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Deadly Florida Storms; Baghdad Bombing Deadliest Attack in Iraq This Year; Tornado vs. Trailer; Bird Flu in Britain

Aired February 03, 2007 - 14:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, my mom is gone.

OPERATOR: OK. Is your mom there?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just send an ambulance! I don't know where she is!

OPERATOR: OK. Hold on a second, ma'am. Hold on. Hold on.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Terrifying moments caught on tape as killer storms tear through central Florida.

Massacre in Baghdad. The target, a crowded market.

And a bird flu outbreak closer to the U.S.? A look at where the lethal strain has now been discovered.

The news unfolds live on this Saturday, the 3rd day of February.

I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

You're in the NEWSROOM.

Our top story this hour, startling and heartbreaking images in central Florida. At least 20 deaths confirmed on this day after an outbreak of powerful storms, but state officials say the final death toll could take days to determine. Four counties north of Orlando are under a state of emergency. Now President Bush has issued a federal disaster declaration for the region, making federal aid available to storm victims.

Damage and destruction everywhere you look in the storm zone. Florida's governor got a bird's eye view in a helicopter tour, and what he saw was overwhelming.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. CHARLIE CRIST (R), FLORIDA: You know, we've been through this a lot in Florida, as you know. Over the past couple years we've had eight storms. It's unbelievable that one state would endure that kind of weather, but I couldn't be more proud than I am right now of the people of Florida. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Also on that tour, FEMA director David Paulison. I spoke with him earlier.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID PAULISON, FEMA DIRECTOR: We've taken those lessons that we learned in the 2004 hurricanes, and also what we learned in Katrina and Rita, and even in Wilma, here in Florida two years ago, to make sure we take those lessons, look at clearly what did not work and what did work and what we need to fix.

And we've been working on it for the last 18 months to make sure this organization can be much more nimble, much more agile, and much more responsive to the needs of the state and the local communities. And I think we've done that. In fact, I know we've done that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A stately old home in DeLand, Florida, withstood hurricanes for more than 100 years. Well, take a look now. It's rubble. No match for a storm-spawned tornado.

Our Susan Roesgen is live in DeLand with more on that.

And what a backdrop behind you.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, it is so unreal here. We have just seen out of the camera's view the mail truck pull up to deliver mail to this house. This is one of 500 homes and properties here, Fredricka, just in Volusia County that were either damaged or destroyed.

Now, the woman who owns this house told us earlier that she doesn't know what she's going to do yet. It is a 135 -- was a 135-year-old house hand built by her great-great grandfather, flattened by the tornado in just a few seconds. A beautiful two-story house.

At 4:00, Fredricka, I'm going to take you around to the back of this house and show you how the woman's 21-year-old son was able to get out of an upstairs crawlspace area, an upstairs second floor bedroom, was able to get out alive and unhurt.

That's coming up at 4:00.

WHITFIELD: And Susan, we are going to look forward to that, but did she have any warning? Is she one of the lucky ones who happened to have a kind of weather radio to know that something was on the way to get into that portion of the house and then be able to live to tell about it?

ROESGEN: No, she actually lives in another part of town. Her son was living here alone. He didn't have any warning.

She said that they were aware that there were going to be storms in the middle of the night early Friday morning. Everybody knew that from watching the local television weather reports. But she didn't really think it was going to be a tornado.

And when that warning went out, apparently, you know, it was the middle of the night, people were asleep. So they -- they weren't watching television or listening to radio to get that report in advance. So the son, the 21-year-old who got out of here, was either extremely lucky or, as she puts it, extremely blessed.

WHITFIELD: Yes. I should have said "he." Boy, he really is very lucky. And so how is he doing right now?

ROESGEN: He's doing fine. He was shaken up, but he, in fact, planned to come back out here with some of his friends and a chainsaw to try to cut through some of the debris and see whatever else they might be able to save from inside, whatever possessions inside the house they might be able to get to.

They did find earlier one very important piece of family history. And you'll see that in our report as well, Fredricka, at 4:00.

WHITFIELD: All right. We look forward to that.

What about insurance?

ROESGEN: Insurance on this house?

WHITFIELD: Yes.

ROESGEN: Fredricka, that's one thing I didn't think to ask. But there was an insurance person I believe out here with a notepad taking notes. That's one thing I didn't ask her. But it has been in her family for all these generation, so I assume that she owned it outright. The insurance on it, I couldn't tell you.

WHITFIELD: Yes. Well, let's hope. I just asked because so many folks there in Florida end up being caught between a rock and a hard place by not having insurance, especially recently, because rates have gone up so much post hurricane seasons that have been pretty brutal in the past couple of years.

We look forward to your report.

ROESGEN: Right and...

WHITFIELD: Sorry, go ahead.

ROESGEN: And the one really strange thing, Fredricka, that I had mentioned earlier was that the houses on either side, about the same size as this one, totally untouched.

WHITFIELD: Unbelievable.

ROESGEN: Just this house. Right where the tornado went through.

WHITFIELD: That is crazy. All right. Well, Susan, thanks so much for bringing us that report. And, of course, we'll look forward to you again in the 4:00 hour.

Meantime, let's check in with Jacqui Jeras to give us an explanation of this kind of storm system that swept through this area.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: So, when deadly storms like this hit central Florida, our CNN I-Reporters jumped into action. Here's a sampling of some of the pictures coming into the I-Report.

This picture right here sent by Alex Woods. He took this while walking around his neighborhood in DeLand, Florida. Alex says his house was not damaged, but this is what he found just down the street.

This picture is of a house with a boat that got squeezed into the camper. That doesn't look like the picture. But we promise that when we get it, we'll be able to bring that to you.

The picture also that you're looking at from Alex Woods' neighborhood, it shows what the storms did to trees and what the trees did to the houses.

And then take a look at this from Susan St. Amour. She's staying with her dad in The Villages retirement community and took these pictures after the storm hit. Susan also sent in another image.

And if you have photos or videos for I-Report, go to CNN.com/ireport. Send us what you have and we'll show you some of them throughout the day.

Extraordinary images there.

These stories still come to -- still to come, rather, in the NEWSROOM.

It seems to worsen in Baghdad. A powerful truck bomb creates a staggering death toll.

Bird flu strikes the English countryside. Thousands of turkeys fall ill.

And shredded. The incredible power of the Florida tornado. A walking tour of one neighborhood, that's coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: It is the deadliest attack in Iraq this year. A suicide bomber drove a truck into a crowded market in central Baghdad.

Our Arwa Damon is there.

Arwa, was this truck making some sort of delivery before the bomb was detonated?

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it does not appear so. Again, details at this point about specifically what happened before the explosion still hazy.

What we do know, though, from Iraqi authorities is that this suicide bomber was driving a dump truck and it was packed with some 2,200 pounds of explosives. So you can just imagine the magnitude of the explosion and the devastation that it caused.

The death toll is expected to rise as at least 10 buildings have collapsed. It does now stand, according to Iraq's Ministry of Health, at least 121 Iraqis dead, another 373 wounded. In fact, the casualties so high that hospitals in the area have been forced to redirect the injured to other locations throughout the city. The magnitude of this explosion so large that it was heard and felt throughout most parts of the capital.

Now, the attack came at about 4:45 p.m., timed just when the market would be at its busiest. Iraqis would be out and about at that time trying to do their last-minute shopping before it gets dark.

It did happen in a fairly mixed neighborhood. Sunni, Shia and Kurds do live in that area. And just to give you an example of the magnitude of this explosion, it has been the deadliest attack since the attack in Sadr City that took place at the end of November that left some 200 Iraqis dead. But in that attack, it was six car bombs. Here today, we're talking about a single suicide truck bomber who has killed at least 121 Iraqis.

Now, there has been a fairly disturbing trend and an increase in suicide bombings, especially in the capital, Baghdad, in the last few weeks. All of this coming, of course, as U.S. and Iraqi security forces are pushing forward with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki's and the U.S. administration's new plan to secure the capital -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: And so, Arwa, I was reading on some wire reports that this is a marketplace that has been targeted twice before. Once in November and December.

Are your sources and your reporting telling you the same thing?

DAMON: Yes. Fredricka, the market in fact most recently was attacked some 10 days ago. In that case, it was a car bomb that was parked, again targeting shoppers in that area. And interestingly, happening at around the same time.

Today's attack took place about 4:45. The attack 10 days ago took place at about 4:00 p.m.

In that attack, three Iraqis were killed, 10 wounded. And again, this just serves to underscore really how devastating today's attack was.

I mean, 10 buildings collapsed, stores stalled (ph), vehicles were damaged. And the death toll is truly unbelievable. Iraqi officials do fear that that death toll might rise because they are telling us there are many people that are still trapped underneath the rubble -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: Terribly sad.

Arwa Damon, thanks so much, from Baghdad.

DAMON: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And here in this country, devastation of a different magnitude. It is a daunting task of picking up the pieces in central Florida. Here's the latest right now in this top story.

At least 20 deaths are confirmed more than 24 hours after central Florida took a powerful tornado hit. State officials say the final death toll could take days to determine. Four counties north of Orlando are under a state of emergency. And President Bush has ordered a federal disaster declaration making federal aid available to storm victims.

Florida governor Charlie Crist and FEMA director David Paulison, among others, flying over the storm zone. When asked about the devastation they saw, Governor Crist said, "It makes you sick to your stomach."

A mobile home is no match for a tornado. CNN's Gerri Willis shows us what's left of one Florida trailer park and how tie-down straps proved worthless during this monster storm.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're seeing some real devastation here that -- some of which might have been preventable, right?

BILL YORK, ENGINEER CONTRACTOR, FLASH.ORG: It's possible. Unfortunately, tie-down straps are broken on a number of these.

WILLIS: What's a tie-down strap?

YORK: A tie-down strap is the metal strap that goes down into the ground, into an anchor, that goes up either to the bottom of the mobile home or over the top of the unit.

WILLIS: And they're metal. They are what they sound like?

YORK: They're a lightweight metal strap typically used in construction of all types, not just manufactured housing.

WILLIS: Trees are down. People's kitchens, utensils, food scattered everywhere, obviously. This is real devastation.

I want to -- I want to bring you down here so we can take a look at what was this house.

YORK: OK.

WILLIS: So, this is the trailer that was lifted and spun over upside down, now lying here upside down.

YORK: That's the one that was sitting right here.

WILLIS: And it's completely destroyed. I mean, take a look in this window here.

You know, it's just -- it's a mess. The furniture is on the ceiling essentially. The carpeting has been pulled down. It's open to the wind, to the water, to all the elements, and we see the contents of their kitchen sitting outside in the front yard.

It's just a mess.

YORK: And, you know, not to dwell on it all the time, but here's the tie-down strap from this corner. It goes up to what was the bottom of the unit right there.

WILLIS: So, I mean, obviously, everything these people owned is outside in the yard now instead of inside the home. And you can even see the insulation here.

YORK: Right.

WILLIS: And it's getting wet. That becomes a mold problem, doesn't it?

YORK: Well, it does if the home were going to be savable, but this home's going to the trash dumpster.

WILLIS: It's done.

YORK: It's done.

WILLIS: There's no hope for this house.

YORK: There's no way. And interestingly enough, back to the tie-down straps, you see the strap inside the wall underneath the aluminum? It goes up over the top. This one held, but the unit still blew apart.

WILLIS: And you can see these...

YORK: Those are...

WILLIS: ... like a foot interval, a foot and a half interval.

YORK: That's where the roof is tied to the walls. The ones that go over the top go up through the walls, and they should be on about five-foot centers.

WILLIS: OK.

YORK: So, you know, here's one right next to one that blew apart.

WILLIS: Right.

YORK: And on the other side, they blew apart. So this one stayed, but it still was destroyed, and this is 2 x 4 construction.

WILLIS: Which is what it's supposed to be.

YORK: What it's supposed to be. WILLIS: All right. But, you know, what's amazing to me is you see the siding that's been ripped away by the winds here.

YORK: Right.

WILLIS: All of the siding. It looks like wallpaper maybe down here, chairs, cushions from some kind of seating.

It's just heartbreaking really to see. I mean, look, you know, all these small things...

YORK: All the little keepsakes.

WILLIS: ... that people think of as being their home.

So here we see a big hole where something was.

YORK: Here we see a big hole where we can see the concrete blocks that the home was mounted -- sitting on top of. We saw on the side, that tie-down strap again that went over the top of the unit. It broke. The anchor appears to even be gone from over here.

WILLIS: Do you think this was a house, or was this a garage?

YORK: Oh, this was a House, because I think the garage was right over here. The car's off the driveway into where the house was.

WILLIS: So it was lifted up and moved as well, just as the house was.

YORK: It was lifted up. Yes.

WILLIS: This would have been the entrance right here.

YORK: This would have been the entrance.

WILLIS: Right here. Here's where you would have come through the front door right into the house. And you can get a sense here of the size and the shape of it.

YORK: Yes.

WILLIS: Now, this one did have straps.

YORK: It had some anyway that we see. We don't see an awful lot of them. That's a little surprising.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Well, how about this question? Is a deadly virus closing in on the U.S.? Police quarantine a farm in England. We'll take you there live.

And soccer suspended. Italy calls off games after hooliganism. Amazing video coming in to the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) WHITFIELD: A deadly strain of bird flu invades the shores of Britain for the first time. The virus infecting a turkey farm about 130 miles northeast of London. Health officials now are trying to scramble to contain it.

Our Adrian Finighan is there.

How much of a panic are people in?

ADRIAN FINIGHAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Not much, Fredricka, it has to be said. Basically because health officials, public health officials here in Britain, are playing down the risk to everybody. The main concern in this part of the world is about the economic impacts about -- of this outbreak.

I'm standing talking to you at the Bernard Matthews (ph) farm. Now, "farm" conjures up perhaps the wrong image. Let's take a look at some pictures that we shot earlier in the daylight.

As you can probably see, this is more of a factory, a plant, than it is a farm. There are over 160,000 birds on this plant here. So far, this highly pathogenic strain of avian -- the avian strain of the H5N1 virus has killed 2,600 birds. An operation to cull the remaining birds, thousands and thousands of birds on this plant, will begin shortly, we're told.

Now, public health officials have put into place various restrictions to ensure that this virus remains on this plant and doesn't get out into the wider community. Visitors are being disinfected as they arrive and leave. Poultry locally has to be kept indoors and under observation.

There's a three kilometer protection zone that's been set up around this plant as a surveillance zone for at least 10 kilometers around. No movement of poultry within that three-kilometer zone, apart from birds that are going to slaughter.

Now, as I said, this plant employs thousands of people in this rural part of England, about 130 kilometers, as you say, north of -- northeast of London. People very concerned about the possible impact. But as I said, public health officials here in Britain are saying that at the moment, the risk to the public is very, very small.

WHITFIELD: Well, that is good news, even though it is quite shocking to hear so many birds being affected.

Adrian Finighan, thanks very much.

Well, let's continue to go global now.

(NEWSBREAK)

Straight ahead in the NEWSROOM...

(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)

OPERATOR: 911, what is your emergency?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm in an 18-wheeler and I've just been turned over by a tornado.

(END AUDIO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: ... you'll hear the stories of Florida's storm victims in their own words.

And later, President Bush meets with some of his strongest critics. Find out what both sides are saying.

(WEATHER REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: What about the hurricanes you came through?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, 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: Yes, yes.

MARCIANO: Now you know what it feels like.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

MARCIANO: What's worse, a twister or a hurricane?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Twister.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Startling and heartbreaking images in central Florida. Let's update you now on the top story. At least 20 deaths are confirmed on this day after a string of powerful storms. But state official say the final death toll could take days to determine. Four counties north of Orlando are under a state of emergency. And now President Bush has issued a federal disaster declaration for the region, making federal aid available to storm victims.

So seeing the devastation from the ground is one thing. From the air, Florida's governor, FEMA's director and two senators saw the scope of the damage. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida spoke to me earlier about his impressions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BILL NELSON (D), FLORIDA: You can see the devastation here. But about 20 miles to the east of here, this tornado touched down in all of its ferociousness, and the landscape there, where 13 people were killed, is just absolutely pulverized. It's about 500 feet to 600 feet wide area. And it is just literally like a moonscape. There were a few little sticks of trees sticking up left, but it really hit in all of its ferociousness there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: And then there were these calls to 911. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CALLER: My roof is gone.

911: OK, listen ma'am. Did anybody get injured?

CALLER: No.

911: No injuries?

CALLER: No.

911: You just have your roof is missing?

CALLER: Yes, my living room, my bedroom. I'm in the kitchen.

911: OK, and there is nobody injured, correct?

CALLER: No, but I don't know about my neighbors. It's all old people in here, honey.

911: OK, OK, listen we got the calls and we are on the way, we are sending people as fast as possible, OK?

CALLER: OK, thank you.

911: 911, where is your emergency?

CALLER: I'm in an 18-wheeler and I've just been turned over by a tornado.

911: You're definitely in Volusia County?

CALLER: Yes, ma'am.

911: OK, what's the last cross street? You're on 17? What's the last cross street you remember seeing?

CALLER: Ma'am, I couldn't tell you. I'm trying to get out of the truck.

911: Ma'am, listen to me, listen to me. Did anybody get hurt?

CALLER: Yes, my mom is gone. My mom is gone.

911: OK, is your mom there?

CALLER: Just send an ambulance. I don't know where she is.

911: OK, hold on a second, ma'am. Hold on, hold on.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: So many people were caught off guard because this storm hit between 3:00 and 4:00 a.m. Jacqui Jeras in the Weather Center with some new information.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: Well, the material damage was one thing. And then there is trying to find people who are living, those who have survived and those who haven't among the splintered homes. CNN's Rob Marciano following a search and rescue squad in Lake County.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): The call came at 4:30 in the morning, a tornado had hit. There could be people trapped.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You can take your crew right through there.

MARCIANO: One of the first to arrive, Lieutenant Charles Blinco and his elite special Ops Squad from the Lake County Fire and Rescue found this. This was Blinco's first tornado call, but he's no stranger to tragedy. He went to the Gulf when Katrina blew through. The destruction in Florida looks sadly familiar.

LT. CHARLES BLINCO, LAKE COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE: What you see here is what you have with Katrina over a much larger area.

MARCIANO: Blinco's Squad 76 searched through what a few hours earlier were homes. But the sunshine in nearby Lady Lake Mobile Home Park were devastated. Almost every home severely damaged. With no heavy equipment on site yet, they used the only tools they had, manpower. Moving sheets of metal, busting through doors, crawling through tight spaces. They hoped not to find the worst, a fatality. After searching a home and finding no bodies, they marked it with an orange "x," meaning all clear. But unfortunately, they did find some bodies. Three people died at sunshine.

BLINCO: Unfortunately, you're going to find some people that have expired.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

MARCIANO: And that number, as you know, is up to 20 now with the potential of that number growing even greater. That special ops squad and a 40-man elite team specially trained to go into buildings that have collapsed and recover people, hopefully rescue people in a safe manner.

That would have been helpful in this house, which was completely demolished during the storm. But the two people inside managed to survive. They pulled themselves out.

If you've been following CNN at all this morning, you know that Soledad O'Brien was at this spot earlier today, as was the governor. He met with the Suggs (ph), the couple that survived this storm. So taken by their story and by their loss of their home, he ordered inmates to come in.

That's what you see behind me. They've come in and they've literally brought in some heavy equipment with a lot of manpower. And they have wiped the slate clean, so to speak. The foundation now clear of any sort of any sort of sign that, well, of the damage that we saw yesterday.

Bobcats and back hoes and bulldozers have come in to help the cause. And the transformation of what was a demolished house yesterday to what will be a cleaned foundation and a clean lot as well, because they've been coming in with chain saws. This place was peppered with old growth oak trees. Spanish moss in some cases. Completely uprooted by these winds.

And from what Jacqui Jeras just said, you have winds 150, 160 miles an hour, this was a brick home. It certainly was at least that, Fredricka. A very powerful storm here. The worst disaster in Lake County history. And so far, the second deadliest tornado outbreak in Florida history -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Rob Marciano in Lady Lake, Florida. Thanks so much. Of course we're going to be talking to the mayor of Lady Lake coming up.

Also straight ahead, President Bush's message for Florida's storm victims.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're getting new images in right now out of Lake County, Florida, there in central Florida. One of four counties hit hard by storms that swept through the area early yesterday morning. This thanks to our affiliate WKMG. You're seeing the cleanup taking place there. Lake County, the hardest hit of those four counties with deaths being reported in both Lady Lake as well as Paisley. And these are signs of progress, even though people are still trying to figure out where to go from here.

Perhaps the person who knows very well what a number of the residents in Lady Lake in particular are going through is the mayor, who is joining us now. Max Pullen, the mayor of Lady Lake, thanks so much for being with us. This has got to be a tough 24 hours for you and for your citizens.

MAX PULLEN, MAYOR, LADY LAKE: Yes. Well it's good to be here with you. And yes, I think as far as my experience has been, this has been the most difficult thing that we've had to cope with in our community.

WHITFIELD: In what way? I mean, clearly the obvious is you have a huge tornado that came through. Now we're hearing that wind speeds may have been up to 165 miles per hour. But in a state that is so used to dealing with emergency preparedness and response, how did this one particularly hit you as a government official there, leader of your community, so hard?

PULLEN: Well, you know, with a hurricane, we have an abundance on advance warning on getting prepared for that. When a tornado hits, like this morning when my alert radio went off, there was 10 minutes' warning.

And when have you that, you don't have time to prepare or to plan. However, the aftermath, we've gone to great extent of being prepared for because of the hurricanes. We still have to clean up afterwards regardless whether it's a tornado or a hurricane. So the cleanup is going smoothly because it's something we were prepared for. But once we were being hit with a tornado was something that we could just not adjust to, it happened so quickly.

WHITFIELD: And tell me about many of your residents who are now displaced, you know, without their comfort zone of possessions. Many of whom are elderly or fragile, who are in need of their medication and a lot of that being swept away. How are you helping them out?

PULLEN: Well, we have already gotten assistance from the state. Our Governor Charlie Crist's office and also from FEMA about getting temporary housing, clothing, food. And we're also working with CVS pharmacy and Walgreen's about prescriptions to keep our citizens going because this time we can get straightened out with that.

WHITFIELD: What are your greatest worries in the immediate hours ahead?

PULLEN: I think the -- my biggest concern is the effort that it's going to take to get our citizens back to a normal life. We need to do that as expeditiously as possible and just to ease their frame of mind.

Because you know, the mental anguish that goes with this is probably the greatest thing we're to deal with. And the sooner we can get our residents back to a normal life, the better we all will be.

WHITFIELD: And what are a lot of the residents telling you? I'm sure they're, A, glad to see you when they're still trying to figure out what to do next. But what are they able to express to you or what kind of questions are they even asking?

PULLEN: Well, one of the things that's really astonished me in going around the different areas that have been devastated are the people's frame of mind. They're not downtrodden or downbeaten. They're upbeat. They're saying this happened, we have to adjust, make corrections and go forward. And it's really refreshing to see that type of attitude with the people that are so devastated by it.

WHITFIELD: Lady Lake Mayor Max Pullen, thanks so much for your time and best of luck as you and the community there tries to pull together and recover from this devastating storm. PULLEN: Thank you for being here.

WHITFIELD: Let's take another look at news across America now.

Dramatic pictures of a rescue in Arkansas. A look at these stories. Divers pull a 5-year-old boy out of a pond more than an hour after the child fell through the ice near his home yesterday. The boy is in critical condition right now at a hospital in Little Rock.

And a fire in Philadelphia. A restaurant and nightclub burning today in the Old City section of Philly. The building popular with tourists, was home to the Five Spot Lounge and the Peek-A-Boo Burlesque Revue. The choking smoke forced a lot of folks out of their apartments nearby.

And the Donald may have a couple choice words for one New York state agency such as you're fired. The New York Department of State Web site accidentally displaced Social Security numbers contained in commercial loan documents including that of Donald Trump. The problem has been fixed. It is not yet known if any of the numbers were compromised.

President Bush declaring four Florida counties disaster areas following the killer storms. Let's go now to White House correspondent Elaine Quijano where a lot is on the president's plate, namely how to help out the people in Florida.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon to you, Fredricka.

That's exactly right. President Bush issuing that disaster declaration today for the state of Florida, essentially paving the way for federal funds to help storm victims in those affected counties.

Now, the president said that he spoke to Florida Governor Charlie Crist yesterday, assuring him that whatever federal assistance was needed, the government would, in fact, provide quickly. The president in that conversation also offered his condolences, Fredricka, for those who lost their lives -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And the president also busy today visiting with folks on the other side of the aisle but in Virginia, at what is usually a retreat for many Democrats.

QUIJANO: That's exactly right. And really this was another sign of the new political reality for President Bush. He made a rare appearance, as you noted, to the House Democrats Annual Retreat. That was down in Williamsburg, Virginia.

And the president really focused largely on issues of possible cooperation between the White House and Democrats, things like immigration and education. The president in his public remarks only made a passing mention of his plan for Iraq, to send in thousands of additional U.S. forces there.

That plan, though, as you know has run into a wall of opposition not just from Democrats, but from some of his fellow Republicans as well. Here is President Bush from earlier today.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I listened to many members here. I listened to members of my own party. I listened to the military and came up with a plan that I generally believe has the best chance of succeeding. I do know we agree on some things and that is that the Maliki government is going to have to show strong leadership.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Now, even as the president received a cordial welcome in Virginia. Just up the highway here in Washington Democrats meeting at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting slammed President Bush over Iraq. In particular, presidential candidate and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Let's take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BILL RICHARDSON (D), NEW MEXICO: The war in Iraq is not the disease. Iraq is a symptom. The disease is arrogance. When it comes to this president, when it comes to this president, I don't know how someone can be so blind to the hurt and anguish in this country, and so deaf to the will of the people. This is not presidential greatness. This is a great tragedy. America is better than this.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

QUIJANO: Meantime, as the political debate over Iraq continues, another reminder today of the challenges facing the Bush administration as well as the Iraqi government.

That deadly bombing today in Iraq. The White House issuing a written statement calling the attack an atrocity and pledging that the U.S. will support the Iraqi government and security forces in their efforts -- Fredricka.

WHITFIELD: All right, Elaine Quijano at the White House, thanks so much.

Coming up, a community of faith reacts in a time of trial.

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WHITFIELD: Nothing too sacred, the deadly Florida storms demolished the Lady Lake Church of God. But it did not destroy the church's spirit. CNN's Anderson Cooper reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): All day, parishioners stumbled amid the wreckage, stunned at the damage that lay about their feet. Pastor Larry Lynn still finds it hard to believe.

LARRY LYNN, PASTOR, LADY LAKE CHURCH OF GOD: People got married here and people had funerals here. There's all kind of things. I'm sure there's a lot of memories and a lot of things there that will sink in, in a day or two.

JOE KOWALSKY, PARISHIONER, LADY LAKE CHURCH OF GOD: This is my church, my family. These are all my people. And it's just devastating to see where we spent all our time worshipping and praising Him. And it's just gone.

COOPER: In past hurricanes, the church was a sanctuary, a solid structure meant to withstand major storms.

(On camera): This church was built about 31 years ago, and they say it was built to withstand winds in excess of 150 miles an hour. Obviously, it didn't survive this storm.

ANNE MATTHEWS, YOUTH PASTOR, LADY LAKE CHURCH OF GOD: We found our pastor's bible, the one he preaches out of every Sunday. And we found that. And I have to say that was probably the most important thing.

COOPER (voice-over): They found the bible, some hymnals, a flag of their faith. They did what survivors do, banding together, staying strong.

(On camera): Think you'll be able to rebuild the church?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Absolutely.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, we know beyond the shadow of a doubt.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: God's going to turn..

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to have church here Sunday.

COOPER: You're going to have church on this Sunday.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're going to have church on this ground on Sunday. You know, the building's gone but the church is still here. This is the church.

COOPER (voice-over): A sentiment echoed by the pastor, who is already planning his Sunday sermon.

LYNN: We'll rebuild. We'll get it together and we'll be out here on this lawn at 10:45 Sunday morning celebrating Jesus Christ. We invite you to come and all your friends out there.

COOPER: Anderson Cooper, CNN, Lady Lake, Florida. (END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And straight ahead, stay tuned for CNN's "SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS UNIT: How To Rob a Bank." That begins right after the latest on today's deadly attack in a Baghdad market.

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