Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Newsroom
Oklahoma City Flash Floods; 20 Confirmed Dead in Arkansas Flood; Up Close in the Gulf; Putting More Pressure on BP; Seeking Personal Stories; Cancer Survivors Skip Treatment; Oklahoma Flooding
Aired June 14, 2010 - 12:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: And hello again, everyone. I'm Tony Harris. Top of the hour here in the CNN NEWSROOM where anything can happen.
A flash flooding nightmare. Right now people are trapped inside cars on rain swollen roads in Oklahoma. Some are getting rescued, as you see here. Others are hoping for help soon.
So let's do this -- let's get started with our developing story.
Let's get you to meteorologist Jacqui Jeras.
And Jacqui, talk us through this and the system that brought all of this rain.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. We've been seeing training thunderstorms all morning long. This really began about 2:00 in the morning, and it's been raining steady ever since, with just torrential downpours. We have seen as much as nine inches of rain now in northern parts of Oklahoma City.
The best news I can tell you, fresh information this hour, is take a look at this radar. It's still rather heavy on the northeast side of Oklahoma City, but this looks like this is going to be the end the next 30 to 60 minutes of the heavy rainfall. Some intermittent spotty showers yet this afternoon, but we think the worst will be over with the downpours.
Now, want to show you some of the numbers that we have been seeing to help you put this into perspective.
Edmond, Oklahoma, more than 9.5 inches of rainfall. Here's Oklahoma City, about 5.5. We had about three inches and Guthrie. And in Norman, Oklahoma, on the south side of town, you barely had a half of an inch of rain.
So, this was a very localized area on the north side of town. This has been causing an incredible number of road closures and blockages in the downtown area, all across the City. And even throughout the County, especially north of town.
This is traffic.com, and it's showing us here, on Interstate 35 northbound, that is closed at both directions at US 62 and 23rd Street, due to the flooding. And we're seeing situations like this all over Oklahoma City because of those roads getting just covered in water.
There's the radar, estimating to show you in relation to the City where the worst of the rainfall has been, and that's that six inches. So, it's just been an incredible amount of rain in a very short period of time. And the City just can't even keep up with it.
We've had a number of rescues taking place. City officials are telling you to stay home because it's not safe to get out there. You never know how much water is actually covering that roadway.
And really telling in some of those pictures, Tony, where the firefighters were standing in ankle deep, and that car was almost all the way up to the window. So, this will continue to be a problem, because even after the rain stops, Tony, we're going continue to see those smaller rivers and creeks still go up before it starts to recede. But I would say by 4:00 tonight, that water is going to be down in most of these areas, and we'll see a much better situation.
HARRIS: Can't get the 4P (ph) fast enough, Jacqui. Just can't.
JERAS: I know.
HARRIS: That is a lot of water.
Let's do this -- let's talk to Matt Stillwell. He is joining us on the phone. He is the emergency manager director in Edmond, Oklahoma.
And Matt, Jacqui just told us all that you've got about nine inches of rain on the ground that you're dealing with right now.
First of all, is it still raining?
MATT STILLWELL, EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT DIRECTOR, EDMOND, OKLAHOMA: Well, it slowed down a little bit here just north of the metro, although we're anticipating a little bit more rain, a little bit of a pickup in the steadiness of the rainfall, anyway.
HARRIS: So, Matt, what are the issues Edmond is dealing with? What are some of those issues right now?
STILLWELL: Well, mainly a lot of road closures, a lot of moving water, a lot of people that are trapped in their vehicles. We have several homes that have had to be evacuated. In partnership with the Red Cross, we've opened up a temporary shelter so folks can kind of dry off a little bit and gather their thoughts together and figure out what the next step is going to be.
We do anticipate to be working this issue this issue all afternoon, until this rain stops. We'll probably see a little bit of an increase of floodwaters after the rain stops, and then hopefully later this afternoon, we'll see some water recede. And we'll be in a better position to mitigate our circumstance at that point.
HARRIS: Areas -- it would help us in our mapping of this story. Areas of real concern right now in Edmond? STILLWELL: Low-lying areas. We have a lake here in town where we have a lot of campers that are located. We've gone ahead and moved them to higher ground. So, anybody that's in a low-lying area.
Any puddles that are out there, if folks are driving, they just need to stop. The pictures that you're showing and the pictures that we're seeing all over the place on the Internet show, once you drive into these areas, you're going to stop. So -- and be stuck and have to be rescued.
So, we're really telling folks at this point, stay home unless you absolutely have to get out. It's almost impossible to get from any point A to point B at this point.
HARRIS: Virtually impossible for first responders, as well?
STILLWELL: It has certainly slowed us down, but we have been able to get out to every scene that we have needed to.
HARRIS: How many people have you either evacuated or rescued at this point?
STILLWELL: All I can say is it's a large number. We don't have any count in at this point.
We're really in that -- in the phase of responding and helping folks out. So, we haven't been able to step back and really count things out at this point. And we anticipate that we're going to be in a position where we need to keep responding here for the next several hours.
HARRIS: OK.
Matt Stillwell is the director of Emergency Management for Edmond, Oklahoma.
Matt, appreciate it. Thanks for your time.
STILLWELL: You're welcome.
HARRIS: The flash flooding in Oklahoma has caught drivers by surprise. That's what flash flooding does. A few minutes ago we saw emergency crews rescue two people who had been trapped for about an hour in their virtually submerged car.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The window would be -- and the door handle -- I can tell you, the rain continues to pick up, which is just making this even more difficult. We had about an hour where the rain had kind of let up a little bit, and now we're seeing the boat back away from this car.
So, you have to believe at this point that they have managed to get the folks out of the car. They are turning armed. They're going to bring them right back the way they came. So, let's stay with this picture live. You can see there is at least one extra person in that boat.
Look at the current, just making it that much more difficult for this boat to make its way back up here to where rescue crews are waiting to make sure those folks are OK.
You seeing this OK, Paul?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We've got it. And look how fast that water is moving in to shove that boat all over place.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, it's shoving right into the side there. And something was hitting on the side.
So, it's a dangerous situation for the firefighters. So glad, though, that they got this person out of that car. I can't imagine being in there for two, upwards of two hours.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sir, you were in that car. Are you OK?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I'm fine.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just want to make sure you're OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He doesn't want to talk on camera, which is completely understandable. But there he is. He's being whisked away. It's the gentleman there in the purple shirt.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: OK. And I've got to tell you, rescuers are telling us that this is happening all over the City, and that even interstates have been shut down right now.
We're going to do this -- shift change in the Severe Weather Center. We're going to welcome in Bonnie Schneider in just a couple of minutes, and we will get the very latest information on this story in Oklahoma City, and expanded beyond Oklahoma City, into the wider area of Oklahoma County.
We'll take a break right now.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Let's take a look at these pictures here from Oklahoma City and the wider Oklahoma County area.
It is flooding, flash flooding. Anywhere from two to six inches of rain in a three-hour period has really done a job on Oklahoma City, and it has left many people stranded in their vehicles.
There is some talk of particular pockets of residential areas needing to be evacuated. That is still the decision that has yet to be made in some areas. We're keeping an eye on that part of the story, as well, particularly Ski Island, which is a densely-populated residential area in the Oklahoma City area.
This is a rescue from earlier, actually taking place at Memorial and Pennsylvania Avenues. That couple rescued from their vehicle. And eventually, we will loop in pictures of another rescue.
This is Hefner (ph), Hefner (ph) Road and Suner (ph). There was a white Impala there that was stuck because the Harrison Creek bridged its banks and essentially wiped out Hefner (ph) Road.
There was a gentleman in that vehicle for two-and-a-half hours until he was finally rescued a short time ago. He looks to be in good shape. Didn't want to talk to the reporter who had been covering this story for most of that time period. Clearly, just wanted to get to an area where he could get dry and -- but he's in good shape after two- and-a-half hours stuck in his vehicle.
We're hearing from a spokesman from Oklahoma Gas and Electric. Tim Hartley (ph) is his name, and we may be talking to him shortly.
As many as 4,000 customers are without power right now, some in some small scattered neighborhoods, and then in a wider area, as well. Tim Hartley (ph) telling us that he believes an entire substation, maybe two, are off line right now.
High water is so widespread, according to Tim, that Oklahoma Gas and Electric is seeing flooding in areas that they are just absolutely not used to seeing flooding in. So, this is a real problem right now. It continues to be.
According to Jacqui Jeras in our Severe Weather Center, the rain is expected to taper off about 4:00 p.m. local time there, so that might be the only break.
And take a look at the imagery now. You can see how widespread this area of rain is, and then the heavier rain, as well.
We're going to get to Bonnie Schneider in just a couple of minutes, and she can update us on the situation in Oklahoma City and wider Oklahoma County.
Got to tell you -- it is certainly related to this flooding story -- we learned just a few minutes ago that a 20th death has been confirmed in the flooding of that campsite in Arkansas, but there are survivor stories, amazing survivor stories. One man wasn't leaving until he had saved his mother and his nephew, Terry Whatley. And he is joing us right now, along with his brother, Matt, who alerted other campers about the rising water.
Terry, Matt, good to see you both.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thanks.
HARRIS: It must be pretty harrowing to see these pictures out of Oklahoma. You were in a similar situation dealing with flash flooding just a few days ago.
Terry, let me start with you.
The flash flooding has often been described as a wall of water descending on that campsite. Were you sleeping at the time? And how did you become aware of the flooding? Was it something that you heard or something that you felt?
TERRY WHATLEY, ARKANSAS CAMPSITE SURVIVOR: That is correct. We were sleeping at the time. My mother, my nephew and myself were in a camper, and our friends that were camped next to us began knocking on our door about 3:00. And I opened the door up, and we had water.
Water was about ankle-deep at the time. And I told my mom and my nephew just to stay, and I was going run up the hill real quick to get our truck.
And by time I made it to the road, it was already knee-deep and it was moving pretty quick. So, at the time, I made the decision I wasn't going to make it to my truck, so I went back to get them.
My son, Matt, was on other side of the river. His tent was sitting right behind us, and I was trying to get him out of there because I thought that's where he was. And when I realized he wasn't, by that time the water had really risen pretty high. And I grabbed my mother and my nephew, and my little sister was also with us, and she began trying to get us all across the road to higher ground.
HARRIS: Yes.
And Matt, what was the experience like for you? Were you asleep? And what woke you?
MATT WHATLEY, ARKANSAS CAMPSITE SURVIVOR: I was actually awake. I was on the other side of the river, out on a porch, just hanging out with some buddies, and gradually just watched the river rise.
And as it came up closer and closer to the cabin, I told my best friend -- I said, "It's time to get out of here." And so we just ended up jetting out, getting up to higher ground, and got the people we had with us up there.
Got up there, and then just realized that we needed to get down there and start getting people out of those cabins that were down there at the time. And so it was just an adrenaline rush. Got down to those cabins and started getting people out.
HARRIS: Wow.
Terry, back to you for a second. We've heard terms like "rugged" and "remote" used to describe this area.
How would you describe the camp grounds, and what is the attraction for you, your family and friends?
T. WHATLEY: That's correct. We have camped there for -- I've camped there for 44 years. And you see the tragedy unfold on the news right now, and it's horrible, it's horrific. But for those that have camped there for years like we have, it's an amazing place.
It's pristine. The river is just crystal clear. We sit out on the river and have a great time.
We have accumulated friends over the past years from New Orleans that we have camped with, from northwestern Arkansas. And every year we plan our vacation together.
And it's just so surreal. It's just an amazing place to go. And, you know, we go there every year. We all plan our vacations together.
HARRIS: Yes.
T. WHATLEY: And this is a great time for us. The people that we see only once a year, we don't just consider them best friends, but we consider them family.
HARRIS: Got one more quick question for you.
Our understanding is that part of the attraction of this location is its remoteness and how beautiful it is.
T. WHATLEY: That is absolutely correct.
HARRIS: So, Terry, here is my question. Would you be willing to trade some of that isolation for, say, a cell phone tower that could be used to call for help or to receive warnings? Because that was part of the issue here. You couldn't get information to folks, and folks couldn't get calls out to say, hey, look, we're in trouble, we need help here.
T. WHATLEY: That's true. You know, while I don't want to point fingers at anybody, I mean, it was a tragedy. But I will say this -- they've made a lot of improvements to some of the park.
Personally, the people that I camp with, we like it as it is. So, I guess that I would say that it would be great, because we have to drive outside of the park about 10 miles to call relatives.
You know, my wife -- and I'm thanking God every day that she wasn't there. This is one of first years that she was not able to come with us. And every evening I drove out of camp about 10 to 12 miles where I could talk with her.
So, you know, I think that would be a great thing, because I do think that if we would have had cell phone service, some of us could have heard. But, you know, again, on top of that, I don't think anything anybody could have done could have gotten us out of that park.
HARRIS: I think you're right, Terry. I think you're right.
Appreciate it. Terry, Matt, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.
M. WHATLEY: Thank you.
HARRIS: And we know you lost some friends, and we -- our condolences.
T. WHATLEY: Thanks.
M. WHATLEY: Thank you.
HARRIS: Let's get back to the story we have been following for the last, oh, 90 minutes or so. And that is the flooding in Oklahoma City and Oklahoma County.
We've got new pictures, is my understanding. OK. Here -- wow.
And there you go. A vehicle almost completely submerged, right? What's left of that?
And more pictures here. Let's just watch these pictures together. That gives you a sense, right, of just how high the water is, just how much flooding, how extensive it is, and how dangerous it is to even think about driving under these conditions with this kind of a warning out.
All right. Let's take a break. Bonnie Schneider joins us on the other side.
You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: And back to our breaking news story, our severe weather story. And, boy, it is just that, a severe weather story with a real impact on a lot of lives in Oklahoma City right now.
Take a look at the new pictures. We're double-checking this. We believe these are pictures from Oklahoma City.
Is that correct?
OK. All right.
Pictures from Oklahoma City, Bonnie.
Again, just how much water we're dealing with.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: That's right.
HARRIS: If you would, walk us through this storm, the training effect of the system. It is a similar pattern that we saw last week that impacted Arkansas.
SCHNEIDER: And before that, Texas, last Sunday.
HARRIS: And Texas before that.
SCHNEIDER: Right. This is -- what happened was, we had a storm system that tapped into tropical moisture. So that really got it going, and that's why we saw a lot of rain coming through Texas and then eventually Arkansas.
But here's what's happening in Oklahoma City.
The rain is training. And I want to just make sure that you understand what training means.
It means as if you had trains on a railroad track that keep going around and around. That means we see rain in the same place over and over again.
Let's zoom into this area here, tightly, just for a moment. And you can see that what we're looking at is definitely some wet conditions that will continue across a good portion of Oklahoma City.
Now, here, this area right here, Edmond, just to the north of the city, this is where we saw the most intense rainfall, nine inches or more since the storm began at 2:00 in the morning. So, imagine if you're just heading out to work in the morning at 6:00 or 7:00, maybe it's raining, don't think it's going to be that bad, but it doesn't stop and it keeps going over the same places again and again. And even looking at the radar picture right now, it is still raining.
And I want to show you that as we advance the picture on a wider scale, we're looking at widespread rain, not just across Oklahoma, but well into areas of southern Kansas and areas to the north, including Tulsa getting hit with this rain. And it's not even that we're seeing such intense thunderstorms. What we're seeing is, again, the same effect over and over again.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HARRIS: Bonnie, appreciate it.
SCHNEIDER: Sure.
HARRIS: Day 56 of the Gulf oil disaster. You know, it is one thing to see the images on television. Quite another to see the devastation in person.
Just ask actor, singer, activist Gloria Reuben. She is back from a tour of the Louisiana coast with the National wildlife Federation.
Gloria, good to see you. Thanks for your time.
GLORIA REUBEN, ACTOR, ACTIVIST: Thanks, Tony. Nice to see you.
HARRIS: Hey, you know, when you were there in the Gulf, in the waters of the Gulf, describe it for us. What did you see? We've got some pictures to help here, but I want your words, as well.
REUBEN: Well, you know, it's very much similar to what you just said, seeing it on camera is thing, but being there in person and being able to smell it, and being able to literally taste it in the back of your throat is one thing -- is another thing. It just makes it much more deeper, profound and a much more long-lasting impact. I have to say that I liken it to -- or I parallel it to the experience of going to West Virginia and witnessing first hand mountaintop removal coal mining, the same kind of devastation to the environment and in these communities from another fossil fuel industry.
HARRIS: That's interesting.
If you would, describe -- you mentioned tasting it, smelling it. What does it smell like?
REUBEN: Yes.
HARRIS: What does it taste like?
REUBEN: It tastes -- it literally burns in the back of your throat. And it burned in the nasal passages, also.
So, finally, when we were out there, literally floating on this sea of oil, we finally put on these respirators so we could frankly try to breathe clean air. It was devastating to again not just see this first hand, but to also hear about the people in the community, the fishermen in particular, who had been out there for weeks beforehand with no respirators. And as we all know, they finally were brought back and given a couple days off so that they could, you know, be treated with medical care.
So, it's clearly -- we know what's going on environmentally. We know what's going on with the destruction of the marshlands. We know what's happening in these communities.
And I think that the one -- frankly, the only good thing that can come about from this disaster, the only thing, would be for us to, as a nation -- and clearly, we're learning more about the regulations that oil and coal have been violating, safety and environmental regulations. But we're also learning more about what we can do to be more efficient at home environmentally, to be more energy efficient in our businesses. And long term, we have to look towards how we are going to pass comprehensive climate and energy legislation so that we can move away from these fossil fuels.
HARRIS: So, Gloria, as you know --
REUBEN: That's the only good thing that can come from this.
HARRIS: Yes. You know the president is back in the region today.
REUBEN: Yes.
HARRIS: What do you think of the president's handling of this issue so far?
REUBEN: Yes. Well, I have to say that I've been very hopeful, particularly recently, because of how President Obama has almost taken a verbal vow to work with whomever it is that he needs to work with, Republican or Democrat, to make sure that we pass this comprehensive legislation.
It's good for the American people to see him on the ground again, and as with everything, it's always wonderful to see our leader interacting with people from the communities that are most heavily impacted from this disaster. So, I really commend him for stepping up and for wanting to do what's ever necessary, again, to pass legislation so that we can move beyond this.
It's -- we will never forget this. Anybody that has been watching this on any network, anybody that's been down there, will never forget this. Clearly, those communities will be dealing with this for, you know, perhaps decades to come.
HARRIS: I've got one more here. And it's kind of tricky, but I'm going to ask it anyway.
What do we really know about the short-and-long-term success of animal cleanup efforts? I mean, for example, do oil-impacted birds go on to live their life expectancy? I mean, the argument that we're starting to hear now is that in many cases, it would be better to euthanize some of these animals.
Do you have a view on this?
REUBEN: You know, my viewpoint on that is a couple of things. Clearly, we don't know --
HARRIS: Yes.
REUBEN: -- officially how we can save this wildlife. It's heartbreaking to even think about having to euthanize them, of course.
And even in addition to that, we don't know the wildlife that we -- we have no idea how many birds and fish, et cetera, have died that we haven't seen. So this is a complex situation.
And in terms of the wildlife, of course everybody wants to do what we can to be able to save the ones that we can. And for the long term, be able to try to protect the very delicate breeding grounds for future, you know, wildlife.
But, again, we -- I think it's important to look long term at what this disaster means and how things have been piling up recently with the coal mine disaster in early April, and then the Horizon rig just over two weeks after that. We're talking about flash floods that have been happening in Oklahoma and Arkansas and in Texas, and severe storms that, you know, all of these things are combined with the global issue of climate change.
And these fossil fuel industries are heavily impacting this global crisis. So as a nation, again, it's time for us to move forward and to move beyond these fossil fuels. And sadly, it often takes a disaster like this in order for us to take action. But I believe it's coming now, and I know -- HARRIS: But the other side of that, as you know, Gloria, is that until we do, we need these industries. And, you know, these are sectors that employ people, that keep this economy going, so you just can't -- you've got to do it --
REUBEN: No, it's no light switch.
HARRIS: Yes, OK.
REUBEN: The stages need to be taken, no question. Of course. I'm just saying that the direction that we need to move forward in for jobs and for our health and for the environment and for these communities --
HARRIS: Yes.
REUBEN: -- long term, is in that direction. So, you know, obviously we all feel a great deal for the families that have been impacted by the loss of lives, no question, and the communities that are financially impacted for a long time.
HARRIS: Gloria, it's good to see you. Good to see you.
REUBEN: Nice to see you also.
HARRIS: And thanks for your time.
REUBEN: Of course. Thank you.
HARRIS: Gloria Reuben.
We're going to check in with our CNN crews stationed along the Gulf. Ali Velshi is on the CNN Express talking to people impacted by the oil disaster, and Chris Lawrence in New Orleans.
There is Ali. We'll talk to Ali in just a couple of minutes.
Good to see you, Doc.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: Day 56 of the oil catastrophe in the Gulf, and President Obama is on his fourth trip to the disaster zone. The president arrived in Gulfport, Mississippi, last hour. He will get an update on BP's new plan to reduce the amount of oil spewing into the Gulf. Details now from CNN's Chris Lawrence.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Coast Guard told BP, hurry it up, and the company has delivered a new plan to capture oil spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. It includes more back-up systems to account for mechanical failures and hurricane season. BP is also mobilizing ships in South America and Europe, and now expects to accelerate its oil collection operation by two weeks. BP had hoped to capture 2 million gallons of oil a day by mid July. Now they're saying they can get to that number by the end of June.
The government estimates anywhere from 900,000 to 1.7 million gallons are gushing into the Gulf every day. It told BP to deploy pressure sensors to get a more specific number. On Sunday, the company used remote-controlled robots to position those sensors inside the containment cap itself. But a BP official told us it will take a few days to know if they're sending better information. Quote, "it's a complex operation. And how effective it will be, we don't know. It's not as if they'll plug these sensors in and get readings rights away."
BP says it's capturing 600,000 gallons every day. And starting Tuesday, plans to rejigger that "top kill" system. Now, it didn't work when the ship was pumping mud down to plug the leak. but now the same pipes will suck up oil, and BP claims it can contain another 400,000 gallons a day.
The system can't capture enough oil, so other ships are skimming it off the surface. But as they head toward one beach, the constantly shifting oil slick splashes into another, so the Coast Guard commanded other a change in strategy, skimmers need to get further off shore to collect the oil that's not being captured above the well.
ADM. THAD ALLEN, NATIONAL INCIDENT COMMANDER: What we're finding out is, we're getting to a point where we fight this war between the shore and the offshore well where the oil's starting maybe 50 miles off the coast.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
LAWRENCE: Admiral Thad Allen updated the situation just recently. He says now the goal by the end of the week is to be capturing about 1.1 million gallons of oil every day. The problem is, nobody knows what that means. Is it most of the oil? Is it half the oil? Until those sensors start getting a more accurate read, we don't know.
Tony.
HARRIS: We just don't know. All right, Chris Lawrence for us.
Chris, thank you.
Our Ali Velshi is also traveling to the Gulf region aboard the CNN Express. Ali joining us now from Mobile, Alabama.
And, Ali, look, I love what you're doing here. Frankly, it's what we try to do with our two hours, focus on real people. And that's what you're doing, talking to people, families, businesses impacted by this disaster.
ALI VELSHI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, you know, Tony, you and I have been covering this for, well, the whole time that it's been happening.
HARRIS: Yes.
VELSHI: And there -- the story's got a few levels. And the one that Chris is talking about, capturing the oil, BP's responsibility, dealing with the on-shore appearance of oil. You can't see it in the shot, but a few miles out from me is a barrier island. There's a remarkable sanctuary there with pelicans on it. The oil has reached that point. Between that island and here there are booms. All the boats that should be here are gone. Some of them are helping with the clean-up. But they're preparing for oil to hit where we are in Mobile very shortly.
But the other part of the story, the reason I'm here with the CNN Express, Tony, is we're going to find out about those people whose income has been affected by this oil disaster. How that's affecting them and how that's affecting the very fragile economy in this area. Because when they're not making money, they're also not spending.
As you know, we're five years out from Hurricane Katrina. Some of these communities are still recovering. So we're trying to get the stories from real people, and we've got a lot of them, Tony. We'll be bringing them to you over the course of the next few days. And I'm going to be doing my show from here to tell you how people are affected.
Tony.
HARRIS: Can't wait. Good stuff, Ali, appreciate it. Thank you. And we'll see you at the top of the hour.
President Obama addresses the nation about the Gulf oil disaster. He will make a statement from the Oval Office tomorrow night. Live coverage on CNN at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: The Gulf oil disaster is front and center with President Obama. Right now he is in Mississippi, checking on the damage there. He will also be visiting Alabama and Florida. Tomorrow night, he will address the nation. CNN will carry it live at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
In other top stories for you, Peruvian police released more of Joran van der Sloot's confession. They say he told them he elbowed Stephany Flores Ramirez in the face, then strangled and suffocated her. His lawyer is trying to get the confession thrown out, saying van der Sloot did not have proper legal representation at the time.
And Jimmy Dean has died at the age of 81. He was named to the Country Music Hall of Fame in February. He earned even more fame and fortune when he began pitching his breakfast sausages.
These pictures -- take a look here -- from Oklahoma City, first of all. And they came to us from KWTV about, what, 10 minutes ago. Vehicles all but submerged. All of this water. This is Pennsylvania Avenue near Memorial. We're going to talk to Emily Wood. She is the reporter on scene for KWTV in just a couple of minutes. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HARRIS: Wow, this is amazing and a scary statistic. Two million cancer survivors in the U.S. have delayed or skipped medical treatment because the cost is too high. That is according to a new study in the journal of cancer. Our senior medical correspondent, Elizabeth Cohen, is here.
Well, that can't be a good thing here. And what does this mean for your long-term health?
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: No, it's not a good thing for your long-term health. I mean we all need check-ups and follow-up care and whatnot no matter what.
HARRIS: Absolutely.
COHEN: But if you've had cancer, it's especially important. And what they found in this study is when they asked cancer survivors, are you getting the kinds of follow-up care you ought to have, and they gave details, 17.6 percent of them said no.
HARRIS: Yes.
COHEN: And it's things like not getting the prescription drugs they're supposed to get, not getting the dental care they're supposed to get, mental health care, all of that, 17.6 percent, no.
HARRIS: Well, help me here. Let's drill down on this. Does age matter? Does whether or not a person has health insurance, does that matter here? Does that factor in?
COHEN: Age matters because of the insurance.
HARRIS: Yes, yes, yes.
COHEN: So you nailed it in two different places.
HARRIS: Yes, OK.
COHEN: So if people were over age 65 in this study, much more likely to get the care they need, because people over age 65 in this country have Medicare, by definition. So the folks who weren't getting the care they were supposed to get were more likely to be under 65 and uninsured.
HARRIS: OK. We -- I do. I know I ask this question of you all of the time in this health arena, race. And I'm wondering if race plays a role in this at all.
COHEN: Like many things in medicine, race --
HARRIS: Disparities. We know that there are disparities.
COHEN: Yes. And there's disparities here. The folks who didn't get the follow-up care they were supposed to need after cancer were more likely to be African-American and more likely to be Hispanic, again, because those groups are less likely to have insurance. HARRIS: Where do you go if you need some help here?
COHEN: All right. Well, you know, here at the "Empowered Patient," we are all about giving solutions, not just talking about problems.
HARRIS: I love when you do this, yes.
COHEN: So you've got to have solutions. Cnn.com/empoweredpatients. You will see dozens of links, help for people with cancer, including financial assistance. Cnn.com/empoweredpatient.
HARRIS: Terrific stuff. Good information, as always. Good to see you, Elizabeth. Thank you.
When we come back, we will update the Oklahoma flooding story. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: You know what, we're going to take a look at these pictures together here. Seeing them for the first time myself here. This looks like another rescue that is under way. This tape is just coming to us from a short time ago. And so maybe the rescue is complete. But this is a different scene than we have seen to this point.
OK, great, these are live pictures now. And this is a different scene than we've seen to this point. We have seen roads washed out. We have seen rescues of people who have been trapped in their vehicles. But this is a residential neighborhood, as you can clearly see for yourself here. You don't need me to point that out to you. But look at how the streets are essentially gone. So you're using rafts and boats to get in there. And look at how high the water is on these homes right now. Halfway up a garage there, you can see.
So we've got a rescue going on right now. Live pictures for you. And they're shoving the boat out. We've got the people obviously in the boat. So at least at this point, it looks like we can count that as a successful rescue.
We have had rescues in our two hours of at least three people that we have watched ourselves. A couple in one vehicle and then a single individual in another vehicle, the white Impala that we have been following for most of the morning. And let's listen to a bit of the play by play going on right now.
MASON DUNN, KWTV HELICOPTER PILOT: The water is still up to the top of the garage doors here. You can see firefighters had to rescue a couple of children from a house here. And right now you can see a lot of the homes are flooded. The cars are under water. This is just one neighborhood of three out here, Ed. We're just showing you one right now. We'll switch to another one. But right now you can see firefighters out here in the neighborhoods. There is a creek that runs through here. Obviously it has overflowed. But right now I see a lot of people being rescued by boats. People walking in the water. This and that. So right now we're going to turn around. This is 178th and Western North in Edmond and it looks like they've got an air boat going down Western right now to a car. So we'll switch over to that. So go ahead and zoom out and up to the right there on Western, Greg Blackwood (ph). And you can see they're using an air boat there, checking this car out that has -- is stranded.
Go ahead and go to the right in the water there, Greg. You can see an air boat coming around here. Keep you on to the right. But, Ed, right now this is 178th and Western. You can see the air boat right there. I think they're checking this car. I don't know if anybody is in it or not. It looks like there is.
HARRIS: Wow.
DUNN: As we are going to come around here. I'm going to turn around to the right here, Greg Blackwood, if you can hold your shot. But --
HARRIS: And for all of you watching us at home, as we watch these pictures provided to us from KWTV, we're going to grab our Bonnie Snyder here, too, as we look at this extreme flooding in Oklahoma. This is actually video coming to us from Edmond, Oklahoma. And we've got someone who is being extricated from their vehicle onto the air boat now. So at least at this moment we can chalk that up as another successful rescue.
And this is a scene, honestly, that we have been seeing play out for the last almost two hours. Two plus hours now. We'll come back in just a moment. OK, we've got the live pictures back of this rescue using an air boat to get this person to higher ground. But as you take a look at this picture, this shot is actually panning to the left now, and you will see for yourself just how much water there is in this area.
Bonnie Snyder joining me now. And we are talking about an enormous amount of water here in Edmond. I think I heard it was either you or Jacqui Jeras mentioned as many as nine inches of rain in Edmond, Oklahoma.
BONNIE SNYDER, AMS METEOROLOGIST: That's right, over nine inches, Tony.
HARRIS: Over nine inches.
SNYDER: Yes. So, with that much rain, and it starting at 2:00 in the morning, there's -- most of it's happening while people are sleeping. So imagine if you're just heading out at 6:00 or 7:00 in the morning, you don't think it's going to be that bad, because a lot of this was coming in as moderate to heavy rain. It wasn't necessarily what we'd see, let's see, in Florida or, you know, where you're getting like --
HARRIS: So wide open, torrential downpour, where you get this huge cloud burst and you've got to stop because you can't see.
SNYDER: Right. But then what happens is, it stops for a little bit and maybe dwindles to more of a moderate rain. So I think that's what caught a lot of people off guard. But, remember, at its peak, this storm was producing rainfall rates of between two and three inches per hour. You can see some people on inner tubes.
HARRIS: Look at this.
SNYDER: Wow.
HARRIS: Look at this.
SNYDER: And look how red and brown the water is.
HARRIS: Yes.
SNYDER: That's what the earth is like in that part of the country.
HARRIS: Nice red clay. Sure. Sure. Yes.
SNYDER: Yes. So --
HARRIS: And look at how high the water is on these homes. To the tops of garages now.
SNYDER: Right. We're not even looking at homes that are necessarily all one level. These could be two, three-level homes.
HARRIS: Look at this. Look at this. And you've got -- there was just no way of knowing at this point how many people, how many homes are impacted by all of this -- by all of this rain.
SNYDER: No. It's been over a widespread area. We've been able to show some of the street closures that have occurred in downtown Oklahoma City. But where Edmond is located, it's north of the city. So --
HARRIS: Yes.
SNYDER: You know, a lot of these roads might even be smaller roads that haven't been listed as a closure.
HARRIS: Yes. And that's not -- look, you've got to do what you've got to do, obviously, to get out of harm's way here, but that's not the best thing to do, which is to walk through that at this point.
SNYDER: No. No.
HARRIS: We've got all kinds of reports -- I thought I had a number here somewhere -- of up to 4,000 homes without power right now. Oklahoma Gas and Electric talking about at least one, maybe two transformers out. We don't know what the power situation is. That was just in Oklahoma City. We don't know what the power situation is like in Edmond, where these pictures are coming from. And maybe that's it. That's what you do right now. You just sort of -- you sit out in your yard and you wait for help to arrive.
SNYDER: Well, when you're looking at this -- there's somebody waving for help.
HARRIS: Yes. Yes.
SNYDER: You can see, you know, the driveways on the incline going up. And then usually the streets are sloped kind of, so you have the highest point in the center, so the water runs off.
HARRIS: Sure.
SNYDER: But what happens when there's too much water and it starts running up into people's homes, which is what we're seeing here? And you can see that depending on where you are on the street, if you're at a higher point or a lower point, you're either completely flooded out or just now the water's coming up.
HARRIS: Sure.
SNYDER: But that -- I just want to also mention, when you get flooding like this, Tony, you get a strong current of water --
HARRIS: Yes.
SNYDER: Because it's kind of trying to balance itself out and that force of the water also makes it so dangerous.
HARRIS: Look, and this -- what's the forecast here? Is the forecast for this rain to continue on and off, intermittent, hit or miss? More cloud bursts? More flash flooding? For how much longer here?
SNYDER: It's going to continue for the next few hours. I was looking ahead. We still have the chance for rain straight through the afternoon. That's why the flash flood advisories continue through the day. So I can't rule out that we're not going to get another burst of heavy rain. We've seen a lot of rain work its way through Oklahoma City. And we have a loop running on radar where a lot of it is actually pushing more towards the Tulsa area, further north and east. But remember, this system has been so slow-moving, that it may still drizzle, it may still rain into the evening hours.
I can tell you, looking ahead, we just looked ahead to tomorrow.
HARRIS: You did? OK.
SNYDER: It's a much better picture for tomorrow. But when the water is this high, it just cannot go anywhere. There's nowhere for it to go.
HARRIS: Well, I'm just wondering if my understanding and listening to the helicopter reporter is that this residential neighborhood is very near a creek.
SNYDER: Right. HARRIS: And I'm just wondering, at some point, if you are living somewhere near a creek, with the forecast that you've just described, if it wouldn't be pretty good policy to move on.
Let's listen in to some of the coverage here from KWTV.
DUNN: Probably three or four since we've been here in the last few minutes. And there's several neighborhoods out here. The one they -- there's another neighborhood in the northeast corner, 178th and Western, that is under water. And they're still doing rescues over there as I look out my window. So right now, Ed, this is just one area where we've got a lot to cover here coming up shortly.
HARRIS: All right. Bonnie, I just asked you to walk over to the severe weather center and maybe give us a look at some of the mapping here. Maybe we can squeeze this, talk to Bonnie as well, as you take a look at that amazing shot of that neighborhood right now, just inundated with water.
SNYDER: That's right. And, you know, we've just -- we've been looking at the rain. Here's a closer look. Here's Edmond. And that's the area we're talking about that's received the most rain, over nine inches, just north of Oklahoma City. And the problem is, there's still pockets of rain in Chickasha and areas along -- further to the south that will work their way through.
Now, they're not as intense as the heaviest rain that we've seen so far, but our computer projections are forecasting possibly up to two inches of rain over the next 48 hours. So we could see more amounts. It may be over a more elongated period, but that steady flow of rain, whether it's a quick burst or a moderate rainfall, nothing is going to help at this point until it dries out.
HARRIS: All right. And let's take these pictures full again. I just think this is amazing. It's like it's the Red River. But, no, I mean, obviously, that's just the red clay. And there is another -- what is that, one of those jet skis? That's what it looks like, anyway. And maybe that's -- wow.
All right. So rescues happening all over the place here. We've got to get to a quick break because we've got to get to Ali Velshi from along the Gulf Coast at the top of the hour. A quick break and we're back in a moment. You're in the CNN NEWSROOM.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HARRIS: OK. Let's keep it going. This man's show is stacked. CNN NEWSROOM continues right now with Ali Velshi.
