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Hurricane Dean; Jamaica Cleans Up; Midwest Flooding; Gerri's Top Tips

Aired August 20, 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 is off today. Stay informed in the CNN NEWSROOM. Here's what's on the rundown.
Dean taking aim at Mexico after ripping past Jamaica. Island residents venturing out this morning to check the damage.

Frightening moments during flood rescues on the plains. A dying tropical storm system turns stretches of Oklahoma into a lake.

And horror on the runway. A plane bursts into a fireball, but amazingly everyone's safe and sound this Monday morning, August 20th. You are in the NEWSROOM.

A killer hurricane in the Caribbean, deadly floods in the U.S. Extreme weather topping this hour in the CNN NEWSROOM. We're going to be going live to CNN meteorologist Rob Marciano. He's in Cancun, Mexico. And Susan Roesgen in Kingfisher, Oklahoma. Plus, the very latest from meteorologist Reynolds Wolf in the CNN Severe Weather Center.

In fact, let's go ahead and begin there.

Reynolds, good morning to you.

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning.

I wish I could say it was a great morning in the Caribbean. It is not. And here's the reason why.

Hurricane Dean continues to roll westward. As it does, it leaves Jamaica, it leaves Montego Bay, Kingston and it's way out to the south Cayman Islands, where the Cayman Islands are getting battered by heavy, heavy surf, heavy rainfall, winds that are of tropical storm force. And the storm is expected to gain strength as it marches westward towards the Yucatan Peninsula.

The latest map that we have, the latest path, from the National Hurricane Center shows the storm is expected to gain strength. It's going to move into a minimum sheer (ph) environment, meaning it's not going to have a lot of upper-level winds, which can rip the storm apart. Plus water in that part of the Caribbean is incredibly warm. So the storm could strengthen to a category five long before landfall, which is expected at 2:00 a.m. Tuesday and south of Cancun and Cozumel, north of the Honduras and north of the Belize/Mexico border. Now, the storm, once it's on shore, should begin to weaken immediately. That's what happens when these storms are away from their primary source of power, which is warm, warm water. That warm water is almost like rocket fuel to an engine. It's just a big power maker.

But as long as it is away from its power source, it should begin to weaken. And by the time it crosses over the Yucatan and back in the Bay of Campeche, it should be downgraded to a category one. That is if it stays at the present speed.

Now if it were to move a little bit faster and zip across the peninsula, well, then it may retain more power and be a category two when it makes its way across. However, if it were to go across and stall out altogether, this storm could possibly just die out.

We're not expecting that. The latest path, as I mentioned, brings it as a category one offshore at 2:00 p.m. Tuesday with winds of 85 miles per hour, then back into the Bay of Campeche, where it's going to feed on that warm water, again that primary power source, and upgrade to a category two.

A lot can change. Notice the cone of uncertainty. The storm could move further to the north, perhaps striking Cancun, perhaps farther to the south, hitting Belize or even Honduras. So we've got to watch it for you.

Although this is the biggest story, it's not the only show in town. We've had some issues in parts of the Midwest. Some flooding in Missouri. Back over into Oklahoma. You better believe we had some flooding there yesterday, although conditions there are improving.

Things are getting worse. In Springfield, right along I-44 over to Raleigh, in parts of Missouri. Also northward into south of the twin cities, we're seeing some scattered showers in the corn belt. And we even had some flood warnings in effect for the Chicago area, all because that stationary front, that moisture which continues to feed from the Gulf of Mexico.

So from the Midwest, the central plains and, of course, back into the Caribbean, we've got a full plate this morning. Let's send you back to the news desk.

COLLINS: Yes, no question about that. And we're going to be talking more about the Midwest here in just a few minutes.

Reynolds, thanks for that.

But first we want to get to Jamaica, where Hurricane Dean battered the island's southern coast. CNN's Susan Candiotti is in Montego Bay.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The day after Dean, cleanup is already underway after Jamaica was spared a direct hit from the storm. The eye passing just south of the island. However, the winds and the rains were particularly fierce in the capital city of Kingston on the southeast end of the island. There they had a lot of reports of downed trees, of roofs being ripped off. There are unconfirmed reports of injuries and no deaths. They do have reports of dangerous landslides, especially in the rural parish called St. Andrew.

Five thousand people fled their homes for shelters during the course of the storm. At first only 20 shelters were open. By the time Dean had passed, more than 250 has been opened.

Power remains out across the country. And there is no water in some areas as well. Both the electricity and pumps were turned off on purpose in order to spare the system serious damage.

The airports in Montego Bay and in Kingston remain closed until authorities get a chance to assess damage to the runway.

Susan Candiotti, CNN, Montego Bay, Jamaica.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COLLINS: In the hurricane zone, stay with CNN throughout the day and night. We have correspondents, as you can see, positioned in the path of the storm to bring you live, comprehensive coverage from just about anywhere in those places.

Meanwhile, thermometer watch along the Mississippi this morning. Finally a bit of a break from the relentless heat wave. A 10-day triple-digit hot streak broke yesterday in Memphis. The mercury topped out at only 94. But it is expected to climb back to the century mark a little bit later this week. At least a dozen death this month linked to the oppressive heat in Memphis. In all, around 50 deaths in the southeast and Midwest are now blamed on the heat.

Families of six missing Utah miners blasting rescue efforts. They accuse company and federal officials of giving up. Officials say that's not true. The miners have been trapped for two weeks. Underground rescue efforts stopped Thursday after three rescuers were killed. Crews are drilling another hole in the top of the mountain now, but the families want them to do more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICHARD STICKLER, MINE SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION: If we can find miners alive, we can keep them alive by lowering water and food through the bore hole. If we can find miners alive, then we'll start drilling a bore hole that would be large enough to put a capsule into the mine and bring the miners out through a capsule.

SONNY OLSEN, SPOKESMAN FOR MINER'S FAMILIES: The families feel that the rescue capsule is the safest and most effective method to rescue their loved ones. If rescue is not possible, the capsule is the only method to recover our loved ones so that they can have a proper burial.

(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: There has been no sign of life inside the mine.

Arraignments expected today in the brutal school-yard killings of three students in New Jersey. Newark police say they've got a sixth suspect now, an 18-year-old arrested yesterday morning. On Saturday, federal authorities arrested 24-year-old Rodolfo Alfaro and his 16- year-old half-brother. Both caught in the Washington, D.C. area. Three other suspects, Jose Carranza, and two juveniles were already in custody. All face three counts of murder and other charges stemming from the August 4th killing.

Plane on fire, all on board off safely. Just watch what happens. There were just minutes to evacuate the plane. One hundred and sixty- five people survived with no major injuries reported. The pilot jumped from the cockpit at the very last second. The incident happen today on the Japanese island of Okinawa. It's the latest in a series of accidents involving China Airlines. All of the carriers 737-800 planes have been grounded pending an investigation.

Extreme weather this morning and it's not just from Hurricane Dean. Rooftop rescues and evacuations in the Midwest. It's all because of Tropical Storm Erin, or what's left of it. Our Susan Roesgen is joining us now live from Kingfisher, Oklahoma.

What's the latest situation there? It looks lovely, but I know it's not.

SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it's starting to get hot, and I think that's really tough, Heidi, for people who are now getting all this mud out of their houses. They're dealing with a hot day. And one woman behind me in the house, that you can't see behind me, but the water has receded enough that now you she's got where there was two feet of water, there's now like about two or three inches of that red Oklahoma mud that she's trying to get out of her house.

So not a good situation for a lot of people. There's going to be a 10:00 a.m. local news conference. That's in about an hour here. And we expect the fire chief and the local sheriff to tell us what they found in an aerial tour this morning. The first chance they've really had to get a look at some of the flooding and some of the damage here.

We also have, of course, those dramatic rescues. And we have a woman who had never been rescued from a flood before and a helicopter crew that had never done a fast water-moving rescue. Here's what it's like for the woman who was dropped once and then saved.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BERNICE KRITTENBRINK, RESCUED FROM FLOODING: We were just thinking about how quickly we were moving with the water and we were trying to keep posts and such in sight to see whether it was rising. And just hoping that there was going to be a rescue. And we were doing some praying. LEROY KRITTENBRINK, RESCUED FROM FLOODING: I couldn't get my hands around the pipe -- or the skid on the helicopter and hang on. So Randy here grabbed me by the arm and pulled me up high enough to where I could get my arms locked around that skid. And that took me out.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROESGEN: So it wasn't the prettiest rescue on record, Heidi, but it was successful. Many people here have commented, as they've seen that video that we've been playing on CNN, can you imagine what would have happened if that woman had been dropped in shallower water. It obviously was deep enough for her to pop back up again. And then her husband dragged along there. What if he had run into some barbed wire or something just under the surface of the water. So they were both really pretty lucky because, again, this was a helicopter crew that had never done a high-water rescue before, had never done a water rescue period.

COLLINS: Yes. Rescue crews, everybody being tasked to do whatever they can, I'm sure, in the face of all of this.

All right, Susan, thank you. I just want to remind everybody, that news conference that's coming up is 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time, of course 10:00 Central.

Susan Roesgen, thanks so much, from Kingfisher, Oklahoma, this morning.

Popular tourists spots in the path of Hurricane Dean. We get the view from the Cayman Islands. Their Red Dross director gives us a call.

Leaving work a day early. Endeavour astronauts pack up to head home, steering clear of Hurricane Dean.

And first day of fall classes at Virginia Tech. Students already dealing with more misfortune.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The Cayman Islands among the popular tourist spots feeling the impact of Hurricane Dean. On the phone now from Georgetown is Peter Milburn. He is the chairman of the Cayman Islands Red Cross.

Peter, why don't you just tell me the latest on the situation and what you are able to offer people there.

PETER MILBURN, CHAIRMAN, CAYMAN ISLANDS RED CROSS: Well, Heidi, thanks for the call.

I'm actually sitting at the far end of the West Bay Beach (ph) right now, looking back towards Georgetown. And we're experiencing tropical force winds at this point. As far as the speed, I really don't -- I'm not -- I don't want to hazard a guess to that. But the island is in good shape as of now. We're in -- you know, we've suffered no major structural damage that I'm aware of. We've lost a lot of vegetation here and there. Some trees have knocked down and things like that.

But apart from that, we're all in pretty good shape here. The local hurricane committee has done a wonderful job getting people organized as far as staying in. There's a curfew in place right now on island until further notice, until the all-clear is given. And we are, you know, basically we're getting quite a bit of rain. There's a fair amount of wind. And we'll probably get a bit more wave action over here on the west side as the storm moves further toward the west.

Apart from that, you know, we're in great shape. I've heard of no injuries or fatalities that I'm aware of. And we're in good shape.

And I think that, you know, we've certainly dodged the bullet as of now, anyway. I don't know if anything can happen. Anything can happen with these things, as you well know. But as far as I can tell right now, we are in good shape overall. So good spirits.

All the people, all the shelters are, you know, well attended by people. After Ivan, everybody wanted to make sure that, you know, everybody was safe and everything. And right now we're in pretty good shape anyway.

COLLINS: Well, it sounds like you are. But tell us briefly, I know that there have also been some evacuations and so forth. What about the preparedness for the people who stay, if in fact things do deteriorate?

MILBURN: The preparedness right now on island is actually remarkable. Everybody has paid attention to the National Hurricane Committee's warnings and, you know, our weather people here. And everyone who is on shore of where they should be are in the shelters. Other people are hunkered down in their own homes.

I've actually been around quite a bit this morning checking the various or the two main hurricane shelters that I'm, you know, dealing with on this side. And all the homes that I've passed, everyone is boarded up. It's kind of eerie because there's no traffic on the road at all, you know, with the curfew, and it's kind of nice in a way.

COLLINS: Yes, and that's always better.

MILBURN: But everybody's is -- we're all very well-prepared. And, you know, we were expecting the worst and, you know, so far we're doing OK with that. And hopefully this will be the worst of it as we speak now.

COLLINS: Boy, we certainly hope that is the case as well. Peter Milburn, the chairman of the Cayman Islands Red Cross, giving us a picture today from Georgetown.

Thank you so much, Peter. We wish the absolute best of luck to you and all of the people there certainly. Well, right now, Hurricane Dean is making a beeline for resorts on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula. CNN's Meteorologist Rob Marciano is in Cancun this morning.

Rob, Dean could become a category five hurricane within about the next 24 hours or so. How do things look at this time?

ROB MARCIANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I'm here.

COLLINS: Go ahead, Rob.

MARCIANO: Heidi.

COLLINS: Go ahead.

MARCIANO: OK. I didn't know I was on with you.

Yes, we're -- well, it's certainly a category four. It's a scary enough proposition. Category five even worse. I don't want to say that they're used seeing storms this strong here, but they have. This is one of the few places in the world that has beaten the wrath of a category five storm make landfall. And it happened back in 1988. That last year they had a cat five blow up just off the coast here and (INAUDIBLE) landfall in earnest. But it spun its wheels for about 26 hours, just battering this coast line. So it's taking the Yucatan Peninsula, especially Cancun area, a whole two years to recover from that. And now here comes another storm and that means trouble.

I can tell you what the situation is right now. It's pretty nice, actually. The sun is out. The waves are definitely higher than they normally would be. The northeast wind, that's a little bit more strong. Not sure that it normally would be. But other than that, you wouldn't know that there's a huge storm (INAUDIBLE). (INAUDIBLE) things will change as (INAUDIBLE) evening hours.

But right now, folks here in Cancun are doing the things that we would do in the states, along the Gulf Coast or on the East Coast (INAUDIBLE). They're boarding up their windows, they're taking the precautions to make sure that things don't get blown around in the wind. Because even far away from the forecast track landfall, which is pretty far to the south of here, they're going to easy get winds of (INAUDIBLE) if not hurricane force. And with all the hotels that line this beach, there will definitely be pounding waves, the surf, the surge, but also (INAUDIBLE) glass windows that line (ph) this beach here. So another -- it's only been two years since Wilma came through and now it looks like they're going to see more damage here (INAUDIBLE) east coast from here.

Heidi.

COLLINS: Hey, Rob, we sure appreciate the update there from where you are. Unfortunately, we're having a pretty hard time hearing you. I'm imagining it's the wind, obviously. But Rob Marciano in Cancun for us. We will check back with him a little bit later on.

Warrantless wiretapping. The White House says it's needed in the war on terror. Questions about its legality back before a Senate committee. Will the White House meet today's subpoena deadlines?

GERRI WILLIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gerri Willis. The mortgage lending industry is in turmoil. I'll tell you how to weather the storm. That's next on "Top Tips" in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: OK. So we're looking again -- we're kind of keeping one eye closed, one eye open there. Dow Jones Industrial averages up about 20 points, 13,096 right now after the Fed cut the discount rate on Friday. We saw all kinds of craziness going on. On Friday the close was up 233 points. So how is that going to look throughout the day today and throughout the week? Expecting more volatility. But, of course, we will be watching the markets for you right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Surviving the mortgage meltdown. Trouble in the home loan industry doesn't have to mean trouble to Mr. or Ms. Homeowner, of course. Gerri Willis is here with some more of today's "Top Tips."

Gerri, everybody is talking about this. The first thing that you're saying is, you should know your lender. Know who you're borrowing from.

WILLIS: Absolutely.

Heidi, good to see you.

You know, if you're in the market for a loan, look, the risks of taking out a mortgage from a shady lender are pretty high right now. Some borrowers, listen to this, get stood up at the closing table by their lender, despite having signed commitment letters. Now when this happens, all agreements are wiped off the table and you have to get another lender to offer you a loan. So you've got to choose a good lender to start with.

Heidi.

COLLINS: All right. So chose a good lender. And then minimize your risk. What do you mean by that.

WILLIS: Well, look, borrowers who have the least risk are the ones who are applying for the so-called conforming loans. That means they're easy for the industry to understand and fund. Now if you have this type of loan, typically one for less than $417,000 with, you know, no exotic features, no interest only, none of that stuff, then you have the best chance of getting your loan funded quickly and with little hassle. Of course, it will help if you have solid credit and a hefty down payment of 20 percent.

COLLINS: Well, what about those people, though, who are already making payments to one particular lender and then that company has declared bankruptcy. I mean it gets pretty ugly because don't they go ahead and sell that loan to another company?

WILLIS: Well, you know, we've seen this happen scores of times, right, lenders going belly-up? Look, if you already got your mortgage and your lender goes out of business, keep making those payments on time. You should be on the lookout for a letter that tells you where and when to send your payment. You're due that by law. Now if this happens to you, just remember that the terms of your loan cannot change and you've got a little grace period for getting that first mortgage payment to the new lender.

COLLINS: OK. And last but certainly not least, don't give up. I mean this could actually really take some time.

WILLIS: Well, look, loan shoppers, particularly if you have good credit and a steady job, you're not going to be shut out of getting a loan. There are still loans out there, but there may not be as many choices. Mortgages that don't require you to disclose your income, well, they're just about impossible to come by these days. And jumbo loans, by jumbo I mean loans over $417,000, those loans have gotten more expensive. But thanks to the Federal Reserve, cutting special rates for banks last week, even these products, may be cheaper going forward. So keep at it. You'll probably get a loan. You may have to pay more for it.

And if you have a questions or you want to share your money bloopers with us, send us an e-mail to toptips@cnn.com. We love to hear from you.

COLLINS: Maybe we should all just start living in RVs and not have to worry about those home loans.

WILLIS: Oh, that's so depressing. No. You know, it's a cycle. It will turn around. And particularly this credit crunch, it's not going to last forever.

COLLINS: OK. Very good. That's what I like, optimism.

Gerri Willis, thanks so much.

WILLIS: You're welcome.

COLLINS: Meanwhile, we are following a couple of big stories and big storms. Tracking Dean's deadly march across the Caribbean this morning. The forecast minutes away in the CNN Hurricane Center.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's supposed to be a day of moving forward at Virginia Tech, but five students who should be enjoying their first day back at school are in the hospital. I'll explain coming up in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: We want to quickly tell you about something we are just learning of, coming to us from the U.S. Geological Survey otherwise known as the USGS. Another earthquake to report to you, this one measuring 6.5 in magnitude hit off the coast of the southern Philippines.

Again, this is according to the USGS, hit at approximately 9:45 eastern time. Epicenter was located about 150 miles east of the southern Philippines island of Mindanao. So, you can see there on this Google map that we have put up for you.

But, boy in the face that everything that has happened in Peru, a huge earthquake there, 400 to 500 people there dead and still trying to recover from that. Another earthquake to report to you this one in the Philippines, measuring 6.5. We'll continue to following this, and bring you any more information just as soon as we get it here.

A deadly sweep through the Caribbean, hurricane dean blamed for death and destruction as it keeps up its march to Mexico. Just hours ago, the storm left parts of Jamaica bruised and battered, a tourism official in the capital called the situation there absolutely scary, a state of emergency now in place across the island.

Haiti also in the line of fire, at least two deaths reported there, as the hurricane skirted that country's southern coast, but officials say the storm stayed far enough south to spare Haiti from major mudslides or floods. Right now on Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, an uneasy calm. Cancun's popular resort could be next on Dean's path.

Tourists already fleeing, stocking up on necessities there. Reynolds Wolf has been tracking this from the get-go. Give us the very latest, trying to remain optimistic, but where does it look like, anyway, this thing is headed?

(WEATHER REPORT)

COLLINS: And now to Jamaica, where Hurricane Dean punched the island's southern coast. CNN's Susan Candiotti is on the phone now from Montego Bay. Susan, give us an update.

VOICE OF SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're driving around Montego Bay right now, seeing a lot of people on the street, frankly a lot of traffic as well, some people wandering about to see how much damage, if any, they can find. Gas stations are busy as people are filling up with gasoline and supplies.

We are seeing that stores are closed. And, that's the way it's supposed to be, because a curfew remains on the island. Also, there is no electricity on the island either. They cut that off intentionally before the storm hit to try to preserve the power grid system. Water remains out as well in certain parts of the island.

A main area of concern remains Kingston, that is on the southeast end of the island, where they had the strongest winds from Hurricane Dean. A lot of roofs are reported to have blown off. They also are experiencing landslides there, and trying to see whether there are any injuries. They have not been able to confirm any, and they have no deaths to report thankfully. Heidi, back to you.

COLLINS: Yes, very thankfully. I'm sure they all feel that way. But boy, as you mentioned, no electricity, a curfew, no water. Any indication, Susan, if people were able to stock up all right, knowing now that they may be inside their homes for quite some time? CAMDOTTI: You know, that does appear to be the case. They have been telling people for several days leading up to the storm to get to the grocery stores, to stock up, and people did appeared to listen to those warnings. So, we don't see any lines of people outside stores looking for any help at this time.

In fact, in some of the areas that are usually the hardest hit, they already pre-positioned food and water. Same thing happens in the United States, as you well know. It seems (ph) to be at the ready heavy equipment is pre-positioned in certain areas as well. And I have been in touch with the people who are trying to get out and see how much damage there is.

So, they appear to have things well in hand here on the island.

COLLINS: OK. Well, that's more good news anyway. We'll take it any way we can again it. Susan Candiotti from Jamaica, Montego Bay. Thanks so very much.

In the hurricane zone, CNN's correspondents live with coverage. We've got extensive coverage from areas affected by Dean's deadly sweep across the Cabell, we'll be watching it for you. And we're following another extreme weather situation this morning, brought on by leftovers from Tropical Storm Erin. This dramatic rescue near Oklahoma city,

A chopper crew gets a grip on a stranded woman, and then loses it. They rescue her the second time around, though. At least six people reported dead, five of them when vehicles were swept away by floodwaters.

And in southeastern Minnesota, hundreds of people had to be evacuated from their homes. At least six people died in massive flooding there. The National Weather Service says some areas got up to a foot of rain. And in Wisconsin, roads and bridges no match for the storms there.

This video from one of our i-reporters. Forecasters expect more rain today. No reports of injuries or deaths in Wisconsin. When weather becomes the news, count on CNN to bring it to you first. And, if you see severe weather happening in your area, send us an i-report. Go to CNN.com and click on i-report. Stay safe as you do all of this, but share your photos or video with us.

Students are back in class at Virginia Tech this morning, four months after a massacre. CNN's Brianna Keilar is in Blacksburg this morning. Brianna before get talking about the students going back to school, there was this emergency situation, carbon monoxide, over the weekend.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Another blow to the Virginia Tech community yesterday at about the time a permanent memorial was being unveiled, an emergency situation at an off-campus apartment. Several people were sent to the hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning. And five of them right now, all of them female Virginia Tech students are either in serious or critical condition at Duke and the University of Virginia Medical Centers. Really the shame of it, Heidi, is that a Blacksburg police captain tells us it comes down to a malfunctioning 25-cent valve on a water heater in this four-bedroom off-campus apartment.

It is an understatement to say that this has been a very difficult year for Virginia tech. It was a year ago that Virginia Tech was evacuated after an inmate escaped and killed a security guard and also a sheriff's deputy.

And then in April, just the unimaginable, what everybody heard about when senior gunman Seung-Hui Cho went on a shooting rampage on the campus killing 32 Virginia Tech students are faculty member before taking his own life. And, now this situation, with a lot of people who should be spending their first day in class, instead spending it in the hospital.

You might think that this would break any other community or, a lot of communities. But, this Blacksburg Police Department Captain told me that, even so, they're beginning the new year with optimism.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPTAIN BRUCE BRADBERY, BLACKSBURG POLICE: You get to the point where you throw up your hands and say enough is enough, it's got to stop. So, we'll go from day to day, and hopefully today will be bright and sunny and nothing significant will happen, and we'll get this year started on a good note.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: So the sense here is one of moving forward. This is even something we saw shortly after the shootings in April, a willingness to get back to class, to get things started again, and the optimism is also reflected in the numbers this year, because school officials tell us, Heidi, that they are expecting a record number of freshmen in this class -- Heidi.

COLLINS: Yes, I know, something about 5,215 kids in the freshman class. It's incredible, and really, really good to hear.

But I do know there was a memorial yesterday. I'm sure that was pretty emotional at well.

KEILAR: It was, and this was the unveiling of a permanent memorial. When you were back here in Blacksburg, Heidi, in April, you saw there was a temporary memorial with 32 and 33 Hokie stones in a semicircle around the heart of campus. This is on the drill field at campus, but this permanent memorial was unveiled yesterday, 32 Hokie stones, one for each of the victims. And thousands of people, they came out for this ceremony, showing their spirit. President Charles Steger summing it up by saying, look, this broke our hearts, but it's not going to break our spirit -- Heidi. COLLINS: It is beautiful. It is beautiful. Good for them. I hope they have a great week.

Brianna Keilar for us, live this morning from Blacksburg, Virginia. Thanks, Brianna.

Still ahead this morning, warrant-less wiretapping, the White House says it's need in the war on terror. Questions about its legality back before a Senate committee. Will the White House meet today's subpoena deadline?

And super-screen, the picture 100 times sharper than anything you have ever seen, and it's for much more than watching the big game.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: The Bush administration facing another deadline over its warrant-less wiretapping programs. Just hours from now, 2:30 Eastern in fact, that's when the White House is supposed to respond to subpoenas from the Senate Judiciary Committee. The panel wants materials from the National Security Agency. The White House says it cannot meet the deadlines; the documents are just too sensitive. It wants an extra three weeks. The subpoenas were sent out in late June. The original deadline, July 18th, but the White House got an extension.

(BUSINESS HEADLINES)

COLLINS: Leaving work a day early -- Endeavour astronauts pack up to head home, steering clear of Hurricane Dean.

And living in Baghdad's most secure area, but living in fear.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Do you have night mares at all?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All day, every time I sleep, I just -- at 6:00, maybe 5:00, I just go, you know, waking up from a nightmare. All day, you know.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Life in the Green Zone, through the eyes of a 14-year- old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A heinous crime in Iraq, that's what the country's prime minister calls it. The government of a southern province killed in a roadside bomb attack. The official was a member of the largest Shiite political group in parliament. A similar attack earlier this month left another provincial governor and police chief dead.

Fourteen year-old Wurud Khalaf moved to Baghdad's heavily fortified Green Zone after her family's home in Baghdad came under several attacks, because her father works for the government.

CNN's Arwa Damon takes to view the war through this young girl's eyes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WURUD KHALAF, LIVES IN THE GREEN ZONE: I feel like someone having nightmare, you know? It's like a weird dream you're having, but, you know, there are some things that make you happy, like when you hang out with friends, talk to them, like when they see the picture of the singer that we all love, they'll get, oh wow. He's like, you know Jessie or something.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Who?

KHALAF: Jessie McCartney (ph).

That's something that makes you forget what you're into.

ARWA DAMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over) Forgetting isn't easy here. It was a year-and-a-half ago that Wurud's father was almost killed.

KHALAF: I got downstairs. Everyone says that daddy was shot. So I was shocked. I was like, what? I didn't even believe it. Until now I don't realize it was real.

DAMON: For the sake of staying alive, Wurud's family made the decision to pack up and move to the Green Zone.

KHALAF: I see a big prison (ph) a lot. You know, like it's a big jail.

DAMON (on camera): Do you have night mares at all?

KHALAF: All day. Every time I sleep, I just -- at 6:00, maybe 5:00, I go, you know, waking up from the nightmare, all day, you know. It's a lot of them. I always see myself, running, dying, and that thing.

DAMON (voice-over): Life in the Green Zone is away from the reality of the daily violence, but to really escape, she turns to the virtual reality of video games.

KHALAF: I have 2D Chat (ph) and 3D Chat. This one key (ph) is 3D chat, you know. It's so beautiful. You make them wear things that you can go buy from the mall -- t-shirts, dresses, shoes, everything.

DAMON (on camera): So tell me, why do you think Goth is cool?

KHALAF: You know, I like that makeup thing. That's so awesome- looking.

DAMON: Do you get scared sometimes?

KHALAF: No, never. DAMON: Not at all.

KHALAF: Never.

DAMON: Never.

KHALAF: I haven't ever been scared, because if I was, I would be dead. I'll die. You can't run away from fate.

DAMON: But do you think this is a place where you can have a future?

KHALAF: I think I can have a future without being in a place, you know. Whatever place I'm in, I'll have it, because I'll run to my future, wherever I was, how hard would it be, how dangerous.

I don't think six years after this would be everything back to normal, because, you know, war is a war; it will leave something in your heart.

DAMON: Arwa Damon, CNN, Baghdad.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is full speed ahead for Hurricane Dean as it continues to rumble through the Western Caribbean. Coming up at the top of the hour, we'll give you the latest statement from the National Hurricane Center. That's moments away.

COLLINS : Also mine families rip the rescue efforts in Utah. They're calling for action.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the beginning, Bob Murray reassured the families with promises that he would get the miners out dead or alive. It's time to live up to that promise.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COLLINS: Reaction, plus the latest from the scene of the collapse, coming up right here in the NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COLLINS: A young cancer fighter. We told you his story here on CNN. He told his own story, though, through his blogs, inspiration so many people.

Now we're all mourning the death of 18-year-old Miles Levin. He died Sunday from a rare form of cancer. Doctors didn't think he would live long enough to graduate last June, but proved them wrong. His family says they plan a small family-only funeral. A big memorial and celebration also in the works. The family suggests anyone wanting to honor Levin's memory make a contribution to fight pediatric cancer. A special fund had been set up: UJF-Miles Alpern Levin Fund, the Post Office box, 2030; Bloomfield Hills, Michigan; and the zip code 48303. We will show this you again in case you would like to make a contribution.

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