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CNN Newsroom
Florida Storm Damage Update
Aired February 03, 2007 - 17:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
RICK SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Unbelievably chilling words from desperate callers -- please for help from victims of the deadly storms in Florida.
Maybe the words to describe it are devastation, heartbreak and hope in Florida today. Volunteers, National Guard troops, even jail inmates are helping survivors salvage what they can from homes shredded by deadly tornadoes. At least 20 people are dead, but that total could go even higher.
We're also following other major stories at this hour -- Asian bird flu now in Britain, a bombing in Baghdad, shocking even in Iraq, as far as the proportions of that bombing. And President Bush is talking about the war and patriotism to lawmakers from the other side of the aisle.
Let's do this now. Let's go to ground zero and the destruction in Florida. We're following every angle of this developing story. What moved us most today, the amazing stories of survival, among them, frantic calls to 911.
Our T.J. Holmes has more on these dramatic pleas for help. And we want to caution you, as you listen to these, some of these calls will get to you.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Ma'am, listen to me. Listen to me.
Did anybody get hurt?
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): An emotional roller coaster for so many. For this woman, despair...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My mom's bed is gone.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, is your mom there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Just send an ambulance. I don't know where she is.
HOLMES: ... turned to hope.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you find her?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They said they found her, but the whole house is gone so something might be wrong with her. HOLMES: The twister hit in the middle of the night, in some cases no warning sirens. Nearly everyone was caught by surprise.
Those on the road didn't see it coming.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911.
Where's your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, I'm in an 18 wheeler and it's been turned over by a tornado.
cross street you remember seeing?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ma'am, I couldn't tell you.
HOLMES: On Interstate 4, nearly half a dozen tractor-trailers also overturned.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, listen, we've got the calls and we're on the way. We're sending people as fast as possible, OK?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. Thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
HOLMES: The first source of comfort in the midst of the chaos.
I'm T.J. Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
SANCHEZ: Well, there are unbelievable accts of the storm, riveting accts of Florida's monster storm from residents who came face-to-face with its fury, lost everything but their lives.
This report now from our Florida affiliate, RUSH TV.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
QUESTION: This is your room?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes. We grabbed her from there with the -- our little Chihuahua. We ran and as we were running the stuff was coming -- the whole walls were coming down around us all the way through.
QUESTION: What were you thinking?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I wasn't. I was freaking out. All I could think of was god, please let us make it through this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The wind just picked me up and bounced me down about four times. And each time it bounced me down, I got another bang and a bruise. So, I'm -- I'm all right.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They were blowing out. The home was blown. I think they found them down near the lake dead, a lady and a man.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
QUESTION: You've got a skylight?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I have one now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I heard, I said it's a tornado. We've got to get someplace. We got in the closet and there we stood. And he was over me in the closet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: My grandbaby. My niece, my nephew. Wonderful. Wonderful. The good lord had his way. And he will -- we will survive.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Undoubtedly, the hardest hit area in Florida is a place called Lake County. And that's where all of the deaths, by the way, have occurred. Recovery crews and anxious residents are still trying to dig through some of that rubble.
Our Rob Marciano is there and has been following it --
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Rick, this is...
SANCHEZ: Rob, over to you.
MARCIANO: ... they're telling me this is the worst natural disaster that Lake County has ever seen. Fresh information for you right now. A curfew will not be enforced today. Electricity crews have been out and we were told that electricity has been restored to all homes to which it is either possible or safe to do that, meaning if your home was pretty much destroyed or totaled, what's the sense of hooking up the electricity anyway?
And there's so many of those homes out here across Lake County.
To give you an idea of some of the power of this storm, obviously loads of debris. But look at this -- this mature pine tree. This is a long-needled pine, common throughout parts of central and northern Florida. This is about two-and-a-half to three feet in diameter, completely snapped like a toothpick. And then there's old growth oak trees that have trunks even wider than that completely uprooted.
You looked across debris like this, this was somebody's home, a couple that we've been talking about, really, for the past day-and-a- half, a couple who saw their home completely collapse on them and survived, a great story in that respect. That's what's left of their home, just a slab of concrete.
Mostly because the governor came here this morning, talked to Soledad O'Brien, talked with the homeowners, was so moved, he got inmates out here in their jailbird suits and they cleaned that thing up with manpower and with heavy equipment.
And the outpouring of neighbor to neighbor support here has really been impressive on how neighbors have been going around and helping each other in this aftermath.
We are literally feet away from where the core of this twister came through. And like Jacqui Jeras has been saying all afternoon, an F3 standard, 150, 160 plus, mile an hour winds. You really see, Rick, the power of Mother Nature and what a twister can do.
This is the worst, the deadliest tornado outbreak here in Florida, in all of Florida, since 1998 in February, which, I might add, was also an El Nino year. We're in an El Nino year now, which kind of strengthens that Southern jet stream during the wintertime and quite possibly could have been one of the factors in this very, very strong tornado across central Florida just a day-and-a-half ago -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Rob Marciano sitting there following this story.
He's been there since late last night. He probably didn't get a lot of sleep. And we thank you for, really, a good day's work.
We'll be checking back with you. Keep it up, Rob.
Well, from hard hit Lake County, the path of destruction flows east. Residents in neighboring Volusia County are accomplishing minor victories today, a testament to their resilience, reclaiming precious family mementoes thought destroyed by the storm.
That's where we find our Susan Roesgen.
SUSAN ROESGEN, GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT: Believe it or not, someone was in that house when the tornado hit. He survived, the house did not.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE) ROESGEN (voice-over): One hundred thirty-five years ago, Beth Thomas's great, great grandfather built this house by hand. Now Beth is carrying away what's left of it.
BETH THOMAS, TORNADO SURVIVOR: My mother was born in the bedroom right up there. And I think the bed's still in there. I'm not sure. We'll have to see. I mean the bed is there, but it may be crashed.
ROESGEN: The tornado flattened the second floor onto the first, flinging insulation into the trees like Spanish moss. Beth's 21-year- old son was in the house when the tornado hit.
(on camera): Let me show you how Beth's son got out early Friday morning. He was in what was a second floor bedroom -- right through there. Beth says, in her words, "god made a tent for him," a way for her son to crawl out.
THOMAS: This is just material things. I mean that's -- that's not what's important. What's important is my son is alive and that we're OK and god's taking care of us and, you know, what can't be replaced just can't be replaced. I mean this is just -- this is just stuff. And it's not that important in the scheme of things.
ROESGEN (voice-over): Beth's church is helping her haul away the debris. But she was ecstatic to find something she didn't expect to see.
THOMAS: and there are old letters and pictures in here.
ROESGEN: The family bible, almost as old as the house itself, a treasure the tornado didn't touch.
(on camera): And this was one of about 500 homes and businesses damaged or destroyed in Volusia County alone.
Susan Roesgen, CNN, Volusia County, Florida.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
SANCHEZ: There is also less than accommodating weather for the day after. More storms for the Florida space coast to deal with, along with the cleanup and the recovery.
CNN's Jacqui Jeras has been tracking all of it for us at the CNN severe weather center, aside from giving us all some wonderful advice on what kind of radios we need to go out and buy.
JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right. And you don't have one, Rick. You told me in the commercial break.
SANCHEZ: I don't?
JERAS: If you missed it, you know what?
I'm just going to walk off camera for a second so we can show this one more time. SANCHEZ: Go ahead.
JERAS: If you missed the segment that I did about 10 minutes ago, maybe 15 minutes ago already, about your NOAA weather radio, that this is one thing that every household needs to have and the one thing that if you don't have sirens in your rural area or in your county, this will wake you up in the middle of the night when a tornado warning is issued and certainly could save your live.
And even if you don't live in Tornado Alley, this can wake you up for blizzards. This can tall you about flash flooding, even amber alerts and terror alerts are all issued on an all hazards weather radio that you can get at your local electronics store or just get online and say NOAA weather radio or all hazardous weather radio and you can spend anywhere between $20 and maybe $200 if you want to get really fancy.
It would also be very good if you're a boater or a camper. Make sure you've got a portable one that you can bring with you on your trip.
Now, the weather this morning across central Florida a lot worse than it was now. We had some lightening strikes, some heavy downpours, and even a little bit of hail. But that blew through very, very quickly.
Here you can see some showers, which are still moving across the area. Most of the rainfall certainly very light, but certainly not an ideal day, of course, for pickup. But the overcast conditions keeping those temperatures down and making things a little bit more moderate, as well.
No severe weather, though, expected today -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: All right, thanks a lot.
Hey, you know, one thing you didn't mention and I'm sure a lot of people are wondering, if I buy one of those, I don't want to be woken up because there's a storm in Birmingham if I'm living in Atlanta.
JERAS: Right.
SANCHEZ: It's specific to your area or zip code, right?
JERAS: Right. So you want to spend more like $50 or $60 on it and get the ones that say they have SAME technology, S-A-M-E. And you can code your specific county and even whatever hazard that you want to watch. If you only want tornado watches, you can program it to do that only for tornadoes.
SANCHEZ: Excellent information.
Thanks so much.
That really is great advice.
Talk to you again, Jacki.
Well, we've got a lot more on this storm, including this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GERRI WILLIS, PERSONAL FINANCE EDITOR: Do you think this was a house or was this a garage?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, this was a house because, I mean, the garage was right over here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: That's CNN's Gerri Willis.
She's going to do a walk and talk for us. That's what we call her getting in there and really showing us, hands-on, what happened; also, how federal officials learned the hard lessons of Hurricane Katrina, or at least they say they did.
Some other news of the day, as well, including a horrible bombing in Baghdad.
But we're, of course, going to monitor the developing story in Florida throughout the day.
And here right now is a live picture. This is from Lake County, where all the people have died.
Also, take a look at this. This is an I-Report photo taken by Scott Wilson. He's from Stewart, Florida. He sent us this just a little while ago. If you have pictures you'd like to send us we can share them with the viewers, just go to cnn.com/ireport. Stick them in there. We're going to bring you more of these throughout the hour.
You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For a minute there it just got, it seemed like not even a minute, maybe a second -- and got very, very quiet and then all of a sudden bam. It was just a big, big explosion. And, you know, I didn't know what was going on, to tell you the truth.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Rick Sanchez.
A mobile home really no match for a tornado. Tie-down straps designed for added protection proved worthless during this monster storm. It turned a Florida trailer park into a pile of debris.
Our Gerri Willis got a chance to go in there to see what was left.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
WILLIS: We're seeing some real devastation here that -- some of which might have been preventable, right?
BILL YORK, FEDERAL ALLIANCE OF SAFE HOUSES: It's possible. Unfortunately, tie-down straps are broken on a number of these. Someone...
WILLIS: What's a tie-down strap?
YORK: A strap -- 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?
YORK: They're...
WILLIS: They are what they sound like?
YORK: Yes. They're a lightweight metal strap, typically used in construction of all types, not just manufactured housing.
WILLIS: Trees are down, people's kitchen utensils, food scattered everywhere, obviously. This is real devastation.
I want to -- I want to bring you down here...
YORK: OK.
WILLIS: ... so we can take a look at what was this house. So this is the trailer that was lifted and spun over upside down...
YORK: That's right.
WILLIS: ... 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 an -- 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 -- 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 is going to the trash dumpster, you know?
WILLIS: It's done?
YORK: It's done. It's gone.
WILLIS: There's no hope for this house?
YORK: There's no -- no way. And, interestingly enough, back to the tie-down straps, you see the strap inside the wall underneath the room...
WILLIS: Yes.
YORK: ... and normally it goes up over the top. This one held, but the unit still blew apart.
WILLIS: All right, and -- but it, you know, what's amazing to me is you see the siding that's been ripped away by the wind 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, you know, small things...
YORK: All the little keepsakes, yes.
WILLIS: ... that people think of as being their home.
YORK: And what happens, of course, is the building is replaceable. This type of thing isn't.
WILLIS: No, it's not.
YORK: And all the pictures of the children, the grandchildren, as we like to say, all your private papers, you know, could be totally destroyed due to the water. So it's extremely important to plan ahead for those kinds of things and try to keep them into, you know, like a safe or a fire resistant filing cabinet. They have a better chance of surviving.
WILLIS: 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 -- was sitting on top of. We saw, on the other 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 the house because I think the garage was right over here. The car is off the driveway into where the house was.
WILLIS: So it was lifted up...
YORK: It was lifted up...
WILLIS: ... as well, just as the house was?
YORK: Yes.
WILLIS: This would have been the entrance right there?
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, but that's a little surprising.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
SANCHEZ: Gerri Willis reporting from Lake County, Florida.
We should mention that Gerri is one of many CNN correspondents that have been covering this story since it first developed yesterday morning.
Now, Fredericka Whitfield had a chance to talk to somebody who is very much involved in what's going on in this situation.
She talked to FEMA chief David Paulison about what's being done to try and help the people of Florida, to try and get them the help that they specifically need in their case, because not all need the same thing.
He described how that help is going to be coming to her.
(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)
DAVID PAULISON, FEMA DIRECTOR: The trailers that are coming in are both primarily food, water, ice, blue tarps, generators, those types of things that the state has asked for. They're already in the state of Florida. We're moving them to our logistics centers to make them available through the state if they absolutely need those. FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: And, you know, the hardest part immediately following a natural disaster of this kind of magnitude is really finding a number of people who have been displaced, because, you know, they have nothing. They did not have access to their cell phones. They've been blown away. They -- a lot of times they're kind of out of touch with how to find the emergency response.
So, how is it that you all go about trying to find them?
PAULISON: Well, the state has already set up a victims finder type of a system, a victim locator system. And they're already out working to find extra people to hook up with the families, find out those that were injured, those who have been deceased. And they're doing a very good job of it.
They have never asked the federal government to step in and do that or to help them with that yet.
We're going to be helping them with debris removal, with emergency protective measures and individual assistance for those individuals whose homes have been damaged or destroyed.
WHITFIELD: Did you see that responding to this disaster was going to be a real test for not only FEMA, but for you given that so much of this country has been very discouraged by FEMA as a result of Hurricane Katrina?
PAULISON: I don't -- I don't see it as a test. I just see it as a time we have to respond together. This is one of those types of things where we have to work together. It's not up to FEMA, it's not up to the state, it's not up to local community, it's all of us working together as a team. And that's what we've done here.
The state has allowed us to work with them as partners to coordinate with them. And that's going to allows us to do a much, much better job of responding to the victims than we've been able to do in the past.
(END VIDEO TAPE)
SANCHEZ: That's FEMA chief David Paulison.
Now, if your home has been damaged, register on the FEMA Web site. And here it is. It's www.fema.gov, www.fema.gov. Or you can call this number, 1-800-621-FEMA, 621-FEMA.
Some alarming news out of Britain today -- bird flu. Now, authorities are cracking down again. After this break, we'll bring you a live report.
Also, we're going to take you back to central Florida -- a close- up look at the scene of mass destruction there.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: Rick Sanchez in the CNN NEWSROOM. This is the second deadliest tornado in Florida history, did you know?
Here's what else we know right now. Officials are saying that 20 people were killed when this brutal storm ripped right through central Florida. The death toll could go even higher. Emergency crews still searching some of the hard hit neighborhoods.
President Bush has declared four counties disaster areas.
Well, that declaration frees up federal funds for ongoing recovery efforts.
Carnage in Baghdad, as well -- another story we're following -- on a scale almost unimaginable. Today, a suicide truck bomber targeted a busy open air market. Dozens killed, hundreds wounded.
Details now from CNN's Arwa Damon.
ARWA DAMON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is the deadliest attack to hit the capital this year. More than 120 Iraqis killed, hundreds more wounded, when a suicide bomber drove a dump truck packed with 1,000 kilograms, 2,200 pounds of explosives, driving his vehicle into a central Baghdad marketplace.
The attack timed to hit when marketplace would be at its busiest, just before sunset, as Iraqis are doing their last minute shopping.
The attack utterly devastating. At least 10 building in the area completely collapsed. That, according to Iraqi officials. Stalls, shops, vehicles completely damaged.
The blast was felt and heard throughout most of the capital. The wounded in such high numbers that Iraqi hospitals in the area, unable to take in any more casualties, were forced to redirect the injured to other locations.
At this point, no claim of responsibility. This is a fairly mixed area -- Sunni, Shia and Kurd -- but is an example of the magnitude of this attack. It is the deadliest since the Sadr City blast that took place at the end of November. That attack left some 200 Iraqis dead, but that was six car bombs.
Here, in this attack, we are talking about a single suicide bomber, one vehicle packed with, again, 1,000 kilograms, 2,200 pounds of explosives, wracking utter destruction.
Now, there has been a disturbing increase in suicide bombings, especially in the capital, over the last few weeks, something that is of increasing concern to both U.S. and Iraqi officials as they do try to move forward with both the Iraqi government's and the U.S. administration's new plan to secure the capital.
Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.
(END VIDEO TAPE) SANCHEZ: Well, you've seen the violence. Now we want you to experience the fight to save wounded troops inside a Baghdad emergency room.
CNN's special investigations unit -- "Combat Hospital" is what it's called. We're going to bring it to you. It's tonight at 8:00 Eastern.
Well, right now, a troubling question -- the bird flu -- is it one step closer to the U.S.?
Today, officials in Britain confirmed that a deadly strain of bird flu found on a turkey farm. It was just north of London. Thousands of birds have died, thousands more are now being killed just as a precaution.
Joining us near this farm is CNN's Adrian Finighan, who has been following the story -- Adrian, what do we know right now and what are they doing about it?
ADRIAN FINIGHAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What are they doing about it?
They're culling, Rick, 160,000 birds, as we speak. A fleet of trucks standing by wig to take away the carcasses of the birds that are being culled in this operation, which officials reckon could last anywhere between 24 and 36 hours to incinerate those birds.
We're speaking to you from Holton, in Suffolk, a rural community some 130 kilometers northeast of London on a bitterly cold night. This farm, which is actually more of a factory, a plant, if you like, is effectively under quarantine right now. A three kilometer exclusion zone right around it. Beyond that, a 10 kilometer surveillance zone in which all poultry is being monitored for signs of any disease.
And in a development we've heard about in the last few hours, additional measures have been taken that put in an extra restricted zone. Some 2,000 square kilometers in the counties surrounding this farm now have restrictions placed upon them, which mean that all domestic poultry -- and as this is a rural area, there's a lot of domestic poultry -- now has to be kept under cover and out of contact with wild birds.
People understandably are concerned, but public health officials are playing down the risk to human health, saying that the risk of transmission is minimal -- Rick.
SANCHEZ: Yes, that's fine if they say that, but I still would want to be tested.
Are they going to be testing some of the people who live in that area?
FINIGHAN: They're not at the moment, because they say, Rick, that this virus is contained within this plant. Plans to deal with H5N1, the deadly strain of avian flu, have been around for quite some time. The government has moved swiftly here to put those plans into action. They're fairly satisfied that they've contained this outbreak to this plant.
SANCHEZ: That's good news.
Thanks.
Adrian Finighan following that story for us.
We also are following, really, the big story over here on this side of the pond, and that is that situation near Orlando. Live pictures of Lake County. You're looking at it right there. These are people who basically are doing anything they possibly can to just get through the night. Remember, their homes are gone.
But tomorrow they're going to rise and they're going to get together and they're going to have a church service and the very latest figures and the very latest numbers and the very latest video that comes in, we will be sharing with you.
Also, another story we're keeping an eye on right now. President Bush in enemy territory.
And then, a small town in Texas, where the mayor has a big idea, an idea that's got a lot of people talking, not thrilled about it, by the way. We're going to see what the mayor has to say. We'll talk to him directly in about 20 minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
SANCHEZ: And there we are. We welcome you back to the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Rick Sanchez, we're trying to cover all of the angles from Friday's tragic and deadly twister in Central Florida. Official death toll now at 20, could still rise. Fatalities are in Lake County, by the way. The tornado roared to life in the middle of the night with little or no warning for people. It's considered the worst disaster in Lake County history, second worst tornado in Florida history. Lake and three other neighboring counties are now eligible for federal disaster relief by the way. And by the looks of things they're going to need plenty of it. There are lots of people hurting in all sorts of ways. But one constant is the misery that a lot of people have been feeling and the seemingly limitless level of human compassion from others who want to help their neighbors. CNN's Susan Candiotti, she's live in Lady Lake in Lake County with one such example. Good to see you, Susan.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good to see you too Rick. I can tell you that we've seen this time and time again, an impressive number of helping hands, people showing up, they are individuals, they belong to religious organizations, they're from out of town, who want to lend a hand, who are lending and donating their time, food, money, and even some people are lending their homes. And this afternoon, we spent some time with a woman who needs a home. Her name is Catherine Miller, she lives in a mobile home park here in Lady Lake, and she lost everything. She was able to pull herself out of the rubble. All she was able to save was her purse. Some people helped her pull that out and her car. But she has no family living in this area. Well a woman who lives across town, at least 20 minutes away from here, has opened up her home to Catherine, until she figures out what to do next.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CATHERINE MILLER, TORNADO VICTIM: We all have goodness in us, no matter who we are, whatever, and it's just something I just (INAUDIBLE) it all.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP)
CANDIOTTI: Now Christine Littizzio is the woman who has opened her house to Catherine and another man by the man of Paul Moverly, he's in his 80s and he has absolutely no family left here. Christine and her husband said they could not look the other way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE LITTIZZIO, HOME OWNER: My heart just goes out to these people. It's just amazing the devastation, and you know, anything I can do to help them, anything. It just, it makes me cry inside. It really does.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP) CANDIOTTI: How long will this family be willing to let these people live with them? As long as it takes for them to get back up on their feet. Back to you Rick.
SANCHEZ: Susan Candiotti who's very familiar with the stories because she lives in Florida and knows how it's devastated by storms. And Susan I'll look forward to seeing you again tonight, the story of the mummified baby that we're talking about, unbelievable, number one on cnn.com, look forward to seeing you tonight to talk about that.
The storms that crept in during the dead of night, almost everybody was in bed. They were asleep. They moved from the Gulf of Mexico, began their destructive path across the heart of central Florida. Four counties in all, Lake, Volusia, Sumter and Seminole counties, all north of Orlando by the way, path of destruction 40 miles long. It makes you sick to your stomach. Those are the words of one of the officials who toured the area for the very first time by helicopter just this morning.
Joining me by phone now is Florida Congressman John Mica. He also got a firsthand look at some of the devastation. Let me ask you first of all, because I'm a Floridian myself, been there most of my life. The development that's taken place in the state of Florida has been unimaginable in the last 10 years or so. A lot of people are making a lot of money on real estate, you and I know, but are we doing the right things to make sure the homes are being built correctly and that they're not being built too close together?
REP. JOHN MICA, (R) FLORIDA: Well Rick, where the tornado hit in Volusia county really, there hasn't been quite as much development along that path, but we have some pretty good building codes. I viewed a number of residents that were older. In fact one was 100 years old, just totally flattened. Looked like a stack of cards that had just been laid out, but I think when you get a storm of that magnitude, no matter what your building code is, you're going to lose the structure.
SANCHEZ: And you agree that we're just building so many homes in the state of Florida, and the density is so high, a storm goes through, you're going to get pounded. It's impossible to make it disappear, right?
MICA: Well, again, my district has been hit three times by hurricanes, and then we had a Christmas day tornado, so that was on the north end of Volusia county, and I call it the Groundhog Day tornado. We experienced on the south side of the county, so we've been hit by hurricanes and tornadoes, and again, when you get the force of a storm like we had yesterday, I don't think there's anything that will survive.
SANCHEZ: Oh I think you're right. Tell us about the impression. I understand it was really, it was pretty tough for you to be able to look down and see some of the pictures. They really are, as much as we can try and provide our viewers with a glimpse of what happened, you were there with your eyes, explain it to us.
MICA: Yesterday and today people are sorting through their possessions, things they've collected all of their lives. It's kind of heart-wrenching to see people trying to just, just to get their possessions, things that are very important to them together. They've lost their houses and their structures. Fortunately, in Volusia County, they didn't lose their lives. We had a lot of folks that lost their lives in neighboring Lake County, but it's tough. The good thing is, you see the strength of our country, and our people, people working together, volunteers, neighbors, people coming up from different areas.
SANCHEZ: And we did, as a matter of fact, see a lot of that, even in some of the reports, we've been filing throughout today. Congressman John Mica from Florida, we thank you sir for taking time to talk to us.
President Bush opened the spigot of federal aid to those in the four Florida counties that we've been telling you about. Mr. Bush spoke today to House Democrats at a retreat in Williamsburg, Virginia.
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BUSH: On the way in, we spent a little time talking about Florida and I talked to the governor yesterday. The speaker was concerned, as am I, to make sure that the folks get the help they need down there and Madam Speaker, you and I and every member here shares concerns for those whose lives were turned upside down by that storm. And as I told you earlier and told the governor, whatever federal response is needed we will make it quick and sure.
(END OF VIDEO CLIP) SANCHEZ: And the president did in fact sign so that Florida can get some of that relief. By the way, coming up from the NEWSROOM, a small town Texas mayor's big idea and how the town folks you might say took it.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have opened up a can of worms! And it's time for it to be stopped.
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SANCHEZ: It's a can of worms all right. Coming up, Mayor Ken Corley, the man who got Brazoria, Texas all wound up.
Also a Florida woman lived to tell the story of the night that her house came crashing down around her.
And we're going to continue to bring you the very latest pictures of the scene. And as we get iReports from you, we'll share them with you as well. Stay with us.
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DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN SR. MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Jasmine Tollman 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 MOTHER: To receive a letter from the teacher, usually says I got in trouble. And she wanted to know what it said.
GUPTA: What Jasmine received was 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 in seven states that passed laws, making it mandatory that parents be given their children's BMI scores with information advising them to check with their pediatrician.
KENNETH STANTON, OBESITY REPORT CARD: This is a change in behavior that we have to implement, its 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 the state back in 2003. In three years, Arkansas has actually seen its statewide childhood obesity numbers start to level off.
MICHAEL HUCKABEE, FORMER ARKANSAS GOVERNO: 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.
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SANCHEZ: Rick Sanchez back in the CNN NEWSROOM, but we're looking at some of the pictures that have been coming in, this is from Lady Lake, Florida. Again, 20 people dead there in Lake County and we understand that there could be a death toll that could still grow even higher. CNN has as many correspondents on the ground there as anybody else and if any information comes up, we'll bring it to you right away.
Another story that's grabbed our attention has to do with the power of a word, the word most of us will never use, or say we'll never use. Those who do usually stir up controversy though have used it, so a small town mayor in Texas decided to do something about that word. What word is it? Here's CNN's Ed Lavandera.
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ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When comedian Michael Richards launched into this racially offensive meltdown the scandal over the "N" word hit home in an unlikely place. Brazoria, Texas, a small town of nearly 3,000 people near Houston. For Mayor Ken Corley it brought back an old demon.
MAYOR KEN CORLEY, BRAZORIA, TEXAS: I've also been asked if I've used the "N" word and to answer that question, I have. I'm not proud of it. I do no longer use that word, and I'm thankful that I've made that change in my life.
LAVANDERA: Corley decided to erase the word from his town's vocabulary too, making it a crime to use the "N" word, disturbing the peace and a $500 fine.
CORLEY: I think the racial problem is everywhere. It's somewhat swept under the rug, you know? And a lot of people don't want to admit that they have racial issues.
LAVANDERA: So this part charging former car salesman set out to win people over, starting with black ministers in town. Bishop Ricky Jones liked what he heard.
RICKY JONES, BRAZORIA RESIDENT: This word has been used to demonize, demoralize and degrade black people as a whole. I believe that what has taken place here can really be a trendsetter for the rest of the nation.
LAVANDERA (on camera): When the mayor came up with the idea of banning the "N" word, he thought it was a slam dunk idea. Couldn't imagine why anyone would be against it, but he quickly discovered he was wrong.
(Voice-over): Around town, most black and white residents thought it was a horrible idea.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't see no reason to do it. We'll probably be the ones that get fined the most anyway.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Let's get rid of the "F" word. Let's get rid of some of the really repulsive curse words that we hear on the streets.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How many words are you going to pick out? Just that one?
LAVANDERA: Opposition was so intense that a public hearing on the issue couldn't fit in the city council chambers. So instead, 200 people gathered under the lights in the city hall parking lot, to let the mayor have it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This ordinance is not going to combat racism going on under the table.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You have opened up a can of worms. And it's time for it to be stopped.
LAVANDERA: Mayor Corley knew this was the end of the road.
CORLEY: You all have spoken overwhelmingly against this ordinance and I think that this evening you will hear the last of it.
LAVANDERA: Was that rough to go through?
CORLEY: Yes, sir. Probably the roughest thing I've ever had to deal with in my 62 years.
LAVANDERA: Ken Corley walked into the darkness a defeated man, but hoping that if nothing else people here are a little more aware of the power of their words. Ed Lavandera, CNN, Brazoria, Texas.
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SANCHEZ: The mayor of Brazoria is Ken Corley and he's good enough to talk to us now live, he's joining us from Houston. Wow, the idea of trying to outlaw a word, what made you want to do this?
CORLEY: It's a quality of life issue with me, Rick. First of all, thank you for having me.
SANCHEZ: It's a pleasure, thanks so much for being here. You know you really got a lot of heat though. Did you expect that you would get that kind of heat?
CORLEY: No, when I first started this about three months ago I was going from Brazoria to Houston and all points in between talking to people, and there was overwhelming support for this. You know as a lot of people saw it as a big issue. If in fact it wasn't an issue, why do we refer to it as the "N" word and not use the word itself.
SANCHEZ: Do you still wish you could get it through? I mean it kind of got voted down, the people of your town said no, no, that's too crazy, you're opening up a can of worms as you heard. Do you still think it was a good idea?
CORLEY: Well I do, and it wasn't just for the sole intent of the "N" word and I'm still promoting all racial slurs, irregardless of who they're directed to.
SANCHEZ: Were you surprised to have so many people -- by the way, African-Americans, as well as white folks in your community, come out against you the way they did, and so vehemently?
CORLEY: Surprised? No. Shocked, yes. I could not believe the overwhelming opposition to this, when the only goal of this is to serve the people, have people show more respect and dignity for their fellow man, that they deserve.
SANCHEZ: Was there any specific factor or something you saw or experienced that made you say, you know I'm really fed up, did you hear somebody accuse somebody or somebody use the word on somebody else?
CORLEY: No, sir. I was influenced by Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, and watching Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton on TV, and that's what inspired me to pursue this.
SANCHEZ: So were you pursuing it more as a result of hearing white people use it against black people or hearing black people like in the hip-hop generation using it amongst themselves?
CORLEY: Well, that played a very important role with the gangster rap music that they have today and with the language that they use. It serves no purpose. I don't want my grandchildren to listen to that kind of music, nor do I think anybody should be subject to that kind of music. I don't play that. It's not allowed in my home. When I hear it on a car next to me, if my windows are rolled down I'm going to roll them up. I'm not listening to it.
SANCHEZ: That's amazing. Mayor Ken Corley, thank you so much. We thank you for taking the time to talk to us today about something that's extremely unique and certainly as we saw in that report by my colleague, Ed Lavandera, very controversial as well. Thank you, mayor.
CORLEY: Thank you, sir.
SANCHEZ: Coming up in the NEWSROOM, another survivor story from Florida's path of destruction.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I ran down the street in the rain yelling help me, help me.
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SANCHEZ: She certainly did. We'll tell you her story and many others like it. You're watching CNN and we are the most trusted name in news.
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SANCHEZ: Welcome back to the CNN NEWSROOM, I'm Rick Sanchez with a story about beating the odds. One storm victim has now done that twice, first with a cancer diagnosis some 25 years ago and now 80- year-old Ellen Serbin has survived Florida's deadly storm.
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ELLEN SERBIN, STORM SURVIVOR: Ok, this is the wall to my living room that was there. That's the back wall. I was in the back bedroom. I woke up to the horrendous thunder and brightest lightning I've ever seen in my life, and I ran in the bathroom in the shower and got dressed, then ran back in the bedroom, while the house was falling apart on me. And got my purse and my checkbooks, because I didn't -- had to have those. And I crawled out through that little area, right where this panel is leaning against the other one. I just -- the door was bamming and banging into me, and the living room. I got out on here. I walked down -- it's a wonder I didn't go through that window, but you did that, didn't you? You broke through the window when you came out. And then I felt cement under me, because it's totally dark, and I came down and walked down to the street, ran down the street in the rain yelling, "Help me, help me!" Well, that was stupid. That's my kitchen, was my kitchen. Oh, it's just -- and we couldn't find my car keys. My car was on the carport on the other side. I couldn't find -- we couldn't find, they went through the rubble and did find my glasses and my car keys, and I still have another set of car keys somewhere in the house, I don't know where.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And when you came out, you said you ran out, what was --
SERBIN: I can't -- it was pitch black so I couldn't see anything, but I saw flashlights down at the end of the street, so I ran down there. My brother was there, and he was down there with some of the other men. I went -- the girl -- by then I was soaked through and the girl on the corner gave me clothes, because there's nothing like wearing other people's clothing.
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SANCHEZ: 80-year-old Ellen Serbin, there she is, telling her story and keeping it real.
There's still much more ahead on CNN tonight at 10:00.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There were old bicycles, there were record collections, there were old cameras, phones that you see on television cartoons, nothing modern at all.
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SANCHEZ: But, police found something else at this storage place that could unlock a family secret hidden now for 50 years and they say they've never seen anything like it. This is a story you'll be talking about for days. "Hidden Secrets," tonight at 10:00 in the NEWSROOM.
First though, "LOU DOBBS THIS WEEK", the backlash from President Bush's own party, that's at 6:00 eastern. But before we go to Lou, we're going to get the very latest on that devastating tornado in Florida once again.
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