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Troops Killed by Afghan Pilot; Tornado Kills 246 in Alabama; Beatification of John Paul II; Alabama, Mississippi Residents Begin Clean Up After Devastating Tornadoes
Aired April 30, 2011 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: To Dover Air Force base in Delaware now. Early this morning, the remains of eight Air Force personnel killed Wednesday in Afghanistan returned to the United States. The wife of one slain officer said it was important for her to just be nearby when her husband's casket arrived.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUZANNA AUSBORN, HUSBAND KILLED WEDNESDAY IN AFGHANISTAN: I wanted to come to Dover last night to see my husband. Or feel his presence one last time. I wanted to salute him one last time. I wanted - what I really wanted was for it to be a mistake and for them to say, "No, that's not your husband there, sorry. Let's undo this." But that didn't happen. And so as we got closer to his casket coming off the airplane, reality set in that really, it's him. He's never coming back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: The eight airmen and an American contractor died Wednesday when an Afghan military pilot opened fire inside the Kabul International Airport. Chris Lawrence is in Washington with us right now. So Chris, what more do we know about the investigation as to how the shooting took place?
CHRIS LAWRENCE, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Fredricka. I think, you know, that sound bite really just shows the brutality of attacks like this. And the repercussions for the families back home. And right now, NATO is in the middle of an investigation to find out how this happened. Bottom line, you had eight air force trainers in a room with an American contractor and an Afghan air force official who they were working with. And then something happened.
This Afghan officer who apparently had two guns, opened fire on the Americans. Now, it's believed at least one of the Americans may have shot back because we know that the Afghan man was wounded in that room. And there was a trail of blood leading outside of the room. And he later died elsewhere in the building, but the key is going to be finding out exactly why this happened.
Right now, they're not ruling out any link to the Taliban, but they say right now, there's no information or evidence to suggest he was affiliated with the Taliban and it may simply be an isolated incident. But also, they want to answer the question of exactly how with these Americans all being armed, did he all of a sudden open fire and was able to kill all of them in that room?
WHITFIELD: And what about claim of responsibility?
LAWRENCE: The Taliban immediately claimed responsibility for this, Fredricka, but they do that all the time. They will take credit for attacks that they had nothing to do with as sort of propaganda purposes. So although they say they take credit for it, right now, NATO is saying there's no real evidence at all to link this man to the Taliban.
WHITFIELD: All right. Chris Lawrence, thanks so much, in Washington. Appreciate that.
LAWRENCE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: On to the other big story we continue to follow this weekend. Those incredible storms that swept through six states in the south. This is Forestdale, Alabama, just outside Birmingham. Not much left standing there. CNN has confirmed the death toll from Wednesday's outbreak of tornadoes has reached 337 across those six states.
Let's get straight to Rob Marciano. He's in the hard hit city of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. And you also spent some time with the search and rescue crews earlier in the Birmingham area. Do these crews kind of, have they lost hope that they would find survivors and at this point, it's mostly a recovery mission?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: You know, they don't like to say that, but you can see it in their eyes at this point, yesterday, there were no survivors found in rubble. Certainly, they were still recovering, and today, they continue to do that. Normally, a search and rescue operation for a tornado would be done by now.
But this storm system or series of storms was so vast and so huge, and took up so much real estate and demolished so many homes, they've just got a lot to cover. So this is day three. We're probably going to day four. You know, just like what we see in catastrophes that are either earthquakes or like Katrina, they'll go up to a home like this and they'll mark it with an x. The top will be the date that they investigated it. The bottom zero means that there were no victims found in there. If there were somebody found deceased, they would mark it as such. If there's some sort of toxic fluid in there, a fuel of some sort, a dangerous liquid, they would mark that as well.
What we're seeing now is a lot of cleanup effort. That is leading to some injuries related to the cleanup efforts. When you try to cut this tree in half with, say, a chain saw, that can lead to an injury if you don't know what you're doing. So we're hearing a lot about things like that. The strength of the storm, Fredricka, you know, yesterday, I spent some time with the National Weather Service.
They have an entire team that are tackling the storms to try to figure out just how strong they were, how long on the ground they were, and what was their width. They brought in a couple of specialists, one of which I spent some time with, and the one that went through here, they're still working on it, such a long damage path. The damage path is over 80 miles. At one point, 1.5 miles wide.
Right now, they think it was at least an EF-4 tornado with winds of at least 160 miles an hour. When you look around here certainly in Tuscaloosa, that is evident. When we look in Birmingham, I certainly saw that sort of debris and damage, and certainly in Pleasant Grove which is where we were earlier today with that search and rescue crew, and where we were yesterday talking to survivors, no doubt in my mind the winds were at least 165 miles an hour.
And what sets this apart from all the other storms that we have covered is that this is not the only spot. This scene is echoed throughout the southeast across several states, and that is just frightening. Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Yes. It certainly is. Rob Marciano. Thanks so much. Appreciate that.
Also in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, yesterday, President Barack Obama. The president walked through street after street of homes simply reduced to rubble. Cars flipped, crushed, all of that. Same thing you have seen just about everywhere across these southern states. The president did however promise to get federal aid to the victims quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We can't bring those who have been lost back. You know, they're alongside god at this point, but the property damage which is obviously extensive, that's something that we can do something about.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Today, the president signed a disaster declarations for Georgia and Mississippi. The move will get federal disaster aid quickly to tornado damaged areas in both states. The president has already signed a disaster order for Alabama.
All right. Take a look at this now, this map showing how the tornadoes slammed across the southern states, clustered right there to kind of create this pattern of destruction. Those markers there, we know at least one EF-5 touched down in Smithville, Mississippi. And much of that town was destroyed.
Meteorologist Alexandra Steele looking at the big picture for us now.
It is incredible, especially when you see those markers like that to see, you know, the length of this destruction and all that was touched by the string of tornadoes.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, you just saw pictorially from Rob and the images you saw, but I want to show you what that Wednesday, that horrific Wednesday looked like on radar at the time. You can watch these storms move just north of Birmingham and of course into northwest Georgia. Now, let's talk about the bigger picture and what this means. So that was Wednesday, of course, today, the last day of April.
So in summation, what did April look like? Well, it certainly was one for the record books. 11 major severe weather events, which is an awful lot. 453 preliminary tornado reports not counting this three- day horrific event. On average April, only 163. So three times what we have seen, and we're going to add another 200 potentially from this event.
Average U.S., may, beginning tomorrow, that's the hardest-hit month. On average, 322 tornadoes compared to 163 in April. So what does this mean for May? In summation, kind of looking at April, does it mean anything for May? It really doesn't. Still, we do have the cold air to the north, the warm air to the south. So this clash of air mass is there to erupt showers, thunderstorms, and tornadoes. Severe April does not equate to a severe may.
Actually, historically, when we did have a severe April, it didn't equate to a severe May. But you know, it may, certainly, and we will certainly see tornado watches and warnings. But really the takeaway is this, it only takes one, Fredricka. So even if we see 400 tornadoes in a very remote area, that's really negligible and doesn't matter compared to if we see one in a very populated area. So the bottom line is whatever May may bring, as severe as it could be, it really only does take one.
WHITFIELD: Boy, fingers are crossed we don't see a repeat of this calamity.
STEELE: That's right.
WHITFIELD: All right. Thanks so much. Appreciate it, Alexandra.
Well, of course, to find out how you can make a difference to help the tornado victims in the south, visit our "Impact Your World" page at cnn.com/impact.
A look now at other top stories as we continue to follow for you this hour.
Towns along the Ohio and Mississippi rivers are now facing catastrophic flooding. And now the U.S. Army Corps of engineers is deciding whether to intentionally burst a levee that would flood 130,000 acres in southeastern Missouri, but it could spare a town in Illinois. We'll have more with Alexandra Steele straight ahead.
And NASA engineers are repairing the shuttle "Endeavour." A heater problem forced the delay of Friday's scheduled launch for 72 hours. The delay raises questions about whether recovering Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords will still be there to watch. Her husband is "Endeavour's" mission commander.
And the West Virginia mine where 29 workers were killed last year will be sealed. Massey Energy is scheduled to meet next week with state and federal safety regulators to discuss a plan for sealing it. The explosion at the mine was one of the country's worst mining disasters. And football fans are enjoying the third and last day of the NFL draft, but the spector of a lockout is hanging over their heads. On Friday, a federal appeals court ruled that team owners could reinstate the lockout, which was lifted by another judge. The most recent decision is only temporary until the court has time to consider the case. Owners and players disagree over how to split their $9 billion in revenue.
Pope John Paul II on the fast track to sainthood. A Chicago family is convinced that he gave them a miracle. Their story next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: After this weekend, the late Pope John II is a major step closer to sainthood, and half a world away, a family in Chicago is convinced he deserves it. They believe the Pope performed a miracle just for them.
CNN's Elizabeth Chmurak has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JOANNA LUKASIK, BELIEVE JOHN PAUL SAVED HER SON'S VISION: I was driving to hospital. I'm begging him and cry and begging him to save his vision. And that's what happened.
ELIZABETH CHMURAK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joanna Lukasik believes divine intervention from the late Pope John Paul II healed her son, Christopher. In 2007, he suffered a serious eye injury after a freak accident building shelves.
LUKASIK: Three days he was bleeding from the eye so bad, and only specialists cannot tell what happened. They say, they cannot see it, if they lost vision or not.
CHMURAK: Dr. Kirk Packo examined Christopher at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago. He says "Christopher was a hair close to being blind in that eye. The boy was hit hard enough to damage his optic fibers but not hard enough to go blind. He got really lucky."
Joanna grew up near John Paul's hometown in Poland and said that her strong cultural connection to the pontiff that gives her faith in his healing powers.
LUKASIK: I know that John Paul II did it for him. And that's right, I always in a difficult time, I'm always going to pray to him because he was the one who give me the miracle.
CHMURAK: She says the making of this miracle was three years before her son's accident. Christopher met Pope John Paul II during a youth trip to Rome in 2004.
CHRISTOPHER LUKASIK, MET JOHN PAUL II: When I actually touched his hand, I did feel something I never felt around any other human being, which in all honesty was probably my first actual spiritual experience. CHMURAK: Christopher says that experience made him realize Pope John Paul II was in the realm of a higher power. He believes this encounter could be the blessing that helped him overcome his injury.
CHRISTOPHER LUKASIK: If one person suffers trauma, another suffers trauma, one heals better than the other, it might be a physical thing or it might be, you know, something spiritual thing. Going in and actually believing in the church, I'm sure it helped me get my mind off the issues, helped my body heal more.
CHMURAK: Years after his recovery, Christopher reflects on the profound impact the Pope made on his life.
CHRISTOPHER LUKASIK: I'm really proud that he's going to be beatified, and I (INAUDIBLE) I really hope that the fact of it being such a quicker turnaround by the time he's actually turned into a saint strikes some people. Maybe they'll gain some knowledge as to what he actually did when he was alive and the good he did for the world.
CHMURAK: Elizabeth Chmurak, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right, cnn will cover the beatification of Pope John Paul II at the Vatican tomorrow morning, and Vatican analyst John Allen will join us with his insights about what's next on the process of turning the former pope into a saint. He'll join us at 2:00 Eastern time tomorrow right here on CNN.
Right now, take a look at this and listen. It is a tornado bearing down on Pigeon Forge, Tennessee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right here. Come here, hurry. See it spinning?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: That tornado tore up the town of (INAUDIBLE), Tennessee. We went there to talk to a father and son who actually rode out the storm in a ditch.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BRIAN POE, SURVIVED TORNADO IN A DITCH: At least we got each other. I was laying on the couch watching TV about asleep. And my neighbor called me, and he was in Collegedale and told me, "It's coming. Get out of the trailer. It's coming." We kind of walked out and we heard it coming. So we took off running. I said, "Tanner, I guess the safest place for us to be is over in that ditch." That was the only thing I could think of, my son, I had to save him.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You ran out here by this pole, now where? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right there. Right in there. Me and dad were hugging each other lying facedown. It was lifting us off the ground. A tree fell on us, and the wind pulled it off us. When that happened, I looked up and saw everything.
BRIAN POE: We went up on the hill to see if I could find my nephew or any of them, which they were gone. I knew it. I knew they was gone. They found his body back here in a field, and Adam's down here by the railroad tracks. Brenda back over where the car is, and her mother right down here in this ditch right here.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Well, it is a grim sign of the recovery process in the tornado ravaged town of Hackleburg, Alabama. A refrigerated truck is serving as a portable morgue. Randi Savage reports on rescue efforts on Hackleburg in about 10 minutes from now.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: All right. Let's go to the movies, shall we? This weekend, an all-star cast comes together for the latest installment of a movie based on street car racers. Movie critic Grae Drake is with movies.com. She's joining us right now from Los Angeles with today's review. Hey, how are you doing? Good to see you.
GRAE DRAKE, MOVIES.COM: Doing great. Glad to be back.
WHITFIELD: All right. So let's talk about the "Fast Five." We're Dwayne Johnson, the Rock, and Vin Diesel. Let's take - OK, that means you like it, hmm? I heard an um.
DRAKE: You're darn right you did.
WHITFIELD: OK. Let's take a quick peek at this flick.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, I see you've all met.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What's this all about?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, man, why did you drag us halfway around the world?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Because we got a job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's a stealth mission. We'll be in and out before they know we're there.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're talking about breaking into a police station.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is crazy.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is $100 million. UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You say what?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm down.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: OK. Tyrese as well. Hmm, I'm seeing the um there. OK. Right. So what do you think, you like?
DRAKE: There's a lot of that in this movie.
WHITFIELD: There's a lot of that.
DRAKE: OK. So unless you have been living in a cave with Osama, you know what to expect from the "Fast and the Furious" franchise. And that means a lot of sweaty boys wrestling. Girls in gold lame booty shorts, and more horsepower than you can shake a stick at. And let me tell you what, you got all the boys back for this one, all of your favorite characters from the first four movies, and you don't really need to know a lot about the plot of this film.
(CROSSTALK)
WHITFIELD: Because there isn't one, is that what you're telling me?
DRAKE: I'm sort of saying that. This time, they go to Brazil, and this country has not seen this much action since they perfected the bikini wax. Now, you have got a bad guy, this time played by the Joaquim de Almeida, who I like to refer to as the Portuguese Jeffrey Rush. And he's super bad, and all you need to know is that Vin Diesel and Paul Walker here with the boys and some of the girls to fight him with their big muscles and their big engines.
If you didn't like the first four, you're not going to like this one. And if you liked the first four, you're going to freak out over how ridiculous and amazing this film is.
WHITFIELD: Really? Oh my gosh. Rave reviews. That means you're giving it a fabulous grade?
DRAKE: I give it a super huge "A."
WHITFIELD: An "A"?
DRAKE: Because I really had a lot of fun. Yes, and you know what Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson is an addition to this picture and he is really fantastic. He's the perfect mix of funny and bad and just a cop, and I hope that he and I can have a lot of little pro wrestling babies turned actors.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness. OK. You know he's married?
DRAKE: Well, we'll all discuss that together. OK. You know, we'll work it out.
WHITFIELD: All righty, then. So now how about "Hoodwinked Too!" Let's take a peek at this one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hi.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You think you can deliver that basket of goodies across my bridge, do you?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Uh-huh.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, no, no, no. You did not just say that. I did not hear that. There is no way my bridge will be crossed by some (INAUDIBLE) red hooded wearing little girl. Get up out of here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Bring it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: Oh, my goodness. I was going do say, this is kind like of an ogre meets hulk, and then with her little "bring it," it's really taking me to kind of the ogre movie. OK. So this is a kids' flick but it sounds like it has a little adult humor, too.
DRAKE: It is. There were so many unanswered questions from the first "Hoodwinked" that they had to bring you another one five years later. Not really. You know what, a lot of people did, but it was very funny. This one didn't match it in its hilarity.
WHITFIELD: No.
DRAKE: But if you're a kid, you're going to think it's funny. If you're an adult that loves animation, you should probably revisit something like "Toy Story" because the happily ever after agency is back in effect, saving Hansel and Gretel from the evil witch or so they think and side note, I have not seen this many creepy kids in (INAUDIBLE). I saw the "Sound of Music."
WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Who is that voice?
DRAKE: It's nuts.
WHITFIELD: Oh, no. Who is that voice for that hulk-like ogre character?
DRAKE: You know, I don't know offhand, who the voice of the ogre is but he had a lot of attitude. He makes a brief appearance in the film and is green and amazing.
WHITFIELD: Oh. OK.
(CROSSTALK)
DRAKE: Let's get him in his own movie instead of the fourth "Hulk" movie, that would be my opinion. But anyway, if you're a child, I'm going to give the movie a "B." But if you're an adult, I'm going to say, "Go see something else and don't allow yourself to be "Hoodwinked" by this film.
WHITFIELD: OK.
DRAKE: You see what they did there.
WHITFIELD: I see. I see. Well, I do see that we got a theme going on here. It is action, just like you know, "Fast Furious" of "Five Furious" but this is action, but it's all animated.
DRAKE: Yes.
WHITFIELD: So maybe you want to go to the movies but maybe instead you want to, you know, rent something or pick up a DVD and bring it home. "The Dilemma" is one of those flicks that is now available. The "Green Hornet" out, come Tuesday between the two, do you have a favorite?
DRAKE: Well, I'm going to say that the only dilemma that that movie brings up is what you should be doing instead of watching it. So I'm going to go with "Green Hornet" because you're going to be a lot less angry paying $5 to see it. It's imperfect but I feel like it's Hollywood's way of thanking the French for the Statue of Liberty and letting one of their people direct one of our action movies.
WHITFIELD: Oh my goodness.
DRAKE: Michel Gondry directed this. And it's not really about Seth Rogen to me. It's all about J. Chou. He's so great in this movie that it makes it fun and you're going to like it eating popcorn in your jam jams (ph).
WHITFIELD: That's cute. Grae Drake, never holding back. I like that.
DRAKE: Good to be back. Good to see you.
WHITFIELD: And either you'll be getting a call from Dwayne Johnson or you'll be getting a call from his wife.
DRAKE: I welcome both.
WHITFIELD: One of the two.
DRAKE: I'll tweet my number. We'll work it out.
WHITFIELD: OK. I'm sure "The Rock" is tweeting. All right. Drae, thanks so much.
DRAKE: Thanks.
WHITFIELD: OK. Well, next weekend, we got something for you. Face- to-face with Venus Williams. We met in south Florida and talked about just about everything under the sun, including when she'll be off the injury list and back on the tennis court competitively. We also talked about her start in tennis at the tender age of four and what it was like for her. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VENUS WILLIAMS, PROFESSIONAL TENNIS PLAYER: What works with one kid won't work with another. So I was a tough kid, and very oblivious, almost, so I could deal with a lot.
WHITFIELD (on camera): What do you mean you were a tough kid?
WILLIAMS: Nothing bothered me. You know, if my dad was making us hit shots over and over and over again, you know, it wouldn't phase me. Even if it upset me, it wouldn't show.
WHITFIELD: You wouldn't yell at your dad and say -
WILLIAMS: Oh, no. I never yelled and I got over it, you know two days later. It was behind me.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: All right. Face-to-face with Venus Williams next weekend at noon Eastern time Saturday. Don't want to miss that.
We're going to get back to weather now. Threats of flooding for residents living on the banks of the Mississippi. Right after the break. And current river levels and who might be most at risk.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Back to our storm coverage. The town of Hackleburg was destroyed by this week's tornado rampage. Rescue teams have found 29 bodies and they're looking for more. They have even brought in a special refrigerator truck. Martin Savidge is in Hackleburg.
It's a grim task. And I'm sure people have a lot of mixed feelings because they may be looking for their possessions, while at the same time, there is the search for bodies, or maybe even survivors.
MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right. You know, there has been devastation, of course, in many states and in many large areas, but as someone pointed out here in Hackleburg, when a small town gets hit as badly as this small town has, it really hurts because everyone knows one another. They know everybody who is dead. They know everybody who is unaccounted for. That's why the search to find the few who are still missing is so deeply felt here.
You can take a look at the scene here. This is one you can see anywhere where there's a tornado in this vast southern part of the country that suffered so. There are people out on a Saturday and they're searching and they're coming from all over, from Michigan, from Chicago. We just talked to people.
But the story here, we spoke to Sheila Hunterman. This debris was the home of her mother-in-law. She was in the home with her mother-in- law, with her husband, and with their two children, all five of them huddled in a closet when they house, which was located 50 yards away, lifted off in the air in the tornado, flew, and then crashed and shattered right where you see all that debris. Listen to her story as she describes what that was like.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEILA HUNTERMAN, TORNADO SURVIVOR: At first it felt like if you just hooked to something and took off dragging it, the whole house. After that, it felt like being in a dryer with lots of sticks and rocks and sand in your face and your eyes. Then everything just stopped.
SAVIDGE: Did you say anything, scream anything?
HUNTERMAN: Oh, my God! Oh, my God. That's about all I could get out. And you know, hang on. Hang on.
SAVIDGE: And were you able to all hang on?
HUNTERMAN: We all did hang on. My son is two, and he did come out of the huddle, and he landed probably about 10 feet away from us, sitting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SAVIDGE: Amazing, amazing story. There were injuries. The mother- in-law has a broken back. Her husband has a broken collar bone and other injuries. And she herself has some very deep lacerations that have suffered and have had to be sewn up. That's the circumstance of her and her family's survival.
Just down the street, across the road, another family, four people in a house, every one of them died. So, it just shows you that this storm was really hit or miss whether you were going to live or whether you were going to die, but it had a phenomenal impact on a very, very small town here.
WHITFIELD: Absolutely extraordinary. Thank you so much. Marty Savidge there in Heckleburg, Alabama.
People whose homes suffered damage now face the puzzling process of trying to file claims with their insurance, and those companies have been suddenly deluged by requests. USAA, among them. They have received 6,500 claims. Paul Berry is with USAA, which insured service men and women, veterans and their families. He is joining us right now from Huntsville, Alabama.
How is it you're able to help? I see you have a big van there, A very prominent space so people know where to find you. How are you able to help them out?
PAUL BERRY, PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS, USAA: Well, how are you doing, good afternoon, Fredricka.
One of the things we can do with the van is we can set it up so people see where we are. We get on the radio, we let people know we're here. And then they show up. Today, we had more than 150 families come here to our van. And we can quickly put money into their bank account, through electronic funds transfer. We have an ATM on this van so they can get cash. Which, when there's no power anywhere like there is in Huntsville right now, that's a big deal for anybody.
And then, also for some of the kids, sometimes they lose their toys, they get thrown away, or with the debris removal. We give them a teddy bear so they can enjoy and give them hope for the next time, you know, that things start to get better for them.
WHITFIELD: You know, speaking of things that get blown away, oftentimes, everything from their driver's license to records that they own that property, all of that blown away. Tell me how you're able to match the people with the property if they come to you, and say I don't have any proof. You have to take my word for it.
BERRY: Well, at USAA we serve the military and their families. We have a very special relationship with our members, so we know, and have ways to identify them through several different means. So we can help them any way, if they have lost those records, we're here to help them. And we have quite a bit of information that can help us identify them. And help them rebuild the process of rebuilding their lives.
WHITFIELD: Got it. All right. Paul Berry with USAA. Thanks so much. Coming to us from Huntsville, Alabama. All the best and good luck in serving so many people.
Smithville, Mississippi, is picking up the pieces after getting hit by the strongest tornado recorded in the U.S. in nearly three years. That twister packed winds of 205 miles per hour. In 14 of the states, 34 deaths were recorded in Smithville. Now Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour warns of a new disaster on the way.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. HALEY BARBOUR, (R) MISSISSIPPI: Hopefully not going to have an issue in this part of the state, but over the next few weeks on the Mississippi, we're going to have what could be record levels of the Mississippi, which is going to result in flooding in a great deal of the western part of the state.
Three weeks from now, we're going to have a tremendous amount of water in places where there's never been water in my lifetime. And I'm 63 years old.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WHITFIELD: There's another weather worry, the rising Mississippi River. Residents from Ohio to Louisiana are racing against time to fill sandbags or evacuate towns along the path. The river is expected to reach record levels in some areas. Meteorologist Alexandra Steele is monitoring the current levels right now. Boy it is one after another.
ALEXANDRA STEELE, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It is. And you heard the governor of Mississippi not alone in that fight by any means.
Let's show you. These is the flood watches and warnings. Really, most interesting to note, where this bright green is, that is the flood warning. Warnings meaning, flooding is imminent or it is happening. You can see, kind of following the trajectory of the Mississippi, the Ohio, the Tennessee, all impacted with flood warnings. Again, meaning flooding is impacting and flooding is imminent. And we're seeing it. Why are we seeing it? Take a look at some of these April rain totals.
Today, the last day of April, and more rain coming. Memphis so far this month, almost 12 inches of rain, more than double the average for the month. Little Rock, Arkansas, St. Louis, Missouri, all in the same boat. All these areas really seeing double the average rain for the month.
That being said, we have a five-day forecast, and unfortunately, we have more rain. Some of the areas have seen anywhere between 8 and 10 inches of rain just in this last week alone. This is the next five days. Take a look where we have the red denoted, and then even the purple showing between 8 and 12 inches. Unfortunately, Little Rock, Memphis, and so much of Mississippi, impacted with more rain coming, so of course, therein lies the potential for flooding. Really is Flooding is the number one killer in the U.S., So nothing to really to take very lightly.
WHITFIELD: Wow. Not at all. Alexandra, thanks much.
All right, spring is known for more than just storms. It's the time for your fun in the sun as well. But too much sun without protection could be dangerous, even deadly. Do you know what percentage of melanoma cases can be attributed to UV radiation from the sun? We have choices on the screen. And in two minutes, we'll have the answer. Plus, how changes in age change the way you should be shopping for sunscreen.
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WHITFIELD: Before the break, we asked, do you know what percentage of melanoma cases can be attributed to UV radiation from the sun? The choices range from 15 percent to 90 percent. The answer - 65 percent.
So of course, we're all spending more time in the sun, which means all the more important to protect ourselves. So according to skincancer.org, one person dies every 62 minutes from melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer. Skin protection is the best way to prevent cancer and age effects our skin.
Dr. Bill Lloyd joins us now from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with this week's "Healthy Living" report.
I like that, fun in the sun. You have your Hawaiian print shirt going. And of course, you're wearing sunscreen, right?
DR. BILL LLOYD, : Of course you do. And you know, we have to be careful throughout our life because of long-term sun exposure and the damage is cumulative, that means we have to have different strategies at different times our lives to protect ourselves from all the changes that can come from long-term sun and UV. WHITFIELD: How do we go about shopping for the sunscreen? Say you're in the 30-year-old bracket. You're talking about the breakdown by age. You're in your 30s. What do you need to be looking for in choosing your sunblock?
LLOYD: Somebody in their 30s wants to stay young looking. Young people are outdoors more often and they're more likely to be more active. They're going to have to choose a sunblock that is water proof and sweat proof. In addition to lotions, think about buying creams and those new sunblock sticks, so you can apply it more carefully and evenly to the face, especially the nose and lips.
You want to apply the sun block early, 15 to 20 minutes before you go out and reapply it often. And thing about for ladies the new make-ups out there, cosmetic make-ups that have a sun protective factor as well, and everybody stay away from the tanning beds.
WHITFIELD: Oh, boy, a tough one to convince a lot of people, who do that religiously. All right, so now let's talk about if you're a little older than 30-something, maybe you're middle-aged, what do you do?
LLOYD: Once you crossover 40, you start seeing some of those changes we were talking about from life-long sun exposure, and start taking steps to try to reverse those changes. Think about a botanical sunblock. These formulas are less irritating and they're loaded with antioxidants. So they really can repair some of the damage deep within the skin. Always choose a sun block with an SPF Factor of 30 or higher, and be careful of the ingredients in your sunblock.
Like we mentioned, people in this age group are probably applying retinoids and other age defying lotions to get rid of wrinkles. That makes the skin far more vulnerable to sun. Make sure there is no Parisol or Avobenzone in your sunblocks. It will only make matters worse.
WHITFIELD: And wear a hat and sunglasses at all times. Now, say you're 50 --
LLOYD: Don't forget the hat.
WHITFIELD: Yes, I like that topper. Very stylish, Doctor Bill.
LLOYD: Very jaunty, yes?
WHITFIELD: I like it.
Say you're 50, then what do you need to be concerned about as you make a selection?
LLOYD: You have the skin damage there now. And you're probably already seeing a doctor about little patches that you may have from lifelong skin. You probably have a couple other health conditions in your medical record like diabetes or high blood pressure. So, be careful. Those other diseases, arthritis and several others can make you more prone to the sun damage. And the medications that you may be taking for other health-related problems could make your skin worse when you're exposed to the sun.
You have to check with your doctor. What is the relationship between this antibiotic and my sun exposure. Make sure if you had little patches that have been damaged and treated by the doctor, take extra care to cover them carefully when you go back outside in the sun. And, of course, limit your daily exposure. People over 50 shouldn't be out in the sun in so much. In the middle of the day, when it's at its hottest. Go inside and watch CNN.
WHITFIELD: That's right. What is this about the shot glass rule? What does that have to do with sunscreen?
LLOYD: A shot glass is 45 ml of fluid. This is how much fluid, or sunblock, you should be applying each time you put a sunscreen on.
WHITFIELD: What?
LLOYD: Most people don't put enough sunblock on.
WHITFIELD: Like your whole body or you mean, just one area?
LLOYD: Believe it or not, this is all you need to cover your sun exposed body. But people go cheap. They put a little here, put a little there, and they end up reducing that SPF benefit to maybe half of what they thought was on the bottle.
WHITFIELD: Aha! Love those tips because the sun is out, and people are out there sporting their shorts and their tank tops and like you, their beautiful shirts and hats. Oh, and the shades, too. I like it.
LLOYD: Don't forget the shades, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much. Have fun in the sun.
LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.
WHITFIELD: All right.
Slashing education funds. That's no fun. A number of states are doing it, but is it constitutional? Coming up, find out why one state is having to defend itself before its highest court.
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WHITFIELD: Across the country, governors are facing tough choices when it comes to budget cuts. But New Jersey's decision to slash more than $1 billion from education has triggered a lawsuit. CNN's Deborah Feyerick has that.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DEBORAH FEYERICK, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Kindergartner Comony Davidson is learning to read.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He got down on the ground. FEYERICK: Though she is still very young, because she lives in a high-risk neighborhood in New Jersey, educators here at PJ Hill Elementary provide a a literacy coach to make sure she doesn't fall behind.
RAYMOND BROACH, TRENTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS: It's sort of like being in a race, to assume we're all at the starting line together, it's not American even.
FEYERICK: Acting Superintendent Raymond Broach oversees the Trenton School District. It has a higher number of at-risk kids and is supposed to receive a larger share of state funding than schools in wealthier neighborhoods. Last year, the state gave him no extra budget money. Incredibly, he wishes the same were true now.
BROACH: When you have had $12 million cut from your budget, you just made that race for some learners almost next to impossible.
FEYERICK: A 2008 state law and funding formula was designed to close the learning gap between rich and poor students. First time Governor Chris Christie cut $1 million from New Jersey's education budget. At a town hall meeting he said, tough times call for tough choices.
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE, NEW JERSEY: Maybe we have to eliminate aid to all hospitals in New Jersey. I wonder how many hospitals will close, when we have to do that.
FEYERICK: The problem, the decision may be unconstitutional.
DAVID SCIARRA, EDUCATION LAW CENTER: Governors all across the country are saying the same thing, and they're wrong.
FEYERICK: David Sciarra's Education Law Center and others are suing the governor in state supreme court.
SCIARRA: It's really a matter of policy choice. It is a matter of commitment. Do we want to have strong public schools or not.
FEYERICK: The state argues courts should let the legislature decide how much money is spent. As for Superintendent Broach, his choice was to keep reading coaches. Instead, he cut nurses, social workers, substance abuse counselors, custodians, and others. His reasoning --
BROACH: To know you can't read often turns students' attention to being discipline problems. Those are the students that we fear we need to put a web of support around, so they don't drop out of school, and for that matter, drop out of society.
FEYERICK: Deborah Feyerick, CNN, Trenton, New Jersey.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: CNN is dedicated to talking more about education, which is why you don't want to miss "Don't Fail Me: Education in America" the CNN documentary reported by Soledad O'Brien examines the crisis in our public education system. "Don't Fail Me" premieres Sunday, May 15, 8:00 p.m. Eastern, only on CNN.
We all know what Kate Middleton wore to her wedding, but what did she change into? We'll look at some of those pictures in a few minutes.
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WHITFIELD: We know you cannot get enough of William, and now, Catherine. While you may think everybody was watching the wedding, uh-uh, not everybody was watching it. Not for work, not for play. Who could I be talking about? You recognize that laugh?
My colleague Don Lemon, he was a little anti. But he had his hands full because he was doing a lot of storm coverage. I'm here to school you on all that took place 24 hours ago, so we have to move quickly.
LEMON: It's a girl thing I think. Go ahead.
WHITFIELD: I have 45 seconds to show you some new pictures.
LEMON: Let's see.
WHITFIELD: Of course, you know they were kind of -- after their big long day and a night of partying -- don't roll your eyes, get excited about this. Here is the Prince William and Princess.
LEMON: Ah!
WHITFIELD: Aren't they beautiful?
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: Those are the official photos, the shot you saw earlier of them walking, that was them leaving Buckingham Palace, not to go to the honeymoon, but instead to go to a kind of secret location. Here are the official photos. I can tell Don is so enamored by it all.
Aren't they beautiful?
LEMON: Yes.
WHITFIELD: The Duke and Duchess.
LEMON: Poor guy, the old bald king.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: Can you believe he just said that?
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: No, it is a happy thing. They were blissful. I know you have much more straight ahead in the NEWSROOM. Maybe not about the wedding.
LEMON: You can go to break with me saying all of this. He was rich, he was single, he could have his fun. Dude? No, I'm just saying. WHITFIELD: Oh, my gosh. Don Lemon, bah humbug.
(LAUGHTER)
WHITFIELD: We'll see you later. We're going to take a short break for now.
(LAUGHTER)
He's a happy prince now.
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