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At Least 89 Dead in Missouri Tornado; Search for Survivors in Joplin

Aired May 23, 2011 - 09:00   ET

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

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. It's the heart of Tornado Alley. You know what I'm talking about this morning. The devastation in Joplin, Missouri, is shocking. Take a look at why.

(VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: It was massive. At least 89 people are now confirmed dead. The death toll is expected to grow as crews pick through the wreckage. As much as 30 percent of the city of Joplin damaged or destroyed. That includes some 2,000 homes and businesses.

One of those the St. John's regional medical center, that's in the heart of town, triage centers were set up outside to treat the crush of victims. Those are the terrible facts.

COSTELLO: It is difficult to describe the terror people felt. What you're about to hear is a group of people at the convenience store as the tornado hit. They're huddled together, they're praying.

Much of this video is dark, but listen.

(VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: That's unbelievable. They all survived. And I know it's cliche, but the people in that convenience store, they were lucky.

Look at what the tornado left behind. Mangled homes and stores, it also destroyed a home depot, a hospital, a high school. CNN Brian Todd is outside the St. John's Regional Hospital and - now we're looking at those mangled cares that I was talking about Brian. They are right outside the St. John's Regional medical center.

I can't believe they were able to evacuate those hospital and they saved most of the people inside, they saved their lives.

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: They did evacuate everyone, Carol. They say that, but they do not give us a specific count of the casualties from it. So that may be information that we get later. You can see where our photo journalist, John Person, is panning to your left. And you can see now the facade of this medical center, the windows taken out, the top sheared off, total devastation here.

We're told that X-rays from this facility were found 70 miles away in Dade County, Missouri. I mean, it's just unbelievable. We saw gurneys from the hospital about five blocks down the road here. It gives you a sense of the devastation. I'm with one of the survivors. Rev. C.J. Campbell. His house was completely destroyed on Sunday when the tornado hit. You were there with your foster sister. Describe what happened when it came in.

C.J. CAMPBELL, REVEREND: Well, first we had the initial warning. The tornado sirens went off about 20 minutes early. And then again about 10 minutes before it hit. It hit here at St. John's Regional Medical Center on the west side of Joplin Metroplex about 5:45.

It hit our house about three miles to the east, about 5:55. It was traveling very slowly, but it had F-4 force, up to about 200 miles per hour, that evil monster vortex. And my foster sister and I were completely surrounded by a collapsed 1,800 square foot house within 60 seconds.

TODD: You had a description of what that felt like. I mean, it was amazing.

CAMPBELL: First began the low roar in the distance, and then it got louder and louder, until it sounded like about 50 semi-trailer trucks fully laden, going about 70 miles an hour, about 10 feet outside the front door. The floor began to vibrate. And then shake very violently. And seemingly buckle and we thought we were going to be sucked up the chimney.

TODD: How do you feel, standing here right now after that?

CAMPBELL: I feel grateful to be talking to you by the Grace of God, Brian.

TODD: Good luck, Rev., to you and your sister. Thanks for joining us.

Rev. Campbell gave me some good advice a moment ago, Carol. He said, if another one comes, which it might, find a dry hole, get in it, and he said, don't pop your head out of your shelter if it gets calm. You might actually be in the vortex of the tornado. It's a good advice. You'll have to wait it out, wait several minutes for it to happen. You saw what happened in that video there. You've got to really hunker down. Good advice now. We've got dark clouds building, some lightning here, some thunder, people here are getting a little nervous here, Carol.

COSTELLO: And the danger is the flying debris. I mean, it doesn't take much wind to whip that up right now.

TODD: Absolutely not. And there is a ton of debris just in the immediate area around us. There's debris all over the place. Also, some real danger that officials a warning about for people going back to their homes or trying to. Trying to pick through what's left of their homes, there are gas leaks, downed power lines, it's a very dangerous situation in this city still.

COSTELLO: Brian Todd reporting Live from Joplin, Missouri.

The Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has rolled out the National Guard to help with the search and rescue mission. And earlier on CNN's "AMERICAN MORNING," he stressed, the danger is not over.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. JAY NIXON, MISSOURI: With the gas lines that have been broken, fires have been breaking out all night. We do have -- the good sign is we have sufficient water pressure for firefighting, so firefighters are able to deal with those issues. But we're going block by block, and the lack of power, it's a very, very precarious situation.

Folks should allow the professionals that are coming in to assist to get a full sweep there. Like I say, we stand ready to put additional guard boots on the ground if necessary.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: And stick around. In about a half hour, I'll talk live to the Missouri governor you just heard, Jay Nixon. He'll bring us up to the minute on the latest numbers, and they're still searching for survivors, so he'll tell us about that too

Just so you know, Joplin has about 130 miles South of Kansas City, population 49,000. Witnesses tell us the twister was a half to three quarters of a mile wide.

Meteorologist Alexandra Steel is here. This was so much more devastating, because it hit this populated area. How unusual is that?

ALEXANDER STEEL, AMS METEOROLOGIST: It's really not that unusual, but also kind of in the big picture, when you think of a tornado, it is infinitesimal, so the odds of it hitting any area are really quite rare, as you can imagine.

But a big city, we have certainly seen, and of course, 50,000 in Joplin. But Joplin has seen tornadoes in the past. But this year, extraordinarily, it's hit some big cities. Remember, of course, just last week, Tuscaloosa, on April 27th, and we're talking over 300 people in Alabama killed. And really, that's what's so monumental about what we've seen so far this year.

Especially, of course, looking back to the 1970s, where we had hundreds killed with the tornado outbreak. But in the early '90s with Doppler radar, you can see the inside of a tornado. So you see in this day and age that kind of death and destruction is really so rare.

St. Louis, Missouri, you remember, of course, in the end of April, the 22nd, the airport there - Raleigh North Carolina, April 16th. So some big cities most certainly have been hit, certainly bigger than we've seen.

But the past, in Huntsville Alabama, in 2010, Minneapolis, not only yesterday, but in 2009, Shreveport in 2009 and of course, you all remember Atlanta, Georgia, in 2008. Those certainly hit downtown, of course, right here at the CNN center.

So what's most miraculous we've seen is this area that has been hit before Carol. But also when you think of the signs of the tornado, it's really being so small kind of pin-pointing any area, it's difficult. So be it a big city or small place out in the middle of the country where no one is, you know, you can have awful lot of tornado but it only takes one in a population center that really makes an impact.

COSTELLO: Because I think that this spring has been so awful for so many people in parts of the country, they're thinking to themselves, where this is a strange year, and so many more tornadoes are touching down. And the size of the tornadoes, it's been enormous.

Is that unusual?

STEELE: It is a little bit unusual. But also what's so unusual is when you talk about the over 300 people that were killed only last month alone with that one outbreak and you would think in this day and age, of course, with 13-minute lead times people have for tornado warnings, and also, of course, early warning signals, but also meteorologists, we can advance, just two weeks ago knew what was happening with these tornadoes and put out press releases, certainly, that tornadoes were coming.

The fact that we have such lead time, it's amazing that the number of people that have died have died with the lead times we're seeing. So different from 20 years ago.

COSTELLO: Well, I'm just thinking in Joplin, for example, they supposedly got, what 20 minutes, they got a 20-minute warning. But if I'm shopping at Home Depot or I'm at Wal-Mart and I don't happen to hear that, that's really scary. And how can you react?

STEELE: That's right. And one of the Wal-Marts certainly was hit. And when you see these cars that were leveled, helicopters that were blown, homes completely destroyed, I mean, it really is unbelievable.

So I guess the key is a few days in advance, certainly, this is what happened in Joplin. We knew severe storms potentially were coming. I mean, really on the hole in this day and age, you know when severe storms this intense are brewing days in advance, if not even a week in advance, which we knew a few weeks ago with that major outbreak.

I mean, it is impossible to tell everybody in every place, but you just, I guess, have to be aware, watch the TV, know when those warnings are coming. Sirens were sounded twice. Certainly we've see that in Joplin and sirens are sounded. So, I mean, what can you do? There's only so much you can do and put it out there in so many ways.

COSTELLO: And pray.

STEELE: And pray.

COSTELLO: Alexandra, thank you. We'll get back to you.

Alexandra just mentioned the city of Joplin had been hit before. In fact, earlier this month, Joplin marked a grim anniversary. It was 40 years ago that a massive tornado struck also in the center of town, also at dinnertime. One man was killed that day. Nearly 50 people injured.

Sadly, it seems like this latest storm will be another one for the history books. Jim Spellman in Joplin this morning.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Everyone here in Joplin, there are cars stacked, strewn about everywhere. The excess from quick search and rescue that were done last night. They're going to be coming and doing more of thorough searches now. But, you see these everywhere. They're all over Joplin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: We'll go live to Jim in just about four minutes. Plus, we'll have more coverage of this incredibly deadly storm from someone who lived through it.

(VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: This morning, each passing hour seems to bring grim new discoveries in Joplin, Missouri. The death toll from last night's tornado now stands at 89, but that number's almost certain to climb.

As much as 30 percent of the city wiped out. Emergency crews are checking the wreckage of some 2,000 homes and businesses that have been virtually destroyed.

The tornado ripped through the heart of the city, and the very core of the community. A high school, a Wal-Mart, Home Depot, all severely damaged or destroyed. But there may be no loss greater than St. John's Regional Medical Center.

And that's where our Jim Spellman is standing by -- Jim.

JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, good morning to you, Carol.

St. John's Regional Medical Center, the exact place where people need to go during a disaster, took a direct hit. They had to evacuate everybody. They have a small, temporary triage center, but that's it. It's one of the many challenges they're facing here as they try to recover.

They're doing a door-to-door grid search. They're finding a lot of obstacles in their way. Electricity is out. Power lines are down, very difficult to even drive across the town.

They told us that gas lines are broken and they're fighting fires. And even some of the first responders themselves are affected. The fire chief here, his home destroyed last night while he was at his son's graduation.

Really what struck me the most, Carol, is the scope of this. It's not just one neighborhood. It's block after block, mile after mile of destruction, of cars tossed everywhere, buildings destroyed and leveled, trees pulled up -- uprooted and just tossed about.

This is a devastating storm. It's by far the worst I've ever seen, Carol.

COSTELLO: Can you tell us some more of what happened inside that hospital? They had probably some warning that a tornado was about to hit. I know that the doctors and nurses and emergency personnel moved the patients into the hallways, but what happened after that?

SPELLMAN: Well, we haven't gotten all the details of it yet, but the amount of damage this took is unbelievable. We've seen a lot of doctors and nurses running around, still trying to be sure that everybody is evacuated and out of the area, and in some place that is safe and has electricity where they can get the treatment they want.

I'll tell you -- a really interesting indicator, even the medevac helicopter is destroyed on the helipad. It looks like something you'd see in Iraq or something, a helicopter destroyed in a middle of a parking lot, in front of emergency room.

These doctors, nurses, and medical professionals had an unbelievable task, and when we get all the details, I'm sure that we'll hear of some tremendous heroism last night, Carol.

COSTELLO: Oh, I'm sure. And most of the patients are -- they were transported to a hospital nearby. That's up and running. So, that's a bit of bright news, I guess.

I don't know. I'm trying to find every positive sign I can to throw at people.

Jim Spellman, thanks so much.

Doug Hunt (ph) -- he's been out on the streets of Joplin. He's seen some of this devastation up close. He's a Joplin resident and lived through the storm. He joins us on the phone to talk about that.

So, when the storm was coming in, where were you?

DOUG HUNT (ph), JOPLIN, MISSOURI RESIDENT (via telephone): Hi, Carol. We had just got through grocery shopping and I've got a nephew who has a nice basement. So, we drove over there and, you know, when the sirens went off, we knew that it was coming, because we could see the hail.

And when the straight-line winds hit -- you know, I worked in TV for 10 years, so I knew what I was witnessing. What I was witnessing was all of that rush of wind being sucked into the vortex. So, we knew it was close. And it felt like it was a lot closer and we were two miles away.

But then later on, we were able to drive down and rescue some people. And we're all in shock.

COSTELLO: Well, tell me about that. So, you're in the basement, this storm passes over, and I would assume that the house you are in survived the storm. So, you go out into the neighborhood and what do you see?

HUNT: You know, we had some people posting on Facebook that people were trapped and, you know, a couple of my buddies and I, we hopped in the pickup truck and just drove south and decided we were going to help any way we could. And we were able to rescue a woman out of her apartment complex behind the Wal-Mart that had been destroyed.

And then after that, we went over to the area where the high school had been destroyed, and just, you know, we were just screaming into the rubble, trying to find people.

COSTELLO: The woman you pulled out of the apartment, was she trapped under debris? Describe that to us?

HUNT: No, actually not. She was fine. She just needed to get some of her belongings out and, you know, we literally were looking for somebody to help. And, boom, there she was in front of us. And we were able to get all of her stuff and her dog and her two cats in the truck, and loaded her up and was able to get her to a hotel.

COSTELLO: So, as you see your city in the light of day, what goes through your mind?

HUNT: First of all, deep gratitude. I know that sounds crazy because we've got a lot of people that have died, but this city is a resilient city. And I'll tell you, it was very humbling, all through the night, nobody could sleep, but we could hear emergency vehicles driving in from areas hundreds of miles away.

So, it's a sad time for our city. But at the same time, you know, we're thankful for the people who are coming together and helping.

COSTELLO: And you're one of those people. Doug Hunt, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

HUNT: Thank you.

COSTELLO: CNN crews are in Joplin, Missouri, gathering the latest information from the tornado zone. Stay with us. Our next update is just two minutes away.

Also, other news ahead, including an arrest in the brutal beating of a San Francisco Giants fan. But the search for other suspects in the case goes on. We'll have a live report for you from Los Angeles, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Rescue crews right now are searching for survivors still trapped in Joplin, Missouri, some 14 hours after a tornado struck. The tornado cut through the center of the city of 50,000 people. There are reports of at least 89 people killed, 2,000 buildings damaged or destroyed. The city's main hospital was evacuated after a facade of the building was blown out. The tornado overturned at least 10 tractor-trailers and scattered debris 70 miles away.

Checking other top stories for you now:

President Obama has arrived in Ireland and is meeting with Irish leaders this morning. Later, Mr. Obama will visit the city of Moneygall, the home of some of his Irish ancestors.

And NATO officials tell CNN there is are no indications that rumors of the death of Mullah Omar are true. Earlier, an Afghan security official said the leader of the Afghan Taliban has disappeared in the past five days and may be dead. He said senior Taliban members have confirmed they cannot contact the Taliban leader.

Those two U.S. hikers being held in Iran have been allowed to phone home. Their families say both men sound reasonably well, but they say they learn the men went on a hunger strike to protest withheld letters from home. The men are being held on suspicions of espionage which both they and the U.S. government strongly deny.

Los Angeles police have arrested a man they're calling the primary aggressor in the beating of a baseball fan at Dodgers Stadium. Giovanni Ramirez is being held on $1 million bail. The March 31st attack put San Francisco Giants fan Bryan Stow in a coma from which he has not recovered.

Former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty makes it official today -- he is jumping into the race for the Republican nomination for president. He'll make the announcement in Iowa, home to the critical Iowa caucuses.

Missouri's governor will join me in the NEWSROOM. At least 89 have been killed by that deadly tornado that ripped through the state, and now, there is a desperate search for people who need help so that number doesn't grow higher. Coming up, Governor Jay Nixon.

Also ahead, tallying the damage, power lines knocked down, homes leveled, trees uprooted, a tornado's wrath is usually measured by the billions of dollars. We'll have details on that after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: At least 89 are dead in Joplin, Missouri, after a tornado cut through the heart of the city. Rescue crews still searching for trapped survivors. Two thousand buildings have been damaged or destroyed. The tornado touching down around dinnertime last night and it left a path of destruction a half to three quarters mile wide.

Witnesses spoke of vehicles being picked up and thrown into homes, and parts of the city now unrecognizable.

Watch and listen to this team of storm chasers as they arrive on the scene just moments after that tornado touched down.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is bad. Oh, my gosh. This is awful. This is -- look at that. That is destroyed completely. Where are you going? What are you doing? What are you doing? Well, I'm freaking out too! This is ridiculous. Look at that! Yes, I don't know where --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was an f-4 or f-5.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This was -- dude! The trees! The trees are debarked. Scott! Scott! Scott, the trees are -- just follow my -- what are you doing --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, power line? Well, whatever.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're doing to turn around, guys.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh. All right, well, just pull in next to --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's propane and gas --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I can smell it too.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I smell gas, Mike.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, my gosh. That is freaking ridiculous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: CNN's Brian Todd is outside of St. John's Regional Medical Center. That's Joplin's main hospital. It also took a direct hit from this tornado.

Brian, you're in the town. And when we say that it's affected the heart of this community, the tornado seemed to travel right down 20th Street. That went right through the heart of the town. Is that right?

BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It is, Carol. It moved west to east, right through the center of town. Right on to this medical center. You can see the facade of the building, but I want to show you something else. Look. Look at these clouds, look at the difference between the sky over there and look at the sky over here. We've got another storm system brewing. And it's amazing how dark the clouds are, turning day into night, as we speak.

This is what people here are really concerned about. This is, you know, kind of similar to the conditions that people saw before this tornado struck. So, we may have to take some cover pretty soon.

It did come down in the heart of the city, 25 to 30 percent of this city was severely, severely damaged. So, the destruction that you see, that's how much of the city was affected by that. We've got stuff blowing around here. Looks like it's starting again pretty soon.

Look at this car over here. Look at the damage that it sustained. This is a Suzuki, maybe an SUV or a station wagon or something, you can't even tell. Look at the wreckage here. A telephone pole fell on top of it. All sorts of debris in the back there. This kind of scene is repeated over and over and over again.

And we're getting some severe weather right here, so we may have to --

COSTELLO: Oh, Brian, take cover, OK? Because you're making me nervous! Take cover, OK?

TODD: We will.

COSTELLO: OK, take cover. Brian Todd, thanks.

Let's head directly over to Alexandra Steele. So, Brian showed the dark clouds and you showed me that.

ALEXANDRA STEELE, METEOROLOGIST: And that's right. This is the whole picture of the storm. That's what it looks like with the storm system coming in. Those clouds thickening, lowering.

There are no tornado warnings for where he is, but you can see right now, this is the radar picture. Of course, we do have a severe thunderstorm watch and we do have a severe thunderstorm warning for Joplin. And when you look at the radar, you can see heading right now, right into Joplin. And what's most interesting about it, you can see it kind of bowing out. It looks like a bow. What we're seeing there are winds about 60 miles per hour. Also, hail has been reported, about quarter-sized with this.

So, it is moving east, pretty rapidly right now. But you can see where the heaviest rain is. Of course, this area does not need any more rain in addition to the severe weather. So, right now in and around Joplin, heading towards Springfield, we are seeing 50- to 60- mile-per-hour wind gusts. And the hail the biggest threat with this, as is some very big downpours. So once again, we're in the line, doesn't look like tornadic activity to the severity that we saw, but of course, we do have some storms.

So, also talking about the importance and the timeline of storms. Tornado warnings, tornado watches, of course, tornado warnings meaning tornado is imminent. It has been spotted, either by eyes, or, of course, by Doppler radar. Also, severe thunderstorm warnings. All put out by the National Weather Service.

And what we've seen, which is so different than even 10 and 20 years ago, and even seven years ago, the timeline and the amount of time you're given to take shelter, which really has been key in terms of the number of fatalities that we've seen.

So, of course, last week, Tuscaloosa, remember, over 300 people killed in Alabama with this. Which was really quite surprising. They had a 30-minute warning. But even one week in advance, meteorologists here, of course, at CNN, and even local meteorologists talking about that severe weather was brewing and that ingredients were coming together right then and right there and in that timeline for tornadoes and severe weather. So, you kind of know the setup, and we'll talk about the setup a little later in the show next hour. What is the setup? How does it happen, of course, in May, and April, and June, the most severe weather notoriously happens. So, again, a week in advance of the storms.

But of course, yesterday in Joplin, they did have 20-minute warnings. Of course, you can see the pictures there, just devastating. And of course, what you've seen, of course, cars being thrown. The devastation, of course, even in the building welcomes and the ground being ripped up. So, tornado warnings in the old days used to come out after a tornado was spotted. So, what good did that do? Right now on average, we have a 13-minute in advance warning.

So, what has been unbelievable and so remarkable, Carol, is in 1974, that was really the tornado outbreak super cell storms that really set the benchmark. With over 300 people killed. But you wouldn't think in this day and age you would see that, of course, with the 30-minute lead time. And in the early '90s, the advent of Doppler radar, meteorologists can look inside the radar and see what's happening with the tornado. So, what's most surprising? The fatalities and the numbers in these bigger areas.

COSTELLO: I think, sadly, one of the things that happened is, you know, meteorologists can hand out all the warnings they want, and the tornado sirens can go off. But unless people heed the warnings -

STEELE: Right.

COSTELLO: -- some people are going to get hurt.

STELLE: That's right. And you know, Joplin has had tornadoes before. Sirens did go off multiple times in Joplin. They did have ample warning, but it's even unbelievable. I mean, even in Tuscaloosa, over 300 people in the Alabama area killed only over two weeks ago. And they had sirens go off too. This has only so much you can do.

COSTELLO: And a lot of people there lived in trailers. So, where can you go?

STEELE: That's right. And the topography of it all and the status and the quality of the homes being built that are impacted in that specific, exact area, which is so minute and hard to pinpoint.

COSTELLO: Alexandra, thank you.

STEELE: We'll get back to you.

COSTELLO: As we tally the spring tornado damage throughout the region, the dollars keep adding up. Alison Kosik is as the New York Stock Exchange. And Alison, is there any indication yet of the economic losses these record number of tornadoes have caused?

ALISON KOSIK, CNN BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Carol, before I get to the economic worries in Joplin, just want the mention we are watching a sell-off here in the markets. The Dow right now down 155 points on new worries about debt problems in Greece, Italy, and Spain.

All right. Back to Joplin. Of course, if the past is any indication, Carol, the economic losses in Joplin are expected to be big. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, says that tornadoes account for more than a billion dollars in damages a year, but the price tag can really end up varying widely based on how severe the storm is and where it hits.

Now, Joplin happens to be a very densely populated area. That generally means higher costs. Now overall, gosh. You look at the whole year. It's really been a terrible year for severe weather. We've seen a record-setting number of storms, five severe weather outbreaks just in April. Insurance company Eon says damage is estimated to be $4 billion in insured losses. We haven't seen insured losses in April in that high in at least five years, and this doesn't even count what happened in Joplin yesterday.

Of course, all the damage counts - you know, damage to homes, businesses, what's inside them, their contents, their cars, and analysts say what this means to you is that you can see higher insurance rates, likely, because of in these hard-hit areas, those insurance rates could go up. And keep in mind, we're just now entering the peak of the severe weather season, Carol. So, this could just be the very beginning.

COSTELLO: Oh, I hope not! Alison Kosik, thank you. Live at the New York Stock Exchange.

We're getting the latest on the deadly Missouri tornado. Up next for us, Governor Jay Nixon will be in the NEWSROOM. We'll get the latest from him on the search for survivors.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The search is on in Joplin, Missouri, for victims of that huge tornado. The path of destruction was more than a half-mile wide. Hundreds of buildings have been damaged or completely destroyed. Right now rescue crews are going door-to-door to searching for trapped survivors.

Missouri's Governor's Jay Nixon joins me now. Thank you, Governor, for joining me.

GOV. JAY NIXON (D), MISSOURI (on the phone): Good morning.

COSTELLO: First of all, I understand the president has called you. What did he say?

NIXON: Well, they pledged all of the support that we could ever need. And also, he and the first lady passed their prayers to all Missourians, especially those in Joplin. We've had a number of folks who have been killed; the number continues to rise. But we still believe there are people to be rescued. That's why we brought down Task Force One. The Kansas City Heavy Rescue. We're working hard to make sure that survivors are found.

COSTELLO: So, they're going door to door, through neighborhoods, looking for any sign of movement. NIXON: And we also brought down, like I say, the heavy rescue. The number of buildings down approaches around 2,000. We also -- the other challenge we have, if you look at the weather now, we've got a significant storm coming in here any minute. So, folks are taking cover now. That should hopefully get through in the next 45 minutes to an hour. But we look for another storm to come through with significant lightning, rain, and other problems, which will hamper the efforts to dig out those that are living underneath the rubble.

COSTELLO: I know with all the debris on the ground and the winds whipping up the debris, that would be dangerous for anyone.

You also said that there are fires breaking out throughout Joplin. Have the fires -- are the fires under control now?

NIXON: We're back to -- the good thing is, we've got water pressure back for the firefighters a few hours ago. That's helped. But the gas leaks that come from these situations, there's still a number of challenges there. We have gotten those fires down from what they were a few hours ago. But the bottom line, our focus now is making sure that those that are hurt get medical care. With the hospital being knocked out, we're having to bring folks in from Springfield. And then to get with our National Guard, Task Force One, fire and rescue, to make sure we do a thorough sweep of the area. There are lives to be saved out there today, and our effort is going to be to get each one of them.

COSTELLO: So, are emergency workers and doctors setting up temporary hospitals throughout the city?

NIXON: Yes, they are. We have a shelter that we opened up last night in Missouri Southern for folks. We also have temporary hospitals. Also, because of the communication challenges, last night I moved down the highway patrol command trucks so we could have communication between law enforcement. So, while cell coverage is spotty, we do have good, solid communication so that the first responders down there can act in a coordinated fashion to search and hopefully rescue people that are still inside the rubble.

COSTELLO: Is there an update on the number of those killed?

NIXON: We have -- I do not have an update, over the last hour and 15 minutes. Earlier on, they had confirmed somewhere around 89, but we expect that number to rise with the amount of debris, the significant buildings that are down, and -- so we expect that number to rise.

COSTELLO: Governor Nixon, thank you so much for taking time out of what must be a very busy and chaotic day for you to speak with us.

NIXON: A long night, yes.

COSTELLO: Yes. Thank you.

We'll continue to update you on the rescue and recovery efforts in Joplin. We'll reset for you after the break.

And we'll take a look at the emergency response and the role of the Missouri National Guard troops that have now been mobilized.

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COSTELLO: At least 89 people dead after a tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri. That number is expected to rise. Missouri National Guard troops are assisting local rescue crews to free people trapped in flattened homes and buildings. The twister tossed cars, it overturned tractor-trailers. The city's main hospital was evacuated; it took a direct hit. X-rays from that hospital were found 70 miles away.

Another facility heavily damaged was Joplin High School. The principal, Kerry Sachetta joins us by phone. Thank you for joining us, Kerry.

KERRY SACHETTA, PRINCIPAL JOPLIN HIGH SCHOOL: No problem.

COSTELLO: So you just finished with graduation, right?

SACHETTA: We just finished with graduation at our local university, Missouri Southern State University which is just out of the way of the storm, and kids were going towards project graduation or back home and -- to get ready for project graduation or to parties with their families and that's when the storm hit.

COSTELLO: And so when did you first see that the high school and what it looked like today?

SACHETTA: Well, we stayed at Missouri Southern for about 45 minutes, because the people that were kind of left there after the ceremony that hadn't made it out yet, we went to the basement during the storm. And as I drove closer to the high school, I started getting text messages from people who were saying that the high school was hit, and I couldn't believe it. As I got closer to the school, the whole -- the station -- the swath of the path of the tornado was just incredible.

And Franklin Technology Center, which is a career center and right next to Joplin High, was completely destroyed. You can't even recognize it. And then I saw the high school and it's just a -- it's a total loss.

COSTELLO: So the high school itself, there's nothing left? Is it flattened?

SACHETTA: No, there's exterior walls, you can see. And it kind of likened to the Oklahoma City bombing, if you can remember those pictures from the site. It looks like the sides of the building and the two major halls that run north and south are just obliterated on the outside and a lot of windows gone. Ceilings are gone, numerous parts of the school and my office area and also in the gym it looks like it's -- the gym looks like the best part of the building, but you can't tell what's in the ceiling. But the ceiling of the auditorium, the roof of the auditorium is gone, band rooms, vocal rooms, music and all that, you can see in them.

And so I walked around as much as I could to see it and it just looks like it's just been bombed from the outside in. I mean, it's just -- it's terrible.

COSTELLO: Are kids still in school or are they gone for the summer? Do you have graduation coming up at the school?

SACHETTA: Well, we just had our graduation for our seniors, but we did have nine more days of school for the, you know, the freshman, sophomores, and juniors. And then the rest of the school district also had nine more days of school.

So yes, that obviously, school is not going to happen for the rest of the school term.

COSTELLO: So you're left to figure this out now, right?

SACHETTA: Right. Our superintendent's calling a press conference at 10:00 a.m. Central, and he's going to talk about where the district is going. The district office was also heavily damaged.

So at least our school and Franklin Technology Center and I've heard reports that at least one elementary and possibly another middle school's damaged. So he'll be talking about that at 10:00 a.m. Central here in Joplin. And what we're going to do there.

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COSTELLO: And of course -- and of course, many of your students are probably dealing with similar stuff at home, with their homes being -- either destroyed or damaged by this tornado.

SACHETTA: Exactly. My son goes to school at Joplin High. And he's already got multiple texts from kids, who's -- friends of his, who's lost their homes or been displaced. And the tornado went through all different parts of Joplin.

So churches, businesses, large housing additions, you know, the main part of town, it's just big businesses like Home Depot and Walgreens' and all kind of stores on Range Line which is a major thoroughfare, just devastated.

COSTELLO: So -- so right now are all of your students accounted for?

SACHETTA: We haven't been able to tell. We have not heard yet of any students that we've lost. But we're -- I know that we just talked to central office folks, and they're compiling lists of people that they know that lost homes and that kind of thing. And that was the question I was just asked, but I have not got word that we have lost any students as of yet. Hopefully and thankfully, that won't happen.

COSTELLO: Oh I hope so, too. Mr. Sachetta, thank you so much for joining us this morning. We appreciate it.

SACHETTA: Ok. Thank you.

COSTELLO: Oh and stay with us this morning. We have continuing coverage of the deadly tornado that tore through Joplin including a look at what the National Guard is doing to help. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The search is on in Joplin for victims of a huge tornado. We've been talking about that all morning.

The path of destruction was more than a half mile wide, hundreds of buildings have been damaged or destroyed. Missouri's governor mobilized the National Guard as soon as he saw the scope of the tornado disaster. Most of the troops on the ground are locals from southwest Missouri.

Our Pentagon correspondent, Barbara Starr, has some details on what they'll be doing. Hi Barbara.

BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol. Nearly 150 National Guard troops from Missouri now on duty in the ravaged area, and officials are telling us that number could grow in the coming hours.

Their number-one job right now as the governor just indicated is search and rescue. They do believe there are people out there to be rescued, and they are part of the group going house to house looking for -- wreckage to wreckage looking for anybody that they can rescue. They are also helping provide communications, we are told, because so many basic services are down in the area.

We asked about the possibility of a field hospital, not right now -- overnight they evacuated the two hospitals in the Alaska, sent patients to other nearby hospitals. And there are triage units set up of course on the city streets.

They don't think they need more help right now but if they find a large number of survivors that could change.

I think one of the questions people always ask with the National Guard deployed to the war zone, are there enough back home to lend a hand? The Missouri National Guard has about 11,000 troops currently at home. They believe that they will be able to handle this, of course, using what they have on hand. But they provide those extra boots on the ground to help the city, to help FEMA, to lend whatever help they can in cases like this -- Carol.

COSTELLO: Yes of course, the other question Barbara is who pays for this. Because we know that state budgets, you know, they're strapped, they're stretched to the limit.

STARR: Oh absolutely. And you know, this is a growing issue around the country. When you talk to governors, when you talk to National Guard commanders, what have we seen lately? You know, the floods in the Midwest along the Mississippi, constant brush fires out in the West; tornadoes in the southeast.

It seems like we're always talking about the guard being activated. A lot of times they are starting to ask for federal reimbursement. It doesn't always come. There's an effort to try and get the states to pay for it, but this is a growing issue, as you say, Carol, with the state budget so stretched. Who is going to pay for all this crisis cleanup?

COSTELLO: Barbara Starr, many thanks. Barbara Starr, live from the Pentagon.

Some of the most dramatic video of the tornado was shot by someone right in the middle of it. Isaac Duncan caught the sheer terror of about 20 customers who were trapped in a Joplin convenience store when the tornado hit.

They'll join me in the NEWSROOM in the next hour.

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