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Wild Fires Threaten Thousands of Homes in Southern California; Three Boaters Rescued After Week-Long Ordeal; Did Britain Exchange Terrorist for Oil Deal?

Aired August 30, 2009 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: 20,000 acres have burned and 10,000 homes are in danger. The latest on Southern California's savage wildfires.

And a terrifying ordeal ends with a joyous reunion. Three boaters are rescued after a week-long ordeal.

And did Britain give up a terrorist to cash in on an oil deal? A British newspaper report touches off a furor.

You're in the CNN NEWSROOM, where the news unfolds live this Sunday, August 30th. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

The perfect storm of fuel, weather and topography. That's what they are saying about the huge wildfires burning in central and southern California. One of them has blackened more than 20,000 acres so far. It's only about five percent contained and it threatens 10,000 homes in Los Angeles County. Southern California officials have issued a smoke advisory, urging people to remain indoors, and avoid strenuous activity.

Randi Jorgensen is a fire information officer for the US Forest Service. She is joining now by phone from Arcadia, California. So, Randy, give me an idea, how contained, how out of control is this fire?

RANDI JORGENSEN, US FOREST SERVICE: Good morning. It is pretty out of control. We only have five percent containment. The fire has grown since yesterday afternoon to this morning, from 20,000 to over 35,000 acres. We lost two to three dozen recreational cabins up in the National Forest during the day yesterday.

We've been very fortunate that, with all the efforts of the Unified Command, with Los Angeles County and the U.S. Forest Service, and the other municipal cities in our area, all working together, we have not lost any homes along the front country, which is the areas such as Altadina, Taonga, Sundland, all those very highly populated areas on the south side of the forest.

WHITFIELD: So you mentioned all these agencies working together. In what way? By air, on the ground; what's the strategy?

JORGENSEN: Yes to all of the above. Right now, this fire's different. It's not what we typically get. It is not a wind-driven fire. The fire, because it is very hot conditions out here -- it's been over 100 every day -- because of very, very low humidity, the fire is moving on all fronts. And so it's taken a huge group of individuals and folks and organizations working together on -- miles apart, trying to fight this fire both on the ground and in the air.

WHITFIELD: And what may have sparked this blaze?

JORGENSEN: That will be under investigation. As soon as they do find that out, they will release that information.

WHITFIELD: Do you have an idea of the concentrated area where it may have begun?

JORGENSEN: I don't have that information available to me at this time. I think that they're just releasing it. It's under investigation. They've not released a source site.

WHITFIELD: OK. Randi Jorgensen, thanks so much, public information officer with the U.S. Forest Service. Thanks for your time, and all of the best in battling that blaze.

All right, mandatory evacuations remain in effect in many southern California locations, including neighborhoods in Pasadena. You can see the flames in the mountains above the Rose Bowl in this photograph right here, sent by i-Reporter Tammy Alstralind (ph). She says she was simply amazed by the orange glow in the sky. Pretty extraordinary image there.

Jacqui Jeras is keeping on eye on developments in southern California. She's in the CNN Weather Center. This is pretty frightening. You heard from Randi there. She's talking about being very dry, low humidity, not helping at all.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGISTS: No, it's certainly not. Though the wind, as she mentioned, so far hasn't been too terrible. But it's a little bit different today. Here are the basics that you need to know, in terms of how the weather is impacting it; relative humidity between five and ten percent. Just to put it in to perspective for you, the humidity has to be less than 30 percent in order to be considered critical. So we are way beyond that.

Temperatures in the upper 90s to low triple digits. Winds only about ten miles per hour, but we're starting to get some gusts today around 35 miles per hour, expecting that to increase in the afternoon.

Now some of the problems that we're going to have as a result of that is that we think we're going to be seeing some spotting. What spotting is is that the winds will blow some of these embers as far away as a quarter of a mile from where the main fire line is, and start all these new spot fires all over the place. And the problem with that is that it makes it really hard for firefighters, because they're working in one area and, all of the sudden, they have to come over here.

The other thing today, we think, is we're going to start to see some of these winds start to push things up slope just a little bit. And there you can see how steep this terrain is. And as fires begin to move up a slope, instead of down a slope, they can actually accelerate it. You can actually cut off a little bit of the oxygen. So we may see additional advancement as a result of this today.

One of the areas being threatened -- by the way, about 50 square miles now have been burned. Let's go ahead and take this full, so you can get a better shot of it. This is the tower cam off the observatory at Mt. Wilson, at UCLA. And there you can see those communication towers. Those are being threatened, as well as the observatory itself, not to mention the 10,000 homes across the area.

And look at the smoke. Look at the visibility. And look at the haze. It's really dangerous to be outside, because of the visibility and the ash and all of the other issues in the air as a result of that. I just want to take you one more map, and just show you some of the conditions, kind of a little sampling across the area, and put some of our true viewers on this for you.

There you can see, we can grab the temperatures and give you an idea, a little closer to the area -- there you can see Glendale, which is nearby, about 92 degrees over there in Pomona, well into the 90s as well. We're in the late morning hours. We're going to be heating up into the triple digits.

A little bit of cooling in the forecast, Fredricka. We think that's going to happen by the middle of the week. But the best thing we can say is that even though the winds are a little gustier today, we're not expecting any big Santa Ana wind-driven events.

WHITFIELD: That will be nice to cool down, because, for the fire fighters, in particular, wearing your apparatus and dealing with triple-digit temperature, pretty unbearable.

JERAS" Absolutely.

WHITFIELD: Jacqui Jeras, appreciate that.

Now on to an amazing story of survival; three boaters lost at sea for more than a week have been rescued in the Gulf of Mexico. The three, Curtis Hall, James Phillips and Tressel Hawkins, were found about 180 miles off the Texas coast. The crew of a good samaritan vessel discovered the men late yesterday, perched on top of their capsized 23-foot boat.

We're going to be talking to Tressel Hawkins coming up at the bottom of the hour. Look forward to hearing about that survival story.

And new developments in a mass killing in south Georgia. Police were alerted to this mobile home near Brunswick, Georgia, by a 911 call yesterday. Inside were seven people dead. Another two were critically wounded. Police aren't saying how the victims died. Autopsies are being conducted.

A day after the discovery, police are still releasing very few details. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A peek into Phillip Garrido's backyard, a tent and a small compound hidden in the trees. Authorities say Jaycee Dugard was held captive here for 18 years. Mike Rogers owns a house that sits up against Garrido's backyard.

He says, in the last three years, he often heard men partying in the backyard, where Dugard and her two daughters were held captive.

MIKE ROGERS, NEIGHBOR: They were partying next door, drinking and carrying on. And there would be a bunch of guys back there. They always had a bonfire going on. And they'd be high-fiving each other, just going crazy back there. It was crazy.

LAVANDERA: He never saw the young girls. But now he's disgusted to think about what might have been happening. Roger says he's told investigators about what he saw, but still hasn't been formally interviewed.

Meanwhile, investigators continue searching inside Garrido's property, while Garrido and his wife, Nancy, remain locked up, facing almost 30 felony charges, including kidnapping and rape. Both have pleaded not guilty to the crimes.

Police say they are also looking into whether Garrido was connected to a series of murders in 1990. The mother of one of those victims says she has been told by police that they're looking into whether Garrido is the killer.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hope that it's true. I hope that it's true, and I -- there's three other gals that were murdered at the same time as my daughter. And I hope that it was him that did all of them. They'll put him away for life.

LAVANDERA: From what we've been able to learn, it doesn't appear Garrido kept Dugard and the young daughters hidden all the time. We've spoken with neighbors and several of Garrido's business associates who say they often saw the young women.

Garrido operated a printing company, making business cards. Some of his customers say Jaycee was the creative force behind the business. Neighbors described Phillip Garrido as creepy, someone who had become a religious zealot, yet loved music, often singing in his front yard.

But those neighbors, many who refused to speak with us on camera, say Nancy Garrido acted like a brainwashed wife who rarely spoke to anyone.

(on camera): Late Saturday afternoon, investigators expanded the crime scene of Phillip Garrido's house to include a neighboring home. But what that means isn't exactly clear, as investigators have refused to answer any more questions about the case.

Ed Lavandera, CNN, Antioch, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: And more now on this bizarre story. A gathering on Lake Tahoe has been taking place this weekend, rejoicing in the discovery of Jaycee Dugard, that blond, blue eyed 11-year-old girl at one time, kidnapped in broad daylight. That was 18 years ago, as you heard Ed explaining. Police say that she was held as a prisoner and raped by her alleged abductor, who is now in jail. And over the years, the community of South Lake Tahoe never forgot the little girl who loved the color pink.

That's why a local woman says South Lake Tahoe is blooming again, this time in pink balloons and ribbons, celebrating a life returned.

Along with the celebration, there are still a lot of questions. What has Jaycee Dugard's life actually been like in the past 18 years? CNN's Dan Simon is in Antioch, California, where Jaycee was held and was also discovered. And also uncovered, Dan, some e-mails that she allegedly sent to a businessman who was working with her alleged captor. We're talking about that business card operation that was being operated out of the home.

So, Dan, I want to read one of the e-mails that apparently has been obtained here. This one about Garrido's printing business saying, "I can get the brochures to you pretty fast within the week of final approval of the brochures. How many are you going to order and do you want them on glossy or matte paper, thick or thin?"

So give me an idea what investigators are making of this very, I guess, nebulous kind of conversation. It doesn't at all sound like somebody who is being held against her will, but that she's involved very willingly in this business.

DAN SIMON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Right, Fred. Here's the bottom line, psychological experts will no doubt be debating why Jaycee Dugard never attempted to escape. But it's becoming increasingly clear that there were opportunities for her to get some help. She had access to a computer, an e-mail, and a telephone, and at least on a few occasions met privately -- met privately with a customer right here outside of her house.

One guy who met with her described her as intelligent, articulate. She was a graphic designer, did her job very well. I want you to listen now to Ben Daughdrill. He communicated with Jaycee Dugard regularly over the course of about the last three years. Listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: In your dealings with her through e-mail and talking to her on the phone, what was she like?

BEN DAUGHDRILL, MET DUGARD DURING CAPTIVITY: Very professional, very nice. You know, she spoke well, didn't -- seem to be pretty good at her art work, because obviously we used the business for six years. I get the impression that it was always her, just because she was the one that knew how to do the artwork, how to do the proofs, how to give us what we wanted.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SIMON: So while it's clear that authorities are still looking into the conditions in which Jaycee Dugard was held captive, I think it's safe to say that at least over the course of the last few years, if she wanted to reach out for help, she could have, given the fact there was this meeting with this customer of hers. She had, again, access to a telephone, and a computer, Fred.

So it's just one more bizarre dimension into this case.

WHITFIELD: Dan, at the Garrido house, what kind of activity has been taking place there today?

SIMON: Well, there's actually getting some news here shortly. Behind me you can see some cameras lined up for what I believe is going to be a news conference. Over the course of the last few days, authorities were out here conducting another search of this house. Officially, they're saying that they're looking to see if the suspect in this case, Phil Garrido, had any involvement with other crimes in this area, including a series of high-profile murders of prostitutes that took place in the 1990s.

Just a short time ago, we saw investigators bring out two very large brown bags of what appeared to be evidence. No word in terms of what some of the evidence might be or what specifically led them out here again to search this property for alleged involvement in other crimes.

But again, what we are told is that authorities will be making some kind of statement here this afternoon in Antioch.

WHITFIELD: Dan Simon, thanks so much. Appreciate that update.

Meantime, in the nation's capital, Senator Ted Kennedy has been laid to rest, right across the Potomac at Arlington National Cemetery. The private burial service started late yesterday. And much of it actually ended up taking place in darkness.

Kennedy's grandchildren spoke. And Cardinal Theodore McCarrick read a letter the senator had actually recently written to Pope Benedict, asking for his prayers. A funeral mass was held earlier in the day in Boston. President Obama eulogized the senator as a kind and tender hero.

The Lockerbie bomber's release from prison has generated its share of outrage. Now a report on why he might have been released could make that outrage boil over.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: After a long investigation, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been indicted on corruption charges. Those charges include double billing government agencies for travel expenses, and taking bribes from an American businessman. The investigation forced Olmert to step down as prime minister earlier this year. But the allegations date back to earlier years, when he was mayor of Jerusalem and a cabinet minister. Olmert says he's confident that his name will be cleared.

A suicide bomber has killed at least 18 police officers in Pakistan's Swat Valley. At least a dozen other police were wound. The attacker jumped over a wall at a compound where new recruits were training. Pakistan's army said last month that it had taken back control of the valley from the Taliban.

There is new fuel for the already intense controversy over convicted Lockerbie bomber Abdel Basset al-Megrahi. A British newspaper report out today linked the decision to release him to an oil exploration agreement between Britain and Libya. CNN's Phil Black has the latest from London. Phil, explain this link.

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, this is complicated. It's not a smoking gun, but it certainly adds further fuel to the already existing suspicion that Libya had been using al Megrahi's freedom as a bargaining chip in broader trade talks with Britain. That suspicion exists strongly here. This is being seen as further evidence to support that.

The "Sunday Times" newspaper has reported that an agreement with British Petroleum Company, BP, to explore oil and gas reserves within Libya was only ratified by Libya's government after the British government agreed that a prisoner transfer deal between the two countries would not exclude al Megrahi.

The British government had pushed for him not to be eligible as part of any deal that would allow him to be transferred back home to serve out time there. In the end, the British government relented, saying it did so as part of a broader trade negotiations, or broader negotiations between the two countries, aimed at normalizing relationships between them.

Now this is where it gets complicated, because, in the end, al Megrahi was not released under this transfer deal. He was eligible for it. He applied. But as according to the deal, the Scottish government was allowed to reject that deal, and it did so. Instead, he was released on compassionate grounds.

For this reason the British government today rejected these allegations very strongly. Let's hear now from the British Justice Minister, Jack Straw, in response to today's report in the "Sunday Times."

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JACK STRAW, BRITISH JUSTICE MINISTER: I have no power to do a deal and to say to the Libyans, "well, we'll do a deal with you on oil and we'll give you a nod and a wink about the release of Mr. Megrahi," because that was not within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom government. Even had it been we would never have struck that kind of deal.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BLACK: The Scottish government also insists that oil, trade, international politics, none of these things had anything to do with this decision to release Megrahi. It insists that that decision was made in the interests of justice, and compassion only. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, Phil Black, thanks so much. Appreciate that.

All right, political shock waves in Asia now, we'll show you why Japanese voters have toppled a dynasty.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: As California's wildfires gain more ground, officials have issued a smoke advisory warning for southern California. They say the air near la Canada, Flintridge is unhealthy, bordering on hazardous; 10,000 homes are at risk from the flames.

And police say one person is in custody so far in connection with seven deaths in southeast Georgia. The bodies were discovered yesterday in a mobile home in Brunswick. Two survivors are in critical condition.

And about 20 police officers are combing the home of Phillip and Nancy Garrido in Antioch, California today. They are accused of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard in 1991, and holding her for 18 years. Investigators are trying to determine if the Garridos are linked to more crimes.

(WEATHER REPORT)

WHITFIELD: The Tea Party Express, a caravan of health reform opponents making stops across the U.S. So what about reform don't they like? They'll tell us in a live report.

And if you don't pay the piper in New Jersey, get ready to pay the consequences.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Health care reform was a top priority of the late Senator Ted Kennedy, but another Massachusetts senator, John Kerry, says Kennedy was a pragmatist. He says Kennedy would opt for a compromise if that's what it takes to get a bill passed.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. JOHN KERRY (D), MASSACHUSETTS: He would fight for it, and he'd do everything in his power to get it, just like he did for the minimum age and like he did for children's health care. But if he didn't see the ability to be able to get it done, he would not throw the baby out with the bath water. He would not say no to anything, because we have to reduce the cost; we have to make these changes. And he would find the best way for it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WHITFIELD: Another key senator in the debate, and close friend of Kennedy's, Republican Orrin Hatch, also appeared on the program. He said that there's no disagreement between the two parties over reforming health care, but he said Americans don't want a government- run system.

Voicing their opposition to health care reform, riders on the so- called Tea Party Express; it's a caravan of activists driving across the country. Right now, they're in Nevada. That's where we also find CNN's Jim Spellman. How is the turnout?

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Just wrapping up the National Anthem here. One second.

OK. We're in Ely, Nevada. There's a couple dozen people.

WHITFIELD: That's a long note.

SPELLMAN: Yes.

WHITFIELD: All right, we like that.

SPELLMAN: So we're here in Ely, Nevada. There's a few dozen people here turning out, some people still arriving. This is the fifth stop of the Tea Party Express, as they make their way toward Washington, D.C., for what they hope is going to be a big rally on September 12th.

People here for a lot of different reasons. Some people the main issue is health care, the topics du jour. Some people it's the big bailout plan. But tying just about everybody together is a pretty serious dislike of President Obama, and the way his administration's been going.

Here's what some people told me at events yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I believe he's trouncing the constitution, and taking control of our country's in a direction we don't want.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They want to make us a socialist state.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We're the sleeping giant that has been awakened. And we're the silent majority that is no longer silent.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think we're not an unruly mob. I think most of us are just average citizens. And we're trying to make a difference. And we're trying to make our feelings known.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

SPELLMAN: What the organizers really hope to do is take this grassroots energy and take it up to another level, and get some real political action. It's not really easy. One of the things this group doesn't have at the moment is a leader. And it's hard to see what who might emerge as a leader to do that. But they hope with this story, they might get some energy going in that direction.

Next stop later today is Las Vegas, Nevada.

WHITFIELD: OK, and the expectations once in Vegas, in terms of crowds?

SPELLMAN: Well, it's a holiday Monday. They hope there's going to be a big crowd, but they really don't have any firm ideas of how many people are going to show up to these. There have been some were I think they've been a little surprised to have about 500 people at some events. And so they're taking it day by day.

WHITFIELD: All right, Jim Spellman, thanks so much. Appreciate it. Enjoy the ride to Vegas from Ely, Nevada.

GOP lawmakers in South Carolina are sounding off about their embattled governor. At a caucus this weekend, they blasted Republican Mark Sanford for his extramarital affair and controversial travel expenses. But lawmakers decided not to take any action to force him from office before January, when the legislature resumes.

And they say they'll wait until a state ethics investigation is complete before considering whether to pursue impeachment proceedings.

High hopes for democracy in Afghanistan have turned to frustration. It's been ten days now since the presidential election, and claims of fraud are multiplying. CNN's Atia Abawi joins us now from Kabul.

With allegations flying over election fraud, what is the latest with the results? Are there any? Is there any compiling of results thus far?

ATIA ABAWI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well right now, 35 percent of all the ballots in the country have been tallied. President Hamid Karzai, the incumbent, in the lead with 46 percent of that. And his rival, Dr. Abdullah Abdullah, with 31 percent.

But as you said, this election has been marred with fraud. The Electoral Complaints Commission already receiving over 2,000 complaints, nearly 600 of them so strong considered priority A, meaning that it's so strong that it actually could affect the outcome of the elections.

The question here is why is that important? Why is it important to the Afghan people? Why is it important to the international and American community?

Let's start with the Afghan people. The reason is matters to them is it's been eight years. They're already disenchanted by their government. They don't believe in the political system. But we still saw millions of people go out to the polls. But if they see that a government is put into place by fraud, they will turn away from the government, even more than they already have.

We might be seeing more Afghans actually going to criminal elements, whether it be warlords or even the insurgency.

And the reason it matters to the Americans, particularly the American government, is because they want to prove to the people back home, to the Congress back home, as to why they need to stay in Afghanistan. It has been eight years. People are frustrated. They're tired of seeing more Americans dying, day by day, especially the deadliest summer since the war began here.

But they have to prove to Congress -- they need to prove to the American people why they need more troops, why they need more money, and why they need more time in Afghanistan. But when you have an election won by fraud, the credibility is lost and the credibility is lost among the Afghans and the international community.

Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: Atia Abawi, from Afghanistan, thanks for that.

A huge change in the political landscape of America's key ally in Asia. Japan's ruling party has conceded a crushing defeat. The prime minister has also announced his resignation as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party.

CNN's Kyung Lah is in Tokyo with more on this historic election.

KYUNG LAH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It appears to be a landslide for the opposition party here in Japan on this election day. A new political party appears to be taking the reigns from the ruling party.

According to our affiliate, TV Asahi, the opposition is winning three to one in Japan's parliament. It is a stunning defeat, because it is by such a wide margin, but also because the ruling party, the incumbent party in this case, has been in control of Japanese politics since 1955, for the entire time, except for ten months in 1993 to 1994.

So what was the big game changer? Voter frustration over some domestic scandals, but also the economy. The global economic slowdown has been very tough for the world's second largest economy. Japan has been struggling to come out of this economic slowdown.

The opposition party has been touting an Obama-style message of change. And it has really caught on with frustrated voters. The opposition saying that it plans to put cash into the hands of middle class families, into workers' hands, also helping to fund social programs like child care. And it has really caught on with voters.

So Japan now counting the votes overnight, and expecting by morning time it will be waking up to a new political day.

Kyung Lah, CNN, Tokyo.

WHITFIELD: The future of the Kennedy home in Hyannisport -- the place has been the center of the Kennedy universe for so long. Could it be turned into a place that you can visit?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: All right, we're now on those three boaters rescued after being lost at sea for more than a week. Joining me now is one of the rescued boaters, Tressel Hawkins. Good to see you. Congratulations, a big phew, huh?

TRESSEL HAWKINS, RESCUED BOATER: Yes, thank you so much. It's nice to be here.

WHITFIELD: How do you feel after a week floating around, bobbing around, hanging on to your catamaran, right?

HAWKINS: Yes. Actually, it feels great to be on solid ground, actually, and just trying to recuperate. It's been one ordeal I'm just trying to, you know, decipher, try to decide what happened, good or bad, and just try put it all back, and go from there, I guess grow from there actually.

WHITFIELD: Let's say it's good because you're here, able to tell me about this. But let's begin with the beginning. What happened? You and your buddies were going out, what, to sail or to fish? And something happened?

HAWKINS: Yes, we were actually trying to go out and catch swordfish and marlin. And so we decided to go 100 miles south from Matagora, which is an oil rig called Tequila. And we made it down there, good timing and everything, had a good time, set up camp. And we were ready to fish Saturday morning.

And during that night, I guess it was around 11:00, 11:30, the water extractor on one of the side of the pontoons was not extracting water, as we were sleeping.

WHITFIELD: Oh, boy.

HAWKINS: It became a rude awakening when I was moving around on the bean bag and it started floating out from up under me. And I really didn't think anything of it, because I thought, you know, I was on a boat and it's just shaking around. But once I put my leg down and the water actually reached up to my knee, I kind of just jumped up and tried to wake everybody else up.

By that time, the water level had gotten, you know, pretty serious in there. So we were trying to extract the water.

WHITFIELD: Wait. It's very dark at this point. You are trying to wake them up verbally. How are you getting each other's attention? And how do you have the wherewithal to keep in contact with each other, because now you have to figure out how to keep each other alive in all of this?

HAWKINS: Right. After yelling and screaming and everybody, you know, awake and aware of what's going on, we tried to extract the water out as fast as we could. And once we tried to start the boat up and move it, have the water surge out the back -- and in just like, I mean, five seconds, it just started tilting and just rolled right over.

And that was it. We jumped ship. And next thing we know, everything was floating in the water. And we were just trying to salvage what we could and go from there.

WHITFIELD: What were you saying to one another? Were you talking about, you know, how was anybody going to know where we are? I mean, how do we -- what kind of signals can we give? You've lost everything with your capsizing, right?

HAWKINS: Exactly, and that was one of the things, because we had, you know, communication equipment, and, you know, weather equipment and things of that nature. So everybody would have assumed that we had time to make a distress call. But in actuality, it happened so fast, the boat turned over on us, and we jumped out one side of the boat, rolled over to the other side; and we were pretty much holding on to each other and just trying to, you know, collect ourselves. Because at that time, I mean, we were just trying to wake up, trying to figure out what happened, and then how it happened so quickly.

And so we're just trying to get each other calm, and try to get as much stuff as we could, because we knew automatically it would be a survival test.

WHITFIELD: Wow. Morning comes, nightfall again, morning, nightfall again; this goes on now for a week. What you didn't know is that there were teams out there looking for you. And just this past Friday, the Coast Guard actually called off the search, saying this is futile. We can't find them. And out of nowhere, then what happens?

HAWKINS: I don't know where -- a guy named Eddie Yonklin (ph) had -- was bringing a boat back. He was traveling I think it was from Florida, back to Texas. And he was bringing his boat back to the house, and we were actually on the last oil rig that was out. I believe he told me it was 220 miles south. So we were an extra 120 miles south of where we should have been.

And we kind of flagged him down. It took awhile for to us catch his attention.

WHITFIELD: I'm sure you couldn't believe your eyes.

HAWKINS: Yes, we were all crying, celebrating. And I mean, if the TV was right there when he pulled up in front of us, it was just amazing how we just -- I mean we had -- he to actually let us stay on the boat, because he was scared. We were just hugging each other, and you know, just -- we've been through so much of an ordeal that we were celebrating before we even got on his boat.

It's kind of like we were on our own schedule even though we were ready to get off this boat. But it was amazing. And he's a real good guy and took care of us well, really well. WHITFIELD: Wow. Well, that vessel and that crew of the Affordable Fantasy, thank goodness they came around when they did, and really did kind of deliver upon your dreams of finally getting rescued. So glad that you and your buddies were found safe and well. You look well.

HAWKINS: I try to.

WHITFIELD: You survived quite an ordeal over a week's time. Tressel Hawkins, thank you for your story.

HAWKINS: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: Congrats on your survival story.

HAWKINS: All right, thank you.

WHITFIELD: Well, we have found more proof of the power of music. We found it in New Orleans, a town that knows a thing or two about jazz and blues, a program there designed to help at-risk young people. It has really taken off.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: In New Orleans, a special program for budding musicians. It began as a way to keep kids off the streets. Well now, it's blossomed into a year-round music haven. And I recently traveled there to see how one man is helping the next generation hit the right notes.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD (voice-over): The powerful booming reach of Rebirth, one of the most popular brass bands in New Orleans, just got bigger. A year ago, I told you about how hard members of this nine-piece ensemble work to return home to this city and their most loyal fans, after Hurricane Katrina scattered everyone across the country.

For drummer Derrick Tabb, their gift of music needed to reach another audience, one with an even greater hunger to fill.

DERRICK TABB, FOUNDER, THE ROOTS OF MUSIC: Music really saved me from a lot of stuff going on in the street. And I figured I could do the same thing with a lot of other kids.

WHITFIELD: He came up with an idea.

TABB: I modelled it after my junior high band director.

WHITFIELD: Offer kids ages nine to 14 a chance to learn music for free.

TABB: We didn't advertise, nothing, just word of mouth.

WHITFIELD: No strings attached, no instruments needed, just bring yourself. TABB: I called it the No Excuse Process. I'd give them a bus. I'd give them the transportation. I'd give them the instruments. I'd give them the food. I'd give them the tutors. I give them the teachers. You have no excuse why you're not here.

WHITFIELD: At first, 42 kids showed up.

TABB: In a week and a half, we had 65, 70 kids.

WHITFIELD: A year later?

TABB: Like about 100 kids in the program right now still, and 400 almost still on the waiting list.

WHITFIELD: A year-round music education program for at least three hours a day, five days a week, known as the Roots of Music, fueled by donations, volunteers, and lots of love.

For kids like nine-year-old Jeremiah Russell, who first picked up a trumpet just seven months ago, even riding the program bus 20 minutes is an exercise in discipline. His mother sees the transformation.

CONNIE RUSSELL, JEREMIAH's MOTHER: Ever since he's been in the band he's been a much better child academically, as well as his behavior, better.

WHITFIELD (on camera): How has Jeremiah changed over the last few months because of this?

JEREMIAH RUSSELL, BAND MEMBER: Because they taught me how to behave and how to sit down and listen to the teachers and stuff.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They actually learn how to do music and you can take that forward in school and everyday life.

WHITFIELD (voice-over): Thirteen-year-old Briana Smith was bringing home Fs from school. Clarinet now has her hitting higher notes and better grades.

BRIANA SMITH, BAND MEMBER: What keeps me coming is that I know that by me playing in the band, I have fun doing it.

WHITFIELD: Fun isn't just here, but here, too.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Okay, ten to the second power.

WHITFIELD: Program co-founder Allison Reinhardt helps make even math something to smile about.

ALLISON REINHARDT, CO-FOUNDER, ROOTS OF MUSIC: All of our kids have gone up a letter grade in mathematics and language arts.

WHITFIELD: A success rate worth bragging.

TABB: Like one kid who came here, who wasn't really interested, and it changed his mind. He's actually my band captain right now. He's the number one kid in my program.

WHITFIELD: That would be tuba player Terrance Knockum, who loves the lesson he's now teaching other kids.

TERRANCE KNOCKUM, BAND MEMBER: Just keep doing a new thing, and good will happen to you.

WHITFIELD: This 15-year-old, about to graduate from the program, has big plans. Just like Roots of Music founder Derrick Tabb, play in his school band, before one day earning a spot in a big band, like Rebirth, on a big stage.

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WHITFIELD: And in the past year, kids from the Roots of Music have already marched in five Mardi Gras Parades, the New Orleans Jazz Fest, and other Louisiana festivals.

So if you don't pay the piper in New Jersey, right now get ready to pay the consequences.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: Time is running out for thousands of New Jersey property owners who haven't paid their water bills. The city of Newark plans to start shutting off water tomorrow. The first round will target 1,600 of the worst offenders. Officials say unpaid bills total about 29 million dollars. Critics say the shutoffs will penalize innocent tenants whose landlords haven't paid their bills.

Xavier University in Cincinnati is racing to contain an outbreak of the H1N1 virus. At least 70 students have reported flu-like symptoms after confirming seven cases of Swine Flu. The university says it stopped testing and started treating. The school has canceled or rescheduled several large group events, but it is still open.

If you have questions about the H1N1 virus, send them to me. We're going to be getting answers to your questions next Saturday at 4:00 Eastern time. You can send your questions on Facebook at Fredricka Whitfield CNN. You can also send me an e-mail at Weekends@CNN.com. Or send an i-Report. You can also phone in your questions. So here is the phone number right here, 877-742-5760. All your questions about the H1N1 virus answered.

All right, the latest on the California wildfires at 4:00 p.m. Eastern today. "YOUR MONEY" starts right now.