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"The Election Will Take Care Of Itself"; Obama, Christie To Tour New Jersey Damage; Superstorm Could Complicate Voting; Stock Markets Reopen In New York; NYC Struggles To Return To Normal; Sandy Puts FEMA in the Spotlight; Rescuing Superstorm Sandy's Victims; Romney about to Appear in Tampa
Aired October 31, 2012 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning. Thank you so much for being with us.
We begin this hour with the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy and the full scope of the devastation that's just coming into view. These are new pictures that's just sent in to CNN just about an hour ago.
The storm's death toll just in the United States stands at 40. New York City police say 22 people died just within the city.
And take a look at these pictures from an NYPD helicopter. Across the region thousands of people had to be rescued from the flooded homes. Many were chased to their roof tops to escape the rising waters. And today as National Guards troops rolls into overwhelmed towns and village, normalcy seems so far out of reach.
More than 6 million homes and businesses still without power and many people shivering because they don't have heat either and they won't for days to come. It's too early to know the total cost of the property damage and the business that's been lost. One estimate from the insurance industry puts that figure at $10 billion to $20 billion.
In just a few hours, President Obama will join New Jersey Governor Christie for a tour of New Jersey. It's an emotional trip that Christie took yesterday visiting the hard-hit Jersey Shore.
Christie is a prominent surrogate for Mitt Romney, a supporter of Mitt Romney. He raised some eyebrows when he praised the president's quick response to the storm. Here's what the governor said on CNN's "STARTING POINT."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, (R) NEW JERSEY: Right now, I'm much more concerned about preventing any other loss of life, getting people to safe places and then we'll worry about the election. The election will take care of itself. I spoke to the president three times yesterday. He's been incredibly supportive and helpful to our state and not once did he bring up the election.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COSTELLO: Dan Lothian is at the White House. Dan, Christie says Obama didn't bring up the election to him, but the president is going to go back on the campaign trail on Thursday.
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: He is. And as you know, counting today, the president will have been off the campaign trail for three days, has been focusing on the disaster in New Jersey and New York.
But a campaign official telling CNN that in fact the president will resume campaigning tomorrow. As you know, the campaign not put on hold. It was just that the president stayed back here in Washington to monitor the situation.
Former President Bill Clinton and the vice president have been out there campaigning, but tomorrow the president hits the trail with stops in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Boulder, Colorado and Las Vegas, Nevada.
These are some of the cities that had initially been planned for the president to visit, but then again, you know, the whole schedule put on hold so the president will be resuming campaigning starting tomorrow.
COSTELLO: All right, Dan Lothian reporting live from Washington this morning.
With just six days left until Election Day, voting, well, it could be a problem for people affected by Superstorm Sandy. For the states directly hit, there are so many questions. Will they have their voting places on full power or will they have to use alternate locations?
What about those voters who lost everything including photo IDs? Joining me now is Joe Johns. He is in Washington too. So Joe, how could a voter vote if he or she lost everything to Sandy?
We're having some technical problems with Joe Johns. So we'll get to Joe Johns when we get those technical problems worked out and we'll talk about elections whether people can vote and whether the election will be put on hold.
We'll get back to Joe in just a second. Do we have Joe? No. OK, we'll move on.
Just about 30 minutes ago, stock markets reopened for the first time since the superstorm hit. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg rang the opening bell just a short time ago.
Alison Kosik is at the New York Stock Exchange watching it all, but as far as we know things are up and running as usual on the stock market. We'll have to go to break. We'll be back with more right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: OK, we are asking so many questions until technical problems got the best of us, but now the technical problems have been worked out and Joe Johns can hear me again.
He is in Washington. So let's talk about voting and those voters in states like New Jersey who have lost everything to Sandy. Will they be able to vote?
JOE JOHNS, CNN CRIME AND JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, it depends. Right now, these different states are trying to figure out what they're going to do. Whether, number one, they can get the infrastructure in place to actually have the voting at the appointed time at the appointed place.
Or, for example, are they going to have to move voting somewhere else or what do they do? Do they extend hours? There are a whole range of options that the governors of these states can use to try to get everybody through the polls. And even if that doesn't work they can always try to move things around and change dates and so on -- Carol.
COSTELLO: OK, so do they have paper ballots on hand because most people don't vote on paper anymore?
JOHNS: It's totally state by state. It can also be county by county. For example, Massachusetts and Connecticut use the old paper ballots already. That can be scanned optically. Some parts of the state of Virginia use that technology.
In Pennsylvania, the "Wall Street Journal" reporting today that officials have been telling counties to have enough paper ballots for 20 percent to 25 percent of the expected voters.
Some of the touchscreen machines there might have to go on battery power so it's a mixed bag. All of the states have to reach out to the counties, to the precincts to determine where the problems are going to be as we get closer to Election Day.
COSTELLO: But if you had to lay bets, everything will go as normal on Election Day and we shouldn't worry?
JOHNS: Well -- I wouldn't bet, but I can certainly tell you that there's a potential here for a lot of different problems and the states are just going to have to handle these things case by case.
And sometimes it really comes down to the individual polling place and does that polling place work or not? Do they have electricity for the machines or not and so what do we do? That's what we're talking about.
There are also laws in place, I think I have to say, that if a state runs in to real trouble, some state haves the ability to actually move the Election Day a day or two.
And other than that, though, as we all know, it's Congress that sets the federal Election Day, but there are some caveats to that.
COSTELLO: OK, Joe, wish you would have taken that bet.
JOHNS: Yes, right. COSTELLO: I could have used a free beer.
JOHNS: I know.
COSTELLO: Yes. With all the damage left behind from Superstorm Sandy, of course, it will take a very long time for things to get back to normal. Over the past 36 hours, the city has been getting a good look at the destruction.
Governor Andrew Cuomo is spending time touring some of the hardest hit areas in Lower Manhattan like the Hugh Carey Tunnel, which connects Manhattan to Brooklyn. That tunnel was flooded.
Rob Marciano joins us now. I have a hard time imagining all that water in the subway tunnels.
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. It was quite a site to see. They are trying to get it pumped out and get things back on track. That's one of many issues here in Manhattan. You know, "The New York Post" known for its snarky headlines, today just despair.
So you know when they're not making wisecracks you know it's a serious situation. So this city trying to get back on its feet after being shocked and now the recovery and trying to get life back in order as normal as it can be.
But down here south of 30th Street for the most part all is in the dark or at least powerless and that's going to continue at least two to four days here for complete power restoration.
You go out into the outer lying areas or boroughs and maybe as many as 10 days to be completely power restored. Want to bring in a woman who lives right by, Susan Mitchell, her dog, Duke.
Now you live on the 16th floor. No electricity so no elevator. You have to walk the dog. How are you holding up?
SUSAN MITCHELL, LIVING WITHOUT POWER: With a lot of courage. Basically, have to plan the walks very carefully. I mean, I walk up -- this is 15 minus 13th floor, quite effectively. Who knows how long I can keep being able to do that?
MARCIANO: You prepared for the storm. You told me you got a bunch of water up there, but you're already going through it pretty quickly.
MITCHELL: Yes, it is amazing. By the time you brush your teeth and wash a few dishes and keep the water bowl of the dog full and, well, you can boil water. The gas stove goes on with a match, but then you have to wash the dishes so, you know, I'm through a gallon and a half and just over a day now so --
MARCIANO: So it's a matter of survival, but you run your business out of your apartment so pretty much business is shut down for you now.
MITCHELL: Yes. My Blackberry works intermittently and I'm getting e- mails from my clients who are really all over the world just expecting documents and answers. And I'm afraid they're out of luck until I get uptown to a library or somewhere and use their computer, but of course, my computer and internet connection are dead.
MARCIANO: Well, we know your phone is charging in our truck so you can go back and grab that and thank you very much, Susan.
MITCHELL: Thank you.
MARCIANO: One of many New Yorkers not only surviving, but having to postpone business and work until the infrastructure is back online. Who knows how many millions of dollars this storm is going to cost just in the lack of productivity because of that?
By the way, we are doing a huge public service here, Carol. There's a huge crowd around the truck getting their cell phones charged, getting one viewer at a time here in Lower Manhattan.
COSTELLO: Whatever it takes. Thank you, Rob Marciano. You heard Susan say it. Shown just how dependent we are on the technology. Many people are without power in New York as you just heard. They're looking for a place to charge their cell phones and they found the CNN satellite truck.
Local television stations are also providing, you know, electrical outlets so people can recharge and also people gathering at Starbucks and other businesses across New York City asking them to use their electrical outlets to at least be online for a little bit to connect to the outside world.
So as Rob said, any little bit of help to offer, we will. Just about 30 minutes ago, stock markets reopened for the first time since the superstorm hit. New York Mayor Bloomberg rang the opening bell and that's where we find Alison Kosik. Good morning, Alison.
ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. A backup generator is keeping the lights on here at the New York Stock Exchange and keeping some of the computers running. You have to remember Lower Manhattan where the New York Stock Exchange is, it is the hardest part of the city.
It is completely blackout here so it is a generator that's keeping the lights on today. You look at the floor downstairs there. You know what? It is bustling more so than usual. Not a lot of trading going on here on the floor because there isn't really much Internet access.
No land line service so a lot of these trades are apparently going through the electronic system so the reality is the market's open. The markets are working. People are placing orders. These trades are going through.
Here are some trades that are kind of telling a story. Home improvement retailers like Lowe's and Home Depot, they're jumping. They are some of the biggest gainers on the Dow. Insurers on the other hand, they are selling off.
So you see what's happening here. Insurers are selling off because the expectation is number of claims from Hurricane Sandy are going to be piling up and then there's the thought of the rebuilding process. And there you go with Lowe's and Home Depot doing pretty well on the market -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Alison Kosik reporting live from the New York Stock Exchange. Through the devastation, there are these incredible stories of survival like the New York hospital that lost power was forced to evacuate critical patients even the tiniest patients. We look inside the effort to save those newborn babies.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Moonachie, New Jersey, is trying to recover from massive flooding from Superstorm Sandy and many people had to be rescued after the storm surge overtopped an earthen levee sending four to five feet of water into the city in 30 minutes.
Jeanne Baratta is the Bergen County chief of staff. She joins me now from New Jersey. Jean, welcome.
JEANNE BARATTA, CHIEF OF STAFF, BERGEN COUNTY POLICE DEPARTMENT(via telephone): Good morning.
COSTELLO: Good morning. You know, I was talking to you about this time yesterday and you had no idea where this water was coming from. How have things changed for you today?
BARATTA: Things are looking better today, especially with daylight here. We're able to do our search and rescue again. We're doing that in conjunction with the National Guard right now. And they've been terrific along with the New Jersey state troopers. We're evaluating the situation and we're seeing if houses are safe to get back in to. What the situation is and getting power back to residents.
COSTELLO: Are some residents trapped in their homes or do you feel you have everyone out safely now?
BARATTA: We're not quite sure so we're going house by house still with the help of the National Guard and we have National Guard here from Virginia today. So we're going house to house evaluating the streets, the homes. Making sure everybody that needs to get out of there is out of there. It's starting to get cold out.
COSTELLO: You're not kidding. It's going to be so miserable. From what you have seen of the damage, are most houses saveable?
BARATTA: We're not sure and we don't think they are. Some of these houses saw seven feet of water inside of them. So they're going to have some severe damage. Maybe a long time before these residents can get back in to them.
COSTELLO: Just tell us a little bit about this levee. The water simply overtopped the levee. The levee wasn't impaired in any way?
BARATTA: That's what we believe. We believe the water breached the levee. We don't think there was a levee failure. We'll get engineers out there, a helicopter in the air to take a look and see exactly what happened with that levee.
It wasn't our priority yesterday. Our priority was the safety of the residents, but we will take a look at it. It was one of those perfect storms. It's never happened before in that area like that. And with the astronomical tides and the surge of water, this is what happened.
COSTELLO: Yes. Jeanne Baratta, thanks so much, chief of staff for Bergen County, New Jersey. Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to be with us.
Superstorm Sandy was scary enough for those in its path, but imagine what would you do if you had a baby in New York. That little baby was in the hospital because it was premature, needed intensive care and the power simply goes out.
Our chief medical correspondent, Dr. Sanjay Gupta has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Monday night, this baby, 13-day-old Baby Martinez, a premie weighing just 2 pounds needed to be urgently transported, from NYU Langone Hospital to Mount Sinai. Challenging under any circumstances and these were extraordinary one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's frightening. It's as bad as challenging as you can get.
GUPTA (on camera): We're in front of NYU Medical Center. Mount Sinai is several blocks to the north over there and about four blocks to the west and that sort of the important point because just over there is the east river.
What we now know is at 7:00 p.m., there was no water inside that hospital. At 7:45, there was 10 feet. The power started to go out and then the generator failed and all of a sudden the patients and the doctors found themselves in a worst-case scenario.
(voice-over): As for the parents of little Baby Martinez, they found out the hospital and their daughter would be evacuated when they watched Mayor Michael Bloomberg on TV. Shortly after, they lost power and they had no idea where their baby would be taken.
LUZ MARTINEZ, MOM TO EMMA SOPHIA: I lost outage in my apartment. We had no access to the TV, no access to internet. No phone services at home. It was just our cell.
GUPTA: Just imagine the desperation, the nightmare. Their 13-day-old baby rushed through the streets of New York City in the middle of Hurricane Sandy while they were stuck at home in New Jersey.
MARTINEZ: All the bridges were closed and we had no choice, but to go back home and just sit and wait for today to get here. And it was a very long night, very, very, very long night. I haven't had not even one hour of sleep. GUPTA: Dr. Kenneth Davis who we met earlier is also the man who OK'd the transfer and now for the first time, he will meet the baby he helped save.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need a hug, my goodness.
MARTINEZ: Thank you so very much.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is so hard. You're dad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Wow. It's going to be OK.
GUPTA: You have any names picked out?
MARTINEZ: Her name is Emma Sophia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Dr. Sanjay Gupta joins us now. That was one amazing story.
GUPTA: Yes.
COSTELLO: You know, as a doctor, tell us about the dangers of transporting critically ill patients that far.
GUPTA: Well, and I don't know if you caught this, Carol, she weighed just 2 pounds so premature baby and simply transporting a child like that even within the hospital from one floor to the next is something requires a lot of coordination and people put in place, managing the breathing tube, managing the various lines, keeping the baby's temperature in a very stable heart rate, blood pressure.
This was obviously a very different situation, going outside, doing all that. I had never seen anything quite like that. They didn't have enough the time to coordinate it probably as well they would have liked.
But she's doing great and they had other babies, as well, that were transported. She was the smallest that we saw, but they all did well. So it worked, but it was a very harrowing situation.
COSTELLO: Harrowing, too, because this hospital is 15 stories, right? The elevators were not working. You have to transport critically ill patients down the stairs and probably in darkness.
GUPTA: In darkness and also some of these patients like the baby who you just met, they have to actually keep breathing for them, as well. So you're literally -- you have their lives in your hands.
If you stop squeezing the bag, they breathe very quickly and not getting the air. They are not ventilating well enough. So you have to -- there's a lot of parts to that.
So it is quite extraordinary. I remember seeing things like this during Hurricane Katrina, but that type of evacuation that you're describing it was, you know, really remarkable.
COSTELLO: Absolutely. And just a last question, is NYU open for business now?
GUPTA: My understanding is they're not. I've been speaking to some of the people over there. They took on, you know, ten feet of water in 45 minutes. They had evacuated some of the patients ahead of time.
The vast majority of them as you saw during that time frame Monday night so I think it's going to be some time, but they keep saying and they have told me even late last night that they plan on opening as soon as possible, maybe even this week.
COSTELLO: I hope so. Dr. Sanjay Gupta, thanks for sharing. We appreciate it.
GUPTA: Got it. Thank you.
COSTELLO: The storm, the storm over FEMA funding. Mitt Romney facing pressure over comments he made about the government program. A state hit hard by Sandy clamor for what? FEMA relief.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Sounds like this morning the death toll rising from Superstorm Sandy. Forty people now confirmed dead in the United States. The New York City Police Department says 22 of those deaths happened in the city.
At last count, more than 6 million homes and businesses still without power. Many of those people scattered across 17 states. They could face several days without heat.
Now it's too early to know the cost of the property damage and the business that's been lost. One estimate from the insurance industry puts that figure at $10 billion to $20 billion.
Now to just talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, will Sandy change the election? Talk about crash. Who with the human hearts can play politics when so many have lost so much?
Not New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie. Exhausted and relentlessly nonpartisan, he'll tour his state with President Obama, a political enemy who he's repeatedly praised for his administration's storm response. Here's what Christie said of President Obama on "PIERS MORGAN."
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE: This is so much bigger than an election. This is the livelihood of the people of my state. What they expect me to do is get the job done and when someone asks me an honest question, I'll give an honest question. How's the president to deal with on this? He's been outstanding to deal with and I look forward to him tomorrow.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: This is the same man who questioned the president's leadership at the Republican National Convention.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTIE: We need politicians to care more about doing something and less about being something. It is time to end this era of absentee leadership in the oval office and send real leaders back to the White House. America needs Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan and we need them right now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Political analysts are confused. Romney surrogate "Fox & Friends" tried to get Christie to dial back.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVE DOOCY, CO-ANCHOR, "FOX & FRIENDS": Is there any possibility that Governor Romney may go to New Jersey to tour some of the damage with you?
CHRISTIE: I have no idea nor am I least bit concerned or interested.
DOOCY: Right.
CHRISTIE: I have a job to do here in New Jersey that's much bigger than presidential politics and I could care less of that. I have a job to do. I've got 2.4 million people out of power. I've got devastation on the shore. I've got floods in the northern part of my state. If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics then you don't know me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Quite the smackdown. Yet despite Christie's low gist, political types just can't help but wonder, will Christie's newfound love for President Obama tilt the election Obama's way?
"Talk Back" question for you: Will Sandy change the election? Facebook.com/CarolCNN. Your comments later this hour.
They stood the test of time, but these trees were no match for Sandy. Show you the stunning images next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: It is 30 minutes past the hour. I'm Carol Costello. Thank you so much for being with me today.
The fight over FEMA there was no mistaking it. New Jersey's Republican Governor praised FEMA. Chris Christie is more than ready for federal help in the form of federal aid for homeowners, federal funds for cleanup and most recently with the restoration of electricity. FEMA will now be the liaison between states in need and the utility companies. As you know Republican Mitt Romney hasn't exactly effusively praised FEMA. During a primary debate, he intimated FEMA should go.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: FEMA's about to run out of money and there are some people who say do it on a case by case basis and some people who will say, you know, maybe we're learning a lesson here that the states should take on more on this role. How do you deal with something like that?
MITT ROMNEY, (R) PRESIDENTIAL NOMINEE: Absolutely. Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: So yesterday reporters pounced. They pounced at a Romney campaign/relief effort for the victims of Sandy. The question they posed to Romney, "Would you eliminate FEMA?"
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Governor, what should FEMA's role be?
Governor, would you eliminate FEMA if you were president?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Governor, you've been asked 14 times today what you would do with FEMA. What is your response? Why won't you answer any questions on it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Late yesterday, the Romney campaign did say FEMA has a role to play in disaster relief but it didn't go much further than that.
So let's talk about FEMA and the candidates. Maria Cardona is a CNN contributor and Democratic strategist. Ron Bonjean is a Republican strategist. Welcome to both of you.
MARIA CARDONA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Good morning, Carol.
RON BONJEAN, REPUBLICAN STRATEGIST: Thank you.
COSTELLO: Good morning.
So Ron, let's start with you. Are you clear on where Romney stands on FEMA?
BONJEAN: Well yes. You know Mitt Romney had said in the past that he thinks that there should be a greater role for the states and the private sector to handle FEMA but I'll tell you what; I think it's really smart not -- for him not to talk about FEMA right now because you're in the middle of a natural disaster, a hurricane that's destroyed millions of people's lives. And so to --
(CROSSTALK)
COSTELLO: Wait a minute. Isn't that the best --
BONJEAN: -- to start talking about that and injecting that would not be a good idea.
COSTELLO: Isn't that the best time?
BONJEAN: FEMA administrator Craig Fugate is actually doing a great job and he has a great reputation as the head of FEMA. But I think this is much more of a long term discussion that you know if he's president or when he's president then he can have it but to get in the middle of it right now during a natural disaster; let FEMA do its job and then look at the -- look at the record and look at -- and see where mistakes are made and where it can be improved. And I guarantee you that the states and the private sector could also help with and have a better role in this management.
COSTELLO: Well Maria, he does have one point. Because FEMA can be, shall we say, inefficient. I mean who can forget that the toxic FEMA trailers for Katrina survivors. And the states know what's best. They know what they need best so why not send FEMA's duties to the states and private industries? He does have a point on those issues, right?
CARDONA: Well here's the issue with what Romney said or didn't say. And Ron's right that Romney is smart in not answering the question because he has no answer, Carol. And as I predicted on your program on Monday his comments during the primary are coming back to haunt him which I guess is appropriate since today is Halloween. And the fact that even his spokesperson said that, you know, yes, there is a role for FEMA but it should be focused on the states.
Well, guess what. That's exactly what FEMA is doing now. They are taking their lead from the states. Just ask Chris Christie how that's working out. And he has as you have said before huge praise.
But I think this goes further in terms of the problem for Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan, Carol. Look at what Paul Ryan's budget does to the quote/unquote "state aid" where apparently Romney wants FEMA placed. Ryan's budget cuts state aid by 22 percent which would mean in fact an over 60 percent cut to disaster aid when it comes to the states. So again, their math, their comments just do not add up.
COSTELLO: OK, so Ron, if Mitt Romney did answer those 14 questions about FEMA and he said something positive about FEMA.
BONJEAN: Yes.
COSTELLO: Wouldn't then Republicans have to admit that sometimes government is good?
BONJEAN: Well, I don't think it's bad to necessarily praise FEMA in the middle of a natural disaster if they deserve it. You know during Hurricane Katrina, obviously, they didn't. They made a great number of mistakes but if Mitt Romney started talking about FEMA then that becomes the campaign message during the last few days before the election. I think he'd rather be talking about the economy and rather focus on the states that he's trying to shore up rather than get involved in a national conversation of the role of FEMA. That would be leading national news.
It's smart for just us to be talking about it right now but not smart for him to be going into that conversation. And about Paul Ryan's budget, Paul Ryan did not advocate cutting FEMA in his 2011 budget according to the Mitt Romney campaign. Just as a -- just to fact check that.
CARDONA: Look at the reports, though. He cut state aid, Ron and that's exactly where FEMA would be and --
(CROSSTALK)
BONJEAN: I'm just saying that the record states it -- states it very clearly.
CARDONA: Well --
COSTELLO: And it's not like Paul Ryan's a big FEMA supporter.
CARDONA: Exactly.
COSTELLO: And -- and by the way President Obama right now is meeting with FEMA.
So Maria I'm just going to let you button it up, and you know for fairness sake. So button it up quickly for me because I've got to go to break.
CARDONA: Thank you.
So this actually magnifies the difference between the visions of these two candidates, Carol, and that is whether you want a -- a -- a streamlined, mean, efficient government that actually can work for the people as opposed to a candidate in Mitt Romney who clearly doesn't know how to handle or manage government and so in his eyes we should just eliminate it.
That is, I think, the choice that voters are facing this November. Between a candidate who understands how to help middle class, how to help storm survivors with the kind of aid that FEMA does give by helping through the state versus the candidate who just want to eliminate everything to give it to the private sector.
COSTELLO: OK. OK, I've got to wrap it up. I'm sorry. Ron Bonjean and Maria Cardona thank you so much for the interesting discussion this morning.
We'll be right back.
BONJEAN: Thank you. CARDONA: Thanks so much Carol.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Superstorm Sandy wiped out homes, even the entire neighborhoods in its path. Toms River, New Jersey, knows that all too well. The coastal town withstood the fury of the storm and with the rising waters came rising misery.
CNN's Michael Holmes has more for you.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the distance on a flooded side street one of dozens of rescues unfolds -- an elderly couple, the water rising in their home needing urgent help.
This is Toms River, New Jersey, population 95,000 and like much of this coastline battered by Hurricane Sandy. The main problem, not wind but water trapping many people in their homes.
MIKE MASTRONARDY, CHIEF OF POLICE, TOMS RIVER: The frustration is not being able to get to these people who are obviously in harm's way.
HOLMES: Police Chief Mike Mastronardy is a 40 year veteran of this department, lived here all his life and he has never seen anything like this.
MASTRONARDY: This is the worst that I have seen.
HOLMES: All day and into the night the winds howled and the waters rose. It was the water that was the real problem, up to five feet in some streets. This relieved man rescued from his stranded car by a front end loader the only thing that could reach him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How was it coming out in a front end loader?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No problem. I wish I had that to go back to my home.
HOLMES: Cars were abandoned where the water defeated them. And bizarre sights, too -- boats blocking a road having floated off dry docks and into a street turned river.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Checking on you every 30 minutes, OK?
HOLMES: Toms River Emergency Services fielded more than a thousand calls for help before even the eye of the storm had passed. Nearly 2,000 by night's end.
A few miles away in a community shelter, one of several in the area, more than 350 people line up for food grateful to be out of the path of Sandy.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm not going to worry until we get home. There's time enough to worry. HOLMES: Out on the road, the rescues continued.
PAUL MCGINLEY, FIREFIGHTER: We jumped on a truck to go to the structure fire because the regular engines couldn't make it down the street and then we wanted to start and pulling out people that were trapped in their homes and it was rising in the houses they want to get out.
HOLMES: And it hasn't stopped?
MCGINLEY: It hasn't stopped, no.
HOLMES: That elderly couple rescued from the side street brought to safety on an old fire truck. Edward and Dorothy Ferris.
DOROTHY FERRIS, RESCUED FROM STORM: We just stuck in the situation with all this water coming in. And we had fallen asleep -- Edward, he's a dialysis patient. You know? Today was a bad day. And we didn't realize that the water was just coming up, it's coming up.
HOLMES: A happy ending in a city sorely needing some good news.
Michael Holmes, CNN, Toms River, New Jersey.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Superstorm Sandy also pounded other areas along the East Coast. We want to show you South Kingston, Rhode Island. It looks very different today than it did just a few days ago.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There used to be a road that went in front of it and then you could park straight in and then you had a beach. The beach is gone. The parking's gone. The road's gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: And even the most mammoth trees were no match for Sandy and it's fierce winds. Cars and homes were destroyed by falling trees which are also responsible for -- for many of the deaths.
This video, it's just incredible. It will -- it will be. A homeowner in New York state was in the yard when that -- look at that. Ah, it's just amazing. That large tree ripped up from its roots and it, of course -- hopefully it didn't hit anything. I can't see what's behind it but the homeowner is safe. That's all really that matters, right?
Talk about an unwanted archway. That's what these two trees formed in front of this New Jersey home when they were uprooted by Superstorm Sandy. It looks really pretty but it's hard to imagine the damage underneath.
We talk politics now, Mitt Romney returns to the campaign trail but Sandy is still casting its shadow. CNN's Jim Acosta will tell us about a change on what Romney's supporters will hear. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Not much is left of the neighborhood in the Queens community of Breezy Point. More than 80 homes are now destroyed after fire swept through Monday night during Sandy.
Deborah Feyerick is there. She joins with us live with the latest.
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hey there, Carol. We want to show you a little of what's going on. As you mentioned about 80 to 100 homes in this area of Queens completely devastated. These are the foundations here. Everything was built up and everything that was built up essentially burned down. It is completely incinerated. There's nothing left.
You've got some steel, some twisted metal, some burnt plastic. But for the most part, once those fires began, they burned so strongly that it just took out this entire section. It's an area that has about 2,000 homes altogether, so what you are looking at is you're looking at the fire damage.
But keep in mind that there's an equal number of homes that actually sustained a lot of water damage. And as we sort of walk through some of the wreckage here you have to keep in mind that there are nails, that there are a lot of sharp objects. This -- what I'm walking on right now appears to have been some sort of a walkway. That is completely gone.
I spoke to a fire official just a little while ago and he tells me that, in fact, they are going to be sending out urban search and rescue teams. Those are the teams that look and make sure no one's missing. They're going to go to some of the homes that have been most badly impacted here in Breezy Point but also we're being told in the Rockaways, as well.
There was an insurance inspector who was here. One of his jobs was to try to determine the cause of the blaze. He said it was so strong, so powerful that nobody's ever really going to know. And, in fact, on some levels it kind of doesn't matter.
So a lot of folks here right now we're seeing filter back in and trying to determine whether theirs is one of these homes, how much flood damage there is in terms of other homes along the area. Remember, this storm when it hit land it hit hard so it took out a lot of homes and it's fascinating to see what people are carrying out with them Carol.
One man, all he could salvage was one of these Pyrex cooking dishes. Another family, they brought out a couple of mugs with them. That's all that was left. One person, he simply took the number off of his front porch, the gate. Chipped it away.
They plan on coming back and right now what they're doing is they're taking sort of bits and pieces, whatever they can take if there's anything left so that when they come back they know exactly that they have a place for those items -- Carol. COSTELLO: Deborah Feyerick reporting live from Queens, New York today.
When we come back we're going to take you to Tampa, Florida. There's a big change in Mitt Romney's campaign strategy. Jim Acosta will fill you in.
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COSTELLO: President Obama returns to the campaign trail tomorrow after focusing the last couple of days on dealing with Sandy and its aftermath. Just minutes from now, Republican Mitt Romney, who also suspended some campaign events, is about to appear at a rally in the all-important battleground state of Florida.
CNN national political correspondent Jim Acosta is in Tampa. And Jim, in light of this storm's devastation, do you expect to hear a softer tone from Romney?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN NATIONAL POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi there. I can't hear you right now but I'm going to assume that I'm on the air.
Yes, we are with Mitt Romney. He is here in Tampa right now and he's getting back on the campaign trail in a major way. He's got a big campaign swing across the battleground state of Florida starting here in Tampa and then going to the Miami area and then ending the day in Jacksonville.
And he is sort of striking a delicate balance today with the President visiting FEMA and then later today, looking at storm damage in New Jersey with the governor of that state, Chris Christie who happens to be a top Romney surrogate.
We're told by the Romney campaign that the GOP nominee will be striking a positive tone in their words out on the campaign trail today. That probably means we'll see some of what we saw yesterday. You saw that event yesterday in Ohio when Mitt Romney set aside his stump speech, set aside his attacks on the President and was talking about storm relief efforts on the East Coast. Encouraging people to donate to the Red Cross. He was welcoming donations of supporters at that event.
And we have heard from the Romney campaign that Mitt Romney himself has made a personal donation to the Red Cross. So we're going to be hearing I think more of that here on the campaign trail later today.
And speaking of surrogates, yes, the President will be with Chris Christie but in just a few moments from now we expect Mitt Romney to be out here with former Florida governor, Jeb Bush, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio. So those are two top surrogates for the Romney campaign as well.
And then over the weekend, speaking of surrogates, the Romney is sort of doing a Republican version of "Cannonball Run" if you'll remember that movie from yesteryear that featured a cast of hundreds. There will be a good hundred or so surrogates for the Romney campaign, out on the campaign trail, fanning across a number of battleground states including states that they now see in play like Pennsylvania and Michigan. Those are state that previously were not considered to be in play. The Romney campaign says they are in play.
And Carol, all of this comes as we have some new battleground state polls. I'm sure you have been talking about them all morning that shows the President in a CBS/"New York Times"/Quinnipiac ahead in the state of Ohio, ahead here in the state of Florida although by a small margin and ahead in the state of Virginia.
So look for Mitt Romney over the next several days as this campaign ratchets back up to hit those states, as well. In addition to being here in Florida, we him to go to Virginia and Ohio as this race is now very, very tight -- Carol.
COSTELLO: As it has been pretty much all along. Jim Acosta, reporting live for us from Tampa, Florida.
Today's "Talk Back" question: "Will Sandy change the election?" Facebook.com/CarolCNN.
I'll be right back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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DR. JENNIFER SHU, PEDIATRICIAN, AUTHOR: Halloween is supposed to be a very fun time but it's extremely important to make sure it's also safe. For costumes, choose things that do not limit eyesight. So rather than masks, stick with makeup or face paint.
Be sure that the costume fits properly and isn't so long that it will drag and cause a child to trip. Make sure any accessories that a child carried such as a sword does not have sharp edges and is not bigger than the child.
Be sure to feed kids a very healthy dinner before they go out and remind them not to sample the candy while they're out trick or treating that way you can inspect the candy when you get home and throw out candy that's been opened or looks spoiled or is otherwise suspicious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: "Talk Back" question of the day: "Will Superstorm Sandy change the election?"
This from Timothy: "I don't believe this will change many voters' minds but I do say good job Governor Christie for keeping the focus on helping the citizens in this time of need."
This from Gary: "I think we all should focus on the recovery and not the election. When November 6th comes around the public will vote for whom they feel is best fit for the Oval Office."
This from Carl: "Chris Christie is able to put aside political differences in a time of disaster. Quite different from how Democrats treated President Bush after Katrina."
This from James: "Fitting that it would take an act of God to finally spotlight Romney's weaknesses."
Thank you so much for your responses and for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.
CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ashleigh Banfield.
