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Tornado Touched Down Last Night in Linn County, Kansas; Political Insiders & Outsiders; Banged-Up Bumpers

Aired March 01, 2007 - 09:00   ET

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

TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning, everyone. You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I'm Tony Harris.

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Heidi Collins.

For the next three hours, watch events come into the NEWSROOM live on Thursday, March 1st.

Here's what's on the rundown.

Here come the storms. The South facing a high risk of tornadoes today. Blizzard conditions on the northern side. Meteorologist Chad Myers watching it all in the weather center.

HARRIS: Bumper cars -- new crash tests show a minor fender- bender will hit you hard right in the wallet.

COLLINS: One blonde, one brunette. Police believe these casual bank robbers may be teenage girls.

Searching for the Barbie bandits, in the NEWSROOM.

Our top story this hour, dangerous storms moving across the United States. Winter storm warnings to the north, tornado warnings to the south.

Take a look at that very, very busy radar. Weather experts say a day this volatile and this dangerous may only occur a few times in the year.

Let's begin with the snow -- blizzard-like conditions. Can't see a thing right now in Omaha, Nebraska. This is the scene coming to us live. And as you can see, visibility, as we say, down to about a quarter of a mile or so.

But the bigger danger for many states, tornadoes. At least one twister touched down in Kansas and Missouri last night and crews are out this morning assessing the damage now. So far, only minor injuries reported.

HARRIS: And let's quickly now get you to Chad Myers in the severe weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT) HARRIS: And one area raked by a tornado, eastern Kansas.

Joining us on the phone right now, Linn County sheriff Marvin Stites.

Marvin Stites, thanks for joining us. We appreciate your time this morning.

MARVIN STITES, LINN COUNTY SHERIFF: Yes.

HARRIS: Marvin, how is your county looking this morning?

STITES: Well, we had a lot of structural damage all in the rural areas of the county last night. Fortunately, we had no serious injury and no fatality. And it wasn't -- all the damage was in the rural areas.

HARRIS: Marvin, what time did the tornado touch down?

STITES: The tornado touched down at about 7:00 last night. Just before 7:00.

HARRIS: 7:00. And did you -- did you have ample warning that the elements were right for a severe storm and possibly a tornado?

STITES: Yes, we did.

HARRIS: OK. And again, what kind of -- what kind of damage are you reporting this morning?

STITES: We're reporting structural damage. We have a lot of rural farm homes damaged or destroyed. One -- of course, numerous power poles, power lines down. One substation is a total loss.

We have -- like I say, it's -- but it's all structural damage. And again, no personal injury or fatality. So we're very fortunate there.

HARRIS: You mentioned a power substation destroyed. What about power outages throughout your county?

STITES: We have, of course, some widespread power outages, yes.

HARRIS: OK. What's the population of your county?

STITES: About 12,000.

HARRIS: Any folks displaced? The Red Cross on hand to help those folks?

STITES: We have very little displacement. And we're still small enough that neighbors take care of neighbors here. So everyone has places to stay.

HARRIS: Linn County, Kansas, sheriff Marvin Stites.

Sheriff, thanks for your time this morning. We appreciate it.

STITES: You're welcome.

HARRIS: And when weather becomes the news, count on CNN to bring it to you fast. We will have updates every 15 minutes. Again, that's every 15 minutes.

And if you see severe weather happening in your area, we want to hear from you. Send us an I-Report. Go to CNN.com. Click on "I- Report" or type ireport@cnn.com into your cell phone and share your photos or your video with us this morning.

COLLINS: Powerful storms, tornadoes. We'll talk with the director of FEMA about what happens after the storms, and also about the slow road to recovery along the Gulf Coast after Katrina.

President Bush heading to the Gulf Coast right now for the first time in six months. Areas of the region still struggling to recover 18 months after Katrina hit. The White House says the president is frustrated by the slow pace of the recovery. He will meet with state and local officials in Biloxi, Mississippi. He also will visit a charter school in New Orleans.

Sixty-five schools in New Orleans are still closed because of damage from the storm. Officials say it will take more than $400 million to get them repaired.

HARRIS: Just minutes away from the opening bell on Wall Street. We'll see if the Dow drives ahead or shifts into reverse after Tuesday's 400-plus-point slide. We'll keep you posted on the numbers throughout the morning here in the NEWSROOM.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DAVID LETTERMAN, "THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN": Are you running or are you going to announce that you're running?

SEN. JOHN MCCAIN (R), ARIZONA: The last time we were on this program, I'm sure you remember everything very clearly that we say.

LETTERMAN: Yes.

MCCAIN: But you asked me if I would come back on this show if I was going to announce.

LETTERMAN: Right. Yes.

MCCAIN: I am announcing that I will be a candidate for president of the United States.

LETTERMAN: Oh, boy.

(APPLAUSE)

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: There you have it. Probably not a huge surprise that Arizona senator John McCain removing all doubt. A formal announcement expected in early April.

McCain joins a crowded field. Let's get an early look now at the early match-ups.

Here is CNN senior political analyst Bill Schneider, part of the best political team on television.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILLIAM SCHNEIDER, CNN SR. POLITICAL ANALYST (voice-over): The 2008 races are taking on a familiar shape: an establishment candidate and an outsider in each party. And, right now, the outsiders have the heat.

Hillary Clinton is the establishment Democrat. In last month's "Washington Post"-ABC News poll, Clinton had a big lead over outsider Barack Obama. Clinton is still ahead, but Obama is gaining ground, especially with African-Americans. Last month, Clinton led Obama among black Democrats by 3-1. Now Obama is ahead.

It's not that the black Democrats are souring on Clinton. Her popularity with blacks remains undiminished. But Obama is creating excitement.

DAN BALZ, "THE WASHINGTON POST": It's the fact that you have an African-American candidate who has a serious chance of becoming the nominee of the Democratic Party. And that, inevitably, is going to excite African-Americans around the country.

SCHNEIDER: In the 2000 Republican race, John McCain was the outsider. Now he's the establishment candidate.

BALZ: McCain obviously spent a good part of the last year trying to establish himself as the -- you know, as the -- the heir apparent in the Republican Party. And he had some success with that.

SCHNEIDER: Last month, McCain and outsider Rudy Giuliani were pretty close. Now Giuliani's way ahead. Why? Here's a surprise: evangelicals.

Last month, Giuliani and McCain were tied among evangelical Republicans. This month, Giuliani has surged into the lead. Doesn't Giuliani favor abortion rights and same-sex unions and gun control? Yes and no.

RUDOLPH GIULIANI (R), FORMER MAYOR OF NEW YORK: I am pro-choice, but I -- I'm also, as you know, always have been, against abortion.

SCHNEIDER: Giuliani makes a distinction between his personal views and what he would do as president.

GIULIANI: I would select judges who -- who try to interpret the Constitution, rather than invent it. SCHNEIDER: And he has something else going for him. That would be 9/11.

(on camera): Republicans say Giuliani is the most inspiring candidate. Democrats say the same thing about Obama. They're the establishment outsiders.

Republicans give McCain the edge on experience, just as Democrats do with Clinton. They're the establishment candidates.

Now, which is it better to be? Establishment candidates usually win the nomination. But only after a tough fight.

Bill Schneider, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: And once again, dangerous storms moving across the United States. High risk of a tornado outbreak in the South today, blizzards in the north. Meteorologist Chad Myers tracking the storms for you. His live update coming up in just minutes here in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: Also, one blonde, one brunette, and one bank heist. On the lookout for the Barbie bandits -- ahead in the NEWSROOM.

HARRIS: Party problem. Exposure at the bash with the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue, but it's not what you're thinking. Dr. Gupta with health concerns in the NEWSROOM.

GREG HUNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Greg Hunter.

Look at this car. The trunk won't even close. Would you believe this got hit at a speed you can walk? Are there any cars out there that can take a hit and not cause big damage? We'll have to go back a few years.

It will be surprising when we come back here on CNN.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Let's get you quickly back over to Chad Myers now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Well, minor accidents, major repairs. New tests are showing they just don't make bumpers like they used to.

CNN's Greg Hunter reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HUNTER (voice over): People generally think of a car crash like this. But the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says two-thirds of all crashes happen when a car is going just six miles an hour or less. It also says many of today's mid-size car bumpers don't protect them adequately when hit by other vehicles, especially SUVs.

Look at the comparison between this Volkswagen Passat and this Nissan Altima.

DAVID ZUBY, IIHS VEHICLE RESEARCH SR. VP: It costs less than $1,000 damage to repair the little bit of damage that's here, compared to over $3,000 to repair the damage that's here.

HUNTER: Another IIHS test at just three miles per hour cost $1,400 worth of damage on the corner of a different vehicle.

ZUBY: Bumpers are intended to prevent damage to these expensive components, but the bumper on this vehicle is not wide enough to do it.

HUNTER: The institute, funded by the insurance industry, says current bumper requirements are too lax, not nearly as good as the bumpers on this 1981 Ford Escort, which was then required by law to withstand a five-mile-per-hour crash without damage. The Escort, with a stronger bumper, fared well compare to its modern-day counterparts.

(on camera): This went through the same test this went through?

ZUBY: Exactly the same test.

HUNTER: No damage.

ZUBY: No damage, $4,500 to fix the damage on that car.

HUNTER: That's more than that car's worth.

ZUBY: That's right.

HUNTER (voice over): Pontiac tells CNN its priority is protecting people. Nissan says its cars meet or surpass federal safety regulations and its repair costs are competitive.

Insurers would like car makers to put wider and longer bumpers on cars to be able to withstand low-impact crashes with less damage.

ZUBY: For the consumer, that will mean that when you have these minor kinds of parking lot or rush hour traffic-type crashes, you can have a small impact, drive away with little or no damage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Greg Hunter now in Ruckersville, Virginia, live with us this morning.

Boy, this is kind of a bummer. An expensive one, too, Greg.

HUNTER: It is.

COLLINS: Do we have some news from this? I mean, did any cars actually do well in these tests?

HUNTER: Here's the good news. The 1981 Ford Escort...

COLLINS: Yes?

HUNTER: ... it did the best hands down. They had four tests -- a front collision, square, corner, corner, rear collision square. And some of the cars, the new 2007 cars, did better than others. But the minimum damage is around $4,000.

Let me show you what I mean.

Here's a 2007 Saturn Aura. OK? It had a six-mile-an-hour crash.

COLLINS: Right.

HUNTER: Did pretty good. OK? No damage. But when you come back here, the same six-mile-an-hour crash did this.

This is about $3,000, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. And mind you, that was a six-mile-an-hour crash.

How fast is six miles per hour? Well, it's walking speed. Let's demonstrate that.

Just kind of get going right here. A little walk. And we're about three. That was some of the test. And now we're just about -- we at six?

This is a six-mile-per-hour crash.

COLLINS: You're kidding me?

HUNTER: That's what happened to these cars. Six-mile-per-hour crash, that's it, and that much damage. Unbelievable the amount of damage on just that low speed of a crash.

It's pretty frightening when you consider that a lot of people have thousand-dollar deductibles on their cars. You have $3,000, you're up for $1,000. You have $1,400 on that corner crash, you know, you're going to pay -- you're only going to get $400 out of your insurance company. You've got to pay $1,000 up front.

Back to you, Heidi.

COLLINS: So wait, Greg. Talk a little bit about, if you could, of if there's been any discussion about the materials of these cars. You know, we always say they just don't make them like they used to. Has the composite of, I don't know, the steel changed or something that makes it chintzier?

HUNTER: Well, it's kind of a cornucopia of stuff.

Number one, they changed the standard. It only has to...

COLLINS: Right?

HUNTER: New car only have to take a two-and-a-half-mile-per-hour strike. OK?

That 1981 Ford Escort was required by law to take a five-mile- per-hour hit. And hey, lo and behold, it did.

So until the standards change -- and that's what the Insurance Institute wants. They want bigger bumpers, they want taller bumpers, you know, in terms of the metal underneath them, more metal out to the corners, and they want them a little stronger, so you can have one of these parking lot dings and not end up with $1,400 on a three-mile- per-hour strike.

COLLINS: So -- but we don't know if the actual material has changed? I mean, I assume that it has because it just doesn't have to withstand a crash that is faster.

HUNTER: And I don't know exactly what that material is.

COLLINS: Sure.

HUNTER: But I do know that the standards changed from five miles an hour down to two and a half. And that's a big problem.

COLLINS: So where do you get a 1981 Ford Escort these days?

HUNTER: They went out and bought that car. They've had it for about 10 years. But it does illustrate their point.

And their point is simply that, you know, here is a 1981 car, 26- year-old technology. And it can take a better bumper strike than a 2007 -- well, you name it. It's pretty -- it's pretty mind-boggling.

COLLINS: Yes. Unbelievable. Well, they might be having a run on the '81 version there at Ford.

All right. Greg Hunter, live from Ruckersville. Appreciate it.

HUNTER: Bye-bye.

HARRIS: Leaving homes to save their lives, we'll get to that in just a moment.

But we want to show you just the latest weather radar as the storm systems continue to move. All kinds of tornado warnings and watches -- St. Louis County, St. Charles County, in Missouri. The storms moving to the East, as you can see.

We will update the current weather conditions with Chad Myers on the other side of this break.

And still to come in the NEWSROOM, leaving home to save their lives. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqis cross the border to Jordan. What they find, in the NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: And party problem. Exposure at the bash for the "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue. But it's not what you think.

Dr. Gupta coming up in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(NEWSBREAK)

COLLINS: Health workers and party planners burning up the phones in L.A. They're trying to reach hundreds of people who may have been exposed to hepatitis-a. If they were, it happened at last month's "Sports Illustrated" swimsuit issue party or a dozen other catered events. Authorities say one of the cooks with Wolfgang Puck catering has hepatitis-a. He's now on medical leave. The catering company says it will continue to work with the health department. There are no reports of partygoers getting sick, just to be clear.

But our chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us now.

Sanjay, it seems like when you hear about something like this, immediately you have to try to remember what is hepatitis-a, how can you get it?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, hepatitis, strictly defined, is an inflammation of the liver. That's where the term comes from. There's six different strains of the virus. And hepatitis-a, not that anybody wants this, but if you had to pick one, that's a better one to get, because people typically -- it's not lethal, and people typically don't have long-term effects from this. Once you have it, it clears through your system.

You may get sick, though, and get some of the symptoms such as fatigue. You may get nausea and vomiting. You may also get fever, diarrhea, jaundice as well, where your eyes and your skin turn a little bit of a yellowish hue. That's typically what happens. But again, after it passes through your system, the good news is you may be inoculated against it. I mean, you may not get hepatitis-a again.

The biggest concern is that it is contagious, though. It's one of the more contagious hepatitis viruses. And with this particular story -- I've been sort of following it with you, Heidi, the way that the people may have gotten it is because the cook or the food handler that had the hepatitis, for some reason this person has poor hygiene and contaminated some raw food especially that wasn't cooked before serving, you can spread it that way. Contaminated food or water as well, or just coming in close contact with an infected person. So highly contagious, but doesn't make you as sick.

COLLINS: OK. Wow. But it's still very scary, especially in the way that this may have been spread. Talk to us a little bit if you would how you are treated if you do, in fact, come up positive.

GUPTA: This has been sort of interesting to follow, because what they did here, is they said, we're going to contact everybody who may have had the food and sort of ask them questions.

COLLINS: Which is tough right here.

GUPTA: It's tough, but a couple of good things happened. One, is this person reported it. A lot of times that doesn't happen, so people get sick, and they'll never be able to really trace it back. But he reported it. They contacted those people, and said, if you ate this food, the way that we can prevent the hepatitis virus from ever taking hold is to give them a substance called immunal globulin. Basically it boosts your immune system and helps you fight it off. You've got about two weeks to do that.

COLLINS: You take that vaccine before you go overseas a lot?

GUPTA: Yes, you can take the immunal globulin before you go overseas. And you may know this as well, with children now they recommend the hepatitis-a vaccine, so it gives you longer-term protection as well.

COLLINS: Yes, probably a good idea. How many different types, though, of hepatitis are there? It seems you have to be treating all these different strains? I mean, Is that the right terminology?

GUPTA: Well, you know, people talk a lot about hepatitis-b and hepatitis-c. Those are the bad ones. Pamela Anderson came out and talked about her hepatitis-c a while ago. That is much problematic, in terms of causing a more serious inflammation of the liver and longer term effects as well. There's d and there's g as well. You typically have to worry about those. B and C are the bad ones. A, not so bad. And again, if you have it, if you ever had it in your life there's a good chance you're protected against it, because your body builds those antibodies and fights off the virus if it ever tries to come knocking again.

COLLINS: OK. So really quickly, laymen's terms, how concerned should we be then?

GUPTA: I think it's a very, very low risk. We talked to some of the health officials in Los Angeles, very low risk that anybody would probably get sick. Give the immunal globulin just to sort of belt and suspenders, but probably not something we want to talk about too much.

COLLINS: All right. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thank you.

GUPTA: Thank you.

HARRIS: All right. And once again, this storm system, you're going to see right here on the radar, it is really winding up. High risk of tornado outbreak in the South today. Meteorologist Chad Myers is following it for us in the NEWSROOM.

One blonde, one brunette and one bank heist -- on the lookout for the Barbie Bandits, ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: Are we going to go ahead and show the video? Sorry, Eric.

OK, let's go ahead show this now. We've got some pretty unbelievable video coming in from Florida here. You see this is a grass fire actually. Let's go ahead and show it if we could. I'm looking at it on the router. There you go. Live pictures coming in to you. This is in Florida, trying to read the router there. It looks like Broward County. Grass fire started this car on fire there. They are obviously getting it under control as quickly as they can. But boy, had some pretty serious flames there. Appears that that car is probably going to be a total loss. Not exactly sure what other possible structures or how widespread this grassfire is. But we will watch it for you and let you know what's going on there.

HARRIS: It's as if 30 million people suddenly showed up in the United States. A snapshot of the crowded conditions for Iraqi refugees in Jordan.

CNN's Nic Robertson has one family's story.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SR. INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Dr. Nafie Abtan had a thriving medical practice in Baghdad, a loving family, plenty of money.

DR. NAFIE ABTAN, IRAQI REFUGEE: I had a car.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Did you have a car her?

ABTAN: I drive it to clinic. Yes.

ROBERTSON: You had your own private clinic?

ABTAN: Yes.

ROBERTSON (voice over): But one hand-delivered letter took it all away.

ABTAN: "And if not, we should kill and cut your head."

ROBERTSON (on camera): They'll cut your head off.

(voice over): Dr. Abtan says he received this death threat last June.

ABTAN: "We tell to you leave your job and to travel and leave the country."

ROBERTSON: Three days later, he fled Iraq for neighboring Jordan, taking his wife, Suhare (ph) and son Mutaz (ph) with him.

(on camera): When you look at your life now, how do you feel about your situation? ABTAN: For security, it's better. The life outside not good. Our life not good. Salary not good.

ROBERTSON (voice over): When they do go out shopping, it's to look, not buy. Dr. Abtan earns $600 a month treating cancer patients at a local hospital. Rent for his tiny apartment takes one third. The rest pays the bills.

They watch Iraqi TV. Violence has killed 10 of Dr. Abtan's relatives and four friends. Two of them doctors, murdered at their work.

Suhare (ph) has lost three relatives. Neither of them think they can go back any time soon. They want better lives now.

ABTAN: I need to get a visa to another country.

ROBERTSON (on camera): Which country?

ABTAN: (INAUDIBLE) countries.

ROBERTSON: Such as?

ABTAN: Such as the British, USA.

ROBERTSON: I'll get on the other side.

(voice over): We go with him when he heads to the U.S. Embassy to learn more about the newly announced 7,000 refugee visas the U.S. says it will offer to Iraqis. He's upbeat. He may have that chance of a new life.

We watch as he heads off to the embassy. But his is not an isolated case.

(on camera): No one knows for sure exactly how many Iraqi refugees are here. The U.N.'s best estimates put the figure at around 700,000. In the United States, that would be roughly the equivalent of an additional 30 million people coming into the country.

(voice over): Jordan is struggling to cope.

NASSER JUDEH, JORDANIAN GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN: It does stretch the country. It is a strain on our natural resources. We're one of the poorest countries in the world in terms of water resources. Our economy is already strained. We have problems with unemployment.

ROBERTSON: After Saddam Hussein's fall, rich Ba'athists fled to Jordan, driving up property prices.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't find any work here.

ROBERTSON: But in the pat year, Iraq's brain drain of doctors, lawyers and engineers have been coming, too. They all want visas to move on. Jordan's government is afraid if they don't get them, they'll all stay. (END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: So you think you know Harry Potter, the boy wizard? Well, he's revealing a bit more of himself.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was a bit nervous early on the first couple of months we did it. But after that, you get over it very, very quickly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Hogwarts will never be the same. That story ahead in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Well, we have been telling you about all the weather we are following today all across the plains in the South. We're talking about snow and whiteout conditions in Minnesota and Wisconsin. In the South we're talking, boy, just heavy winds, tornadoes. Chad Myers has been following all of that for us throughout the morning.

On the line now is Delora Murta. She is the assistant manager of a gas station that is located In Caufield, Missouri, which is southern Missouri, southwest of Springfield, Missouri.

Delora, is that accurate? Is that correct?

DELORA MURTA, ASST. GAS STATION MANAGER: Yes.

HARRIS: OK. Thanks for taking the time to call the in and give us an update on your situation. Tell us about what you witnessed. I understand you work as an assistant manager of a gas station, but you have witnessed some extraordinary damage to another gas station very near the one where you work?

MURTA: It's about a block away from ours, and it is gone.

HARRIS: What do you mean when you say gone?

MURTA: The roof is gone, the back wall is gone -- it's just gone.

HARRIS: Is this one of these gas stations and mini-marts as well with the convenience store as well?

MURTA: Yes.

HARRIS: OK.

And it is gone?

MURTA: Yes.

HARRIS: When did this storm roll through?

MURTA: Probably about -- between 6:30 and 7:00.

HARRIS: And tell us what you noticed, what you witnessed in terms of wind, hail, rain.

MURTA: Well, I was still at home, and they called me from work and made sure I was OK. I lived three miles from the store and I didn't get anything. But the store, they just seen the tornado coming.

HARRIS: So you were getting a call from your gas station.

MURTA: Right, from my gas station checking on me. And I mean, it wasn't raining or anything.

HARRIS: Well, what were they reporting, your coworkers?

MURTA: Well, they were in the kitchen. A lot of wind, a lot of noise. They got up and, you know, came out and it's just -- everything around there is just all damaged.

HARRIS: So, Delora, what prompted you to get out of your house, where you were obviously safe, to drive down in the direction of the storm?

MURTA: I had to be at work at 7:30.

HARRIS: So you had to be at work. And as you're driving through, tell us again what you saw.

MURTA: It is like a war zone down there. There's a big store, antique store, across from the store that was really damaged. And it's lost some of its roof, but there's a big tree that fell down on a brand new car.

HARRIS: Oh, boy.

MURTA: There is a restaurant next door, or across the street from it, and it lost a really big tree. I mean, it was just -- it's just uprooted totally.

HARRIS: Delores, any damage to your gas station?

MURTA: Just very little.

HARRIS: Very little.

And everyone OK?

MURTA: Oh, everyone's OK. There's report of a place on a road nearby that they're looking for the occupants. I haven't heard any more about that.

HARRIS: Yes. Delora, be well, be safe. Take care of yourself today. And thanks for calling with that information. We really do appreciate it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: Two big stories this morning that we are following there. You see them on the screen. The Dow Jones industrial average is down pretty big right, about 150 points or so. We'll be watching that and talk with some traders coming up here in just a few minutes.

Also, you see that radar, very, very busy there. The state of Missouri already experienced one tornado overnight. Chad Myers is following it, and we're going to have an update on the situation there. Fast-moving storms to look at.

Meanwhile, when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you. But when those pearly whites aren't so very pearly, that could lead to a variety of health problems.

CNN's Elizabeth Cohen now with today's 30, 40, 50.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I think when we're younger we take things more for granted.

ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): There may be more to a pretty smile than you realize, because your mouth is the gateway to the rest of your body. Not only can poor oral hygiene leave your mouth looking like this, but oral infections can spread into other parts of your body, and chronic gum disease can increase the risk of heart disease and stroke.

Every one in their 30s needs to be concerned about dental health, especially pregnant women. Some peridontal research has shown that severe gum disease may increase the risk of premature birth.

DR. PETERSON VANSTROM, DENTIST: You have to be very aware of any problems with bleeding, any changes in your gums. Make sure you involve your dentist immediately if you see some changes.

COHEN: Whether you're pregnant or not, Dr. Peter Vanstrom says early prevention can help.

VANSTROM: As we get older it just may naturally occur that we are going to lose some attachment, those roots become exposed. It's very important that the dentist work with the patient to make sure that those root cavities don't form in those areas, because the root is much more susceptible to cavities.

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