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American Morning
Ivan Heads Toward Gulf Coast; Candidates & Battleground States; How Hospitals Weather Storms; "Minding Your Business."
Aired September 15, 2004 - 08:30 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. Eight-thirty on the East Coast. It is 7:30 in the morning here in Mobile, Alabama. The winds are picking up, evident there by the flag blowing in the wind, but this is nothing compared to what we expect to get later in the day, perhaps six hours from now, maybe 12 hours from now, perhaps 18 hours away.
But still Ivan a powerful Category 4 storm. Winds at 140 miles an hour. The latest coordinates came out about 30 minutes ago; this storm has not weakened one bit overnight. Expected to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast between Grand Isle, Louisiana and Apalachicola, Florida in the east in the Panhandle.
That's an area about 300 miles long. And Ivan right now 180 miles out to sea southeast of New Orleans -- hurricane force winds extending 100 miles out from the eye. Tropical storm winds go 200 miles out from that -- so -- this is a monster yet again.
Evacuations well underway; coming in late last night we could see from our airplane up the highways going north out of Mobile, nothing but taillights. People going north and going west trying to get out of the way of this storm.
There are people who are sticking behind, but I could tell you based on what we saw in Frances in Florida just two weeks ago, many people leaving shared their concern about their own safety, but also that they stayed behind it makes their life downright miserable here.
No air-conditioning, no electricity, no hot food. Many times there was no gas at the gasoline stations. That's the hardships that many people have to deal with for weeks after a storm like this comes through. We're waiting for Ivan here in Mobile this morning. Back to Heidi Collins in New York, as well -- Heidi, good morning again.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, get out of dodge is what I say. Boy, it just doesn't sound like any fun at all. Thanks so much, Bill, for that.
Also this half hour, the latest on how Major League Baseball is responding to that brawl in Oakland -- we showed it to you yesterday, but right now, first we're going to check on the stories now in the news.
Spain's former prime minister will be called to testify about the train bombings last March. Pictures of the actual blast taken from security cameras were published in a Spanish newspaper yesterday. Jose Maria Aznar will testify to a commission investigating the attacks. The bombings took place just before national elections and may have cost the prime minister his job.
A Kentucky prison has been brought under control this morning after inmates set three buildings on fire last night. The state police don't know how the prisoners started the fires. No reported injuries but guards are checking to see if any of the 800 prisoners escaped.
California police have described for the first time the type of gun believed to have been used to kill two camp counselors last month. Authorities showed off a similar rifle yesterday. The killer used a Marlin 45-caliber rifle to murder Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall last month on a remote beach. The rifle is a type commonly used for hunting.
The National Hockey League's collective bargaining agreement expires at 12:01 Thursday morning. Team owners are expected to announce a lock out of the players when the league's board of governors conclude an afternoon meeting in New York. The two sides have not spoken since talks broke off last Thursday.
I hope they get that together. Like hockey.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: And a Category 4 hurricane. We saw that with Charley. Nonetheless, though, this is a monster right now, 140-mile-an-hour winds, sustained at that with gusts even going higher.
In the meantime, though, we have watched Ivan move its way across the Atlantic, strengthen along the way, cause enormous amounts of damage in places like Grenada, Jamaica, the Grand Caymans, and then the western part of Cuba.
More than 68 killed along the way. Cuba still reeling from that. Here's Lucia Newman now reporting for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The eye of Hurricane Ivan is long gone but not so its devastating effects. The sea continuing to flood Las Tunas, a small seaside village on the western tip of Cuba.
I'm speaking to you from the top of a large water tank or cistern here, which is just barely above water. In fact, the beach here in Las Tunas is completely gone, it's been swallowed by the ocean and the waves are now coming into the back door of most of the houses.
Residents were evacuated days in advance, unable to return now to pick up the pieces until the waters recede.
Not that Ivan's ruthless hurricane force winds and torrential rains caught people here off guard. As he hangs out his wet clothes to dry, Pedro Paulo Guerra counts his blessings. His house and his family having survived the hurricane.
PEDRO PAULO GUERRA, HURRICANE SURVIVOR (through translator): We were warned and prepared so much in advance that anyone caught by surprise had to do it on purpose, he says.
NEWMAN: But his neighbor, Yamilia Perez, says no one can prepare you enough for such a monstrous storm.
YAMILIA PEREZ, HURRICANE SURVIVOR (thorough translator): It was an enormous hurricane, she says, so much wind and water. We were afraid.
NEWMAN: Roads are still flooded. Electricity still out, and the damage to crops, especially western Cuba's famous tobacco, is still being estimated.
But perhaps because they were well prepared, or because the hurricane struck a relatively small portion of Cuba, there was not the loss of life witnessed on other Caribbean islands in Ivan's path.
But the people of western Cuba who were victims of Hurricane Charley just a month ago a sense of relief in the knowledge that it could have been a lot worse.
Lucia Newman, CNN, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: That is in Cuba. Now we await here live in Mobile, Alabama.
By the way, behind me -- and running northward here, is the Mobile River.
Late yesterday afternoon the Coast Guard, boat owners, yacht owners taking all their ships and water vessels up north into this river trying to get away from Ivan when the full fury of that storm comes on shore later tonight and into the early morning hours of Thursday.
We're watching and waiting live in Mobile. Much more in a moment here. Back to you in -- to you now in New York now, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Yes, watching and waiting. Boy, that's for sure. Bill Hemmer thanks so much for that.
Want to turn now to politics. Joining us from Washington this morning our resident debaters, Democratic strategist Victor Kamber with the Kamber Group. Vic, hello to you.
VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Hi, Heidi, how are you?
COLLINS: I'm great. And Cliff May, former RNC Communications Director now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracy. Cliff, good morning to you as well.
CLIFF MAY, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Good morning, Heidi, good morning Vic.
COLLINS: You know we've been looking at these battleground states and the polls there very, very closely here on AMERICAN MORNING. Right now, we can say that Kerry is ahead in Michigan by six or seven points or so. And Bush is ahead in Wisconsin by about eight points.
Cliff, what do you make of these newest polls? Do you think they're going to stick?
MAY: Well, what you have right now is a situation in which I think Senator Kerry has got the harder hand to play. He is behind in the polls, not by a huge amount, but by a significant amount more than the margin of error, generally speaking.
That means he needs to do one of two things. He needs to either change the debate, move it to a place where he benefits. Or when it comes to the actual debates, when they actually face each other, he needs to do it very well, probably needs a knockout punch.
The dynamics need to change for Kerry to get back ahead.
COLLINS: It's true, Vic, isn't it, that the margin of error at least in the other polls that we've seen all along has been -- made things even closer? It's just showing more of a gap now.
KAMBER: Well, I think what you're going to see is in the 10, 12, 15 states that are considered pivotal and marginal they're still going to fluctuate up and down and they are within the margin of error.
The -- where the gain for Bush has been and I don't mean to minimize it, has been in states like -- his own states like Texas, Utah -- where he's gained tremendously -- and in states -- Kerry states like California and New York where the lead has shrunk.
So, where Kerry was 17 points up in New York he's down to 12 or where he was 15 points up in California he's down to nine still leading. So, the -- why Bush's margins are as high as they are at this point, six, seven points speaks much more to the national picture but on a state by state basis you're going to get just what you got today.
One state for Kerry, one state for Bush, and until the debates, until this campaign is fully engaged, frankly, I think it's going to be close right up to the end.
COLLINS: So, you don't think it's anything different about Wisconsin then, which was won by Gore back in 2000 by 1 percentage point?
KAMBER: No, that's what I'm saying is I don't disagree with the poll that Bush is ahead there. All I'm saying is that I think three weeks ago Kerry was ahead or equal. I'm not sure I believe that that number won't change.
I think three weeks ago there -- the Bush people were claiming that they could win Michigan. I think they were within one point either up or down. I think Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, West Virginia -- all those what I call marginal states where the pivotal states you're going to see the kind of fluctuations that we're seeing. We're not going to see them in California, New York, Texas, Utah. I think those states are won or lost for the candidate of your choice.
COLLINS: All right, let's talk now a little bit more about the National Guard service, an issue that is still out there. There is in fact a video that the Democrats are running on the DNC Web site that talks about -- at least insinuates that the president did get help and did have some strings pulled in order to get him in to the National Guard during the Vietnam War of course.
It also includes a sound bite now from "60 Minutes" -- the whole discussion of the candidates Vietnam War record has been problematic for John Kerry then why are the Democrats, Vic, keeping it alive?
KAMBER: Well, I think -- one I give the credit to the Republicans for over the years having learned to use alternative media to make a threshold. This use of the Web site, use of this one issue when you're in a very close race you're looking to move very small margins of people.
Probably more people will watch this show today than will ever switch on the Web site and see that exact video or that thing whatever is going to be playing. But for those who do if you take the partisans on both sides aside you may move a few hundred people, a few thousand people and frankly if you take six, eight, ten issues like this and move people you have won the election. There is a credibility question about George Bush and the Republicans -- Democrats are trying to exploit it.
COLLINS: Why run it, then?
MAY: I think it is a big mistake. I really do. I think for the Democrats to continue to harp on what George Bush may or may not have done in the National Guard years ago, particularly with the whole scandal over whether CBS was using forged documents, even to keep the attention on Kerry's Vietnam service is just a terrible mistake.
They need to move on from that and move to other issues on which Kerry needs to be very clear and try to convince voters and I really think the Democrats and I'm not sure Vic disagrees with me here -- are making a big mistake by harping on this over and over again.
KAMBER: And I've said to Cliff that the big picture there's no question -- it's jobs, it's the economy, it's terrorism. But I'm saying on the marginal issues you need to keep hitting away.
MAY: This is not a marginal issue. They're making this a big issue.
COLLINS: We're going to have to leave it there, gentlemen. Cliff May and Victor Kamber. Thanks so much as always.
KAMBER: Thank you, Heidi. MAY: Thank you Heidi.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning a new product that virtually ensures you'll always have a working flashlight on hand. Andy is "Minding Your Business" on that, plus, people along the Gulf Coast bracing for Ivan but are they ready for a medical crisis when the storm hits? Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us how you can prepare ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: With Hurricane Ivan bearing down on the Gulf Coast now area hospitals are on high alert as you might imagine. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here now to tell us how hospitals weather a storm. So, what can you do at home, though to actually prepare for a weather emergency? Anything?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's lots of things you can do at home. We're going to talk about that.
You know we've seen lots of images now of communities being devastated by these hurricanes. The medical community gets devastated as well. Charley, we saw that.
Ten hospitals, actually, damaged severely to the point where they couldn't function as well. Patients needed to be evacuated, all that sort of thing and a lot of time they're moving them in Florida. In this case they actually moved patients from Florida to Alabama. As it turns out that may not have been a good decision, as we know now Heidi.
But hospitals first of all get prepared to try and take care of patients that might be coming to them and the way that they do that they have to think about power outages, things like that, so first of all they have supplies, generators, they have you know gas-run generators in case they lose electricity.
Extra shifts for staff, which is no fun. I mean, these staffers are actually embedding in hospitals, 36 hours at a time sometimes.
COLLINS: Yes, and then they get tired, too.
GUPTA: They get tired. But sometimes it's the only way they can stay in the hospital. DMAT teams come and provide them some relief, that's disaster management teams. And then some evacuations as well.
But the hospitals evacuating first of all.
COLLINS: Yes, medical services ready though?
GUPTA: You know it's interesting -- I think that they're probably as ready as they can be. But a couple of things to keep in mind.
You know I was down in Melbourne for the last one, Frances. And the ambulances don't run when it gets over 50 to 55 miles an hour. So, you're not going to see the EMS ambulances out there doing these heroic search and rescues...
COLLINS: Yes, and then when you have flooding in the streets, too, not smart for them to be going through...
GUPTA: Just can't get through. New Orleans, for example, most of the city is below sea level. So, their bigger concern is going to be flooding, as you mentioned. So, these sort of evacuation that takes place there will be moving people up and away from floodwaters.
COLLINS: All right so what about handling these emergencies at home?
GUPTA: A lot of people...
COLLINS: Can you actually get like a little kit together? We hear a lot about that.
GUPTA: You can and you know you know about this Minnesota with tornadoes -- it's the same sort of thing. First of all again you can't stress enough evacuation. Everyone is going to talk about evacuation. Get out of there if you can. But a lot of people can't for one reason or another.
So, there are various kits they can put together to try and ride you through the storm. Prescription drugs and medications; make sure you have enough of those. You're not going to be able to get to a pharmacy or a hospital for some time.
First aid kits; make sure they're fully stocked. Clean water -- you may not be able to get for some time. Towels, dry clean towels and blankets as well. The types of injuries that you see, you see people blown around, you see people being jostled around, they're going to break bones. That's a concern so you're going to have splints, things like that.
Lacerations, puncture wounds, stepping on nails. Shingles. Electrical injuries from power lines being down. And carbon monoxide poisoning -- it's worth mentioning because people run their generators in their homes. And you can develop carbon monoxide poisoning.
COLLINS: Right, unbelievably dangerous on top of everything that's already happened to them.
GUPTA: There's lots of phases to this. Be careful throughout all of them.
COLLINS: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Extra security on hand last night for the return of the Texas Rangers to play the Oakland A's. Ranger pitcher Frank Francisco was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after throwing a chair into the stands on Monday, breaking the nose of one of the fans. A lawyer for injured fan Jennifer Bueno says she wants Francisco prosecuted and that a civil suit is also likely. Major League Baseball has yet to say what type of punishment it will hand out.
You've seen that video -- never gets any better. Bill, back to you now in Mobile.
HEMMER: Better get a -- they're going to make a baseball card with a chair on it. Mark my words, that's the next marketing scheme.
Heidi thanks. Back here in a moment, you talked with Sanjay about the life saving tools that a lot of people employ, especially in the state of Florida.
You had Frances, before that you had Charley. In a moment, Andy is back "Minding Your Business" he has information on this. Back in a moment live in Mobile as well.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: One of the great soft drink makers out with an earnings warning and Andy has been doing a weeklong series on the wave of the future. Well the flashlight of the future is upon us.
He's here with that and some other stuff. A look at the markets and "Minding Your Business." Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you Jack. Thank you. Quick recap of yesterday, Dow was up three points on Tuesday. This follows a one-point gain on Monday.
Such a trend.
CAFFERTY: Such a rally.
SERWER: OK, the price of oil may be dropping this morning, that's good news. OPEC is meeting in Vienna. That's because Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Ahmad al-Sabah -- that's Kuwait's oil minister -- said they might increase production.
There will be a quiz on his name later.
Coca-Cola warning about earnings. The net stock is down about 3 percent in pre-market trading. And then on to -- that's your -- what is that, Jack?
CAFFERTY: That's Coca-Cola.
SERWER: That's Coke. Goodness gracious I couldn't -- OK. That's your Coca-Cola. Now on to the flashlight of the future, which is what you were alluding to before. This is really neat stuff and relevant perhaps to those about to feel the wrath of Hurricane Ivan.
A flashlight that takes any kind of batteries. You don't have to scramble for D batteries. That's right. It's very cool. You just flip a little switch. It takes double As, it takes Cs, it takes Ds. You just stick them in there. This flashlight costs between $10 and $13. Made by Energizer.
CAFFERTY: What if all battery-operated devices were made like that? Think of the joy that could come across the land.
SERWER: Yes, you know the battery makers might not like that. Of course, Energizer makes batteries.
CAFFERTY: Well that's true. They make -- yes.
SERWER: Their...
CAFFERTY: That's exactly what will happen. They'll come out with a flashlight that takes one size battery that will be universal and the battery manufacturers will be...
SERWER: Dead.
CAFFERTY: Screaming.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
COLLINS: All right. We send it back to Bill now in Mobile, Alabama. Hey, Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi. Listen I love the idea about the flashlight, too. I think it will save us all a major hassle down here. Listen, depending on how powerful this storm is when it hits there may be no amount of preparation that can save one city from catastrophe.
We'll talk about that ahead at the top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 15, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back, everyone. Eight-thirty on the East Coast. It is 7:30 in the morning here in Mobile, Alabama. The winds are picking up, evident there by the flag blowing in the wind, but this is nothing compared to what we expect to get later in the day, perhaps six hours from now, maybe 12 hours from now, perhaps 18 hours away.
But still Ivan a powerful Category 4 storm. Winds at 140 miles an hour. The latest coordinates came out about 30 minutes ago; this storm has not weakened one bit overnight. Expected to make landfall somewhere along the Gulf Coast between Grand Isle, Louisiana and Apalachicola, Florida in the east in the Panhandle.
That's an area about 300 miles long. And Ivan right now 180 miles out to sea southeast of New Orleans -- hurricane force winds extending 100 miles out from the eye. Tropical storm winds go 200 miles out from that -- so -- this is a monster yet again.
Evacuations well underway; coming in late last night we could see from our airplane up the highways going north out of Mobile, nothing but taillights. People going north and going west trying to get out of the way of this storm.
There are people who are sticking behind, but I could tell you based on what we saw in Frances in Florida just two weeks ago, many people leaving shared their concern about their own safety, but also that they stayed behind it makes their life downright miserable here.
No air-conditioning, no electricity, no hot food. Many times there was no gas at the gasoline stations. That's the hardships that many people have to deal with for weeks after a storm like this comes through. We're waiting for Ivan here in Mobile this morning. Back to Heidi Collins in New York, as well -- Heidi, good morning again.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: All right, get out of dodge is what I say. Boy, it just doesn't sound like any fun at all. Thanks so much, Bill, for that.
Also this half hour, the latest on how Major League Baseball is responding to that brawl in Oakland -- we showed it to you yesterday, but right now, first we're going to check on the stories now in the news.
Spain's former prime minister will be called to testify about the train bombings last March. Pictures of the actual blast taken from security cameras were published in a Spanish newspaper yesterday. Jose Maria Aznar will testify to a commission investigating the attacks. The bombings took place just before national elections and may have cost the prime minister his job.
A Kentucky prison has been brought under control this morning after inmates set three buildings on fire last night. The state police don't know how the prisoners started the fires. No reported injuries but guards are checking to see if any of the 800 prisoners escaped.
California police have described for the first time the type of gun believed to have been used to kill two camp counselors last month. Authorities showed off a similar rifle yesterday. The killer used a Marlin 45-caliber rifle to murder Jason Allen and Lindsay Cutshall last month on a remote beach. The rifle is a type commonly used for hunting.
The National Hockey League's collective bargaining agreement expires at 12:01 Thursday morning. Team owners are expected to announce a lock out of the players when the league's board of governors conclude an afternoon meeting in New York. The two sides have not spoken since talks broke off last Thursday.
I hope they get that together. Like hockey.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: And a Category 4 hurricane. We saw that with Charley. Nonetheless, though, this is a monster right now, 140-mile-an-hour winds, sustained at that with gusts even going higher.
In the meantime, though, we have watched Ivan move its way across the Atlantic, strengthen along the way, cause enormous amounts of damage in places like Grenada, Jamaica, the Grand Caymans, and then the western part of Cuba.
More than 68 killed along the way. Cuba still reeling from that. Here's Lucia Newman now reporting for us this morning.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
LUCIA NEWMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The eye of Hurricane Ivan is long gone but not so its devastating effects. The sea continuing to flood Las Tunas, a small seaside village on the western tip of Cuba.
I'm speaking to you from the top of a large water tank or cistern here, which is just barely above water. In fact, the beach here in Las Tunas is completely gone, it's been swallowed by the ocean and the waves are now coming into the back door of most of the houses.
Residents were evacuated days in advance, unable to return now to pick up the pieces until the waters recede.
Not that Ivan's ruthless hurricane force winds and torrential rains caught people here off guard. As he hangs out his wet clothes to dry, Pedro Paulo Guerra counts his blessings. His house and his family having survived the hurricane.
PEDRO PAULO GUERRA, HURRICANE SURVIVOR (through translator): We were warned and prepared so much in advance that anyone caught by surprise had to do it on purpose, he says.
NEWMAN: But his neighbor, Yamilia Perez, says no one can prepare you enough for such a monstrous storm.
YAMILIA PEREZ, HURRICANE SURVIVOR (thorough translator): It was an enormous hurricane, she says, so much wind and water. We were afraid.
NEWMAN: Roads are still flooded. Electricity still out, and the damage to crops, especially western Cuba's famous tobacco, is still being estimated.
But perhaps because they were well prepared, or because the hurricane struck a relatively small portion of Cuba, there was not the loss of life witnessed on other Caribbean islands in Ivan's path.
But the people of western Cuba who were victims of Hurricane Charley just a month ago a sense of relief in the knowledge that it could have been a lot worse.
Lucia Newman, CNN, Cuba.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HEMMER: That is in Cuba. Now we await here live in Mobile, Alabama.
By the way, behind me -- and running northward here, is the Mobile River.
Late yesterday afternoon the Coast Guard, boat owners, yacht owners taking all their ships and water vessels up north into this river trying to get away from Ivan when the full fury of that storm comes on shore later tonight and into the early morning hours of Thursday.
We're watching and waiting live in Mobile. Much more in a moment here. Back to you in -- to you now in New York now, Heidi Collins.
COLLINS: Yes, watching and waiting. Boy, that's for sure. Bill Hemmer thanks so much for that.
Want to turn now to politics. Joining us from Washington this morning our resident debaters, Democratic strategist Victor Kamber with the Kamber Group. Vic, hello to you.
VICTOR KAMBER, DEMOCRATIC STRATEGIST: Hi, Heidi, how are you?
COLLINS: I'm great. And Cliff May, former RNC Communications Director now with the Foundation for Defense of Democracy. Cliff, good morning to you as well.
CLIFF MAY, FOUNDATION FOR DEFENSE OF DEMOCRACIES: Good morning, Heidi, good morning Vic.
COLLINS: You know we've been looking at these battleground states and the polls there very, very closely here on AMERICAN MORNING. Right now, we can say that Kerry is ahead in Michigan by six or seven points or so. And Bush is ahead in Wisconsin by about eight points.
Cliff, what do you make of these newest polls? Do you think they're going to stick?
MAY: Well, what you have right now is a situation in which I think Senator Kerry has got the harder hand to play. He is behind in the polls, not by a huge amount, but by a significant amount more than the margin of error, generally speaking.
That means he needs to do one of two things. He needs to either change the debate, move it to a place where he benefits. Or when it comes to the actual debates, when they actually face each other, he needs to do it very well, probably needs a knockout punch.
The dynamics need to change for Kerry to get back ahead.
COLLINS: It's true, Vic, isn't it, that the margin of error at least in the other polls that we've seen all along has been -- made things even closer? It's just showing more of a gap now.
KAMBER: Well, I think what you're going to see is in the 10, 12, 15 states that are considered pivotal and marginal they're still going to fluctuate up and down and they are within the margin of error.
The -- where the gain for Bush has been and I don't mean to minimize it, has been in states like -- his own states like Texas, Utah -- where he's gained tremendously -- and in states -- Kerry states like California and New York where the lead has shrunk.
So, where Kerry was 17 points up in New York he's down to 12 or where he was 15 points up in California he's down to nine still leading. So, the -- why Bush's margins are as high as they are at this point, six, seven points speaks much more to the national picture but on a state by state basis you're going to get just what you got today.
One state for Kerry, one state for Bush, and until the debates, until this campaign is fully engaged, frankly, I think it's going to be close right up to the end.
COLLINS: So, you don't think it's anything different about Wisconsin then, which was won by Gore back in 2000 by 1 percentage point?
KAMBER: No, that's what I'm saying is I don't disagree with the poll that Bush is ahead there. All I'm saying is that I think three weeks ago Kerry was ahead or equal. I'm not sure I believe that that number won't change.
I think three weeks ago there -- the Bush people were claiming that they could win Michigan. I think they were within one point either up or down. I think Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida, West Virginia -- all those what I call marginal states where the pivotal states you're going to see the kind of fluctuations that we're seeing. We're not going to see them in California, New York, Texas, Utah. I think those states are won or lost for the candidate of your choice.
COLLINS: All right, let's talk now a little bit more about the National Guard service, an issue that is still out there. There is in fact a video that the Democrats are running on the DNC Web site that talks about -- at least insinuates that the president did get help and did have some strings pulled in order to get him in to the National Guard during the Vietnam War of course.
It also includes a sound bite now from "60 Minutes" -- the whole discussion of the candidates Vietnam War record has been problematic for John Kerry then why are the Democrats, Vic, keeping it alive?
KAMBER: Well, I think -- one I give the credit to the Republicans for over the years having learned to use alternative media to make a threshold. This use of the Web site, use of this one issue when you're in a very close race you're looking to move very small margins of people.
Probably more people will watch this show today than will ever switch on the Web site and see that exact video or that thing whatever is going to be playing. But for those who do if you take the partisans on both sides aside you may move a few hundred people, a few thousand people and frankly if you take six, eight, ten issues like this and move people you have won the election. There is a credibility question about George Bush and the Republicans -- Democrats are trying to exploit it.
COLLINS: Why run it, then?
MAY: I think it is a big mistake. I really do. I think for the Democrats to continue to harp on what George Bush may or may not have done in the National Guard years ago, particularly with the whole scandal over whether CBS was using forged documents, even to keep the attention on Kerry's Vietnam service is just a terrible mistake.
They need to move on from that and move to other issues on which Kerry needs to be very clear and try to convince voters and I really think the Democrats and I'm not sure Vic disagrees with me here -- are making a big mistake by harping on this over and over again.
KAMBER: And I've said to Cliff that the big picture there's no question -- it's jobs, it's the economy, it's terrorism. But I'm saying on the marginal issues you need to keep hitting away.
MAY: This is not a marginal issue. They're making this a big issue.
COLLINS: We're going to have to leave it there, gentlemen. Cliff May and Victor Kamber. Thanks so much as always.
KAMBER: Thank you, Heidi. MAY: Thank you Heidi.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning a new product that virtually ensures you'll always have a working flashlight on hand. Andy is "Minding Your Business" on that, plus, people along the Gulf Coast bracing for Ivan but are they ready for a medical crisis when the storm hits? Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us how you can prepare ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: With Hurricane Ivan bearing down on the Gulf Coast now area hospitals are on high alert as you might imagine. Dr. Sanjay Gupta is here now to tell us how hospitals weather a storm. So, what can you do at home, though to actually prepare for a weather emergency? Anything?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, there's lots of things you can do at home. We're going to talk about that.
You know we've seen lots of images now of communities being devastated by these hurricanes. The medical community gets devastated as well. Charley, we saw that.
Ten hospitals, actually, damaged severely to the point where they couldn't function as well. Patients needed to be evacuated, all that sort of thing and a lot of time they're moving them in Florida. In this case they actually moved patients from Florida to Alabama. As it turns out that may not have been a good decision, as we know now Heidi.
But hospitals first of all get prepared to try and take care of patients that might be coming to them and the way that they do that they have to think about power outages, things like that, so first of all they have supplies, generators, they have you know gas-run generators in case they lose electricity.
Extra shifts for staff, which is no fun. I mean, these staffers are actually embedding in hospitals, 36 hours at a time sometimes.
COLLINS: Yes, and then they get tired, too.
GUPTA: They get tired. But sometimes it's the only way they can stay in the hospital. DMAT teams come and provide them some relief, that's disaster management teams. And then some evacuations as well.
But the hospitals evacuating first of all.
COLLINS: Yes, medical services ready though?
GUPTA: You know it's interesting -- I think that they're probably as ready as they can be. But a couple of things to keep in mind.
You know I was down in Melbourne for the last one, Frances. And the ambulances don't run when it gets over 50 to 55 miles an hour. So, you're not going to see the EMS ambulances out there doing these heroic search and rescues...
COLLINS: Yes, and then when you have flooding in the streets, too, not smart for them to be going through...
GUPTA: Just can't get through. New Orleans, for example, most of the city is below sea level. So, their bigger concern is going to be flooding, as you mentioned. So, these sort of evacuation that takes place there will be moving people up and away from floodwaters.
COLLINS: All right so what about handling these emergencies at home?
GUPTA: A lot of people...
COLLINS: Can you actually get like a little kit together? We hear a lot about that.
GUPTA: You can and you know you know about this Minnesota with tornadoes -- it's the same sort of thing. First of all again you can't stress enough evacuation. Everyone is going to talk about evacuation. Get out of there if you can. But a lot of people can't for one reason or another.
So, there are various kits they can put together to try and ride you through the storm. Prescription drugs and medications; make sure you have enough of those. You're not going to be able to get to a pharmacy or a hospital for some time.
First aid kits; make sure they're fully stocked. Clean water -- you may not be able to get for some time. Towels, dry clean towels and blankets as well. The types of injuries that you see, you see people blown around, you see people being jostled around, they're going to break bones. That's a concern so you're going to have splints, things like that.
Lacerations, puncture wounds, stepping on nails. Shingles. Electrical injuries from power lines being down. And carbon monoxide poisoning -- it's worth mentioning because people run their generators in their homes. And you can develop carbon monoxide poisoning.
COLLINS: Right, unbelievably dangerous on top of everything that's already happened to them.
GUPTA: There's lots of phases to this. Be careful throughout all of them.
COLLINS: All right, Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks so much.
GUPTA: Thank you.
COLLINS: Extra security on hand last night for the return of the Texas Rangers to play the Oakland A's. Ranger pitcher Frank Francisco was arrested and charged with aggravated assault after throwing a chair into the stands on Monday, breaking the nose of one of the fans. A lawyer for injured fan Jennifer Bueno says she wants Francisco prosecuted and that a civil suit is also likely. Major League Baseball has yet to say what type of punishment it will hand out.
You've seen that video -- never gets any better. Bill, back to you now in Mobile.
HEMMER: Better get a -- they're going to make a baseball card with a chair on it. Mark my words, that's the next marketing scheme.
Heidi thanks. Back here in a moment, you talked with Sanjay about the life saving tools that a lot of people employ, especially in the state of Florida.
You had Frances, before that you had Charley. In a moment, Andy is back "Minding Your Business" he has information on this. Back in a moment live in Mobile as well.
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JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: One of the great soft drink makers out with an earnings warning and Andy has been doing a weeklong series on the wave of the future. Well the flashlight of the future is upon us.
He's here with that and some other stuff. A look at the markets and "Minding Your Business." Good morning.
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: Good morning to you Jack. Thank you. Quick recap of yesterday, Dow was up three points on Tuesday. This follows a one-point gain on Monday.
Such a trend.
CAFFERTY: Such a rally.
SERWER: OK, the price of oil may be dropping this morning, that's good news. OPEC is meeting in Vienna. That's because Sheikh Ahmad Fahad al-Ahmad al-Sabah -- that's Kuwait's oil minister -- said they might increase production.
There will be a quiz on his name later.
Coca-Cola warning about earnings. The net stock is down about 3 percent in pre-market trading. And then on to -- that's your -- what is that, Jack?
CAFFERTY: That's Coca-Cola.
SERWER: That's Coke. Goodness gracious I couldn't -- OK. That's your Coca-Cola. Now on to the flashlight of the future, which is what you were alluding to before. This is really neat stuff and relevant perhaps to those about to feel the wrath of Hurricane Ivan.
A flashlight that takes any kind of batteries. You don't have to scramble for D batteries. That's right. It's very cool. You just flip a little switch. It takes double As, it takes Cs, it takes Ds. You just stick them in there. This flashlight costs between $10 and $13. Made by Energizer.
CAFFERTY: What if all battery-operated devices were made like that? Think of the joy that could come across the land.
SERWER: Yes, you know the battery makers might not like that. Of course, Energizer makes batteries.
CAFFERTY: Well that's true. They make -- yes.
SERWER: Their...
CAFFERTY: That's exactly what will happen. They'll come out with a flashlight that takes one size battery that will be universal and the battery manufacturers will be...
SERWER: Dead.
CAFFERTY: Screaming.
SERWER: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Thanks, Andy.
SERWER: You're welcome.
COLLINS: All right. We send it back to Bill now in Mobile, Alabama. Hey, Bill.
HEMMER: All right, Heidi. Listen I love the idea about the flashlight, too. I think it will save us all a major hassle down here. Listen, depending on how powerful this storm is when it hits there may be no amount of preparation that can save one city from catastrophe.
We'll talk about that ahead at the top of the hour here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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