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CNN Live At Daybreak

Wilma Aftermath; Wilma Relief Response; WNBA Star Sheryl Swoopes Comes Out

Aired October 27, 2005 - 06:31   ET

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

ANNOUNCER: From the Time Warner center in New York, this is DAYBREAK with Carol Costello.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning to you. Thank you for waking up with us. Jacqui will be along in a moment with your forecast.

Also coming up this half-hour, frustration in Florida. We'll take you live to south Florida for a look at relief efforts there and some serious comments from Governor Jeb Bush.

And sports and sexual orientation. We'll have more on the so- called self-outing of basketball star Sheryl Swoopes.

But first, "Now in the News."

Israeli planes pound Gaza today in retaliation for a suicide bombing that killed five Israelis and wounded 28 at a marketplace. The Islamist jihad militant group says the suicide bomber was retaliation for Monday's killing of one of its leaders in the West Bank.

A fire sweeps through a detention center at Amsterdam's airport. Authorities say the overnight blaze killed 10 illegal immigrants who were waiting to be deported. Fifteen other people were injured, including police and security guards.

Chicago is still celebrating this morning. Their White Sox beat the Houston Astros. It's their first World Series title in nearly 90 years. Unfortunately for Houston fans, their first-ever series appearance ended in a four-game sweep.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: In the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma, the death toll is rising. In Florida, the number of deaths blamed on the storm doubled on Wednesday from 5 to 10. The hurricane also killed at least 12 people in Haiti, four in Mexico and one in Jamaica.

President Bush will get a firsthand look at hurricane damage when he visits Florida today. Nearly 4,000 National Guard troops are there to help distribute emergency supplies. But lines for gas have been really long, and tempers are growing short.

Let's check in with Allan Chernoff. He's in Sunny Isles, which is outside of Miami. Good morning, Allan.

ALLAN CHERNOFF, CNN SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.

And this gas station has just opened moments ago. The cabs that you see are ready to gas up. The fellow in the yellow cab got here at 4:00 in the morning. He wanted to be sure that he was the first on line, because yesterday he told me he waited for three hours for gasoline, got to the station, and they had run out.

So, huge frustrations for him yesterday, and he's able to start gassing up right now.

This is a mad scramble for gasoline inside southern Florida. It's on the front page this morning of the "Miami Herald," "Running on empty: Desperate drivers scramble for gas."

Miami-Dade County essentially has turned into a country of road warriors, people searching wherever they can for gasoline.

Keep in mind, there are not many gas stations open around here simply because there isn't a lot of power. Many stations still don't have the power to actually pump that fuel. As a result, you have incredible lines.

This line to the gas station here loops all around the block and extends all the way up there. At this hour we have more than 200 vehicles now in line, waiting for gasoline. And we understand there are only 1,200 gallons of gasoline at this Citgo station.

Also note, there are police officers here. They have been here since 4:30 in the morning. And the situation is so serious that all 14 officers here, they comprise the entire force of Sunny Isles, Florida, at 4:30 in the morning. That early in the morning the entire force came down here to make sure that the line would be under control, that people would not basically lose their tempers and that fights wouldn't break out.

So, a very serious situation here...

COSTELLO: Allan...

CHERNOFF: ... for gasoline -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Allan, I have a question. The electricity is still mostly out. So people probably can't go to their jobs quite yet. I'm just wondering, is it panic that people are going to get the gas? Like, where are they going?

CHERNOFF: Well, it really depends. Obviously, if you're a cab driver -- and the first four cars on line here are all cabs -- these guys need gasoline obviously to do their work...

COSTELLO: Well, I get that.

CHERNOFF: ... to do their business. COSTELLO: But what about homeowners?

CHERNOFF: Right. There are some people who certainly are panicking -- no question about that -- because they see so many gas stations shut down.

Yesterday when we had lines here as well, I spoke to a few folks. They said, you don't need to go to work. You don't need to bring your kids to school, because the schools are closed. And one fellow said, yes, but I'm down to half-a-tank. I've got to fill up. I have to get gas.

So, yes, there is certainly a certain degree of panic here with regard to the gas situation.

COSTELLO: Allan Chernoff reporting live from Florida this morning.

We've talked about the people in Florida. You know, we just did, waiting in lines for gas. And they're also waiting in line for food and for water, too.

More than 70 distribution points are up and running. But is that enough?

The Florida governor, Jeb Bush, admits that they didn't meet supply expectations. But he also said people should have heeded pre- hurricane warnings and stocked up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JEB BUSH, FLORIDA: The people had ample time to prepare. And it isn't that hard to get 72 hours' worth of food and water, just to do the simple things that we asked people to do.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And joining me now to talk about the response is Louie Fernandez of Miami-Dade Emergency Management.

Good morning.

LOUIE FERNANDEZ, MIAMI-DADE EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Good morning. How are you this morning?

COSTELLO: I'm fine. I'm going to pose the same question to you that I posed to Allan Chernoff. All of those people waiting in line for gas, are they panicking? Or are they really in desperate need to fill up their tanks?

FERNANDEZ: It's somewhere in between, to be honest with you. Yesterday when I was out on the streets and literally trying to talk to as many people as possible, there were many, many people who, like the governor said, just didn't have time or didn't prepare sufficiently for the storm that was coming. And we also have a lot of people in line, too, that are trying to get back to work. I know there's a significant amount of workers that are still working in the hotel industry on Miami Beach, trying to keep that up and running. And they're literally commuting maybe 20 to 30 miles every day.

And there are really people that really need to continue to go to work and get their fuel. So, hopefully the message is getting out to the major fuel suppliers, Exxon-Mobil, et cetera, that we need help to get these gas stations up and running.

Of course, FP&L, Florida Power and Light, is doing as best as they can. This was just a hard-hit area, not only to just our county, but practically the entire southern half of the state of Florida.

COSTELLO: People are also waiting in line for food. And you heard the governor say, look, we told people to prepare for 72 hours. I mean, don't most people have enough food in their homes to last for at least three days anyway?

FERNANDEZ: That's a question that we've all been asking here as well. We hope they do. But we're just trying to do our best. We set up 11 different sites yesterday to basically supply ice and water as best as we could.

Many of the chain supermarkets just as Publix and Winn Dixie are opening. They're providing non-perishables, those types of meals that people can get such as canned tuna, crackers and things like that to help at least until we get this power restored.

You know, look, the lowest common denominator here is, unfortunately, the power. The power is affecting the pumps for the gas stations, the refrigerated foods in the supermarkets. Once we start seeing sections returning to power, we'll begin to see these lines lessen. However, that's no consolation to the people that are spending 10 hours overnight in line right now.

COSTELLO: Do you know what this reminds me of? I used to live in Baltimore, Maryland. And whenever people got word of a snowstorm coming, I mean, they just flocked to the grocery store. They cleared the shelves of bread and toilet paper as if those things would not be available anytime soon.

When you hear in Florida that electricity might not be turned on until, what, November 22 or later, I mean, it would create panic in your mind. And you would want to stock up on things, knowing that the electricity isn't going to be on for a couple of weeks or maybe a month.

FERNANDEZ: Absolutely. Even my 86-year-old grandfather had saved $5 to $10 a month since the beginning of hurricane season, because he knows that that's what I kind of do. I work for emergency management, and I try to put out the message. And he sent me with 50 bucks just before the storm to get his supplies.

And that's the message that we need to get out there is for next year people need to heed the warnings of emergency management officials, even if it makes a slight turn at a storm if it comes, let's say, in June or July. Who cares? You still have until November 30 to have to be prepared should something like this happen again.

COSTELLO: OK. Well, I have to ask you this FEMA question, because a lot of people are blaming FEMA for the lack of supplies, like ice and water. What is your assessment of that?

FERNANDEZ: My assessment is that FEMA had ice and water here in the first 24 hours. I just don't think anybody really knew that this many people would be needing this many supplies so early on after the storm.

We really expected people to have those three days' of supplies like we've been telling them for years. But unfortunately they haven't.

We had ice and water the first 24 hours. We just didn't have enough.

COSTELLO: All right. Louie Fernandez from the Miami-Dade Emergency Management. Thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

FERNANDEZ: My pleasure.

COSTELLO: So, who gets help from FEMA? And what will the agency do for you?

First of all, if you have private home, health or auto insurance, you will be ineligible for most FEMA grants. But save your receipts after a disaster. FEMA will reimburse you for temporary housing and up to $5,200 for emergency repairs to your home.

Bottom line, contact FEMA and register for their help even if you don't think you're eligible. And when you do, you'll get an application for a low-interest loan from the Small Business Administration. You're not obligated, but you can borrow up to $200,000 if you're a homeowner. And even if you later decide you won't need it, at the very least it will keep your options open.

And I know you've heard all of the problems with FEMA and waiting. But you've got to do it. You've got to have patience and sign up anyway.

Following up on the investigations of some of those Memorial Hospital deaths in New Orleans now. The state's attorney general has now issued subpoenas for 73 hospital employees. There have been allegations that some patients were euthanized. Thirty-four patients died at the hospital after it was cut off by floodwaters.

Still to come this hour on DAYBREAK, Sheryl Swoopes comes out. But why now?

LZ Granderson wrote the article for "ESPN" magazine. She will join us live next. But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Thursday.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The international markets are mixed this morning. Tokyo's Nikkei up 22 points, the London FTSE down 44, the German DAX lower by 64 points.

Oh, let's take a look into the future. Oil is higher after yesterday's nearly $2 drop. Crude oil is trading up 74 cents this morning, at $61.40.

Your news, money, weather and sports. It's 6:45 Eastern. Here's what's all new this morning.

Israeli planes pound Gaza today in retaliation for a suicide bombing that killed five Israelis and wounded 28 at a marketplace. The Islamic jihad militant groups says the suicide bomber was retaliating for Monday's killing of one of its leaders in the West Bank.

In money news, investigators want to know what's been going on at General Motors. GM is expected to turn over accounting records that have been subpoenaed by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Investigators also want records from the automakers' finance unit, GMAC.

In culture, CBS News President Andrew Heyward says he's calling it quits after 10 years at the helm. That's him. Heyward will be replaced by Sean McManus, president of CBS Sports. He'll do both jobs beginning next month.

In sports, the long wait is over for the Chicago White Sox. The Southsiders beat the Houston Astros one to nothing to win their first World Series title since 1917. Outfielder Jermaine Dye was named series MVP.

Gosh, the last time they won, what, Woodrow Wilson was president, Jacqui? Jacqui? Oh, Jacqui?

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes.

COSTELLO: Oh, there you are.

JERAS: You didn't hear me?

COSTELLO: No, I didn't at first, but now I do.

JERAS: I'm here.

COSTELLO: OK. Take it away.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: Coming up, I'll speak with the "ESPN" magazine reporter who got the story when the MVP of the WNBA decided to come out. You're watching DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: WNBA superstar Sheryl Swoopes is out of the closet, so to speak. The Houston Comets forward and three-time WNBA most valuable player says she is gay and is now in a committed relationship.

Swoopes is the first openly gay female superstar in women's basketball to come out and say so.

She says -- quote: "My reason for coming out now isn't to be some sort of hero. It's not something that I want to throw in people's faces. I'm just at a point in my life where I'm tired of having to pretend to be somebody I'm not."

"ESPN the Magazine" editor LZ Granderson broke this story. And he did the interview with Swoopes, and he joins us live this morning.

Good morning.

LZ GRANDERSON, "ESPN THE MAGAZINE": Good morning.

COSTELLO: There is incredible interest in this story. All day long yesterday the number one story on CNN.com.

GRANDERSON: Wow! That's great to hear.

COSTELLO: Yes.

GRANDERSON: It's definitely great to hear.

COSTELLO: We've been asking our viewers if they care that Sheryl Swoopes is gay. Most of them said no they really don't. But they wondered why it was important for her to come out and say so.

GRANDERSON: I think it was pretty much summed up in the quote that you used earlier. I mean, I think she really has gotten to a place where she just wants to be herself and be comfortable in her own skin and not have to pretend anymore.

COSTELLO: But why not just live your life and not make a formal announcement? I mean, she's been with in this committed relationship for seven years now.

GRANDERSON: Well, you know, that's a very good question, because there are certain people who think that by holding a press conference, by doing an interview in a magazine that you are kind of grandstanding about your life. And I think sometimes that there's validity in that.

But I think in a case of like Sheryl Swoopes, someone who is such a huge star, not just nationally, but internationally -- you're talking about three gold medals -- people will ask questions if you're walking down a street holding hands with another woman. So, I mean, it was the proper thing to do with someone of her status, I think.

COSTELLO: There are some very controversial things within your article. And I'm going to read a quote from it.

She says, she told you: "I didn't always know I was gay. I honestly didn't. Do I think I was born this way? No."

Because, of course, she was married, and she has a son who is 8 years old. What does she mean by this?

GRANDERSON: You know, during the conversation, we kind of bobbed in and out of her personal life and professional life. And at that particular point, she really was just talking about how she fell in love, and how she never considered homosexuality because she had always been taught heterosexuality is the way to be.

She is from a small town in West Texas. Her mother is, you know, very religious. She grew up a strict Christian herself. And so, it was never -- she never thought of that.

I think once she started to grow and develop and expand herself to be exposed to a lot more, I think that's what she means. Not necessarily biologically she wasn't born that way, but when she was 7 she didn't think that she would be attracted to another female, as you hear a lot of stories from other gay people say.

COSTELLO: OK. Other controversial things. The committed relationship is with a woman who used to be a coach on her team. And they had a relationship while, you know, she was still the coach, and Sheryl was playing. So, I mean, clearly that's unethical, right?

GRANDERSON: Well, I think that's something you'd have to ask the Houston Comets about and how they choose to run their organization. I mean, we all know of interoffice romances, and sometimes they're accepted and sometimes they aren't. And I don't think this is any different.

COSTELLO: And her significant other is no longer a coach.

GRANDERSON: Right.

COSTELLO: OK. The other controversial thing. And she had a deal with a gay cruise line that pays her a lot of money. And the timing of this announcement is interesting because of that deal. Or am I making too much of it?

GRANDERSON: You know, I really can't comment on that. I haven't the slightest idea of what went in her thought process in terms of why she decided to come out at this particular time. Sure, anyone can look at it and say this is a little bit curious that she would come out as she's doing this endorsement.

But as the article stated, it was part of her coming-out process. That she was approached by this after booking the cruise and thought, well, you know, this is a great idea. I'm feeling more comfortable with who I am. Why not just come all the way out? Why pretend? Why keep edging along? Why not just be who I am and be satisfied with that? COSTELLO: And the final question. That she came out and, you know, says she's gay, will that affect women on sports? Will that affect her endorsement deals down the line?

GRANDERSON: That's going to have to be a look-and-see, wait-and- see sort of thing. I think -- in the short term, I think it does fantastic things for women in sports, because particularly for the young lesbian players who may be on a JV team right now and having these feelings and going, oh, I can't come out. I think seeing someone like Sheryl Swoopes achieve so much in her career and is still going on. She's coming back next season.

And I really think that's more newsworthy than her coming out is the fact that she's coming out, and she's going to continue on playing. And this is the first time that's really happened with someone of her status.

So, I think it's going to be a wait-and-see king of thing...

COSTELLO: Yes.

GRANDERSON: ... what happens with the endorsements.

COSTELLO: Thank you so much for joining us this morning. And people can read the article in the "ESPN" magazine.

GRANDERSON: Thank you.

COSTELLO: LZ Granderson, thank you so much.

When we come back, your chance to win a mug, and we'll have a look at your travel forecast. You're watching DAYBREAK.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: it is time to give away a DAYBREAK coffee mug.

JERAS: Yes. We had a lot of right answers this time, Carol.

Here are the answers to Wednesday's coffee quiz. Which major petroleum company reported an earnings increase of 34 percent? The answer, BP. And which popular characters may be coming back to prime- time television? Carol is so happy about this one. The Muppets.

COSTELLO: Oh, thank god!

JERAS: And the winner, Susan White from North Tazewell, Virginia. Congratulations, Susan. We'll get you a DAYBREAK coffee mug in the mail.

And now it's time for today's questions. Number one, when was the last time the White Sox played in the World Series? And according to "Women's Health" magazine, what's the best drink to help you recover from a workout?

I remember the one to lose weight, V8. I'm not a big fan of the V8.

COSTELLO: No.

JERAS: Submit your answers online at CNN.com/daybreak -- Carol.

COSTELLO: And, of course, we'll find out the winner tomorrow.

A quick travel forecast before you go, Jacqui.

(WEATHER REPORT)

COSTELLO: From the Time Warner Center in New York, I'm Carol Costello. "AMERICAN MORNING" starts right now.

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