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Go Inside the Superstorm; Three Days to Go Till Election; U.S. Advances to World Cup

Aired November 03, 2012 - 16:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Welcome back. It is the top of the hour and you're in the CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

Super storm Sandy, the aftermath is the first thing we're tackling right now. Work is getting under way to secure the New York City crane that partially collapsed Monday night during the storm, become almost a symbol of the start of that storm, a live shot of that right now.

This is the top of the luxury condo building 157. And you can see the crane there, the bloom of it collapsed. It has been dangling there precariously for five days now. It could be another 36 hours or so before workers are able to fully secure it. We also expect New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, to have a press briefing shortly and of course, we'll bring that to you live as it happens.

With just three days to go until election day, Barack Obama and Mitt Romney are presenting their closing arguments to the American people. And they both know at this point it could go either way. The president is scheduled to speak at a rally in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in just a couple of minutes from now and he'll, of course, still have plans to visit Iowa and Virginia before the day is done. During an earlier rally in Ohio, the president vowed to continue fighting for the middle class, and he told a cheering crowd that he is someone who can be trusted.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: After four years as president. You know me. You may not agree with every decision I have made, you may, at times have been frustrated by the pace of change? But you know what I believe, you know where I stand.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Mitt Romney is also hitting the campaign trail hard. He started his day, rather, in New Hampshire, stopped off in Iowa and now, he is heading to Colorado where he will make two stops there this evening. During a speech in (INAUDIBLE) Iowa, the former Massachusetts governor encouraged voters to reach out to others with a different political view and says he plans to put the country back on the right track.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MITT ROMNEY (R), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: You know, yesterday the president said something you may have already heard. That I found troubling. Spoke to an audience and said voting is the best revenge. He is asking his supporters to vote for revenge. I'm asking you to vote for love of country.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: In Ohio, it looks more like a race for governor instead of president. Both President Obama and Mitt Romney are still campaigning there nonstop. Here is why, the latest poll shows Ohio pretty close. The president has made it to the 50 percent mark. Mr. Romney has 47 percent of likely Ohio voters. The NBC "Wall Street Journal" poll taken during the same period shows Obama over the 50 percent threshold, at 51 percent and Mr. Romney at 45 percent.

And with its 18 electoral votes, you can see Ohio is the battleground of the battleground states. It can all boil down to what happens in the middle of the state in the capitol city of Columbus. My colleague, Don Lemon, is in Columbus today. So Don, what appears to be what you're hearing there? What are people focusing on? What is the criteria they are using to make up their minds if they haven't already?

DON LEMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first, I think that people think that Governor Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama have taken up residence in the state of Ohio because they are here so much. They have been here all week. They're going to make a couple of stops here before the next 72 hours. This is the state, to make up their minds really I think it is the economy, it's the economy, it's the economy, and I think that is what people are really concerned about.

The social issues, obviously, that is part of it. But the time now, the time has passed, I should say for social issues. Since that first debate, social issues out the window. It is really a numbers game now. And it is really about getting people to the polls to vote. And Fred, that is what we're here doing, we're covering the ground game. How both campaigns are doing their last minute ground game to get people out to vote. And that is what we're covering, because man, it is really tight here as you said.

WHITFIELD: It really is very tight, but it also seems as though voters have made up their minds. It is very clear whether they're going to go Republican, whether they're going to go Democrat and so one does wonder why would these candidates, why would the incumbent and you know, the Republican candidate spend so much time in Ohio. Why do they feel like they can sway voters when it seems as though they have made up their minds?

LEMON: Well, I think they want the voters here, the people of Ohio, to make sure that they're at the top of mind, whether it's, you know, Mitt Romney who is here last or President Barack Obama was here last. And also don't forget, we're covering on a national level and national polls at this point don't really mean very much. What counts are those swing states. So what counts here, local news, local media, getting local publicity so that they're on the minds of the people. And touching as many people's hands, shaking hands, and talking to as many people personally as possible. And that is what their surrogates are doing, the volunteers are doing, on the ground. All of those negative ads that you hear that turned so many people off, when people see them on television, Fred, they just click away. So they believe that is, you know, -- that is negligible now. And people just sort of see it and tune it out. And now it is about personal contact, that is why they're coming here.

WHITFIELD: Uh-huh, we're looking at some video of people knocking on doors, are people kind of receptive to the campaigners, the surrogates knocking on doors, trying to sway those votes and at the same time, they are being inundated with the television ads, sometimes that can be a turnoff, if anything.

LEMON: Listen, it depends on the day, right? You know you can get a phone call, on your phone at home, and it can be someone and you can be nicer, and say you know what, please don't call back, thank you very much. Or you can just hung up. So it depends on the day, it depends on the mood. They are having -- they're getting some traction. They're getting some good reception, sometimes people call and they just hang up. And you know, we did a story the other day, the caller was for a Romney person, said I just want to know if you're going to support Governor Romney come election day, and she goes "Hello, hello, hello?" She laughed and said I guess that is a no. So it depends on the person, it depends on the day and the mood. But they're still getting some traction and they're getting people out to vote.

Hey, real quickly, Fred, before I go, I want to tell you. What I found interesting in the places that I've been, you know, first-time voters, big deal, right? They're trying to get as many new people in their ranks as possible. So I was at a polling place and when a first time voter comes in, people applaud. And so we started turning around just looking at the type of first time voter. It wasn't like the 18- year-old, the 20-year-old the 30-year-old, older people, 40s, 50s, 60s, coming in to register to vote.

WHITFIELD: Really? Voting for the first time?

LEMON: Yes, absolutely for the first time.

WHITFIELD: What is the story behind that? Why?

LEMON: I think because they have such - the initiative here on the ground, ground game initiative, and I think it's also because in part - because the Secretary of State sent absentee ballot applications to every single registered voter here in the state. And so that touched more people. And both sides - I'm not sure who's going to energize the most, the right or the left, but every one sort of realized, this sort of leveled the playing field. So we really are going to be on our game when it comes to the ground game.

WHITFIELD: Yes, and the story behind why this is the election to many of those first time voters in their 40s and 50s, why this is the one that has galvanized them to come out and vote. That has to be a compelling story. LEMON: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right. Don Lemon, thanks so much. You will be telling us those compelling stories later on this evening. You will be anchoring your shows from Ohio throughout the evening, so we'll be tuning in, of course.

LEMON: Right here at the beautiful boat house restaurant in downtown Columbus.

WHITFIELD: All right. Love it. Thank you so much, Don. Appreciate it.

Another Midwestern state that will factor in Tuesday's outcome is Iowa. Our Poppy Harlow is in that battleground state and says religion can play a significant role on how people vote.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POPPY HARLOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the heart of Des Moines, an evangelical Christian flock to Grace Church to talk faith, family and the presidential election.

RACHEL BRADSHAW, EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN: Honestly what it all boils down to is what does the bible say and which candidate is going to follow the closest?

HARLOW: For Bob and Rachel Bradshaw, that candidate is Mitt Romney.

BOB BRADSHAW, EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN: I don't know how in his right mind the president could be for abortion the way he is, and support same-sex marriage. It is just hard for me that somebody that claims to be a Christian, you know, makes statements to support things like that.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has not been an easy choice to make, either way.

HARLOW: Dawn and (INAUDIBLE) Mwamba has wrestled with their vote.

DAWN MWAMBA, EVANGELICAL CHRISTIAN: My religious beliefs, in all honesty, don't align with either one. If anything, it's probably going to end up being Mitt Romney.

HARLOW: Fifty seven percent of voters in the Republican Iowa caucuses identified themselves as evangelicals. They supported Rick Santorum over Mitt Romney. Many were uneasy on Romney's moderate past on issues like abortion and the his Mormon faith.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it concerns anybody who considers themselves an evangelical Christian.

HARLOW: But that was then.

(on camera): You previously said that the Romney campaign snubbed social conservatives? STEVE SCHEFFLER, IOWA FAITH AND FREEDOM COALITION: Well, I think he has proved himself that he has tried to make that outreach to tried to prove he has made that out reach to social conservatives as well as economic conservatives. He has done a good job here in Iowa.

HARLOW: While Iowans evangelical voters seem to be moving into Mitt Romney's camp, here in traditionally democratic Dubuque, the president may face more of a challenge. The Catholic voters we spoke with here are split over issues like abortion, funding for contraception, and the government's role in providing for the poor.

DAWN LUEKIN, CATHOLIC ROMNEY SUPPORTER: The life issues for many Catholics, most Catholics hold that dear and central to their faith. But then there is this belief that remains that the Democratic Party somehow cares for the poor better. I think it comes down to that tension.

HARLOW: How big a role does your Catholic religion play in your vote?

KATHY KRUGER, FORMER NUN: I think it is big, I'm an ex-nun. And I - the group of nuns that I associate with this day are pushing for Obama.

HARLOW: Is the pro-choice stand difficult for you to reconcile?

KRUGER: It was very difficult. It bothered me for a long, long time.

HARLOW (voice-over): As did the same-sex marriage issue, both of which she ultimately looked past, but for Catholics like Ellen Luekin and her daughter, Dawn, some issues are non-negotiable.

DAWN LUEKIN: For me, it's the life issues. I'm very pro life and I wanted an administration that supports that view.

ELLEN LUEKIN, CATHOLIC: And I would say the sanctity of life and sanctity of marriage.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Poppy Harlow, joining us now from Des Moines. So you have been all over the state, Barack Obama won that state in 2008. Polls showing that he is ahead. But could Mitt Romney really make a run in these final three days? Because it looks like the majority of the people you spoke to in that piece are big advocates, big supporters of Romney.

HARLOW: Well, that is when you talk about the evangelical voter. I mean, look they didn't love Romney in the Iowa caucuses. They overwhelmingly backed Santorum, but they moved, it seems from (INAUDIBLE) we talked to, Fred, into that Romney camp, largely because they oppose Obama so vehemently when it comes to those social issues like same sex marriage, funding for contraception and also when it comes to the religious vote. Now when you talk about Catholic voters in Dubuque, they were sort of safely in the Democratic camp. Traditionally you have seen the Catholics vote more overwhelmingly with the Democrats. That seems to be split more because of how outspoken the president has been on those social issues and health care reform in terms of funding for contraception.

I will tell you though that neither of the groups that I talked to have been thrilled, necessarily, with their choices right now. And I think that is something that is very important, that enthusiasm, to get out to the polls, Don was saying that every single vote counts in Ohio and every single vote counts here. You need that enthusiasm, and we're not necessarily feeling that here in Iowa, Fred.

WHITFIELD: All right. Poppy Harlow, in Dubuque. Thanks so much.

All right. A critical swing state, yes, Florida qualifies. We'll tell you about a sometimes overlooked voting block that could make all the difference in the sunshine state Tuesday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, on to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, President Barack Obama rallying for support there. Let's listen in.

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: ... United States Senator Sammy Baldwin.

Now, Wisconsin, for the past several days all of us have been focused on what is happening on the East Coast. And it is one of the worst storms we have ever seen. I have spent this morning talking to local and state officials there, and you know the loss of life, the hardships the folks are going through are just heartbreaking. And it is a reminder of how fragile things are sometimes. And as a nation, we have got to mourn those who have been lost. Our thoughts and prayers go out to their families.

You know, we're going to stay with the folks whose lives have been unended every step of the way, until we have fully rebuilt. That is what America does. That is what we're about. Because the thing is, in the midst of these tragedies we're also inspired, about heroes that go through buildings and wade through water, neighbors helping neighbors cope with tragedy, leaders of different political parties working together to fix what is broken. It is a spirit that says no matter how bad a storm is, no matter how tough times may get, we always bounce back because we're all in this together. We rise or fall as one nation, and as one people. And that spirit has guided this nation along its improbable journey for more than two centuries, and it is what carried us through the trials and tribulations of the last four years. In 2008, we were in the middle of two wars and worst crisis since the Great Depression.

And today, our businesses have created nearly 5.5 million new jobs. The American auto industry is back on top. Home values are on the rise. We're less dependent on foreign oil than any time in the last 20 years. And because of the service and sacrifice of our brave men and women, the war in Iraq is over. The war in Afghanistan is coming to a close. Al-Qaeda is on the run, Osama Bin Laden is dead.

So we made real progress these past four years. But Wisconsin, we're all gathered here today because we got more work to do. As long as there is a single American who wants a job but can't find one, our work is not yet done. As long as their families are working harder but falling behind, our work is not yet done. As long as there is a child any place in Milwaukee, any place in Wisconsin, any place in this country, who is languishing in poverty and barred from opportunity, our fight goes on.

Our fight goes on because this nation cannot succeed without a growing, thriving middle class. Our fight goes on because America has always done best when everybody has got a fair shot. Everybody is doing their fair share, everybody is playing by the same rules. That is what we believe. That is why you elected me in 2008. That is why I'm running for a second term as president of the United States of America.

Now, Wisconsin, in three days you have a choice to make. It is not a choice between two candidates or two parties, it is a choice between two very different visions for our future. It is a choice between a return to the top down economics that caused our economy to crash. Vote - it - it is a choice between that and a future that is built on making sure everybody is playing their part, that we're creating a strong and growing middle class, but also ladders of opportunity for people who are willing to work hard to get into that middle class. You know, and - listen. Keep in mind we don't - as Americans, expect success to be handed to us.

As Americans, we honor the strivers and the dreamers and the risk- takers, the entrepreneurs and the small business people. Everybody - the folks who are the driving force behind enterprise system. The greatest (INAUDIBLE) prosperity the world has ever known but we also believe that for our markets and for free enterprise to succeed, everybody has to have a shot. Opportunity has to be open to everybody. Not just some. We think our country succeeds when everybody has the chance to get a good education and learn new skills.

WHITFIELD: President Barack Obama in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can get the rest of this live event on cnn.com.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: This month, the U.S. National Soccer Team advanced in World Cup qualifying, thanks in large part to a half dozen German-born players fathered by African-American soldiers in the U.S. military. Here is CNN's George Howell in this "Black in America" report.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RONALD REAGAN, FMR. U.S. PRESIDENT: Mr. Gorbachev, turn down this wall.

GEORGE HOWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This year marks the 25th anniversary of that famous phrase, but the impact of the U.S. military build-up in Germany during the cold war is still being felt today in an unlikely place. The soccer field.

A half dozen sons of American soldiers stationed in Germany, born to German mothers have elected to play for the U.S. national soccer team rather than Germany's in the last few years. For some, this decision relates to their racial identity. Danny Williams and the other five players all had African-American fathers.

(on camera): What does it mean to be bi-racial in Germany, versus being biracial here in the United States?

DANNY WILLIAMS: When people look at me in Germany, they know that I'm not 100 percent German. I told my parents that I feel more American than German.

HOWELL (voice-over): Jermaine Jones was the first of this recent wave from Germany to join the American soccer team.

JERMAINE JONES: I'm different, when you see me, the German people, I'm a different guy, I'm mixed.

HOWELL: Unlike Williams, whose American father raised him in Germany, Jones grew up in a single parent household.

JONES: My mom and him, when I was young, went separate ways, and for me it was hard to grow up with no dad.

HOWELL: But since electing to play for the U.S., Jones has rekindled his relationship with his father, after scoring his first goal for the stars and stripes, Jones performed a simple but poignant tribute to his soldier father.

(on camera): You gave a salute to your dad?

JONES: Yes, we called me after the game. He's like thank you, my mom, my brother, everybody sees it, everybody is proud of you.

HOWELL: A simple gesture of pride, but one rooted in history.

George Howell, CNN, Miami.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Who is "Black in America," asking questions is being black determined by the color of your skin or family by what society or something else. CNN's Soledad O'Brien examines all of this in "Who is Black in America?," The documentary premiering Sunday, December 9 at 8:00 p.m., 11:00 p.m. Eastern only on CNN.

Superstorm Sandy roared ashore six days ago, and for many, life may never be the same. Coming up, we'll take a look at the devastation, the aftermath and the efforts to rebuild through the eyes of our ireporters.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In New York, this is what happens when power is restored.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my God.

(CHEERS) (END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: That was in the East Village yesterday, power back on in about 67,000 homes. About 70 percent of those in the city who lost power in the storm now have it back on.

Millions of people are still dealing with the impact of superstorm Sandy. And it's going to be a long time before things really do get back to normal. Many of you are helping us tell the stories of this disaster and the aftermath with your iReports.

Take a look at this one. Our iReporter took this video that shows Manhattan and the freedom tower from Staten Island. So you can see the finger-pointing right there. The water tanker washed up along the East River there.

For the next half hour, we're going to bring you some of the best images and the best sound from our iReporter. Josh Levs is here to talk about it and take us through it.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That was an iconic shot this week, when our reporter was there.

And, folks, I want you to know what's coming up right now. This right now, this is your chance to see the most powerful, most amazing videos and images of what our country has been through over the past week, including brand-new ones that have now come into this. Some of what we're going to show you is heartbreaking, but some is going to make you smile. You're going to see resilience helping each after the devastation. And it says a lot about America.

I'm going to be sharing some of your reactions throughout the show and tweeting and Facebooking with you throughout the show. So, send me some messages, you'll get you involve. This is a conversation.

And, Fred, I will tell you, our reporters started to document this the minute it was coming in.

WHITFIELD: Right away.

LEVS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: Wow, there's a lot of immediacy. They sent us great images of the storm as it was hitting. And then they sent us more images afterwards, as well. Let's take a look at some of those iReports.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS, IREPORT)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I want to show you right now, opening up the window right here, it is really like a massive hurricane out there. You can hear it. It is very, very bad out there right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Evacuate. Boat, ready to go.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That crane just broke. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This used to be a running pad -- impossible, but there is no -- there is no difference between where the East River is and where the FDR is. The FDR is completely shut off.

(INAUDIBLE)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Devastation in white plains, where literally trees are ripped from its roots.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now, I had to see what was down there, so I made my way in. First thing you notice is the sound of the generators, the drone. I thought of taking a jet ski down the old a-train line. But hey, I don't have a jet ski and I'm sure they would come after me.

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

WHITFIELD: Yes, that's the first time experience for so many people in the New York area who have just never been through that type of disaster, on that kind of scale.

LEVS: And never imagined it. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said he'd never imagined it. I would tell you, folks, that -- putting that in a time capsule, 20 years, 50 years from now, people want to know what Sandy was like for millions of Americans, watch that. Fred, powerful stuff there from our iReporters.

WHITFIELD: And, of course, we're going to bring you more images like that and the aftermath, how people were enduring what they were witnessing immediately following Sandy.

LEVS: From the flood, the blizzard, and also from fires.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, IREPORT)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fire crew does not know what happened, but there is some thick, black smoke coming out of the ground behind me.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Well, welcome back. We're telling your stories this half hour, sharing some very compelling video and pictures from our iReporters.

Josh Levs is here with me now to help bring some of these images.

LEVS: You know, this is modern technology meets Mother Nature, right? We've got this incredibly powerful storm, but so many people capturing it in these amazing images.

I'll tell you, I've just got a message on Facebook from Ana Vasquez (ph), "We hope everyone is safe, sound, and a bit closer to recovery." And that actually fits right in with where we're going, because a lot of people are still suffering. And our iReporters went out throughout stricken areas, and they've been documenting what life is now like.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS, IREPORT)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is a line for gas, and it started way, way back there. This is absurd. Oh, my God, I'm not getting gas, there is no way I'm getting gas.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are walking the 59th Street Bridge in New York City back from work. We've got about a three-mile walk both ways. But it is just what New Yorkers do. We're coming from Queens. We're going back to our home in Long Island City.

We're not the only ones, every which way you look, New Yorkers doing their own thing.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There is no lights, no traffic cops, not good, not good.

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is what is in front of our building, that is my building in the back. This went all the way through the building. There's no fences left.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a train operator, I'm supposed to report here. And it's a ghost town. This is Coney Island station. Normally, it's hustle, bustle here -- nothing but muck on the street level.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Still windy, the big ship --

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As you can see behind me, we have downed trees. The only thing this weather is good for is making snowballs.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The fire crew does not know what happened, but there is some thick, black smoke coming out of the ground behind me. And the -- as you can see, the fire crew is back there at York Avenue. Everybody is gathered together. And more emergency responders are arriving.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

WHITFIELD: Oh, the kids did not want to miss Halloween, at all.

LEVS: That was from our iReporter, Ed Cohen, who saw all the kids going ahead. And that was one of the beautiful things I was talking about, the resilience, you know? These kids were on the log, a massive tree that have been toppled, but there were still kids, it was still Halloween where they could still celebrate Halloween. It was just a beautiful shot from our iReporter.

WHITFIELD: So how do we pick a lot of these iReport images?

LEVS: Yes, I'll tell you. And, by the way, I want to see going into that, I said, life is now like it's really gotten better each day since. But here's what we do, we have this --

WHITFIELD: Incrementally.

LEVS: Incrementally. Absolutely. We have a team of people that work incredibly hard to vet this and what they do is they get in touch with the iReporters. They have to contact them. They have e-mail conversations. They have conversations by phone. Sometimes they talk to one person for 45 minutes. They check out the technology, the type of camera. They take steps to make sure is not fake.

WHITFIELD: Right.

LEVS: It really is where it says it is, in various other things.

So I want you all to know, there are a lot of steps between someone submitting an iReport and us being able to show it to you here on TV, and we have a fantastic team at iReport that does that for us.

WHITFIELD: Right. And we've got a lot more coming your way, too. Including a video that kind of set a record. It's the most viewed iReport ever.

LEVS: Ever. It's coming up.

Oh, I'm sorry, I'm going to tell you a little bit about it. I want to imagine, imagine being on a cruise all the way up on the 13th floor, right, when the boat itself starts to tip a little bit and the furniture slides, water starts to come on board the ship itself.

WHITFIELD: Very frightening.

LEVS: We are going to show you that coming right up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my God.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Our iReporters have been helping us tell the stories of the superstorm Sandy and the aftermath. And we've got more than 3,000 reports from the storm, and so we tried to put together as many as we could in this 30-minute special.

Josh Levs here with me now kind of reflecting on the volume of images and sounds.

LEVS: Yes. No, it's absolutely incredibly, and so many of them are so powerful. As you said, more than 3,000, what our editors have done is go in and pick the most compelling reports that tell the story of what this country has been in the past week.

I want to talk you through them right here. Let's start with number 10. This is a striking contrast here. You've got trick-or-treaters strolling along Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn. The man who took this, Luis Munez (ph), tells us nothing keeps the New Yorker down. I love those pictures.

Number nine, one of the most talked about images from Sandy was in Chelsea, New York City. You may have seen a facade ripped off the building, where our iReporter captured the whole scene, Alex Kalashian, show what was going on at the time.

This might be the only time you understand what is going on around the facade of the building that you see.

Let's come to number eight now, outside Dyckman Subway in Manhattan. Our iReporter John Graziano shot this video inside where the pumps were operating. He says there had been at least six feet of water that he was able to see. And if you let the video go, a few more seconds, you're going to see some of that water being pulled out and then push into the sewers to try to get where it belong.

Let's look at number seven quickly. This is --

WHITFIELD: It's amazing how fast they were able to do that.

LEVS: Yes, I mean, there's so much impressive work.

WHITFIELD: Pumping the water out of the subway systems.

LEVS: And it has been federal, local, and state, so much impressive work.

WHITFIELD: Yes.

LEVS: This is LaGuardia, talk about the impressive work. The employee didn't want to use his name but he sent us this from LaGuardia.

WHITFIELD: Where is the tarmac?

LEVS: Yes, it's not there. This is the tarmac. This is where the flights couldn't land. This reminds us why 19,000 flights were cancelled.

Take a look at this video. Let's listen.

Look at that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Remnants of hurricane Sandy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: That's Lake Michigan, near Chicago, iReporter Andy Bovos said the wind was swirling. People were stopping to watch these waves. He doesn't ever remember ever seeing Lake Michigan this violent with this kind of storm surge.

WHITFIELD: My goodness.

LEVS: I've seen that how many times I've been to Chicago. This is just incredible. Look at that.

All right, the next one is heartbreaking, folks, let's go to this out of Staten Island, which, as we know, has been devastated. Captured by iReporter Roshen Weliwatta. He told us about this.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROSHEN WELIWATTA, IREPORTER: Island Bulls Head (ph) is about half a mile from South Beach. And nobody expected the water to go that far. So people in that area didn't even leave, and I had a friend who woke up and the water came running into their house. And that is probably why so many people died in that area, because nobody expected the water to go that far.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: He told us he was actually in Sri Lanka during that tsunami, and he thinks this is similar, just on a smaller scale. Obviously, not the devastation but in terms of water amounts that he saw.

The next one we have to talk about, this is fascinating. It's a window into how iReport works. This is a photo that a lot of people thought was fake. Jordan Shapiro took it of the Brooklyn Bridge, showing half with power, half without.

Our iReport team went to extreme efforts to ensure this is real folks. It's absolutely real. And it's now an iconic shot of the storm.

And finally, number three, here's another iReporter who spoke with us, George Nikolis, with his fiancee, were in their apartment in Jersey City. He spoke to Jane Velez-Mitchell on HLN.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GEORGE NIKOLIS, IREPORTER: I want to show you right now, we opened up the window. And it is really like a massive hurricane out there if you can hear it. It is very, very bad out there right now.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is always -- wow.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LEVS: He got it closed, he is safe. That is very important to know. Don't go to any danger for photos ever.

A photo we showed you all week is number two, flooded taxis in Hoboken, New Jersey, iReporter Jonathan Otto captured this and other images of Hoboken.

And finally the number one most watched iReport ever is this from a cruise ship off of Miami, in the Atlantic Ocean. Dr. David Evans and his wife were on it. Take a look.

He says they were on the 13th floor, Fred. And a lot of areas on the ship got flooded, things got thrown everywhere. At one point the furniture went flying. It's got an incredible number of views and it's still climbing. So I want you to know, you can see this and a lot more, we've got some interactives to show you as well. I'm going to put those on Facebook for you.

WHITFIELD: That's anyone's nightmare who decides to go on a cruise, they just pray, you know, we don't encounter a storm.

LEVS: And back safely.

WHITFIELD: And to have an experience like this, yes.

LEVS: It was awful, torrential.

WHITFIELD: All right, thanks so much, Josh.

We've got more parts of the Jersey Shore wiped out by that superstorm Sandy. For millions of family who spent summer vacations there, this really did hit hard. We're looking back at some Jersey Shore memories, stay right there.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, the last 30 minutes we have been sharing with you a lot of unique stories and compelling images that probably a lot of people have not seen.

LEVS: No. And the ones we're going to show you right now, brand-new.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)

(MUSIC)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Standing in line for about five hours, trying to get gas, the whole thing around here is crazy.

(MUSIC)

(END VIDEO CLIPS)

WHITFIELD: Very thought provoking, compelling. And it really does underscore how industrious people can be.

LEVS: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All the time, under tough times.

LEVS: The strength, absolutely, we've been seeing that throughout this. And go ahead and send in more images, especially in memories of the Jersey Shore, we have a special assignment for that now in iReport.

WHITFIELD: Josh Levs, thanks so much for helping bring that to us. LEVS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Much more of THE NEWSROOM right now with Don Lemon in Columbus, Ohio, battleground state.