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News Conference From Moore Soon; Tornado Cut Path 22 Miles Long; Tornado Survivor Tells her Story; Devastation in Oklahoma; Press Conference with Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin

Aired May 21, 2013 - 13:00   ET

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

CHAD MYERS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Let me get to one more graphic here we can show you all these lightning strikes. The western half of Oklahoma is sparking at this hour and these lightning strikes will take its toll on recovery effort here right there in Moore as we try to get people out of those buildings. Now, all of a sudden, the first responders, the rescuers are going to have to evacuate the area with lightening strikes all over this devastated area. We will get our crews out of the way. We will get the people out of the way. But when lightning comes into this kind of area where everything's already torn up, there is no place for people to go. You think, oh, a lightning storm is coming. Let's just go inside. Well, for most of these people, there isn't any inside. Inside is gone. The inside is outside.

We've been looking now at some of the new video coming in. We've also been looking at the National Weather Service there out there looking at this damage. They are going to determine whether it was the EF-4 or an EF-5, somewhere on that tier point of 200 miles per hour. EF-4 is 166 to 200. The EF-5 is 200 or above. EF-5 means parts of homes, you can't find them. The entire outside walls are gone and the inside walls are gone. All you might find is just the slab. And I have seen pictures, Chris Cuomo, of just single slabs all by themselves. Not a wall left on any of these homes. So, I assume we're going to get right at about 200 or maybe above with this tornado, at some point, in its 22-mile track from New Castle right across into Moore -- Chris.

CHRIS CUOMO, CNN ANCHOR: Yes, Chad, you were right. There is heavy rain that is just starting on queue for us now. There is lightning up in the skies, obviously a lot of energy. It got heavy very fast. It's going to be very difficult for search and rescue. We're watching them scramble right now back. They're actually being pretty deliberate about it. They're also tired. But we're watching them leave buildings now because of all the exposed metal. So, let me go to John King now with the latest -- John.

JOHN KING, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Chris, I'm not all that far from you in another part of Moore. And as you know, the rains have just turned heavy. If you look off in the distance, the sky is a little bit lighter. But this is an inconvenience for many of the families. You can start to see people have started to come back. Just today, they decided to come back to their homes to search through. There's a woman behind this wall here, you can't quite see her through there, you know, trying to find their precious belongings, trying to see if there's anything they can preserve. And as you've been noting all day what's so fascinating about this and so sad about this is the wideness of the swath. You see this house here destroyed, some children's play things up here, just literally wrapped into the tree. It goes on and on and on.

A bit earlier, we were about three-quarters of a mile from here in the Plaza Towers neighborhood. And, again, as residents came back to their home to try to find things, we heard a remarkable story from a woman named Rena Phillips. Her neighborhood is flattened, just flattened. All the houses in the neighborhood are destroyed. She said she was in the house when they heard the storm coming. Eight members of her family, including a two-year-old grandchild, went down to their storm basement. Listen Rena Phillips describe how it played out.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENA PHILLIPS, SURVIVED TORNADO: It was loud and windy.

KING: Right.

PHILLIPS: And -- you know, but once it was over, our cellar started filling up with water on both sides and that's when the grand-babies started panicking.

KING: That must've been pretty scary.

PHILLIPS: It was scary but we knew we were getting out. You know, we may have been walking in little water but we knew we'd get out. The people in Moore and the people that's come in to help, you know, they're family. They're family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, (INAUDIBLE) there and just trying to open it up and then they realized that they were trapped.

PHILLIPS: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I imagine, just the water coming in would probably be a little bit frightening.

KING: Right, right.

PHILLIPS: But we got -- you know, we turned around and we went from house to house and people were going, is anybody there? It's like, no, they're out, we're out, you know, we helped them make sure that our neighbors were out. The ones that we knew were home.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KING: And one of the remarkable things, when you hear people recount what happened on May 20th, they often talk about May 3rd, May 20th was yesterday, of course, May 3rd was the 1999 tornado that came through and took a very similar path through Moore. Rena Phillips told us when se rebuilt after 1999, when they lost everything, that's when they added that small storm basement where her family, eight members of the family, including that two-year-old grandchild, went down yesterday. When they went back this morning, they were there looking for their two dogs. One of their dogs, Titan, they found alive. He was shaking and he was trembling. He clearly was dehydrated. But Titan they found alive. And they were going to a local hardware area or a Home Depot where some other animals who had been recovered in the neighborhood were taken, hoping to find another one. Chris, a lot of stories like that.

People -- another woman, Renee Meyers, I helped get her kennel out of her house. She was digging through the rubble with her son trying to find her dog. The kennel door was open. She was hopeful, perhaps her dog her Boo, what her dog is called, escaped. As you walk through and you see the devastation, frankly, it is remarkable when you look at scope of it that the death toll has been revised downward to where we are today. But still, they are looking. I was out until about 2:00 this morning with search and rescue team from nearby Bixby. They had cadaver dogs with them.

And this morning, when we were in this neighborhood, a team of first responders from Texas came in on buses. They were quickly organized, quickly given a grid of that neighborhood, again, part of the Plaza Towers neighborhood. And off they went again to go door to door into some areas where not all the homes had been checked yet and where local officials were telling that Texas team, as they went off on their mission, still some people -- even though the number is shrinking, still some people unaccounted for -- Chris.

CUOMO: That's absolutely right, John. And they're doing their best but they can't do it when it's slick. They can't do it when there's hail. They can't do it when there's lightning. And all of that is going on right now. So, those efforts are being hampered by the weather, obviously. We are all pausing to fill in a lot of these open issues about who's missing and how many are injured, and how many lost their lives? We are wait on a press conference. It's going to have all the local bigwigs there, the police chief, the people organizing the search and recovery, the governor will be there. So, we'll get the best information we've had to date from them.

But, of course, this is really an evolving situation. It's not even 24 hours since then. And it's just all hands on deck from this community to surrounding communities, surrounding states, the federal government. We spoke earlier today with State Representative Mark McBride. This is his district. Moore is his place to take care of some 40,000 people he considers family. Listen to what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARK MCBRIDE, STATE REPRESENTATIVE, OKLAHOMA: Yesterday, I was at one place. They were pulling out a body, I guess. The sad thing is there was a little pink little jeep looking little girl's toy sitting there in the driveway. And I didn't stay there. I didn't know if it was a child or an adult. But, I mean, I was choking back the tears, trying to be strong.

(END VIDEO CLIP) CUOMO: And, you know, it's difficult to be strong when you're in harm's way. It's difficult when you've lost your home. But imagine if you don't know where your kid is. Imagine when you can't use your cell phone and know that your kid is in a school that got hit by a tornado. Can you imagine? And yesterday, at Briarwood school, parents flew down there. Some put themselves in harm's way during the tornado itself, but they had to find their kids. And let's play you some of the reunions that took place in the parking lot once the kids got safely (ph) with the school.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Justin? He was so brave. He was so brave. He was so brave. He was so brave.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CUOMO: It's the best hug of that mother's life to have her kids back and then she's thanking the teachers and thanking the other people from the community that kept her kids safe while she was searching for them. That's as good as it can get for somebody who's lived through what they've been through here in Moore, Oklahoma. That is one of the lucky ones when you found what matters most, your kids. We're going to break here. When we come back, the latest on what's going on in Moore, Oklahoma. We are waiting on a press conference. We are dealing with the weather. So, we'll update the situation for you. Also, the Jodi Arias death penalty hearing. If she takes the stand, we'll take you to it. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CUOMO: I'm Chris Cuomo in Moore, Oklahoma. We're monitoring two situations right now. Obviously, what happened here, the massive tornado and the aftermath as this community tries to recover. Twenty miles of damage, two miles wide in some parts. People still missing. People lost their lives, many people injured. We're going to talk to one in just a moment. Also, at bottom of your screen, you'll see state seal from Arizona.

We are monitoring the death penalty hearing for Jodi Arias. She is expected to take the stand. Will she ask for death penalty? Will she ask to be spared? We don't know. It's part of the mystery fueling the interest in that case. Ashleigh Banfield is there.

Now, I am in Moore, Oklahoma. As I told you, the weather has picked up here. You hear the thunder behind us. It has hampered search and rescue efforts. There was hail before, bands of rain, thunderstorms coming through. It's the last thing this community needed especially when so many people have nowhere to get out of the weather. Just to give you a sense of it, we have to hold on to the tent over our head right now because it's about to blow away. I want to, if we can -- do we have Miss Jarrell on the phone?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

CUOMO: Good. Miss Jarrell, it's Chris Cuomo. Miss Jarrell, for the rest of our viewers out there, she lived through this. Her home was damaged. Her car was damaged. She was damaged. She just got out of the hospital. How are you feeling and how are you doing, Miss Jarrell?

BARBARA JARRELL SURVIVED TORNADO (via telephone): Fine as I can be.

CUOMO: How badly hurt were you from what happened?

JARRELL: I am just hurt -- I'm just sore and battered. But I'm not -- I don't have any major injuries so I'm thankful.

CUOMO: So, tell me, Barbara, what happened? What happened to your home?

JARRELL: My son was at school and I went -- the phones weren't working so I didn't know they locked them down in the schools. He was at Southmoore High School. So, I couldn't leave as it was time for them to get out and I didn't know where he was. The sirens went off and they said it became a tornado emergency. And so, I grabbed a pillow, went in my hall closet, sat on the floor. I could hear it coming for about two, three minutes. And I covered my head. It kept getting louder and louder. And next thing I know, the windows break, my ears popped, it just kept getting louder and louder, and then I felt my house ripping apart. And then the rafters came down on me, knocked me to the -- on my other side. And it was a good thing it did because all the weight kept it from sucking me up because it was trying.

CUOMO: Barbara, we're showing pictures of your house now. And as terrible as this is, as terrible it is to lose your home, you have to know how lucky you are that you made it out of there. This is -- these pictures are terrible.

JARRELL: I know. I know. I am so -- I shouldn't be here. And then --

CUOMO: Well, you should be here, that's why you are here. But you have to tell yourself, Barbara, you've got take stock in that. I know this is so difficult for you. And you said you were waiting for kids to get out of the high school, is that right?

JARRELL: My son was in the high school, yes. It was time for him to get out and I (INAUDIBLE.) I didn't know they were keeping them. So, I had to stay in the house.

CUOMO: So, your son is OK?

JARRELL: He's fine, yes. His school didn't get hit.

CUOMO: And now, I know that your son's OK. But you do have other loved ones, right? You have pets, you have your cats. You're still looking for your cats, is that right?

JARRELL: Yes, I'm missing two cats. The white cat and my little Ralphy (ph). He don't weigh a pound. He's the blue or gray and tan one. And the big white one is Jay Jay. CUOMO: All right. We're showing pictures of your cats now. Hopefully, if anybody sees them and watching, they'll take care of them. As you know, cats are tough, they're very resilient. Hopefully they're finding their own way through this right now and found some shelter. How about you and your son? Where will you go now?

JARRELL: I'm at my daughter's. I really don't know. I really don't -- I don't know yet.

CUOMO: Well, at least you have family, though, Barbara. I know you're hurting and worried about your cats. Thank God your son's okay and made it out of a situation that I can't believe you made it out of. Hopefully more people were able to escape what seemed like certain disaster. Thank you for talking to us, Barbara. I hope you find your way through this and I hope you find your cats.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you.

CUOMO: There are a lot of people out there like Barbara, we're hoping, people who escaped from situations that just seem unlikely. Search and rescue hampered now. You can see the weather behind us, different bands of lightning and thunder and hail coming here. The last thing the community needs. Standing by for a presser that's going to have the governor, a press conference and local big shots who are all running this recovery effort so we can hear from the police chief and the supervisors, where they are, what progress is being made, what's needed.

Remember, CNN.com/impact. Please, go online, go to the website, go to the page, find out how to help. You heard Barbara. The need here is so great. She is, in a way, one of the lucky ones. We'll take a break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We pulled the boards and trash and everything away and wait till people scream and pull them up from there. You ran from pile to pile and waited for someone to scream.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's painful. Just the sound you're hearing, it's pain, you go, what if it was my family member? What if that was me?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer here at what's left at the Moore Medical Facility. Let's go over to the Governor, Mary Fallin. She's about to begin the news conference.

(BEGIN LIVE FEED)

CHRISTIE YAEGER, OKLAHOMA CITY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICER: As one large city, one large area, Oklahoma. So we're working together, we want the world to know that. We all want the best outcomes. We've got about 15 people here, 16 people to speak. And they'll come up to the microphone, they'll introduce themselves and they'll talk. And after the last person speaks, which will be commissioner Doak (ph), then we'll take some questions and answers from you. So right now, I'd like to introduce Governor Mary Fallin.

GOV. MARY FALLIN, (R ) OKLAHOMA: Thank you so much. I just want to thank the media for all that you've done to help our community get information that's critical at a time like this. Thank you so much for helping with the weather and disaster services and being able to help in our search and rescue. We appreciate you.

It's been a couple of trying couple of days for the state of Oklahoma. It's a sad time for us because we've experienced one of our most horrific storms and disasters that the state has ever faced. But yet, in the midst of tragedy and loss of life, we have also seen the resilience and courage and strength of our people and we will get through this. We will overcome, and we will rebuild and we will regain our strength.

Our hearts and prayers are certainly with those that have lost their loved ones. It has been a very, very hard experience, a heartbreaking experience, especially the loss of children in the schools themselves and those who haven't been able to find their loved ones and waiting to hear. We frankly don't even know yet if there are still missing people, but there still may be.

Our first and foremost emergency and goal is to have rescue and recovery to make sure that we've uncovered every piece of debris and gone through every building, piece of land itself, to see if there might be someone that survived the storm or has experienced some injuries itself (ph).

I had the opportunity a few moments ago to take an aerial tour to fly along the path of the tornado itself. It is very wide. It is hard to look at, because there is so much debris on the ground itself. In many places homes were absolutely destroyed, taken away. There's just sticks and bricks basically. It's hard to tell if there was a structure there or not. If you get into some of the major neighborhoods, you can't tell where the streets were, the street signs are gone. And it's been a big challenge for us, as being able to determine which area of the community we might be in because the streets are just gone. Signs are just gone. So we have been working very hard to identify various areas of need.

The path is very wide of this storm itself. It's about 20 miles long. We estimate it could have been up to two miles and width itself. We flew over the schools. I got to see the terrible destruction of the schools themselves. Certainly the business community and the friends and neighbors that lost their homes, we are very sad about.

I want to personally thank the Administrator Fugate who has joined us here with FEMA. They have done a superb job in working with our city, state, federal leaders here. We appreciate you, administrator. We appreciate your prompt response in answering our disaster declaration for our state and giving us apprioval on that. As you know, administrator, not only did we have the storm that passed through yesterday but we also had storms and loss of life and loss of homes and businesses on Sunday, when the storm actually began to roll through the state of Oklahoma. So, thank you for your assistance.

I also had a second phone call a few moments ago from President Obama. Once again, reiterating that FEMA is here to help bring any resources to bear, to help us with any type of red tape that we might run across and several other cabinet secretaries have called also to express their thoughts and prayers and offer assistance. We appreciate all that FEMA is doing.

And I want to say a word to all of the first responders, so many, fire, police, emergency personnel, the office of emergency management, Director Albert Ashwood and his team that have been coordinating on the state level. Thank you very, very much. And job well done to help so many people that are in need.

This has been a big tragedy for the state. And it's not easy to handle something this magnitude. I know many people have worked around the clock and have put in extremely long hours in very dangerous circumstances helping our fellow Oklahomans and grateful for you.

I want to give you a couple of updates on some things. We have what's called a unified command led by the Moore fire department. They have done a superb job in working with their local officials here, certainly with our state and federal officials. They have a plan. They're implementing the plan and have been since yesterday. I have been to their command headquarters. I've seen them organize their various teams. They have the map of the city itself, both Moore and Oklahoma City in which they've been sending out various teams and determining what the most important need is at that particular moment. So thank you, and job well done to the command team itself.

At 9:00 a.m. this morning, I brought together all of my cabinet secretaries from my various heads of my agencies for the state of Oklahoma. We had a thorough meeting going through each

division of our state entities talking about the current needs and challenges facing the state of Oklahoma. We want to encourage anyone that is currently still in need in our state to call 800-621-Fema, if you need services, if you need some type of help, and if a community needs help or department needs some help.

We've also set up a state website that people can go to get current information, to look at current services that are available, and certainly to be able to respond to the state government. It is, the website, Okstrong.ok.gov. That website will have -- will be updated throughout the day and throughout the time period until we get through this.

There will also be legislation that we are working on right now in the Oklahoma Senate and the House that will be a legislative vehicle to be able to tap our state rainy day savings account to set up an emergency fund for the state to be able to match federal dollars and to also help our local communities who are in need of services and funding right now.

A lot of the communities are tapping their local resources, certainly a lot of personnel is working overtime and there are a lot of departments having to utilize some of their funding. And it will also help us with matching some of the individuals who will apply for the federal assistance on the individual basis that have lost things and to help reimburse the local communities.

I've also signed an executive order that will waive the weight (ph) limits for utilities coming into state and working within the state, on weight and height, to help get the power back, restored and other essential utility services flowing again.

We have many areas without electricity and we've been without water in this local area of the city itself and water pressure's low in Oklahoma City, too, because one of our power supplies has affected one of the water plants.

I'm aware that we have some state employees that have been affected by the tornadoes throughout the state -- not only this one, but ones in previous days. For state employees that have lost their homes and I'm not aware if any of them have lost any loved ones, but if they work through the agency head, we are going to give our state employees affected 15 days of administrative leave, so they won't have to take their vacation leave or their sick leave to get back on their feet and to take care of their personal needs.

I have visited with our secretary of health and human services. We have been working with our local hospitals and our nursing associations and also the state funeral directors, and we have plenty capacity in our hospital to take those that have been injured.

We estimate there have been around 237 injuries so far that we know of that have shown up at our various facilities.

We also are working to set up mental health counseling centers in our various shelters. We'll be working to establish 1-800 number for those who need some counseling that have lost loved ones or faced stress from all that's going on.

We don't have any firm numbers on the number of deaths that we have experienced. We know that there are people, bodies have been taken to the medical examiner's office. But we have also heard there may be bodies that have been taken to local funeral homes. And so we are working real hard right now to try to get a more accurate count of the loss of life and we hope to have better numbers on that.

Our department of transportation had pulled together over 400 people throughout the state that are on sandby to bring in various bulldozers and equipment.