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Tornadoes Blast Through 11 States; Early Washington Caucus Results; Syria Executes Would-Be Defectors
Aired March 03, 2012 - 19:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DON LEMON, CNN ANCHOR: So if you're ever this close to a tornado, you can only hope it is not the last thing you ever see. A man films a twisting mass on the horizon. The only cover he can find, a gas station and he made it there just in time.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE KAISER, TOOK COVER FROM TORNADO: The vehicle that was on 160 were being turned over in front of us. We saw the marathon station across the street completely leveled. Nothing left of it. It then kept moving to the east and then you could tell it hit the school with all the turbulence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: I want you to look at this video shot by one of our iReporters. Let's just listen to some of it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) I have friends over there. (EXPLETIVE DELETED). We got to get in the house.
(EXPLETIVE DELETED). Look at it. Holy. My God, my friend lives right over there too. Oh, my God.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on, Nick.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That is nuts.
(EXPLETIVE DELETED)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: This is unbelievable. Can you imagine if that were you? You have friends over there, probably family members as well, people you've been knowing in the community.
This video, like the first one, shot in the hardest hit areas, Henryville, Indiana. All told at least 37 people are dead. The number of missing is impossible to know right now.
I'm Don Lemon. Thank you for joining us here in the CNN NEWSROOM.
I want to bring in now meteorologist Jacqui Jeras, right off the top here.
Jacqui, two amazing pieces of video. Let's talk about both of them. First, from the gas station.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes, just incredible. You can see the debris within that funnel. And it's amazing to think just how close they must have been to that tornado and likely feeling the impact and some of that sucking in as air rushes into the tornado.
There you can see right in the middle, do you see that swirling around. That's debris. And we also think there might be one or two additional vortices, or little fingers, as we call them. They can spin of. And that's an indication of just strong suction that we've been talking about with some of these tornadoes. This was in an intensification stage as we look at this one.
And the iReporter video -- this is brand new to CNN.
LEMON: Yes.
JERAS: This is the first time anybody who seen this new iReporter from Kevin Welz.
LEMON: Can we listen to it a little bit more and talk about it?
JERAS: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (EXPLETIVE DELETED) I have friends over there. (EXPLETIVE DELETED).
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Jacqui, that is so frightening. Kevin will join us live in just a little bit. I mean, this is incredible video.
JERAS: It really is. And, you know, we just have new information in this hour, too, that that tornado was an EF-4. So, it's one of the strongest tornados ever recorded in the top 2 percent. Winds were likely somewhere between 166 to 200 miles per hour. So, that can cause massive devastation.
Look at how much bigger the funnel is in this video compared to the other. Do you see the funnel is right in the middle? And you see surrounding it, that larger rotation. That's what we call the wall cloud and that's the part of a thunderstorm where we see that tornado drop out of.
So I know that iReporter saw it spinning and all of a sudden, the tornado came right on out and continued to follow it -- very intense moments.
LEMON: The aftermath, of course, the pictures right behind us, that's what happens. That's what it leaves blind, all that destruction. Jacqui, thank you. Don't go far. We're going to discuss this much, much more because we are learning just how powerful some of these tornados were in the Midwest and the South.
At least 37 people are dead now, 14 of the deaths are in Indiana. Henryville, a community about 20 miles north of Louisville, Kentucky, saw some of the worst of it.
A strong EF-4 -- EF-4, that's next to the most powerful, ripped the roofs off some buildings and completely flattened others. Rescuers have been combing through the debris, looking for survivors. Eighteen people are dead in Kentucky.
An EF-3 tornado blew right through the heart of the small town of West Liberty. Cars and trucks tossed around like they weigh nothing. And it seems like no building was spared. Rescuers searched all of them for survivors. They are doing a second round just to make sure.
And I want you to take a look at this.
(VIDEO CLIP PLAYS)
LEMON: You can't see this video enough. This was uploaded from our iReporter on CNN.com. It shows the intensity of the twister that ripped through Henryville.
And here's what people in the know say. They don't know how many people are missing just yet. They're just trying to get a handle on the devastation left behind.
Kevin Welz is the man who shot this video. He joins us now from Henryville. First, your friends and family, I heard you in the video saying I know people over there, I've got friends over there.
Are they OK?
KEVIN WELZ, CAPTURED TORNADO ON VIDEO: Yes. They are OK. We got lucky.
It looked like it was cutting right towards their neighborhood. But it actually cut just a little bit I guess to the west of it and just barely missed them. So, I have been talking to my friend today. He's actually one of the police officers out here working to help clean up and rescue people.
LEMON: So, as you are seeing this and we could hear. And we know, there were -- you know, there were expletives on that video. And I can imagine what I would be saying if that were coming towards.
WELZ: Yes.
LEMON: What was going through your head as you watch this, because you are helpless. One thing you can do is either video-tape or run for cover. What's going through your mind when this happened?
WELZ: Actually, the storm came up so -- the tornado itself came up so quick. I wasn't really thinking. There is one point in there where I said something along the lines of we should get inside. I think that's the first time that it actually hit me that, oh, there is a tornado, or maybe 150 yards in front of me.
LEMON: Because you can't believe it.
WELZ: That was really the first point that I was thinking. Yes. I actually have the time stamp on a couple of photos. And I took a photo earlier on at 3:12, and the sky was fairly clear. I mean, there were some clouds but you could actually see clear sky.
And then at 3:20, I took another photo and there was the funnel cloud starting to form.
LEMON: Yes. You said it was fast. It came on you fast.
WELZ: Eight minutes.
LEMON: How much warning did you have before this tornado drop on your time? How fast did this all happen?
WELZ: They had been warning us all morning there would be bad storms and the tornado sirens started going off. That's actually when I was in my house, I have a couple neighbors that have young children, new babies, and I just wanted to check to make sure they didn't need anything. I figured I would have plenty of time before it hit because it looked OK.
And that's why I was caught out where I was to take the photos and the video that I did. So, you know, I figure we had a half hour or so before it got bad. And in reality we had five minutes.
LEMON: Let that be a word of warning to people when we say you need to get into a safe place, because I'm sure you can -- you can testify that you never really know, right?
WELZ: That's the truth.
LEMON: Kevin, how -- do you know other people who survived? And can you offer advice to other people who may be watching right now about preparing for these sorts of things?
WELZ: Don't stand there and videotape it like an idiot. It would be my first bit of advice. Other than that -- I mean, you know, as they say they give you a lot of warnings when this is coming up. We had newscasts the night before saying, hey, we have bad storms coming. Listen to what they say.
You know, my house doesn't have a basement. But I had a place ready to go if the tornado did cut just a few hundred yards more in my direction, you know, it would have come through my neighborhood. The advice I have is just to watch the warnings and know where to go when this does happen.
LEMON: Kevin Welz shot that video. He did survive. Good advice, sir. Thank you so much. We appreciate it, sir. Glad you're OK. Nearly half of the 37 storm deaths were in Kentucky where the governor declared a statewide emergency. But some residents of West Liberty, Kentucky, look to a higher power for help during the storm. Listen very closely.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take this away from us. Rise it, Lord. Take it away from us, Lord. Take it, Lord. Take it, Lord. Take it away from us, Jesus.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Father God, all powers in your son's name take this up away from our home as you did for Elijah, you take this away from us.
(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Take it up away from our home. Take it away from this town. Lord --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: That lady there praying, as you can see out loud. You can hear and speaking in tongues. Her prayers were answered, but her home was spared. Much of the town wasn't as lucky.
CNN's Jim Spellman is in West Liberty for us.
Jim, what are the people there saying? How are they faring?
JIM SPELLMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Don, it was just about exactly 24 hours ago that this town was plunged into darkness as it still is today. We're right at the edge of this town and you can't see anything here. All the power has been wiped out.
People tell us they had only two minutes warning to get to safety.
We caught up with one man, a man named David Wilson who was trapped in a restaurant as this storm came through. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPELLMAN: Were the people with you and yourself -- were you screaming, praying? What were people doing?
DAVID WILSON, WEST LIBERTY, KENTUCKY RESIDENT: You could hear people praying, please, let us get through this, God. Please let us get through this.
And after that, they're like, please if our family is all right, we'll go to church. You know, you'll always hear that -- if our family's all right, we'll go to church on Sunday. I heard a lot of that.
SPELLMAN: Are you going to church tomorrow? WILSON: I hope so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SPELLMAN: Tomorrow morning, Don, this community says they will start healing in church and then get to work.
Take a look at this debris that is all over this town. You got telephone poles, electric poles like this with cables, wires going all the way up on tops of houses. I know it's dark and hard to see here, no light at all in this town -- spread out throughout this entire community like this.
We've just received word just a few minutes ago that they've completed the search and rescue part of this mission and now it's debris removal. That's what they need to do before they can get electricity back and start getting people back into this community, Don.
LEMON: Jim Spellman, appreciate your reporting. Stay safe, sir.
And to find out more on how you can help those affected by the severe weather, go to CNN.com/impact. There, you'll find all the organizations and ways that you can help those in need. Again, CNN.com/impact.
And the severe weather did not stop with the sunrise -- as you can see. Ahead this hour, touring the damage in North Carolina where homes were just ripped apart.
But, first, the results are already coming in from Washington state where voters are caucusing right now. CNN's Wolf Blitzer has the early numbers live for you just two minutes away.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: Time to talk politics, because Washington state is at the center of the political world right now. And we are starting to get early results from that state's Republican presidential caucuses. You know, the state could offer one of the candidates a jolt of a political momentum headed into Super Tuesday.
Let's bring in CNN's Wolf Blitzer in Washington now.
So, Wolf, here we go. It's getting started. What's the latest from Washington state?
WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Well, they just started releasing some of the numbers. More will be coming in quickly relatively quickly.
But let me show you and our viewers what's on the board right now. Eight percent of the vote, Don, 8 percent is now in from Washington state. Mitt Romney is ahead with 31 percent, Ron Paul, 27 percent, Rick Santorum, 24 percent, Newt Gingrich, only 14 percent. But it's still very, very early.
Ron Paul is actually out in Washington state right now. He is the only candidate still there. He has been campaigning. He is looking for his first win in a caucus or a primary. And he's hoping that Washington state will do it for him.
Gloria Borger, our chief political analyst is with me here in Washington.
Gloria, as we look at what's going on in Washington state, if Ron Paul were to pull it out that would be a significant development tonight.
GLORIA BORGER, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL ANALYST: It would be. You know, this is something that's tailor-made for Ron Paul. He can organize in small communities. It's a caucus state.
And he really is looking for a win. He hasn't had a win yet, Wolf. He would like one.
You know, honestly if Rick Santorum is not going to win here, or if Mitt Romney is not going to win here, they'd probably say, OK, the best choice then is for Ron Paul to win here because then they can move on to Super Tuesday and neither one of them has the momentum. That's what this is about.
BLITZER: Right. If Romney were to win or Santorum, that would give a little bit momentum. Ten contests coming up on Tuesday.
BORGER: That's right. That's what they are looking for. Obviously, they are looking for delegates as well, 40 delegates. But, you know, if one is not going to win, it might as well be Ron Paul. But we'll see what the results show.
He has been in this state. He has been organizing in this state.
By the way, all of the candidates have been in this state. Newt Gingrich a week and a half ago, Romney on Friday, Santorum on Thursday. So, it's not like they vice president been competing here because they understand psychologically how important it is heading into Tuesday.
BLITZER: Clearly competitive for the top three -- Romney, Paul, Santorum.
Don, let me go back to you. We'll be all over this story and more of the results are going to be coming in. So, we'll share them with our viewers.
A lot at stake especially for Ron Paul tonight. Let's see if he can pull out the first win of this election season.
LEMON: Yes, Wolf. And as you always say on "THE SITUATION ROOM" -- stand by, we may be getting to you early because these results are coming in pretty quickly here. So, we may be coming to Wolf before the top of the hour.
Again, Wolf, thank you very much. Wolf is standing by. The question is, will success in Washington state propel one of the Republican hopefuls to a big showing on Super Tuesday? Tonight's results may provide a clue. Our Washington caucuses' coverage begins at the top of the hour, 8:00 eastern, 5:00 p.m. Pacific.
But stay tuned. You never know. The votes are coming in very quickly.
Radio talker Rush Limbaugh gets paid big money to stir up controversy. But this time, he took it too far. And now Limbaugh is offering an apology. But the political damage could linger. We're going to talk about it just ahead with our Goldie Taylor.
But, first, choosing the right kindergarten program for your child can be overwhelming. So, what criteria should parents look for in choosing a school?
CNN's education contributor Steve Perry has some answers in tonight's "Perry's Principles".
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL ALBINO, GEORGIA RESIDENT: Hi, Dr. Perry. My son is two and a half years old and my wife and I are just starting to look into kindergarten programs. What sort of criteria should we consider besides cost, hours when we are looking at these schools?
STEVE PERRY, CNN EDUCATION CONTRIBUTOR: The most important thing I can say to you, Michael, you as a shopper, you as someone who is looking for a school, must understand first what you want before you look at schools. Meaning that if you want a school that teaches in a traditional setting, if you want a Montessori or some sort of hybrid of that, then you have to decide what works best for you.
One of the biggest mistakes that parents make is you decide on a school for reasons other than they fit your family's academic needs. If you're looking for a criteria other than cost and hours, I think you want to look at the quality of the academic experience.
I think you should want especially for a kindergarten program for your child to know how to read, they should be able to read simple words, and have some understanding of the meaning of those words. They should be able to do simple math and know their colors, and begin to write to some degree. If you understand that, then you'll have a really good understanding of the type of school that you want for your child.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. Rush Limbaugh crosses a line. Now he apologizes. But is the political damage already done?
I want to bring in now Goldie Taylor. She is usually in the studio with me, but she is a big timer now. Are you in New York tonight?
GOLDIE TAYLOR, GOLDIE TAYLOR PROJECT: I'm in New York tonight.
LEMON: She's in New York tonight. She is the managing editor of the GoldieTaylorProject.com. She's always with us here. So, Goldie, here's the background. Limbaugh went after a female Georgetown law student named Sandra Fluke, who testified at a hearing organized by Democrats. She spoke in favor of the recent Obama administration proposal that employers be required to cover birth control in their health plans.
I want you to hear what Limbaugh had to say.
(BEGIN AUDIO CLIP)
RUSH LIMBAUGH, RADIO TALK SHOW HOST: What does it say about the college co-ed Susan Fluke who goes before a congressional committee and essentially said that she must be paid to have sex? What does that make her? It makes her a slut, right?
(END AUDIO CLIP)
LEMON: OK. So, Goldie, not a surprise that Rush Limbaugh is being provocative. That's what he does. But did he damage his own cause with those kinds of words and that kind of attack?
TAYLOR: I think it actually went further than that. I think that Rush Limbaugh did more than damage his own brand but he damaged the brand of the Republican Party, which depends heavily on the very same audience that listens to him.
And so, you know, the apology that we've heard from him tonight was really not about you and me. It was about Rush's stakeholders, it was about his advertisers. It was about his current audience. It was about his syndicator, the people who put out his show to the hundreds of stations who carry it across the country.
And so, the apology was to settle his own stakeholder community so that he could stop the bleeding or the loss of income, you know, that's come as a result of this boycott. And so, none of this is really about us. It's about, you know, building a bigger audience and getting the advertisers in the door.
LEMON: OK. Goldie, stand by. I'm glad you mentioned the apology because I'm going to talk to you a bit longer now. I want you to hold on for a few minutes, I'm going to keep you and we're going to a break.
As you heard Goldie say, new developments, Rush Limbaugh has issued an apology in the last few hours. What did he say? Is it really an apology?
You'll hear it right after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. We're back now with Goldie Taylor, political analyst and managing editor of GoldieTaylorProject.com.
And we are talking about Rush Limbaugh's attack on Georgetown law student Sandra Fluke. And she testified last month in favor of requiring employers to cover birth control in their health plans. Now, we play his comments before the break. Now, Rush has issued an apology. He's apologized just a short time ago.
Here's a portion of what he said, Goldie. He said, quote, "My choice of words was not the best, and in the attempt to be humorous, I created a national stir. I sincerely apologize to Ms. Fluke for the insulting word choices."
But listen, he get -- and I'm sure you read the apology because he says, you know, I think it's absolutely absurd that during these very serious political times, we are discussing personal sexual and recreational activities before members of Congress. There was a caveat before he got to these words and it sounds to me people like if I hurt your feelings, then I'm sorry. Or we should be discussing something else, therefore I am sorry.
TAYLOR: Sure.
LEMON: But an apology is, hey, I screwed up and I'm sorry. That's what an apology is.
Do you -- do you think this is an apology or an apology with caveat?
TAYLOR: Well, it isn't an apology. You know, I said tonight on Twitter, the first rule of apologizing is it cannot contain a lie. And the lie is that Sandra Fluke was talking about using birth control pills for recreational sex when really her testimony was about the multiple medicinal uses of birth control pills.
You know, it is, you know, unconscionable to me that he would put a statement that then revictimize her again, as if he's, you know, apologizing for saying I didn't use the right synonym as if there is a synonym for those words that is appropriate in the situation.
My daughter Katie is in the studio with me tonight. And I just have to tell you that if he had victimized my daughter in this way, I'd probably be sitting outside of EIB studios tonight just waiting for him.
And so, you know, I think for him to take it, you know, here and revictimize her day after day after day, I think he's asking for a lawsuit involving slander. And I think Clear Channel has to rethink its choices about what they think is comedic when actually what this is, is a war on women across this country.
LEMON: It is interesting because I have heard that many people making this a Republican versus Democrat thing, a media versus Republican thing. And I remember when certain words, certain words -- even the same word were used against women in the GOP and it was covered and people were outraged just as much by this. So, really --
TAYLOR: As they should have been.
LEMON: Yes, as they should have been. So that is completely just false when you hear those kinds of things? TAYLOR: Well, I think that is completely false. I think any time, you know, words like that are used against woman no matter what their theology or ideology happens to be --
LEMON: Exactly.
TAYLOR: You know, it is a way to maligning and marginalizing women.
Women should be in control of their own fertility. Historically, that has been the way in a paternalistic society that they have kept control of women and their ability to earn wages and survive and cope and make it in this society.
And so I think that this is a power play. It is an unfortunate thing that the Republicans have done. So, yes, there is some party politics involved in this.
We ought to be talking about jobs. We ought to be talking gas prices. We ought to be talking about what's happening between Israel and Iran.
Instead, we're talking about my right to control my reproductive health and my right to have a basic standard of care from my health care provider. I think that is the most unfortunate thing about this conversation.
LEMON: And hearing those words when it comes from a Democrat or whatever it is, someone in the middle, it's disgusting to hear those words especially --
TAYLOR: It's disgusting from anybody.
LEMON: -- in a national platform and national forum.
There is a reluctance, though, Goldie, of some Republicans to repudiate Limbaugh illustrate the power he wields inside the GOP. No doubt, it does.
GOLDIE TAYLOR: Sure. There are fathers on Capitol Hill. There are fathers and brothers and husbands who are running for president of these United States. And I got to tell you when I heard the response from Rick Santorum who is the father of daughters say that you know write this off as something comical or something that was just absurd, you know, I think that is the most unfortunate thing that he was not more willing to condemn this kind of language and not to condemn is to tacitly approve of and agree. And someone like Mitt Romney who is also the father of sons but certainly understands or should understand, you know, the plight of women in trying to seek health care. What he says "I just wouldn't have used those words." What does that even mean? I would not have used those words? Why not just come out and flat out condemn it and walk away?
LEMON: Thank you, Goldie Taylor. We appreciate it always.
TAYLOR: Thanks for having me.
LEMON: See you back here in studio soon I hope. TAYLOR: Absolutely.
LEMON: All righty.
Hey we want to tell you, of course, we are following the caucuses tonight. And we have been following them and talking about Rick Santorum, Mitt Romney and what have you. There's Mitt Romney in Cincinnati, Ohio. Three days to go until super Tuesday. Of course, the Washington caucuses are tonight. It's all about that and our special coverage again in just a few minutes with our Wolf Blitzed, top of the hour, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.
A home 40 years in the making destroyed in one night by a devastating tornado. It took with it a dad, a husband to one Indiana family. Their story is straight ahead.
And a possible tornado, left a trail of destruction outside of Atlanta. Neighborhoods and even an airport taken out.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
LEMON: All right. No one expects to see devastation like this from tornados in March. It certainly came in like a lion. All that mattered was the power of the storm that swept across the south and the midwest. This is West Liberty, Kentucky where the people who live there saw a tornado spin down main street. Eighteen people died in the state.
The governor called out more than 200 members of the National Guard to help with the search for survivors. The search is going on right now in Henryville, Indiana as well. State police described the scene as complete destruction.
The most stunning story of a toddler, a girl with blonde hair and blue eyes (INAUDIBLE) reports that she was found 10 miles from where her family is from. She is now in critical condition at the children's hospital in Louisville. I don't know what the blond hair, blue eyes had to do with the story. Anyway, a hospital spokeswoman said her two parents, a two-month old sister and a three-year-old brother were all killed. In all 14 people were killed in Indiana.
The members of one Henryville home have rebuilt - have to rebuild their lives, I should say. But they'll have to do it without a cherished member of the family. CNN's Susan Candiotti standing by for us in Henryville. Susan, this sounds, of course, heart breaking.
SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Don, it is heartbreaking. You know, here in Clark County, Indiana, in the small town of Henryville, only one person did not survive that killer twister storm. His name is 64-year-old Wayne Hunter.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): This is the hill top home Wayne and Lenora Hunter built to raise their family more than 40 years ago. This is how it looks now. Flattened, blown to bits by a tornado. Those front steps once led to their front door. Now they lead to heartache.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You're OK. It's OK.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's OK. It's all right.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): How would you like your dad to be remembered?
RODNEY HUNTER, SON: You know, he was a really good guy. He loved nature. He loved the people. He loved his family. He loved this community.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): Hunter and his wife couldn't resist shooting some video of the twister heading their way and ran for cover inside.
PAMELA RAWLINGS, DAUGHTER: They were in safest spot of the house, the middle of the house. There were no windows. They shut the doors and they covered up with a blanket.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): But not safe this time. They were found 30 feet apart. Wayne Hunter was dead. His beloved wife Leanora was still alive.
PERRY HUNTER, NEPHEW: He covered her up and protected her with a wood door.
CANDIOTTI: Hunter was a former volunteer firefighter and recently retired emergency room nurse. Those who knew him say he really believed that laughter was the best medicine.
RAWLINGS: He would put a smile on everybody's face right now with all the demolition going on here.
CANDIOTTI (on camera): What do you think he would make of all this?
RAWLINGS: He'd be taking pictures and posting them on Facebook.
HUNTER: And making a lot of jokes.
CANDIOTTI (voice-over): Now the hard part, trying to save pieces of their home, of their life, and trying to understand why.
PERRY HUNTER: The whole randomness of a tornado is amazing. They hit. One house is destroyed and one isn't. One person dies, and one doesn't. I don't think you can understand that.
CANDIOTTI: Yet for family and friends of Wayne Hunter just because they avoided this twister's path doesn't mean they weren't touched by what it took away.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CANDIOTTI: And the family is being so strong. You know, the son that you were introduced to said that he works at the State Department in Washington and he heard on the news that there was a twister. Twisters hitting Indiana, his home state, and then heard that it involved his hometown of Henryville and he thought "Oh, no." Then he heard that it struck the street that his family lived on, his parents and that's when he got word that his father had passed away and he rushed here to the scene. Don.
LEMON: And Susan, what about Mrs. Hunter?
CANDIOTTI: Well, fortunately she did not suffer life-threatening injuries and she was supposed to be released from the hospital tonight. She had minor cuts on her head and was wearing a neck brace and she hoped to be home staying with relatives very soon.
LEMON: All right. Susan Candiotti, thank you for your reporting.
Georgia faired better by comparison although one person was killed in suburban Atlanta. In Paulding County, a family scurried for shelter and was fortunate enough to escape unharmed. Jennifer Mayerle has their terrifying story. Jennifer.
JENNIFER MAYERLE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Don, there are so many homes in this area that sustained so much damage. This neighborhood in Paulding County was actually hit the worst. And you can actually see they are trying to make a little bit light of the situation. There is a sign that says moving sale. That's why because they say they would rather laugh than cry. And here's why.
Just listen to what happened to the Loss family. They were inside this home as bad as it looks from outside, the inside is even worse. They said last night when the powerful wind and rain was coming through this area, the roof was already coming off by the time they decided to seek shelter. Just take a look, this is their living room. Everything in here just completely drenched. The roof completely lifted off the home and as that was happening they were trying to get to the bathroom to make their way over here.
And as close as they could get was to this closet. Just take a look. There were three people. The husband shoved his wife and six-month- old baby into this small, small space inside this closet. He shut the door because he couldn't fit. He braced himself on the backside of this door and put his feet up to hold himself here to make sure they were safe inside and to hopefully and hoping that he would be OK right here in the hallway. You can see that is the one place that ended up being safe for them.
A six-month-old baby named Sarah Grace and they say there was grace looking out for them last night as they clung together in that little space. Again the husband as soon as everything moved by he let them out and they came to see this. You can see that is the baby's room right there. And thankfully they ended up being OK in that little area instead of all apart from each other. Because this is where they clung together.
We are hearing other stories of survival along this neighborhood and here in Paulding County. And the wonderful thing is that as much damage as there was there were no injuries reported in this area. Back to you, Don. LEMON: All right. Thank you, Jennifer. Appreciate it.
To find out more how you can help those affected by the severe weather, go to cnn.com/impact. There you will find all the organizations and ways that you can help people in need. Cnn.com/impact.
We have been focusing on the devastating severe weather that has struck much of the country. Straight ahead other stories making headlines including paying respects to the young and innocent. A student gunned down inside his own school.
And the trial against BP over that massive oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico last year is over before it even started.
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LEMON: All right. Warned you at the top of the hour they are coming in pretty quickly. The early results coming in this hour from Washington state's Republican presidential caucus. It's the last GOP contest before super Tuesday. Paul Vercammen is in Bellevue, Washington for us right now. So Paul, you're at Washington state Republican headquarters. Tell us what is going on there. What are you seeing?
PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, right now, Don in just a second, the GOP chairman will address the crowd here. And right now, Romney has the lead right now. In fact, if I step aside, you can hear him and I'll do that. This is Kirby Wilbur. He is the GOP chairman in the state of Washington.
KIRBY WILBUR, WASHINGTON REPUBLICAN CHAIRMAN: Are we ready? All right. Thank you. It is 4:45. We want to give you the latest report on the votes we have from our caucuses. I gave you the sheet, you have 23 of the 39 counties have now turned in, we have counted. We now have Mitt Romney, Governor Romney has 36.3 percent of the vote. Rick Santorum has 24.46 percent. Congressman Paul has 24.14, Newt Gingrich has an approximately 12 percent of the vote with three percent undecided, a very small fraction of other.
I will note that we don't have the populous counties in yet. They are still coming in but we have added counties like Clark (INAUDIBLE) et cetera and we have some of the populous counties we're still out 16 but if the numbers continue to come in, I would point out that the turnout so far in these smaller counties is 15,725 which is about 2,000 more than our total turnout of the state in 2008. So we are extremely ecstatic about the large turnout. That number will go up significantly when we have King, Pierce, Snohomish and Spokane counties come in. And as soon as those numbers come in we'll get you those numbers and we expect them soon, hopefully within the next hour or so. Any questions, please I'm happy to take.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What counties are missing?
WILBUR: Spokane, King, Snohomish and Pierce. Those are the four big populous counties that we don't have in yet. LEMON: All right. Paul Vercammen joining us now live. So Paul, you said that the chairman was going to come up and speak. So he is saying Romney 36 right now, Paul 24, Santorum, 24, very small margin between Paul and Santorum. Gingrich, 12 percent. So how soon do you think that we're going to know final results?
VERCAMMEN: That is a great question, Don. It seems that we might know these final results as soon as 5:00 local, 8:00 Eastern. That is what the chairman is promising. As you may have heard, King County is still out there and Pierce county where Tacoma lies is still out there. So the big populous counties have not come in yet.
I was in King County, by the way, Don, at the caucus sites and it was very brisk. It was just crowded, jam-packed with people wanting to participate in the caucus. And one of the things that we did notice in a very affluent and (INAUDIBLE) suburb of Seattle was Romney was doing very well. And I think that Paul and Santorum were hoping to do extremely well in these outlying and rural counties. So we'll have to watch for that trend and see if it continues. So still sitting out there, very populous King county and Pierce County, Snohomish and Spokane county.
LEMON: Paul Vercammen, Bellevue, Washington, following the results for us. So Paul, thank you very much. We'll be seeing you, I'm sure throughout the next hour as well here on CNN as we cover this live for you. A quick reminder, our Washington caucus coverage begins at the top of the hour, 8:00 a.m. Eastern, 5:00 Pacific. Wolf Blitzer anchoring the coverage for us.
We want to check some of your headlines right now. The grief in Chardon, Ohio welled up again today. This time the first of three funerals for the victims of Monday's high school shooting rampage. Family and friends buried 16-year-old Daniel Parmertor. More than 1,000 people turned out for his funeral mass.
Who can forget this? Oil gushing into the gulf after the BP oil rig disaster. Nearly two years later, BP has settled agreeing to pay nearly $8 billion to businesses and individuals damaged by the spill. But that's not the end of it. The government still has claims for violating the clean up and oil pollution act. BP has already paid out 22 billion, most to cover the cleanup.
Russian voters are casting bath ballots this weekend that are expected to make Prime Minister Vladimir Putin president again. If he wins the election he will serve an unprecedented third term. His rivals are hoping to win enough votes to force a runoff. Putin formally served as Russian president from 2000 to 2008.
Next civilians in Syria targeted by their own military. Here is something new. Army soldiers turn their guns on some of their own men.
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LEMON: More news overseas now. New development in Syria. Army soldiers turn their guns on some of their own today. The fighting rages on in Homs as relentless shelling tries to pound the resistance into submission. But in (INAUDIBLE) province, a Syrian army commander got wind of soldiers who plotted to defect. He betrayed them. 47 were immediately executed. Their bodies dumped in a lake. Opposition activists, Sami Ibrahim says one neighborhood at Homs is facing its own massacre.
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SAMI IBRAHIM, SYRIAN OPPOSITION ACTIVIST (ON THE PHONE): The a government now inside in preparing to something no one knows what's going on. The situation is very bad because (INAUDIBLE) now military zone area - no one can exit. No one can go out. We are speaking about between 6,000 to 10,000 persons inside Baba Amr. Why they prevent (INAUDIBLE), because they are preparing the massacre, they are arresting hundreds of people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LEMON: Well, snipers are a constant danger in Homs and the humanitarian crisis worsens every day as food, electricity and medical supplies dwindle. Two victims of the violence in Syria at last began their final trip home today. The Red Crescent handed over the bodies of American reporter Marie Colvin and French reporter Remi Ochlik, to Western diplomats in Damascus. Both died during the shelling of Homs. Doctors at Al Assad University Hospital positively identified them.
Next up on CNN, the severe weather did not stop with the sunrise. We're touring the damage in North Carolina where homes were ripped apart.
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LEMON: We are following the intense tornado destruction all across the south and the midwest. Our meteorologist Jacqui Jeras explains to us how these extreme storms form.
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Don, it was the perfect recipe of atmospheric conditions where we had cold dry air coming in from the north, extreme warmth and humidity coming in from the south and it just caused the atmosphere to explode and there you can see the tornadic thunderstorms as they developed and moved all across parts of the mid south.
Now this is what the severe weather outlook was issued by the storm prediction center. And this is where we had all the tornadoes verify. Look at all of those reports across the region from Indiana all the way down into parts of Alabama. These are the preliminary numbers. More than 101 tornado reports, 281 wind damage reports. More than 400 hail reports, bringing in a big total that 824. It's been an incredible severe weather outbreak. For March, above average already at this time. So sad situation, don. The best thing I can tell you is that this thing is finally over. All of the watches and warnings have expired or have been canceled early.
LEMON: All right. We're keeping our fingers crossed. Thank you, Jacqui Jeras.
And in North Carolina, there has been extensive damage from the today's storms. But so far no report of fatalities. Andrew Doud from our affiliate, WSOC shows us the scene near Charlotte.
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ANDREW DOUD, REPORTER WSOC: This is one of two subdivisions in east Mecklenburg County, hardest hit. Just walking up the streets you can see that there are windows blown out on cars. One car is flipped upside down while people are working to repair the roof of the house. Meanwhile, his next door neighbor's house, practically untouched.
From the area, you get a better pictures of the devastation. The tornado cut a 3.8 mile path through two counties. In the neighboring subdivision, some houses were completely destroyed, others were missing its roof and shingles. Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries. But no one was killed. Many people were lucky to have escaped uninjured, including the Watson family, who is upstairs in their house when the tornado did a majority of its damage on the first floor.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That can be replaced. I got my life. You know, I've never been through that. But I'm on the other side now. I just know god is good and he definitely brought us through that.
DOUD: We know about 1200 people are without power as a result of this storm. We know more than 160 houses suffered some kind of damage, at least 29 suffered significant damage and at least four were destroyed. Don?
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LEMON: All right. Thank you very much, sir.
I'm Don Lemon at the CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. I'm going to see you back here at 10:00 p.m. Eastern. I want to tell you that America's Choice 2012, the Washington caucus live with our very own Wolf Blitzer begins right now. Thanks for watching. See you at 10.
