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President Obama Gives Speech During Navy Yard Shooting Memorial Service; Kenya Hostage Crisis Intensifies; Syria Shares Details on Weapons; Navy Yard Memorial Service; Colorado Rebuilding After Floods

Aired September 22, 2013 - 17:00   ET

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

ROSA FLORES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey.

Next in the CNN NEWSROOM, Syria and the deadly massacre in Kenya. As a back drop world leaders come together starting tomorrow for the United Nations General Assembly Meeting. And that's where we start our look at the week ahead.

(MUSIC PLAYING)

FLORES: Right now, President Obama is preparing to honor 12 victims killed in the Navy Yard shooting rampage.

The somber memorial service began moments ago at the U.S. Marine barracks in Washington. Earlier, the president and first lady Michelle Obama met with victims' families. Navy contractor Aaron Alexis opened fire at the Navy Yard Monday killing a dozen people before authorities shot and killed him. Eight others were injured, including a police officer shot in the leg.

After President Obama speaks, each victim's name will be read aloud. And the Marine will ring a large, brass bell to honor each victim. We will bring you the president's remarks live as soon as they become available.

We have new, bizarre developments, very bizarre developments from the deadly and still ongoing terrorism scene in Nairobi, Kenya. That's where men with guns stormed in a shopping mall yesterday, started shooting and killing at least 68 people and some are still hold up inside that mall with hostages.

Here is the bizarre part of it all. In the past couple of hours, CNN learned that three of the attackers are from the United States. A source within the terror group, al-Shabaab, told CNN the names of at least nine those gunmen. Some of them are reportedly Somali, but they say that one is Canadian, one is British and one is Kenyan and one is from Finland.

Now, we are working to verify all of this information provided to us by the terror group. Here's what we know about the 30 hostages still inside the mall. Not much, but some unconfirmed reports are suggesting that most of the hostages have been rescued. We are live from the scene in just a couple of moments.

The casualties, so far, we are told, 68 people are dead, at least 175 are hurt. Some of them are Americans. And right now, about 36 hours since the attack, Kenyan police are no closer to resolving the standoff than yesterday. The group holding the hostages are refusing to negotiate. And with little communication is coming up, from them, it is very defiant.

And like I said, several Americans are among those people who are injured in this terrorist attack. And now, if the information given is correct, three of the shopping mall attackers are from the United States or at least we think that they lived here at some point in time. U.S. officials are, of course, aware of these developments and are promising to help the Kenyans in any way possible.

On the phone with me now is CNN's foreign affairs reported, Elise Labott.

And Elise, tell us how U.S. officials are reacting to this news about the attackers and where some of them may be from?

ELISE LABOTT, CNN FOREIGN AFFAIR REPORTER (via phone): Well Rosa, you know, this really took officials by surprise that, you know, Americans could be involved in all of this. But the state department and other U.S. agencies have been, were very concerned about recruitment by the group al-Shabaab, in Somali communities in America particularly in Minnesota but there are also some in Kansas and other areas.

And so, they have been trying to combat this for a long time. Now, the state department is now confirming that these three individuals were absolutely involved, but they are trying to match-up the names. And officials tell me that they are becoming more confident that some Americans were involved. In the meantime, they are trying to provide all assistance whether it is a military assistance, first-aid, any kind of assistance that they could to the Kenyan authorities as they tried to resolve this.

FLORES: You know, and all this is very disturbing. The pictures are very graphic. And just a thought that people from America could possibly be involved is honestly very disturbing. But like you were mentioning, the U.S. is offering to help the Kenyans resolve this. Kindly tell us little more about some of the help that the U.S. could provide.

LABOTT: Well, they provide a lot of different things. First of all there are kind of U.S. councilor official on the scene which are helping with any type of American's assistance. They are also working with United Nations' agencies to try and issue some kind of first-aid type of activities. They are also working with in military arm forces personnel providing anything, but always with the request of the Kenyan authorities. Obviously, the Kenyan law enforcement and Kenyan housing services are very strong and so they're trying to be more of assistance for whatever they need as the Kenyan certainly have need here.

FLORES: Sounds good. All right, Elise Labott, thank you so much.

Now, we want to bring in Peter Bergen in Washington now. He is our national security analyst. And Peter, this news that some of the attackers in Nairobi are from the U.S. is shocking. The state department says they have been worried that al-Shabaab is actively recruiting in certain communities here in the United States. What communities are they talking about? And what indication do they have that terror groups are actually finding people to recruit here in the U.S.?

PETER BERGEN, CNN SECURITY ANALYST: There was a number, I mean as Elise just pointer out, and a lot of the recruitment has gone on in Minnesota. In particular, in Minneapolis (INAUDIBLE) riverside which is one of the poorest neighborhoods Minneapolis one of the poorest neighborhoods in the United States.

This recruitment began really in sort 2007 timeframe. A number of young men around 2000 from Minneapolis traveled to Somalia in 2008, 2009. But they also came from other places. One of the leaders of al-Shabaab for a long period until he was killed earlier this month, is a guy (INAUDIBLE) who grew up Baptist in Gaffney, Alabama which is a small town in Alabama, and then converted to Islam when he was a teenager and traveled over to Somalia and they came really kind of one of the star figures of the group. That was frequently showcase the video that al-Shabaab made. So, it is, as you say, shocking and surprising, but it isn't totally surprising giving the fact that we know Shabaab is recruiting in the United States. And we also know that they have recruited in a number of European consuls (ph). And it clearly, whoever is handling the twitter account would wish that very active in speaking in colloquial English in the kind of English that the American or perhaps somebody growing up in the U.K. would be using.

FLORES: You know, Peter, talk to us about al-Shabaab as a group. How big of a player are they on the global terrorism scene? And how tight are they with al-Qaeda really?

BERGEN: Well, with al-Qaeda, they could be tighter. I mean, at this point, in February of 2012, they formally merge with al-Qaeda, you know. In practice that doesn't mean that they're in constant communication with al-Qaeda's leadership. In Pakistan, they identified themselves as part of the global Jihad. And we have seen in terms of other operations they have done in the west. They tried to kill somebody associated with al-Shabaab, trying to kill a Danish cartoonist in Denmark, drawing a cartoon that many Muslims found offensive to the prophet, Muhammad.

They had done operations in Uganda lodge scale operations killing 70 people in 2010. You know, they have shown no ability or, for the moment, of being able to attack in the west other than the botched attack to kill this cartoonist in Denmark.

FLORES: All right, thank you so much. We appreciate you giving us that perspective.

Now, we may have some developments on the hostages who were taken yesterday in that shopping mall.

Nima Elbagir is outside of that west gate mall in central Nairobi. And, Nima, a few minutes ago, we got some reports about a hostage rescue operation. Do you have information about that that you can expand for us?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely, Rosa. After an extraordinary tense 36 hours here on the ground, the Kenyan defense which is the Kenyan military service have said that they have now successfully rescued most of those hostages. They said that there's finally resolution in site. They believe that in the very, very near future, minute, even, we could be hearing that this attack could finally be coming to a close, Rosa.

This, as you can imagine, for the family that have been waiting to hear news to those love ones that relaying inside, is just an extraordinary moment. I just want to remind you why this has been such a traumatizing attack for Kenyans. Buy Kenyans as I see in general, this attack was carried out on a Sunday, if you can imagine, while a children's cooking competition was being held. And these attackers came in, opening fire, guns flaring. And since then, so many of the families of those held inside, they have absolutely no used of those (INAUDIBLE).

We're already hearing the family haves been contacting Kenyan authorities hopeful that those that they have been waiting to hear news of, those that for many people, have begun to lose hope of hearing result that they could be coming out now, Rosa.

FLORES: Such disturbing details.

Now, Nima, could you describe this mall for us? Just to give our viewers a sense of what this is, that maybe, perhaps, the restaurants or the stores, just so people get a sense of what we are looking at when it comes to these hostages and this attack being a mall?

ELBAGIR: I have to say, you know, probably, it's slightly smaller in size than what you are used to in the U.S. But this mall, it doesn't really differ that greatly. There is a Nike, there's a Converse, there's an ice cream shop, there is a little children's play area. That is exactly what pretty much every average family would have been looking for on the weekend when they are tying enjoy time with their children, their husbands, their boyfriends, their girlfriend. And you see that's what made it so popular with the expat community here.

This is somewhere where the Americans gripped United Nations workers, diplomats. And that's why it has sent such a ricochet, such a kind of -- such a shock wave through society. The U.S. ambassador found its way to the blood drive. And he gave blood, the Israeli ambassador here.

People are really trying to come together to rally around the Kenyans. But of course, even as this situation is resolved, Rosa, some of the disturbing questions that have been raised by what remains, we have been receiving detail. In fact, when sources within the al-Qaeda link al-Shabaab group, that there were American citizens amongst the attackers, and these are questions still to be addressed, Rosa.

FLORES: Thank you so much, Nima Elbagir in Central Nairobi for us. Thank you so much and be careful out there.

And still to come, a "New York Times" photographer was inside the mall when the shooting started. Coming up, a look at his incredible pictures as the chaos unfolded.

Also ahead, Russia's foreign minister says when it comes to Syria; the U.S. is trying to blackmail his country. We will tell you what he meant by that.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FLORES: Welcome back.

Twelve victims of the Navy Yard shooting are being honored this afternoon at a memorial service in Washington. President Obama will speak this hour and he tribute to the nine men and three women killed in Monday shooting. Authorities shot and killed the gunman, former navy reservist, Aaron Alexis.

Now, you are taking a look at live pictures right now and this is secretary of defense Chuck Hegel. And let's listen to what he is saying right now.

(BEGIN LIVE MEMORIAL SERVICE COVERAGE - IN PROGRESS)

CHUCK HAGEL, DEFENSE SECRETARY: -- to the families here today. Know that are out thoughts and our prayers are with all of you. Today, we come together at this historic post to begin a long road of healing and recover. It is a path we walk together. We walk with the families or who loved have fallen to help ease the pain, hoping the grief and sadness will one day out and cherish memories of those we love so much who will take your place. We walk with those injured and scared by this senseless act of violence to help them regain their strength hoping the horrors of last Monday will noon received.

And together, we will recover. We will remember the first responders, we will remember all. The first responder, who ran toward the sounds of gunfire including Officer Scott Williams, injured in the line of duty. We will remember the valor or the navy yard personnel, all the people in the building 197. And we will remember that in the face of tragedy, the United States Navy is once again responding with result. As we remember the falling, we also note the timeline as resilient of the institution, that the victims were part of. That they so proudly support in the nation ay so humbly served.

God bless the families and friends of those who we remember today. And God bless you.

(END LIVE MEMORIAL SERVICE COVERAGE)

FLORES: That was secretary of defense, Chuck Hagel. And now, we have the president of the United States walking up to the podium. And, of course, this is something that the president has talked about before and other instances. Let's listen to see what the president has to say.

(BEGIN LIVE MEMORIAL SERVICE COVERAGE - IN PROGRESS)

BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Secretary Hagel, Secretary Mabus, admirals Greenert and Hilarides, Mayor Gray, leaders from across this city, and armed forces, to all the outstanding first responders, and most of all, the families whose hearts have been broken.

We cannot begin to comprehend your loss. We know that no words we offer today are equal to the magnitude to the deaths of that loss. But we come together as a grateful nation to honor your loved ones, to grieve with you, and to offer as best we can some solace and some comfort.

Now, on the night that we lost Martin Luther King Jr. to a gunman's bullet, Robert Kennedy stood before a stunned and angry crowd in Indianapolis, and he broke the terrible news. And in the anguish of that moment, he turned to the words an ancient Greek poet, Aeschylus. Even in our sleep, pain, which we cannot forget, falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful Grace of God. Pain, which cannot forget, drop by drop, upon the heart.

The tragedy and the pain that brings us here today is extraordinary. It is unique. The lives that were taken from us were unique. The memories their loved ones carried are unique and they will carry them and endure long after the news cameras are gone.

But part of what wears on as well is the sense that this has happened before. Part of what wears on us, what troubles us so deeply, as we gather here today, is how this senseless violence that took place here in the Navy Yard echoes other recent tragedies.

As president I have now grieved with five American communities ripped apart by mass violence: Fort Hood, Tucson, Aurora, Sandy Hook, and now the Washington Navy Yard. And these mass shootings occur against a backdrop of daily tragedies as an epidemic of gun violence tears apart communities across America, from the streets of Chicago to neighborhoods not far from here.

And so once again, we remember our fellow Americans who were just going about their day, doing their jobs, doing what they loved. In this case, the unheralded work that keeps our country strong and our Navy the finest fleet in the world, these patriots doing their work that they were so proud of and who have now been taken away from us by unspeakable violence.

Once more we come together to mourn the lives of beauty, and the comfort, and the wonderful families who cherished them. Once more we pay tribute to all who rush toward the danger, who risk their lives so others might live, and who are in our prayers today, including Officer Scott Williams. Once more our hearts are broken. Once more we ask, why? Once more we seek strength and wisdom through God's grace.

You and your families, this Navy family, are still in the early hour of your grief. And I'm here today to say that there's nothing routine about this tragedy. Nothing routine about your loss. Your loved ones will not be forgotten. They will endure in the hearts of the American people, in the hearts of the Navy that they helped to keep strong in the hearts of their coworkers and their friends and their neighbors. I want them to know how she lived, Jessica Gaarde said of her mother Kathy. She is not a number or some statistic.

None of these 12 fellow Americans are statistics. Today I want every American to see how these men and women lived. You may have never met them, but you know them. They're your neighbors.

Like Arthur Daniels, out there on the weekend, polishing his White Crown Victoria.

Like Kenneth Proctor and his beloved mustang, who if you asked would fix your car, too.

She was the friendly face at the store, Sylvia Frasier, with her unforgettable gold hair, took a second job at Wal-Mart because she said she just loved working with people. She was the diehard fan you sat next to at the game. Kathy Gaarde loved her hockey and her Caps. Season ticket holder for 25 years. They were the volunteers who made your community better.

Frank Kohler giving dictionaries to every third grader in his county.

Marty Bodrog leading the children's Bible study at church. They lived the American dream.

Like Vishnu Pandit, who left everything he knew in India for this opportunity and raised a wonderful family and dedicated himself to the United States Navy.

They were proud veterans like Gerald Read, who wore the Army uniform for more than 25 years. And Michael Arnold, who became one of the Navy's leading architects of whom a colleague said nobody knew those ships like him.

They were dedicated fathers, like Mike Ridgell, coaching his daughters' softball teams, joining Facebook just to keep up with his girls, one of whom said he was always the cool dad.

They were loving mothers like Mary Francis Knight, devoted to her daughters and who had just recently with joy as her older daughter got married.

They were doting grandparents like John Johnson, always smiling, giving bear hugs to his 10 grandchildren and who would have welcomed his 11th grandchild this fall.

These are not statistics. They are the lives that have been taken from us. This is how far a single act of violence can ripple. A husband has lost his wife. Wives have lost their husbands. Sons and daughters have lost their moms and their dads. Little children have lost their grandparents. Hundreds in our communities have lost a neighbor. And thousands here have lost a friend.

As has been mentioned for one family, the Daniels family, old wounds are ripped open again. Priscilla has lost Arthur, her husband of 30 years. Only a few years ago, as Mayor Gray indicated, another shooting took the life of their son, just 14 years old. I can't believe this is happening again, Priscilla says.

These families have endured a shattering tragedy. It ought to be a shock to all of us, as a nation and as a people. It ought to obsess us. It ought to lead to some sort of transformation. That's what happened in other countries when they experienced similar tragedies. In the United Kingdom, in Australia, when just a single mass shooting occurred in those countries, they understood there was nothing ordinary about this kind of carnage. They endured great heartbreak, but they also mobilized and they changed. And mass shootings became a great rarity.

And yet here in the United States, after the round-of-clock coverage on cable news, after the heartbreaking interviews with families, after all the speeches and all the punditry and all the commentary, nothing happens.

Alongside the anguish of these American families, alongside the accumulated outrage so many of us feel, sometimes I fear there's a creeping resignation that these tragedies are just somehow the way it is, that this is somehow the new normal.

We can't accept this. As Americans bound in grief and love, we must insist here today there's nothing normal about innocent men and women being gunned down where they work. There's nothing normal about our children being gunned down in our classrooms. There's nothing normal about children dying in our streets from stray bullets.

No other advanced nation endures this kind of violence. None. Here in America, the murder rate three times what it is in other developed nations. The murder rate with guns is 10 times what it is with other developed nations. And there's nothing inevitable about it. It comes about because of decisions we make or fail to make, and it falls upon us to make it different. And sometimes it takes an unexpected voice to break through, to help remind us what we know to be true.

And we heard one of those voices last week. Dr. Janis Orlowski's team at MedStar Washington Hospital Center treated the wounded. And in the midst of one of her briefings, she spoke with heartbreaking honesty as somebody who sees daily and nightly, the awful carnage of so much violence. We are a great country, she said. But there's something wrong. All these shootings, all these victims, she said. This is not America. It is a challenge to all of us, she said. And we have to work together to get rid of this. That's the wisdom we should be taking away from this tragedy and so many others.

I'm not accepting these shootings as inevitable, but asking what can do to prevent them from happening again and again and again. I've said before, we cannot stop every act of senseless violence. We cannot know every evil that lurks in troubled minds. But if we can prevent even one tragedy like this, save even one life, spare other families what these families are going through, surely we've got an obligation to try. It's true that each of the tragedies I've mentioned is different and in this care it's clear we need to do a better job at securing our military facilities. Deciding who gets access to them. And as commander-in-chief, I've ordered a review of procedures up and down the chain. And I know that Secretary Hagel is moving aggressively on that.

As a society, it's clear we've got to do a better job of ensuring that those who need mental health care actually get it. And that in those efforts we don't stigmatize those who need help. Those things are clear and we've got to move to address them.

But we Americans are not an inherently more violent people than folks in other countries. We're not inherently more prone to mental health problems. The main difference that sets our nation apart is what makes us so susceptible to so many mass shootings is that we don't do enough, we don't take the basic commonsense actions to keep guns out of the hands of criminals and dangerous people.

What's different in America is it's easy to get your hands on a gun. And a lot of us know this. But the politics are difficult. As we saw again this Friday. And that sometimes where the resignation comes from. The sense that our politics are frozen and that nothing will change.

Well, I cannot accept that. I do not accept that we cannot find a commonsense way to preserve our traditions including our basic Second Amendment freedoms and the rights of law abiding gun owners, while at the same time reducing the gun violence that unleashes so much mayhem on a regular basis.

And it may not happen tomorrow and it may not happen next week. It may not happen next month, but it will happen. Because it's the change that we need. And it's the change overwhelmingly supported by the majority of Americans.

By now, though, it should be clear that the change we need will not come from Washington. Even when tragedy strikes Washington. Change will come. The only way it ever has to come and that's from the American people.

So the question now is not whether as Americans we care in moments of tragedy. Clearly, we care. Our hearts are broken again. And we care so deeply about these families. But the question is do we care enough? Do we care enough to keep standing up for the country that we know is possible even if it's hard and even if it's politically uncomfortable?

Do we care enough to sustain the passion and the pressure to make our communities safer and our country safer? Do we care enough to do everything we can to spare other families the pain that is felt here today?

Our tears are not enough. Our words and our prayers are not enough. If we really want to honor these 12 men and women, if we really want to be a country where we can go to work, can go to school, and walk our streets, free from senseless violence, without so many lives being stolen by a bullet from a gun, then we're going to have to change. We're going to have to change.

On Monday morning these 12 men and women woke up like they did every day. They left home and they headed off to work. And Joe Reid's wife Kathy said, see you tonight for dinner. And John Johnson looked at his wife Judy and said what he always said whenever they departed. Good-bye, beautiful, I love you so much.

Even in our sleep, pain which we cannot forget falls drop-by-drop upon the heart. Until in our own despair against our will comes wisdom through the awful grace of God. What Robert Kennedy understood, what Dr. King understood, what all our great leaders have always understood is that wisdom does not come from tragedy alone, or from some sense of resignation in the fallibility of men.

Wisdom comes through the recognition that tragedies, such as this, are not inevitable. And that we possess the ability to act and to change and to spare others the pain that drops upon our hearts.

So in our grief, let us seek that grace. Let us find that wisdom. In doing so, let us truly honor these 12 American patriots. May God hold close the souls taken from us and grant them eternal peace. May he comfort and watch over these families. And may God grant us the strength and wisdom to keep safe our United States of America.

ROSA FLORES, CNN ANCHOR: And that was the president of the United States speaking at the U.S. Navy barracks remembering the victims of the Navy Yard shooting Monday.

Our thoughts and prayers, of course, with those families.

You can learn more about each of the victims of the Navy Yard shooting. All you have to do is log onto to our web site, CNN.com. We'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FLORES: New complaints today as the U.S. and Russia nail down the details on their agreement to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. The Russian foreign minister cut the deal with Secretary of State John Kerry. Sergei Lavrov tells Russian state television that the U.S., in his words, is blackmailing Russia into supporting the threat of military force if Syria fails to comply.

The details are crucial because the agreement still needs to be approved by the U.N. Security Council, of course. Now tough comments from the Russian foreign minister, his remarks, come just a day after Syria turned over an inventory of its chemical weapons to international investigators fulfilling a key deadline, we should add.

Let's talk about these developments with Fouad Ajami. He's a senior fellow at Stanford University Hoover Institute.

And, Ajami, a U.S. official said yesterday that he has -- was pleasantly surprised with a level of detail that the Syrians provided in this -- in this inventory.

Can we trust it?

FOUAD AJAMI, SR. FELLOW, STANDARD UNIVERSITY'S HOOVER INSTITUTION: Well, he may be pleasantly surprised by the Syria opposition isn't. And the people who know Syria are not. And every -- there's every indication, of course, that this regime will cheat. There is every reason to believe that we have to run around Syria looking at chicken coops and, you know, all kinds of forsaken hamlets for these -- for these chemical weapons.

We've made a deal -- we've made a deal on the backs of the Syrian people. This was Russia-American deal that betray the Syrian rebellion and betrayed the Syrian people. And we should be honest about it.

FLORES: Now let's talk about the wider civil war in Syria and what do you make of the information coming out of Iran and their, I guess, eagerness to negotiate a peace deal?

AJAMI: No, I love this. Of course, the Iranians are -- you know -- the Iranians are sending their -- their president will be in New York on Tuesday. President Rouhani, he's the darling of everyone these days. And President Rouhani had a piece -- an op-ed in the "Washington Post" which just I will quote from just this sentence. He's speaking of Syria.

He said, "Syria, a jewel of civilization, has become the scene of heartbreaking violence, including chemical weapons attacks, which we strongly condemn."

This is the president of a country which, in a way, when you take a look at the destruction of Syria and the great violations of Syrian rights, the Iranians have been deeply involved with this. They have backed this regime to the hill. And, now, here comes this man presenting himself as a decent man shedding crocodile tears over the faith of the Syrian people.

FLORES: You know, I read his op-ed was the, as he mentioned, a lot of the problems were identity issues.

AJAMI: Yes.

FLORES: In the case of Iran, he said the nuclear program is more energy diversity.

AJAMI: Right.

FLORES: And then he said, we have a two-prong approach here that he'd like to use. First of all, he said, dialogue. Open that dialogue.

AJAMI: Right.

FLORES: And then to address the broader, overarching injustices and rivalries that fuel violent intentions. And I know that there's a lot of skepticism about what Iran would really be able to do. AJAMI: Well, look, skepticism is really in order. I mean, that's the right thing to approach the Iranians, and to look at what the Iranians are doing. And with the idea now all of a sudden that we accept it when it ceases -- of Iran, that Iran will be active in the pursuit of peace. It's completely -- it's an outrageous proposition.

The Iranian Revolutionary Guard are now in Syria. On the side of Bashar al-Assad. They are active in suppressing and killing and murdering the Syrian people. But I think again and again now, the Obama administration is interested in a deal with Iran and the idea that we have forced Iran into a settlement. And so this is the -- you know, this is what's -- this is the flavor of the week. But we should not believe this.

FLORES: We're going to have to see what happens. And I know that Fouad Ajami is going to join us again in the next hour because we have lots to talk about. Definitely so. And like you mentioned, the president of Iran is scheduled to be here soon but no formal meeting with the president of the United States.

AJAMI: Yes.

FLORES: Just yet that we know of. Thank you so much. And you'll be back.

And now in Colorado, homes and businesses are getting back on their feet after deadly floods. But now there is a new fear. We'll explain how an open sign may not be enough for some businesses to survive.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even there, you hand shall --

FLORES: Welcome back right now. We're taking you live to the U.S. Navy barracks right now. They -- there is a memorial prayer going on. This is Rear Admiral Mark Tidd, chief of Naval Chaplains. Let's listen in.

REAR ADM. MARK TIDD, CHIEF OF NAVAL CHAPLAINS: Hold us now. Comfort each one of us with the great power of your love. And in our grief and our confusion, give us light to guide us to the assurance of your love. We pray this in your holy name. Amen.

Would you please rise as we recall the names of those whom we have lost. And, please, remain standing for the Navy hymn and for "Taps." Following "Taps," please remain in place for the departure of President and Mrs. Obama and the families.

These are our fallen colleagues. Michael Wells Arnold. Martin John Bodrog. Arthur Lee Daniels. Sylvia Renee Frasier. Kathleen Gaarde. John Roger Johnson. Mary Francis Knight. Frank Edwin Kohler. Vishnu Kisan Pandit. Kenneth Bernard Proctor. Gerald Eugene Read. And Richard Michael Ridgell.

(MUSIC)

FLORES: And we'll be right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

FLORES: There is some encouraging news on the flooding that has ravaged Colorado. The number of people unaccounted for is down to 60 and keeps dropping and washed out roads are starting to reopen. Seven people died in the flood and three are missing and presumed dead.

There is still concern about the possibility of more spills in flooded oil fields but there's another problem, folks, that could cost the state millions.

Dan Simon is live in Estes Park, Colorado with that -- Dan.

DAN SIMON, CNN ANCHOR: Well, hi, Rosa. This is one of the most beautiful places you'll ever see. This is a haven for tourists but two of the roadways to get here have been destroyed. And that's making any kind of economic recovery very difficult.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We've lost a lot of drywall.

SIMON (voice-over): Julie Peeper (ph) and her staff are working furiously to get her restaurant reopened.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It hurts. This is a -- this is a good time year.

SIMON: But getting the repairs done is only part of the challenge for her and other small businesses in the town of Estes Park, Colorado. The worry according to the town administrator is how long it will take for customers to return?

(On camera): When you have an event like this, what does it do to a town?

FRANK LANCASTER, TOWN ADMINISTRATOR: Well, we've never had an event like this. This is the biggest event north Colorado has ever had.

SIMON (voice-over): The town sits at the foot of Rocky Mountain National Part. Elk raised out in the open, it is a tourist Mecca. The sidewalks normally bustling on the weekend are virtually empty.

CHARLEY DICKEY, OWNER, RUSTIC MOUNTAIN CHARM: Unfortunately this is a really shot in the Solar Plex and it takes the air out of you.

SIMON: And it may be a while until merchants like this are busy again. To understand why, you need to take a drive.

(On camera): But this right here is the biggest problem. Roads like this one had completely caved in. I mean, just look at the chunks of concrete in there. This is a major artery, and it's preventing folks from getting into the town and spending money and it could be like this for many months. (voice-over): There is no timetable for the major highway repairs. An alternative route exists, but it's not as convenient and it's not yet known how many people will use it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Some of the marginal businesses, this might be enough to push them over the edge.

SIMON: Despite the hardship, Julie says there is no place she'd rather live.

JULIE PIEPER, OWNER, POPPY'S PIZZA AND GRILL: A lot of people can say they live someplace beautiful, and a lot of people can say they live in a wonderful community, and the people know that they have both.

SIMON: A community that will come back, the question, though, is when.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ROSA FLORES, CNN ANCHOR: And Dan rejoins us now from Estes Park.

And, Dan, aside from the road destruction, did the town suffer other types of extensive damage?

SIMON: Well, there is some damage, Rosa. But I have to tell you, downtown looks petty good. That's where all the shops are. And they are open today and the problem is they are all empty. That's because people can't get on those roadways. It's believed that they will be fixed, hopefully, by December 1st, and, boy, do they really need some help -- Rosa.

FLORES: All right. Dan Simon, live for us. Thank you so much.