene found the night of the deadly condo collapse. >> i can't see anything, man. >> reporter: painful screams heard in the background. this officer desperate to get closer. >> could we jump over this wall here? i can't see over it! >> reporter: the chaotic moments from june 24th captured on newly released body camera video. >> are you okay? is anybody down there injured? >> reporter: this officer apparently walking underneath the remaining part of the champlain towers south. cars falling into the now cratered garage. >> go this way. gohis way. the garage floorwoman barely making it out. telling officers she worked overnight security at the building. >> i don't even nope how i made it out of there, through the grace of god. >> reporter: as more first responders arrive, the disbelief setting in. >> the whole back of the building is gone. i've never seen anything like this, bro. >> reporter: the official

victor oquendo joins us now. victor, with some 90 million eligible americans who still have not gotten a shot, explain why dr. anthony fauci is now warning that the continued spread could lead to a variant that's worse than delta. >> reporter: linsey, dr. fauci >> reporter: linsey, dr. anthony fauci is saying that without more people getting vaccinated, the virus will keep mutating and we could end up with a variant that's even worse than delta, that could evade vaccines. that's why it's all the more critical to get more shots into arms now. linsey? >> victor, thank you. >>> now, to the other major news tonight, the dramatic images from this catastrophic fire season in the west. nearly 100 large fires burning and excessive heat and strong winds not letting up. california's largest, the dixie fire, racing across 50,000 more acres in 24 hours, forcing more fmilies to evacuate their homes. destroying the entire main street in the historic mountain town of greenville. the smoke and haze from more than a dozen fires i

matt gutman, victor oquendo and chief meteorologist ginger zee with the latest track tonight and now the new concerns heading into the evening. >>> and of course, the other major headline tonight, america's longest war now over. the final american c-17 taking off from the airport in kabul today, 3:29 p.m. eastern. the pentagon revealing every single u.s. service member is now out of afghanistan. more than 123,000 civilians airlifted since august 14th, including 6,000 americans. how many americans remain? and tonight, the american general saying there is heartbreak not every american or every afghan ally made it out. the dangerous final hours in kbul. isis-k claiming responsibility for firing several rockets at the airport. after nearly two decades of war, tonight, the taliban now proclaiming, quote, full independence of afghanistan. ian pannell reporting from qatar tonight. martha raddatz with late reporting from washington. >>> and tonight, alarming news on the pandemic. the number of child covid cases soaring across the u.s. more than 204,000 new pediatric cases in just a week. and

>> all right, victor oquendo, thank you. >>> next tonight, the senate officially opening debate on the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill. and it's already facing headwinds, not just from some republicans, but from progressive democrats, as well. though divisions deepening after the eviction moratorium was allowed to expire. here's abc's congressional correspondent rachel scott. >> reporter: tonight, with just days until august recess, democrats are racing to pass the bipartisan infrastructure package. >> let's start voting on amendments. the longer it takes to finish, the longer we'll be here. >> reporter: but the senate's top republican says, what's the rush? >> senators on both sides expect and deserve opportunities to have a say and to put their own state's imprints on this major bill. >> reporter: at least ten republican senators must sign on for the bill to head to the house, where it faces another set of obstacles. progressives are demanding their party pass a larger package first. >> we will uphold our end of the bargain and not pass the bipartisan bill until we get all

abc's victor oquendo back in surfside tonight. >> is anybody there? >> reporter: this is what three of the first surfside police officers racing to the scene found the night of the deadly condo collapse. >> i can't see anything, man. >> reporter: painful screams heard in the background. this officer desperate to get closer. >> could we jump over this wall here? i can't see over it! >> reporter: the chaotic moments from june 24th captured on newly released body camera video. >> are you okay? is anybody down there injured? >> reporter: this officer apparently walking underneath the remaining part of the champlain towers south. cars falling into the now cratered garage. >> go this way. go this way. the garage floor fell. >> reporter: this woman barely making it out. telling officers she worked overnight security at the building. >> i don't even know how i made it out of there. through the grace of god. >> reporter: as more first responders arrive, the disbelief setting in. >> the whole back of the building is gone. i've never seen anything like this, bro

my colleague, victor oquendo, is on the ground with the coast guard as they airlifted survivors to safety. >> reporter: this power pole crashing right down on top of this car. it also looks like it snapped in half. you've got these downed lines. they stretch yeclear across the block. and take a look at that house there. another pole coming down right on the roof. rp. >> lea merchant had power. and then -- >> there was a huge flash and then there was traveling fireballs arcing up and down the lines. >> you saw this happen. >> yeah. they were green and purple and orange. >> reporter: while ida battered louisiana the state was already in the midst of a completely different kind of storm. hospitals overrun with covid patients as cases surge across the region. at dr. o'neal's hospital they're nearing capacity. >> our hospital was full before the hurricane hit. we were running out of beds. beds that were functional, monitors that were functional. he won't be able to staff as many beds because so many our own team is affected by this storm too. it won't be enough after a hurricane. >> reporter:

abc's victor oquendo is there. good morning to you, victor. >> reporter: good morning, eva. the national guard has been activated ahead of the storm. er ground and here are some of the 164 high water vehicles already in place and they also have helicopters ready to assist in search and rescue. at this point, there is no time left to evacuate, and there was a lot of concern for anyone who's going to be riding out hurricane ida outside of the levee protection system. the president of jefferson parish calling the expected storm surge unsurvivable. in new orleans, there was no mandatory evacuation. the mayor explaining the storm developed so quickly they didn't have the mandatory 72 hours notice to issue one. we met locals making final preparations, boarding up their businesses, getting supplies and filling up on gas. all eyes will be on the levees. they have been upgraded since they failed during hurricane katrina. the mayor says she's confident in the system in place. as is louisiana's governor telling residents this is not the same state it was 16 years ago, but the system wi

victor oquendo is at a testing center in miami. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, george. this site opening up in just moments here. let's take you right up to our drone. here at this site they do testing and vaccinations but most of the people coming here will be coming for testing. that's what we're seeing across the country once again. quest diagnostics, cvs and the walgreens all saying they've seen an increase in demand. walgreens' testing volume doubling from june to july. the race is on this morning to contain the spread of covid-19 with the u.s. hitting 100,000 new cases in a single day for the second time this week. even as cases soar, massive events are taking place around the country. in sturgis, south dakota, 700,000 people are expected for the annual motorcycle rally leading to fears of a superspreader event. this as hospitalizations grew from 12,000 a month ago to more than 61,000 now. florida setting a new pandemic record high. pediatric admissions are climbing. one of those hospitalized 17-year-old dav

abc's victor oquendo with the vid yoeshgs and a warning, it is disturbing to watch. >> reporter: the surveillance video shows officers inside the royal palm hotel in miami beach after catching up with a suspect they were chasing, identified as 24-year-old dalonta crudup. after being stopped for illegally parking it. as more miami beach police officers arrive, he is on the ground, handcuffed, when according to the attorney, kevin perez kicked him several times and slammed him head to the ground. >> it was just unfathomable, it was unspeakable, just inexcusable. it's just inexcusable, and i'm not alone in that feeling. >> reporter: another video shows officers attacking another man recording the arrest. five officers have been charged with battery. they turned themselves in here to miami beach police headquarters and have been relieved of duty. whit? >> victor, thank you. >>> next tonight, the senate officially opening debate on the $1 trillion bipartisan inf infrastructure bill. and it's already facing headwinds, not just from some republicans, but from progressive democrats, as well.

victor oquendo from new orleans tonight. >> reporter: tonight, louisiana hospitals dealing with a surge of covid-19 patients, now prepared to shelter in place. dr. jeffrey elder telling me this is a worst-case scenario. >> this is a large hurricane. we have to be ready for that. we know we're going to have higher census because of the covid patients in the hospital, and so we're preparing for both simultaneously. >> reporter: louisiana has one of the highest covid-19 case rates per capita in the country. the storm already forcing some testing and vaccine sites to shut down early. as residents race to prepare, and evacuations begin, ida is forecast to make landfall 16 years to the day since hurricane katrina in 2005. we met dr. tanner lipstack, still in his krubs. >> reporter: one of the doctors we spoke with explained how hospitals here have been hardened since hurricane katrina to bear the brunt of the storm, and in an event where they're basically cut off from the rest of the world, david, they're ready. >> victor, thanks to you. this pandemic, the growing toll, 1,200 deaths reported

here's abc's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, spirit airlines' struggles now stretching across four agonizing days for travelers. more than 400 flights canceled today, leaving thousands stranded, frustrated, without answers. >> not knowing when you're going to get home. >> reporter: spirit forced to cancel more than 60% of its scheduled flights as it undergoes what it calls a "reset" of operations. and now offering to pay flight attendants double for picking up extra shifts to minimize further cancellations. this family is traveling with their 2-year-old daughter, who has a heart condition. she needed a checkup in orlando. they flew south to ft. lauderdale but their connection home to st. croix canceled. the nightmare started sunday with more than 1,100 flight cancellations in the past four days. spirit telling abc news the disruptions were caused by weather, system outages and staffing shortages, but they do expect fewer cancellations in the coming daleys. whit? >> all right, victor, thank you. >>> there's still much more ahead on "world news tonight" this wednesday. an urgent resc

here's abc's victor oquendo. >> reporter: tonight, spirit airlines' struggles now stretching across four agonizing days for travelers. more than 400 flights canceled today, leaving thousands stranded, frustrated, without answers. >> not knowing when you're going to make it home or if you're going to get home. >> reporter: spirit forced to cancel more than 60% of its scheduled flights as it undergoes what it calls a "reset" of operations. and now offering to pay flight attendants double for picking up extra shifts to minimize further cancellations. the mattias family is traveling wth their 2-year-old daughter who has a heart condition. she needed a checkup in orlando. they flew south to ft. lauderdale but their connection home to st. croix canceled. >> it's scary, because we're already going through something with her, plus this. it's very scary. >> reporter: the nightmare started sunday, with more than 1,100 flight cancellations in the past four days. spirit telling abc news the disruptions were caused by overlapping operational system outages and staffing r, - shortages. but they do exp

we will carefully get to it all for you, and abc's victor oquendo leading us off tonight from florida. >> reporter: tonight, government officials confirming to abc news that tomorrow the fda is expected to authorize a third booster shot for immunocompromised people including kidney transplant and cancer patients on chemotherapy. a cdc advisory panel will then meet on friday with possible action expected from the cdc director soon after. it comes amid a growing emergency across much of the south. tonight, inside this icu in gainesville, florida, they're overwhelmed. teams trying to make room for a crush of new covid cases while trying to keep the patients they already have alive. what does that mean? >> that's a code. >> reporter: what's happening now? >> that's a patient who is unstable right now, either no blood pressure or oxygen nation is bad or heart rate just went to zero. >> reporter: how often does that happen per day? >> almost every day. this hospital is seeing younger patients getting sicker faster. nearly all unvaccinated. >> this is the second major surge. this surge is ac

abc's victor oquendo on all of this from miami tonight. >> reporter: tonight, health officials stressing just how critical that third covid booster shot will be to prevent more breakthrough infections, especially severe cases. >> we made a decision that even though right now, we're still holding strong, we want to stay ahead of things. we don't want to wait until all of a sudden a lot of people are getting hospitalized and a lot of people are dying. >> reporter: pleas for more americans to get vaccinated apparently working. the u.s. reporting more than a million vaccine doses administered in the past 24 hours for the first time in nearly seven weeks. tonight, a new study from the uk, not yet peer reviewed, reinforcing a concern u.s. authorities have had for weeks. finding that while pfizer's vaccine offers protection against the delta variant, when breakthrough cases do occur, viral loads are high, making those patients who are vaccinated likely able to transmit the virus. the cdc director saying today that third dose may also help reduce transmission. >> we are hopeful that the booster

our victor oquendo is in miami. >> baptist hospital is one of the largest in miami, and over the course of the last two weeks, they've seen more covid patients than at any point in the pandemic. they had to set up these two large tents right outside the emergency depatment to make room for everyone. and inside the lobby, it's now lined with beds. >> reporter: and can covid cases surging, federal health officials are once again sounding the alarm about a spike in the number of people using ivermectin for covid. it's a drug to fight parasites in horses and cows that's been promoted on cable tv. >> there's nothing here. >> reporter: here in texas, farm stores are selling out of high dose ivermectin intended only for animals. the state reporting a 550% increase in calls to poison control. >> it could spiral out of control if the misinformation continues to spishg late out in the public. >> reporter: the fda warning the public, "you are not a horse. you are not a cow. seriously, y'all. stop it." david, abc news has reviewed internal data from the cdc estimating there's been a 19-fold increas

we will carefully get to it all for you, and abc's victor oquendo leading us off tonight from florida. >> reporter: tonight, government officials confirming to abc news that tomorrow the fda is expected to authorize a third booster shot for immunocompromised people including kidney transplant and cancer patients on chemotherapy. a cdc advisory panel will then meet on friday with possible action expected from the cdc director soon after. it comes amid a growing emergency across much of the south. tonight, inside this icu in gainesville, florida, they're overwhelmed. teams trying to make room for a crush of new covid cases while trying to keep the patients they already have alive. what does that mean? >> that's a code. >> reporter: so what's happening now? >> that's a patient who is unstable right now, either no blood pressure or oxygenation is bad or heart rate just went to zero. >> reporter: how often does that happen per day? >> almost every day. >> reporter: this hospital is seeing younger patients getting sicker faster. nearly all unvaccinated. >> this is the second major surge. th

our victor oquendo is in miami. >> baptist hospital is one of the largest in miami and over the course of the last two weeks, they've seen more covid patients than at any point in the pandemic. they had to set up these two large tents right outside the emergency department to make room for everyone. and inside the lobby, it's now lined with beds. >> reporter: and with covid cases surging, federal health officials are once again sounding the alarm about a spike in the number of people using ivermectin for covid. it's a drug to fight parasites in horses and cows that's been promoted on cable tv. >> there's nothing here. >> reporter: here in texas, farm stores are selling out of high dose ivermectin intended only for animals. the state reporting a 550% increase in calls to poison control. >> it definitely could potentially spiral out of control if the misinformation still continues to circulate out in the public. >> reporter: the fda warning the public, "you are not a horse. you are not a cow. seriously, y'all. stop it." david, abc news has reviewed internal data from the cdc estimating t

and abc's victor oquendo leading us off now from florida. >> reporter: tonight, the covid crisis is exploding across the south. from florida to louisiana to texas, hospitals are putting up surge tents, bringing in extra ventilators and running out of beds and staff. >> when you overrun us and you wear us down and we get to where we can't come to work anymore, there's not going to be anybody here to take care of you. >> reporter: with 68,000 covid patients straining american hospitals, experts warn the system in affected communities is nearing the breaking point. >> if this pace continues for the next four or five days, which it seems it will, the hospital systems in florida and louisiana will collapse. >> reporter: and with covid infections climbing, another move to mandate vaccines. the pentagon today announcing it will seek the president's approval to require nearly 1.4 million active duty military members to get the vaccine, starting in mid-september. >> you can consider this memo today as what we would call in the military a warning order. >> reporter: and the pentagon could move that dea

abc's victor oquendo on all of this from miami tonight. >> reporter: tonight, health officials stressing just how critical that third covid booster shot will be to prevent more breakthrough infections, especially severe cases. >> we made a decision that even though right now, we're still holding strong, we want to stay ahead of things. we don't want to wait until all of a sudden a lot of people are getting hospitalized and a lot of people are dying. >> reporter: pleas for more americans to get vaccinated apparently working. the u.s. reporting more than a million vaccine doses administered in the past 24 hours for the first time in nearly seven weeks. tonight, a new study from the uk, not yet peer reviewed, reinforcing a concern u.s. authorities have had for weeks. finding that while pfizer's vaccine offers protection against the delta variant, when breakthrough cases did occur, viral loads are high, making those patients who are vaccinated likely able to transmit the virus. the cdc director saying today that third dose may also help reduce transmission. >> we are hopeful that the booster

victor oquendo from new orleans tonight. >> reporter: tonight, with an expected major hurricane taking aim, louisiana hospitals already dealing with a surge of covid-19 patients are now preparing to shelter in place. dr. jeffrey elder telling me this is a worst-case scenario. >> this is a large hurricane. we have to be ready for that. we know we're going to have higher census because of the covid patients in the hospital, and so we're preparing for both simultaneously. >> reporter: louisiana has one of the highest covid-19 case rates per capita in the country. the storm already forcing some testing and vaccine sites to shut down early. as residents race to prepare, and evacuations begin, ida is forecast to make landfall 16 years to the day since hurricane katrina in 2005. we met dr. tanner libsack, still in his scrubs from treating covid patients, preparing to now board up his home. >> been a bit of a mess, but we're doing the best we can. >> reporter: and one of the doctors we spoke with explained how hospitals here have been hardened since hurricane katrina to bear the brunt of a sto

victor oquendo is in gainesville, florida, with the latest. good morning, again, victor. >> reporter: good morning, michael. our team went inside the hospital here in gainesville where the medical director told us that this current surge is bigger than anything they've seen before. this morning, abc news confirming the fda is expected to authorize a third booster shot for immunocompromised people today. the cdc advisory panel then set to meet friday. director walensky could green light the shots soon after. the news coming after the cdc confirms more than a million people getting a third shot, even without authorization. it comes as the delta variant surges across the country. hospitalizations now at their highest level in six months. more than 17,000 icu beds in use across the country. amy spoke with dr. anthony fauci about who will be eligible for a booster shot earlier this morning. >> we know now that the fda is expected to authorize those booster shots for people who have compromised immune systems. do we know exactly who is eligible for

first, let's go to victor oquendo as florida reports the highest confirmed number of children admited with the virus. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, michael. several of those pediatric patients right here, currently they're caring for more than 20 kids with covid. one of them is on a ventilator. this morning, health officials are frustrated over a covid surge that never had to happen. >> i'm afraid we should not really have ever gotten to the place we are. most of the cases of course now unvaccinated people, and almost all the deaths are unvaccinated people. these are younger people now, including children. >> reporter: the number of patients hospitalized with covid-19, now topping 66,000. nearly 8,400 people admitted each day. in austin, texas, which only six icu beds are available for 2.3 million residents, the city sends out a text alert warning that the covid-19 situation is dire. health care facilities are open. resources are limited due to a surge in cases. in florida, some hospitals are suspending elective surgeries and limiting visitors putting beds in confer

victor oquendo is at children's hospital in hollywood. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, george. it's the emergency department here outside joe dimaggio children's hospital where they have seen their sharpest rise in cases. in june they had just 23 covid positive patients come through emergency rooms. in july that number went up to 241. this morning, doctors are making an unprecedented push to get children vaccinated against covid-19 as new pediatric covid cases near 94,000 in just the last week and children are hospitalized at a rate nearly four times higher than just a month ago. the head of the american academy of pediatrics is now urging the fda to authorize vaccines for 5 to 11-year-olds as quickly as possible. >> we need to be approaching the trials and authorization of the vaccine for children with the same urgency as we did with adults. just as it's a serious disease in adults, it can be a very serious disease in children. >> reporter: robin spoke to dr. besser about the push earlier this morning. >> do you agree wi

abc's victor oquendo is in new orleans with the very latest on that and how the city is preparing, victor, good morning. >> reporter: good morning, whit. we are right along lake pontchartrain bracing for hurricane ida. the national hurricane center just said that preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion today for everyone in the warning area and that's exactly what we're seeing. residents now scrambling to prepare for the storm. we saw long stretches of cars lined up at gas stations in new orleans. others boarding up and bagging sand. city officials working ahead closing those levees, new orleans mayor telling residents it's time to shelter in place. and all of this in the middle of what doctors tell me has been their worst covid surge yet. in louisiana, with one of the highest covid-19 case rates per capita in the country, the numbers are so high hospitals will not be able to evacuate patients. the storm already forcing some testing and vaccine sites to shut down early. about 2,000 fema personnel have been deployed to the gulf coast and they have pre-posit

abc's victor oquendo is in new orleans with the preparations under way and the warnings from local officials. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, eva. we are along lake pontchartrain. rob just mentioned it. today is the last day to make sure that you have your hurricane plan in place and the time something definitely eerie. tomorrow marks 16 years to the day hurricane katrina made landfall. this morning, hurricane ida gaining strength barreling through the gulf towards louisiana expected to rapidly intensify into a category 4. residents are desperately preparing. overnight, long stretches of cars seen lined up at this gas station in new orleans. others boarding up and bagging sand. >> i've come pretty close to getting sand in my house several times. so you have to do what you have to do to protect your property. >> reporter: city officials closing the levees and the new orleans mayor saying it's time to shelter in place. >> we are not calling for a mandatory evacuation because the time simply is not on our side. we do not want to have people on the road and therefore in greater

victor oquendo has more. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, robin. from miami's little haiti neighborhood, this community is reeling. it was a difficult weekend for so many as they now come together to help those directly impacted on the ground. we were with a team helping organize some of that much-needed relief. overnight, disaster response teams from world central kitchen and team rubicon landing in haiti with food, water and relief supplies. both of these nonprofit organizations borne after they witnessed the 2010 earthquake firsthand. >> chaos and uncertainty. there is the literal fog of war that takes place in those moments. >> reporter: former marine jake wood traveled to port-au-prince with a group who offered medical assistance for three weeks. >> what we found, as veterans, being able to conduct that planning, identify the risks, mitigate them, work within those populations, it was a huge benefit to get out to denied areas. >> reporter: when he returned to the u.s., wood created team rubicon, a veteran-led disaster response organization wit

victor oquendo is there with the latest for us this morning. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, michael. here in new orleans people are waking up in the dark and there's no telling when power will be restored. i don't see a single light on any in these buildings. the main plant that provides power to the entire city was compromised as ida rolled through. even the 911 system went down. more than a 1 million customers are without power right now in louisiana. 105,000 in mississippi. energy one of the largest providers in the region saying typically those in the path of a category 4 can be without power up to three weeks. there are crews coming in from multiple states as well to help restore power but there's no doubt this is going to take some time. cecilia? >> it certainly is. victor, thank you so much. >>> ida is still on the move. let's go back to ginger with a look at what's coming next. >>> we had a major hurricane, meaning cat 3 or 4 over land for more than 8 hours, you don't understand how hard that is to, how powerful this s

victor oquendo has the latest for us. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, robin. tough to believe we are already five days into this mess for spirit airlines and so far this morning they have already canceled more than 300 scheduled flights for the day. this morning, passengers are fed up after another day of travel chaos. >> flight gets cancelled. >> rebooked and rebooked. >> reporter: spirit airlines canceling more than 100 flights in the fourth day in a row, over 40% of scheduled departureo randed like pam t camp out at the airport for two days. >> it's horrible, the floors are hard a uncomfortable, not knowing when you are going to make it home or you're going to get home. >> reporter: the mattias family traveling with their 2-year-old daughter who has a heart condition and needed a checkup in orlando. they flew south to ft. lauderdale but their connection home to st. croix, canceled. >> plus this, it's very scary. >> reporter: spirit saying the cancellations are due to several overlapping issues of weather, system outages and staffing shortages, now offering

victor oquendo is there in new orleans with the very latest. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, cecilia. from lake pontchartrain where the waves are kicking up and rain on and off this morning but this is not from the storm. and conditions will be much more dangerous as she heads this way. let's take you right up to our drone. the big concern here in new orleans will be the flooding. up to a foot of rain is possible here along with some damaging winds. also looking at the potential for life-threatening storm surge up to 11 feet along the coast, five feet here on the lake. louisiana's governor has declared a state of emergency. hurricane conditions could start as early as tomorrow night. so if you're in the watch area, the time is now to get your plan in place. hurricane season is heating up, last year the gulf couldn't catch a break. amy, here we go again. >> yeah, that is unfortunate. victor, thank you very much. let's go to ginger who is tracking ida with all the latest. good morning, ginger. >> one year ago today, cameron, loui

our victor oquendo is in surfside. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, t.j. the videos you're about to watch are body cameras worn by three of the first police officers here on the scene. people were so confused they thought it may have been an earthquake or a plane hit the building. we want to warn you these videos are tough to watch. >> is anybody there? >> reporter: this morning, the shocking and painful new body camera video released showing police responding just minutes after the tragic surfside building collapse. the first officers on the scene in disbelief. this officer calling his captain alerting him to the devastation. >> captain, the champlain towers, the building, it collapsed. fire rescue on its way. this is huge. i mean humongous. >> reporter: one first responder who lives in the building warning officers. >> i was there with my family. >> what happened? all the way at the top. i'm on my phone -- sorry, man. the whole [ bleep ] back is gone. >> reporter: you can even hear screams coming from the building. >> there's screaming, bro. people are s

you can see that fin so close and victor oquendo joins us with reasons this could be happening. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning. when we spoke with that 11-year-old girl she told us before she got into the water, she was actually afraid of jellyfish. she got a little bit more than she bargained for. let's take you right up to our drone. this happened while she was right along the shoreline in myrtle beach and now she has quite the story to tell. watch this. a dangerous close call. this morning, video showing the moment a young tourist spots a shark swimming nearby close to shore. 11-year-old sara oister and her family were enjoying a day at myrtle beach when the unexpected happened. >> i was shocked that that happened. >> my daughter was out on the ocean boogie boarding and i was taking video of her and all of a sudden she starts running out of the water. she said she saw a fin coming up out of the water towards her. i looked back on the video to see if i had captured it and i did. >> even though i know we're in their habitat i didn't go into that day thinking i

victor oquendo is live at ft. lauderdale airport with the latest. good morning, victor. >> reporter: good morning, robin. this is one of the main hubs for spirit airlines. we just went inside the terminal, and it is a mess again this morning. take a look. hundreds of people waiting in line. many of them spending the night here sleeping with their families on the ground. and with even more flights being canceled this morning, many tell me they simply don't know when they'll be able to return home. this morning, airline meltdown. >> i will never, ever book with this airline again, ever. >> reporter: a travel nightmare for thousands of spirit airlines passengers over the last two days. many stranded waiting in these long lines, others have been rerouted. >> i can't even check my bags. i can't go back to a hotel. i can't do nothing. i'm just stuck here. >> reporter: the airline canceling more than 313 flights due to weather and operational challenges, including staffing shortages, i.t. issues and crews maxing out hours they're allowed to fly. this trave