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Storm Damage in Atlanta; Obama and the Preacher

Aired March 15, 2008 - 11:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, where the news is unfolding live on this Saturday, the 15th of March. Hello everybody, I'm Betty Nguyen.
Downtown Atlanta, take a look at this, after the storm. This is a bird's-eye view, which gives you a clear picture of the widespread damage. Streets outside CNN Center are littered with debris. Windows throughout many of the buildings are simply shattered. In one historic neighborhood at least 20 homes are destroyed. Add to that another line of thunderstorms is headed into the city and we're tracking the latest system ahead right here in the CNN NEWSROOM.

Up first though, a huge cleanup ahead in downtown Atlanta after a storm and at least one apparent tornado ripped through the heart of the city. Still no word on any deaths, but there were dozens of injuries and plenty of destruction. Homes, high-rises, crowded sports arena all were hit. There is even damage right here at CNN Center. But our T.J. Holmes and Cal Perry are out on the streets. T.J. is just a few blocks away from CNN Center outside one of the most badly damaged buildings, which is a historic cotton mill that was converted to apartment lofts. A portion of that, T.J., just flattened.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Yeah, it's gone up top. They were telling us overnight, the officials described it as it was pancaked, if you will, destroyed in a pancake fashion. And now that the daylight has come, we see exactly what they were talking about. And the daylight is here and we're getting a much better look at just how extensive this damage is. Again, I'm in the Cabbage Town area, about a mile east of downtown Atlanta, which, of course, was hit hard. But this area, historic area, and this cotton mill complex you talk about here is a cluster of nine historic buildings, some of them 100 years old, that were hit pretty good last night in particular the one behind me. The concern last night, officials told us they feared that people might be dead inside this building behind me. They did a sweep overnight and they say they didn't find anyone. They used dogs and they also used listening devices to try to find if any survivors were in there, anybody trapped, and they do believe, they have big confidence that everybody got out. Also, now that daylight has hit, they say they are going to do another sweep just to make sure.

But again, the surrounding areas from these nine historic buildings where people do live are homes, and about 20 homes, we understand, were destroyed. And our Cal Perry's going to have more on that coming up here shortly. But back downtown, Betty, as you were mentioning, that was the area that was hit good, hit hard last night, and damage and just debris thrown all over the place, including Centennial Park, the CNN Center, and areas that visitors really come and congregate. But also, the Georgia Dome last night. Of all places for the tornado to hit, it seemed to go after, if you will, the places where there were the most people. Last night you had an Atlanta Hawks game, which was in Phillips Arena, of course, the CNN Center right next door to that, attached to it, literally, where people collect and hang out, and also the Georgia Dome, which this weekend has been hosting the SEC basketball championship tournament. So that tournament was going on last night, the game Alabama and Mississippi State, overtime was going on. So if there wasn't enough drama already, then this tornado hits, the roof starts swaying and people get scared. There was an hour delay in that game. So really a terrifying time last night and again, it's strange to say, but it seemed like the tornado went after where there were the most people last night. Back here in Cabbage Town, our Cal Perry has been standing by, he's been with me all morning, he is over just a few blocks from where I am. And actually, the more the residential area, the homes up and down the streets, where some of the homes, at least 20 of them, we understand, Cal, have been destroyed. But you said you're just looking around this morning, it looks like a whole lot more sustained damage.

CAL PERRY, CNN CORRESPONDENT; Yeah, I've got to tell you, T.J., I did a bit of a head count myself, and it's at least 30 from what I can see. Some of the roads are still impassable. I want to give everybody an immediate sort of look at the damage that we're talking about. And in this neighborhood, one of the major problems, as you can see, is that these huge trees that have been here as long as the houses have been here were completely uprooted and have just absolutely smashed these houses, an entire row of houses smashed by these trees. Some of these houses completely split in half. I also must mention, T.J. -- and I don't know if this is happening where you are -- but one of the things we're seeing here is people are coming in from other areas of the city and they're gawking. They're stopping and looking at the damage, and it's becoming a bit of a problem in the neighborhood. Some of the residents are getting upset.

I just interviewed a man and I got an idea of the damage inside his house, and we're going to try to have that for you next hour. He was saying the neighborhood really doesn't appreciate that people are sort of coming by and stopping and taking pictures and causing traffic jams, because this is a neighborhood that, of course, just wants to get sort of back on its feet, and that's going to be the real next step, is a community that's trying to come together. We saw this when we interviewed this gentleman and he said you know, my neighbor brought me a tarp. His house wasn't damaged, mine was damaged, and that's going to be really the next step of this story after tonight. Of course, we are expecting potentially more storms. People here are nervous about that. But afterwards, neighborhoods coming together and trying to rebuild. T.J.?

HOLMES: Cal, you are absolutely right, and we have been seeing the exact same thing over here. We haven't seen people getting -- the residents getting offended just yet, not so many of them out, but I have seen several people out here with cameras, and of course their camera phones, and each one I've talked to, I haven't run into a single person yet who actually lives in the building. They say they're just coming by, taking pictures. And you're right, these aren't tourist attractions, but sometimes this happens when people just start coming down to collect and they want to see what they can see. So we have seen that. Police are able to cut down on that now because they have put up a police line. At least people aren't allowed in, and barricades on the roads. So people won't be coming and getting so close to this building now. But Betty, it is a mess. The cleanup has begun in this area of Cabbage Town, like we've been talking about this morning, going through a revitalization, has been on its way back, but now it seems like it has been set back now probably a few years after this mess.

NGUYEN: There's a lot of work to be done. And here's the deal, T.J. it may not even be over yet, because another storm could hit Atlanta a little bit later today.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: In the meantime, thousands of college basketball fans are in Atlanta this weekend for the Southeastern Conference tournament. Alabama, Mississippi State, well, they were playing inside the Georgia Dome when that storm hit and part of the dome's fiberglass roof ripped off, sending players to the locker rooms and fans to the exits. The game did resume, though, after about an hour's delay, but the rest of the tournament will be played at another arena. Now, let's take you here to CNN Center, which is just a block away from the Georgia Dome. There is also damage. The storm smashed windows on the Omni hotel, which is part of the CNN Center complex. Now, across the street from the CNN Center, Atlanta's Centennial Olympic Park is littered with broken glass, and that right there in the middle of the screen is one of the torches that were erected during the 1996 Olympics. There are several of them now that are just on their sides because the winds came through and blew them down. That's a better picture of it.

Now, I want to tell you this. Also in downtown Atlanta, the Georgia World Congress Center, it's a huge convention complex. Take a look at this. It looks like a waterfall, right? No. It's actually a staircase at the complex. Because of the damage in and around the World Congress Center, officials have closed the annual Atlanta Home Show, but this water is a result of a water main break, and that sent it just flooding the area. And it does look like a waterfall, but no, indeed, that is a staircase, folks. That water was supposed to -- or exactly, the show, the home show that was being booked there at the Georgia World Congress Center complex was supposed to be today, but that has since been canceled. That's the Georgia World Congress Center, that is.

Well, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin is scheduled to hold a news conference in less than an hour from now, that's going to be taking place at noon eastern. When it does happen, we are going to bring it you live.

But in the meantime, he says he strongly condemns his pastor's statements, talking about Senator Barack Obama. He has choice words for the man he once called his spiritual adviser.

Plus -- (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel sorry for all the other people that are facing this but don't do what I did.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: The dark side of fighting foreclosure. Up against the wall and burning down the house.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's talk politics now. Barack Obama hopes his preacher problem goes away. Sources tell CNN the Reverend Jeremiah Wright is no longer on the campaign's religious advisory committee. Wright's fire-brand sermons are getting a whole lot of attention on the internet. Now, he's used the N word from the pulpit. He's called the United States the U.S. of KKKA. And he said the U.S. brought on 9/11 with its own brand of terrorism. Here's more.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REVERNEND JEREMIAH WRIGHT: -- the theme God bless America? No, no, no, not God bless America, God damn America! That's in the bible! We're killing innocent people! God damn America!

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Well, Obama distanced himself from Reverend Wright's remarks, and he called them quote, "Inflammatory and appalling."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I strongly condemn the statements that have been shown on the tape. I have to confess that those are not statements that I ever heard when I was sitting in the pews at this church.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Obama has been a member of Wright's church for more than 20 years and Obama took his book's title "The Audacity of Hope" from one of Wright's sermons. Well, CNN deputy political director Paul Steinhauser is in Pittsburgh this morning. Paul, I've got to ask you this, is Obama flip-flopping on his preacher problem?

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Not flip- flopping. I think you're hearing stronger language from Obama now, condemning those comments by Reverend Wright. But we've been talking about Jeremiah Wright for about a year now since Obama jumped into the race. This came up right at the beginning of his campaign. Obama has said quite often that Jeremiah Wright, he likens him to an uncle that he doesn't always agree with. So, stronger language from Obama now, condemning those comments.

NGUYEN: Speaking of Obama, he is in Indiana today, but that primary's not until what, May 6th? Why is he in Indiana?

STEINHAUSER: Well, he's looking ahead. Pennsylvania's the next state, but Indiana and North Carolina vote two weeks after Pennsylvania. They're both very important primaries, a lot of delegates at stake in both states. He thinks he can do well in both of these states and he's going to spend some time there.

NGUYEN: Speaking of Pennsylvania it appears that Hillary Clinton is the only candidate in that state today.

STEINHAUSER: It is prime time politics here in Pennsylvania, but you're right, today she has the whole state to herself. I'm right here in Pittsburgh, as you mentioned. There's a St. Patrick's Day parade going on right now, you can see behind me. She was here about an hour ago marching in the parade, and she's going to go later today to Scranton, Pennsylvania, on the other side of the state to march in that parade as well. And she's got the whole state to herself, 158 delegates at stake. It's a very important state and it votes in about 5 1/2 weeks.

NGUYEN: Well, on the republican side, you can forget, you know, Pennsylvania, you can forget Indiana, because John McCain, he is headed overseas. What's that all about?

STEINHAUSER: He sure is. He was here in Pennsylvania yesterday, but you're right, he's overseas, he's heading overseas today. He's going to the Middle East and to Europe, its part of an official congressional trip. Remember, he is a senator from Arizona. He is the ranking republican on the senate foreign armed services committee, so it's an official trip, but at the same time this can only help his campaign because it makes him look very presidential as he goes overseas and meets with world leaders and it kind of beefs up his chops when it comes to foreign policy, the war on terror, the war in Iraq.

NGUYEN: When we get back to the election and the delegates and the ballots here, you cannot focus on Florida and Michigan. A lot of talk about those two states. Is there a Michigan plan already in the works?

STEINHAUSER: There is a plan in the works. Michigan -- top Michigan democrats are presenting a plan, almost with consensus here. It would be a June 3rd primary, and they would allow democrats and even republicans who did not vote in the republican primary to vote on June 3rd. Remember, though, this has to be approved by both the Obama and Clinton campaigns and by the national democratic party. But Michigan and Florida are very important states, and I think the democrats realize they need to win both of these states to take back the White House in November. And they don't want democrats in these states to feel disenfranchised. So they need to do something about this. They need to fix this problem with Michigan and with Florida.

NGUYEN: Looks like they're headed for a do-over. All right, Paul, thank you so much.

Well, you want politics? BALLOT BOWL is what you'll get, today at 2:00 eastern on CNN, the best political team on television brings you unrivaled coverage of the 2008 campaign.

So, race in the race. We will bring you a reality check on the sensitive subject in the democratic contest. That, again, being race. And where they stand. Find out how the presidential candidates say they can help the weak economy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Want you to take a look at the damage caused by an apparent tornado that rolled through downtown Atlanta. Look at this. How many times can you look through the roof of a home and actually see inside? Well, that's because that roof is gone. That guy right there is trying to clean up his kitchen area and get a little bit of his life back in order after this storm rolled through and caused so much damage. Now, this is just one slice of the damage that was sparked by all the storms that rolled through in the downtown area. You had thousands of people congregating at the Georgia Dome at the convention center there, also at the Phillips Arena area where the Atlanta Hawks were playing. Thousands of visitors here, not to mention the Omni hotel, which is connected to the CNN Center. Many of those windows were just blown out, forcing the people staying there to be evacuated to an exhibition hall. This is in the Cabbage Town area, which is just about a mile east of downtown Atlanta, and you can see how the trees have been uprooted. There are some 20-plus homes that have been damaged because of this storm. At this hour we're being told that 13,000 people in and around Atlanta are without power. And we will be getting a better estimate on the damages as we hear from the Mayor, Shirley Franklin. She's going to be holding a news conference at noon eastern, and when that takes place, we will be following it for you and bring you the latest.

In the meantime though, the polls and the voters, here's what they're telling us, the economy is issue number one in the race for the White House. So, what would John McCain, Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama do to get things humming again? Well, among other things, McCain wants to chop the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 25 percent. He would also let companies take a first-year deduction on equipment and technology investments. The mortgage mess is a key concern for Clinton. She would set up a $30 billion emergency housing fund to help states and cities. She also wants a 90-day freeze on subprime foreclosures and a five-year freeze on subprime interest rates. She wants to spend $25 billion to help needy families pay heating bills. Let's get to Barack Obama. He would pump $75 billion into the economy through tax cuts and direct spending targeting working families, seniors, homeowners, and the unemployed. He would give immediate $250 tax cuts to workers and their families and temporary $250 bonuses to seniors in their social security checks.

Some homeowners facing foreclosure, well, they're turning to crime, setting their own homes on fire to collect on insurance or avoid the inevitable. Here's CNN's Chris Lawrence.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

(Sirens) CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The bank was just days away from taking this home when the owner took matters into her own hands.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: If I could take it back, I'd take it back in a minute.

LAWRENCE: Jill Christmas was sentenced last month for setting fire to her Michigan home. She thought insurance money could help her catch up on past-due house payments. In California, insurance officials say the number of fires linked to foreclosure doubled last year, from 7 to 14. In Colorado Springs, this foreclosed home went up in smoke the same day the owner was scheduled for eviction.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He intended to burn the house down, that he was not going to allow them to do this to him, that he was not going to allow them to have it.

LAWRENCE: We sat in court as the homeowner pleaded guilty to attempted arson. Do you think this is the last time you're going to see something like this?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I think it will still happen again.

LAWRENCE: Sheriff Kevin Dougherty predicts these crimes will continue to rise as the economy falls. He says investigators now immediately consider arson, even when a burning home is simply up for sale. How does someone do something like this?

SHERIFF KEVIN DOUGHERTY, TELLER COUNTY: Through desperation. For the people that are doing this, they're good people, you know these are not bad people. And they're desperate.

LAWRENCE: Desperate enough to risk jail time, though most only get probation.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He barely has a dime to his name.

LAWRENCE: And after conviction, homeowners still owe the bank hundreds of thousands of dollars.

SHERYL CHRISTMAN, CONVICTED ARSONIST: I feel sorry for all the other people that are facing this, but don't do what I did.

LAWRENCE: And the damage doesn't stop there. Even neighbors end up getting burned when higher insurance premiums are passed on to them. Chris Lawrence, CNN, Colorado Springs.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: The economy it is issue number one and CNN will bring you all the latest financial news next week at noon. Info you need on the mortgage meltdown, on the credit crunch and so much more. "Issue Number 1" next week 12:00 p.m. eastern Monday through Friday. Right now, big-time clean-up. Daylight shows the destruction left behind after a strong storm just rips through downtown Atlanta. Tornadoes in the city and we will show you other strong storms that zeroed in on metropolitan cities.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We're coming up on the half hour and here is what is happening right now. Another line of thunderstorms is closing in on the Atlanta area, which is just beginning to clean up from a devastating storm last night. A possible tornado hit the center of the city. No deaths are reported, but dozens of injuries and widespread devastation to show you. At least 20 homes are destroyed in Atlanta's historic Cabbage Town district. The storm also scored a direct hit on the downtown area, shattering windows in high-rise buildings and littering the streets with glass and other debris. It also ripped part of the roof off a crowded sports arena, disrupting a college basketball tournament.

More now on the damage at an old cotton mill and some of the destruction from the Atlanta storms. Want to try to give you some live pictures of the Cabbage Town area, which is a historic district. And one of the lofts there, the top portion of it was simply flattened and some of the police officials who have been estimating some of the damage has told us it was flattened in a pancake fashion. Our CNN, T.J. Holmes is there. We'll be going to him shortly with that, but we want to take you back to show you how this storm blew through the heart of the city.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Out of no where, the roar, ripping steel off roofs and demolishing a four story condominium at the historic Fulton bag and cotton mill complex.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It actually collapsed in what we refer to as a pancake fashion and we have not ascertained at this point whether all the occupants were evacuated.

DORNIN: Nearby Atlanta police said 20 houses were destroyed. The late-evening tornado blasted a swath through a downtown packed with thousands at a dental convention and the SEC basketball tournament. The game was exciting enough. Alabama versus Mississippi State in overtime. And then the tornado.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The building is rocking a bit.

DORNIN: Cathy and Stephanie Pitts said it sounded like a herd of elephants on the fabric roof of the Georgia Dome.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: People started pointing and you could see holes in the top --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The whole roof was shaking like there was something jumping on top of the dome.

DORNIN: Bill Logal was in the Omni hotel lounge watching the game on TV right next to the windows.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And all of a sudden, the plants started flying across the room, the windows started breaking. We just ran to the interior portion where it was safe and just got on the floor.

DORNIN (On camera): Like most of the people in the area, the hotel guests had no idea what happened when it hit. The windows were literally sucked out. One unlucky guest's luggage ended up on the street. Hotel guests had to be evacuated. Marty Wade and his wife Terry saw the tornado hit the Georgia Dome from their room.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We saw the pieces of roofing coming off in a circular fashion, and right after that, all of the windows blew in and we have a patio door that kind of looked out on those windows and then that blew in and we headed for the bathroom and just sat in the tub.

DORNIN: Darlene Massad was in a bus parked in front of CNN Center.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hail started coming and then all kinds of trash and glass started coming. The lady next to me said, honey, this is a tornado. It will be over with in just a little while.

DORNIN: Did that reassure you?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I said, what!

DORNIN: At Georgia State University, a high-rise dorm was evacuated after a gaping hole was torn in the 14th floor.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Just a huge hurricane-force wind for about a minute, and we're just all crowded around the windows and we're looking. We watched the lights bend, we were watching a parking sign fall over.

DORNIN: Rescue efforts went on through the night in devastated neighborhoods, as a stunned Atlanta dealt with what was unimaginable, a tornado in the heart of downtown. Rusty Dornin, CNN, Atlanta.

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

NGUYEN: It's really still hard to believe the devastation is extensive. Here's the kicker, though, Atlanta still faces the possibility of more storms later today. Let's check in now with Reynolds Wolf, who's at the CNN weather center. How powerful are these storms?

REYNOLDS WOLF, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Quite powerful. You know, it's funny. It just came to me, we have some new information Betty that just came in. Let's go right to the computer. This is back over into Alabama. We have another tornado warning just posted by the National Weather Service. Southeastern Brown County in central Alabama, this includes the city of Oneonta, parts of St. Clair county and Ettawa county. Here's Jacksonville, Alabama, a little bit farther to the south. If you were to take highway 22 northward to Piedmont, Alabama, which is right here where you have the heaviest storms, that is the site of the palm Sunday tornadoes. The palm Sunday tornadoes that hit the united First United Methodist Church of Goshen. Certainly an area that has a strong history of tornadic activity. The strongest of these storms now, again, moving just north of Jacksonville, right near highway 22, near 231. All of this moving eastward and doing so at a rate of about 50 miles an hour. Very strong storms, very intense line of thunderstorms about to cross over the Alabama/Georgia state border, back into places like Cedartown, Alabama, and then it's going to continuing to march eastward into places like Braswell, back into Dallas, Georgia. Very, very intense storms that will eventually move through the Atlanta area. Chad Myers just handed this to me just moments ago. The storm has a history of producing some very strong winds, some wind gusts -- let's see, here's one. Let's see. This is a possible tornado sighting with damage in the vicinity of highland lakes. Again, in this part of northeastern Alabama.

Betty, what we've been seeing since last night is we've seen three big waves, around about 9:00 last night is when we first started getting reports of some severe weather in the Atlanta area. As we zoom in towards the Georgia Dome, what we were dealing with last night was, again, the beginning of some strong winds, we had some heavy rain, and then of course we had reports of some tornadoes in the downtown area. Now, we're going to zoom in, namely into the Georgia Dome area, where here's the Georgia Dome, just to get your bearings. You've got the Georgia Dome here, you've got CNN Center, Centennial Park right over here, all areas that have experienced quite a bit of damage. Then, of course, you have the aquarium in this spot. This was hit by the storms last night, the peak of which was right around 9:45. Then, of course, this morning we had another line of intense storms come through. This was actually the third installment. Everything is coming together to make this, again, just another big boom of rough weather. We've got plenty of warm air that's coming in from the south, a lot of moisture that's feeding in. This line of storms moving very quickly, again, I mentioned at a rate of around 50 miles per hour. That is flying in terms of these storms. These individual cells racing up to the north and northeast, and there is the potential, as I mentioned, we have that tornado warning in Alabama, to see more tornadoes right back here in the Atlanta area. You know, the last significant tornado, Betty, that we've had in the Atlanta area was actually back on September 16th of 1996. It was a brief touchdown just north-northeast of the city. There was some damage in Alpharetta, but this is certainly the first one on record in the downtown area in Atlanta. And as you've mentioned, as we've been showing people all across America all day today we've had damage with many buildings. We've had unspeakable damage in parts of Cabbage Town and to see this line of storms come right back through this area that has just been devastated, not a good thing to see at all.

NGUYEN: Which means people have a limited amount of time.

WOLF: They really do.

NGUYEN: If they're out there cleaning up, trying to assess the damage, get what you can done as soon as possible because there's another line of storms headed our way.

WOLF: Oh, no question. I would say easily by 1:00, people in Atlanta really need to take cover as this comes through. It's not necessarily what this storm is going to bring with it. Just the slightest wind can knock a lot of this glass from these high-rise buildings loose. Then as it drops, gravity's going to take its role and these are going to be projectiles.

NGUYEN: Serious danger.

WOLF: Exactly and people have to take cover. They have to get inside --

NGUYEN: As it stands, that aside, as it stands, the Atlanta Police Department is urging people to stay out of the downtown area, simply for that reason, because there are so many windows that have been blown out and glass is still falling from high-rise buildings. Reynolds Wolf we'll be staying on top of this storm as it blows through. We appreciate your time with us and we'll be checking in with you shortly.

WOLF: You bet, Betty.

NGUYEN: In the meantime though, all right, so although Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin says a tornado hit her city last night, that assessment has not yet been confirmed by the National Weather Service. But if it is confirmed -- which a lot of people believe it will be -- it would be the first tornado on record to hit downtown Atlanta. Now, in 1975, a tornado hit other parts of the city of Atlanta but not the downtown area. Although downtown tornadoes are relatively rare, they do happen from time to time. Let's take you back. In 1998 a tornado hit downtown Nashville, Tennessee. One year later, a tornado hit downtown Salt Lake City in Utah. Also in recent years there have been downtown tornadoes in Jacksonville, Florida, Fort Worth, Texas, and Little Rock, Arkansas. Well, we do want to give you a reminder that we are getting ready to bring you live coverage of a news conference with Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. That is scheduled for noon eastern, less than a half hour from now. When it takes place, we will bring that to you live.

In the meantime, though, playing the race card. A highly charged issue in the democratic run for the White House, and they have something in common. How birth order plays a part in who runs for president.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Get to some politics right now. Former vice presidential candidate Geraldine Ferraro was suddenly back in the news this week. Our own Josh Levs has a reality check on this controversial issue that she touched on and the impact of race in the democratic contest.

JOSHUA LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Race in the race. And moved right back to the senator this week.

NGUYEN: We touched on it, got away from it, now we're right back at it.

LEVS: It's (INAUDIBLE) last week and now all of a sudden race is the big story this week. And like Betty was saying, while a lot of focus was on some controversial remarks, but there was also this week an election that showed how significant race can be.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS (voice-over): It's a reality of the democratic primary, but perhaps its most sensitive issue, the role of race. After Geraldine Ferraro said Barack Obama wouldn't be where he is if he were white or female, both campaigns denounced the remark and she resigned as a Clinton fund-raiser. Obama has long sought to dispel the idea that black voters are largely responsible for his success. In South Carolina, where he won with a vast majority of black votes but came in third among whites, his supporters chanted "race doesn't matter." But many voters say it does matter to them. In the latest contest, Mississippi, Obama won with 92 percent of black voters. Among whites, 70 percent went for Clinton. A third said race was important to their decision and nearly two thirds of them voted for Obama. More than a quarter said gender was important and more than two thirds of them went to Obama. Back in Ohio, where Clinton won, fewer voters, one in five, said race was important. But among them, 59 percent went to Clinton. Even fewer said gender matters, but among them, Clinton got 60 percent. Obama notes he has had victories among various demographics. He edged out Clinton among whites in Wisconsin and Virginia. Both candidates say they don't want voters deciding based on race or gender, but they have posted videos online that include voters citing those factors. This Obama supporter wants young people --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To see that there can be a black man who can achieve and walk into the White House one day.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And why did you vote for Hillary?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because she's a woman. (Laughter and applause)

(END OF VIDEOTAPE)

LEVS: You know, in this tight race, the two democrats are walking a tight rope. They want the support of the voters who do care about those factors, even if they can't actually say that. The campaigns have seen Betty that talking about race really can be like entering a political mine field.

NGUYEN: So it's what a lot of people are talking about, but what the candidates don't really want to talk about.

LEVS: Yeah, they don't want to talk about it because they get in trouble when they do. You've got to be very, very careful with that.

NGUYEN: It's true. All right, Josh Levs joining us live, thank you.

CNN BALLOT BOWL is your chance to hear the candidates unfiltered. BALLOT BOWL kicks off today, 2:00 p.m. eastern, 11:00 pacific.

Well, it's a common trait.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Dominate. They tend to control. They tend to be opinionated.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: How birth order may impact the run for the White House.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: We have been showing you the severe storm damage from a possible tornado that just blew through downtown Atlanta. But here is what's happening right now. More storms on their way.

(WEATHER REPORT)

NGUYEN: As people brace for it I've got to let you know that we are listening to Mayor Shirley Franklin at a news conference right now, Reynolds. They're bumping it up a little bit because of the storms that are about to blow through. Let's take a listen to what these officials are saying.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: -- went down and came back up again, but for the duration of this tornado, it was about six miles long, an EF-2, 130-mile-per-hour winds at its strongest, about 200 yards wide at its widest, and beginning place was on the order of Simpson and Burbank and went right across Georgia World Congress Center, right over CNN Center, Omni, right over the Equitable Tower, and then from that point on went to I-85 and I-75 right at Edgewood and into the cotton mill. The cotton mill sustained the EF-2 damage, probably by far the strongest, although there was some near F-2 damage in the downtown Atlanta area. And I think that's the specifics of it for right now. I'll be glad to answer any questions you have after everybody else has spoken. Chief?

CHIEF KELVIN COCHRAN, ATLANTA FIRE & RESCUE: Good morning. The pre-empted preparation that is taking place in the city, county, the region and state of Georgia has really paid off. We have really experienced the benefits of a seamless transition from the city level to the county level to the regional level to the state level, and at this point, we are very pleased to report at this time that there have been no fatalities found since response to the storm or the tornado. Approximately 30 patients were transported as a result of injuries incurred during the storm. We had injury to one of our first responders an Atlanta fire rescue firefighter sustained an ankle injury while engaged in search and rescue efforts. We received over 300 calls during the operational period from about 9:45 until about 5:00 a.m. on this morning. The incidents that we responded to from Atlanta fire's perspective as a result of the storm were trees down, building collapses, electrical wiring down, a gas leak, and a multiplicity of different types of alarm activations in the city of Atlanta. Our major concern over the night was the collapse of the Fulton cotton mills lofts. Our primary search of the lofts have revealed at this point that there were no apparent occupants or fatalities. We are in the early phases of a secondary search to assure that no one is in the Fulton County mill lofts.

Our incident objectives for the next operational period that ends at approximately 7:00 p.m. tonight, are to assure the safety of all of the citizens and responders to the affected areas, to complete the primary and secondary searches associated with all of the damaged areas and to do a damage assessment of all of the structures and to insure that there are no occupants in those structures, to maintain traffic control and maintain security in all of the affected areas, and to begin the debris removal from all of the affected areas, and then finally, our incident objective is to secure and restore utilities to all the affected residents and businesses in the area, and we will be happy to answer any questions at the end of the briefing. Thank you.

CHIEF ALAN DREHER, ATLANTA POLICE DEPARTMENT: Good morning. The Atlanta Police Department remains vigilant and we're bringing all of our resources to bear to assist for these incidents. The best way that the public can help public safety is to stay out of the affected areas and report trees down and wires down in other parts of the city. Four affected areas of the downtown core, vine city, Cabbage Town, and the cotton mill lofts, those are our four main areas of concentration. [ siren ] We continue to patrol the streets and make sure that the city is safe. We have a minimum amount of calls for service. We have our regular patrol units out there patrolling the neighborhoods. We also have an additional approximately 125 police officers working these four affected areas. So we have task forces in all four with the Atlanta Police Department, fire department, public safety, and the parks department. And we're doing searches, we're maintaining safety and we're just keeping security in the area. We have plans to continue this for the next 18 hours at a minimum, but we'll stay here and put all of our resources, bring them to bear as long as the incident requires that. We're prepared to go for as long as it takes. I'd just like to thank the hard-working men and women of the Atlanta Police Department, the fire department and all of our assisting agencies for the great work that they've done, the great response, and we've got a great coordinated effort. Thank you. I'll be available for questions at the end as well.

NGUYEN: All right. You have been listening to officials here in Atlanta as they talk about the storm that blew through. We now have confirmation that it indeed was a tornado, an F-2 tornado. That according to those officials was six miles long, 200 yards wide, and it pretty much blew right over the center of the city over the Georgia Dome, the CNN Center, and then went to I-85 to the east and hit Cabbage Town where they were talking about the collapse of the cotton mill loft there. Of course, we are going to stay on top of this story and bring you the latest, especially as another storm is headed into the Atlanta area. Stay tuned to CNN for more breaking news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) NGUYEN: Just moments ago it was confirmed that an F-2 tornado slammed into the heart of downtown Atlanta. And Reynolds I believe that is the first tornado to hit downtown Atlanta in recorded history, correct?

WOLF: Betty, I believe you are absolutely right. I think you are. It is the first time but you know we are not done yet and we have gotten some new information. Now we're looking at some aerial footage here but what I'd like to do is draw your attention away from that for just a few moments to show you a new tornado warning that just came in moments ago. This came in, this now in affect for parts of Georgia, Bartow county in northwest Georgia, Floyd county, central Paulding county, even (INAUDIBLE) until 12:45. What we're watching is this particular cell that you see just south of Rome, Georgia. We're going to keep a very close eye on this. This storm at this time moving towards the east at 45 miles per hour. Again, it is the cell we are seeing right here on the screen. Again, that's the latest we've got for you. Betty, we will send it back to you.

NGUYEN: All right, we will be watching it very closely. Your money is next and we will back at 1:00 eastern with Fredricka Whitfield. I'm Betty Nguyen.

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