NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - Monday, September 30, 2024

Episode Date: October 1, 2024

More than 100 dead in devastation and flooding after Hurricane Helene; Search for missing after flooding in Tennessee; Trump visits Georgia storm zone, Harris cuts short campaign swing in West; and more on tonight’s broadcast.

Tonight, the urgent search and rescue mission in the southeast as the toll from Hurricane Helene surpasses 120 deaths. The new images revealing the scope of devastation, entire towns underwater, days after Helene's blast. North Carolina hit hard, communities including Asheville cut off, millions without power, the race against time, hundreds unaccounted for. Our team in the storm zone. And the storm impacting the 2024 race. Donald Trump touring the damage in Georgia.

Kamala Harris cutting a campaign trip short to return to D.C. for a FEMA briefing. It comes as their running mates gear up for tomorrow night's debate. Just in, tonight, U.S. officials saying Israel appears to have begun a limited ground incursion inside Lebanon. After a series of small raids, our Richard Engel in Beirut tonight. The dangerous midair encounter, a Russian plane nearly colliding with a U.S. fighter jet. The massive outage for Verizon, tens of thousands of reports of service disruptions. The man who served more than 20 years for a murder he didn't commit. Our camera's in court for the moment he is exonerated. And our conversation. We asked, how does it feel to get his good name back? This is NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt.

Good evening and welcome. These are desperate hours in the storm zone tonight. Now, four days after making landfall in Florida, the aftermath of Hurricane Helene still inflicting maximum pain on communities in North Carolina and Tennessee. Many still cut off from power, running water, and communications. The death toll still rising. By an NBC News count, 121 people are now confirmed dead, as a grim search is carried out for the many still unaccounted for. Much of the destruction centered on the city of Asheville. A Charlotte councilman volunteering in the Lake Lure chimney rock area, posting these horrific images, what he could only describe as a post-apocalyptic landscape. So much left unrecognizable after the region was pummeled by floods, washing homes and neighborhoods away. Families short of so many things and beginning to grow short on patients, too. George Solis is in North Carolina for us tonight. George,

how is the recovery going? Lester, recovery efforts are ongoing, certainly not making things any easier. The rain officials telling us they have received thousands of calls, but they prioritized 150 trying to get to those people that are elderly and medically dependent. Tonight, Hurricane Helene has moved on, but left in its wake a trail of death and destruction. Officials in North Carolina say they were blinded by Helene's sheer intensity. Homes swept away, restaurants and shops torn to pieces, communities cut off from clean water and electricity, leaving residents nowhere to go. Shelters are at capacity. Those shelters only provide overnight lodging, food and water. FEMA is not at these locations. This is basic

necessities only. Asheville, among the hardest hit, tonight remains largely cut off from relief, frustrating residents. Nobody's going to help us. I mean, I don't know what we're going to do. Do you have any faith in the federal response here? No, no. Ricky and Devonna Brown's auto shop has been in this location for 30 years. This is very safe. I mean, this is hard to devastating. I mean, this is hard to see. I mean, this is hard to come and look at. You know what I mean? This is your whole life right here. And it's this old building to somebody.

But to us, this is our life. Drop-off of communication has left relatives of missing locals pleading with officials for information on their loved ones. What do you say to the residents who feel that the local and federal response wasn't fast enough following this storm? So first, people are working around the clock. What we want to tell people is that more help is on the way and help is continuing. In North Carolina, every single county has been impacted. The western part of the state by catastrophic flooding, the eastern half by heavy rains and tornadoes.

Do you have the manpower right now to handle this response? So this is a multi-federal agency response, which is why we're bringing in people from across the federal government. FEMA says they'll deploy 1,200 first responders to the state to support relief efforts. Relief that can't come soon enough for towns like Boone, two hours north of Asheville, where mudslides rip through neighborhoods. 100 miles south, the river in Henderson County reached 30 feet. Oh my God.

Smashing all previous flood records. Rivers and lakes jam with debris. Back in Asheville, residents don't know where to even begin. It's a lot of work. Destroyed a lot of things, things that I loved, of course, and my business and my job and my livelihood and all that. So, you know, I don't know. And George, what is the status of the communications right now in Asheville? Lesser conditions are only slowly starting to improve. There is better service here. And we're tonight from the White House that the president will be in North Carolina on Wednesday. Lester. All right, George Solis, thank you. In neighboring Tennessee, an agonizing

wait for so many who have yet to hear from missing loved ones and harrowing stories of those who made it to safety and those who did not. Priscilla Thompson is there. Priscilla, what challenges are crews facing now in this search effort? Well, Lester, the challenge here is massive debris piles like this one as the search for the missing intensifies. Tonight, the floodwaters in Tennessee have receded, but the pain is still flowing for some families. They are just desperate to find out where she is, where she's been found. They just want news. Rosa Andrade and Monica Hernandez-Corona are among the 150 people still unaccounted for in Tennessee, officials say, after three agonizing days.

Authorities say more than 100 responders are scouring debris, as today efforts shifted from rescues to recovery. They confirm only three storm-related deaths in the state so far. They used everything they had to save life that day. Some were saved. We're still searching for some. We all have hopes that we will find some more alive. Relatives say Rosa and Monica were working at Impact Plastics Factory when the water began to rise and that they got into the back of a semi-truck trying to escape.

A man who says he was also on that truck posted this video online showing water rushing by as cars and yellow pipes floated away. Their family members were in the back of an 18-wheeler holding onto pipes, calling 911 for help, and that help didn't come. In a statement, Impact Plastics says when the parking lot and service road began to flood, employees were dismissed, but that some remained. Boarding a neighboring company's truck as the flooding intensified. That truck tipped over, Impact Plastics says. Five people were rescued by helicopter,

but six others were never found. We are devastated by the tragic loss of great employees, the company wrote. Loss made all the more painful by the wait for answers. They are really grieving and all that they really want is closure. They just want closure for their families. Priscilla Thompson, NBC News, Irwin, Tennessee. This disaster is already having an impact on the presidential campaign with former President Trump on the ground in the storm zone in Georgia, while Vice President Harris just spoke at FEMA headquarters in Washington. Garrett Haik now has that part of the story for us.

Tonight, former President Trump visiting the storm zone in Valdosta, Georgia, coming with Franklin Graham's aid group, bringing trucks loaded with supplies and fuel. We're here today to stand in complete solidarity with the people of Georgia. And hammering Vice President Harris for not being there herself. Of course, the vice president, she's out someplace campaigning, looking for money. The quality of the federal storm response could have a major political impact on the vice president, who's hoping to repeat President Biden's narrow 2020 Georgia win. Harris was briefed aboard Air Force Two, cutting campaigning short in Las Vegas to return to Washington, meeting with FEMA officials tonight. We will do everything in our power to help communities respond and recover. I plan to be on the ground as soon as possible, but as soon as possible without disrupting any emergency response operations. Trump also accusing the White House and Democratic governor in hard

hit North Carolina of, quote, going out of their way to not help people in Republican areas without providing evidence. What was that in reference to? Just take a look. Where's that? It comes as the candidates running mates prepare to meet for the first time at tomorrow night's debate after largely going after the person at the top of the other ticket. They do not share our values. Look, it's not even about policies. It's about sharing our values. Man, what a nightmare the American southern border is, thanks to Kamala Harris's policies. Tomorrow, perhaps the final candidate showdown, with Harris having accepted a late October debate. Trump saying it's too close to the election.

And as you say here in Las Vegas, I'm all in. I'm all in, even if my opponent is ready to fold. And today, Trump says he hasn't offered J.D. Vance any advice ahead of tomorrow's debate, and that he plans to watch it and provide live commentary on social media. Lester. Okay, Garrett Haig, thanks. And tomorrow night, you're going to watch the vice presidential debate right here. Full coverage on NBC and NBC News Now, starting at 8 Eastern. We turn now to a major escalation of Israel's war against Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. A limited ground incursion appears to have started, according to two U.S. officials. It comes days after Israel killed the group's leader following nearly a year of Hezbollah rocket attacks on residents in northern Israel. Richard Engel is in Beirut.

U.S. officials tell NBC News tonight that Israeli troops appear to have crossed the border into Lebanon to attack Hezbollah. Israeli officials say the goal is to deliver a knockout blow to what has long been considered the most fearsome, best-armed militia in the Middle East. Asked if he was aware. I'm more aware than you might know, and I'm comfortable with them stopping. We should have a ceasefire now. A U.S. official tells NBC News Israel informed the United States ahead of time, describing the operations as brief, days, not weeks, with a limited geographic reach. The official said Israel had planned a broader campaign, but the U.S. pushed to scale it back. Tonight, American officials worry that over time, the mission could

expand. Hezbollah claims to have 100,000 fighters. Independent analysts, however, estimate the real number is about half of that. Still, a sizable, dedicated force fighting on its home turf. This is the dead center of Beirut. It's called Martyr Square, and it is filling up with internally displaced people. People here have come from southern Beirut. They've come from southern Lebanon, areas that are under attack by Israel. And they are sleeping outside because they don't know what's coming. They don't know if there's going to be an Israeli invasion of Lebanon, perhaps tonight, imminently, or even in the next several hours. Israel says the mission is to push Hezbollah north of the Latani River, creating a buffer zone along the Israeli border. Hezbollah says it's ready for a long guerrilla war.

And Richard, this is not the first time Israel has tried to create a buffer zone with Lebanon. No, it is not. Israel invaded Lebanon to create a buffer zone back in 1982. And I was here when Israeli troops finally pulled out nearly 20 years later, proving the old adage that it is much easier to start a war than finish one. Lester. OK, Richard Engel, thank you. And off the coast of Alaska, a dangerously close encounter for us to report. A U.S. military jet capturing the moment when a Russian fighter plane came alarmingly close, prompting the American jet to turn away.

It happened in international airspace. A U.S. commander said it was unsafe, unprofessional and endangered all. In 60 seconds, we're hours away from a potentially crippling strike by dock workers from New England to Texas. The goods you use that could be affected. Next. Back now with the massive outage for Verizon customers. Tens of thousands of reports of mobile service disruptions coming in from across the U.S. The company said service has restored to started to be restored and it will, quote, work around the clock to fully resolve this issue. Also tonight, we're just hours away from a strike at several major U.S. ports along the East Coast and Gulf Coast. Christine Romans is here with the high stakes for the economy. Christine? Yeah, time is running out, Lester, and you've got truckers and rails just scrambling tonight to move billions of dollars in goods before the gates close at 14 major ports, stranding everything from cars and bananas

to electronics, apparel, shoes, just thousands of other imports. Tens of thousands of dockworkers from New England to Texas vowing to strike at midnight when their six-year contract expires. Now, the union boss was offered today a 50 percent pay increase. It's also asking for less automation. The Maritime Alliance, representing the shippers and the ports, they've asked the federal labor officials to get the union back to the table. Every day of a strike could cost the economy four and a half billion dollars. But good news tonight, at least at the urging of the White House, both sides are talking again, Lester. All right, Christine, thanks for that update. Up next, the long saga of the inmate, a wrongful murder conviction and the journalists

who helped make it right. We were there for the final chapter. We're back now with a saga of two men and a quest for truth and justice. One who spent over 20 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit. The other, a journalist who wouldn't let the case go. Today, I was in court to witness the final chapter. It would be impossible to return to John Adrian Velasquez all that has been taken from him. But today in a Manhattan courtroom, a judge finally gave him back his good name. His decades-long cries for justice after being wrongfully convicted of killing a retired police officer coming down to a four His decades-long cries for justice after being wrongfully convicted of killing a retired police officer coming down to a four-minute-long proceeding.

The people do not believe they are in a position to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. Without fanfare or apology, the judge formally accepting the conclusion of a Manhattan District Attorney's internal investigation, the same office that once helped put him in prison, that J.J. Velasquez, as he is known, is an innocent man. I am granting that application, so this matter is dismissed. J.J.'s family and friends following him to a nearby park where he sat down with me for the first time untethered to the criminal justice system your name you got your name back I think people maybe

you don't appreciate how important that is absolutely I mean when we're born our name becomes our identity and so when we're taken through the system, they strip you of your identity. They put you in a shower, butt naked, hose you down like a slave. And then they give you a number and brand you. And that wasn't who I was. And I've been fighting for 27 years to tell them that my name is John Adrian J.J. Velasquez. Velasquez has been physically free since 2021 when then New York Governor Andrew Cuomo commuted his sentence, granting him parole but leaving him stained with the mark of a convicted felon. I had curfew. I couldn't travel out of the state

without permission. If I wanted to go on a date, I needed permission. Also there to witness his exoneration today, Dateline producer Dan Slepian, whose dogged 22-year pursuit of the truth in JJ's case began with a series of prison letters he received from JJ. I can go on and on about this miscarriage of justice. What did that mean to you to have someone listen to you? Well, besides my mother, Dan's my hero. Everybody knows that. Like, if it wasn't for Dan, I'd still be sitting in a cage. Well, Dan, every time we've talked about the story, you said you're not advocating for J.J. You're advocating for the truth. Did the truth prevail today?

Yeah, the truth finally did prevail today. But frankly, everybody knew the truth for a very, very long time. And it took very long time, and it took a long time for the court to finally recognize it. The DA's review of JJ's conviction looked at several factors, including recanted eyewitness testimonies and DNA evidence. JJ's case, one of several wrongful conviction cases unearthed by Slepian, recounted in his book, The Sing Sing Files. It's the cases undiscovered that haunt both men. You feel that you left a lot of innocent guys behind when you left prison? I know I left a lot of innocent people behind. Is that common? It's very common.

Working on their behalf, J.J.'s mission as he moves forward and catches his breath for the first time in a very long time. Does the world feel a little different now? Definitely does. I can feel the air is like cleaner for me. And I just like I feel different. An amazing day and a new life for JJ. We'll take a break. Up next, the NBA Hall of Famer. The world said goodbye to today. An NBA legend has passed away, Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo, one of the most feared defenders to ever play, has died after a battle with brain cancer. Mutombo, who played for 18 seasons, had more than 3,000 blocked shots, the second most in league history. The Congo native also served as an NBA

global ambassador. He was 58. That's nightly news for this Monday. Thank you for watching. I'm Lester Holt. Please take care of yourself and each other. Good night.