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At Least 14 Killed in Florida Tornadoes; New National Intelligence Estimate Released on Iraq War
Aired February 02, 2007 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Don Lemon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I didn't hear the noise, but the roof fell in on me. And that's why we're -- we're lucky to be alive, I think.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And, all of a sudden, it was just gone.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When you look at your house, can you believe you're here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I can't. I'm just thankful.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: The emotion in central Florida right now -- the survivors search for people trapped in the rubble, and the rising death toll from tornadoes that struck in the middle of the night.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
PHILLIPS: Deadly and devastating -- block after block, town after town across central Florida, sheer destruction right now. Tornadoes sliced through the state in the middle of the night, flattening entire neighborhoods, killing at least 14 people.
Emergency crews are on search-and-rescue missions right now for anyone trapped in all that rubble -- states of emergency already declared in Lake, Seminole, Sumter and Volusia counties.
LEMON: And this is why, folks we are the most trusted name in news. We have got it covered at all angles all over here. You're looking at live pictures from Florida, also the satellite there.
We're checking it all out for you. We're relying on all of our sources from around the country.
And we're going to go now to our satellite center with some information coming in from the feeds from our affiliates.
Tell us what is going on now, T.J. T.J. HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We just want to let folks know what we're doing back here and what is happening back here. We have been monitoring all those affiliates, leaning on them heavily, certainly been a great resource for us here at CNN. We have our people on the ground as well.
But, earlier, when all this first happened, of course, we were leaning heavily on those affiliates, some six, at least, that we're monitoring here in the epic center, is what we call it, a satellite room where all these feeds are coming in.
If you just take a peek here of all these things we are monitoring, this board, think in some 150, almost, feeds. And a lot of those have been taken up by the folks in Florida right now dealing with that devastating.
We're keeping appear eye on some of those fresh pictures we just saw. We just saw those cadaver dogs not too long ago, those -- that search-and-rescue. Here, you're seeing a picture of what we were seeing. We just saw these for the first time last hour, some of these new pictures coming in, going through some of that rubble, going through some of that debris.
We saw dogs with some of these emergency officials. You see a gentleman there his -- being careful, wading his way through some of that rubble, suspected that maybe -- maybe more victims under that rubble, maybe possibly trapped, could be found alive, or possibly not.
We do want to now listen to KMG, WKMG, one of our affiliates there -- some of the affiliate coverage, one of the things we're monitoring here.
We're going to listen in to them for a minute.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: ... relatively close. But there's been a couple that seem to be at a good distance, but most of them have been relatively close to where they lived.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To recap the casualty...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You talked...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm sorry.
To recap the casualty questions real quick, the -- you said as many as 13 now in this area you have confirmed lost their lives. Are there any unaccounted for that you're actually actively looking for right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can only -- I only know of two or three that we're still looking for that we haven't accounted for in this area.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And do you presume them at this point to be dead? Or you don't know?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I -- we're going to be optimistic and continue to search for them.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And how long will you search, throughout the night and into the morning? Or is there a period where you're going to call off the search for the night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, we will -- obviously, once it gets dark, we will scale back some. But we're -- we're going to stay in the area all weekend, if we have to. We're going to continue to search until we have exhausted all of our means and until we just feel comfortable that there's nobody here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you so much, Sheriff.
I understand you do have a press conference to go to, so we will let you go to that.
Again, there's some new numbers to report now. Now we're hearing 13 confirmed fatalities here.
HOLMES: And, again, there, we're monitoring WKMG, an affiliate we have been certainly keeping an eye on, monitoring all day today, and just their live coverage there, dipping in, as we're keeping an eye on it. We bring it right to you.
The sheriff there talking about being optimistic. Some of the numbers in that area, he said 13 dead, not exactly sure what area. We have confirmed 14 people killed in this whole thing altogether. Don't know what area he might have been talking about.
So, the numbers, I'm sure, will change. but listening to him, certainly going to be optimistic, saying they were looking for a couple of folks, two or three, that they do know of that are missing that they are searching for now, saying he's -- he is staying optimistic right now. A lot of people are.
And we heard from Reynolds earlier and others that, you know what? This could have been a lot worse, looking at some of that devastation. So, don't -- any -- any number is too many to be dead in something like this, but maybe a blessing that it wasn't a lot worse for -- for a lot of folks.
But that's some of the things -- a lot of the affiliates, we're keeping an eye on. And we will bring that stuff to you as we get it, guys.
LEMON: All right, keep checking. And we will come back. Thank you so much.
PHILLIPS: Dozens of people living that nightmare right now, after being jolted awake but these -- by these storms throughout central Florida.
We have been showing you the sheer destruction, also the tornadoes, how they sliced through the state, right in the middle of the night, flattening entire neighborhoods, killing at least 14 people. And, you know, after being jolted awake by just the screaming winds and that pounding rain, homes are just being ripped apart. You can see the debris scattered for miles across the area.
Let's bring in CNN's Rusty Dornin. She's standing amid the rubble there in Lady Lake.
Rusty, have you been able to talk to somebody since you got there on ground?
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm standing in what is the rubble of Gene Barthower's (ph) mobile home in the Lady Lake mobile home park, which -- which was just flattened, Kyra.
In fact, across the street is where one of the two people here -- or one of the three people in Lady Lake was killed. Her mobile home completely is -- it's gone. You can't see anything. And, apparently, they found her about a quarter-of-a-mile away.
But, Gene Barthower's (ph) mobile home, it -- it -- the debris is stacked 12 to 15 feet high. He is 86 years old.
He told me he was -- he just showed me the bed where he was asleep. He heard the wind coming, and decided to stay right there. And that is when his roof completely caved in, the entire -- I mean, if you could see this, it's matchsticks all around him.
He very -- smartly, he stayed in bed for 20 minutes, until people began coming around with flashlights, and he was able to crawl out of this rubble. He's got an amazing attitude, an amazing spirit. He's got two neighbors here who are here with the crowbars and trying to help them get out of this -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Rusty Dornin, right now -- now -- now, Rusty, are you -- you have -- you have told us where you are. Are you going to work your way throughout the -- the area, or are you going to stay right there and try to figure out how -- how folks are being affected there, and how they -- if they're going to receive help or what they should do?
Are -- are you going to move around or stay put?
DORNIN: We're going to stay put here and try to tell the story of one family trying to dig out of this, Kyra. So, we are going to be staying with Gene (ph). He is going to take us through and show us what he has lost here, and how he -- just the amazing fact that he's here alive.
PHILLIPS: All right, Rusty Dornin.
And, as you can imagine, we covered this devastation as soon as it happened, 3:00 a.m. in the morning. But, as our reporters get out there and start meeting these individuals that have pretty much lost everything since this storm devastated central Florida, we're going to start to hear those personal stories, like Rusty is working on right now, and get to know these people in a more of an intimate and personal way, and be able to tell you how you can help, of course, as our continuing coverage of this breaking news story rolls on.
Kevin Lenhart, Lake County Emergency Operations Center, on the phone with us right now.
Kevin, tell me exactly where you are and what you're monitoring.
KEVIN LENHART, PROGRAM OPERATIONS ADMINISTRATOR, LAKE COUNTY EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTER: Well, we're -- we're in the county seat for Lake County, which is the county that Lady Lake and -- and Paisley, that were so hard-hit, is in. And we're working to coordinate the efforts throughout the county here at the emergency operations center.
PHILLIPS: So, tell me about the crews that you have out there. What are they doing? Where do you have them? How are they helping these people?
LENHART: Well, there's all kinds of crews that are out there.
There's still your emergency response personnel, your medical personnel, your law enforcement. But we have also started to get property appraisers out to look at what some of the damage is, to get a -- a dollar value on some of the damage, as well as health department personnel, to look at the health and safety needs of individuals that may still be in their home.
LEMON: Now, Kevin, this is a search-and-rescue effort at this point. And we're hearing about, you know, 14 people so far. And it -- sad, any number, but, in a situation like this, it doesn't appear to be a pretty high number. Tell us what your efforts are towards search-and-rescue.
LENHART: Well, I think 14 is a high number. I really do.
And we are continuing to do search-and-rescue, but we have started some of our other operations as well.
PHILLIPS: What...
LEMON: So, what are you telling folks there to do? Other operations, meaning -- what is that?
LENHART: Well -- well, that's assessing the damage.
We're looking to see what the damage toll is, what infrastructure has been damaged. And we're also getting shelters up for people that are out in the -- in this, and may have had damaged or destroyed homes, shelters they can go to.
PHILLIPS: Kevin, we were talking with Bill McCollum, your state's attorney general. He is already concerned about fraud and these individuals being affected from con artists, whether it's fake cleanup crews trying to get money from them, knocking up the prices of things that they might need to survive.
Are you thinking about that? Is that on your mind? Are you on the lookout for those type of people?
LENHART: Absolutely. We're -- and we -- we want to educate the residents, especially, to be careful when somebody comes by and offers to -- to help clean up or to -- to do some work on your home. You need to make sure that they're licensed.
Of course, our -- one of the reasons our building inspectors and our property-appraiser staff are out there is to help people and educate them about this, but also to help with issuing the permits, if needed.
PHILLIPS: Kevin Lenhart, Lake County Emergency Operations Center, appreciate the information. We will stay in touch with you, Kevin.
LEMON: And we have been seeing...
LENHART: Thank you.
LEMON: We have been seeing, from time to time, our satellite up here showing that storm. It appears to still be rolling across parts of Florida.
And keeping an eye on all this, and to tell us about exactly what went on last night, and what we could expect next is our very own meteorologist, Reynolds Wolf.
He's in the Severe Weather Center, checking it all out for us -- Reynolds.
REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Don, what we have going through Florida right now is really easy doings. It's really just the tail end of -- of that system, really not causing any problems right now.
What we're going to do is, we are going to take you back in time, with the help of Google Earth, and show you what happened last night and through much of the early-morning hours.
Now, this is, obviously, the state of Florida. We have got a couple of places here that showed the storm path. The first warning went out around 3:02 in the morning. And you can see a couple of places where we had reported fatalities, Lady Lake, where we had three. A little bit farther off to the east, over in Paisley, Florida -- Florida, we had a few more.
Now, just to give you an idea of just how big the swathe is, it isn't like one of the paths you would happen to see maybe in the Great Plains, where it looks like just a -- a bowling ball rolled through an area. This storm kind of had a hop to it, a little bit of a hop, kind of jogged across the topography, causing widespread damage in many locations.
I believe we have some video up that will show you some of the widespread devastation we have been talking about, a lot of toppled trees. And one thing about the tree damage you see in many places. Keep this in mind. In 2004, the state of Florida was a virtual punching bag, because we had four major -- major tropical systems that drifted through the state, causing a lot of widespread damage. There were a lot of trees that did sustain damage that weren't knocked over.
So, those trees that had been weakened over, gosh, back in 2004, this storm that came through was just enough to give many of these -- these big live oaks the final heave-ho. When those trees disintegrate, those branches become projectiles. Those projectiles, hitting other things, other cars, other trucks, other homes, can do widespread damage as well.
Now, here is -- I'm guessing that is an entertainment center, maybe a cabinet of some sort. Here, you see a -- a mobile home that has been trashed. We had some video earlier that showed a home that had been ripped apart, and then, maybe 100 yards away, you saw a refrigerator.
Now, those of you at home, think of moving a refrigerator. Many people have done that. You know how tough it is. You need a couple people to help you out. Perhaps you had to put it up on a hand truck.
This storm was strong enough to pick up something like that and move it nearly some 300 feet, just a -- I guess you could say a statement of just how powerful this has -- this has been.
We are lucky enough to have meteorologist Rob Marciano. He now joins us.
Rob, you have seen a gazillion of these systems. You have been -- you have experienced many of these storms. You have been to these sites. You have seen a lot of them.
What are the first impressions you have from -- from where you are, from your vantage point?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, when we first drove up here, Reynolds -- and, by the way, we're trying to get our satellite truck in line, so that we can show you the pictures, show you what I'm seeing.
When we first drove up here, it's the typical sights you see as you closer to the core path of a tornado. And that is, tree limbs begin to be broken off, power lines down. And then you get more apparently into the path of -- of destruction, the trees and debris across highways.
And, then, you dig a little bit deeper, and you find where these people live and what they went through last night.
And we have just come upon a house. And I'm standing in the middle of the home. Actually, I'm standing in the bedroom of the gentleman -- where the gentleman was sleeping last night. And the wall completely collapsed in on -- on his bed. He is fine. So is his wife. But this is not a trailer park -- a trailer home. This is not a modular home. This is a home with brick walls. And, in front of me now, I see this brick chimney completely collapsed and laying across the entire length of the house -- their belongings strewn over a half- mile away across a field and into a tree line.
The sheer power of this storm in the state of Florida, you -- you would think that you were transplanted in Kansas and Oklahoma during the month of April or May. This is -- this was a powerful storm, Reynolds.
You know, of -- of all times for the Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Service put out their new Fujita scale, the enhanced Fujita scale, to make things more confusing.
Going by the old one, this -- this probably was a, what, probably an F-3 or -- or greater, to see a brick home like this completely blown away. I should add, though, Reynolds, that the -- the couple that lives here, they're fine.
WOLF: Wow.
MARCIANO: And they're saying, of course, that -- that it -- it was a miracle.
We hope to get the pictures online for you. And they have been talking with us. And they're in good spirits, obviously, because they have their lives to be thankful for. And maybe we will be able to get them on camera to tell the story. It is certainly one that you will want to hear -- Reynolds.
WOLF: Rob, thanks so much for your hard work. You always do a great job. I'm sure we will be talking again throughout the afternoon and into the evening, as well. Please be careful up there.
All right, folks, that's the latest we have from Rob, and that's the latest we have from the Weather Center.
Let's send it right back to you at the news desk.
LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, Reynolds.
PHILLIPS: Well, Reynolds was talking about Lake County. So was Rob Marciano.
You know, it took a direct hit from this morning's storms. And the damage is pretty hard to comprehend.
Reporter Christi -- or Christina Arangio of WFTV filed this report for us just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRISTINA ARANGIO, WFTV REPORTER: Well, the devastation is not as severe here as I'm seeing and hearing from some of these other locations. And the story is a little bit better, in terms of homes that are still somewhat standing.
But you can see, all of the mobile homes right here and pieces of the aluminum siding just hanging over the power lines. And we also noticed, off in the distance, there is a bus, an old school bus, that was turned over on its side.
We have seen people walking up and down the street, just trying to take a look at the damage, make sure their neighbors are OK. There are X's on some of the mobile homes here, as sheriff's deputies of Marion County who were trying to help out here in Lake County have gone through and searched the area.
And I spoke just a moment ago with Mary Kay (ph). And she's going to join us live right now. She was in her home, which is just a little bit down the street here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Right here.
ARANGIO: Yes, right -- right over here. And we can show that in just a moment.
Come on this way and just tell me what this was like for you this morning, Mary (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was scary.
ARANGIO: What did it sound like?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A freight train hitting.
ARANGIO: Where were you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: In my bedroom when it hit.
ARANGIO: Were your alone in the house?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. My mom and dogs were in the house.
ARANGIO: And so what did you do?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I just heard the window. I was back behind a bar that we had, and I heard the windows bust out. My mom yelled if I was OK. And I said, yes. And then the roof -- you can see the tree over there on the roof. And then there's one that went through the side of the house over in there, too.
ARANGIO: Let's walk a little bit this way, just so we can show people, and maybe you can describe.
Now, didn't you have a tree that came down, too? I see one right here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, on the top of the car.
ARANGIO: Kind of follow it down that way.
And now you're seeing part of the sky through your home.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
ARANGIO: You were telling me before about the Christmas Day tornadoes, and how you watched the damage in those areas in Volusia County. And -- and you had some thoughts about that. Share them -- share them with me now.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I just think, you know, homes ought to be donated to people who have lost everything.
ARANGIO: And how you have a sense now of what it was like for those folks.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, because we had one hit a long time ago, in Morgantown, blew out the windows downtown, with no warning. So, I have been through one before.
ARANGIO: Worse than this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes.
ARANGIO: Here, though, you have never seen anything quite like this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nuh-uh.
ARANGIO: Thank you so much for taking a little bit of time, Mary (ph).
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
ARANGIO: I know she's been here. If you take a look, she's got her garbage bag right here.
(CROSSTALK)
ARANGIO: And she's going just little by little, trying to clean up the mess. But it's overwhelming.
There are some folks who are trying to cut up branches and move debris. But, then, I have seen plenty of other folks who just seem completely shocked and unable to really react at this point, because there is so much to clean up in this area.
Just behind her home here is the Lady Lake mobile home park that was flattened, apparently. And they're only letting immediate family in there.
But this is the situation here on Alma (ph) Street, off of Griffin View (ph) Drive.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LEMON: And that was reporter Christina Arangio from WFTV, filing that report just a short time ago.
Well, we are going to move on and change subjects here -- sectarian strife in Iraq, squabbles at home over a troop surge, as a new intel reports stirs the pot. We will ask three retired generals what they would do.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Now the fight for Iraq.
And, today, a stark assessment: a country stuck in a downward spiral, in the view of the United States' intelligence. A much- awaited report released to the public today states that Iraq is increasingly polarized, its security forces weak, and its political leaders divided. The report warns that Iraq's rival sects seem increasingly willing to resort to greater levels of violence.
In a report released to the public today, a summary of the study President Bush received yesterday, the White House says it bolsters a case for sending more U.S. troops.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN L. HADLEY, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: If coalition troops were withdrawn, if such a rapid withdraw were to take place, we judge that the Iraqi security forces would be unlikely to survive as a nonsectarian national institution.
Neighboring countries, invited by Iraqi factions or unilaterally, might intervene openly in the conflict. Massive civilian casualties and forced population displacement would be probable. AQI, or al Qaeda in Iraq, would attempt to use parts of the country, particularly Al Anbar Province, to plan increased attacks in and outside of Iraq.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: And also reacting to the Iraq report, Representative Ike Skelton, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, who is just back from a trip to Iraq.
Now, Skelton says the report shows the impending troop surge is probably the last roll of the dice, even though, in Skelton's view, it has little chance of success.
PHILLIPS: Now let's take a closer look at today's national intelligence estimate and the prospects for Iraq.
We're calling on our very own rapid deployment force of CNN military analysts, retired Air Force Major General Don Shepperd and retired Army Brigadier Generals David Grange and James "Spider" Marks.
I don't think I have ever felt so safe in the CNN Center today, gentlemen.
BRIGADIER GENERAL JAMES "SPIDER" MARKS (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: You're welcome.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: It's great to have you all three here.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: Let's get down to business.
After reading this estimate, the key reasons that -- their biggest concerns, I guess I should say, about Iraq came out of this: Iraqi security forces not ready, extremists still getting stronger, Sunni, Shia still can't reach peace. So, you have Iraq's professional and entrepreneurial classes just taking off -- the U.N. saying more than a million Iraqis now in Syria and Jordan.
Spider, do we need to worry about this? It seems like the reasonable, educated folks there in Iraq don't want to stay.
MARKS: Well, that's very true. The center has departed, in many cases.
No time to worry. What the United States is doing is trying to make an effort to make it better. Clearly, what we hear in this NIE, this national intelligence estimate, is not new news. We do know that sectarian violence dominates the landscape.
Remember, it's al Qaeda in Iraq, it's extremist Sunnis, it's former Baathists that really stirred that up. So, that remains a problem.
But what we see and what must be addressed is the sectarian violence. And this government must step up, and kind of go against its culture, and act like a mature governing government.
PHILLIPS: Well, we see that the sectarian violence needs to be dealt with. But how do you that, when you have got so many of the pivotal entrepreneurs and professional folks there in the country leaving? They're kind of giving up on the country. So, you have a bunch of militias just going after each other.
MARKS: Yes, the government has got to clamp down and say, no more militias. That's very easy to say, extremely difficult to do. Muqtada al-Sadr has more power than Maliki right now, in a true sense of power.
PHILLIPS: Well, General Grange, let me ask you about that, because it talked about the Iraqi security forces.
The report did say, there were improvements, specifically with the police. But it says that it's going to be hard-pressed, in the next 12 to 18 months -- they -- they actually lay out months here -- to execute significantly increased security responsibilities, and will not succeed fighting the Shia militias.
So, this sounds pretty bleak. So, why send in more troops? BRIGADIER GENERAL DAVID GRANGE (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Well, they won't be able to fight the militia by themselves.
I think that additional American troops will bolster the -- the Iraqi army units, to -- to be able to do things in certain areas within Baghdad. Remember, you don't have to take down or clear all of Baghdad. You just have to take on some key areas of Baghdad, hold it, influence it, show that you are providing the security for the people, to obtain their loyalty to the Iraqi army and the military.
But it's going to require American G.I.s, with the Iraqis, one, to, again, provide the support and the encouragement. And the other is to make sure that they stay honest to what they're tasked to do, and that is support the central government.
PHILLIPS: Twelve to 18 months.
GRANGE: Tough, tough, because it's not just training Iraqi police and soldiers to shoot, to move, to do soldier tasks. But it's also to try to change their culture of a military that was corrupt, that was in it for themselves or for their -- for their military commander, not for their people, not supporting some version of a democratic society.
So, we're really trying to change a culture of a military, which takes, really, years to do. And this is a very difficult task.
PHILLIPS: Shep, you and I were talking. You actually laid out six months. You said you are going to give this six months. Otherwise, we're talking big trouble.
MAJOR GENERAL DONALD SHEPPERD (RET.), CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Yes.
Well, I think the dynamics we have got working of the United States political scene, we're extremely casualty adverse. And, when you deploy more troops, it probably is going to mean either continuing or, more, increasing U.S. casualties.
And, in addition, you're going to have the explosions continue. They're not going to stop. And, so, if the public, the U.S. public, does not see what they consider to be progress by this coming summer, I think we're in trouble, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Let me give you -- I want each of you to answer this real quickly, your thought on Iran, because Admiral William Fallon, if -- if approved, finally approved, he will become the head of CENTCOM. He was grilled by practically every senator about Iran.
Your thoughts?
SHEPPERD: Well, Iran is in Iraq up to its neck. They're supplying technology. They're supplying, reportedly, some weapons. We have captured recently some Iranian intelligence agencies, supposed -- intelligence agents in the country.
The things that we're doing, putting a second carrier in -- into the Gulf -- you will see other things being done. I think our message to Iran: Don't continue messing in Iraq, or you're going to have a problem on your borders and a problem with the United States.
PHILLIPS: Spider, you're the intel guy. They found weapons' serial numbers matching up with Iran.
MARKS: Sure.
We have to deal with Iran. We have to deal with Iran on multiple levels. We have to get into dialogue. But this is not an opportunity for the United States to apologize.
We need to go look at Iran and get in their face, and say: We have military capabilities. You know what they are. You are trying to grow certain capabilities. Those must stop immediately. Here are the consequences. And you have got to get out of Iraq -- as Shep indicated.
PHILLIPS: Back with special operations -- you dealt with Iran firsthand when you were active military. Look at this now. It's -- it's the same threat, the same concern.
GRANGE: It is the same concern.
And, in actuality, we're stepping up actions against Iranian agents within Iraq. But, in fact, that's been going on for some time. I think it's -- covertly. It's a little more overt now. We're drawing a line in the sand. I think it's going to be those three things: nuclear weapons, support of terrorism, and your influence in Iraq. And, by the way, you're causing American G.I.s to die with your support of certain groups in Iraq. Knock it off.
PHILLIPS: Bottom line, when you read this estimate, it's pretty bleak. The last part talks about mass sectarian killings that are going on, "assassinations of major religious and political leaders, and a complete Sunni defection from government." All of this, the report saying, "could shift Iraq from gradual decline to rapid deterioration, with grave humanitarian, political and security consequences."
That was the last part of the estimate. You read that, and you think, what -- what do we do?
SHEPPERD: It's not news, Kyra.
Iraq is a terribly difficult place. We're in a desperate situation there. The idea behind the president's plan is to increase security in Baghdad, and then hope that security grows. It's a risky strategy. I hope it works. We all have our doubts about that. But we're really pulling for the president's strategy to work.
PHILLIPS: Spider, we heard Admiral Fallon, in his hearing for confirmation of head of CENTCOM, he even said: I'm not quite sure more troops will be the right answer. I have to get there. I have got to see the intel.
He's not even sure it's the right thing to do.
MARKS: You're right, Kyra. I mean, he has to get on -- it's the right thing for him to say, absolutely, because he's not there yet.
But the NIE is kind of a starting point. You produce these NIEs when you kind of have bad news, not when everything is rosy. So, the starting point is, what do you do about this intelligence that you have now assessed? What is the next step?
Well, the next military step is, we're increasing -- no fooling -- the forces on the ground. What are the other elements of governance that are going to be involved to achieve this strategy , to get at that deteriorating situation?
PHILLIPS: Was there something, General Grange, in this estimate that you thought, oh, OK, that's a good idea, or that's something I didn't really think of? Is there anything that stood out to you?
GRANGE: Nothing that really stood out, but what comes to light is someone has to try. Unless we're a nation that just quits, we surrender, we did this for naught, someone has to try.
And I think that a lot of the insurgent groups, militias, and countries like Iran that are influencing the situation have taken notice of our upswing in effort, at least if it's not our last chance. Who knows. But they're taking notice of what we're doing right now. And I think that's important.
PHILLIPS: General Grange, General Marks, generals, never have had all three of you here before at the same time.
(LAUGHTER)
PHILLIPS: This was great. Really appreciate it.
(CROSSTALK)
PHILLIPS: All right -- Don.
LEMON: All right, thank you very much, Kyra.
I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta.
Shocked from slumber, dazed Floridians take stock of what is left.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was noisy and scary. I mean, I got some big limbs down and trampoline wrapped around the tree. But other than that, I mean, I'm not missing a shingle or anything. I just thank God that my family got out safe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is this surreal to you as you talk to your neighbors here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. I've never seen anything like this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, he is one of the lucky ones. Many others now face unimaginable, in some cases, irreplaceable loss. The story is still unfolding. We've got it covered live right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
Well, as you can imagine, the destruction is so overwhelming it's hard to know where to start. Neighbors are rushing to help emergency crews search for survivors. And CNN's Rob Marciano is in Lake County, where at least 14 people have died.
Rob, what can you tell us?
MARCIANO: Don, we're in a neighborhood that took the brunt of this storm, or at least one of the neighborhoods, I should say. As you mentioned, with 14 fatalities, the damage and destruction is widespread.
This home right here, this home is not a modular home, it's not a trailer by any means. This is a well-built brick home, no roof, no walls. This was a brick chimney that completely got demolished by this tornado that came through here. Full brick, completely collapsed. Beyond the chimney and the fireplace, that's the bedroom over there. Wall came collapsing down and the gentleman that was sleeping in that bed -- wall blown out on the other side and, obviously, no roof beyond the bedroom.
By the way, he survived. He's fine. So did his wife. We're going to hope to talk to them soon.
Beyond the bedroom, past where the wall used to be, you can see a broken palm tree and then the debris continues from this home and others beyond that field and all the way to the treeline. Unbelievable how powerful this storm was.
LEMON: Hey, Rob, you said it was an 84 year-old couple, is that right? An elderly couple who lived there?
MARCIANO: Elderly couple, yes. And we've spoken to them off camera.
LEMON: What did they say to you? What did they say?
MARCIANO: Well, they're thankful for their lives, obviously. And they're disappointed with the loss of property. But when they speak of their experience, they well up with emotion, just with the thanks that they -- and they're God-fearing people, so they give thanks to God for surviving. The husband and wife were sleeping in two separate bedrooms, in two separate beds near each other. And both of them had the walls collapse down on them. Both of them had the walls on top of them after the storm had passed. The husband crawled out underneath his wall. He went into the other bedroom where his wife was sleeping and lifted the wall off of her to get her out. And they managed to survive with just bumps and bruises...
LEMON: Hey Rob?
MARCIANO: Yes, Don?
LEMON: It's hard enough to move when you're -- you know, you have another place to go or if you're just moving to a different place, a different apartment, a different home. But when you have to move because everything you own is gone, that's virtually impossible to describe.
MARCIANO: No, when you lose everything that you own or you see collapsed in front of you, I can't even -- I've never experienced it. So I can't -- I can't speak for the couple that lives here. But, again, we hope to get them on camera to show you that story.
Just take a look around and think of this as your home. There is the kitchen, the stove, the oven, the refrigerator. Their weight managed to keep them within the home, but the washer and dryer are strewn about. This oak tree, this is a mature oak tree, decades old, complete ripped out as far as the roots are concerned. So this was a powerful, powerful storm.
As far as picking up the pieces and getting into a place tonight to sleep, well, this is a community that's -- that is really secured with the different churches that are around. And the church that this couple belongs to, well, the members of that community came out and they're here. And they've managed to kind of set up a camp for them. Somebody pulled in a trailer so they would have someplace to sleep tonight. The power company trying to link up some power to that trailer.
So as we've seen time and time again, Don, when something like this happens to a community, the community comes together and is able to, with their spirit and effort, really come around to people that have suffered the worst and the victims, like the people who lived right here. And that seems to be what's getting them through the day today.
But I can't even begin to describe what it was like to be in this home when this twister came through. It's a harrowing experience, to say the least.
LEMON: Yes. Enough said. You know what? I haven't gone through this so I don't know the words to put it in and I think that's exactly right and exactly how we all feel.
Rob Marciano, thank you so much for that. We're going to check back with you. If can you speak to them, especially before the 4:00 Eastern hour, we would certainly love to hear from them.
Thank you so much for that.
We have meteorologists, we have a team of folks all over the country working on this story. Meteorologist Rob Marciano, you saw there in Florida, and meteorologist Reynolds Wolf working it from the Severe Weather Center.
More right after a quick break right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Reynolds Wolf, quite busy today. Actually since 3:00 this morning tracking everything, this storm that's gone through central Florida. Very unexpected for folks there.
(WEATHER REPORT)
LEMON: Speaking of monitoring, we've been monitoring, relying on all of our sources, all of our affiliates around the country. And happening right now, the very latest, just a short time ago, a reporter from WESH, one of our affiliates in Florida filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We woke up in the middle of the night and lightning going crazy and our windows. I said to the wife we got to shut the computers off because we have a bunch of computers. Got up, turned them off. Turned the news on and here's this streamer across that says take cover immediately. Villages like North Lake County and I was like, "We've got to get out of here now." We're in a mobile home. I knew it from living in Texas and California, we got to get out of here. We've got to get out this. I'd rather be in my van than a mobile home.
So we got in our van and drove over to my parents in a village that's like a mile away. In the meantime, I got a hold of my friend that owns a plumbing company here locally I just started working with. And I was like, Gary, where are you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And Gary lives in Sunshine?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sunshine, yes. He's like, oh my gosh, it's hitting, it's hitting. And I dropped my wife off and I said, I'm coming over there, I'll help you.
I didn't know what I was going to do in a van in a tornado. But anyway, I drove over, and I pulled in just as two deputies were coming in lights and all that. Trees down everywhere. And I got out and eerie quiet. Just incredibly quiet. Everything down, wires, things sparking a little bit.
And I was like, I can't go in there. I radioed him again. I said, are you OK? He said, yes, I think so. He said I can't find my dog, he's under the bed or something. I said OK. Total, total devastation, craziness.
I've been through wildfires in California. I was in a hurricane up in the panhandle. I don't know if he's after me or something, you know? but this is incredible.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Someone right there on the ground when it happened. The news keeps coming and we bring it to you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM. We spoke with Rob Marciano just a moment ago about an elderly couple who lost everything in this storm. We're going to try to talk to them in just a bit. You're watching the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Remember the days of reading, writing and arithmetic? Well some say it's more like reading, writing and rolls these days. Our kids are too fat. And some schools are looking to three other letters to try to fight the problem. BMI, that's body mass index. Dr. Sanjay Gupta has more in his "Fit Nation" report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jasmine Tolman (ph) is a happy 8-year-old. She's always enjoyed school. But when she got a note in class a few weeks ago, she worried.
VICKI ELLIOTT, JASMINE'S MOM: To receive a letter from the teacher usually says I got in trouble. And she wanted to know what it says.
GUPTA: What Jasmine received not a letter saying she'd done anything wrong. It was a notice telling her mother that her daughter was at risk of becoming obese.
Like many schools across the country, Jasmine's school district in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, is now taking body mass index, or BMI, readings of their pupils in some schools.
BMI is used to determine body fat. Jasmine was right on the line, at 66 pounds. But her mother said the note did nothing but humiliate her.
ELLIOTT: Why was she receiving a letter and not everybody got one?
GUPTA: Because childhood obesity is at epidemic proportions nationwide, many states are now instituting BMI laws for public school children. At least 20 governors have introduced legislation and seven states have passed laws making it mandatory that parents be given their children's BMI scores, with information advising them to check with their pediatrician.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a change in behavior that we have to implement. It's social engineering. As objectionable as that sounds, we're trying to influence people's attitudes.
GUPTA: Former Arkansas governor, Michael Huckabee, who lost 110 pounds himself, was the first to push through BMI legislation in his state back in 2003. In three years, Arkansas has actually seen its statewide childhood obesity numbers start to level off.
MICHAEL HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNOR: We're not where we want to be, but we've stopped the runaway train. GUPTA: But some parents say it's an invasion of privacy. They feel it's up to parents to work with their children on weight issues, and giving out BMI scores only puts pressure on kids to be slim.
Health experts disagree, saying it's time that parents realize that obesity is a lifetime illness that can cause serious lifetime problems. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN reporting.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Live pictures now from Lake County, Florida via our affiliate WFTV. Utility crews out there trying to get power up to the hundreds of people that have lost power after the storm devastated central Florida. These live pictures coming from WFTV in Lake County, as well. The roof blown off of this home. You can see the owners here of their homes in this neighborhood sifting through, trying to recover and save anything you can. Fourteen fatalities in Lake County. Huge piles of debris that owners like these have described as just a massive game of pickup sticks...
LEMON: You know what, Kyra? We're getting word that the -- it has risen. The death toll actually from 14 to 19 now from this. And that is according to Reuters. You see the information there on your screen. It says that now 19 people have died from these devastating tornadoes.
And look at that. These people just -- just terrible.
PHILLIPS: Rob Marciano's been following up with homeowners in Lake County, Florida. You actually might have seen his last live shot right there in front of a home.
Rob, you sort of took us through to show us firsthand. I mean, we're seeing these live pictures from the helicopters. But we haven't really been able to walk through a home where folks have lost everything. You've been talking with the residents there. Just give us a feel for what they're dealing with right now.
MARCIANO: Well, when you're on the ground, Kyra, and you walk through what you're seeing in those aerial pictures, it really, really brings it home, so to speak. This is a home that was completely destroyed by this tornado. Over my left shoulder, this is the bedroom where Miss Edna (ph) was sleeping. And she survived, as her husband did in a similar situation with the wall actually crashing down on them.
They're here and they're all in one piece.
Boy, are we so grateful that you made it out of this situation alive and, for the most part, well. It's how do you feel after going through what you did last night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just very thankful that I'm alive and that the Lord saved me. MARCIANO: Tell me about your experience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, it was just horrible for the walls to cave in on you and the water coming in on you. But the Lord takes care of you.
MARCIANO: Mr. Gene (ph) , come on over. This is Pastor Mullis (ph). He's pastor of the church that this couple goes to. The church members have been over here to help out with your situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: From daylight till now.
MARCIANO: What kind of things have they done for you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You name it. They pulled stuff out of the way over in the pasture. Just wherever you see debris, they went looking to see if it was any value to us. And -- just everything. We had a prayer meeting right where we were standing.
MARCIANO: Now, you survived this ordeal. One of your family members or friends said, "Hey, your shirt's inside out, you're about to go on TV." You just don't care, do you?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It looks the same backwards as it does forward.
MARCIANO: What have you learned after going through what you went through last night?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How disastrous and how wonderful our God is.
MARCIANO: Paster Mullis, what do you have to add to that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the Bible says that the mercies of the Lord are new every morning. And we really believe that. We trust in the Lord. Things are just things. You can replace a house, but you can't replace people. So we're thankful to the Lord for his mercy and his grace shown to the Suggs (ph). And all of our people are so wonderful to come and help.
MARCIANO: Absolutely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They just pitch in and do whatever they have to do. And we're thankful to the Lord Jesus for all he's done for us.
MARCIANO: Miss Edna, what's next now? What are you going to do tonight?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Tonight, I'm going to sleep good tonight, then worry about it tomorrow.
MARCIANO: Where is -- can you show me where -- you don't have to walk over there, but you were sleeping in that bed? Now the mattress is -- you guys took care of that. But you were lying in that bed and then what happened?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, the -- it just caved in on me.
MARCIANO: What did you hear?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard something hitting my windows like hail and then the walls caved in. Other than that, I didn't hear anything.
MARCIANO: Did you have any idea what was happening that it was a storm or...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I had no idea. I knew we was having bad weather, but I had no idea what was going on at that moment.
MARCIANO: Have you ever been through anything like this?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, no.
MARCIANO: What about the hurricanes you've been through?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No. That was a piece of cake compared to this.
MARCIANO: Do you feel like you've been through a twister like they have in Oklahoma or Kansas?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely. Yes.
MARCIANO: Now you know what it feels like?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MARCIANO: What is worst, a twister or a hurricane?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twister.
MARCIANO: When it comes through your living room and bedroom, that's for sure.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.
MARCIANO: We are so happy and grateful that you made it out alive. Just this community's been through much. There are so many stories like this, Kyra, survival stories. We report the numbers of the people that have been injured, the homes that have been destroyed and the lives that have been lost, but when you see a situation like this and you see the power of Mother Nature -- and this was no small twister...
PHILLIPS: Rob, we appreciate the personal touch, definitely. Thank you so much. But we've got to get to the governor. He's speaking now to reporters after assessing all this damage. People like Miss Edna and her family, losing everything they own.
GOV. CHARLIE CRIST, (R) FLORIDA: When there were some significant tornadoes as well. But Senator Nelson and I and the Congressman, as well as the CFO, we've been in communication with other officials at the federal level, along with the attorney general, Bill McCollum. And I want to thank all of them for working so hard together. This is what Florida does. And this is the Florida way.
General, thank you for your help.
But we're going to continue to press on. I just spoke a little over an hour ago with the president of the United States. I impressed upon him the importance of us getting federal aid from both FEMA as well as Homeland Security. I talked to Secretary Chertoff earlier. And that kind of cooperative spirit -- he assured me that we would get help as quickly as possible to make sure that central Florida was covered, that we're doing everything to protect our people.
The most important thing is to make sure that our people are safe and secure. And that's exactly what we're trying to ensure by traveling throughout the state today, not only seeing it from above, but seeing it on the ground.
And I think that you can continue through the next few days to see this kind of effort and beyond. And I know there have been some FEMA issues here locally. We've already put an appeal to get more of those FEMA funds from the storms that came through not too long ago. And I was very encouraged, again, by the comments that I got from the director of FEMA, as well as the president this afternoon.
Senator Nelson, would you like to add anything?
SEN. BILL NELSON, (D) FLORIDA: The governor has requested of the federal government the emergency assistance. FEMA has a preliminary assessment, an investigation team that comes in. They'll make that assessment. And then, if the president signs off on it, which I'm sure he will, all kinds of individual assistance, as well as public sector assistance, is available. Individual financial assistance, which would include crisis counseling, assistance to local businesses on loans, assistance to the public sector on debris removal, all of those kind of assistance.
Now, the Christmas storms that FEMA has not recognized as being eligible. We are going to continue to press on that, so that there would not be Daytona not having that declared for assistance and, yet, this storm. So we're still working that.
But you ought to see the devastation 15 miles to the west of here where 11 people were killed. It looks like a total war zone, about 300 yards wide, about three football fields. And the last thing we saw before we lifted off on the helicopter was a little fawn whose rear right leg was just completely dangling, limping off on three legs back into the woods.
CRIST: I'd like to give the attorney general the opportunity to talk to you, Attorney General Bill McCollum, about price-gouging issues -- General.
ATTORNEY GENERAL BILL MCCOLLUM, (R) FLORIDA: Thank you very much, Governor. I think one of the great things about this state is that we have a system set up for those who are concerned about fraud that may be being committed during these times. And I would warn anyone who is in the devastation path of this storm and has property damage that there can be people out there who want to rip you off. And I'd know for sure who you're dealing with before you deal with them. And if any folks who are out there tonight looking to plunder those who I've been...
LEMON: All right. The next person you hear from here on CNN is going to be our Wolf Blitzer once he picks this up in the "SITUATION ROOM".
But this is Don Lemon here along with Kyra Phillips signing off.
PHILLIPS: Our breaking news continues.
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