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CNN Live At Daybreak

What's Left of Isabel

Aired September 19, 2003 - 05:01   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.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about Isabel and what's left of her -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

It is still a tropical storm, still 50 miles per hour, centered over Rio, West Virginia. I back you up, now, though, 14 hours, to one o'clock yesterday. Cape Hatteras there, 98 mile per hour wind gusts; Okracoke, right there, just a little bit right down the island chain, had 100 mile per hour gusts; then we move you on up here, Elizabeth City got pounded with 79 mile per hour winds; Virginia Beach, at that time you were well over 71; and then about, oh, 8:30 last night, we stop at, again, here Richmond, Virginia, pounded again, with well over 69 mile per hour gusts at the airport. And I think the worst of the storm went over the west end of Richmond. A lot of folks there in Virginia and North Carolina without power this morning. They can't even watch us.

We'll widen the view and show you where it is now. Here's where the Richmond storm took place. Here's where the gusts over Rockville and all the way up to Gaithersburg, had wind gusts over 66 miles per hour. D.C. had 60 miles per hour. A lot of trees down and limbs down in the city, as well, and then all the way back up into Pittsburgh. That's about where the center of the heaviest wind circulation is now, although there are winds all along now the coasts of the Chesapeake and, for that matter, right up the East Coast.

You can see the orange here? That's where the heaviest wind gusts are, over 40 miles per hour, and in the yellows, everybody up here over 30. And then it tapers off as you get back into West Virginia, Ohio and into western Pennsylvania -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, we'll get back to you.

Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: All right. You're welcome.

COSTELLO: As you heard Chad say, trees down. There's flooding. Electricity is out and federal government offices are closed again today in Washington, D.C. It's been an active 24 hours for Isabel.

Well, let's see how the D.C. area is faring right now.

Let's go live to Washington and Jennifer Coggiola.

She's actually in Alexandria, Virginia, which is right across the Potomac from the capital. I bet it's flooded there -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Carol.

Good morning.

Well, we just left D.C., which actually was in decent shape, some shrubbery down, trees a little bit, but nothing too bad. There is power. But I am in Old Town, which, as you can see behind me, the Potomac River, which had high tide about two and a half hours ago, continues to rise up King Street. Residents here say it's the worst they've seen in about a decade, but compared to the rest of the country, they feel very fortunate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COGGIOLA (voice-over): More than two million residents along the East Coast this morning will wake up to darkness, street signs ripped off, trees and power lines snapped, highways flooded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been living in this house for, let's see, 40 years. I think we've had stronger winds, but I haven't seen this much water.

COGGIOLA: In North Carolina, storm surges ran eight feet above normal, causing flooding and widespread damage. Shelters housing thousands, but some already returning home last night.

President Bush declared the state a major disaster area, as well as 13 cities in Virginia, where 6,000 residents sought shelter through the night. That state experiencing massive power failures. Governor Mark Warner said electric companies plan to get crews out first thing Friday morning, but that it could be a multi-day repair.

And life in D.C. won't quite be back to normal today. D.C. government and federal offices remain closed.

The biggest threat now? Flash flooding, where 80 percent of fatalities after an event like this occur. Officials urge residents not to walk, drive or bike through the flooded streets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COGGIOLA: At this point, three deaths have been confirmed due to the hurricane, but officials warn that that number could rise if residents don't heed their warnings.

I'm Jennifer Coggiola live in Alexandria -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: And if they don't, I understand there was one fatality inside of a house when a tree fell on the house and a man was pinned underneath the tree. So, just be careful out there.

COGGIOLA: Absolutely. That's the best advice you can give right now.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Coggiola reporting live from Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia.

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 September 19, 2003 - 05:01   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Let's talk about Isabel and what's left of her -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

It is still a tropical storm, still 50 miles per hour, centered over Rio, West Virginia. I back you up, now, though, 14 hours, to one o'clock yesterday. Cape Hatteras there, 98 mile per hour wind gusts; Okracoke, right there, just a little bit right down the island chain, had 100 mile per hour gusts; then we move you on up here, Elizabeth City got pounded with 79 mile per hour winds; Virginia Beach, at that time you were well over 71; and then about, oh, 8:30 last night, we stop at, again, here Richmond, Virginia, pounded again, with well over 69 mile per hour gusts at the airport. And I think the worst of the storm went over the west end of Richmond. A lot of folks there in Virginia and North Carolina without power this morning. They can't even watch us.

We'll widen the view and show you where it is now. Here's where the Richmond storm took place. Here's where the gusts over Rockville and all the way up to Gaithersburg, had wind gusts over 66 miles per hour. D.C. had 60 miles per hour. A lot of trees down and limbs down in the city, as well, and then all the way back up into Pittsburgh. That's about where the center of the heaviest wind circulation is now, although there are winds all along now the coasts of the Chesapeake and, for that matter, right up the East Coast.

You can see the orange here? That's where the heaviest wind gusts are, over 40 miles per hour, and in the yellows, everybody up here over 30. And then it tapers off as you get back into West Virginia, Ohio and into western Pennsylvania -- Carol.

COSTELLO: OK, we'll get back to you.

Thank you, Chad.

MYERS: All right. You're welcome.

COSTELLO: As you heard Chad say, trees down. There's flooding. Electricity is out and federal government offices are closed again today in Washington, D.C. It's been an active 24 hours for Isabel.

Well, let's see how the D.C. area is faring right now.

Let's go live to Washington and Jennifer Coggiola.

She's actually in Alexandria, Virginia, which is right across the Potomac from the capital. I bet it's flooded there -- Jennifer.

JENNIFER COGGIOLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Carol.

Good morning.

Well, we just left D.C., which actually was in decent shape, some shrubbery down, trees a little bit, but nothing too bad. There is power. But I am in Old Town, which, as you can see behind me, the Potomac River, which had high tide about two and a half hours ago, continues to rise up King Street. Residents here say it's the worst they've seen in about a decade, but compared to the rest of the country, they feel very fortunate.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

COGGIOLA (voice-over): More than two million residents along the East Coast this morning will wake up to darkness, street signs ripped off, trees and power lines snapped, highways flooded.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I've been living in this house for, let's see, 40 years. I think we've had stronger winds, but I haven't seen this much water.

COGGIOLA: In North Carolina, storm surges ran eight feet above normal, causing flooding and widespread damage. Shelters housing thousands, but some already returning home last night.

President Bush declared the state a major disaster area, as well as 13 cities in Virginia, where 6,000 residents sought shelter through the night. That state experiencing massive power failures. Governor Mark Warner said electric companies plan to get crews out first thing Friday morning, but that it could be a multi-day repair.

And life in D.C. won't quite be back to normal today. D.C. government and federal offices remain closed.

The biggest threat now? Flash flooding, where 80 percent of fatalities after an event like this occur. Officials urge residents not to walk, drive or bike through the flooded streets.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COGGIOLA: At this point, three deaths have been confirmed due to the hurricane, but officials warn that that number could rise if residents don't heed their warnings.

I'm Jennifer Coggiola live in Alexandria -- Carol, back to you.

COSTELLO: And if they don't, I understand there was one fatality inside of a house when a tree fell on the house and a man was pinned underneath the tree. So, just be careful out there.

COGGIOLA: Absolutely. That's the best advice you can give right now.

COSTELLO: Jennifer Coggiola reporting live from Old Town, Alexandria, Virginia.

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