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CNN Wolf Blitzer Reports

Isabel Ravages Virginia, North Carolina

Aired September 19, 2003 - 17:00   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.


WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Isabel is now history. The damage has been done but the dangers remain very real right now. As we feared, it was indeed a killer.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): After Isabel from the Outer Banks to Baltimore shocking scenes of towns and cities under water, in northern Virginia not a drop to drink without boiling it (UNINTELLIGIBLE), millions without power across seven states all along this trail of death and destruction. The recovery begins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all good neighbors. We'll all chip in and get everybody back on their feet.

BLITZER: Defeat and defiance, a top Saddam aide surrenders but diehards fight on.

And Kobe Bryant gets an offer of help from a would-be hit man.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Friday, September 19, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

The storm is moving on but the devastating effects continue to linger up and down the Atlantic seaboard in the Mid Atlantic states.

In Baltimore right now flooding from the surging waters of the Chesapeake Bay, several feet of water inundated an historic neighborhood there. Some people had to be rescued by boat. Residents say they've never seen anything like this.

A similar scene in the state capital, Annapolis where the U.S. Naval Academy had to cancel classes because of flooding, people had to use boats simply to get around. Some just walked but officials warn the water may be unsafe because of raw sewage.

And, along the Virginia coast a bird's eye look at the damage caused by Isabel, boats tossed aground by high winds and pounding waves. In all, at least 18 deaths are being blamed on Isabel, eight in Virginia, three in North Carolina, three in Maryland and one each in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Rhode Island.

We have reporters standing by in North Carolina, in Maryland, in Virginia, but we begin in Baltimore where streets have become canals and a city has become submerged.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Famous waterfronts with more water than they need. In Baltimore's inner harbor and historic Fells Point neighborhood residents woke up with water at their doorsteps and beyond. They'd gone to bed before high tide. Then after the storm surge many were trapped. Dozens had to be rescued by boat. Others braved hip deep currents over several blocks to make it to dry ground.

MAYOR MARTIN O'MALLEY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: I don't know where a flooding historian is but it's certainly deeper than any of the pictures that we saw from years past.

BLITZER: Downtown Baltimore streets with their trademark row houses turned into canals. In Fells Point, a maze of 18th and 19th century homes and markets put in serious danger by the flooding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our basement just filled, filled completely. We carried all the furniture. It's a historic house museum. We had to carry all of the furniture up to the third floor and it happened so quickly. I think that was the thing that really caught us by surprise.

BLITZER: Elsewhere in the Baltimore area, boats became dangerous objects on what was dry land.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It broke loose from its mooring and it actually wiped out the power in the area.

BLITZER: City fire and rescue officials said water levels in Baltimore were receding as of this afternoon and the governor tried to put it all in perspective.

GOV. ROBERT ERLICH (R), MARYLAND: Nobody wants to hear this who does not have access to their home right now but in relative terms the folks in North Carolina and Virginia got hit harder than we did.

BLITZER: But where the governor lives plenty of hardship, the storm surge pushing flood tides into the historic streets of Annapolis, Maryland. Rising water sent sailboats into streets. Isabel's winds had already ripped roofs off buildings.

More than a million Maryland residents lost their power. Some 3,000 moved to shelters. Those who fended for themselves, like these people in Wheaton, Maryland, lining up for dry ice realized all too clearly this recovery will take time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Let's get a firsthand analysis right now, an eyewitness account of what's happening in Baltimore. CNN's Bill Pressard is joining us live now. Bill, people there say they haven't seen anything like this in a long time. Give us your impression.

Wolf, the residents that I've talked to say they haven't seen a storm like this in decades. As you can see, I'm standing in water. When I first got here the water was about a foot and a half deep and many portions of this historic neighborhood are still under water.

This is a neighborhood that's known for its historic buildings, its shops, its businesses and, of course, things that might have been destroyed that can't be replaced by this storm.

Now the people have a very lengthy cleanup to deal with over the next few days and, in fact, many people in Baltimore City as well as in the surrounding counties are still without power at this hour and they'll be trying to do that cleanup by candlelight - Wolf.

BLITZER: Do they say how long it's going to take approximately to get this cleanup done?

PRESSARD: You know they are saying that they're running into a lot of problems because remember the crews couldn't hit the streets and hit the various roads where the lines were down until the wind subsided so they had to wait. Now they are saying "an extended period." They're not being specific as to when all of the electricity will be restored. It could be a while.

BLITZER: CNN's Bill Pressard on the scene for us in a wet and soggy Baltimore. Thanks Bill very much.

And let's get a little analysis now, a little reporting on what has happened over these past 24 hours in North Carolina.

CNN's Brian Cabell is joining us now live from Kitty Hawk. That's in North Carolina an area that has been hit very hard - Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, no winds today, no serious winds from Isabel at all. As you can see it's a gorgeous day. Instead what we're dealing with here in the Outer Banks are what Isabel left over, namely flooding, businesses flooding, houses flooding, people having trouble getting from one end to the other. This is Highway 158 which leads out of the Outer Banks, very difficult to pass right now.

A number of problems that people have to deal with, number one, transportation, number two power outages, they are still scattered throughout. Number three, for those who left the Outer Banks they can't get back in. They won't let them back in. And, number four, you've got a curfew, 24 hour curfew. No one is allowed to leave home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL (voice-over): Sunrise over Kill Devil Hills on North Carolina's Outer Banks deceptively quiet shores, a far cry from a scene just hours before. Federal Emergency Management officials say the Outer Banks took the brunt of Hurricane Isabel's fury and her 105 mile-per-hour winds. On Nag's Head, a turbulent surf took out a 540- foot pier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I bring the dogs out here in the morning. We go pier to pier and when we came out yesterday afternoon and saw that this pier is gone it was, you know, a little sad.

CABELL: Significant damage is reported at Hatteras Village. Ocean surge has reportedly breached the road and cut off Hatteras Island. Curfews are in place for people who stayed behind on the Outer Banks. For those people now it's merely a matter of coping and waiting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been playing games and cards, hide and go seek, whatever you do just to keep yourself entertained. Right now my children are watching with me and we're doing some filming for my husband who's over in Kosovo with the International Police Force to let him know what's going on here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing fine, got plenty of food, plenty of water and stuff just, I don't know, getting bored sitting in the house.

CABELL: Isabel left countless downed trees and heavy flooding on coastal Carolina. At times more than a half million lost power and hundreds of thousands are still without electricity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL: The official death toll now three in North Carolina. Damage assessment that's still underway. We don't have a dollar figure on that. The traffic you're seeing here is supposed to be official traffic, emergency traffic. This is a policeman, for example.

We have utility vehicles that have come through on a regular basis as well but, again, there are a number of people here, Wolf, who are out who should not be out. The media are all right but there are a number of other people out simply as sightseers at this point - Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian what that police officer in that police car are doing right now, driving through that water, generally not good advice for average people.

CABELL: No.

BLITZER: That could be pretty dangerous. Give us a little tour of the area if you can so we get a perspective of how deep this water is and how widespread the devastation is.

CABELL: All right, well to give you a sense this is Highway 158 in the middle here. We got about three feet of water. You cross over there you got a shopping center over there and then about 200 yards beyond that, Wolf, you have the Atlantic Ocean.

What happened here, this is not rain water for the most part. This is actually water that came from the sea. It breached the dunes about 200 yards away. It settled in here into a depression and we're told this happens on a fairly regular basis but never this bad.

It settles into a depression. There's really no place for it to go. It either has to be pumped out, which would take a considerable amount of effort or it will evaporate and that could take a matter of days.

We were told there was a Halloween Day flood several years ago, about ten years ago. They said it took three or four days for that water to finally disappear and that will be a problem. When they finally do allow people back in here into the Outer Banks they're going to have to come by here.

This has gone down I'd say maybe six inches since we've been here and that's been about six hours, so it's going to take a while.

BLITZER: Did most people leave or did most people stay in Kitty Hawk where you are, Brian?

CABELL: It's interesting. Initially we thought about 90 percent left but then we talked to the emergency management people and they said no. When this was downgraded to a category two they figure at least 50 percent of the residents, and there's about 30,000 residents here, they figure about 50 percent of them actually stayed.

And I'll tell you right now talking to the people who have stayed they're glad they stayed because those who left, they are now five miles away waiting at a bridge hoping to come back and they can't get back in.

The earliest they'll find out whether they can come back in would be noon tomorrow. They will have a reassessment at that point for a curfew and whether to allow reentry. There's a good chance they may not be able to come back for another couple days. We simply don't know at this point.

BLITZER: CNN's Brian Cabell on the scene for us in North Carolina, Brian thanks very much.

Let's check out what the damage has been in Virginia over the past day since Hurricane Isabel came ashore. At least nine people we're told in Virginia have been killed.

CNN's Kris Osborn is in the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond - Kris.

KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf.

Well, emergency officials here in Richmond, Virginia say they are just now beginning to put together formal damage assessment teams where state and federal officials essentially will go out and survey the damage. They have spent the time up until this point very busy with what they call critical lifesaving functions, bringing generators to hospitals and performing what they call swift water rescues and, of course, along with all of this a whole lot of cleanup.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OSBORN (voice-over): A day of cleanup in Virginia after what the governor calls the worst storm to hit the state in at least a generation, across the Old Dominion, countless trees downed by winds as high as 70 miles per hour. In Arlington, a close call for one man nearly crushed to death in his own home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we got here we found a tree approximately four foot in diameter. It had pinned a gentleman who was in bed from the waist down. He was pretty severely pinned. It took us about an hour and a half to extricate him.

OSBORN: In nearby Alexandria, Isabel's storm surge sends the Potomac River pouring over its banks. Closer to the coast more evidence of Isabel's fury. Planes damaged even flipped outside down, buildings with part of the roof missing and everywhere trees and power lines down, at one point more than one and a half million Virginians without electricity. The governor says people should prepare for the long haul.

GOV. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Well, with this broad a power outages, and we're literally talking about even more people than customers when you add that all together, it will be a number of days.

OSBORN: But on this day life for some in Virginia returns to normal and others roll up their sleeves and get to work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of property damage, a lot of property damage, but we're all good neighbors. We'll all chip in and get everybody back on their feet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OSBORN: Well, Wolf, of course along with all these fallen trees there is damage less visible to the eye, human damage, and of course economic damage. Many officials here at the Emergency Operations Center talk about Hurricane Floyd, 1999, and say that cost the state of Virginia $254 million and there are some estimates or indications you might say this could be even more - Wolf.

BLITZER: Kris, give us a little sense of the destruction in the area where you are right now.

OSBORN: Absolutely, Wolf, and I believe Danny can give you a look around as well. He can show you this tree here really is sort of a visual emblem you might say of what we've seen throughout much of the day on highways, on major roadways.

Not only are there trees that look almost split in half like a toothpick in this incident but in other areas you see downed power lines. You see little pools of water by the street, of course, saturated with very frustrated passengers, travelers saying I just want to get back to my house.

In places like Virginia Beach many families we saw on the road, the highway, it was basically a standing still parking lot, Wolf, and a lot of these families are saying I have no idea what kind of condition my house is in.

And, as you can see here, this is a main park in downtown Richmond. It's virtually just littered with debris. This at this point after so much cleanup has already taken place, so a lot of work ahead - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Kris Osborn in Richmond, thanks Kris very much.

Similar scenes underway right here in the nation's capital as well and more on that. That's coming up.

Let's go back to Baltimore right now. Parts of Baltimore, the historic area along the waterfront looking very much like Venice right now. Only within the past few minutes the mayor of Baltimore Martin O'Malley described what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this as far as you've been advised the end of it in terms of the next high tide, et cetera?

O'MALLEY: I sure hope so but you know what (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I was advised that it wasn't going to go higher than high tide last night so sometimes the experts can be wrong and Mother Nature can, in fact, surprise us. I would hope that this is the end of the flooding.

We're moving from this being primarily a flood, you know, rescue and flood mitigation effort led by our fire department and now it's something that BGE is taking the lead on in terms of the power restoration and we're supporting them and the Department of Public Works is taking the lead on in terms of getting the debris out of Fells Point and helping people get the debris now out of their basements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Baltimore's Mayor Martin O'Malley on the destruction of physical property. The area is under water right now in Baltimore, Maryland about 60 miles or so from where we are in the nation's capital.

No surprise states of emergency have been declared in several states up and down the Atlantic seaboard, states that took a direct hit from this hurricane, Hurricane Isabel. Some of those states only got a glancing blow.

They include though some of the states that didn't get a glancing blow got some severe destruction, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia got his somewhat, Delaware did as well, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition, President Bush has signed an emergency disaster declaration covering the hardest hit areas. That would be in North Carolina and Virginia.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Was this hurricane, Hurricane Isabel, worse than you expected, not as bad as you feared"? We'll have the results later in this broadcast but you can vote right now, cnn.com/wolf.

And, while you're there, I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

Much more on the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel coming up, also other news.

We're following important news, lots of news going on elsewhere around the country and around the world.

The California recall, for example, that election is on hold but that could, could change. Our Bob Franken has the latest on California's total recall.

And explosions in Iraq, who's behind the latest bombs and gunfire and who's turned himself in? Word of a key surrender today, our Nic Robertson will join us live on that.

And later, a new and very bizarre twist in the Kobe Bryant case was the alleged victim the target of another crime? All that coming up, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Kobe Bryant's accuser was she the victim of another possible crime? There's been a strange, very bizarre twist in this story, California police acting today that and much more coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Much more on Hurricane Isabel and the aftermath coming up.

But there's been a significant development today in the California recall election. As always, we turn to our Bob Franken. He's in Los Angeles. He has details - Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you recall, Wolf, that the three judge panel on Monday had ordered that the election could be postponed. That was put on hold. Now an 11 judge panel of the same court has decided to hear the case. That's called an en banc panel and it is a panel that is consisting of eight Democrats and three Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN (voice-over): The simple fact is that the judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals are Democrats by a nearly two-to-one margin. It's easy to see why this appeals court is reversed as much or more than any other in the country.

DAN LOWENSTEIN, UCLA LAW PROFESSOR: I don't think there's any great mystery to it. The majority of judges on this court are much more liberal than the majority of judges on other circuit courts and more liberal than the majority of judges on the Supreme Court.

FRANKEN: And, in fact, the court has created quite an uproar with its ruling that schools in this region must eliminate the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. That decision is on hold while the Supreme Court decides what to do with it.

In this case, all three judges who ruled the election should be postponed were Democrats. Now, the expanded panel is eight Democrat, three Republican, all but the chief judge chosen by lottery.

University of Southern California law professor Erwin Chemerinsky is an adviser to the anti-recall legal team but he agrees with the other side that whichever party loses will head straight to the highest court.

ERWIN CHEMERINSKY, USC LAW PROFESSOR: Justice O'Connor could grant that review or deny that review or what I think is most likely forward that request to the entire court to decide whether to hear the matter or whether they'll let the Ninth Circuit decision stand.

FRANKEN: The Ninth Circuit is huge, the biggest. It's responsible for nine western states as well as Guam and the Mariana Islands, responsible for no less than 56 million people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: As a matter of fact there's a movement afoot in Congress to split the court up, California, Arizona and Nevada in one circuit, the rest of them in another one.

Now, the interesting thing is, is that Al Gore, the Vice President, former Vice President is in the state campaigning for Gray Davis right now. You see him live in San Francisco.

The irony is, is that just about all the legal precedent that is cited in this case involves the election that Al Gore lost to George W. Bush after the Supreme Court decision, the Gore v. Bush decision.

The hearing is on Monday, 1:00 p.m. local time, 4:00 Eastern time, at the courthouse in San Francisco. The election by that time will just be two weeks away - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Bob Franken in Los Angeles, thanks Bob very much.

Let's get back to our top story. Baltimore right now, parts of that beautiful city under water right now. Let's bring in the mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley, who's just received an update on what's going on. How bad is the situation in Baltimore, Mr. Mayor?

O'MALLEY (via telephone): Well, not as bad as it was a few hours ago, Wolf. The waters have receded. The resilient people of Baltimore and Fells Point in particular are pumping each other out and we have an army of public works trucks that have gone into the hardest hit area.

There's a lot of people who - any belongings they had in the basement is just bulk trash. We have hundreds of vehicles that were totaled when this water came up in an unexpected and somewhat unprecedented way and really flooded out some large swaths of our city, probably about a 40 square block area around Fells Point and also areas around the inner harbor. You couldn't tell where the promenade ended and where the harbor began for a while this morning.

BLITZER: Mr. Mayor was this a surprise to your community? Everyone, of course, knew Hurricane Isabel was on the way but were people in Baltimore ready for this?

O'MALLEY: Yes, we had prepared as if the hurricane was actually going to be coming to us. That way, you know, we prepared for the worst scenario. We also had already called, you know, we had gone to such extent as calling the dialysis patients and people that are dependent on home life support systems to make sure they had batteries.

So, we were prepared for it. The thing that threw us for a bit of a loop was that it was our understanding from some of the weather experts that the high water mark was to have been at high tide last night at 2:00 a.m. but the wind shifted in such a way and drove the water up the bay, I can only assume, and really clobbered us when we were thinking that we were through the worst of it.

But we were able, fortunately the flooding was confined to the tidal areas. We did not get hit with heavy rains so we were able to pre-deploy all of our fire and rescue apparatus to the Fells Point area and, you know, the very fact that there hasn't been a single casualty directly related to the flooding in Baltimore I think is a testament to the terrific job our first responders did, not only in responding to this but in preparing in advance.

BLITZER: Only within the past few minutes, Mr. Mayor, the president, President Bush has declared Maryland a federal disaster area just like Virginia and North Carolina. Presumably that's very good news for you, federal assistance on the way. How important is this?

O'MALLEY: Oh, it's very, very important, Wolf. You know to have that sort of support for our first responders, you know, they're not twiddling their thumbs or waiting to see whether the funding is coming through. They're in there helping their neighbors and to have that support from Washington at a time like this is very critically important and we're very appreciative of it.

BLITZER: The mayor of Baltimore. He's got his hands full but hopefully it will only be a few more days before you can get back to business as usual. Mr. Mayor, Martin O'Malley, thanks very much for joining us.

O'MALLEY: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Good luck to everyone in Baltimore.

One by one they wind up in U.S. hands. We'll take a close look what's going on in Iraq when we come back. Another Iraqi official in U.S. custody but can he lead U.S. troops to the big guy, Saddam Hussein himself?

And, a world of water in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel.

Later, new information about the woman found dead in the home of music producer Phil Spector. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: This is a residential area in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Look at this. This tree went down -- smash -- right into this home. Unfortunately, this is not an extraordinary picture. We've been seeing images like this throughout the greater Washington, D.C. area, in Northern Virginia, the District Of Columbia, as well as in suburban Maryland. Much more on this coming up shortly.

But let's go to Iraq right now, where there were scenes of defiance earlier today from Saddam Hussein loyalists. But there was also a capture of one of those loyalists, a dramatic development. And right in Baghdad, there were explosions that were set off by someone.

Let's go to CNN's Nic Robertson. He's joining us now live from the Iraqi capital -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, those explosions going off a couple hours after nightfall. Unusual. We don't often get those here in the center of Baghdad. A few people received minor injuries in one of the explosions. The other explosion, not clear exactly what happened there at this time.

Also, earlier in the day, the surrender of Iraq's former defense minister, General Sultan Hashim Ahmed (ph), turning himself over after a period of negotiation to coalition troop,s wanting dignity and respect. He received a handshake and a salute from General Patreas (ph), the commander of the 101st Airborne when he surrendered to coalition forces in Mosul in the north of Iraq.

And in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, 55 Iraqis taken into detention by the 4th Infantry Division there today. That following the death of three soldiers on Thursday night, two wounded when a multiple operation under way in Tikrit to capture people the coalition believes are attacking them went perhaps partially wrong. Those soldiers dying in that particular incident. And late today in Baghdad, another convoy attacked, coalition yet to confirm how much casualties in that convoy -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad with the latest. Nic, thanks very much.

Much more news coming up here this hour, including more on the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel. Coastal areas of North Carolina devastated by Isabel. Just ahead, our Jeanne Meserve will take us through a helicopter tour she got of that region.

And some residents escaped the devastation. Their neighbors, however, don't. I'll speak live with the owner of this house. You won't believe the story he tells.

And just when you got the Kobe Bryant case could not get stranger, this suspect allegedly offered to kill someone connected to the case. This is a bizarre story. It's coming up straight ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Devastation there. A lot of property damage, a lot of destruction as a result of Hurricane Isabel. We're going to get a closer look. That's coming up.

First, though, let's check the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: No matter how you look at it or where you look at it, the devastation is serious. It is very, very impressive.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve got a firsthand look. She flew over the devastation herself earlier today. She's on the ground now in Virginia Beach. She's joining us live -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was a rare opportunity to fly with the Coast Guard over a big section of the affected area. We went around Hampton Roads and then down the Virginia and North Carolina coasts as far as Hatteras. It was clear that Hatteras really got a pounding in this storm. We saw a lot of buildings pulverized. There were even a few roofs in the water. There was a lot of flooding. We could see damages to pier.

There's just one road that leads down to Hatteras. It snakes down the entire Outer Banks. And it was submerged in two places, not far from the town, effectively isolating it.

Now, as I said, we did not see the whole storm area. The coast guard has been sending up other helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to get the big picture. And they've assembled that at the Coast Guard air station in Elizabeth City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. ROD ANSLEY, U.S. COAST GUARD: Other than the Outer Banks area, Cape Lookout and north, we're hearing people say that this area, Elizabeth City, and the swathe that came through here looks as bad as any place they've seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Now, when we flew over the Hampton Roads area, we did see an awful lot of trees down, we saw some flooding, we saw a couple of barges that had been pushed up on the shore. We also saw an awful lot of utility trucks driving around, clearly trying to restore the power that is still out in much of this region.

But by and large, we were surprised at how little damage we could see from the air. The Independent Insurance Association is estimating the damage from this storm at about $2 billion, a relatively modest amount when compared with Hurricane Andrew, which did an estimated $16 billion in damage.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeanne Meserve, reporting live from Virginia Beach. Took a tour over the skies of this devastated areas.

Let's get a little bit more now on how the Carolina coast is coping, cleaning up right now. CNN's Gary Tuchman joining us live from North Harlowe.

What are you seeing where you are, Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, some of the most extensive in the entire state of North Carolina has occurred on one small block 10 miles from the ocean, right behind us here in Craven County. You can see there's police cars blocking the area, telling the public and the media to stay away for now, they say for safety reasons.

But we were allowed to go back there a couple of hours ago, and we were quite startled by what we saw -- not because we saw destruction, but because we saw so much destruction in such a small area. Dozens of homes have major damage, and at least six homes completely destroyed. What happened was these homes sit by the Noose River, a very picturesque area. People who live in the area say the Noose Rivers started generating waves, 8 foot to 10 foot waves started slamming the homes, the homes started degrading. And after a couple hours, homes completely collapsed. No one was killed or injured. There was six to eight feet of water that disappeared after a few hours, because people here say when the eye passed over and they got the back end of the hurricane, the wind switched directions and all the water was sucked back into the Noose River.

Now the North Carolina U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole was back there a couple of hours ago visiting with residents who lost their homes. She met with a very unpretentious man, a man who would give his shirt off his back to anybody because we talked with him too, literally, in this case. His name is Brooks Stalneker (ph). He lost his house. He and his wife said they said they survived two hurricanes in 1999 with some damage. Thought if there was another hurricane they would leave. Now they've lost a house and they said they will indeed leave this area. We didn't see any other damage driving from the beach to here. Just minor damage with some trees and a couple of power lines. And here, in one block, Wolf, we saw all these houses with damage or completely destroyed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: How tragic. Our heart goes out to all those people. Gary Tuchman, thanks for the report.

Let's get the bigger picture now and what the weather is about. Right now CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines is joining us from the CNN weather center. Brad, give us that big picture. What's happening?

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wolf, we have been talking about the flooding and the storm surge for days. We are showing you the -- what happened. We'll show you Annapolis video and showed you what happened in Annapolis, Maryland. And yes, we did, in fact see lots of flooding in and around Annapolis. You notice, this is the city dock area. Another storm surge hit, not just Baltimore, but Annapolis and that's why you see some destruction there to the property along the city dock area.

Now, let's show you some keyhole.com air photo. This is actual pictures from space. And this is the city dock area many of you are familiar with. We're going to back up a little bit and show you a little bit more perspective as to where the flooding came from. You notice that there is the U.S. Naval Academy on the point there. As we go that way, we're going to show you that where the storm came from was, of course, the water.

Notice all the low spots. Everywhere that you see the elevation just a bit lower, water came rushing in from the Chesapeake Bay and up into the lowest areas. As you might expect the water would do. The water does always collect in the lowest areas.

I'm going to give you perspective on the Chesapeake Bay and show you where the water came from and why it would be slow to leave. Water, of course, came up the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean and because of that, the water continues to cause problems right across the Chesapeake Bay. And because of that, it will be very, very slow to come out because of the fact that many rivers across portions of southern Virginia are emptying in the Chesapeake. So, it's going to be a while before the water can finally rush out.

Wolf, it is much like having a bathtub with a very small drain. That's what this is, a very small drain and a lot of water that has to come out. Wolf, it will be with us for quite a while.

BLITZER: CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines giving us a virtual tour of this devastation. Brad, thanks very much.

And as far as Hurricane Isabel is concerned, no one, no one was immune to disaster. You'll meet one man for whom this seen is a sad case of deja vu.

Also ahead, the man accused of killing a former priest convicted of child molestation says his peace. And the latest twist in the Kobe Bryant case, a possible plan against his accuser. We'll tell you who may have hatched it.

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Slain leader's farewell. Swedish officials and dignitaries from around the world, gathered in Stockholm to honor assassinated foreign minister Anna Lindh. Lindh died after being stabbed in a Stockholm department store last week. A suspect is under arrest.

SARS test kits. Preparing for a possible new outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Hong Kong health officials have issued a new quick SARS test kit. They are being given to hospitals and the actual tests are free. About 300 people died of SARS in Hong Kong earlier this year.

Zambia ferry disaster. Divers are searching for bodies of 18 passengers who drowned in the crocodile infested Zambezi River. It happened when the truck they were in fell off the ferry. Six people survived.

WILLIAM CLINTON, FRM. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love this country.

BLITZER: Cheers for Clinton. Thousands of ethnic Albanians gave former president Bill Clinton a hero's welcome during a visit to Kosovo. He received an honorary degree from Pristina University.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians revere Clinton for leading the coalition that stopped a brutal crackdown on them by Serb forces for seeking independence four years ago.

Hog concert. Harley Davidson motorcycle owners in Berlin got together with a trumpet player to perform some roaring music. One of the organizers says the idea came up one night while drinking wine.

And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Here's an incredible story. A man surviving a tree falling on his house not once, but twice. Naiem Sherbiny is joining us now. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, that's just outside Washington D.C. Naiem, thanks very much for joining us. Tell us what happened, first of all, the first time a tree went on your house.

NAIEM SHERBINY, ARLINGTON, VA HOMEOWNER: The first time was last year, August 5, at night. It was a similar storm. All of a sudden we heard a fantastic noise. Before we knew it, the whole house was in shambles. BLITZER: Now, we're showing our viewers pictures of what happened last night, the second time. Exactly, what happened last night?

SHERBINY: Well, last night, because of what happened last year, I decided to sleep downstairs just in case anything may happen. And sure enough, around midnight I heard a thump. That thump was the tree that was in front that has already been trimmed. There were two other trees that were less healthy that I took down in October last year. So I thought this one was beautiful, but it has been trimmed. Still, it fell.

BLITZER: What would have happened if you would have been upstairs sleeping upstairs where you normally sleep?

SHERBINY: I would have been spooked. I would not have been hurt. I would have been spooked.

BLITZER: The tree actually landed in which room?

SHERBINY: It handed in up-stair room, next door. One of my boys' rooms. Still, the impact upstairs is much more severe than down stairs.

BLITZER: Thank God no one was hurt.

SHERBINY: Thank you. Yes.

BLITZER: So, what happens now? Insurance pays for this?

SHERBINY: Insurance will take care of it. I must say, Travelers Insurance was good to me this last year. It has lasted longer than I had thought. It's been about ten months to restore it. I been there only two months. Before the third month was in, I been hit by the second tree.

BLITZER: What an amazing story. Thank God everybody is all right. You can always fix the property damage. Naiem Sherbiny, thanks for joining us. Coming in from Arlington, Virginia.

We have more news coming up, including a very, very bizarre development in the Kobe Bryant story. A body builder arrested in an undercover sting. What's his connection?

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's keep the kids safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A courtroom outburst in another high profile case. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Speaking out. The inmate accused of killing the former Catholic priest John Geoghan in court today. It happened when Joseph Druce pleaded not guilty to murder. Druce allegedly beat and strangled Geoghan in his jail cell last month. Geoghan was sentenced to prison for groping a 10-year-old boy and was accused of molesting nearly 150 boys over three decades. Druce is serving a life sentence for the 1988 murder of a gay man.

And the case involving the legendary recording producer Phil Spector is in the hands of the Los Angeles County district attorney. Sheriff's detectives have wrapped up their investigation of the fatal February shooting of a woman at Spector's home. Spector was arrested for investigation of murder. He's free on $1 million bail. No decision on charges expected until next week.

And there's been a bizarre, very bizarre twist in the whole Kobe Bryant case. Los Angeles Sheriff's officers have arrested a Swiss bodybuilder they say offered to kill the woman accusing Bryant of sexual assault in exchange for $3 million.

Let's get the latest. CNN's Charles Feldman standing by live in Los Angeles -- Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a strange one indeed.

Here's the story, according to police. Patrick Graber, who originally comes from Switzerland -- they say he is living in the U.S. illegally because, they say, his visa expired. He wrote a letter, apparently, a few weeks ago to Kobe Bryant saying that for $3 million he would kill the young woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by Kobe Bryant. Well, Bryant's security people turned around, notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The FBI got involved.

Before you knew it, there was a sting operation complete with video and audiotape. And yesterday, when Patrick Graber showed up in the parking lot of a supermarket here in Southern California, he was met by some 35 law enforcement agents.

Now he claimed that he was part of the Russian mob. No proof that that's the case. He claimed that others were going to participate in the scheme. So they are looking now, authorities are, for possible other suspects -- Wolf.

BLITZER: A very bizarre story. CNN's Charles Feldman, as unusual, on the story from Los Angeles. Charles, thanks very much.

And our hot "Web Question of the Day" is this -- we've been asking you this question -- "Do you think Hurricane Isabel was worse than expected or not as bad as feared?" Vote now, cnn.com/wolf. We will give you the result immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Remember, we've been asking you whether you thought Hurricane Isabel was worst than expected or not as bad as feared. Look at this -- 11 percent say it was worse; 89 percent say not as bad. Remember, this is not -- repeat not -- a scientific poll.

Let's get to some of your e-mail. We've been flooded with reaction to our coverage of Hurricane -- of this hurricane.

Stefano writes this , "Reporting form the field during a hurricane is self-serving propaganda for reporters seeking attention and career advancement. It is dangerous, absurd, and it does not serve any purpose other than self aggrandizement. This kind of reporting is on equal footing with silly and glamorous reality TV shows."

Yet we got this reaction from Don, "Everyone at CNN is to be commended for the jobs they have done. There is no way to know how many lives have been saved or injuries prevented because they were there, giving us real time information. Those of us watching for the storm had time to prepare, thanks to their sacrifices and professionalism, and we thank them.

A reminder, we're on everyday -- weekday that is -- 5 p.m. Eastern. We're also on noon Eastern, Monday through Friday.

Stay tuned. This Sunday, on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk, among my guests, the former secretary of state Madeleine Albright.

Have a great weekend.

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 - 17:00   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Isabel is now history. The damage has been done but the dangers remain very real right now. As we feared, it was indeed a killer.
Stand by for hard news on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): After Isabel from the Outer Banks to Baltimore shocking scenes of towns and cities under water, in northern Virginia not a drop to drink without boiling it (UNINTELLIGIBLE), millions without power across seven states all along this trail of death and destruction. The recovery begins.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're all good neighbors. We'll all chip in and get everybody back on their feet.

BLITZER: Defeat and defiance, a top Saddam aide surrenders but diehards fight on.

And Kobe Bryant gets an offer of help from a would-be hit man.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: CNN live this hour, WOLF BLITZER REPORTS, live from the nation's capital with correspondents from around the world. WOLF BLITZER REPORTS starts now.

BLITZER: It's Friday, September 19, 2003. Hello from Washington, I'm Wolf Blitzer reporting.

The storm is moving on but the devastating effects continue to linger up and down the Atlantic seaboard in the Mid Atlantic states.

In Baltimore right now flooding from the surging waters of the Chesapeake Bay, several feet of water inundated an historic neighborhood there. Some people had to be rescued by boat. Residents say they've never seen anything like this.

A similar scene in the state capital, Annapolis where the U.S. Naval Academy had to cancel classes because of flooding, people had to use boats simply to get around. Some just walked but officials warn the water may be unsafe because of raw sewage.

And, along the Virginia coast a bird's eye look at the damage caused by Isabel, boats tossed aground by high winds and pounding waves. In all, at least 18 deaths are being blamed on Isabel, eight in Virginia, three in North Carolina, three in Maryland and one each in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, and Rhode Island.

We have reporters standing by in North Carolina, in Maryland, in Virginia, but we begin in Baltimore where streets have become canals and a city has become submerged.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER (voice-over): Famous waterfronts with more water than they need. In Baltimore's inner harbor and historic Fells Point neighborhood residents woke up with water at their doorsteps and beyond. They'd gone to bed before high tide. Then after the storm surge many were trapped. Dozens had to be rescued by boat. Others braved hip deep currents over several blocks to make it to dry ground.

MAYOR MARTIN O'MALLEY, BALTIMORE, MARYLAND: I don't know where a flooding historian is but it's certainly deeper than any of the pictures that we saw from years past.

BLITZER: Downtown Baltimore streets with their trademark row houses turned into canals. In Fells Point, a maze of 18th and 19th century homes and markets put in serious danger by the flooding.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Our basement just filled, filled completely. We carried all the furniture. It's a historic house museum. We had to carry all of the furniture up to the third floor and it happened so quickly. I think that was the thing that really caught us by surprise.

BLITZER: Elsewhere in the Baltimore area, boats became dangerous objects on what was dry land.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It broke loose from its mooring and it actually wiped out the power in the area.

BLITZER: City fire and rescue officials said water levels in Baltimore were receding as of this afternoon and the governor tried to put it all in perspective.

GOV. ROBERT ERLICH (R), MARYLAND: Nobody wants to hear this who does not have access to their home right now but in relative terms the folks in North Carolina and Virginia got hit harder than we did.

BLITZER: But where the governor lives plenty of hardship, the storm surge pushing flood tides into the historic streets of Annapolis, Maryland. Rising water sent sailboats into streets. Isabel's winds had already ripped roofs off buildings.

More than a million Maryland residents lost their power. Some 3,000 moved to shelters. Those who fended for themselves, like these people in Wheaton, Maryland, lining up for dry ice realized all too clearly this recovery will take time.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Let's get a firsthand analysis right now, an eyewitness account of what's happening in Baltimore. CNN's Bill Pressard is joining us live now. Bill, people there say they haven't seen anything like this in a long time. Give us your impression.

Wolf, the residents that I've talked to say they haven't seen a storm like this in decades. As you can see, I'm standing in water. When I first got here the water was about a foot and a half deep and many portions of this historic neighborhood are still under water.

This is a neighborhood that's known for its historic buildings, its shops, its businesses and, of course, things that might have been destroyed that can't be replaced by this storm.

Now the people have a very lengthy cleanup to deal with over the next few days and, in fact, many people in Baltimore City as well as in the surrounding counties are still without power at this hour and they'll be trying to do that cleanup by candlelight - Wolf.

BLITZER: Do they say how long it's going to take approximately to get this cleanup done?

PRESSARD: You know they are saying that they're running into a lot of problems because remember the crews couldn't hit the streets and hit the various roads where the lines were down until the wind subsided so they had to wait. Now they are saying "an extended period." They're not being specific as to when all of the electricity will be restored. It could be a while.

BLITZER: CNN's Bill Pressard on the scene for us in a wet and soggy Baltimore. Thanks Bill very much.

And let's get a little analysis now, a little reporting on what has happened over these past 24 hours in North Carolina.

CNN's Brian Cabell is joining us now live from Kitty Hawk. That's in North Carolina an area that has been hit very hard - Brian.

BRIAN CABELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, no winds today, no serious winds from Isabel at all. As you can see it's a gorgeous day. Instead what we're dealing with here in the Outer Banks are what Isabel left over, namely flooding, businesses flooding, houses flooding, people having trouble getting from one end to the other. This is Highway 158 which leads out of the Outer Banks, very difficult to pass right now.

A number of problems that people have to deal with, number one, transportation, number two power outages, they are still scattered throughout. Number three, for those who left the Outer Banks they can't get back in. They won't let them back in. And, number four, you've got a curfew, 24 hour curfew. No one is allowed to leave home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL (voice-over): Sunrise over Kill Devil Hills on North Carolina's Outer Banks deceptively quiet shores, a far cry from a scene just hours before. Federal Emergency Management officials say the Outer Banks took the brunt of Hurricane Isabel's fury and her 105 mile-per-hour winds. On Nag's Head, a turbulent surf took out a 540- foot pier.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I bring the dogs out here in the morning. We go pier to pier and when we came out yesterday afternoon and saw that this pier is gone it was, you know, a little sad.

CABELL: Significant damage is reported at Hatteras Village. Ocean surge has reportedly breached the road and cut off Hatteras Island. Curfews are in place for people who stayed behind on the Outer Banks. For those people now it's merely a matter of coping and waiting.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've been playing games and cards, hide and go seek, whatever you do just to keep yourself entertained. Right now my children are watching with me and we're doing some filming for my husband who's over in Kosovo with the International Police Force to let him know what's going on here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing fine, got plenty of food, plenty of water and stuff just, I don't know, getting bored sitting in the house.

CABELL: Isabel left countless downed trees and heavy flooding on coastal Carolina. At times more than a half million lost power and hundreds of thousands are still without electricity.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABELL: The official death toll now three in North Carolina. Damage assessment that's still underway. We don't have a dollar figure on that. The traffic you're seeing here is supposed to be official traffic, emergency traffic. This is a policeman, for example.

We have utility vehicles that have come through on a regular basis as well but, again, there are a number of people here, Wolf, who are out who should not be out. The media are all right but there are a number of other people out simply as sightseers at this point - Wolf.

BLITZER: Brian what that police officer in that police car are doing right now, driving through that water, generally not good advice for average people.

CABELL: No.

BLITZER: That could be pretty dangerous. Give us a little tour of the area if you can so we get a perspective of how deep this water is and how widespread the devastation is.

CABELL: All right, well to give you a sense this is Highway 158 in the middle here. We got about three feet of water. You cross over there you got a shopping center over there and then about 200 yards beyond that, Wolf, you have the Atlantic Ocean.

What happened here, this is not rain water for the most part. This is actually water that came from the sea. It breached the dunes about 200 yards away. It settled in here into a depression and we're told this happens on a fairly regular basis but never this bad.

It settles into a depression. There's really no place for it to go. It either has to be pumped out, which would take a considerable amount of effort or it will evaporate and that could take a matter of days.

We were told there was a Halloween Day flood several years ago, about ten years ago. They said it took three or four days for that water to finally disappear and that will be a problem. When they finally do allow people back in here into the Outer Banks they're going to have to come by here.

This has gone down I'd say maybe six inches since we've been here and that's been about six hours, so it's going to take a while.

BLITZER: Did most people leave or did most people stay in Kitty Hawk where you are, Brian?

CABELL: It's interesting. Initially we thought about 90 percent left but then we talked to the emergency management people and they said no. When this was downgraded to a category two they figure at least 50 percent of the residents, and there's about 30,000 residents here, they figure about 50 percent of them actually stayed.

And I'll tell you right now talking to the people who have stayed they're glad they stayed because those who left, they are now five miles away waiting at a bridge hoping to come back and they can't get back in.

The earliest they'll find out whether they can come back in would be noon tomorrow. They will have a reassessment at that point for a curfew and whether to allow reentry. There's a good chance they may not be able to come back for another couple days. We simply don't know at this point.

BLITZER: CNN's Brian Cabell on the scene for us in North Carolina, Brian thanks very much.

Let's check out what the damage has been in Virginia over the past day since Hurricane Isabel came ashore. At least nine people we're told in Virginia have been killed.

CNN's Kris Osborn is in the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Richmond - Kris.

KRIS OSBORN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Wolf.

Well, emergency officials here in Richmond, Virginia say they are just now beginning to put together formal damage assessment teams where state and federal officials essentially will go out and survey the damage. They have spent the time up until this point very busy with what they call critical lifesaving functions, bringing generators to hospitals and performing what they call swift water rescues and, of course, along with all of this a whole lot of cleanup.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

OSBORN (voice-over): A day of cleanup in Virginia after what the governor calls the worst storm to hit the state in at least a generation, across the Old Dominion, countless trees downed by winds as high as 70 miles per hour. In Arlington, a close call for one man nearly crushed to death in his own home.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When we got here we found a tree approximately four foot in diameter. It had pinned a gentleman who was in bed from the waist down. He was pretty severely pinned. It took us about an hour and a half to extricate him.

OSBORN: In nearby Alexandria, Isabel's storm surge sends the Potomac River pouring over its banks. Closer to the coast more evidence of Isabel's fury. Planes damaged even flipped outside down, buildings with part of the roof missing and everywhere trees and power lines down, at one point more than one and a half million Virginians without electricity. The governor says people should prepare for the long haul.

GOV. MARK WARNER (D), VIRGINIA: Well, with this broad a power outages, and we're literally talking about even more people than customers when you add that all together, it will be a number of days.

OSBORN: But on this day life for some in Virginia returns to normal and others roll up their sleeves and get to work.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's a lot of property damage, a lot of property damage, but we're all good neighbors. We'll all chip in and get everybody back on their feet.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

OSBORN: Well, Wolf, of course along with all these fallen trees there is damage less visible to the eye, human damage, and of course economic damage. Many officials here at the Emergency Operations Center talk about Hurricane Floyd, 1999, and say that cost the state of Virginia $254 million and there are some estimates or indications you might say this could be even more - Wolf.

BLITZER: Kris, give us a little sense of the destruction in the area where you are right now.

OSBORN: Absolutely, Wolf, and I believe Danny can give you a look around as well. He can show you this tree here really is sort of a visual emblem you might say of what we've seen throughout much of the day on highways, on major roadways.

Not only are there trees that look almost split in half like a toothpick in this incident but in other areas you see downed power lines. You see little pools of water by the street, of course, saturated with very frustrated passengers, travelers saying I just want to get back to my house.

In places like Virginia Beach many families we saw on the road, the highway, it was basically a standing still parking lot, Wolf, and a lot of these families are saying I have no idea what kind of condition my house is in.

And, as you can see here, this is a main park in downtown Richmond. It's virtually just littered with debris. This at this point after so much cleanup has already taken place, so a lot of work ahead - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Kris Osborn in Richmond, thanks Kris very much.

Similar scenes underway right here in the nation's capital as well and more on that. That's coming up.

Let's go back to Baltimore right now. Parts of Baltimore, the historic area along the waterfront looking very much like Venice right now. Only within the past few minutes the mayor of Baltimore Martin O'Malley described what's going on.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this as far as you've been advised the end of it in terms of the next high tide, et cetera?

O'MALLEY: I sure hope so but you know what (UNINTELLIGIBLE) I was advised that it wasn't going to go higher than high tide last night so sometimes the experts can be wrong and Mother Nature can, in fact, surprise us. I would hope that this is the end of the flooding.

We're moving from this being primarily a flood, you know, rescue and flood mitigation effort led by our fire department and now it's something that BGE is taking the lead on in terms of the power restoration and we're supporting them and the Department of Public Works is taking the lead on in terms of getting the debris out of Fells Point and helping people get the debris now out of their basements.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: Baltimore's Mayor Martin O'Malley on the destruction of physical property. The area is under water right now in Baltimore, Maryland about 60 miles or so from where we are in the nation's capital.

No surprise states of emergency have been declared in several states up and down the Atlantic seaboard, states that took a direct hit from this hurricane, Hurricane Isabel. Some of those states only got a glancing blow.

They include though some of the states that didn't get a glancing blow got some severe destruction, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, West Virginia got his somewhat, Delaware did as well, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. In addition, President Bush has signed an emergency disaster declaration covering the hardest hit areas. That would be in North Carolina and Virginia.

Here's your turn to weigh in on this story. Our web question of the day is this. "Was this hurricane, Hurricane Isabel, worse than you expected, not as bad as you feared"? We'll have the results later in this broadcast but you can vote right now, cnn.com/wolf.

And, while you're there, I'd love to hear directly from you. Send me your comments. I'll try to read some of them on the air each day at the end of this program. That's also, of course, where you can read my daily online column, cnn.com/wolf.

Much more on the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel coming up, also other news.

We're following important news, lots of news going on elsewhere around the country and around the world.

The California recall, for example, that election is on hold but that could, could change. Our Bob Franken has the latest on California's total recall.

And explosions in Iraq, who's behind the latest bombs and gunfire and who's turned himself in? Word of a key surrender today, our Nic Robertson will join us live on that.

And later, a new and very bizarre twist in the Kobe Bryant case was the alleged victim the target of another crime? All that coming up, stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Kobe Bryant's accuser was she the victim of another possible crime? There's been a strange, very bizarre twist in this story, California police acting today that and much more coming up on WOLF BLITZER REPORTS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Much more on Hurricane Isabel and the aftermath coming up.

But there's been a significant development today in the California recall election. As always, we turn to our Bob Franken. He's in Los Angeles. He has details - Bob.

BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you recall, Wolf, that the three judge panel on Monday had ordered that the election could be postponed. That was put on hold. Now an 11 judge panel of the same court has decided to hear the case. That's called an en banc panel and it is a panel that is consisting of eight Democrats and three Republicans.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN (voice-over): The simple fact is that the judges on the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals are Democrats by a nearly two-to-one margin. It's easy to see why this appeals court is reversed as much or more than any other in the country.

DAN LOWENSTEIN, UCLA LAW PROFESSOR: I don't think there's any great mystery to it. The majority of judges on this court are much more liberal than the majority of judges on other circuit courts and more liberal than the majority of judges on the Supreme Court.

FRANKEN: And, in fact, the court has created quite an uproar with its ruling that schools in this region must eliminate the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance. That decision is on hold while the Supreme Court decides what to do with it.

In this case, all three judges who ruled the election should be postponed were Democrats. Now, the expanded panel is eight Democrat, three Republican, all but the chief judge chosen by lottery.

University of Southern California law professor Erwin Chemerinsky is an adviser to the anti-recall legal team but he agrees with the other side that whichever party loses will head straight to the highest court.

ERWIN CHEMERINSKY, USC LAW PROFESSOR: Justice O'Connor could grant that review or deny that review or what I think is most likely forward that request to the entire court to decide whether to hear the matter or whether they'll let the Ninth Circuit decision stand.

FRANKEN: The Ninth Circuit is huge, the biggest. It's responsible for nine western states as well as Guam and the Mariana Islands, responsible for no less than 56 million people.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FRANKEN: As a matter of fact there's a movement afoot in Congress to split the court up, California, Arizona and Nevada in one circuit, the rest of them in another one.

Now, the interesting thing is, is that Al Gore, the Vice President, former Vice President is in the state campaigning for Gray Davis right now. You see him live in San Francisco.

The irony is, is that just about all the legal precedent that is cited in this case involves the election that Al Gore lost to George W. Bush after the Supreme Court decision, the Gore v. Bush decision.

The hearing is on Monday, 1:00 p.m. local time, 4:00 Eastern time, at the courthouse in San Francisco. The election by that time will just be two weeks away - Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Bob Franken in Los Angeles, thanks Bob very much.

Let's get back to our top story. Baltimore right now, parts of that beautiful city under water right now. Let's bring in the mayor of Baltimore, Martin O'Malley, who's just received an update on what's going on. How bad is the situation in Baltimore, Mr. Mayor?

O'MALLEY (via telephone): Well, not as bad as it was a few hours ago, Wolf. The waters have receded. The resilient people of Baltimore and Fells Point in particular are pumping each other out and we have an army of public works trucks that have gone into the hardest hit area.

There's a lot of people who - any belongings they had in the basement is just bulk trash. We have hundreds of vehicles that were totaled when this water came up in an unexpected and somewhat unprecedented way and really flooded out some large swaths of our city, probably about a 40 square block area around Fells Point and also areas around the inner harbor. You couldn't tell where the promenade ended and where the harbor began for a while this morning.

BLITZER: Mr. Mayor was this a surprise to your community? Everyone, of course, knew Hurricane Isabel was on the way but were people in Baltimore ready for this?

O'MALLEY: Yes, we had prepared as if the hurricane was actually going to be coming to us. That way, you know, we prepared for the worst scenario. We also had already called, you know, we had gone to such extent as calling the dialysis patients and people that are dependent on home life support systems to make sure they had batteries.

So, we were prepared for it. The thing that threw us for a bit of a loop was that it was our understanding from some of the weather experts that the high water mark was to have been at high tide last night at 2:00 a.m. but the wind shifted in such a way and drove the water up the bay, I can only assume, and really clobbered us when we were thinking that we were through the worst of it.

But we were able, fortunately the flooding was confined to the tidal areas. We did not get hit with heavy rains so we were able to pre-deploy all of our fire and rescue apparatus to the Fells Point area and, you know, the very fact that there hasn't been a single casualty directly related to the flooding in Baltimore I think is a testament to the terrific job our first responders did, not only in responding to this but in preparing in advance.

BLITZER: Only within the past few minutes, Mr. Mayor, the president, President Bush has declared Maryland a federal disaster area just like Virginia and North Carolina. Presumably that's very good news for you, federal assistance on the way. How important is this?

O'MALLEY: Oh, it's very, very important, Wolf. You know to have that sort of support for our first responders, you know, they're not twiddling their thumbs or waiting to see whether the funding is coming through. They're in there helping their neighbors and to have that support from Washington at a time like this is very critically important and we're very appreciative of it.

BLITZER: The mayor of Baltimore. He's got his hands full but hopefully it will only be a few more days before you can get back to business as usual. Mr. Mayor, Martin O'Malley, thanks very much for joining us.

O'MALLEY: Thanks, Wolf.

BLITZER: Good luck to everyone in Baltimore.

One by one they wind up in U.S. hands. We'll take a close look what's going on in Iraq when we come back. Another Iraqi official in U.S. custody but can he lead U.S. troops to the big guy, Saddam Hussein himself?

And, a world of water in the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel.

Later, new information about the woman found dead in the home of music producer Phil Spector. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: This is a residential area in Arlington, Virginia, just across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. Look at this. This tree went down -- smash -- right into this home. Unfortunately, this is not an extraordinary picture. We've been seeing images like this throughout the greater Washington, D.C. area, in Northern Virginia, the District Of Columbia, as well as in suburban Maryland. Much more on this coming up shortly.

But let's go to Iraq right now, where there were scenes of defiance earlier today from Saddam Hussein loyalists. But there was also a capture of one of those loyalists, a dramatic development. And right in Baghdad, there were explosions that were set off by someone.

Let's go to CNN's Nic Robertson. He's joining us now live from the Iraqi capital -- Nic.

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, those explosions going off a couple hours after nightfall. Unusual. We don't often get those here in the center of Baghdad. A few people received minor injuries in one of the explosions. The other explosion, not clear exactly what happened there at this time.

Also, earlier in the day, the surrender of Iraq's former defense minister, General Sultan Hashim Ahmed (ph), turning himself over after a period of negotiation to coalition troop,s wanting dignity and respect. He received a handshake and a salute from General Patreas (ph), the commander of the 101st Airborne when he surrendered to coalition forces in Mosul in the north of Iraq.

And in Tikrit, Saddam Hussein's hometown, 55 Iraqis taken into detention by the 4th Infantry Division there today. That following the death of three soldiers on Thursday night, two wounded when a multiple operation under way in Tikrit to capture people the coalition believes are attacking them went perhaps partially wrong. Those soldiers dying in that particular incident. And late today in Baghdad, another convoy attacked, coalition yet to confirm how much casualties in that convoy -- Wolf.

BLITZER: CNN's Nic Robertson in Baghdad with the latest. Nic, thanks very much.

Much more news coming up here this hour, including more on the aftermath of Hurricane Isabel. Coastal areas of North Carolina devastated by Isabel. Just ahead, our Jeanne Meserve will take us through a helicopter tour she got of that region.

And some residents escaped the devastation. Their neighbors, however, don't. I'll speak live with the owner of this house. You won't believe the story he tells.

And just when you got the Kobe Bryant case could not get stranger, this suspect allegedly offered to kill someone connected to the case. This is a bizarre story. It's coming up straight ahead.

Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: You're looking at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Devastation there. A lot of property damage, a lot of destruction as a result of Hurricane Isabel. We're going to get a closer look. That's coming up.

First, though, let's check the latest headlines.

(NEWSBREAK)

BLITZER: No matter how you look at it or where you look at it, the devastation is serious. It is very, very impressive.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve got a firsthand look. She flew over the devastation herself earlier today. She's on the ground now in Virginia Beach. She's joining us live -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, it was a rare opportunity to fly with the Coast Guard over a big section of the affected area. We went around Hampton Roads and then down the Virginia and North Carolina coasts as far as Hatteras. It was clear that Hatteras really got a pounding in this storm. We saw a lot of buildings pulverized. There were even a few roofs in the water. There was a lot of flooding. We could see damages to pier.

There's just one road that leads down to Hatteras. It snakes down the entire Outer Banks. And it was submerged in two places, not far from the town, effectively isolating it.

Now, as I said, we did not see the whole storm area. The coast guard has been sending up other helicopters and fixed wing aircraft to get the big picture. And they've assembled that at the Coast Guard air station in Elizabeth City.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. ROD ANSLEY, U.S. COAST GUARD: Other than the Outer Banks area, Cape Lookout and north, we're hearing people say that this area, Elizabeth City, and the swathe that came through here looks as bad as any place they've seen.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: Now, when we flew over the Hampton Roads area, we did see an awful lot of trees down, we saw some flooding, we saw a couple of barges that had been pushed up on the shore. We also saw an awful lot of utility trucks driving around, clearly trying to restore the power that is still out in much of this region.

But by and large, we were surprised at how little damage we could see from the air. The Independent Insurance Association is estimating the damage from this storm at about $2 billion, a relatively modest amount when compared with Hurricane Andrew, which did an estimated $16 billion in damage.

Wolf, back to you.

BLITZER: Thanks very much, Jeanne Meserve, reporting live from Virginia Beach. Took a tour over the skies of this devastated areas.

Let's get a little bit more now on how the Carolina coast is coping, cleaning up right now. CNN's Gary Tuchman joining us live from North Harlowe.

What are you seeing where you are, Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, some of the most extensive in the entire state of North Carolina has occurred on one small block 10 miles from the ocean, right behind us here in Craven County. You can see there's police cars blocking the area, telling the public and the media to stay away for now, they say for safety reasons.

But we were allowed to go back there a couple of hours ago, and we were quite startled by what we saw -- not because we saw destruction, but because we saw so much destruction in such a small area. Dozens of homes have major damage, and at least six homes completely destroyed. What happened was these homes sit by the Noose River, a very picturesque area. People who live in the area say the Noose Rivers started generating waves, 8 foot to 10 foot waves started slamming the homes, the homes started degrading. And after a couple hours, homes completely collapsed. No one was killed or injured. There was six to eight feet of water that disappeared after a few hours, because people here say when the eye passed over and they got the back end of the hurricane, the wind switched directions and all the water was sucked back into the Noose River.

Now the North Carolina U.S. Senator Elizabeth Dole was back there a couple of hours ago visiting with residents who lost their homes. She met with a very unpretentious man, a man who would give his shirt off his back to anybody because we talked with him too, literally, in this case. His name is Brooks Stalneker (ph). He lost his house. He and his wife said they said they survived two hurricanes in 1999 with some damage. Thought if there was another hurricane they would leave. Now they've lost a house and they said they will indeed leave this area. We didn't see any other damage driving from the beach to here. Just minor damage with some trees and a couple of power lines. And here, in one block, Wolf, we saw all these houses with damage or completely destroyed -- Wolf.

BLITZER: How tragic. Our heart goes out to all those people. Gary Tuchman, thanks for the report.

Let's get the bigger picture now and what the weather is about. Right now CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines is joining us from the CNN weather center. Brad, give us that big picture. What's happening?

BRAD HUFFINES, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Wolf, we have been talking about the flooding and the storm surge for days. We are showing you the -- what happened. We'll show you Annapolis video and showed you what happened in Annapolis, Maryland. And yes, we did, in fact see lots of flooding in and around Annapolis. You notice, this is the city dock area. Another storm surge hit, not just Baltimore, but Annapolis and that's why you see some destruction there to the property along the city dock area.

Now, let's show you some keyhole.com air photo. This is actual pictures from space. And this is the city dock area many of you are familiar with. We're going to back up a little bit and show you a little bit more perspective as to where the flooding came from. You notice that there is the U.S. Naval Academy on the point there. As we go that way, we're going to show you that where the storm came from was, of course, the water.

Notice all the low spots. Everywhere that you see the elevation just a bit lower, water came rushing in from the Chesapeake Bay and up into the lowest areas. As you might expect the water would do. The water does always collect in the lowest areas.

I'm going to give you perspective on the Chesapeake Bay and show you where the water came from and why it would be slow to leave. Water, of course, came up the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic Ocean and because of that, the water continues to cause problems right across the Chesapeake Bay. And because of that, it will be very, very slow to come out because of the fact that many rivers across portions of southern Virginia are emptying in the Chesapeake. So, it's going to be a while before the water can finally rush out.

Wolf, it is much like having a bathtub with a very small drain. That's what this is, a very small drain and a lot of water that has to come out. Wolf, it will be with us for quite a while.

BLITZER: CNN meteorologist Brad Huffines giving us a virtual tour of this devastation. Brad, thanks very much.

And as far as Hurricane Isabel is concerned, no one, no one was immune to disaster. You'll meet one man for whom this seen is a sad case of deja vu.

Also ahead, the man accused of killing a former priest convicted of child molestation says his peace. And the latest twist in the Kobe Bryant case, a possible plan against his accuser. We'll tell you who may have hatched it.

First, though, a quick look at some other news making headlines around the world.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLITZER: Slain leader's farewell. Swedish officials and dignitaries from around the world, gathered in Stockholm to honor assassinated foreign minister Anna Lindh. Lindh died after being stabbed in a Stockholm department store last week. A suspect is under arrest.

SARS test kits. Preparing for a possible new outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Hong Kong health officials have issued a new quick SARS test kit. They are being given to hospitals and the actual tests are free. About 300 people died of SARS in Hong Kong earlier this year.

Zambia ferry disaster. Divers are searching for bodies of 18 passengers who drowned in the crocodile infested Zambezi River. It happened when the truck they were in fell off the ferry. Six people survived.

WILLIAM CLINTON, FRM. PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I love this country.

BLITZER: Cheers for Clinton. Thousands of ethnic Albanians gave former president Bill Clinton a hero's welcome during a visit to Kosovo. He received an honorary degree from Pristina University.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians revere Clinton for leading the coalition that stopped a brutal crackdown on them by Serb forces for seeking independence four years ago.

Hog concert. Harley Davidson motorcycle owners in Berlin got together with a trumpet player to perform some roaring music. One of the organizers says the idea came up one night while drinking wine.

And that's our look around the world.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Welcome back. Here's an incredible story. A man surviving a tree falling on his house not once, but twice. Naiem Sherbiny is joining us now. He lives in Arlington, Virginia, that's just outside Washington D.C. Naiem, thanks very much for joining us. Tell us what happened, first of all, the first time a tree went on your house.

NAIEM SHERBINY, ARLINGTON, VA HOMEOWNER: The first time was last year, August 5, at night. It was a similar storm. All of a sudden we heard a fantastic noise. Before we knew it, the whole house was in shambles. BLITZER: Now, we're showing our viewers pictures of what happened last night, the second time. Exactly, what happened last night?

SHERBINY: Well, last night, because of what happened last year, I decided to sleep downstairs just in case anything may happen. And sure enough, around midnight I heard a thump. That thump was the tree that was in front that has already been trimmed. There were two other trees that were less healthy that I took down in October last year. So I thought this one was beautiful, but it has been trimmed. Still, it fell.

BLITZER: What would have happened if you would have been upstairs sleeping upstairs where you normally sleep?

SHERBINY: I would have been spooked. I would not have been hurt. I would have been spooked.

BLITZER: The tree actually landed in which room?

SHERBINY: It handed in up-stair room, next door. One of my boys' rooms. Still, the impact upstairs is much more severe than down stairs.

BLITZER: Thank God no one was hurt.

SHERBINY: Thank you. Yes.

BLITZER: So, what happens now? Insurance pays for this?

SHERBINY: Insurance will take care of it. I must say, Travelers Insurance was good to me this last year. It has lasted longer than I had thought. It's been about ten months to restore it. I been there only two months. Before the third month was in, I been hit by the second tree.

BLITZER: What an amazing story. Thank God everybody is all right. You can always fix the property damage. Naiem Sherbiny, thanks for joining us. Coming in from Arlington, Virginia.

We have more news coming up, including a very, very bizarre development in the Kobe Bryant story. A body builder arrested in an undercover sting. What's his connection?

Plus...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's keep the kids safe.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLITZER: A courtroom outburst in another high profile case. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BLITZER: Speaking out. The inmate accused of killing the former Catholic priest John Geoghan in court today. It happened when Joseph Druce pleaded not guilty to murder. Druce allegedly beat and strangled Geoghan in his jail cell last month. Geoghan was sentenced to prison for groping a 10-year-old boy and was accused of molesting nearly 150 boys over three decades. Druce is serving a life sentence for the 1988 murder of a gay man.

And the case involving the legendary recording producer Phil Spector is in the hands of the Los Angeles County district attorney. Sheriff's detectives have wrapped up their investigation of the fatal February shooting of a woman at Spector's home. Spector was arrested for investigation of murder. He's free on $1 million bail. No decision on charges expected until next week.

And there's been a bizarre, very bizarre twist in the whole Kobe Bryant case. Los Angeles Sheriff's officers have arrested a Swiss bodybuilder they say offered to kill the woman accusing Bryant of sexual assault in exchange for $3 million.

Let's get the latest. CNN's Charles Feldman standing by live in Los Angeles -- Charles.

CHARLES FELDMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, a strange one indeed.

Here's the story, according to police. Patrick Graber, who originally comes from Switzerland -- they say he is living in the U.S. illegally because, they say, his visa expired. He wrote a letter, apparently, a few weeks ago to Kobe Bryant saying that for $3 million he would kill the young woman who claims she was sexually assaulted by Kobe Bryant. Well, Bryant's security people turned around, notified the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The FBI got involved.

Before you knew it, there was a sting operation complete with video and audiotape. And yesterday, when Patrick Graber showed up in the parking lot of a supermarket here in Southern California, he was met by some 35 law enforcement agents.

Now he claimed that he was part of the Russian mob. No proof that that's the case. He claimed that others were going to participate in the scheme. So they are looking now, authorities are, for possible other suspects -- Wolf.

BLITZER: A very bizarre story. CNN's Charles Feldman, as unusual, on the story from Los Angeles. Charles, thanks very much.

And our hot "Web Question of the Day" is this -- we've been asking you this question -- "Do you think Hurricane Isabel was worse than expected or not as bad as feared?" Vote now, cnn.com/wolf. We will give you the result immediately when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Here's how you're weighing in on our "Web Question of the Day." Remember, we've been asking you whether you thought Hurricane Isabel was worst than expected or not as bad as feared. Look at this -- 11 percent say it was worse; 89 percent say not as bad. Remember, this is not -- repeat not -- a scientific poll.

Let's get to some of your e-mail. We've been flooded with reaction to our coverage of Hurricane -- of this hurricane.

Stefano writes this , "Reporting form the field during a hurricane is self-serving propaganda for reporters seeking attention and career advancement. It is dangerous, absurd, and it does not serve any purpose other than self aggrandizement. This kind of reporting is on equal footing with silly and glamorous reality TV shows."

Yet we got this reaction from Don, "Everyone at CNN is to be commended for the jobs they have done. There is no way to know how many lives have been saved or injuries prevented because they were there, giving us real time information. Those of us watching for the storm had time to prepare, thanks to their sacrifices and professionalism, and we thank them.

A reminder, we're on everyday -- weekday that is -- 5 p.m. Eastern. We're also on noon Eastern, Monday through Friday.

Stay tuned. This Sunday, on "LATE EDITION," the last word in Sunday talk, among my guests, the former secretary of state Madeleine Albright.

Have a great weekend.

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