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Burlington, Iowa, Levee at Risk; Home and Heartbreak: View From Cedar Rapids; Same-Sex Weddings Could be Economic Boon; Monkeypox in the Congo

Aired June 17, 2008 - 14:00   ET

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

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Levees are going to overtop, but, you know, they're not all going to break and they're not all going to overtop, but that's going to happen during this flood just like it did during 1993.

DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): So many levees, so much water, so little time. And so little certainty of which cities, towns and farms will be spared, and which will be the next casualties of the worst Midwestern flooding in 15 years.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: Hello, everyone. I'm Don Lemon, live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Kyra Phillips, live in New York.

CNN's Sean Callebs, Ed Lavandera and Allan Chernoff all watching the rivers for us. Meteorologist Chad Myers looking downstream and watching the skies from the CNN weather center.

You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

LEMON: And as our weather experts prepare to get us updated on all of this, we want to start in southeastern Iowa. One city is basically deserted as everyone races to shore up a levee north of town.

And CNN's Sean Callebs is in Burlington.

Sean, what's the word there? As I understand, you have been talking to the mayor and you're going to update us on that.

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Without question.

Look right here. You can see, this is a microcosm of just how bad this area is. This is the lowest point in downtown. The Mississippi, big money, jumping its banks.

And if you look all the way out there beyond that second tree line, the Mississippi is usually all the way out there. It's moved in here and it is not expected to crest for some time. But you know what? The news actually could be a lot worse.

Right across the way there, a levee along the Mississippi in Illinois gave way, allowing water simply to pour into an area near Gulfport. Crews are trying to deal with that. And we understand that there's a large warehouse right next to me. You may be able to hear some noise in the background.

They are trying to pump water out of the basement. Well, apparently they are trying to evacuate the building right now.

We have the mayor with us. He's a longtime resident of this area, William Ell. And he was the fire chief who was here during the '93 flood.

Mayor, firstly, thank you very much for joining us.

I want to ask you real quickly, was this area prepared for this?

MAYOR WILLIAM ELL, BURLINGTON, IOWA: Well, I don't know if you can ever rell really prepare. It's very difficult.

We had some preparations. We had learned a few things in '65 and again in '93. So, we're doing what we can. This is a little bit unusual, though. It's quite different than '65 and quite different than '93.

CALLEBS: Yes, saying a little bit unusual is probably an understatement. But what about flood insurance?

We talked to the manager of the warehouse here standing on the loading dock of, and he said a lot of people in this area simply didn't have flood insurance for a couple of reasons. One, it became too pricey after the '93 flood. And secondly, they question how effective it really is nowadays.

What's your feeling after talking to business owners?

ELL: Well, I can't really respond to that completely because I don't know who does and who does not have flood insurance. I know that it is costly. I know that many probably would desire to have that. But again, it's just probably out of the price range. The risk is probably so high that the price has to be what it is.

CALLEBS: Let's talk about across the river, your neighbors in Gulfport. You know the levee gave way there.

Firstly, have you had a chance to speak with the mayor or any city officials? I'm sure you've been busy with your own area. And I understand the levee, a seven-mile stretch of levee just to the north of us, they're actually boiling at some places, meaning water is seeping through.

Are you concerned that that could give way? And what would it do to the community and the area north of here? A lot of farmland I presume would be flooded. ELL: Well, the levees that broke on the Illinois side have actually released some pressure over here. I'm feeling quite sorry for the folks over in Illinois. But the river did actually drop some. I think it was eight, nine inches, or something like that.

I don't know that it -- as long as those levees are out over there, I don't know that we can go to a much higher crest. It's more apt to spread out over into Illinois at this point.

Should a levee break up above us here, we're going to probably flood some of the areas north of town here. It doesn't -- it's seldom, or I don't know that it ever has, really came all the way in from the north. But it does flood on the north of us on occasion.

CALLEBS: Well, a lot about human suffering out there today.

Mayor, thank you very much for joining us out here.

And Don, if you look at this water where it is now, boy, really Illinois' punishment is certainly a hint of good news for the folks here in Iowa. We don't know how long's it's going to be before this river crests, but it is going to continue to move throughout the day.

The concern we heard earlier, if the water stabilizes over there, then this river is going to continue to come up. And you know what? Everybody downstream, it's coming your way and nothing can stop it. There's going to be flooding, severe flooding, throughout the Midwest for days to come -- Don.

LEMON: Very well said. Sean Callebs, we appreciate your reporting -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Chad Myers, those floodwaters aren't showing any mercy. Who is still at risk?

CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All the way down, really, almost to St. Louis, and then St. Louis proper, even though only into a moderate flood for St. Louis. Not the major flood as the water kind of spreads out a little bit.

But here we go. Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and into Saturday is this bubble of water that is headed downstream. And this levee break that he was talking about that actually helped out the Iowa side and hurt the Illinois side, for sure, it's -- these levees are bumps basically. They are trying to channel the Mississippi River.

Well, Mark Twain said you're not going to stop this river no matter what you do. And we're still trying to do that to this date.

And right there is where the levee break was, that number one that you see there. As we fly you in, this is the right bank and the left bank of the Mississippi River. To the right of the Mississippi, Illinois. To the left is Iowa.

So, this break in Illinois actually allowed water to spill into Illinois and kind of brought the water down on the left side of the river there. Brought it down almost a foot, a foot and a half. And so that's going to help the people on the left side. And also, will also help people down river as we take a look at this water spilling into Illinois.

It may not be the same bubble if you've lost the top of the bubble, because the bubble is spilling off into that central part of Illinois, that water level may be a few inches lower, all those cities downriver. And you know what, Kyra? It might just be a couple of inches that makes the big difference in people's lives in cities and towns, not just in farmland.

PHILLIPS: Well, Chad, stay with me. You might have some questions for our next guest.

Patti Thompson on the line with me now from the Illinois Emergency Management.

Patti, can you sort of update me on the hardest-hit areas right now and what you're doing to try to get the word out to let folks know where to go and where not to go?

PATTI THOMPSON, ILLINOIS EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Well, our area of focus over the last several days has been an area roughly south of the quad cities, to south of Quincy, near the St. Louis area. And we have many miles of levees along that way that we have been using, Illinois National Guard troops and inmates, to help bolster those levees. And we were very, very disappointed that this levee broke today, but as they were saying earlier, it's a very powerful river and it can be hard to harness.

PHILLIPS: Is this the levee in Gulfport, Illinois, that you're talking about?

THOMPSON: Right.

PHILLIPS: OK. So that one's been breached. Are you concerned about any of the other levees?

THOMPSON: You know, we have been focusing quite a bit on all of these levees, and that's why, you know, we have nearly 1,100 National Guardsmen that our governor has called up to help with the sandbagging efforts, in addition to hundreds of inmates that are helping both on the levees and back at correctional institutions, filling those sandbags and getting them out there. So, we have a very strong, very large operation, trying to help shore these up.

But what's important to say is that while we're trying to save these levees, we're also making sure we have plans in place in case these levees break, and that we can take care of the people behind there and any kind -- and have contingency plans for things like water, treatment facilities and things like that.

PHILLIPS: Now, Patti, I know hindsight is 20/20, but when you think about Katrina and you think about the levee that broke in Louisiana, and then as the investigation continued it turned out that that could have been prevented and proper work wasn't done on that levee, are you concerned about any of these other levees not being structurally sound? And so are you making any efforts to respond differently than you would if you had confidence in those levees?

THOMPSON: You know, I honestly have not heard any discussions along those lines. You know, but like I said, we're dealing with a very powerful body of water, the Mississippi River, especially when it's up this high. And we're doing everything we can. You know, certainly there will be examinations afterwards and, you know, we'll be having discussions with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers who are in charge of most of the levees.

PHILLIPS: What about large families, the elderly, those in treatment facilities, hospitals? Do you have something in place? Are you able to get to those people?

THOMPSON: Certainly. And actually, you know, so far we've been fortunate that the levee breaks have been, you know, in less populated areas, which does not in no way diminish, you know, the devastation for these people that have been affected by the flood.

But we have not had yet a really large population center with some of those facilities that you're speaking about. But here again, we have been doing extensive planning back here in Springfield to make sure that wherever this happens, not just one particular community, but any community that it happens, that we have the plans in place to get those people out of harm's way.

PHILLIPS: Patti Thompson with the Illinois Emergency Management.

Patti, thanks.

THOMPSON: Sure. Thank you.

LEMON: And Kyra, let's talk now about all this flooding and the wake that it's leaving behind, because it's really unbelievable.

Rivers are on their way down in parts of Iowa. We saw there was devastation there, but a lot of people still cannot -- cannot go home, not even to see whether they can salvage anything at all.

CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Cedar Rapids. We've been watching him there all day, where the floodwaters have left more than just a mess. It looks dry, but really it's up behind a lot of broken hearts and tears.

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And that's what people are dealing with here today, Don.

We're standing where a few days ago there was a great deal of water. Playing chicken with some cars here for a second, but if you look right up this hill, about halfway up that hilltop over there, this was once completely underwater just a few days ago. They were rescuing cats, they were actually launching boats into the road from just up -- about halfway up that hill.

The water is gone now. In fact, as we walk back over this way and wait for this van to move out of the way, you can see the water just past this checkpoint down there at the end of the hill. There's a convenience store down there that's still submerged under water and some more homes. And that has kind of left open this area we see here this afternoon.

People have been coming home. These streets have just opened up a few hours ago. For example, you take a look at this house here, where people have been pulling out the belongings, you see the waterline along the house here. About two or three feet worth of water inside that house. The basement completely filled with water.

And at this point, what many people are doing here is just pulling out their belongings, drying out what they can, salvaging what they can, and hauling it away so they can at least begin the process of cleaning up what's inside the house. And that is a process that's going to take months, obviously. And again, the story that we've told repeatedly over here, you talk to all these people, no one has flood insurance.

And the interesting thing is, is that city officials here are acknowledging that what is behind all of the checkpoints that people have been trying to get past to see their homes, the damage to these homes is much worse than what officials here had anticipated. But the good news is, is that they're checking out more of these houses, and the ones that are deemed safe and able for people to go back into are being opened up. Like, we've seen here, these streets have opened up, and they say that that area that is basically off limits to residents will be shrinking and shrinking in the coming days as the waters recede, as we continue to watch them recede, and more and more people are allowed to go back home and see what they have left -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Ed Lavandera in Cedar Rapids.

We appreciate your reporting on all of this, Ed. Thank you very much.

And frustration boils over for flooded-out residents who want to go home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same house was safe for me yesterday, but it's not today. And it's not just my house. It's everybody's. Thousands of people could be doing work on their house and they're not letting us in.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEMON: You heard Ed mention it just moments ago, but now we're going to hear from people who live there. No rapid return in Cedar Rapids.

PHILLIPS: Monkeypox, first it was an animal problem. Then it was a regional problem. Now there are fears it could be the planet's problem.

Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta tells us why we should be paying attention to the disease.

LEMON: When have you ever heard of this? The Midwest floods have swamped the Red Cross, of all organizations. Now the helpers really need your help.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Love and marriage and a sprinkling of protest, the order of the day across California. Hundreds of gay couples saying their vows less than 24 hours after the state ended its ban on same- sex marriage. Advocates are clearly thrilled. Analysts think the economic impact will be the real icing on the cake.

CNN's Thelma Gutierrez reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every time I think about it, I cry. It means I get to marry the woman I love.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You're going to be able to have a marriage license. You're going to be able to be a wedded couple.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's some legitimacy now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're also going to have orchids and roses...

THELMA GUTIERREZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): An historic moment in California for Tracy (ph) and Tiffany (ph), who are about to walk down the aisle together.

ROBIN TYLER, ENGAGED: Oh, look at this.

GUTIERREZ: And for Robin and Diane (ph), who fought for decades for the right of same-sex couples to marry.

TYLER: It's not just about each other. It's that it's opened this entire possibility for every gay kid that's growing up today, that they can grow up and they can have marriage and they can have families and they can have acceptance. I mean, it's just incredibly important to us.

GUTIERREZ: A monumental occasion for the couple and an unexpected boon for California's economy.

BRAD SEARS, UCLA SCHOOL OF LAW: I would say the total spending that will be generated by same-sex weddings is well over a billion dollars in the next three years.

GUTIERREZ: A billion dollars, and 2,100 new jobs over the next three years, according to a study by the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.

Wedding planner Marcia Vidal says it couldn't have come at a better time. (on camera): Are you seeing economic hard times? Are things rather soft for people in your industry right now?

MARCIA VIDAL, CRYSTAL CLEAR WEDDINGS: Actually, it is. We are definitely seeing a slowdown, and we're also seeing a forecast of weddings being postponed even out to 2010 and '11.

GUTIERREZ: Tiffany (ph) and Tracy (ph) are learning weddings are big business.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You discover that, yes, you want to have it at a place and you want to have someone officiating for you. And, oh, we have to have it catered. Oh, and by the way, don't we want flowers?

GUTIERREZ: Their budget? About $40,000.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're doing $40,000 just ourselves, and then you count probably 80 guests coming in from out of state, staying for at least three nights in hotels. Car rentals, eating out, tourist attractions.

TYLER: We don't want to be like two brides or two grooms.

GUTIERREZ: Baker Tom Rosa says his business has already tripled thanks to customers like Diane (ph) and Robin.

TYLER: I think price for most gays and lesbians will not be an object because it's something that you never expected. Never expected in all of their life, and so the California gold rush is on.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I now pronounce you, spouses for life.

GUTIERREZ: Diane (ph) and Robin became the first same-sex couple to officially tie the knot in southern California. And now, among the first to say it helped the state along the way.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

GUTIERREZ: Each of the couples that you see here also must pay $70 for a wedding certificate. And then on top of that, they can spend $25 and have a civil ceremony out and back.

And Cara and Heidi join us now.

You spent a lot more than $25, is that true?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, yes. Yes.

GUTIERREZ: What was your budget? How much did you spend?

CARA HANES, PLANNING TO MARRY: Between $30,000 and $40,000 roughly.

GUTIERREZ: Thirty thousand dollars and $40,000. Now, so many people could say you are already recognized as domestic partners. Why do you need to be married?

HEIDI HALE, PLANNING TO MARRY: It's a beautiful event. It's sharing with our family, with our friends. And now to be legally recognized as my wife, I'm not being asked, are you married? Sort of partners? No, yes, I am. I am married.

HANES: And this is so much more than just a partnership. This is not just a partnership between two people. This is a life cycle event.

And Judaism recognized that a long time ago when they started marrying same-sex couples under the chuppah, with a ketubah, doing all of the traditions that mark that ritual. But this is very significant, because this means that now, whenever I am filling out a form or answering a question, it's not like I'm sort of married. I'm married under Jewish law.

I'm now married under California law. And that is significant.

GUTIERREZ: Perfect. Cara and Heidi, thank you so much. And congratulations.

And right after they get their certificates here, they could actually go out back where canopies are set up and they can have civil services as well -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Thelma Gutierrez there live in West Hollywood.

Thanks, Thelma.

LEMON: And Kyra, we haven't seen anybody jumping a broom yet. Hopefully we'll see that soon. That will be very interesting as well when she was talking about the chuppah.

Now, we're using the worldwide resources of CNN to track our planet in peril. Our Dr. Sanjay Gupta is on the track of monkeypox in western Africa. It has spread to people. Now doctors fear it could spread outside of that region.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hey, guys.

Well, when we made our way from Cameroon into Losia (ph), which is in the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's a very small town. It took several hours to actually get here. But we're here because I'm looking at something that I've never seen before as a doctor.

I want to introduce you to Coy (ph). She's 22-year-old. And what she is an active case of monkeypox. Now, this is something, again, that I've never seen before, but it's actually endemic here in the Congo.

She just came to this particular surveillance center from over 200 kilometers away to try and get whatever treatment she can possibly get. They've been looking in her mouth, they've been taking blood from her, trying to figure out exactly how serious her case is.

Now, while it's something I've never seen before, monkeypox is endemic to this particular area, meaning there are cases all around us. It's in the animals and obviously in the humans as well.

We need to pay attention to this, because it's also something that happened in the United States in 2003. You may remember, pets, Gambian rats specifically, were exported from Africa to the United States. Ultimately, they got infected into prairie dogs and a few human cases as well. So you look at a case of monkeypox here in this very small town, and everyone around the world has to pay attention to it.

The real question for the doctors here, the researchers, is can you stop this from turning into a pandemic? Can you stop that sort of global transfer? That's what we're investigating. I'm going to have much more on that in the days to come.

Back to you for now.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

LEMON: All right.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, we appreciate that.

Keep your eye out for a new "Planet in Peril" series, "Battle Lines." It's coming this fall.

PHILLIPS: And frustration boils over for flooded-out residents who want to go home.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The same house was safe for me yesterday, but it's not just today. And it's not just my house. It's everybody's. Thousands of people could be doing work on their house, and they're not letting us in!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: No rapid returns in Cedar Rapids.

LEMON: And a major battle on the horizon in Afghanistan. Allied troops are gearing up. Taliban militants are digging in. And I'll talk with a former -- or Kyra will talk with a former commander. An exclusive interview straight ahead in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right. We have some developing news that we're just getting information on. It happened in Illinois and it involves a rescue.

Our Chad Myers is going to update us on that -- Chad.

MYERS: We've been talking about this levee break all morning. It happened about 5: 00 east Central Time there, local time in Illinois. But there were people actually trying to keep that levee intact when it broke. And they had to be rescued by helicopter at the time.

Almost a dozen people on the levee, sandbagging in the middle of the night, and then the levee goes. And they had to run literally for their lives, stayed at the highest point, and a MedEvac helicopter had to go get them.

Take the Google Earth, and I'll show you exactly what we're talking about.

This is a wide shot of Burlington. We'll zoom in here from all the way from Burlington into a closer shot of Gulfport. That's on the right bank, or the right side, the Illinois side of the Mississippi. And that's where the levee broke.

And I'll take you right into where those people were standing. It's this little levee right across here, the Carthage lakes area. That's the levee they were trying to get higher and higher with sandbags when somewhere along there, there was a breach and the water washed part of that levee away while they were standing on it. Luckily, everyone out with their lives -- Don.

LEMON: All right. Good news, Chad. Thank you very much.

MYERS: You're welcome.

(BUSINESS REPORT)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: And we're at the half hour now.

Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips live at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta.

LEMON: Yes, that seat is empty right there. I'm Don Lemon at the CNN World Headquarters in Atlanta. Kyra's actually in New York.

You are in the CNN NEWSROOM.

All right, time now to tell you what we're working for you here in the CNN NEWSROOM. A couple of stories, including this one, massive flooding in southern China has killed more than 100 people and displaced nearly 1.3 million people. They are scrambling to find shelter because the forecast calls for more heavy rain.

Well, hundreds of gays and lesbian couples are lining up at county offices across California. It is the first full day of legal same-sex marriage in the state.

And you can't have enough sandbags in flood-ravaged Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri. We've been telling you the harrowing stories from there. The federal government warns more than two dozen levees could overflow this week unless they are shored up. Part of one Illinois levee has already burst, forcing 400 people to evacuate.

PHILLIPS: Sandbag after sandbag after sandbag, and it might not even be enough. Right now, the mighty Mississippi River, communities in Iowa, Illinois, and Missouri are desperately trying to shore up levees, which could be near the breaking point. A big chunk of one levee near Gulfport, Illinois, has already burst, and the federal government warns that more than two dozen others could overflow. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're very concerned, of course, we've been at it. We have over 100 people out there. We've provided more than 10 million sandbags. We're working hard with communities to get these levees up. And we're very concerned that the water's going to go over the top of them and that's not good.

So, we need to make sure, the communities need to make sure that the levees get built up to that level, so when the weather -- when the rainwater hits them finally, hopefully, the levees will be high enough to keep that water back in the river.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: About 400 people around Gulfport, Illinois, had to actually clear out after that levee breach.

Now, donations are way down, and that means the Red Cross is trying to pull itself out of the red. What does that mean for the Midwest and the flood victims? We'll find out.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LEMON: All right, so, we are continuing to follow the flooding situation along the Mississippi River. We're talking about Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, getting the worst of it right now. The Red Cross is trying to help flood victims, but it has to borrow money to do it. Never heard of that before, at least as long as I've been alive. That's because the agency finds itself in the red right now, and Suzanne DeFrancis is with the American Red Cross. She joins me now from their Washington headquarters.

Thank you very much for joining us, Suzanne.

SUZANNE DEFRANCIS, AMERICAN RED CROSS: Thank you.

LEMON: Is it Susanne or Suzanne, which do you refer?

DEFRANCIS: Susie is actually fine.

LEMON: OK, Susie. Thank you very much. I'll call you that.

Now, I don't know, and from recent history -- I can't remember the Red Cross ever being in the red. What does this have to do? Does it have to do with so many natural disasters? Are people not giving as much any more? Take us through that. DEFRANCIS: Sure, Don. As CNN has been reporting, there is serious and widespread damage throughout the Midwest. And, actually, this comes as the culmination of a very active disaster season, both tornadoes that came in May and April, and now flooding. And we're even hearing of wildfires. And, of course, we have hurricane season around the corner.

So, there's been a lot of disasters out there, a lot of people hurting, a lot of homes destroyed. The American Red Cross has been responding in the last six weeks alone we've opened some 100 shelters throughout the Midwest. We are serving more than 100,000 meals. We're distributing cleanup kits, and we have about 2,000 workers on the ground. A lot of them volunteers.

LEMON: So --

DEFRANCIS: But we've reached a point where we need to ask the American people for their help. And they've always been generous in the past in helping their fellow citizens. And so we're asking Americans to contribute to our disaster relief fund.

LEMON: So, Susie, I guess it is a combination of a number of things, then. You've had to respond to so many different disasters. And people, because of the economy, and I think you're saying that they aren't giving as much, but you need them to do that.

DEFRANCIS: Well, Don, I'm sitting in our Disaster Operations Center right now and we have 30 active large-scale disasters that we're responding to, going on right now. And, yes, if you couple that with an economy where people are really hurting because of gasoline prices, and other factors, it makes it difficult. But we have confidence that when the American people understand the need that's out there, they will contribute it, and we're asking them to call 1- 800-HELPNOW, or go to Redcross.org to contribute.

LEMON: Absolutely. We know the Red Cross is always there. Whenever there's an emergency, you guys respond as quickly as possible. But I have to ask you this: Is this something that was foreseeable? Did you know that you were reaching a critical -- reaching a crises, here, where you needed to ask for more money or that you may run out?

DEFRANCIS: Well, the first thing the Red Cross does in a disaster is we respond. We don't wait for the money to come in, we go out and help people --

LEMON: But did you see it coming is what I'm asking, Susie. Did you see it coming?

DEFRANCIS: Well, there certainly are times where we have seen things like this coming. That's why we're out asking for money. Certainly, when Katrina hit, we went out, we responded, and then we asked for money later. And, the response was, of course, enormous. We're asking the American people, watching this on their TV screens on CNN, to help the Red Cross help others by giving to our disaster relief fund. LEMON: Absolutely. I know you've said that every sentence and we completely agree with you, but I really want to get to the bottom of this. We have had the flooding there, we've seen tornadoes and the flooding at the same time. We've seen fires out West, as you have mentioned, and we're coming up on which could be a really big hurricane season. Will you be able to respond? Can you help the people in the flooding? Will you be able to help possible hurricane victims in the future this season?

DEFRANCIS: Yes. We're confident the American Red Cross will respond. We'll be there just as we are now in the Midwest. And we're confident that the American people will help us be there. But whatever it takes, if we have to continue to borrow money, or if we have to redouble our fund-raising efforts, the American Red Cross is going to be there.

LEMON: OK, give me the number one more time before I let you go.

DEFRANCIS: Thank you, 1-800-HELPNOW, or Redcross.org.

LEMON: All right, Susie DeFrancis, we appreciate you and the Red Cross.

DEFRANCIS: Thank you very much.

LEMON: Thank you for joining us today -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Preparing for battle, allied troops and Taliban militants are gearing up for a showdown in southern Afghanistan. Afghan troops, supported by NATO, expected to target several villages where militants have taken over. It's the same area where some 400 militants busted out of a prison just last Friday.

And a tribal elder tells CNN the militants are planting mines and blowing up bridges ahead of the expected attack and forcing villagers to fight. NATO meantime has dropped leaflets warning villagers to take cover.

Now, NATO troops in Afghanistan are part of what's called the International Security Assistance Force. And they come from some 40 nations. I had a chance to talk exclusively today with the former commander of that force, General Dan McNeill. He left his post just this month and today gave President Bush a final briefing and an earful. I asked him about that sophisticated raid on the prison.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

GEN. DAN MCNEILL, FMR. CMDR., INT'L. SECURITY ASSIST. FORCE: Perhaps it tells us that security situations, at some of the prisons, does not represent the best level of training and equipping for the Afghan brothers. Maybe we should take a look at that as well.

PHILLIPS: So, is this a wake-up call to NATO?

MCNEILL: I think NATO has to pay attention. Again, it's an under-resourced force that NATO has there. All agree to that. There's growing capacity in both the Afghan army and Afghan police, but it will be helpful in the interim, until the Afghans reach their fullest capacity, to have a properly resourced force there.

PHILLIPS: Well, sir, where is President Karzai's leadership in all of this?

MCNEILL: Well, that would be a question better put to President Karzai.

PHILLIPS: Well, what would you advise him? Do you think he's a strong enough leader to handle the situation in Afghanistan?

MCNEILL: He's got a governor down in Kandahar, he has a provincial police chief, he has a corps commander down that way, perhaps he needs to talk to all of them, and just to make sure that everybody has their eye on the ball, they're doing the right things.

PHILLIPS: Give us a reality check, you have been quoted a number of times say the attacks are up 50 percent -- 50 percent, specifically in the east. What's going on?

MCNEILL: We did indeed measure an increase in attacks from April of 2007 to April of 2008. There was approximately a 50 percent increase. And in my view, we have had the increase in untoward events in regional commandees, the U.S.-led sector, because the insurgents presently do not have the requisite levels of pressure on them in the northwest frontier provinces inside of Pakistan.

I am hopeful that the Pakistanis can see their way clear to do more, to put a little more pressure on these insurgents on their side of the border.

PHILLIPS: Why is Pakistan not cracking down on this threat?

MCNEILL: Well, they're working their way through the installation of a new government. And perhaps this will take some time. There's a certain level of dysfunction there as they all sort of find terms of relationships, et cetera, but this -- the dialogue that they have had with the insurgents, like Batulla Massoud (ph), and especially the dialogues that have resulted in the so-called peace deals, cannot be helpful to a regional security. And maybe over time they will be able to reverse course and put more pressure on these insurgents. A combination of not only dialogue but military operations, counterinsurgency operations.

PHILLIPS: And, General, the U.S. puts millions of dollars to those operations, in the Pakistan military. Is the U.S. just shooting itself in the foot?

MCNEILL: I wouldn't say that. But, there, perhaps, there is room there for dialogue and debate about conditions on any help we give.

PHILLIPS: Well, I'm being told right now that these villages in Afghanistan have basically been shut down by the Taliban. They're blowing up bridges. They're not letting the villagers out. How should NATO respond? Should they attack?

MCNEILL: I would leave that to the present ISAF commander. But I have confidence that he has the wherewithal to respond in the right sort of way, working with his Afghan brothers.

PHILLIPS: What would you do if you were in charge right now, you have hundreds and hundreds of villagers with their lives at stake at this point?

MCNEILL: Well, I would do what they did last year, when they attacked into Organdab (ph) late last fall.

PHILLIPS: And that was?

MCNEILL: I would go after them.

PHILLIPS: You would go after them 100 percent and take down the Taliban?

MCNEILL: Well, I -- insurgents. I don't know if Taliban is the right term for these miscreants.

PHILLIPS: So, you would go into those villages and try to take out the insurgents, whether they are members of the Taliban or not, and get those villagers out of those areas that are locked down right now?

MCNEILL: In a combined operation with the Afghan brothers. It's what we did last year and I suspect it's what will happen again this year.

PHILLIPS: Final thoughts, sir. If you were able to sit down with Barack Obama or John McCain, how would you advise on how they should go forward with Afghanistan once becoming the president of the United States?

MCNEILL: I believe -- and not to get myself in a political context here -- but my advice to any American is that the goals that the U.S. desires in that region are still achievable. And we simply have to continue to pursue them.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: Now, it's not clear when allied forces will actually launch its offensive, but we'll keep you posted -- Don.

LEMON: All right, Kyra.

Sandbagging can only do so much when the mighty Mississippi starts rising. A look at communities at risk from levee breaks. That's straight ahead in the NEWSROOM.

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LEMON: All right, let's go now to the CNN Political Ticker. When it comes to casting ballots in November, old school is in. "The Boston Globe" reports many states will use paper ballots this fall instead of those fancy, high-tech touch screen machines, or the ones that kind of hiccupped in '04, and then again in 2006. At least 55 percent of voters will make their choices on paper in November, almost double the figure in 2000.

It's time to start looking offshore for oil. That's John McCain's message. The GOP nominee-to-be makes an energy policy speech later today in Houston. He says the federal government should lift restrictions on offshore exploration and drilling allowing states to decide for themselves. McCain estimates about 21 billion barrels of homegrown oil are just waiting to be tapped.

PHILLIPS: "The Wall Street Journal" asked Barack Obama about his economic plans, should he win in November, and Obama says he'd boost the economy with new spending on energy technology and infrastructure. He also says he might support cutting corporate tax rates in return for reducing corporate tax breaks.

And check out our Political Ticker for all the latest campaign news, just logon to CNNPolitics.com, your source for all things political.

Well, what does the flooding in the Midwest have to do with the America's energy crises? All that water may cause even more pain at the pumps.

The news keeps coming. We keep bringing it to you. You're watching CNN, the most trusted name in news.

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LEMON: All right, time now to talk Energy Fix.

The Midwestern flooding may have a ripple effect all over the country. Losing so much of the corn crop could hit us in a place where we're already in a world of hurt, the gas pump. You see it right there. CNN's Money.com Poppy Harlow has our Energy Fix from New York.

Hi, Poppy, what do you have for us?

POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: Hey, Don, that's exactly right, those floods really reaching across America in terms of the impact that they are having.

A new report out today, from an analyst at Citigroup shows that the flood could have major impact on ethanol production. Ethanol, which people know is mostly derived in corn here in the U.S., is mandated to be mixed with gasoline. Meaning the price at the pump certainly could be affected.

The report says five ethanol-producing plants have already gone offline because the rising cost of corn is pinching profits. That is a sign of trouble ahead. I spoke with a representative just a few minutes ago, from VeraSun Energy, that's one of the largest ethanol producers in the country, and they are delaying the start of two of their new plants.

Now, Citi says the flooded farmlands produced about 10 percent of the U.S. corn crop just last year. And further damage to the corn crop would put supplies at dangerously low levels. The corn, right now is trading at record high levels. And meanwhile our ethanol inventory here in the U.S. is at a low 20-day supply.

Don, normally we have about a 32-day supply on hand.

LEMON: And, Poppy, it sounds like a big problem, but connect the dots for us. What will it mean for gas prices?

HARLOW: Of course, it's hard to say. There's a lot of factors at play here. But the Citi report says the likelihood of some political action continues to rise amid the recent devastation. Politicians may demand that more corn be used for food and not for ethanol. But if we use less ethanol, in terms of our gas, then that means we use more oil, which could probably send oil prices higher, which no one wants to see.

The Citi report says such political action along with poor margins would lead to what they're calling massive shutdowns of ethanol plants. To put this in some perspective for people, if corn prices were to rise another 30 percent, one analyst we spoke with says gas prices could rise 15 percent. What does that mean for you? That means about 60 cents more per gallon, Don.

So, I think the takeaway from this, for everyone is put a little extra money aside, because this could be leading to higher prices at the pump sooner than you think.

LEMON: Mom always said every little bit helps. Thank you very much for that, Poppy Harlow. You can follow your fortunes at CNNMoney.com. We've got all the days market news and numbers, expert analysis, and, of course, much, much more.

PHILLIPS: Want to take you now to live pictures in Washington, D.C. This is St. Albans school in D.C. You see the family of newsman Tim Russert greeting visitors at the wake there. If you know who his son Lucas, you can see him, also his wife Maureen. Hundreds of people turning out to pay tribute to the NBC Washington bureau chief who died on Friday, from a suspected heart attack. He was only 58-years-old.

As you know, he became famous, very well known as the host of "Meet The Press", one of America's most authoritative political talk shows. Russert known for his interviews, for his research, for his knowledge of politics, everyone from Bruce Springsteen to the president, reaching out and praising Tim Russert, and his life and his legacy.

Also, I'm told, moments ago, the president you see here, this is videotape that we were able to get, unexpectedly turning up at the memorial service to pay tribute. The president of the United States, just moments ago, his wife, Laura Bush, that you saw there, greeting members of the Russert family, his wife, his son. We'll continue to follow, obviously, all the friends and family and special guests turning up here at the memorial service. You see Luke Russert, there, just spending some special time with his father on vacation when his dad suddenly died of that heart attack on Friday.

We'll follow the great life of Tim Russert, his memorial service out of D.C., throughout the afternoon.

LEMON: Kyra, such a sad story. Just saw when you were doing the live pictures. Maybe you didn't see it. Dick Ebersol, you remember him and his family involved in the plane crash a couple years ago. So, he knows all the sadness of this. Dick Ebersol and his son survived that plane crash, but then another son passed as well. The tall guy back in the middle, of course, we don't have control of the camera, but standing there in line as well. Dick Ebersol, of course, was head of NBC Sports, the chairman there, for a long time.

But Tim Russert, well loved, not only in Washington for the politics he covered, but well loved throughout the world and throughout the country. And we have been seeing that in the many, many tributes, in writing, and on television, and by radio and that are pouring in from all over the country.

And you bet you, as Kyra said, we'll be following this story. And we'll bring you more pictures this afternoon as they continue to flow in here to the CNN NEWSROOM. We're back in a moment.

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PHILLIPS: Live pictures from our affiliate KSEK, as we continue -- I'm sorry, it's actually pictures that we had just gotten in, there, of the levee breaching in Illinois. You know, there's been huge concern that the other levees may also be breached in this area. We've been bringing you pictures from across the state.

As we've seen the waters rise and affect hundreds of residents have had to leave their homes, businesses that have had to have been evacuated. We were able to talk to the Illinois emergency management head, and she told us, right now, the sandbagging continues. They're bringing out more members of the National Guard. We're following the pictures and the devastation throughout the afternoon. More in the CNN NEWSROOM straight ahead.

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