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Recovery in Progress; Hurricane Damage Assessed; Death Toll at 50 and Rising; Interview with Bill Akers; Positivity in GOP Rally; Mitt Romney Stumps in Tampa, Florida; Sandy's Tiny Survivors; NY Stock Exchange Reopens; Insurance Adjusters Mobilize after Storm.
Aired October 31, 2012 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": And this from James. "It's 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.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, ANCHOR, "CNN NEWSROOM": Thanks so much, Carol.
Hello, everyone. I'm Ashleigh Banfield. It's 11:00 on the East Coast. It's 8:00 a.m. on the West Coast.
Recovery is a word you are going to be hearing a lot of in the next few days. The word "normalcy," not so much. In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, normal life is a far off dream for so many millions in the northeast corridor and points west.
Worst of all, a still growing toll of lives lost, at least 40 in the U.S., one, so far, in Canada. More than 6 million homes and businesses still don't have electricity, but that is a big improvement from yesterday.
And while floods and surges with some exceptions have gone down, that just makes the devastation all the more apparent. You are looking at Point Pleasant Beach about halfway between New York and Atlantic City on the New Jersey shore.
President Obama will be visiting these scenes like this, this afternoon, his final day in full-on disaster mode before he gets back to the campaign tomorrow.
A little global perspective for you right now, though, the scope and the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy as can be seen only from the satellite image courtesy of NASA. Remarkable picture.
Atlantic City is a sitting duck right in the middle of Sandy's monstrous path. The Jersey Shore easy prey for those ruthless winds, the powerful surges and the relentless force of the images that you are seeing now. And now, this. Parts of Atlantic City simply decimated as Sandy made landfall near its shores and in a few hours President Obama is going to get an up-close and personal look at all of the images you are seeing on your screen.
He's heading to New Jersey to tour the state with Governor Chris Christie a little later on this afternoon. While the Republican Governor may be one of the most prominent backers and surrogates for Governor Mitt Romney, Governor Christie has been very vocal and very public with his praise for President Obama and the federal government's overall response to Hurricane Sandy.
That's going to be help that will be crucial to New Jersey residents because just look at what they're facing. These are some of the newest pictures from the shore where you can see that entire communities have been washed away, buried in sand or just ripped apart by the force of Sandy.
Home after home, practically washed out to sea, in fact. Rivers have just sprung up where previously there'd only been sand. More than 75 percent of the Jersey shore is actually flooded and more than 2 million customers in New Jersey have no power.
Look at the water still there, unbelievable. Six people, so far, the toll of those who have died because of this storm in Jersey. This is the reality for this state right now. Fires just springing up looking like they're gas burning and look at this, Seaside Heights, one of the communities that you are looking at now.
That's a roller coaster or at least it was. Now, it's sitting right in the middle of the Atlantic. Block after block has been entirely consumed by this Superstorm.
The mayor of Seaside Heights, Mayor Bill Akers, is live on the telephone with us now. Mayor Akers, let me just start by saying how sorry I am and I'm sure the rest of America, everyone watching, everyone who's seen the devastation, how sorry we all are for you and for your neighbors and your residents there.
What is your latest assessment of what you're facing?
BILL AKERS, MAYOR, SEASIDE HEIGHTS, NEW JERSEY (via telephone): Ashleigh, I'm sorry. I'm having a hard time hearing you. I don't know if you can hear me real well, but ...
BANFIELD: We've you loud and clear now, Mayor Akers.
AKERS (via telephone): OK. OK, I got you.
BANFIELD: Just an overall assessment, the latest of what you know about the devastation there?
AKERS (via telephone): What we're doing right now is we're trying to get our roads open, just trying to clean the debris off so we can have access. We're popping tires every time we go up and down with our patrol cars. Making sure that anyone we didn't get to, while we have daylight, because we have no power. While we have daylight, we're trying to make sure we can get to each and every person that needs help that has remained here and try and get them across to the shelters.
We're trying to ...
BANFIELD: That's exactly what I was concerned about, is getting anybody out who's still there and in need of help and, of course, the next step would be getting back anybody back in to see if they can recover anything and that requires, the bridges.
You're one of those barrier islands so completely exposed. What's the status of actually reconnecting to mainland?
AKERS (via telephone): If there's any good news now that the water receded, that the roadways are accessible, but we still have downed power lines. We are not letting anybody in at this particular time.
We are still continuing, though, to take people out. Any people that we can find we are still continuing to evacuate.
But no access to the power right now for any civilians right now other than personnel to try and get things up and running. We PSE&G here today. We have -- I mean, I'm sorry -- JCP&L. We have New Jersey Natural Gas.
They have crews in town. We have crews coming up from Alabama with telephone poles. Just trying to get some order in to where we can try to get things back on street by street.
It's a long process, but -- and I really don't have a timetable yet.
BANFIELD: I can't even imagine, as I'm looking at the pictures and hearing you describe to the best of your knowledge and I think I can hear the exhaustion in your voice, as well, as these last 48 hours must have been sheer hell for your residents and for you, as well.
I don't even know where you begin. I don't even know how to ask that question, looking at the pictures we're seeing, sir.
AKERS (via telephone): Actually, I said the same thing to myself. I think -- I just want to try to keep the emotion out of it. It's just -- for everybody, it's -- this is a loss for everybody and I mean not just the Seaside Heights.
The only updates I get is when I'm tapped into these shows that I've been doing some interviews with and I listen in the background of what's going on in other places.
I'm blessed, though. I have very good people around me, very strong, very knowledgeable, very hardworking, selfless individuals, volunteers and the professionals that are employed by the borough of Seaside Heights that I'm so blessed to have that.
Because my job is managing. Their job -- they're physically out there. I'm -- we're riding around at 2:00 in the morning and we're pulling people out of the water.
And we're riding around in these deuce-and-a-halfs and we see these people and these cars floating down the street and these guys do this -- they do this with no regard for anything other than they want to do the right thing and help.
You get inspired by things like that and I just don't know where it comes from in individuals like this.
BANFIELD: It is amazing what your extraordinarily brave first- responders and rescuers have been doing. I don't think that can be overstated in any way and I think you're right.
Leaders, as well. You know, you may say you've been riding around, but, look, we know what you're up against. These pictures are pretty fresh and we thought they looked bad yesterday. The pictures yesterday were nothing compared to what we are seeing today.
It looks as though there's a whole new portion of the ocean. It looks like -- it just looks as though the ocean has completely consumed Seaside Heights. It's so remarkable.
Mayor, Chris Christie has been very vocal about the need for this state to come together, the need for the entire nation to come together for New Jersey and, look, New York and Connecticut and Maryland and Delaware and everywhere else that's been hit, how are you liaising with the state, with Governor Chris Christie, with President Obama?
What's the next step in terms of just getting the funds and the people and the manpower and the guardsmen and everything else that you need just to begin this horrible task?
AKERS (via telephone): That's the thing. We're just -- we're at ground zero. We're taking baby steps right now.
We know we are expecting some help from the state, the coordination of efforts. We finally got the National Guards coming in today. We are setting up command centers for the public service, for the services for the utilities, for the National Guard, state police.
We're just doing -- we're going through our communication, our borough minister has been in contact. We're going to just document the best that we can through any written and photos and things like that and we'll sort it out at the end, but right now it's just trying to, you know, just trying to get some of semblance of what was.
When you're looking at those pictures, what they thought of Seaside Heights before, it's not going to ever be the same. It'll never be that, all of Seaside Heights. It's all going to be different.
It's -- we had the piers. We lost two piers. They're in the ocean. You're seeing visual pictures from above. The structure underneath the pilings, people's foundations, things that you can't really see right now, there's -- this is -- it's actually catastrophic. I don't know where I'm going to walk through this. I'm going to -- I have good people to guide me and help me pick through the process, but I know ...
BANFIELD: Mayor Akers ...
AKERS (via telephone): Yeah?
BANFIELD: ... when you look at the helicopter shots and you're talking about what you've lost already, I'm just wondering if you even know the full extent.
Have you been up in the helicopter yet? Do you have a feel for where the devastation begins and ends or are you still putting together lists of what's not there, you know, even trying to check with those who could tell you what used to be there to know what's not there anymore?
AKERS (via telephone): Absolutely. You're absolutely correct. I have not been up. I don't know if I'm ready to be up to see that.
We are taking inventory. We are going around. We're documenting. We're doing all of the things you're supposed to do by the book in the beginning.
As far as total devastation -- and we haven't even started dealing with the emotional side. When everyone does get back at some point, when that point is, the emotional point of dealing with each and every individual that has to come back to this community and face what we're facing right now, so we're going to just do the best we can and give the support.
We're a small community and it seems like we're the best community and, when it's tougher, we get to be the best community and I know I've got good people and ...
BANFIELD: Mayor Akers, I -- again, I started this interview by saying I'm so sorry and I know that anybody who's watching right now has to feel exactly the same way.
The hearts and minds of America goes out to you and to your neighbors, to your constituents, to the rest of those in New Jersey who are suffering under this terrible, terrible wrath.
I'm so sorry for you and the best of luck to you and I do hope you can at least get some sleep before you start an even more terrible task of trying to rebuild. Mayor Akers of Seaside Heights, thank you so much.
AKERS (via telephone): Thank you so much. Take care
BANFIELD: You, too, sir.
Wow, that is just a lot to try to grasp and, based on our latest numbers, 2-million-people-plus in New Jersey have no power, so even starting the rebuilding is going to be a huge leap. You know, the mayor said something about baby steps and just starting. Well, here's something you can actually do for those baby steps. It's going to take a monumental task, folks, but you can reach out to those affected.
If you go to CNN.com/impact -- CNN.com/impact -- there are all sorts of ways that you can help the victims of Hurricane and Superstorm Sandy and don't forget that redcross.org is also a terrific way for you to help out and God knows they're going to need it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Want to take you to the city of Hoboken, New Jersey, right now. This tightly packed hamlet of 50,000 people is one of the exceptions to the falling floodwaters because at last report there were thousands of people still trapped.
This is Wednesday. They're still trapped or stranded amid those floodwaters that are contaminated with sewage and gasoline and who knows what else?
Last night after pleading from Hoboken's mayor, here come the National Guard. They finally arrived to help carry out the rescues that are so badly needed in Hoboken.
Just so you can see the pain and frustration in the mayor's voice, Mayor Dawn Zimmer was sharing her frustration with our Gary Tuchman on primetime television last night.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DAWN ZIMMER, MAYOR, HOBOKEN, NEW JERSEY: And I just had a grandmother that I had to tell, I'm so sorry, but we can't get in to get your grandchildren. They're seven-month-old twins running out of food.
She last spoke to her grandchildren or her daughter this morning and she said, I think I have enough food to get through the night. This is seven-month-old twins that I can't get to. I cannot help them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: And we're going to keep you posted on Hoboken's progress and the rescues there, as well.
But we do have one sign of progress to share with you in New York City today and that's John F. Kennedy Airport. It is finally open. And nearby Newark Liberty, also open, ready for business, but you can't expect meaningful traffic there for quite a while yet.
New York's LaGuardia Airport? No, it's not going to open and here's why. Tarmacs should not look like lakes. Look at this iReport picture that we got. It's just remarkable. The jetway going right into what looks like Long Island Sound with waves. It's just unbelievable. These are the tarmacs and the runways.
Damage here is said to be extensive and that, of course, is going to affect air travel all over the country.
And then to underscore one of the things that New Yorkers are dealing with, if they don't have power, they're not getting television. They're not seeing the news that you're seeing.
So, take a look at the newspapers. This is "The New York Daily News." You can see that this is the devastation. Apocalypse, New York. Those are the burned out homes, the more than 80 homes in Breezy Point, just blocks and blocks of rubble.
If you flip this newspaper around, that's what Manhattan's like at night for a lot of people in the southern part of the island, just big swaths of black with no power at all.
And then I just wanted to show you something from "The New York Post," as well, because when I saw this picture, it really sort of underscored the iconic image of New York underwater.
You know the yellow cabs in New York City and you know what that can look like. The blast of Sandy having such an impact.
And, again, the papers just coming out today for the first time. Nothing yesterday. That's about the only news that a lot of people can get.
When I was reporting out on the street yesterday, I had loads of people coming up to me saying, what's happening? We don't have any power. We can't get any news. When do we get the power back?
CNN's Rob Marciano is also on dry land and out on the streets of Manhattan right now and he has been working, day after day, as well, probably hearing the same questions I am.
So, tell, not only the viewers across America, but anybody who might have had power back up again today, where do we stand in this city and trying to get back up on our feet?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, the power situation is pretty much the same. Yesterday, we went down to Con Edison just down the road from here and got into their situation room and, as you would imagine, the task of getting this city back on the grid is immense and it all has to do with that power substation on 14th Street which was submerged by over 13 feet of water.
It's only designed to withstand a 12-foot surge. That would be the worst-case scenario. Sandy brought in a worse-than-worst-case scenario. So, it's going to take two-to-four days for everywhere from 30 to 39th Street south to get back online.
You go from Staten Island up to Westchester County. You're talking about 10-plus days.
BANFIELD: What -- now, we've got the power story, but you and I everyone else knows that this city operates with its mass transit. Those subways are critical. Five-point-three million people a day take the subways and they're just soaked. MARCIANO: Well, so the buses are up and running, right? As close to a weekday schedule as they can, but you have all these people that would normally be underground taking the subway. So, now they're aboveground looking for the buses to come by.
Well, we haven't seen a bus come by and actually stop because they're loading up downtown and by the time they get to 14th Street they're completely full. Same deal with the cabs.
You see people are having to walk where they need to walk. Take bikes where they need to bike.
I want you to meet a gentleman here. This is Luther Lee. Luther, who's using, by the way, our power cord to charge his phone, one of many people here taking advantage of that.
So, you live in the area. You also work in the area, so you work -- you walk to work and what did you find when you got there?
LUTHER LEE, LIVING WITHOUT POWER: Found about three people there. The boss is there and they told us there's nothing happening. There's no power. They're waiting on the phones to get up, but it's not looking like it's likely.
MARCIANO: And you live right by the river, so what was life like for you the night the storm came in? How close did the water get?
LEE: Well, I'm happy I live on the fifth floor because when I looked out my window it looked about three stories high. And it's just bad. I've never seen nothing like it.
I've lived in this city my whole life. I've been through 9/11, been through the blackout and this is something bad, real bad.
MARCIANO: How do you think the city is going to bounce back from this one?
LEE: Well, we're New Yorkers, so we're strong. It might take a little while, but no doubt in my mind we'll recover. Might take a while, like I said, but we'll recover. We'll be all right.
MARCIANO: All right, still smiling. Luther Lee, thank you very much. We appreciate you. Finish your charge. We're getting one viewer at a time here, Ashleigh, letting people use our satellite truck to get some power.
You were here yesterday. This hasn't changed, that incredible sight of a building that just saw its entire facade ripped off the side. That seems to pale in comparison to what's happened in Jersey and across Long Island, but certainly New Yorkers here in Manhattan, southern Manhattan are reeling, as well, in their own special way.
Ashleigh?
BANFIELD: All right, Rob, keep an eye on things and keep us updated, especially with regard to that transit and power story and please give our best to Mr. Lee, as well. It's everybody's personal story.
For more information about Sandy, if you're watching this and I can't imagine you're watching and not affected by this, please do me a favor. Please go to CNN.com/impact. Have a look there at all the different ways that you can help your fellow Americans who are really in need right now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Just six days left until the election, Mitt Romney is back on the campaign trail today after postponing certain events due to Hurricane Sandy. He is about to speak right now, actually, at a rally in Tampa, Florida, being introduced as we speak, in fact.
Jim Acosta is there. He's been following Mitt Romney. So, obviously, today the tone changes somewhat for the Governor, but what can we expect to hear?
JIM ACOSTA, CNN POLITICAL: CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ashleigh, I think we're getting a preview of that right now. Jeb Bush is on stage. Marco Rubio was just up at the podium a few moments ago and the Florida senator, Marco Rubio, steered clear of really any negative attacks on President Obama.
Jeb Bush, who is on stage right now, he made a very interesting comment just a few moments ago, Ashleigh, about storm response. He said it's the state and local response that really matters, not clear whether or not that was a dig at the President and the federal response that's going on right now and all the attention that's being paid to the federal response. So, it was interesting to hear Jeb Bush say that.
But, really, that's as close as either of these two top surrogates have come to going after President Obama at this event and that sort of lines up from what I heard from a top Romney adviser earlier this morning that the GOP nominee will be striking a positive tone out on the campaign trail.
We heard Marco Rubio. I think the closest Marco Rubio got was when he was talking about the state of economy. He said this does not have to be the new normal, but, Ashleigh, what we're seeing right now may be the new normal of this campaign, at least for today, sort of steering clear from those really negative attacks that you hear out on the campaign trail as campaigns wind down.
But, Ashleigh, it's very interesting with President Obama and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie out looking at storm damage later on today. You know, that is one of Mitt Romney's top surrogates and so sort of fighting fire with fire in terms of surrogates, we're going to have Mitt Romney out on the campaign trail all day long with Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio.
And I talked to a top Romney adviser about whether or not the GOP nominee is concerned or troubled or has a problem with the President out with Chris Christie. I got one word from the Romney campaign and that was, "None." And, speaking of Mitt Romney, it looks like he's coming out on stage now, Ashleigh, so I'll throw it back to you.
BANFIELD: OK, he is, in fact, just walking up on the stage right now and waving to the crowd, Jim, so let's listen in as the Governor takes to the podium and listen specifically for how the tone may have changed as Jim Acosta was just reporting.
Perhaps no negative attacks in that respect, although Governor Bush did suggest, as Jim Acosta just said, that state and local response to this disaster is what really matters.
But let's see if the Governor has anything further to add to that or if he talks at al about this disaster that we have been covering.
Obviously, this is very positive campaign rally as you can see from his supporters. But listen, make no mistake. He and his campaign know what is happening across the country.
(BEGIN LIVE FEED)
MITT ROMNEY, REPUBLICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What a Florida welcome. Thank you so much. Thank you.
Wow, we got all sorts of messages going on this morning. Thank you.
What an honor it is to be here with these great individuals. You know, that Governor Jeb Bush, what a hero. Don't you love that man?
And your Senator, Marco Rubio, the whole world watches that man, an extraordinary person.
And thank you for coming together with your thoughts and prayers on behalf of his daughter, Amanda. She is well. She's at home. We're delighted and she'll be celebrating Halloween tonight, so thank you for being with her.
And Connie Mack, a great tradition, a great leader and the next U.S. Senator from Florida. You got to make that happen.
This is quite a time for the country. As you know, we're going through trauma in a major part of the country, the kind of trauma you have experienced here in Florida more than once and it's interesting to see how people come together in a circumstance like this.
We've seen folks from all over the country step forward and offer contributions. You see up on the screens, way to give to the Red Cross. People are doing that all over America, gathering their support in any way they can to help the people that have been subjected to this tragedy and so please, if you have an extra dollar or two, send them along and keep the people who are in harm's -- who have been in harm's way, who've been damaged personally or through their property, keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
We love all of our fellow citizens. We come together in times like this and we want to make sure that they have a speedy and quick recovery from their financial and, in many cases, personal loss.
Now, people coming together is what's also going to happen, I believe, on November 7th. And I know that we have differing viewpoints with regards to the campaigns.
Up until that point, when we get to vote on November 6th and on November 6th you're going to see us describe our respective visions for the country.
My view is pretty straightforward and that is I believe that this is a time for America to take a different course, that this should be a turning point for our country and I say that because I look at where we are and with 23 million Americans -- you think about that. These are real people. These are folks trying to put food on the table -- 23 million people struggling to find a good job. This is something that requires, in my view, a different path than we have been on.
Likewise, we have half our kids coming out of college who can't find work. This hasn't happened before in our history. We're at a 30-year low of new business formation. This is a challenge for a nation that normally grows through innovation and risk taking and start-ups of all kinds. We also have one out of six people in living poverty. We need to take a new course. We have 47 million people on food stamps. Think of that. Richest country in the history of the earth, largest economy in the world, and yet, 47 million people need food stamps so I believe that this is the year for us to take a different course. I will bring real change and real reform --
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: -- in a presidency that brings it together.
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: Now I don't just talk about change. I actually have a plan to execute change and to make it happen.
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: And there are five parts to that, and I hope you understand what they are. If you don't, let me just remind you. Number one, I really do believe that we were given kind of an ace in the hole. And that is that someone learned how to drill in the earth not just vertically but horizontally and tap in to pockets of oil and gas, and we have huge new resources of natural gas and oil. So number one for me is take full advantage of our oil, our coal, our gas and nuclear and our renewables.
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: And that --
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: That creates by the way a lot of jobs and the energy states, of course, but it creates a lot of jobs in states that use energy because manufacturing of all kinds uses energy, some more than others. And when energy is low cost and abundant, as it will be as we take advantage of these resources, why, we'll bring manufacturing back. It's already beginning to happen. We'll see more of it happen. We'll get more manufacturing back in the country. We'll see the economy take off with that. Number one.
Number two, trade. It is good for us to be able to trade with other nations, particularly in Latin America.
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: And we have some real advantages in trading with Latin America. Many of our citizens have roots there. We speak the language in many corners of our nation. The time zone is friendly for us. Latin America's economy is almost as large as that of China. It's a large middle class and growing middle class. This is a big opportunity for us to trade and to expand the sales of our goods and services in Latin America. But by the way, if nations cheat, and China has over the years, that has to stop. We can't let them steal our jobs with unfair trade practices.
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: Number three --
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: Number three -- number one is energy. Number two is trade. number three is we have to make sure our people are getting the skills they need to succeed, and that's not only training programs for our current workers but also we've got to make sure that our schools stop being at the bottom of the pile. We are at the bottom third or bottom quartile. Instead, they have to be world class globally competitive.
Now, you have done something about that here, Governor. This Governor was the education Governor that all of us looked at with admiration.
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: And he --
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: And he can describe this better than I can. But one thing he did is grade schools so parents could determine which schools were succeeding and which ones weren't. And if a school was not succeeding, why, the kids in the school given the ability to go to another school. Could be a charter school or another public school. So kids got choice in part based upon the success of the schools. And I intend to do the same thing, helping all the states across the country, one, make sure that schools are graded so parents can tell which ones are succeeding and which aren't. And, number two, federal dollar that is we give to states and localities -- the two big buckets. One is called Title I and the other is called I IDEA money. Those dollars will follow the students, so if a child wants to go to a different school, or parents do, they have the capacity to do that. (CHEERING)
(END LIVE FEED)
BANFIELD: The Governor speaking to a rousing rally in Tampa, Florida, at the international airport there.
And to be sure, the campaign is back on track for the Governor. He's on to the stump speech specifically but he began this address by stating specifically that he wants to keep the people of the northeast and those affected by Hurricane and Tropical Storm and Superstorm Sandy in their thoughts and prayers in that auditorium and wishing everyone affected by this storm a speedy and quick recovery from the financial and the personal lose. And then one very unusual comment. I need to re-rack this. I want to play it again because I thought I heard that he said we'll come together on November 7th, which is not Election Day. The election is on November 6th. So let's re-rack that and play that tape again.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROMNEY: People coming together is what's also going to happen, I believe, on November 7th. And --
(CHEERING)
ROMNEY: I know that we have differing viewpoints with regards to the campaigns up until that point. But we get to November on 6th. On November 6th you will see us describe the respective visions for the country. My view is pretty straightforward and that is I believe that this is a time --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: I'm glad re-racked that. People coming to together on November 7th must have been what he referred to by the aftermath of the election, and he went on to say "people voting November 6th." So let's see be clear, especially for people who are struggling to get out to vote, the people without power, the election is on the 6th. And the day after the election is November 7th.
By the way, make sure you tune in to complete coverage because we have got the election completely blanketed on election night. Despite the fact we've been wall to wall on coverage on the storm coverage, we are also wall to wall on "Election Night in America." Our live coverage begins Tuesday, November 6th, at 6:00 p.m. eastern time. We've got all of the expert analysis lined up that you have now come to expect on election night, so make sure you stay tuned. Again, 6:00 p.m. eastern, November 6th.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: I want to get you up to speed on some of the -- I don't think there's any way to describe it -- just misery inflicted by Superstorm Sandy. More than six million homes and businesses, if there are homes left, are without power in 14 states and the District of Columbia. A day and a half after the storm slammed in to the Jersey shore, our death count at this point is 40 people in the United States. One person in Canada, as well.
President Obama is due to be touring what you're looking at right now. He is set to go to Atlantic City, as well in a little less than an hour. Going to be with Chris Christie, the Governor of that state. It is his final day in disaster mode. Full-on disaster mode, in fact. Canceled every campaign event and he going to get back to a form of campaigning tomorrow we are told.
And as Sandy moves away from New York, we're hearing some just truly amazing stories of the heroes who really put their lives at risk in this storm to help others.
Look at this little hero. Drop the banner if we can. Take a look at that little face. That's a survivor, little Baby Alice. Hello, Alice. Little girl whose story is a glimmer of light, you might say, in a sea of devastation. Here in her daddy's arms, fully alert in a live TV interview. Just two days old and four weeks premature, choosing to come in to the world just as New York was bracing for Hurricane Sandy. Power went off. Lights went out. Less than 48 hours later, Alice and dad and her mom and the staff of the hospital were forced to evacuate using Glo Sticks. That's how they saw their way out.
Welcome to the world, little Alice. Nice to see you.
Now, another premature who is baby struggling to stay alive in the hospital also made it through the storm despite all odds. This is little Baby Emma. She had some pretty remarkable people who were helping her along the way.
Great story and great person to bring it to you is our chief medical correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, with all the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Monday night, this baby, 13-day-old Baby Martinez, a premie weighing 2 pounds, needed to be transported from NYU Langone Hospital to Mount Sinai. Challenging under any conditions and these were extraordinary ones.
At about 10:30 p.m., the CEO of Mount Sinai, Dr. Davis, got the call. Within an hour, the babies started arriving.
DR. KENNETH: DAVIS, CEO, MOUNT SINAI HOSPITAL: It is frightening. It's about as challenging as you can get. And when you're dealing with tiny little babies who are so fragile, it really can be an extraordinary circumstance.
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's sort of the important point because just over there is the East River. What we now know is, 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 generators 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, EMMA SOPHIA'S MOTHER: It was confirmed by family members calling on the phone because suddenly I lost outage in my apartment. We had no access to the TV. No access to the 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. All they could do is hope, pray and wait for word of where to find their newborn.
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 even one hour of sleep.
GUPTA: Dr. Kenneth Davis, who we met earlier, is also the man that OKed the transfer. And now, for the first time, he will meet the baby he helped save.
DAVIS: You need a hug. Oh, my goodness.
MARTINEZ: Thank you so very much.
DAVIS: It's so hard. You're dad?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am.
DAVIS: Wow. It's going to be OK.
GUPTA (on camera): Do you have any names picked out?
MARTINEZ: Her name is Emma Sophia.
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BANFIELD: And, Emma Sophia, we are all thinking about you.
Sanjay joins me here.
This had to be such a risk, to take any baby in perfect weather to move a baby like that.
GUPTA: Even within a hospital, Ashleigh. Had to go from a floor to the next, I remember this in medical school. It was a coordinated effort and they did a lot of planning and everybody was communicating. In this situation, under the gun. You don't have much time. There's not much power and relying on hands to continue to breathe for this baby. And obviously, in the middle of the storm -- I mean, it's harrowing. There aren't many things I think in medicine not completely coordinated. And in this case they had to but --
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BANFIELD: Had to. Is there a circumstance where you say, you know what? You can't move. We have to do whatever we can in these howling winds and this pitch black freezing cold. This is the only place certain patients can be treated? We cannot move them?
GUPTA: Yes. I have seen this around the world. You have gone to some of these places, as well, where there's just no other place better or the circumstances dictate that.
The problem here is that, you know, when you run out of power, these babies are so tenuous -- their body weight, their heart rate, their blood pressure, their breathing obviously can change quickly. And unlike an adult with reserve, they have none. Someone has to sit there for hours if not days on end pumping that bag. If they don't do it, it they get distracted, tired, they fall asleep, god forbid, the baby's life is --
(CROSSTALK)
BANFIELD: I learned that from you in Katrina.
GUPTA: Right.
BANFIELD: Hurricane Katrina.
Well, great, great story.
GUPTA: Thank you.
BANFIELD: Thank you for bringing that. You have the good ones. You make me feel better when you show up.
GUPTA: The babies are doing well. So that should make people feel good, too.
BANFIELD: Sanjay, we had a tough start to the show, some very stressing information. So thank you. Appreciate that.
GUPTA: You've got it.
BANFIELD: By the way, if you're feeling the same way I'm feeling and that is, what can I do to help those who maybe aren't as lucky as Emma, we have a great way. Check out CNN.com/impact. There are a myriad different ways to reach out. From volunteering to straight donations and money, there's stuff you can do. I highly encourage you. CNN.com/impact.
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BANFIELD: A smiling Mayor Bloomberg ringing the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange after it was closed for two days because of the massive storm. It's back to business now on Wall Street as the city tries its best to get back to normal. Lots of people won't be able to commute in, though, that's for sure.
But our Alison could. She's back at her usual spot at the New York Stock Exchange.
It nice to see you there and nice to see that things are back up and running. I didn't even think I was going to ask you this question, 48 hours from storm, but how are stocks doing?
ALISON KOSIK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, stocks actually are modestly lower. And, you know, the big thing about today, Ashleigh, is that the markets are open, orders are being made, and orders are going through. You know, there is, believe it or not, even though the stocks are only modestly lower, there is that pent-up demand because markets have been closed for two days, so there is that pent-up demand to trade stocks today. Volume is not as high as what was expected, but there is trading, nonetheless. This is a big day for trading for about 20 percent to 25 percent of the mutual funds in this country because, for them, it's the end of the fiscal year. They're closing out their calendar year. They use this day to square up their position before they send out statements. You'll see more window dressing on a day like today, but they're working around a lot of obstacles. The lights are on right now here, Ashleigh, because there's a back-up generator keeping things running. And remember, we're in lower Manhattan, the hardest hit part of the city.
BANFIELD: Right. It is pitch black down there at night, I can tell you right now. It's reminiscent of 9/11.
Alison, thank you so much. And thank you for coming to work and getting there. That was a herculean effort.
Alison Kosik at the Exchange.
And when it comes to money and trying to get your money back or trying to repair your damaged home, boy, are you in for a surprise. Got some news about insurance coming up in just a moment.
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BANFIELD: Before the storm even hit, the insurance industry was bracing for what Sandy could mean to the millions of people who would suffer billions in loses. They descended upon the area as it were expected to be the worst hit, booking up hotels and getting ready to be where they needed to be within the hours of the storm clouds passing. That's the good news. And that's followed by the bad news. There is indeed fine print in millions of those policies that might come as quite an expensive surprise to people who can least withstand any more surprises.
And Christine Romans is here to talk about that, and, also, to talk about how insurance actually kicks in.
Before we say that, I want to show some video of a tree falling for a good reason. Have a look at this. Watch this. Watch as this thing comes down. Oh, you don't want to see this if it's your backyard in Huntington, New York. And it looks like it's going to fall in the neighbor's, Christine.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: At the very least it took out that shed and the fence, right? It may have hit the neighbor's house. That is a tree fall that is covered by insurance. If your house is hit, it's your homeowners insurance that paid. If it's your little shed and your fence that's paid, most policies that covers it.
BANFIELD: The neighbor that just got hit by that tree, doesn't have to call the house with the tree to say your insurance needs to cover my mess? It's your tree.
ROMANS: If my tree fell on your house, you call your insurance agent and your insurance handles it. I mean, it's your house, it's insured no matter whose tree it is. If the tree was negligent, it had been dangling over and there was a problem, then both of your insurance companies, they're going to hash it out. Maybe you're going to get your deductible back.
This is what we're seeing a lot of, trees in homes, trees on roofs. Basically, if the tree falls and hits a structure, you're covered under your homeowners insurance, with a deductible, of course. If the tree falls in your front yard onto the street, it's probably going to be your utility and your township that's going to take care of it. I suggest calling your town and finding out what their policy is. They'll come and take it away.
BANFIELD: If the tree falls on your car?
ROMANS: That's your car insurance. Your car is your car. If your car is flooded out, that's your car insurance. If you don't have a comprehensive policy, you're going to be in trouble with your car. A lot of people car's damages up and down the coast. Without a comprehensive policy, you're kind of out of luck.
BANFIELD: What about this? The hurricane came ashore as an official hurricane, and then was changed to tropical storm. That's important. That means something to the policy that many people have.
ROMANS: So it means that you may have something called a hurricane deductible triggered. And what is that? Well, say you think your deductible is $500. That's the average deductible people have is $500. If it's a hurricane and in your state you have hurricane deductibles and these are, by the way, in place all across the path of Sandy. You're going to pay a percentage of the home's value -- Ashleigh?
BANFIELD: Not that one lump?
(CROSSTALK)
ROMANS: You're going to pay -- for example, if it's a 5 percent hurricane deductible on a $300,000 house, you're paying $15,000.
BANFIELD: As opposed to what most people think, they'd have a deductible of $500. ROMANS: Look on the declarations page of your policy. It's probably the first page. Find out if it either says tropical cyclone deductible or hurricane deductible. Some policies, the deductible doesn't kick in until hurricane category two. Maybe you're in luck. Please, please look very carefully. You might be paying more out of pocket than you think.
BANFIELD: You and I are going to be talking a lot in the days to come.
Christine Romans, thanks so much.
ROMANS: You're welcome.
BANFIELD: There is so much more coverage ahead. Please stay tuned to CNN as we blanket the storm's affects and the upcoming election as well.
I'm going to pass my baton to Suzanne Malveaux who continues with NEWSROOM. Thanks for watching.
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