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American Morning
Florida Reeling from Hurricane Jeanne; Health Issues for Hurricane Victims; Candidates Gearing Up for Debates; Health & Suburban Sprawl
Aired September 27, 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.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Half past the 8:00 hour now here on AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. I'm sitting in for Bill. And we're going to get back to Hurricane Jeanne in just a couple of minutes. It's a storm that's following a similar track to Frances. Remember that one, three weeks ago, in fact? Very similar. And now, people there are doubly vulnerable to the number of dangers.
We're going to talk to Florida's secretary of health about some of the biggest risks for Floridians.
COLLINS: Yes, looking at some of those airplanes tossed around on the runways there. Unbelievable.
SANCHEZ: Category 3.
COLLINS: Yes. Could living in suburbs actually be killing you? Well, Sanjay Gupta is going to be with us in a few minutes, looking at a new study outlining some serious health risks that may come with suburban sprawl.
SANCHEZ: But before we do that, let's check in with some of the stories making news right now. Carol Costello is standing by at the CNN Center. That's the first time I get to toss to you.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it was fabulous. Thank you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.
Here in Georgia, hundreds of travelers still stranded after Hurricane Jeanne pounds the south. Strong winds and floods have caused dozens of flights to be either delayed or canceled. These images -- these pictures just in to CNN. Those poor people! Travelers waiting for things to return to normal. We'll have much more on Hurricane Jeanne coming up.
Pakistani forces have increased security around consulates and government offices after the killing of a suspected al Qaeda member. Pakistani police fear backlash for the death of Amjad Hussain Farooqi in a raid early Sunday. Farooqi was suspected of involvement in the death of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl and for several assassination attempts on Pakistan's president.
The Army is reportedly considering cutting the time troops spend in combat zones. Senior Army officials tell "The New York Times" they are considering shortening the 12-month tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sources say it could be a way of boosting recruitment and troop retention rates, but the Army tells CNN this is just a consideration and nothing has been decided yet.
Now, the controversy surrounding gymnast Paul Hamm and his Olympic gold medal, not over yet. Right now, sports' highest court is hearing an appeal from a South Korean gymnast who says he missed the gold due to a scoring error. It could take the court two weeks to decide whether the Men's Gymnastics All-Around rankings will be changed.
Back to you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, we're following that one. Had Paul Hamm here on the show, so it would be interesting to see what happens there.
COSTELLO: Poor Paul Hamm, though. He can't even enjoy the win, get those endorsement deals.
COLLINS: Yes, and that money. All right, Carol Costello, thanks. We'll talk to you in a moment.
Jeanne, as you know, now a tropical storm. It is sloughing its way through Georgia. But over the weekend in Florida, the storm brought another round of damage. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Destructive winds and intense rains have now been taking place for several hours here.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We just got some official confirmation now that Hurricane Jeanne has officially made landfall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lights you see beyond me now are from that hummer. And it's bobbling about. Look at this -- oh, my gosh!
DON GERMAISE, REPORTER: Yes, we're getting too much debris flowing by here. In fact, this is the definition of hunkering down, guys.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These may be the worst conditions I've seen during any of these four hurricanes over the last six weeks in Florida.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "360": The wind now -- I'm facing directly in the wind. And it's obviously very hard to stand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Obviously very hard to stand. Boy, that is the truth. Florida is the first state to be hit by four storms in one hurricane season since Texas more than 100 years ago. Just unbelievable.
With us this morning, Dr. John Agwunobi. He's Florida's secretary of health. He is joining us from the Hurricane Command Center in Tallahassee. Doctor, thanks for being here. And as we have been saying all morning long, seems like power is a big concern. But when you talk about health issues for people, what is the biggest concern?
DR. JOHN AGWUNOBI, FLORIDA SEC. OF HEALTH: Well, you know, in the days following a storm, there are a number of things that we see recurring after each of these storms. They include problems, for example, with flooding, where people get into water that is either standing or running. And they hurt themselves on debris that might be under the surface.
On occasion, that water can stagnate and become quite dangerous as it becomes infected with different germs and things. We're asking people to be very careful about how they go about the reconstruction process, the cleanup process.
Pace yourself. Drink lots of water. Avoid working at the peak hours of the sun. Also, related to generator use -- because of a lack of power, people tend to run their generators. And we would ask people to make sure they have them outdoors. Make sure they have them properly grounded so they don't get electrocuted. Carbon monoxide poisoning has been a significant problem with prior storms.
Lastly, I would urge people to be careful when they're climbing on the roofs, climbing up ladders, using power tools. We've had a lot of injuries.
COLLINS: Yes, so unstable as we look at some of the pictures of people's homes. Just really demolished there.
As you know, I'm sure, Doctor, President Bush has declared the state a disaster area. FEMA is now responding with the largest group of people in history, about 5,000 people out there trying to help. What sort of help is out there for people as far as their health is concerned?
AGWUNOBI: Well, actually, in general, I would urge people who have a need -- who have a -- need help to reach out to either the 1- 800-621-FEMA number. There's also a Florida Emergency Information Line, 1-800-342-3557. These are numbers that you can call if you need help. They'll put you in contact with the right source of information, with the right source of assistance.
FEMA is moving absolutely hundreds of truckloads of consumables, ice, water, food, shelter -- in the form of tarps and others -- into the communities even as we speak.
COLLINS: Let's talk if we could about some of the health issues, as far as mental state goes for these people. As we have been mentioning, this is the second time around now. A lot of people weren't even back up on their feet after Hurricane Frances and now they are hit again. What are you going to be dealing with in that regard?
AGWUNOBI: Yes, we're a very resilient state. We're neighborly. We support each other. But as a state, we faced four major hurricanes now. And as you can well imagine, there are many individuals out there who are feeling the strain, feeling the stress.
This would be a great time for people to come together as family units, as neighborhoods. If you haven't visited with the elderly gentlemen across the street since these storms passed by, this would be a great time to walk on over there, give him a hug, ask him how he's doing, reach out to your friends and family.
There are stress management and what we call crisis intervention teams that are going to be out in the communities for months, I imagine. We're going to be working in schools with children who have come out of these communities to make sure that they weather their storm. It is going to be quite a challenge.
COLLINS: Yes, we spoke earlier in Stuart, Florida -- really an area where the elderly have been hard hit. So, we appreciate those words of advice.
Dr. John Agwunobi, thank you so much once again.
AGWUNOBI: Thank you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Appreciate your time.
Rob Marciano is standing at the CNN Center now with the very latest weather update. Good morning to you, Rob. What's the very latest, as people look at that map behind you there?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: All right. Always good to end on a happier note there. Thanks so much, Rob Marciano -- Rick?
SANCHEZ: We're going to switch over to presidential politics.
Thirty-six days until Election Day, and the presidential candidates are gearing up for their first debate. It's going to take place Thursday, as you may know.
We have reports from both campaigns. Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House. Frank Buckley is in Spring Green, Wisconsin, with the Kerry campaign. We're going to begin with Frank, where Senator Kerry is due to attend a town hall-style meeting with voters.
Frank, last time he was in the scenario, he chose to hammer the president hard on Iraq. Do we expect that theme to continue this week?
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's been the ongoing theme, Rick, and expect to hear more of it today. Expect to hear it all the way right up through and including the debate. Debate prep, the main focus this week here in Wisconsin with just a few weeks to go before the election, everything matters, including the state in which you do your debate prep. In this case, it's the State of Wisconsin, a state that both sides want desperately to win.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is great to be back in Wisconsin again. Thank you.
BUCKLEY (voice-over): Senator John Kerry was in Wisconsin two days after President Bush campaigned here. Wisconsin, among the top tier of battleground states, is where Kerry will prepare over the next three days for his first face-to-face clash with the president.
KERRY: I can't think of a better place to come and prepare for this debate.
BUCKLEY: Kerry will huddle with advisors in rural Wisconsin at The House on the Rock Resort in Spring Green. The focus of Thursday's debate: foreign policy and homeland security. Senator Kerry expected to echo his recently sharpened criticism of President Bush on Iraq, in which Kerry has said the president is misleading voters with optimistic assessments.
KERRY: The president continues to live in a fantasy land of spin, and we -- George Bush owes the American people the truth.
BUCKLEY: Kerry aides believe the stepped-up criticism on Iraq is working, putting the president on the defensive as the candidates head into the debate. But the senator will also have to prepare for the president's criticism, as he portrays Kerry as inconsistent on Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): And the Bush campaign is not letting Senator Kerry have Wisconsin to himself while he campaigns -- while he preps for his debate here. Later today, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be in the same region of Wisconsin to campaign for President Bush -- Rick?
SANCHEZ: CNN's Frank Buckley reporting to us from Wisconsin. Thank you, Frank.
Now the president, for his part, is going to be making a couple of campaign stops in Ohio. For the latest on that, let's take you now to the White House. Suzanne Malveaux is following this part of the story.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good Morning, Rick.
Well, President Bush spent the whole weekend at his Crawford ranch. We're told that he is very comfortable, that he is quite casual about this and confident, as well, in his debating skills.
The president going through several different mock debate sessions while he was there. He has been at this, we are told, for three months now. Now, playing Senator Kerry, New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, as well as Mr. Bush's Media Advisor Mark McKinnon playing the moderator. Mr. Bush was fired with questions, also given time cues -- very much what you're going to see in Thursday's format.
Now, of course the focus is on Iraq policy. The polls still showing that President Bush -- really it is his strong suit. Plays well with the audience. But at the same time, the Bush campaign is also playing down his debating skills while they are playing up Senator Kerry's. That way, of course, the game of low expectations -- either way the debate goes, of course -- that being said, Bush will look like the winner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BARTLETT, W.H. COMMUNICATIONS DIR.: He was an all-star debater in his ivy league preparation in school. He has been in the Senate. That's where it's just the most robust body of where debate takes place on a daily basis.
So, he's a very skilled debater. President Bush, I'm sure, won't probably -- he'll probably stumble over a word here or there, but I think by the end people will know where he stands on the issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And of course, President Bush taking those issues to Ohio. Two stops today: one county where he lost by just 324 votes; the other county where he won by 40,000. This very reflective of the strategy now to try to pick up and win some of those undecided votes at the same time shoring up his base -- Rick?
SANCHEZ: All right, thanks a lot. Suzanne Malveaux, reporting to us from the White House. Thank you, Suzanne.
Interesting that Mr. Kerry has made a similar comment on the expectation game. He recently said, "The president has never lost a debate."
Watch AMERICAN MORNING as we get ready for Thursday's debate. Bill Hemmer is going to be in Miami Thursday morning. The debate is set for Thursday night at 9:00 Eastern.
COLLINS: And still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, investors are finding out whether Google lived up to the hype of its IPO. Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
SANCHEZ: Also, getting stuck in traffic on the way to work may be annoying, but it could also be hazardous to your health. We're "Paging Dr. Gupta." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rick Sanchez, and we are now "Paging Dr. Gupta." It's about a new study that links suburban sprawl -- now you ask yourself where do you live -- to a variety of chronic health problems.
Sanjay is joining us now from the CNN Center with the latest details. I guess the gist of this, Sanjay, is that you need to walk more. And if you live in the wrong place, you're probably not doing a lot of walking, right?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's basically it. And it's really no surprise where you live clearly matters.
For a long time, it was believed that people who lived in these sprawling suburban cities are not going to walk as more. So, they are more likely to be obese, more likely to be overweight. But now the study takes it a step further, finds that the driving, the air pollution, and the subsequent inactivity is related to about 14 different chronic health problems. Pretty significant.
Take a look at the list of some of them. Besides obesity, you're talking about things like high blood pressure, you're talking about digestive problems, chronic pain, breathing difficulties from the air pollution, as well. They also went on to say that living in a sprawling city could make you age four years faster than if you lived in a more compact one.
For those of you that don't -- aren't familiar with the term suburban sprawl specifically the way they defined it: areas that don't mix housing, shopping, and workplaces in the same area. People are forced to get out and drive, and they have a lot more inactivity, Rick.
SANCHEZ: So, if you live in a place like Atlanta, which is notorious for its suburban sprawl, as opposed to a place like New York, where a lot of people live in a confined area, this study is saying you're less apt to be healthy in Atlanta. Although in the past, we have seen studies that say, boy, living in a high-density area is bad for you, as well, isn't it?
GUPTA: I mean, you know, there's goods and bads to all sorts of different places. What this was specifically looking at was inactivity and air pollution, specifically.
We did our own mini experiment, Rick. It's funny you should mention those two areas. First of all, New York and Atlanta -- Atlanta person on the left; New York person on the right. They are making their commute to work.
Like most New Yorkers, our New Yorker takes the subway. Takes about 45 minutes for her five-mile commute door to door. Our Atlanta person, take a look, obviously on the road, a lot of time on the road until she gets to work.
We tallied their results at the end of their commute. Again, this is door to door -- New York on the right; Atlanta on the left. New York City person ultimately ended up taking 1,786 steps versus Atlanta 841 steps. That's 950 steps more, and that is a big deal. It's about 100 calories a day you can avoid by just walking about a thousand steps more, Rick.
SANCHEZ: There's something else, though, isn't there? You notice when you drive through the suburbs, you find more convenience stores. You find more fast food restaurants. And when you're in a city like New York, for example, or Chicago or L.A., you find more restaurants of the gourmet variety, if I can use that term.
Does that play into this, as well?
GUPTA: Well, you know, they didn't specifically talk about that, but clearly, you know -- we were just talking about trans-fats earlier -- you'll find a lot more of those fast food restaurants are going to focus on those trans-fats if you live in a suburban city. You're more likely to find a McDonald's than, as you say, a gourmet or a nicer restaurant. And that could certainly add to this, as well. No question, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thank you for answering the page, Doctor.
GUPTA: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Still to come, Jack has some required reading for the men running for president. The Candidates Book Club -- it's ahead on "The Cafferty File." This is AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COLLINS: Welcome back.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: One month after going public, the question is this: Was Google a good investment? Andy Serwer is here with the answer to that and some other things, "Minding Your Business" -- after we come off what was arguably an awful week for stocks. But September, I guess, is traditionally a tough month...
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It is. Yes, that's my question of the day, by the way.
CAFFERTY: What's that?
SERWER: Was Google a good stock? See, I get a question of the day once in a while.
CAFFERTY: There you go.
SERWER: All right, let's check out last week. As Jack mentioned, not a good one: Dow down 237 points. Higher oil prices to blame here. And you can see -- you know, we started the year, Jack, at 10,500. And we are in jeopardy of going below 10,000 again.
Futures are weak this morning -- again because of higher oil prices. End of the quarter is on Thursday, and then we'll head in October, which is another bad month for the stock market. Hey, we've got all kinds of good news.
CAFFERTY: That's great.
SERWER: Let's talk about Google, because a lot of people were wondering about this company when it went public and suggesting that the stock might be full of air and might be plummeting back down to earth. Not at all the case. This stock is over 40 percent -- let's ogle Google.
CAFFERTY: You know when to buy this stock is after the lock-up expires and everybody bails out on all those shares they got when it was first issued.
SERWER: You are so right. The lock-up -- the big lock-up is over in the middle of February. That's the six-month lock-up. And insiders will be allowed to sell at that point. And it would be very, very likely that the stock would go down after that.
CAFFERTY: They'll be leaving that stock like viewers leave the f-word network.
SERWER: Well said. Well put.
A lot of Internet stocks have been up over the past couple of weeks, and this is no exception to that. So, that's one reason why it's been up.
Industrials have been down because the price of oil's up. So, tech stocks have been up, including Internet stock. So, anyway...
CAFFERTY: I got it.
SERWER: We'll leave it at that. You're welcome.
CAFFERTY: Hey, Ted? If you're listening -- and it's set for the top of the next hour -- find that video of that airplane, will you, that crashed at that airshow? Because I want to make reference to it in about 30 seconds.
A group of 2,700 Book of the Month club members have cast their votes on which books the presidential candidates ought to be reading. It was a poll by Bookspan. It asked eight of the largest book clubs about required reading for the presidential hopefuls, Mr. Bush and Kerry.
Number one choice, as you might expect, The Holy Bible. The recommendations for both candidates include Senator McCain's "Why Courage Matters" and Walter Isaacson's "Benjamin Franklin." Isaacson used to be the big boss man here at CNN.
SERWER: Yes, we're still saying good things about him.
CAFFERTY: Yes, he's a good guy. I like him.
Recommendation for Bush, Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them." Al works for Air America, which is doing about as well as this guy at the airshow. We have the tape? We don't have the tape.
SERWER: I see where you were going.
CAFFERTY: Here's Air America, in a manner of speaking.
COLLINS: Everybody was OK, we should say.
SERWER: That was a metaphor, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Nobody -- that's immaterial.
Finally, the recommendation for John Kerry, Sean Hannity's "Deliver Us From Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Nepotism, and Liberalism: Mr. Hannity works up the street at the aforementioned f-word network.
And we came across -- you know those motivational posters that assistant vice presidents are assigned to go hang in the breakrooms and the coffee lounges of corporations all over the country. Most of them really do suck. So, we found some we like much better.
Beginning with this -- Ambition: The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly. Planning: Much work remains to be done before we can announce our total failure to make any progress. Meetings: None of us is as dumb as all of us. Flattery: If you want to get to the top, prepare to kiss a lot of the bottom. And Dream: Dreams are like rainbows, only idiots chase them.
These posters are made by a company called Despair, Inc. There's a whole lot of others, but we didn't want to depress you too much.
SERWER: Mission statement, right?
SANCHEZ: Wow, you're really on today.
CAFFERTY: Yeah? We do this every day, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Oh, sorry.
CAFFERTY: Every day, man. It just goes on and on.
SERWER: Get used to us.
CAFFERTY: Never ends. It just, you know...
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- four hurricanes in just six weeks. It is time to pick up the pieces from Jeanne now. The latest on the aftermath, here on AMERICAN MORNING.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 27, 2004 - 08:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Half past the 8:00 hour now here on AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Heidi Collins, in for Soledad.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Rick Sanchez. I'm sitting in for Bill. And we're going to get back to Hurricane Jeanne in just a couple of minutes. It's a storm that's following a similar track to Frances. Remember that one, three weeks ago, in fact? Very similar. And now, people there are doubly vulnerable to the number of dangers.
We're going to talk to Florida's secretary of health about some of the biggest risks for Floridians.
COLLINS: Yes, looking at some of those airplanes tossed around on the runways there. Unbelievable.
SANCHEZ: Category 3.
COLLINS: Yes. Could living in suburbs actually be killing you? Well, Sanjay Gupta is going to be with us in a few minutes, looking at a new study outlining some serious health risks that may come with suburban sprawl.
SANCHEZ: But before we do that, let's check in with some of the stories making news right now. Carol Costello is standing by at the CNN Center. That's the first time I get to toss to you.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Well, it was fabulous. Thank you, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thank you, Carol.
COSTELLO: Good morning, everyone.
Here in Georgia, hundreds of travelers still stranded after Hurricane Jeanne pounds the south. Strong winds and floods have caused dozens of flights to be either delayed or canceled. These images -- these pictures just in to CNN. Those poor people! Travelers waiting for things to return to normal. We'll have much more on Hurricane Jeanne coming up.
Pakistani forces have increased security around consulates and government offices after the killing of a suspected al Qaeda member. Pakistani police fear backlash for the death of Amjad Hussain Farooqi in a raid early Sunday. Farooqi was suspected of involvement in the death of "Wall Street Journal" reporter Daniel Pearl and for several assassination attempts on Pakistan's president.
The Army is reportedly considering cutting the time troops spend in combat zones. Senior Army officials tell "The New York Times" they are considering shortening the 12-month tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Sources say it could be a way of boosting recruitment and troop retention rates, but the Army tells CNN this is just a consideration and nothing has been decided yet.
Now, the controversy surrounding gymnast Paul Hamm and his Olympic gold medal, not over yet. Right now, sports' highest court is hearing an appeal from a South Korean gymnast who says he missed the gold due to a scoring error. It could take the court two weeks to decide whether the Men's Gymnastics All-Around rankings will be changed.
Back to you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Yes, we're following that one. Had Paul Hamm here on the show, so it would be interesting to see what happens there.
COSTELLO: Poor Paul Hamm, though. He can't even enjoy the win, get those endorsement deals.
COLLINS: Yes, and that money. All right, Carol Costello, thanks. We'll talk to you in a moment.
Jeanne, as you know, now a tropical storm. It is sloughing its way through Georgia. But over the weekend in Florida, the storm brought another round of damage. Here's a look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Destructive winds and intense rains have now been taking place for several hours here.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We just got some official confirmation now that Hurricane Jeanne has officially made landfall.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The lights you see beyond me now are from that hummer. And it's bobbling about. Look at this -- oh, my gosh!
DON GERMAISE, REPORTER: Yes, we're getting too much debris flowing by here. In fact, this is the definition of hunkering down, guys.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: These may be the worst conditions I've seen during any of these four hurricanes over the last six weeks in Florida.
ANDERSON COOPER, HOST, "360": The wind now -- I'm facing directly in the wind. And it's obviously very hard to stand.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COLLINS: Obviously very hard to stand. Boy, that is the truth. Florida is the first state to be hit by four storms in one hurricane season since Texas more than 100 years ago. Just unbelievable.
With us this morning, Dr. John Agwunobi. He's Florida's secretary of health. He is joining us from the Hurricane Command Center in Tallahassee. Doctor, thanks for being here. And as we have been saying all morning long, seems like power is a big concern. But when you talk about health issues for people, what is the biggest concern?
DR. JOHN AGWUNOBI, FLORIDA SEC. OF HEALTH: Well, you know, in the days following a storm, there are a number of things that we see recurring after each of these storms. They include problems, for example, with flooding, where people get into water that is either standing or running. And they hurt themselves on debris that might be under the surface.
On occasion, that water can stagnate and become quite dangerous as it becomes infected with different germs and things. We're asking people to be very careful about how they go about the reconstruction process, the cleanup process.
Pace yourself. Drink lots of water. Avoid working at the peak hours of the sun. Also, related to generator use -- because of a lack of power, people tend to run their generators. And we would ask people to make sure they have them outdoors. Make sure they have them properly grounded so they don't get electrocuted. Carbon monoxide poisoning has been a significant problem with prior storms.
Lastly, I would urge people to be careful when they're climbing on the roofs, climbing up ladders, using power tools. We've had a lot of injuries.
COLLINS: Yes, so unstable as we look at some of the pictures of people's homes. Just really demolished there.
As you know, I'm sure, Doctor, President Bush has declared the state a disaster area. FEMA is now responding with the largest group of people in history, about 5,000 people out there trying to help. What sort of help is out there for people as far as their health is concerned?
AGWUNOBI: Well, actually, in general, I would urge people who have a need -- who have a -- need help to reach out to either the 1- 800-621-FEMA number. There's also a Florida Emergency Information Line, 1-800-342-3557. These are numbers that you can call if you need help. They'll put you in contact with the right source of information, with the right source of assistance.
FEMA is moving absolutely hundreds of truckloads of consumables, ice, water, food, shelter -- in the form of tarps and others -- into the communities even as we speak.
COLLINS: Let's talk if we could about some of the health issues, as far as mental state goes for these people. As we have been mentioning, this is the second time around now. A lot of people weren't even back up on their feet after Hurricane Frances and now they are hit again. What are you going to be dealing with in that regard?
AGWUNOBI: Yes, we're a very resilient state. We're neighborly. We support each other. But as a state, we faced four major hurricanes now. And as you can well imagine, there are many individuals out there who are feeling the strain, feeling the stress.
This would be a great time for people to come together as family units, as neighborhoods. If you haven't visited with the elderly gentlemen across the street since these storms passed by, this would be a great time to walk on over there, give him a hug, ask him how he's doing, reach out to your friends and family.
There are stress management and what we call crisis intervention teams that are going to be out in the communities for months, I imagine. We're going to be working in schools with children who have come out of these communities to make sure that they weather their storm. It is going to be quite a challenge.
COLLINS: Yes, we spoke earlier in Stuart, Florida -- really an area where the elderly have been hard hit. So, we appreciate those words of advice.
Dr. John Agwunobi, thank you so much once again.
AGWUNOBI: Thank you, Heidi.
COLLINS: Appreciate your time.
Rob Marciano is standing at the CNN Center now with the very latest weather update. Good morning to you, Rob. What's the very latest, as people look at that map behind you there?
(WEATHER REPORT)
COLLINS: All right. Always good to end on a happier note there. Thanks so much, Rob Marciano -- Rick?
SANCHEZ: We're going to switch over to presidential politics.
Thirty-six days until Election Day, and the presidential candidates are gearing up for their first debate. It's going to take place Thursday, as you may know.
We have reports from both campaigns. Suzanne Malveaux is live at the White House. Frank Buckley is in Spring Green, Wisconsin, with the Kerry campaign. We're going to begin with Frank, where Senator Kerry is due to attend a town hall-style meeting with voters.
Frank, last time he was in the scenario, he chose to hammer the president hard on Iraq. Do we expect that theme to continue this week?
FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's been the ongoing theme, Rick, and expect to hear more of it today. Expect to hear it all the way right up through and including the debate. Debate prep, the main focus this week here in Wisconsin with just a few weeks to go before the election, everything matters, including the state in which you do your debate prep. In this case, it's the State of Wisconsin, a state that both sides want desperately to win.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is great to be back in Wisconsin again. Thank you.
BUCKLEY (voice-over): Senator John Kerry was in Wisconsin two days after President Bush campaigned here. Wisconsin, among the top tier of battleground states, is where Kerry will prepare over the next three days for his first face-to-face clash with the president.
KERRY: I can't think of a better place to come and prepare for this debate.
BUCKLEY: Kerry will huddle with advisors in rural Wisconsin at The House on the Rock Resort in Spring Green. The focus of Thursday's debate: foreign policy and homeland security. Senator Kerry expected to echo his recently sharpened criticism of President Bush on Iraq, in which Kerry has said the president is misleading voters with optimistic assessments.
KERRY: The president continues to live in a fantasy land of spin, and we -- George Bush owes the American people the truth.
BUCKLEY: Kerry aides believe the stepped-up criticism on Iraq is working, putting the president on the defensive as the candidates head into the debate. But the senator will also have to prepare for the president's criticism, as he portrays Kerry as inconsistent on Iraq.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(on camera): And the Bush campaign is not letting Senator Kerry have Wisconsin to himself while he campaigns -- while he preps for his debate here. Later today, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani will be in the same region of Wisconsin to campaign for President Bush -- Rick?
SANCHEZ: CNN's Frank Buckley reporting to us from Wisconsin. Thank you, Frank.
Now the president, for his part, is going to be making a couple of campaign stops in Ohio. For the latest on that, let's take you now to the White House. Suzanne Malveaux is following this part of the story.
Good morning, Suzanne.
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good Morning, Rick.
Well, President Bush spent the whole weekend at his Crawford ranch. We're told that he is very comfortable, that he is quite casual about this and confident, as well, in his debating skills.
The president going through several different mock debate sessions while he was there. He has been at this, we are told, for three months now. Now, playing Senator Kerry, New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg, as well as Mr. Bush's Media Advisor Mark McKinnon playing the moderator. Mr. Bush was fired with questions, also given time cues -- very much what you're going to see in Thursday's format.
Now, of course the focus is on Iraq policy. The polls still showing that President Bush -- really it is his strong suit. Plays well with the audience. But at the same time, the Bush campaign is also playing down his debating skills while they are playing up Senator Kerry's. That way, of course, the game of low expectations -- either way the debate goes, of course -- that being said, Bush will look like the winner.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAN BARTLETT, W.H. COMMUNICATIONS DIR.: He was an all-star debater in his ivy league preparation in school. He has been in the Senate. That's where it's just the most robust body of where debate takes place on a daily basis.
So, he's a very skilled debater. President Bush, I'm sure, won't probably -- he'll probably stumble over a word here or there, but I think by the end people will know where he stands on the issues.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MALVEAUX: And of course, President Bush taking those issues to Ohio. Two stops today: one county where he lost by just 324 votes; the other county where he won by 40,000. This very reflective of the strategy now to try to pick up and win some of those undecided votes at the same time shoring up his base -- Rick?
SANCHEZ: All right, thanks a lot. Suzanne Malveaux, reporting to us from the White House. Thank you, Suzanne.
Interesting that Mr. Kerry has made a similar comment on the expectation game. He recently said, "The president has never lost a debate."
Watch AMERICAN MORNING as we get ready for Thursday's debate. Bill Hemmer is going to be in Miami Thursday morning. The debate is set for Thursday night at 9:00 Eastern.
COLLINS: And still to come on AMERICAN MORNING, investors are finding out whether Google lived up to the hype of its IPO. Andy Serwer, "Minding Your Business."
SANCHEZ: Also, getting stuck in traffic on the way to work may be annoying, but it could also be hazardous to your health. We're "Paging Dr. Gupta." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) SANCHEZ: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING. I'm Rick Sanchez, and we are now "Paging Dr. Gupta." It's about a new study that links suburban sprawl -- now you ask yourself where do you live -- to a variety of chronic health problems.
Sanjay is joining us now from the CNN Center with the latest details. I guess the gist of this, Sanjay, is that you need to walk more. And if you live in the wrong place, you're probably not doing a lot of walking, right?
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: That's basically it. And it's really no surprise where you live clearly matters.
For a long time, it was believed that people who lived in these sprawling suburban cities are not going to walk as more. So, they are more likely to be obese, more likely to be overweight. But now the study takes it a step further, finds that the driving, the air pollution, and the subsequent inactivity is related to about 14 different chronic health problems. Pretty significant.
Take a look at the list of some of them. Besides obesity, you're talking about things like high blood pressure, you're talking about digestive problems, chronic pain, breathing difficulties from the air pollution, as well. They also went on to say that living in a sprawling city could make you age four years faster than if you lived in a more compact one.
For those of you that don't -- aren't familiar with the term suburban sprawl specifically the way they defined it: areas that don't mix housing, shopping, and workplaces in the same area. People are forced to get out and drive, and they have a lot more inactivity, Rick.
SANCHEZ: So, if you live in a place like Atlanta, which is notorious for its suburban sprawl, as opposed to a place like New York, where a lot of people live in a confined area, this study is saying you're less apt to be healthy in Atlanta. Although in the past, we have seen studies that say, boy, living in a high-density area is bad for you, as well, isn't it?
GUPTA: I mean, you know, there's goods and bads to all sorts of different places. What this was specifically looking at was inactivity and air pollution, specifically.
We did our own mini experiment, Rick. It's funny you should mention those two areas. First of all, New York and Atlanta -- Atlanta person on the left; New York person on the right. They are making their commute to work.
Like most New Yorkers, our New Yorker takes the subway. Takes about 45 minutes for her five-mile commute door to door. Our Atlanta person, take a look, obviously on the road, a lot of time on the road until she gets to work.
We tallied their results at the end of their commute. Again, this is door to door -- New York on the right; Atlanta on the left. New York City person ultimately ended up taking 1,786 steps versus Atlanta 841 steps. That's 950 steps more, and that is a big deal. It's about 100 calories a day you can avoid by just walking about a thousand steps more, Rick.
SANCHEZ: There's something else, though, isn't there? You notice when you drive through the suburbs, you find more convenience stores. You find more fast food restaurants. And when you're in a city like New York, for example, or Chicago or L.A., you find more restaurants of the gourmet variety, if I can use that term.
Does that play into this, as well?
GUPTA: Well, you know, they didn't specifically talk about that, but clearly, you know -- we were just talking about trans-fats earlier -- you'll find a lot more of those fast food restaurants are going to focus on those trans-fats if you live in a suburban city. You're more likely to find a McDonald's than, as you say, a gourmet or a nicer restaurant. And that could certainly add to this, as well. No question, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Thank you for answering the page, Doctor.
GUPTA: Thank you.
SANCHEZ: Still to come, Jack has some required reading for the men running for president. The Candidates Book Club -- it's ahead on "The Cafferty File." This is AMERICAN MORNING.
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COLLINS: Welcome back.
JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: One month after going public, the question is this: Was Google a good investment? Andy Serwer is here with the answer to that and some other things, "Minding Your Business" -- after we come off what was arguably an awful week for stocks. But September, I guess, is traditionally a tough month...
ANDY SERWER, "FORTUNE" MAGAZINE: It is. Yes, that's my question of the day, by the way.
CAFFERTY: What's that?
SERWER: Was Google a good stock? See, I get a question of the day once in a while.
CAFFERTY: There you go.
SERWER: All right, let's check out last week. As Jack mentioned, not a good one: Dow down 237 points. Higher oil prices to blame here. And you can see -- you know, we started the year, Jack, at 10,500. And we are in jeopardy of going below 10,000 again.
Futures are weak this morning -- again because of higher oil prices. End of the quarter is on Thursday, and then we'll head in October, which is another bad month for the stock market. Hey, we've got all kinds of good news.
CAFFERTY: That's great.
SERWER: Let's talk about Google, because a lot of people were wondering about this company when it went public and suggesting that the stock might be full of air and might be plummeting back down to earth. Not at all the case. This stock is over 40 percent -- let's ogle Google.
CAFFERTY: You know when to buy this stock is after the lock-up expires and everybody bails out on all those shares they got when it was first issued.
SERWER: You are so right. The lock-up -- the big lock-up is over in the middle of February. That's the six-month lock-up. And insiders will be allowed to sell at that point. And it would be very, very likely that the stock would go down after that.
CAFFERTY: They'll be leaving that stock like viewers leave the f-word network.
SERWER: Well said. Well put.
A lot of Internet stocks have been up over the past couple of weeks, and this is no exception to that. So, that's one reason why it's been up.
Industrials have been down because the price of oil's up. So, tech stocks have been up, including Internet stock. So, anyway...
CAFFERTY: I got it.
SERWER: We'll leave it at that. You're welcome.
CAFFERTY: Hey, Ted? If you're listening -- and it's set for the top of the next hour -- find that video of that airplane, will you, that crashed at that airshow? Because I want to make reference to it in about 30 seconds.
A group of 2,700 Book of the Month club members have cast their votes on which books the presidential candidates ought to be reading. It was a poll by Bookspan. It asked eight of the largest book clubs about required reading for the presidential hopefuls, Mr. Bush and Kerry.
Number one choice, as you might expect, The Holy Bible. The recommendations for both candidates include Senator McCain's "Why Courage Matters" and Walter Isaacson's "Benjamin Franklin." Isaacson used to be the big boss man here at CNN.
SERWER: Yes, we're still saying good things about him.
CAFFERTY: Yes, he's a good guy. I like him.
Recommendation for Bush, Al Franken's "Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them." Al works for Air America, which is doing about as well as this guy at the airshow. We have the tape? We don't have the tape.
SERWER: I see where you were going.
CAFFERTY: Here's Air America, in a manner of speaking.
COLLINS: Everybody was OK, we should say.
SERWER: That was a metaphor, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Nobody -- that's immaterial.
Finally, the recommendation for John Kerry, Sean Hannity's "Deliver Us From Evil: Defeating Terrorism, Nepotism, and Liberalism: Mr. Hannity works up the street at the aforementioned f-word network.
And we came across -- you know those motivational posters that assistant vice presidents are assigned to go hang in the breakrooms and the coffee lounges of corporations all over the country. Most of them really do suck. So, we found some we like much better.
Beginning with this -- Ambition: The journey of a thousand miles sometimes ends very, very badly. Planning: Much work remains to be done before we can announce our total failure to make any progress. Meetings: None of us is as dumb as all of us. Flattery: If you want to get to the top, prepare to kiss a lot of the bottom. And Dream: Dreams are like rainbows, only idiots chase them.
These posters are made by a company called Despair, Inc. There's a whole lot of others, but we didn't want to depress you too much.
SERWER: Mission statement, right?
SANCHEZ: Wow, you're really on today.
CAFFERTY: Yeah? We do this every day, Rick.
SANCHEZ: Oh, sorry.
CAFFERTY: Every day, man. It just goes on and on.
SERWER: Get used to us.
CAFFERTY: Never ends. It just, you know...
SANCHEZ: Thank you.
COLLINS: Still to come this morning -- four hurricanes in just six weeks. It is time to pick up the pieces from Jeanne now. The latest on the aftermath, here on AMERICAN MORNING.
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