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One Killed in Oklahoma Flooding; Jamaica Braces for Dean

Aired August 19, 2007 - 16:59   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hurricane Dean, it is fierce, and it is threatening. And thanks to a lot of CNN viewers who are sending us photos and videos of Hurricane Dean from the Caribbean islands.
Juan Espinoza sent in these I-Report pictures from the Island of St. Lucia. He shot them in front of his house as the hurricane passed through. Espinoza says downed trees and debris littered the streets which you can see in this shot here.

And here's a look at some angry surf in the Dominican Republic. I-Reporter Michael Angelo Sanchez Feliciano shot these pictures with his cell phone. Pretty brilliant images there. The next hour of the CNN NEWSROOM begins right now.

Next in the CNN NEWSROOM, take a look at this. Dramatic video from the heavy flooding in Oklahoma. Rescue crews in the air, and in boats, doing the best they can to save people stranded by high waters.

Plus this...

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hurricane Dean, a formidable storm, passing through the Caribbean just to the south of the island of Hispaniola, as seen from external cameras on the...

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: A space station view of Hurricane Dean as the powerful storm inches its way through the Caribbean. And in its path, the resort island of St. Lucia. You're looking at Some of the damage that Dean has already caused. We'll get the very latest on Hurricane Dean in a moment.

But first, a woman drowns in her basement, a car swept from the road by floodwaters and power outages, gas leaks and oil spills, all of that taking place in central Oklahoma as a result of Tropical Storm Erin, the remnants of, that blew through overnight.

And this guy right here, well, he spent several hours on top of his flooded house, waving and calling for help. And then finally, a small boat did pull up and coaxed him to safety. Another successful rescue wasn't quite as smooth. Whoa. Right there. A woman plucked from the muddy waters, she lost her grip, fell from the chopper. They went back, picked her up and put her to safe ground. And then went back to get her partner, also an older male who was in her vehicle when that vehicle was overtaken by flooded waters.

Both, we understand, are doing fine. Let's go live now to the flooded town of Kingfisher, Oklahoma. And KWTV reporter, Rosa Flores.

What is the latest, Rosa?

ROSE FLORES, KWTV REPORTER: Well, we just saw a rescue. If we can pan over, we can see an elderly woman and her two dogs were just rescued seconds ago. We can see that these rescues are coming in slowly. We had heard about an elderly couple that was stranded in their home, and I'm not sure if this is the woman. But again, we see that rescue, which is definitely good news.

Now, some bad news is that we do have the first and only confirmed death related to these rising waters. A man was actually found in his -- inside his vehicle about 14 miles west of here. Again, that is the bad news. The good news is the water is receding. And emergency crews are regrouping.

Again, you see -- I think you can see some of those -- the two dogs that were rescued just now. Again, just seconds before we took this live shot. It appears that the woman is OK, which is definitely good news. You can see them there. They have a couple of dogs. They're getting water for that elderly woman.

And I believe two other people were also in that boat. Again, this is just developing as we speak. They were rescued a couple of seconds ago, before we went live.

WHITFIELD: Well, that is remarkable, Rosa.

FLORES: I do have some...

WHITFIELD: Yes. Go ahead.

FLORES: I do have a couple of other updates.

WHITFIELD: OK.

FLORES: Electricity in the area is back, which is definitely a good thing. We had talked about the oil spill, and that was definitely a concern. And emergency management tells me that DEQ is on-site, but they're waiting for the water to recede because they can't get to that area to check that out.

That's definitely good, the DEQ is on-scene. Now emergency management tells me that the next step is just wait for the water to recede, so they can start assessing damage. But again, the biggest loss is definitely the life of that one man whose vehicle was submerged in the water.

WHITFIELD: Wow. And, Rosa, these rescues that are taking place in so many different ways, we've seen the air boats being used, we've seen the choppers being used, and then folks have put their own fishing boats in the water to help out. You, too, are seeing a variety of rescue missions under way, or at least the result of? FLORES: Yes, definitely, we've seen multiple -- we've seen Sea- Doos, air boats, people actually pull in their personal boats and hand them off to emergency crews so they can use them. Because, again, there's limited resources out here. But the last I spoke with emergency management, there's crews from about seven to 10 different groups and authorities here in this area that are coming together, bringing their resources.

We just saw them regroup a little while ago, checked the resources and checked how many rescue missions they have going at one point in time.

WHITFIELD: All right. Rosa Flores, thanks so much. Well, you said it, authorities certainly do have their hands full, dealing with all kinds of rescues and the risks that they face carrying them out. One of the chopper pilots that has been bringing video of all the dramatic action to us is KWTV's Mason Dunn. And I spoke with him not long ago.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: This was an incredible rescue. Those two motorists are so incredibly lucky that these rescue workers came along at the same time. They really put their own lives in jeopardy in order to make this rescue successful.

MASON DUNN, KWTV HELICOPTER PILOT: Well, that's true. You know, those are friends of mine down there flying that OHP helicopter right there. So in order -- you know, they don't do this very often, so I'm sure it was a learning experience for them. But, you know, once they got the lady, the first person being rescued up on the skid where she could sit on the skid, then that was the way to transport them.

But yes, you're right, they -- these two people were in a pickup truck. You can barely see the top of it, you know, in the water. And the helicopter flew over and threw them a couple of life vests. And it wasn't long after that that the truck sank. And these people were stuck in the water, in the current.

Luckily the currents weren't too strong. And the helicopter was able to get back over there and pick them up out of the water.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Close call. But again, the two victims rescued are safe and sound. Deadly flash flooding has also prompted Minnesota's governor to declare six southeastern counties disaster areas. Four of five confirmed deaths were people who unknowingly drove into a 30-foot gulley, where road used to be before the flooding.

Several roads are now closed. The state National Guard has been activated and residents are being warned of possible evacuations there.

Let's check in with Jacqui Jeras. And just a reminder, these are two different storm systems, even though you're talking about the kind of flooding that has resulted and really endangering a lot of lives.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Just an incredible situation that unfolded in the early-morning hours in both places due to two different reasons. The first one, we'll start in Oklahoma here, because we still have threats with this one right now.

This is the remnants of what was Tropical Storm Erin. Now a tropical depression, still over land that has been able to maintain its tropical-type characteristics. Because as you know, you've been dealing with extreme heat here, and there's so much humidity, that it's still warm core system.

There you can see what it looked like as it pushed through the Oklahoma City and Kingfisher areas, dumping between five and 11 inches of rainfall in a very short period of time. Now we also have a little instability going on because of the daytime heating. And as the system heads on up towards the Tulsa area, we have a tornado warning that has just been issued Okfuskee and Okmulgee counties.

It is moving to the east at 15 miles per hour. It's a Doppler radar-indicated tornado. So you need to take it seriously. There you can see the warning right here in red. All the green that you see there, that's where we have the flash flood watches and the warnings.

Now, a different system up here across parts of the north, (INAUDIBLE) rainfall even into the Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic states, this is the system that caused the flooding south of Minneapolis. You take I-35 southward, right there is Owatonna, and that is where most of the flooding occurred.

But we also had quite a bit in the southeastern parts of the state and also into northwestern parts of Wisconsin. Flood watches have been extended now across parts of Illinois, including you in Chicago, extending over towards Cleveland. All this moisture, unfortunately, isn't moving very fast.

And believe it or not, Fredricka, it could get caught up with the remnants of Erin and could spell a flood mess in the Ohio Valley for in the middle of the week. So we will watch that closely. We also have a brand-new advisory in on Dean. We'll have more on that in just a little bit.

WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much, Jacqui.

Well, at this hour, the center of Hurricane Dean is just passing south of Jamaica on its westward course through the Caribbean. About an hour ago, we just received some pretty shaky footage shot today in the capital of Kingston. Live feeds from Kingston show intermittent gusts of wind. But nothing catastrophic right now.

Several mudslides already being reported as Dean dumps heavy rains across much of the island nation. And evacuations are under way along stretches of the Yucatan Peninsula where Dean is headed next. CNN crews in Cancun are reporting a rush to the city's international airport by people anxious to get out. Dean could strike Mexico as early as Monday evening. So far, the season's first hurricane has caused at least eight deaths across the Caribbean. In the Dominican Republic yesterday a boy watching waves was knocked into the water and drowned. The storms has caused considerable damage and reportedly wiped out Martinique's banana crop.

So we want to take you live now to the northern end of Jamaica. Let's check in again with CNN's Susan Candiotti, where it looks a little breezy. But it doesn't look like you're getting the bands of rain just yet. Or are you?

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, we did actually start since the last time we spoke about an hour ago, Fredricka, for the first time today, it was time to put on the rain jacket, because we started to feel the outer bands of Hurricane Dean.

Already, as you reported, they are being felt, they're getting pounding down in Kingston at the moment with tropical storm force winds. But now we got for several minutes a squall. It passed by. The sun actually came out for a little bit, the clouds breaking up a built. But now it's overcast again. And I think this is the pattern, obviously, that we're going to be feeling for the next several hours.

A curfew is in place in Kingston. Troops are actually on the street, on patrol, to prevent any possible trouble. And for the first time this day as well, power is out here in Montego Bay. The government already took out electricity to protect the power grid in the eastern and southern part of the island earlier today.

And as promised, they were going to turn off the power in other parts of the island as the weather started to worsen. That's what is happening now. Shelters, the government authorities are very happy to report from their perspective that more people are now starting to take advantage of them.

About all 80 shelters are open now. People are slowly beginning to take advantage of them. More than 1,000 people have left their homes for the protection of these shelters that have been set up in schools, in community centers, and even in churches.

And so we are expecting a very long night ahead of us. Here in Montego Bay, just starting to feel the effects of it. But we expect, as I said before, it's going to be a very long evening. Back to you, Fredricka.

CANDIOTTI: Yes, I have a feeling you're right about that. Well, hunker down the best you can. Susan Candiotti, thanks so much.

So as strong as this storm is, some in Dean's path are not heeding the call to get out of its way. Ronald Jackson is the director of Jamaica's Emergency Management. He joins us by phone.

And for the most part I understand, Mr. Jackson, because so many people live there, it's not like they have a whole lot of options in which to leave. But as Susan was reporting, you've got something like 80 shelters that people are already starting to seek refuge at, is that right?

RONALD JACKSON, DIRECTOR, JAMAICA EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: That number, as I told Susan earlier, that it is quite a fluid the situation. Right now of 436 (ph) and over 2,800 going close to 3,000 person now in shelters.

WHITFIELD: That's an extraordinary number. Do you feel like you have enough space for the number of people who really need to find and take refuge?

JACKSON: Well, in more senses, there are enough spaces. There are additional shelters. But in so many senses, the facilities are not as numberable as you would want to have them. But we're looking at trying to managed that process. It's going to be quite difficult, the winds are extremely, extremely strong.

We're getting heavy outbreaks of showers and winds associated with the hurricane force, 145-mile-an-hour winds that's extending over from the eyewall across sections of Kingston and other sections of the south coast.

WHITFIELD: And correct me if I'm wrong, Mr. Jackson, but as I recall, you know, about your country, about your island there, not everyone has transportation. So getting to some of these shelters is one major obstacle.

JACKSON: A lot of persons do have transportation. But those aren't the persons who normally go into a shelter. It is really those persons who are -- you know, the foreign-born (ph) that have sought the options of going into shelters.

WHITFIELD: Right. So how are you going to get to them?

JACKSON: And so for those persons, there are two things. We have provided assisted evacuation on some persons (INAUDIBLE). Other persons have moved to the shelters by virtue of the fact that we had them close to their schools -- sorry, close to their homes. So they were within walking distance in a number of instances.

Hello?

WHITFIELD: OK. Ronald Jackson, director of the Jamaica Emergency Management, thanks so much. And best of luck to you as Dean there causes an incredible threat there and hopefully it doesn't cause too much damage, or cause too much of a problem for your folks there. Thanks so much.

We're also trying to keep a close watch on the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin. There in Oklahoma, we're going to talk to, and get reaction from one of the captains there with the highway patrol when we come right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Kingfisher, Oklahoma, flooding and rescues are the stories. Authorities have their hands full there. They are dealing with all the rescues and the risks for the rescuers. On the line now with an update, Captain Chris West of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

And, Captain, you gave us a great purview of the kind of rescues that were taking place earlier by helicopter, as well as good Samaritans who got their boats out. But what has happened since then? That was a couple of hours ago.

CAPT. CHRIS WEST, OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY PATROL: Yes, that was kind of early on when this thing was really active and kind of developing. But since that time, I think we've been able to get out most of the people that are stranded at their different houses, and areas.

Now we're looking at some stuff that's more localized within the town, the city limits, or the community of Kingfisher. There's a couple of air boats and flat-bottom john boats, and we've got firefighters and other people that are moving around residences and businesses and just taking care of business.

WHITFIELD: One of our local affiliate reporters was reporting that there was an active search for a couple taking place within the last hour. Do you know anything more about that?

WEST: No, I really don't have any specific information on that specific search. I just know that there has been various activities that the guys have been involved in. Our helicopter crews have actually set down here in Kingfisher, and they've kind of been resting and taking fuel on the helicopters.

One of them lost about 30 minutes ago to a location some distance from here in western Oklahoma, where we had another situation. And the possibility that a firefighter got swept away. So we went over there to see if we could help with that.

WHITFIELD: OK. You've also been using air boats in your rescue efforts. Is that part of your team, the highway patrol, or is that another emergency response team?

WEST: Well, I actually think that the air boat that is here is going to be assigned to one of the fire departments for this area. We do have a fleet of about seven to 10 air boats that are across the state. I just can't, you know, verify that they're here.

I do know we have a large number of people from our lake patrol section, troopers that work the lakes and things of that nature. And it has been pretty busy all day for everybody, not only the harbor patrol, but the local police, the sheriff's office, firefighters, emergency managers, and the media.

I mean, there's a tremendous amount of media that is scurrying around.

WHITFIELD: Sure. Absolutely. It has been a huge team effort. But you know, as we look at the clock and we know that you're going to be losing daylight in a few hours, what are your greatest concerns?

WEST: Well, I tell you, as far as the highway patrol, it's just to do whatever we can to assist this local community. We have a tremendous amount of resources and assets. I mean, the state of Oklahoma, we're kind of the connection for the local people to bring in the state resources.

So whatever they need, that their little community, or the county may not have available, all they have to do is ask us, we will work through our state emergency management agency and make (INAUDIBLE) if we can.

WHITFIELD: Captain Chris West of the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, thanks so much and continued best of luck on your continued efforts...

(CROSSTALK)

WEST: Well, thank you.

WHITFIELD: All right. Another big concern. As Hurricane Dean threatens the Gulf Coast region, well, now oil rigs are a big concern in the Gulf of Mexico. And folks there are taking no chances. Evacuations have already been under way all weekend long as Dean inches closer. That work stoppage could also affect already high gas prices and the stock market. Some thoughts on all of that from the author of "Surviving Energy Prices" coming up next in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: With uncertain hours ahead, oil companies aren't taking any chances with Hurricane Dean. They're preparing for the unexpected, evacuating oil rigs off the Texas coast and in the Gulf of Mexico. Although Dean's projected path puts northern Mexico in the crosshairs, any shift or turn northward could have put many oil crews at risk.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PERRY NELSON, HALLIBURTON ENERGY SERVICES: Weather's going to deteriorate pretty rapidly once the hurricane gets across the Yucatan. And the rig I was on is right in line with it. So it's going to be terrible out there.

VINCENT DUMLAO, PETROBAS: We were evacuated twice this week. First for that the tropical depression, Erin or whatnot? And then this time for the big one. So it has been a long week of helicopter rides and scenic tours of south Texas. So, you know, safety is number one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: (INAUDIBLE) wondering what the evacuations could mean for oil and gas prices. Peter Beutel is the author of "Surviving Energy Prices" and the president of Cameron Hanover, an energy risk management company. He joins us by phone from New Canaan, Connecticut.

All right. Mr. Beutel, after Katrina, we all spent a little bit more on oil and gas. Are you concerned about the oil rigs in the Gulf Coast as a result of Hurricane Dean? PETER BEUTEL, AUTHOR, "SURVIVING ENERGY PRICES": Well, yes, I'm very concerned. You know, at this point, it doesn't look like they're in harm's way. But we have seen hurricanes cross the Yucatan and then cross back towards the northeast. And of course, that would put oil wells and rigs and potentially even refineries in harm's way. So it is a big concern to the oil market.

WHITFIELD: Yes. So how close are many of those rigs to the Yucatan Peninsula?

BEUTEL: Well, they're not that close. They're mostly right underneath Texas and Louisiana, where both Rita and Katrina hit successively. But still, it is something for us to watch, because this is a powerful storm, and the western Caribbean is very, very warm, so any new storms that develop could also create problems.

WHITFIELD: And does the mere threat simply send a jolt in the whole oil industry, or are we going to see just protectively an increase in the barrel of oil?

BEUTEL: Yes, we probably will. Right now, we've got people who were betting on prices going lower, who established short positions, and they're certainly covering shorts, or buying back those positions. That will push prices higher, at least until we get through this.

WHITFIELD: So does this mean that we all need to be fuelling up today?

BEUTEL: Well, I don't know that it's that severe. But probably it does make sense. Certainly if you buy it today, it's probably not going to be less expensive any time this week. It will probably take at least a week or 10 days for prices to come back down.

WHITFIELD: So even incrementally throughout the week, we're talking about a penny or two here and there in terms of an increase this week?

BEUTEL: Probably be closer to 5 or 10 cents, you know, as a precautionary measure. But again, we have to wait and see exactly what happens. But probably a nickel or a dime, and then, of course, if it does threaten, it could be a lot more.

So it probably does make sense to take some preventative action here and fill one's tank.

WHITFIELD: All right. Fill up those tanks. Great advice. Peter Beutel, author of "Surviving Energy Prices" and the president of Cameron Hanover, an energy risk management company. Thanks so much for your time, from Connecticut.

Well, Jamaica right now with the next location, the path of a very powerful Hurricane Dean. And as you see right here, the shelters, too, are already filling up. We'll take you there live.

Plus, remnants of Tropical Storm Erin, take a look at one of the most dramatic pieces of video today. One of the most dramatic rescues you'll see. Rescue teams simply don't give up trying to get these two stranded motorists. That story coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Deadly weather is topping the news. Flooding from the remnants of Tropical Storm Erin has struck parts of central Oklahoma. Rescue teams saved several people near the rain-swollen Cimarron River.

In one case, a victim lost her grip after a helicopter rescue. Right there. A few moments later, the helicopter went back, picked her up. Same thing happened to her partner, a man, who they went back to get, after he slipped from the skid there on the helicopter. In the end, the rescue was successful. Those two people were, at the beginning, in their vehicle, which was overtaken by the floodwaters when they got into trouble. Close call there.

Lots of close calls happening all throughout central Oklahoma. Many folks have been plucked from the rooftops of their homes as well. And some similar situations taking place further north in Minnesota. Similar, meaning they see floodwaters there. In that case, five people have been reportedly killed. Three of whom were actually caught in the floodwaters when their vehicle went into a ravine.

Now to the Caribbean. The eye of Hurricane Dean is passing south of Jamaica. Dean is blamed for at least eighth deaths in the Caribbean. It is expected to hit Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula as a Category 4 or possibly even a 5, as early as tomorrow evening.

It's times like these when organizations like the Red Cross can be the difference between life and death. Let's get to Dorothy Francis on the phone. She's an international Red Cross disaster officer posted in Jamaica.

How are you going to be able to get to the folks and assess their needs, once this storm -- I guess the worst of it has passed through Jamaica?

DOROTHY FRANCIS, INTERNATIONAL RED CROSS DISASTER OFFICER: Good evening, Fredricka. What we usually do, we work in conjunction with other partners. There are various relief agents on the ground working in the region. You see the International Federation of the Red Cross along with the National Society of the Jamaica Red Cross working with organizations such as the U.N., and their response teams. We'll pool resources to do things like what we call quick and dirty (ph) assessment from the air. Have a look and see where we need to get in. And work with the local authorities and pretty much just trail behind tractors in most instances when the roads are being cleared and get in as quickly as we can to see what we need to do.

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Because you really are underscoring the -- what obstacle you are facing, is that you really can't try and offer aid in the midst of this storm. You have to wait until it passes, so that you can get to these locations and make the assessments. The hope is, I'm certain, that you're hoping that most folks have gotten their way to these shelters, so that they can at least be out of direct harm's way, right? FRANCIS: Absolutely. What our hope is that, as you said, people have gone into the shelters. We what we are giving them is not saving their lives in immediate danger, but helping them to get their lives back on track after the hurricane in terms of rebuilding what they've lost.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel like you have enough food or emergency assistance, supplies, when the storm has passed, to help everyone out?

FRANCIS: The region has contingency plans for hurricanes, because it's such a regular phenomena in the area. You do see there is quite a bit of preparation by the relief agencies and the government. And so you will find food, for example, and there are warehouses holding stuff, particularly (inaudible). In addition to that international agencies, such as the International Federation of the Red Cross and others, will have stocks in neighboring islands. In our instance, we have stocks in a PADU, which is the Pan-American Disaster Unit, which will, as quickly as possible, get whatever gaps there are filled in terms of relief needs.

WHITFIELD: Dorothy Francis, with the International Red Cross there out of Kingston, Jamaica. We wish the best for you there as you endure Hurricane Dean. Thank you.

FRANCIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Jacqui Jeras now in the Hurricane Headquarters, where Dean is already brushing parts of Jamaica, with some pretty fierce winds.

What was it last count, 145-mile-per-hour sustained winds?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Right. That's the maximum sustained winds. That's going to be very close to the eye wall here, the center of the storm. But here's Kingston right here. We just got an observation at the top of the hour that the maximum sustained winds there, 81 miles per hour. So they're looking at extreme hurricane force winds, right now, bearing down on the Kingston area. And the eye is making its closest approach to the Kingston area as we speak.

Now, I've got a picture to show you here on radar that we're actually getting in from Cuba, from the Cuban Institute of Meteorology. It's far away from there radar source. From we got something from Jamaica, it will probably look a little different.

But what we're noticing here, there are two eye walls with this storm, and also the hurricane hunters have reported the same that they're seeing two eye walls. There's an inner one and outer one. The outer one is now starting to take over, and the worst of the winds are in the outer eye wall. That's bad news in the sense that this is going to get awfully close to the southern tip here of Jamaica. But in a little bit of a sense, this is actually good news, because the overall storm is going to be weakening a little bit as we go through this eye wall replacement cycle. But then, say, six-plus hours from now we will probably watch it ramp up a little bit. That's why we see these fluctuations in storms like this. Now, that said, with the extreme weather, we actually have a picture that looks quite tranquil. I want you to take a look at this. Just beautiful. Isn't that? This is from the international space station, just taken a shot there, 214 miles above. And it looks like just a beautiful, quiet, calm storm, doesn't it? Obviously not what's going on?

It really is a monster, too, by the way. This is a big storm. We're talking the tropical storm force winds extend out more than 200 miles from the center of this storm. And that's talking from the center on out. So, you know, two plus two -- do the math, that's 400 miles across. That's a monster hurricane if I ever saw one.

Moving westward right now, but we're expecting a west to northwesterly trend to continue. It will stay strong and we'll see between a 4 and 5 over the next couple of days. The warmest waters right over here unfortunately. We're worried about the worst intensification coming before another landfall, probably on the Yucatan on Monday and Tuesday morning -- Fred?

WHITFIELD: Thanks so much, Jacqui.

It's tough to plan for a disaster of any magnitude. And that is the case for federal emergency officials as well. CNN's Gary Nurenberg is live at FEMA headquarters in Washington, where they're mobilizing resources ahead of the storm hoping this is nowhere close to a repeat of a Katrina -- Gary?

GARY NURENBERG, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: You really zeroed in on here. There's no official memo that we know of, but you have to imagine if you worked at FEMA on a weekend like this, the unofficial guiding principle would have to be, don't make the same mistakes you made with Katrina.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG (voice-over): The federal government manages its hurricane operations in FEMA's National Response Coordination Center in Washington. It's staffed this weekend by 100 workers trying to make the multi-agency storm response work.

FEMA Chief David Paulison says the agency has learned from the disastrous response to Hurricane Katrina two years ago.

DAVID PAULISON, FEMA DIRECTOR: It's going to be a lot of money, no question about it. But the alternative is not to do it and not to spend the money and ending up with another issue like we had with Katrina. I'm simply not going to let that happen. We have done a tremendous amount of planning. We have resources that we simply did not have before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you know, yesterday, about 20, 30 hours, we received our activation orders from FEMA.

NURENBERG: One example is Maryland's Task Force 1, disaster response experts in suburban Washington, D.C., who were briefed Sunday morning before forming a seven-car caravan headed for Texas. The hazardous materials experts, structural engineers, medical dog handlers and medical personnel plan to be in place by the time they're needed.

UNIDENTIFIED MARYLAND TASK FORCE 1 WORKER: Building collapse, Hazmat, you know, we do it all. It's like 120 of us. So we're always ready to roll, trained.

NURENBERG: In nearby Silver Springs, Maryland, Red Cross workers readied two ERVs, emergency response vehicles that are equipped to serve food to those who need it. They're going to a staging area in Little Rock.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We've seen from previous attempts that there is almost no level of being too prepared. So we are very willing to reach out now and be ready in case something happens.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

NURENBERG: Although FEMA says it is ready to help storm victims, it doesn't yet know who or where those victims will be. Like the rest of the country, it will watch and wait, and then see if the response is as good as it hopes it will be -- Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: That's right. Also unpredictable. Gary Nurnberg, thanks so much.

Hurricane Dean means trouble in paradise for sure. Tourists are cutting their vacations short. No choices here. No intentions of riding out this one, say many. We'll find out how the resort town of Cancun is getting ready for this storm for those who do get stuck.

Jamaica already starting to feel its wrath. The latest from the CNN Hurricane Headquarters coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're following Hurricane Dean, a Category 4 storm with 145-mile-an-hour top winds. But as strong as it is now, Dean could actually get even more intense in the next 24 hours, possibly reaching Category 5 strength before slamming into Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula near Cancun Monday night or Tuesday.

All right. Cancun's airport is packed with crowded tourists who are trying to get out. But before, hopefully, this monster storm hits. At least that's their hope.

Gary Tuchman is in Cancun.

What are the chances of a lot of those folks being able to get on a plane and get out of Cancun -- Gary?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NEWS CORRESPONDENT: Well, I tell you, Fred, we arrived this morning in Cancun this morning on about a 25 percent full airplane. When we got into the airport, everyone was heading in the other direction. The planes are packed. People can't fit on them, so there will be tens of thousands of tourists who can't leave Cancun. You're talking about the last day we may see there's not rain, wind or damage. Beautiful day today. People have been on the beach, been in the pool all day. It's going to deteriorate much tomorrow. And Monday night or Tuesday, the worst of the storm is expected to hit here.

This is a wonderful place to go on vacation, but it really is a hurricane alley. It's gotten hit by two of the most powerful hurricanes in recorded weather history. In 1988, Hurricane Gilbert came here, 2005, Wilma. Wilma was the most powerful Atlantic basin hurricane ever recorded in terms of the barometric pressure. It hit here as a Category 4. Gilbert in 1988 hit here as a Category 5, one of only 23 of Category 5 hurricanes ever in the Atlantic basin and in recorded weather history.

A lot of people have to decision to make of whether to leave or stay. With me now, two very interesting ladies because Julia Olin (ph) and Megan Kalens (ph) are both newlyweds, married last week, married different men. A lot of polygamy stories. I want to make it clear this is not a polygamy story. Here on their honeymoon. Can't decide what to do.

Do you want to go or stay?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We would like to go. But there's no way to leave. So we're just waiting it out and hoping it's not that bad.

TUCHMAN: Do you feel the same way?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Feel the same exact way. We don't really have a choice. Our flight's Tuesday and that's when the storm is really hitting.

TUCHMAN: Are you scared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit. But the hotel's really prepared us.

TUCHMAN: Are you scared?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A little bit. but, you know, the hotel's done everything they could, and they're keeping us up to date with everything going on and keeping us prepared if we have to transfer to another location.

TUCHMAN: Ladies, have a nice honeymoon. You'll remember it forever, trust me.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm sure we will. Thank you.

TUCHMAN: I do want to say people here in this area really know how to prepare for hurricanes. We've seen preemptive work on the streets here in Cancun, huge light posts that you see. They're already taking them down because they don't want them to blow over accidentally. Billboards taken down. They're really prepared and waiting the possibility of the worst. Fred, back to you. WHITFIELD: It could also be ugly projectiles. I wonder, not everyone's going to be able to get on a plane, so do the majority of these larger hotels, do they equip themselves with the ability to take care of a lot of these tourists getting stuck? Do they have a pretty good food supply and generators, most importantly?

TUCHMAN: Yes, many of the hotels have generators, Fred. Many of them have plans to put their guests in ball rooms that are very secure. But they also have plans to take them to emergency shelters. There are more than 130 shelters set up in this area. Many of them are far away.

One hotel we were talking to has plans if it gets really serious to take all their people staying in the hotel on a bus for a ten-hour drive to another hotel about 500 miles away. So there are lots of plans in the works. By tomorrow, we should know what these hotels are going to do with these tourists.

WHITFIELD: Wow. That's one stormy journey. Gary Tuchman, thanks so much from Cancun.

So U.S. officials are urging American tourists in and around Cancun, if they can get out, to get out now.

Joining us now by phone from Cancun, Judith Bryan, a spokeswoman at the U.S. embassy in Mexico City.

Miss Bryan, what responsibility does the embassy have to try to help get Americans out of Mexico?

All right. Looks like we lost that connection with Miss Bryan. We'll try to reestablish it if we can.

We are continuing to watch Hurricane Dean, its threat, and who might be able to try to get out of the way, and who is kind of stuck where they are. All of that straight ahead.

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WHITFIELD: We're talking about Hurricane Dean, and how, you know, it is a monster of a storm. Making its way through the Caribbean.

TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Yes. What are the winds?

WHITFIELD: 145-mile-per-hour sustained top winds.

TONY HARRIS, CNN NEWS ANCHOR: Yeah.

WHITFIELD: Scary stuff, no matter what your age bracket. If you're anywhere near that hurricane.

HARRIS: This is going to be primarily an evening and overnight event. So I'm thinking about young people. you know, we as parents, we are so used to being strong for our kids, I'm just thinking, at 145-mile-an-hour, these winds coming through here is going to be so traumatic for young people.

WHITFIELD: If you don't feel it, even indoors, you hear it. It's frightening.

HARRIS: I'm thinking I hope these families are getting everything they need in terms of support so they can ride this out and be safe.

We are going to talk at 7:00 to a young man we spoke to last evening. Ed Romain (ph), a guy vacationing in Jamaica right now. He said, I'm not worried about this storm. I'm going to be sipping on drinks and playing pool. I'm just going to ride this thing out. I said, buddy, you need a reality check, 140-mile-per-hour winds heading your way. We'll check with him at 7:00 this evening.

WHITFIELD: He's drowning himself in rum punches.

HARRIS: Yeah. Let's see how that works out for him. You ready for prompts, the prompts portion of the tease here?

WHITFIELD: Yeah. Interesting reads here.

HARRIS: This is a washer.

WHITFIELD: Some washers, okay.

HARRIS: About 19 cents or so? 19 cents. The Pentagon needed to get these two washers to an Army base in Texas. Right?

WHITFIELD: You can't just drive to the hardware store?

HARRIS: Hello. You would think. It's the Pentagon that we're talking about here.

WHITFIELD: They're pretty easy to get.

HARRIS: There's always the complication, right? Two 19-cents washers. They contract with this company in South Carolina, get these washers down to the Army base in Texas. What do you think it will cost?

WHITFIELD: A lot of money once you start talking about contracting and sending across state lines without going just to the hardware store around the corner.

HARRIS: How about close to $1 million?

WHITFIELD: No, no, no.

HARRIS: That's tonight at 10:00.

WHITFIELD: Outrage.

HARRIS: Outrage.

WHITFIELD: Everyone's outraged on that one. Because we know who pays for this? You, me, the taxpayer. That's a nice read.

HARRIS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: We'll be watching, Tony. Thanks so much.

Well, we are still tracking Hurricane Dean. That's what meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has been doing all weekend long. She is especially tracking it very closely.

What's it doing now? Still 145-mile-per-hour winds?

JERAS: Absolutely. It's bearing down on Jamaica as we speak, 81-mile-per-hour winds over Kingston. The latest on the storm and how close is it going to get to making landfall. We'll let you know, coming up.

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ALI VELSHI, CNN FINANCIAL ANALYST: The housing market takes center stage this week when the numbers for new home sales are released on Friday. Brace yourself, because the last few weeks have seen foreclosure prices skyrocket, home prices fall, and the recovery forecasts have been scaled back. We'll keep an eye out this week for more fallout in the financial market from the mortgage sector meltdown.

Last week, Countrywide Financial, the nation's number one writer of mortgage loans, took out an $11.5 billion line of credit to keep its business running, helping send Wall Street into a temporary tail spin.

According to new figures from Zip Realty, the nation-wide housing glut has grown in the past year. Seattle's housing inventory had the highest jump, up 56 percent in the past 12 months. Some other big increases were recorded in Miami, Orlando, and Las Vegas.

The mortgage crisis is affecting retail sales, too. Home Depot, the world's largest home improvement chain said weakness in the housing market is causing its quarterly profit to slip almost 15 percent.

Let's finish with some good news this week. Lower gas prices. According to the Lundberg survey, gas prices peaked nationwide in mid- May when the average was #3.18 per gallon. Since then, prices have dropped about 40 cents. It might not last too long if consumer demand increases.

If you want more of this sort of thing, watch me on "Minding Your Business" each week day morning on "American Morning."

That's it from New York. I'm Ali Velshi.

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