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CNN Live At Daybreak

Tennesseans Pick Up Pieces

Aired November 12, 2002 - 06:34   ET

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

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


CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: As we told you earlier, one of the communities that was most devastated by the tornados is Mossy Grove. It's a small town in northeastern Tennessee.
Let's check back in now with CNN national correspondent, Gary Tuchman, who is joining us with a look at how people are coping there in the aftermath -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Catherine. The dark sky right now is getting a little less dark. When the sun comes up this morning, the cleanup efforts will continue, and there's a lot of work to do, because in this small county of Morgan County, Tennessee, 90 homes have been destroyed or heavily damaged, including this house behind us.

The worst part, of course, are the deaths, and in this county, seven people were killed, another man died after participating in a rescue effort yesterday trying to find survivors. He was a fireman. He suffered a heart attack, and he died. But seven people in this small community killed.

Now, you may be wondering what happened to the person who lives in that house right there. A woman lives in that house. She survived. She wasn't even hurt, and she was in the house when the tornado came through.

But this is what people go through during tornados. You see all of the rubble here. This is their life. Your entire life ends up in your yard -- your financial records, your pictures, your videos, your antiques. Everything ends up here, and I can tell you that this is just a typical thing we've experienced in other tornados.

My photographer found a wallet yesterday filled with money and credit cards, and being the honorable man he is, he gave it to the police. But that's the type of thing -- people come back to their homes after they experience this, and they're looking for those types of things -- their important records and their lives and their money, and that's what they're going through here right now.

We've talked to a lot of parents very concerned about the effect this has on their children. People hiding in their basements. The tornado blew down their homes. They were there with their children.

And we talked to a man who was with his little daughter yesterday in church when the tornado came through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID GUNTHER, STORM SURVIVOR: It was very frightening. As far as -- I had come to the doors, and the doors were kind of pulling out from I guess the suction, and I locked those. And the next thing I know when I was heading back to the sanctuary, it just -- the side door blew open and the roar just started, and we just went right into the sanctuary. Like I said, I had my little girl with me, and I took her down and put her under the pew and just prayed to God that everything would work out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: And for them, everything was OK. About 50 people inside the church when the tornado came through. They are all OK.

But another 28 people in this county hurt, 4 of them in critical condition right now in the hospital. And we can tell you that 12 people are still considered unaccounted for, but it is considered very likely they're all OK; that their relatives and loved ones just haven't been able to get in touch with them yet.

Catherine -- back to you.

CALLAWAY: Yes, let's hope so. Let's hope that's the case. I can't imagine, Gary, there's not anyone in that small town there that hasn't been affected by this storm.

TUCHMAN: Well, that's the thing, because everybody knows everyone in this little, small town of Mossy Grove. And in Mossy Grove, this little community within Morgan County, four of those seven fatalities came from here, and everyone knows those four people who perished.

CALLAWAY: Mossy Grove, a tough town, though -- they're going to come back and do well, I'm quite sure. All right, Gary, thank you -- Gary Tuchman in Mossy Grove.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired November 12, 2002 - 06:34   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: As we told you earlier, one of the communities that was most devastated by the tornados is Mossy Grove. It's a small town in northeastern Tennessee.
Let's check back in now with CNN national correspondent, Gary Tuchman, who is joining us with a look at how people are coping there in the aftermath -- Gary.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Catherine. The dark sky right now is getting a little less dark. When the sun comes up this morning, the cleanup efforts will continue, and there's a lot of work to do, because in this small county of Morgan County, Tennessee, 90 homes have been destroyed or heavily damaged, including this house behind us.

The worst part, of course, are the deaths, and in this county, seven people were killed, another man died after participating in a rescue effort yesterday trying to find survivors. He was a fireman. He suffered a heart attack, and he died. But seven people in this small community killed.

Now, you may be wondering what happened to the person who lives in that house right there. A woman lives in that house. She survived. She wasn't even hurt, and she was in the house when the tornado came through.

But this is what people go through during tornados. You see all of the rubble here. This is their life. Your entire life ends up in your yard -- your financial records, your pictures, your videos, your antiques. Everything ends up here, and I can tell you that this is just a typical thing we've experienced in other tornados.

My photographer found a wallet yesterday filled with money and credit cards, and being the honorable man he is, he gave it to the police. But that's the type of thing -- people come back to their homes after they experience this, and they're looking for those types of things -- their important records and their lives and their money, and that's what they're going through here right now.

We've talked to a lot of parents very concerned about the effect this has on their children. People hiding in their basements. The tornado blew down their homes. They were there with their children.

And we talked to a man who was with his little daughter yesterday in church when the tornado came through.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DAVID GUNTHER, STORM SURVIVOR: It was very frightening. As far as -- I had come to the doors, and the doors were kind of pulling out from I guess the suction, and I locked those. And the next thing I know when I was heading back to the sanctuary, it just -- the side door blew open and the roar just started, and we just went right into the sanctuary. Like I said, I had my little girl with me, and I took her down and put her under the pew and just prayed to God that everything would work out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: And for them, everything was OK. About 50 people inside the church when the tornado came through. They are all OK.

But another 28 people in this county hurt, 4 of them in critical condition right now in the hospital. And we can tell you that 12 people are still considered unaccounted for, but it is considered very likely they're all OK; that their relatives and loved ones just haven't been able to get in touch with them yet.

Catherine -- back to you.

CALLAWAY: Yes, let's hope so. Let's hope that's the case. I can't imagine, Gary, there's not anyone in that small town there that hasn't been affected by this storm.

TUCHMAN: Well, that's the thing, because everybody knows everyone in this little, small town of Mossy Grove. And in Mossy Grove, this little community within Morgan County, four of those seven fatalities came from here, and everyone knows those four people who perished.

CALLAWAY: Mossy Grove, a tough town, though -- they're going to come back and do well, I'm quite sure. All right, Gary, thank you -- Gary Tuchman in Mossy Grove.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.