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American Morning

Receding Floodwaters Give Close Look at Costly Cleanup

Aired August 20, 2002 - 08:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Receding floodwaters now giving the first close look at the long and costly cleanup ahead.
Michael Holmes reporting live now in Grimma, Germany with more on the scene and the situation there.

Mike, hello. Good afternoon.

MIKE HANNA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi to you, Bill.

I got to tell you, that's exactly what's happening. The floodwaters of the Elba River are receding and they're leaving behind them quite the scene.

I think in this town of Grimma particularly hard hit. Every house in this town of 19,000 people damaged in some way. Houses collapsed here.

But I think it's useful to give you a comparison in this situation, of just how much water came through this town.

We're going to get Paul here to pan up the column behind me. It's a list of floodwater high marks over the years. The second lowest is in 1771, way up there. The mark reached on the 13th of August, 2002. The river at that time running eight meters. That's about 25 feet above normal. What a scene. I mean, as you know, Bill, I'm 6'4", and I am dwarfed by that, an unbelievable sight.

But as the floodwaters do recede, what we're seeing here is really a snapshot of what's going on up and down the Elbe River in Eastern Germany -- Bill.

HEMMER: It's going to cost so much to clean it up. Billions they're already talking about.

Thank you, Michael. Michael Holmes in Grimma, Germany, with a live report from there.

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