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American Morning
California Flooding; Southwest Wildfires; New Year's Diets
Aired January 02, 2006 - 09:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Soledad O'Brien. Wildfires rip across at least three southwestern states. Weary firefighters are doing everything they can to get the upper hand. We're live just ahead.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: And some newly-released secret documents which could change our view of history a little bit. Who was on Winston Churchill's hit list? We've got details on this AMERICAN MORNING.
First program of the new year. Good to have you with us. I'm Miles O'Brien.
Soledad, good to have you back.
S. O'BRIEN: And thank you very much. And Happy New Year.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, same to you.
S. O'BRIEN: Looking forward to '06, because '05 was a tough news cycle.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes. We can only go up.
S. O'BRIEN: Absolutely.
In fact, we're not starting off very well on that front. The top this story this hour, the heavy rains out West. Storms are pounding California, prompting fears of flooding and mudslides. Already tens of millions of dollars in damage.
We're covering all of the affected areas this morning. We've got Bob Franken. He's in San Anselmo, California. That's just north of San Francisco. Jen Rogers is in Santa Monica. And Sumi Das is in Truckee in the Sierra Nevada.
Let's begin in northern California with Bob.
Hey, Bob. Good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Behind me you will see a shop that had to be closed down, water damage, of course, which was significant. It's called Noodle Soup, and I thought for a moment it was the Noodle Shop. But no, this is a store that sells children's clothing. Around here they do a lot of cutesy things like that with names like that. But around here right now you have this. This is what was in Noodle Soup, and before business can resume this is going to have to be replaced.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice over): This normally quaint town in Marin County 20 miles north of San Francisco was suddenly transformed into a muddy mess after the rain-swollen San Anselmo Creek spilled over its banks.
SHAROL OLIVER, BUSINESS OWNER: The front door was pushed open about this much. That's how much force there was. It just -- it was a dead-bolted door, and it just forced the work (ph) in the door. So the water was really rushing hard here.
FRANKEN: Now as the muck retreats, business owners like Sharol Oliver have their work cut out for them.
In picturesque wine country in Napa and Sonoma counties, rivers overflowed five feet above flood stage. Officials estimate up to a thousand homes were damaged and countless businesses were destroyed.
CMDR. JIM PROVIDENZA: We have approximately 80 residents -- or businesses in the downtown area that suffered water damage. The floodwaters were over four feet high and, you know, went through the downtown, created a river next to the actual creek bed that runs behind the businesses.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN: Now, as far as the water is concerned, it left as quickly as it -- as it had come, Soledad. But, of course, it also left behind a mess like this -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, gosh. A huge mess. All right, Bob. Thanks for the update.
Southern California now. Same story there. Lots of rain already coming down. Fears of flooding, of course.
Jen Rogers in Santa Monica for us this morning.
Hey, Jen, how does it look?
JEN ROGERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Soledad, right now we are looking up north, up the coast here, Malibu, Santa Barbara, Ventura County. It looks like they might be taking the brunt of this storm. Up to eight inches of rain expected. That could be the high in Ventura County.
Here in Los Angeles County, maybe an inch and a half. What that is causing is trouble on the roads right now.
If you take a look, we're right by the Pacific Coast Highway. We've already seen one accident down here. Don't know exactly what caused it, but we do know from talking to the highway patrol, they say that accidents are about more than double of what they would be a week ago, basically, on a normal day.
Here you're also looking at -- basically the highway. And this is a cliff that on other storms has come out. Right now we're in no danger here, but with an inch and a half expected over a short period of time, mudslides and landslides are going to be an issue for the whole area here -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Of course because we're talking about southern California, big problem.
Jen Rogers for us this morning.
Jen, thanks for the update.
Let's go to the Sierra Nevada now and Sumi Das, who's near Lake Tahoe in the town of Truckee in California.
Hey, Sumi. How's it looking where you are?
Well, you might be able to hear the snow plows. So they're clearing away the snow that fell overnight. It feels like temperatures are still dropping here. It's getting quite chilly. And this morning we had to brush about three inches of snow off our car.
The National Weather Service forecast that rain and snow will continue throughout today in the Sierra. This storm comes on the heels of a very wet storm that caused a massive mudslide on Saturday afternoon -- excuse me, Saturday morning. And that -- six tractor trailer rigs, it was enormous, and it temporarily shut down Interstate 80 for a while.
Now, the good news is that earlier this morning I spoke to a California Highway Patrol officer and no major accidents have been caused as a result of this current storm that we're experiencing right now. That officer told me that many folks who were up here celebrating the holidays in the mountains actually left early Sunday morning because of the rain.
Of course, they missed out on this snow, but this isn't the kind of snow that drives skiers and boarders to make the mad dash for the slopes. It's rather wet snow. And I heard one local describe it as Sierra cement -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes. Not good.
All right. Sumi Das for us.
Sumi, thanks for the update there.
Sierra cement, that doesn't sound very good.
M. O'BRIEN: Good snowman snow. The kids probably like that.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, great snowman snow, bad skiing snow.
M. O'BRIEN: Yes, exactly.
Well, rain would be welcome in the Southwest this morning. Actually, even that Sierra cement would be fine, too. But unfortunately there's none of that in sight.
Dry conditions are fueling a series of wildfires in Texas. This particular grass fire is burning west of Dallas. It's a big one. It's already cut a 35-mile-long path.
A similar scene in Oklahoma. Thousands of acres charred there. As many as a dozen communities still being threatened by these fast- moving fires and all the conditions that are making them still in play.
CNN's Ed Lavandera live in Oklahoma City for us this morning.
Good morning, Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Miles.
You know, if you walk the ground here in Oklahoma and Texas, you can hear just how dry the underbrush here as you walk along. You can hear it kind of crunching beneath your feet here. Firefighters like to call this fuel for these fires. And because of this particular situation, the situation in Oklahoma and Texas is still very dangerous.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHIEF KEITH BRYANT, OKLAHOMA CITY FIRE DEPT.: This fire has spread very quickly. We've had a wind shift that came through, and that did not help party matters at all.
LAVANDERA (voice over): Firefighters battling a blaze that reached the Oklahoma City limits. Strong winds and bone-dry conditions fueled the massive flames, destroying several homes and forcing residents to flee.
CHARLENE HAROLDSON, OKLAHOMA CITY RESIDENT: The police officers knocked on doors. The policemen told me to go in my house, get everything that I could out of the house that I wanted personal and get away from the house.
LAVANDERA: Since Tuesday, flames have scorched tens of thousands of acres in 24 Oklahoma counties, killing one person. Teams of firefighters from four states are now on the ground to help.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We have adequate number of staffing to adequately, you know, take care of the fires that we have here in the city. And the firefighters that you mentioned coming from out of state, they're staged at Shawnee, Oklahoma, to our east, and they're being used on some of the larger fires away from the metro area here.
LAVANDERA: And Governor Henry vowed to provide every form of assistance available to those on the front lines fighting the fires.
GOV. BRAD HENRY (D), OKLAHOMA: I'm asking President Bush to expedite approval of a federal emergency declaration.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAVANDERA: Firefighters here in Oklahoma are hoping to get a little bit of help from the weather today. Humidity is supposed to go up just a little bit, and the wind speeds are supposed to drop a little bit. And hopefully that will give them at last a little bit of a respite today. But officials here in Oklahoma warn that tomorrow and perhaps the next couple of days, those conditions will return.
The lower humidity and the high winds causing many of the problems and the reasons why these wildfires have been so intense over the last week -- Miles.
M. O'BRIEN: All right. It looks like a long haul there.
Ed Lavandera in Oklahoma City for us.
Chad Myers will be back on AMERICAN MORNING on Thursday after a respite from the early morning hours.
Bonnie Schneider is at the weather center this morning.
(WEATHER REPORT)
M. O'BRIEN: Let's get some headlines in. Kelly Wallace back with that.
Hello, Kelly.
KELLY WALLACE, CNN ANCHOR: Hello there, Miles.
And we're beginning in Iraq, where the new year begins just sort of where the end of the last year kind of wrapped up. More violence in that country.
A suicide car bomb exploded north of Baquba, about 35 miles outside of Baghdad. And you're looking at some new picture in to CNN this morning. The apparent target, Iraqi police recruits. At least seven people have been killed. About 13 others are injured.
We could hear today from Farris Hassan. That's the 16-year-old who went to Iraq all by himself. Well, he's back home now, but the worst of his trip might not be over just yet.
His mother says they're going to sit down today to try to figure out what consequences he'll face. She spoke with us earlier this morning here on AMERICAN MORNING.
Meantime, Farris Hassan's father tells CNN he had no idea about his son's travel plans, but that his son ultimately contacted him when he was in Kuwait and wasn't able to get into Iraq. His father then apparently helped him get a visa to get inside Iraq. He said he did this because his son had traveled so far already.
The parents are divorced. The Florida teen is expected to go back to school tomorrow. And we are certain he'll have some stories to tell his classmates.
To Israel now, where the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is scheduled for surgery this week. That surgery is now planned for Thursday. The Israeli leader will have a small hole in his heart closed, and that hole was discovered after the prime minister suffered a slight stroke last month.
And in Atlanta now, where a doctor is optimistic about an upcoming surgery for a 3-month-old Iraqi baby. Baby Noor, as she's known, arrived in Atlanta this weekend, along with her father and her grandmother. The baby has Spina Bifida, which is a birth defect that affects the spine.
Doctors are set to perform the operation next Monday. And Baby Noor is getting the medical care for free.
It is a story really that's captivating much of the United States. Many people sending out good thoughts for that little girl.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, absolutely.
M. O'BRIEN: We are among them.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes, absolutely. You know, and it's nice to know that it seems that the surgery is pretty straightforward. You know, that it's not a really risky surgery.
So now that she's here, it looks like she's going to be in good shape. He said if she didn't have the surgery she would most likely die in infancy.
M. O'BRIEN: Well, it's terrible for infections, because it's -- you know -- it's breakfast time, but it's an awful, awful disease.
S. O'BRIEN: Oh, so sad.
M. O'BRIEN: I'm glad they're going to help her out.
Coming up, what President Bush's -- what are his resolutions for America and the country in 2006? We'll take a closer look at the White House priorities in the coming year.
S. O'BRIEN: And speaking of resolutions, we're going to help you keep yours for longer than, let's say, three weeks. We've got some advice.
M. O'BRIEN: Oh, you go the three weeks? You actually do it three weeks, the resolutions?
S. O'BRIEN: If I'm lucky three weeks. But we've got advice on working out and losing weight and eating more healthfully in '06.
M. O'BRIEN: My resolution to sleep more, already -- already blew that one.
S. O'BRIEN: Yes.
M. O'BRIEN: Anyway, plus preparations under way for today's Rose Parade in Pasadena. It will be a soggy one. Nonetheless, the show will go on.
We'll get a preview from one of the folks riding along. He's always there, Jack Hanna. And I bet he'll have a few cute -- cool and cute animals.
S. O'BRIEN: Little friends with him as always.
M. O'BRIEN: Little friends, yes.
Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
M. O'BRIEN: In Oklahoma, we all know the wind comes whipping down the plain. And we also know it is susceptible to bad droughts. This was, after all, the home of the Dust Bowl.
Now add a spark to that combination and you have what we are seeing now: dozens of fires, hundreds of homes destroyed, and unfortunately more trouble ahead.
I'm joined now by the Oklahoma City mayor, Mick Cornett.
Good morning, Mr. Mayor. Good to have you with us. I know you're busy.
MAYOR MICK CORNETT, OKLAHOMA CITY: Good morning.
M. O'BRIEN: Bring us up to date. How are things going this morning? Where are the problem areas?
CORNETT: Well, Oklahoma City has largely been spared thus far. But rural areas in Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, we've had a lot of trouble in those areas, and I'm concerned the worst may yet be to come. There's no rain in the forecast.
M. O'BRIEN: When you say that, you've got fires, but you put one out, another one starts up. The only thing that really is going to stop it despite the heroic efforts of all these firefighters really is a good dousing of rain, isn't it?
CORNETT: Well, that's right. And we haven't had any significant rain since Halloween.
You know, it's always a little windy and a little dry in Oklahoma, but it's extremely dry. And about every other day it's extremely windy. You put those two in a combination, and it's a dangerous situation. I'm concerned it may get worse before it gets better.
M. O'BRIEN: How concerned are you about the manpower effort and the fatigue of the firefighters?
CORNETT: Well, fortunately, in Oklahoma City we have an extremely large fire department. We're probably, oh, more prepared than any city in the United States to handle something like this.
We have -- two-thirds of our budget goes to public safety. But the rural areas aren't so fortunate. They have a lot of volunteer fire department people, they don't have the tools to get out and fight these fires. I know the governor is calling on people from other states to try to come in and help.
Here in Oklahoma City we're lucky, but in the rural areas it's a concern.
M. O'BRIEN: What is the message you're giving your constituents this morning on a couple of fronts? First of all, not starting additional fires. Are people being fairly mindful of the dangers?
CORNETT: We believe they are. You know, you've just got to be smart. And a lot of things that you shouldn't be doing even if we weren't having dry conditions. Things like throwing a lit cigarette out the car window would be absolutely stupid at this stage of the game. No outdoor burning at all.
And I think our citizens are aware of that, but, you know, fires happen. And, you know, we're the third largest city in the United States geographically, so we have a lot of rural area inside the city limits. And we're concerned about it.
Our citizens are pretty smart overall. I think that's probably one of the reasons that Oklahoma City has been spared thus far. But I'm concerned over the next few days there's no rain on the seven-day forecast.
M. O'BRIEN: What are you telling people as far as ways to protect their homes?
CORNETT: Well, if there's a fire, they need to call 911. And if there's a fire, they probably need to get out of there.
I wouldn't advise sticking around too long trying to water down your neighborhood or your home, especially if it's windy. These fires move extremely quickly, and they need to get the professionals in there and let them fight the fires.
M. O'BRIEN: So you're not -- dispense of the garden hose, just get out. What about like just clearing brush away from their houses? Does that help at all?
CORNETT: Absolutely. You know, you shouldn't have firewood next to your House, and you should be mindful of having brush and dry limbs next to your house. All of that can help. But if you're living in a rural area and a fire's moving and it's windy and it's coming your way, at that point it's probably too late. You need to bring the professionals in and get out of the way.
M. O'BRIEN: What sorts of resource do you need from outside to help you as you look ahead here?
CORNETT: Well, I think in Oklahoma City we're going to be fine. But I know the governor is asking for some help from some of the rural areas. And you never really know where these fires are going to crop up.
These volunteer fire departments are largely unprepared for large -- large-scale fires. And when those start up, you know, you need to bring in the Chinook helicopters and bring in a lot of resources that the rural fire departments obviously don't have available to them.
M. O'BRIEN: Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett. Thanks for your time. And we appreciate it.
CORNETT: You're welcome.
M. O'BRIEN: We know it's valuable, especially now -- Soledad.
S. O'BRIEN: Still ahead this morning, a revealing look at what's being described as Winston Churchill's hit list. It even includes an execution plan for Hitler. A little history ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
S. O'BRIEN: Well, '06. Did you resolve to go on a diet or maybe eat more healthfully this year? Resolutions, of course, rarely last the whole year. This year's different, though.
Nutritionist Heidi Skolnik is going to make it work for you this year. Last week, you'll recall we gave you five diet plans that really work. Today, Heidi has got some tips on how we can all stick with our diets.
Good morning. Happy New Year.
HEIDI SKOLNIK, "MEN'S HEALTH" WEIGHT LOSS COACH: Happy New Year.
S. O'BRIEN: You know, it seems of those five diets that we walked through last week they sort of kept coming back to the same things over and over. It made me think, if you can kind of get your mind around, or be -- have success in those things, you really can be a successful dieter or person who's changing their eating habits, let's say.
SKOLNIK: And I think it's because people set these lofty goes of "I'm going to lose X number of pounds, whether it's five or 25 or more. That doesn't help you get there. You need to be specific about action steps that can help you get there.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, then let's be specific for people. First, everybody in all those books, they talked about keeping track with a journal. Why does food journaling work? SKOLNIK: Because food journaling is really key to helping you become aware of what action steps you need to do. It's right there in front of you. Keeping track in and of itself for most people makes them make healthier choices. And then beyond that, you can look at your patterns.
You know, we talked about the three-hour diet. How long are you going without eating in between? We talked about mindfulness. Are you paying attention to when you eat? What are your choices? You know, the French woman's diet, intuitive eating, it all comes back to journaling.
S. O'BRIEN: Keeping track. Knowing what you're taking in, in the first place.
SKOLNIK: Exactly.
S. O'BRIEN: Portion size I think is another sort of interesting element, because it's also, I guess, keeping track of what you're eating. I mean, the portion size, this, of course, and nobody's really keeping track of that.
Nutrax was this Web site you talked about. Revisit that for us.
SKOLNIK: OK. Nutrax.com is a site where you can journal. It's a very contemporary journal, because you can actually keep a photo journal of what you're consuming.
And there's two tiers. You can get immediate feedback on what you're eating that's like a computerized program, or you can actually have a nutritionist on the other end that will give you feedback and help guide you along towards your goals.
S. O'BRIEN: And that was $13 a month or something like that you said?
SKOLNIK: Very reasonable.
S. O'BRIEN: The other advice was, tune into your hunger. We heard this a lot in all the diet books. Listen to your body. Regardless of what they're espousing, listen to your body.
How do you do that?
SKOLNIK: Right. Well, if you think of the hunger scale of one to 10, 10 being starving and one being stuffed, you want to pay attention to when are you starting to eat. And if you're connected to your hunger, if you eat when you're hungry, your likely to stop when you're full.
If you wait until you're starving, you're going to eat until you're stuffed. And the idea is you want to stop eating when you're about 85 percent full.
Additionally, if you are starving and you think, oh, I'm on a diet, I'm just going to eat a piece of fruit, I'm going to eat light, that doesn't match your hunger. The intuitive eating we talked about, you're not respecting your body's signals. On the other hand, if you are not really hungry and you eat a big meal, that doesn't work either.
S. O'BRIEN: You've got to listen.
You know, snacking, I think, is a downfall for a lot of people. How do you -- how do you bridge that sort of hunger gap with a snack? I mean, what should you be eating where you're eating nutritionally but -- you know, I mean, how do you not sit down and eat the whole bag of potato chips is what I'm asking, basically?
SKOLNIK: Well, Soledad...
O'Brien: Oh, come on, everybody's got that question!
SKOLNIK: Well, first of all, I think you said two things that were so important. One, you're bridging the hunger gap. Make it OK to snack. Somehow that's become, like, this bad word. It's OK to snack if you plan on it.
S. O'BRIEN: So you want the chips, I want a bag of chips, I don't want an apple?
SKOLNIK: Well, there's two things to that. One is that if you find -- like, if you look at your journal and you see every afternoon around 4:00 you're starving, you ate at 12:00, you're not going to eat until 8:00 at night and you're starving, and so you do this defensive eating, you're eating off of everyone else's desk the candies that are around, it really means you're hungry and you need to eat.
So bring something for lunch like an apple and a yogurt. But if you really want the chips, be mindful about it, know that's what you're eating. Because if you eat a healthy snack and you really wanted something sweet or crunchy or salty, it's not going to satisfy you.
But for most people -- wait, I'm sorry. One second. For most people, if they eat a substantial snack, like a little mini meal or food that contributes to their intake, it doesn't matter. It's fine.
S. O'BRIEN: They don't need them.
SKOLNIK: They don't need the extra snack.
S. O'BRIEN: Well, finally, give me a sense of the small changes. I mean, people say small changes really make a difference. I'm like, no, they don't. Come on. Really? You think?
SKOLNIK: Oh, absolutely small changes.
S. O'BRIEN: Really? Like what? Give me one small change that makes a difference.
(CROSSTALK) SKOLNIK: Well, I think snacking. I think planning your snacking and being prepared to have it when you need it will make a big difference in being able to manage your emotional eating. If you're physiologically full, than when it's emotional eating and grabbing you're better able to handle it.
S. O'BRIEN: Heidi Skolnik, thank you. Exercise, too. I know you wanted to talk about that, but we're going to get to that another day because, of course, the year is long and we've only just begun.
Nice to se you. Thank you.
Ahead this morning, a look at a New Year's tradition more than a hundred years running, the Rose Parade, or the Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena. Animal expert Jack Hanna is one of the folks who's going to be taking part. You can see right there they're making preparations.
You can also see some people look like they're wearing slickers. Is it going to rain? We'll take a look just ahead on AMERICAN MORNING.
We're back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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