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Lake Tahoe Wildfire; Southern Plains Floods; Tragic Endings; Suspect's Dark Past; Central Texas Floods; Gerri's Top Tips

Aired June 27, 2007 - 10:00   ET

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

HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. I'm Heidi Collins.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Tony Harris.

Stay informed in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown for you this hour.

People said to be trapped in treetops and on house tops. Waterlogged Texas gets hit with a new round of flooding. We are updating the dangerous situation all morning.

COLLINS: The Lake Tahoe wildfire pushed over a fire brake by gusting winds. Hundreds more homes in the line of fire this hour.

HARRIS: He is set to land in the record books this hour. A 23- year-old, the youngest pilot to circle the earth solo.

It is Wednesday, June 27th, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

COLLINS: This hour, extreme danger in central Texas. Rain- swollen creeks and rivers in the Austin area. People have been fleeing to the tops of cars, homes, and even trees. Emergency crews had their hands full too. In some areas rescues had to be called off because of unsafe conditions.

HARRIS: And let's get straight to meteorologist Chad Myers.

And, Chad, if you would, give us an update on the situation in Texas right now.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: On the West Coast, high winds breathe new life into a raging inferno. Right now, the big wildfire just south of Lake Tahoe in California threatens even more homes. The flames jumped a fire line. Mandatory evacuation orders are now in place in several more neighborhoods. CNN's Chris Lawrence with us now from Meyers, California.

And, Chris, good morning to you.

CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Tony.

You know, you look at all that rain that Chad was describing and what they wouldn't give for just a fraction of it right here. You know, this gives you an idea of just how hot that fire burns. And with high winds on the way, why authorities ordered another 2,000 people to clear out of their homes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Firefighters set backfires themselves to keep the main flames from reaching more homes. But when one jumped across a highway, it sent 2,000 residents running from their homes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All residents, this is the California Highway Patrol. This is a mandatory evacuation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: C.H.P., mandatory evacuation.

LAWRENCE: These families already saw what happened to their neighbors.

JULIE WOONS, RESIDENT: With the winds picking up, we just really, you know, you just really don't know, you know, when you're in a wooded area like this.

LAWRENCE: First, choking smoke and ash engulfed the area. But when the fire changed direction, Joe Dahila ran home to rescue his dogs.

JOE DAHILA, RESIDENT: We have the door shut because of the smoke. We don't want them breathing in the smoke. So if something happened, they can't get out of the house. We don't have a dog door.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We'll save our water unless there's some active fire here.

LAWRENCE: Firefighters made tough calls and kept building the fire lines that could stop a fire while it's small.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You let it get to big around here and it catches a tree, we are in trouble. (END VIDEOTAPE)

LAWRENCE: Yes, and all of that happened on Tuesday with the winds weren't nearly as strong as they're expected to be later this evening.

Tony.

HARRIS: OK. CNN's Chris Lawrence for us this morning.

Chris, thank you.

COLLINS: More now on one of the top stories of the morning. Severe weather in the southern plains. Heavy rains in Oklahoma causing a whole lot of problems across that state. One of the hardest hit areas, the town of Broken Arrow. Reporter J.R. Stone with CNN affiliate KOKI is there for us this morning.

Good morning to you, J.R. Tell me what you see around you.

J.R. STONE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, good morning, Heidi.

Flood waters have receded here in northeast Oklahoma. And it's a good thing because where I'm standing this morning, it would have been up to my waist. Now you can see the creek behind me. The levels were high early this morning. You can see the grass across the way. It was four to five feet high in the air. Now it's completely flattened out.

And I want to show what you those flood waters look like. If you could roll the video on this. It was a very strong current. I was so strong it almost washed away the pavement. Police in this area had to close off the road on 177th East Avenue, a road that's pretty well traveled, to make sure that people didn't go through that area. They closed it for around three hours or so. Finally, they were able to recede.

Now if we could come back to me live here this morning, there were some other dangers in this area. This backyard was completely flooded with water. You can see this playground equipment here this morning. It was floating on the side of the yard when we got here.

Now, walk with me. I also want to show you the neighbors next door because they were also in danger this morning. You can see this house, 15 to 20 feet away from where I am. This was completely covered in water.

On the other side of the house, five to six feet of water. Within five to six feet of the house. Now, fortunately, no one was hurt.

Reporting for Fox 23 News and CNN, I'm J.R. Stone.

COLLINS: Ah, J.R., thanks. Amazing how quickly that situation can change. Appreciate it.

HARRIS: A mother of three missing, a suspect arrested and now a body found. Authorities in Michigan think the body recovered from the bottom of a lake is the missing woman, Marilou Johnson. The body was wrapped in a blanket and weighted with cinder blocks. Authorities may have to rely on fingerprints or dental records for a positive identification. Johnson was last seen June 14th at her estate about 30 miles north of Detroit. A suspect, David Wright, is being held without bond on felony murder, kidnapping and larceny charges.

COLLINS: F-15 down in the Pacific. Reports this morning that the pilot's body has been found. An air and sea search was launched off the Oregon coast after yesterday's crash. The pilot's body found about eight hours later. The Oregon Air National Guard fighter jet went down during a combat training exercise. Other jets in the exercise returned safely.

A stunning end to a police chase in Denver. Take a look at this. A bank robbery suspect fleeing police in a stolen car. He takes off on foot. You can see the police officer giving chase. He catch up, but cannot hold on. And the unbelievable part. The unmarked police car hits them both. The suspect was thrown several feet and the officer went up on the hood, as you saw. Denver police say that the cop and the suspect are both expected to be OK.

HARRIS: Chris Benoit's violent death is the latest to rock the wrestling entertainment industry. It is a pseudo sport with scripted outcomes. But it also has real pain and tragic endings. Here's CNN's David Mattingly.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Before the 40- year-old pro-wrestler, Chris Benoit, murdered his family and took his own life, he was at the top of a profession where stars seem to die young. A 2004 investigation by "USA Today" determined that professional wrestlers are 20 times more likely to die before age 45 than professional football players. At least 27 active or retired pro-wrestlers have reportedly died just since 1995. Two were suicides, five died from heart disease and four from drug use.

BRIAN CHRISTOPHER, PROFESSIONAL WRESTLER: Me being a wrestler, I think if you make to it 45, you're doing pretty good.

MATTINGLY: The pro-wrestler known as Brian Christopher is the son of wrestling legend Jerry Lawler. He says 11 of his wrestling friends have died. Most, he suspects, were victims of a punishing lifestyle.

CHRISTOPHER: Well, in wrestling, there is no off season. It's constant go. Always go, go, go. Wrestle, you know, and be prepared to lace up your boots and wrestle the next night. I don't care if you've got a cracked rib and a broken finger, you know, you better be able to walk down that aisle and perform the next night.

MATTINGLY: In his biography on the World Wrestling Entertainment website, Benoit was reported as saying, "wrestling has consumed my life," and "it define as lot of who I am as a person."

Benoit was once arrested in Georgia for DUI. He had no other criminal records.

But Georgia authorities say they found a lot of prescription medication in the Benoit home, including anabolic steroids. Tests to determine what drugs, if any, were in Benoit's body will take weeks.

Nicknamed the Rabid Wolverine and the Canadian Crippler, Chris Benoit starred on a stage steeped in drama and violence. But what authorities found in his home proved to be more tragic and brutal than anything inside the ring.

David Mattingly, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: An epic journey. Today, the big finish. A young pilot is on his way home to Opa-locka, Florida, this morning. When he lands, he will end a 95-day, 27,000-mile around-the-world flight. Is that all. Barrington Irving says he's the youngest pilot to make the solo flight. He also says he's the first black man to fly around the world on his own. Neither record is officially kept, but he says he hopes his trip motivates young people.

Be sure to join us tomorrow in the CNN NEWSROOM when he will be here to talk to us about his amazing trip. And by the way, we are looking at some live pictures now. We see everybody standing by for his landing, which we understand to be just a couple miles away. We will try to bring that to you because I mean it be pretty fun to show everybody when he lands.

HARRIS: And how about this, a changing of the guard at number 10 Downing Street. A new man, a new prime minister, holds the keys now to number 10 Downing Street. And there he is. His name is Gordon Brown. And he arrived at number 10 Downing Street a short time ago with his wife. And here is the new prime minister from a short time ago.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GORDON BROWN, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: And I am convinced that there is no weakness in Britain today that cannot be overcome by the strengths of the British people. On this day, I remember words that have stayed with me since my childhood and which matter a great deal to me today -- my school motto -- I will try my utmost. This is my promise to all of the people of Britain. And now let the work of change begin.

Thank you.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: How about that. Short, sweet, to the point. Let's get to work. Shortly before making his way to 10 Downing Street, Brown met with the queen who officially invited him to form a government (ph). Tony Blair on to his next challenge, special Middle East envoy charged with getting the peace process on track between Israel and the Palestinians..

COLLINS: He's facing a murder charge. This morning, new details on the Ohio police officer charged with killing his girlfriend and their unborn daughter.

HARRIS: The public pulse on Iraq. Support for the war dwindles to an all-time low. We will have the results from a new poll.

COLLINS: Are we born straight or gay. We explore the science of sexuality in the NEWSROOM. Is being gay a matter of biology or behavior. An intriguing look coming up.

HARRIS: Roadside bomb. The view from inside a Humvee. The cameraman lives to tell his story. And you'll hear it.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Good morning and welcome back, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. And you are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Texas communities hit hard this morning by high water. Look at these pictures. A new round of flooding. A developing story. And we're on top of it for you, right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Breaking ranks on Iraq. For the second time in two days, a Republican senator calls for a change of course. Ohio Senator George Voinovich tells CNN, "we fumbled the ball right from the beginning on this." He says it's time to start bringing U.S. forces home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. GEORGE VOINOVICH, (R) OHIO: We're running out of time. And I don't think it is fair to the next administration to say, hey, by the way, we're leaving this baby for you guys to figure out. And I don't think the American people are going to put up with it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HARRIS: His comment came a day after Indiana Republican Senator Richard Luger spoke out against the current strategy in Iraq. He says the troop buildup is unlikely to succeed in the time remaining. Luger is the ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

COLLINS: New developments this morning in the case of an Ohio man now charged with killing his pregnant girlfriend. Earlier this year, a California court cited evidence that Bobby Cutts Jr. was abusive and barred him from contacting his daughter from another relationship. CNN's Carol Costello takes a closer look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Friends say Bobby Cutts Jr. was always known as a ladies' man. A star athlete at Canton Glenn Oak High School, he was gifted in a way football crazy northeast Ohio respects. Fellow students like Myisha Ferrell looked up to him. Today she's behind bars, accused of obstructing justice in Jessie Davis' murder.

AHMED DAVIS MYISHA FERRELL'S FRIEND: Myisha got caught up into something that I don't think that she was ready for or didn't know that she was ready for.

COSTELLO: It's unclear if Cutts' relationship with Ferrell was simple friendship or something more. But some call him a player. A man who used his athleticism and his good looks to collect women. He's fathered children with three different women and he's just 30. It's something he addressed in a Canton repository interview.

QUESTION: You're a married man who has fathered one child and expecting a second with another woman. Do you understand, you know, where people are coming from with all that?

BOBBY CUTTS: I mean, I understand. But me and my wife, I mean, we're still married, but we weren't together and things happen when we weren't together.

COSTELLO: Psychologist Gail Saltz says, generally speaking, Cutts may be like men who are not in the game to create a family.

GAIL SALTZ, MD, AUTHOR, "ANATOMY OF A SECRET LIFE": It feels masculine to sort of capture a woman. To own her, so to speak, by having sex with her and by impregnating her.

COSTELLO: Nikki Giavasis is one of the women who had a child with Cutts. She was attracted by his athleticism and he was accepted by her family. But according to her brother, Lee, he seemed distant.

He never attempted to come over on holidays and talk to you guys and get to know you?

LEE GIAVASIS, NIKKI GIAVASIS' BROTHER: Oh, never. Never. No.

COSTELLO: Did you find that odd?

GIAVASIS: Well, you know, in hindsight, 20/20 hindsight, I guess you can say yes that is -- I guess could you say that is really strange.

COSTELLO: Trisha Porter, Jessie Davis' mother, agreed.

PATRICIA PORTER, JESSIE DAVIS' MOTHER: I don't think my daughter ever knew him either. I don't think maybe his family ever knew him.

COSTELLO: Bobby Cutts Jr. seems to have been a mystery to a lot of people. People who now feel betrayed by him.

As for why Cutts' allegedly killed Jessie Davis, that, too, remains a mystery. Police aren't saying.

Carol Costello, CNN, Canton, Ohio.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: Happening right now. All those people lined up to see Barrington Irving land. We're trying to -- oh, is this him, guys?

HARRIS: Hey, look at that.

COLLINS: Looks like he's coming in now. Check it out. No pressure here. Looks like it's a landing. No. Kidding.

This is a young man who has been flying for 95 days, 27,000 miles around the world. And now you see it live, him touching down right here.

HARRIS: How old is he, Heidi? What, 23? COLLINS: Twenty-three years old. Yes, he says that he is the first black man to fly around the world on his own, solo, obviously. Youngest pilot to ever . . .

HARRIS: Oh, what was that, a little touch and go.

COLLINS: Oh, touch and go. Yes.

HARRIS: Nice. Nice.

COLLINS: Well, of course.

HARRIS: You showoff you.

COLLINS: You've got to do that. No, no, no, you've got to do that.

HARRIS: That's not showing off?

COLLINS: No. Not with all those people out there.

HARRIS: It isn't? Really? That's not showing off? OK.

COLLINS: I think he's probably just very darned proud of himself and he should be at that. Excellent. I can't wait to see him come down.

HARRIS: OK.

COLLINS: We're going to talk to him tomorrow about what his journey was all about because, you know, that is a really, really long time to be up there and flying as he has. I'm sure he's had to come across all kinds of different weather situations and really a test of his aviation skills I'm sure. Looking forward to speaking with him.

Once again, you will see him come back down at some point. He might do a couple of touch and goes, I don't know. Barrington Irving saying that he is the youngest pilot to make a solo flight around the world and also the first black man to do it. So congratulations to him.

Do you want to see him land again, guys, or is he kind of off in the wild blue yonder there for a minute? I think he's off in the wild blue yonder. We'll bring it to you again if he comes down. Hopefully.

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis.

What's worse than filing your taxes? How about random tax audits? They're coming this fall. I'm Gerri Willis and I'll have details next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: More than 18 inches of rain have fallen in Marble Falls, Texas, since midnight. That city's mayor, Raymond Whitman, is joining us on the phone now to tell us more.

Mr. Mayor, can you hear me OK?

MAYOR RAYMOND WHITMAN, MARBLE FALLS, TEXAS: Yes, ma'am.

COLLINS: Tell me a little bit about the situation in your city.

WHITMAN: Approximate 2:00 this morning, we had a large cell that stalled out over the city. We were receiving anywhere from four to six inches of rain per hour.

COLLINS: Wow.

WHITMAN: We have some fairly extensive damage along our creeks and low-lying areas. We have lost two bridges that I am aware of. And we have rescued 18 people up to this point at eight different locations.

COLLINS: Wow. What is the condition of those people? Can you comment on that b way of injuries?

WHITMAN: As far as I know, there were none.

COLLINS: OK. That's very good news.

And as we talk to you, we are looking at some pictures coming in from our affiliate in your area.

What was your initial reaction when all of this water started to come down and move so quickly?

WHITMAN: Quite frankly, I didn't know that it was even raining until I got a phone call.

COLLINS: Really?

WHITMAN: And like I said, you know, well, we went to bed and it started raining at around 1:30 or 2:00 this morning. And so it was -- when I got the call, by then the creeks were already starting to rise and were coming out of their banks and we had some major problems.

COLLINS: Yes, I can only imagine.

We are actually seeing some reports here as well, Mr. Mayor, of several different rescue missions using helicopters and so forth to help people get out of precarious situations that actually had to be aborted because the wind and rain were so terrible.

WHITMAN: Yes, ma'am. We had a real problem earlier this morning in the dark trying to get people off of rooftops and out of trees. And now that it's daylight and we can kind of see where we are, things are much improved. And the water appears to be going down somewhat.

COLLINS: Well that's, obviously, very good. It really is shocking how quickly the water can recede in places like that. We've seen that in other reporting that we've done this morning as well. What about the warning system and how much warning people really had to know that this type of weather was going to be coming through?

WHITMAN: They discussed it on the news yesterday that there was a possibility. We knew that there were possibilities of flash flooding. Our reverse 911 system went into gear this morning. It called every phone number in the city warning people to get out of low-lying areas and to go to the shelters that were set up. We have shelters set up at all of the schools. The Red Cross is on their way. The Salvation Army is already here. They're providing meals, trying to get everyone out safely.

COLLINS: OK. So it sounds like you're obviously offering some help here. But I just wonder, did the flash flooding happen in areas where people were warned or did it kind of go elsewhere? Because when you say there were 18 rescues in eight different locations, I just wonder if that was people maybe not heeding those warnings or it went to some areas that were unexpected?

WHITMAN: It came up so rapidly that a lot of people, I believed, did not have a chance to get out. Our city has two large creeks that run through it. And when they -- when the water started rising, a lot of people were trapped. And then we have a lot of elderly people who could not get out.

COLLINS: Yes, I'm sure.

WHITMAN: And we had to go in and get them.

COLLINS: Yes. Well, another reminder in situations like this when you know the weather's going to get bad, to maybe check on your loved ones who are elderly and help them have an alternative plan.

We certainly appreciate your time this morning. Mayor Raymond Whitman, the mayor of Marble Falls, Texas. Thank you, sir. Good luck to you today.

HARRIS: Let's take a look at the big board. The New York Stock Exchange. Oh, boy, inside the first hour of the trading day. OK, there's still time. But the Dow is getting off to a bit of a shaky start. Down 40. We understand the Nasdaq is flat. We will check the numbers in business news throughout the morning with Susan Lisovicz right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

So when it comes to taxes, you may think you are off the hook until next year. But think again. Gerri Willis, our personal finance expert, is here.

Gerri, help us with this one. What is happening starting in October?

WILLIS: Random tax audits.

HARRIS: Three ugly words.

WILLIS: I've got to tell you, not good news for us. HARRIS: Yes.

WILLIS: You want to hire a professional because starting in October, the IRS will begin reviewing 13,000 income tax returns from the 2006 tax year and similar audits will be conducted over the next three years. Now if you get a letter from the IRS, do not ignore it. That would be a big mistake. Eventually you're probably going to have to sit down with an IRS examiner. Of course, the tax law can be complicated, so make sure you have somebody on your side of the table. Hire an accountant, lawyer or enrolled agent. You know, a professional speaks the same language as the tax folks and they won't get emotional or defensive like you might.

HARRIS: But, Gerri, you're talking about an additional expense here.

WILLIS: This isn't good, right?

HARRIS: How -- is there a way to -- I've got to hire a professional. So that's going to cost me money. Is there a way to keep it -- I don't know, to knock down the price of all this?

WILLIS: Yes. OK. So get organized. Do as much as you can ahead of time. If you take the time to sift through and organize your own pay stubs, bank and credit card statements and expense receipts, you'll save some money. Don't neglect this. Because if you can't support your deductions or if you under reported your income, oops. Expect to pay up. And if you can't find all the necessary paperwork, you should be able to get duplicate copies from your bank, credit card company and the companies that you did business with. But remember this, never give the IRS a copy of the one and only copy of any document. That's always a big mistake.

HARRIS: Makes sense.

I tell you what, though, if I'm getting this letter from the IRS saying that I have -- you're being audited, I'm ready first thing to open the window and move to the ledge. Perhaps I should breathe though, first.

WILLIS: Stay calm, Tony. It's going to be OK, really. Remember, these audits are completely random. And the IRS assures us that just because you've been selected hey, that doesn't mean the agency suspects you of wrong-doing. What they're really doing is trying to find out where people make mistakes and what the common cheats are.

But even so, don't let your guard down. Don't sign anything unless you know exactly what it is. Make sure to get a copy of it. And of course, you do have rights. If you don't agree with an audit's decision, you can appeal it at the Office of Appeals or Tax Court.

And of course, as always, if you have tips, if you want to talk about this issue of random audits, send us an e-mail to toptips@cnn.com. We love, love, love hearing from you.

HARRIS: And we love, love, love your advice.

Gerri, have a great day, and we'll see you tomorrow.

WILLIS: Thank you, Tony.

HARRIS: OK.

Bottom of the hour. Welcome back, everyone, to the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi there everybody, I'm Heidi Collins.

There's something fun we want to show you happening right now. There it is.

HARRIS: There it is.

COLLINS: Captain Barrington Irving. He just landed. We saw him do a couple of touch-and-gos. But this is a 23-year-old pilot who has been flying around the world. It was a 95-day long flight, 27,000 miles. And he says he's the youngest pilot to ever do this solo, and also the first black man to fly around the world all on his own.

Quite a group of people gathered there at the airport to welcome him home. He has not gotten out of the cockpit yet. I'm wondering how stiff his legs might be, but want to show you once again this now is his final landing. We told you he did some touch-and-gos. But this one is the real deal coming down for the last time now, until he takes off again.

HARRIS: Yes.

COLLINS: Who knows when that will be. He might take some time off. We're not sure. Coming in to Asuopalapa (ph), Florida. Our affiliate there, WOFR getting these great, great pictures just moments ago of his final landing.

You know, it -- he's a wonderful story. Nice, smooth landing, too. This is a single-engine aircraft that he calls inspiration. Really trying to motivate young people to get good grades and stay on the straight and narrow and do something like he did. He had a wonderful mentor, he's a triple-seven pilot, Gary Robinson (ph) who continually invited him to the airport when he was a younger man to learn more about flying.

He ended up majoring in aerospace at Florida Memorial University, and then came up with this idea that he really wanted to fly around the world. He founded a non-profit organization, Experience Aviation. He started raising money for this adventure and went around the world, I believe, choosing pieces of the aircraft to put it together. So, he's got a pretty fast little plane there as well.

Once again, it is called Inspiration. And Barrington Irving is an inspiration for many of us. Look at him, listen to the cheers.

HARRIS: How about that. COLLINS: Nice job. What a great smile, huh? Turned down a bunch of football scholarships to go into aviation. There -- that's, I believe is Captain Gary Robinson I've been telling you about, the triple-seven pilot who flew for United Airlines who was really a mentor of his. I imagined he would be there for this landing.

Just want to remind you that we will be talking to Barrington tomorrow and hear all about his adventures in the sky. It's a very long adventure. Good for him. Congratulations.

HARRIS: A fire line doesn't hold. A thousand homes and other buildings now in jeopardy near Lake Tahoe. Live coverage all morning in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: As we've been reporting this hour, a dangerous weather situation bearing down on the Southern Plains, central Texas feeling the worst of it.

Take a look at the scene now this morning in the Austin area. Fast-moving water and people trapped on roofs, in treetops, and on top of their vehicles. Helicopters and boats are on the job, and some places had to give up those rescue attempts.

In fact, in Oklahoma City, heavy rains prompted this dramatic rescue. Cameras rolled as firefighters used a raft to free 16-year- old twin sisters from their flooded car. And unfortunately, more rain expected there today.

Heavy rain, flooded roads, creeks and rivers in the Dallas area, high water also forcing evacuations of at least 50 homes southwest of the city. And in the town of Garland, a 13-year-old boy died after being washed down a flooded creek.

HARRIS: Now the check of weather now, Chad Myers is standing by for us in the severe weather center.

Chad, good morning to you.

(WEATHER REPORT)

HARRIS: OK, in the Austin area, heavy rains flooded creeks and rivers, sending people on to rooftops, even into trees.

Amy Hadley of CNN affiliate News-8 Austin joins us from there now.

Amy, set that scene. Show us some of the pictures behind you. But tell us what is going on in that area where you are.

AMY HADLEY, NEWS-8 AUSTIN REPORTER: Well Tony, we are in Marble Falls, which is about 90 miles west of Austin. And this is Backbone Creek, which flows into Lake Marble Falls. And this is normally a roadway that you can drive across, a park on either side, a parking area just to the left of this roadway. But they've had 18 inches just about since last night and, of course, this caused extreme flooding in this town, more than anyone I've talked to has ever seen. I talked to a gentleman who's been here since 1948. He says he's seen nothing like it. And of course, a number of people trying to figure out what they're going to do next because their homes have flooded.

Russell, tell me what your situation was last night.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last night about midnight I heard the rain, and I woke up, and actually my fiancee told me, you know, something's going on outside. You know, we have a newborn. And I walked outside, and I saw the lawnmowers flowing down the driveway, the barbecue pit, and the water was actually up to the door on the porch. And so I told her we need to get everything loaded up, get the baby in the car and get out of here. And so we loaded the baby up, and I sent her on her way to a motel for cover, and I had to go back and get the dog and put the dog in the truck, and the creek washed my truck down.

And luckily my buddy was around the corner, so he came and picked me up, and I went back over there today and everything is just demolished. The house is in the backyard. All the furniture inside is just covered in mud, dirt, all the clothes and, you know, clothes and all the -- she had a birth certificate with the baby's footprints on it, and it's demolished, and you know, stuff like that that you can't replace.

And we did have homeowners insurance, but it doesn't cover flood. And the house has been there for 22 years. Never seen anything like this. Didn't think we need it. We are so young, couldn't afford it. So we had what we could afford, and it got us at the end.

HADLEY: So you stayed in a hotel overnight. How's your wife doing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: She's doing good. She's a little upset. It's her first house, and it was paid off, and that was a little nice. You know, all the baby furniture, all the clothes we got from the baby shower last month, you know, it is all gone. We have what we took last night, that's all we have.

I'm actually wearing some friend's clothes. I was in the same thing I was wearing last night. Couldn't get to Wal-Mart. Couldn't -- everything was closed, and froze all night.

HADLEY: We're glad you are OK. Thanks, Russell.

So shelters opening up for people who have been evacuated either by EMS, rescued from vehicles, or people who have self-evacuated their homes, many who had to walk out, Tony, in waist to chest-high water to get to a truck that could take them out.

HARRIS: Can't imagine that scene. Amy Hadley for us. Amy, appreciate it. Thank you.

COLLINS: A big setback for firefighters. They are trying to tame that raging inferno south of Lake Tahoe in California. Gusty winds pushed the flames over a fire line. That forced more people to flee their home. Evacuation orders now in place in several more neighborhoods. And right now, the number of destroyed homes and other buildings is approaching 300. The number of firefighters on the frontlines, almost 1,900. And this morning we may find out whether the blaze was intentionally set.

HARRIS: The (INAUDIBLE) in Iraq -- support for the war dwindles to an all-time low. We have results from a new poll.

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COLLINS: We want to bring you this story. We have live pictures coming in from our affiliate KABC. This is south Los Angeles. You see the wreckage of a horrible car accident here. It began as a high- speed pursuit involving four different cars.

We understand from our affiliate KABC that at least one person has been killed. Again, this began as a high-speed chase between police and at least four cars. Not sure at this point which of the four cars actual was being pursued. But you certainly see all of the response crews on the scene there, and some very, very badly damaged vehicles.

Once again, at this point, we understand from our affiliate at least one person has been killed. We will certainly bring you more updates just as soon as we get them in here.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

HARRIS: Still to come in the NEWSROOM this morning, a daring rescue from a flooded bridge in Oklahoma City. Heavy rains drenched the southern plains. Dramatic video you must see. Look at this. We are covering it for you in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: The CNN Newsroom podcast, oh yes, yes. Just a friendly reminder to download it today and watch it whenever. Yes, whenever you need an update on the day's news, take us with you. Everywhere. Anywhere. Right there on your iPod. The CNN Newsroom podcast available to you 24/7.

HEIDI COLLINS: Uncovering America. Today we are looking at a story surrounding the gay, lesbian and transgender community. Some children have sexual identity questions long before reaching puberty, and a few doctors are trying to help.

CNN's Kara Finnstrom reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KARA FINNSTROM, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A family snapshot. Anyone meeting the Pearson family saw two brothers and a sister. But Shawn Pearson was biologically born female.

SHAWN PEARSON, TRANSGENDER YOUTH: People would assume I was male, and I was fine with that. It made me more comfortable.

KIM PEARSON, SHAWN'S MOTHER: He never corrected them.

S. PEARSON: Never.

FINNSTROM: Shawn says he always felt trapped in the wrong body. Never liking the things girls his age liked.

K. PEARSON: When your three and a half year old girl comes to you and asks for a flat-top haircut, the first thing I think is the kid's going to their butt kicked.

FINNSTROM: But Shawn didn't care, even cutting off long pretty eyelashes and hiding under clothes.

S. PEARSON: I was extremely, extremely, extremely modest, and shy.

K. PEARSON: Beyond modest, secretive about his body.

FINNSTROM: So, the Pearsons let Shawn live as a boy. Playing on a boy's baseball team unquestioned, until puberty hit.

K. PEARSON: That's when Shawn started emotionally disappearing.

FINNSTROM: Shawn's mom says he started failing school. Not eating and even became suicidal.

K. PEARSON: How much longer do you think you could have survived?

S. PEARSON: Not longer than a year probably.

K. PEARSON: Because he was there. He was just at the end.

DR. MELVIN BELZER, CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL, LA: There isn't necessarily anything psychiatrically wrong. Their just -- brain chemistry doesn't fit their body.

FINNSTROM: Dr. Melvin Belzer, here at Children's Hospital, of Los Angeles, is part of a small group of doctors across the country now treating children with what's called Gender Identity Disorder. He says this has nothing do with being gay or straight. These children consistently maintain that they are the opposite sex long before sexuality develops.

BELZER: Five-year-olds who refuse to wear two-piece bathing suits, who, you know, say things like, you know, why did God make me this way?

FINNSTROM: Doctor Belzer says it happens early in development, but no one knows why.

BELZER: Whether it's their genetic or in utero or early, infant exposure to certain hormones, or certain chemicals.

FINNSTROM: He says transgender children take certain medications before hitting puberty can delay the development of sexual characteristics until they decide whether to pursue other medical options. Treating these children is unchartered territory.

The American Academy of Pediatrics had no published guidelines to share with us. Dr. Belzer does not believe the drugs have serious side effects. He says his biggest fear is not treating transgender kids, who left untreated might put themselves in danger.

BELZER: I've seen more transgender kids end up dead from interpersonal violence related to their lifestyle, than HIV, than from cancer -- all kids from cancer that I have seen.

FINNSTROM: Shawn now travels with his mother, talking about starting high school with a legal name change as a boy. The Pearsons say speaking out is frightening. They want other families to know there is hope.

K. PEARSON: We sort of plucked him from the edge of the abyss. When you are faced with a decision like that as a parent, sorting this all out becomes a lot simpler, because your choices are kind of so black and white.

Kara Finnstrom, for CNN, Los Angeles.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HARRIS: A brutal ending. Investigators reveal disturbing details behind the deaths of pro wrestler Chris Benoit and his family; still no answer why.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HARRIS: Good morning, everyone you're with CNN you're informed. I'm Tony Harris.

COLLINS: Hi, everybody I'm Heidi Collins. Developments keep coming into the NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown. The rain just won't stop. A foot and a half of water falls on parts of Texas overnight. Flash floods trap people on rooftops, bridges wash away.

HARRIS: Lake Tahoe firefighters take a stand, and they hope a highway can keep a massive inferno from invading yet another neighborhood. Hundreds of homes in danger this morning.

COLLINS: Sexual orientation, do you choose it or are you born with it?

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