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Leaders Must Prepare For Uncharted Weather; Midair Engine Failure On Boeing Jet; Millions Of Texans Without Safe Water; Pro- Democracy Protests Continue After Myanmar Coup; Gaza To Start COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout On Monday; Delivery Driver Offered Shelter During Snowstorm; Firefighter Helps Woman Who Lost Everything In Raleigh Fire. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired February 21, 2021 - 02:00   ET

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

[02:00:00]

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TRAVIS LOOCK, UNITED AIRLINES PASSENGER: There's a big boom and the kind of sound you don't want to hear when you're on an airplane.

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ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Terror, shock then awe, all about midair emergency that could have been a major disaster but had a very different ending.

Plus the real devastation in Texas, my conversation with one of the world's leading climate experts.

Plus dust from the Sahara Desert is making its way toward Europe this very hour. A live report from the CNN Weather Center.

Welcome to all of our viewers here in the United States and around the world. I am Robyn Curnow and this is CNN.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.

CURNOW: A terrifying ordeal in the skies over Colorado on Saturday. A United Airlines flight from Denver to Hawaii had just taken off when an engine failed and started breaking apart in midair.

But it could have been much worse. Debris from the plane rained down on neighborhoods where people were outside enjoying the weekend. Amazingly no one on the ground or in the air was hurt.

The pilots were able to return to the airport and land safely. Now investigators are combing through the debris fields, trying to figure out what exactly happened. Lucy Kafanov has the story.

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LUCY KAFANOV, CNN CORRESPONDENT: So we are in Broomfield, Colorado. This was the area most impacted by the debris raining down from United Flight 328, the Boeing 777 that took off from Denver's International Airport. It was bound for Honolulu but minutes after takeoff, the pilots reported a problem with the right engine.

They then turned around and, as they were doing that flying over this area, residents, eyewitnesses on the ground reported hearing the sound of an explosion. One eyewitness described it as a sonic boom and that's when they saw black smoke coming from the plane and pieces of metal raining down.

Just to give you a sense of the scope of the debris field, I mean, down the block behind this cop car is a massive soccer field. There's a dog park, a lot of folks out and about earlier in the day, playing soccer, walking their dogs, enjoying the nicer weather that Denver had earlier in the afternoon.

All of that disrupted by this incredible event. The Broomfield police said they used a massive amount of police tape to section off these areas because, anywhere you go here, you can find pieces of debris. They're still urging residents to report those pieces. They're saying you shouldn't touch that, get the authorities involved.

And a miracle that no one was hurt, not any of the 241 people on board that craft nor any of the residents here on the streets of Colorado -- Lucy Kafanov, CNN, Broomfield, Colorado.

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CURNOW: CNN has been hearing dramatic accounts of what happened from eyewitnesses on the ground.

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KIRBY KLEMENTS, WITNESS: It was pretty surprising. The wife and I were sitting inside the house, just finishing up with paper and we heard this big bang and we kind of looked at each other and go, what was that?

Then all of a sudden there was a bang and a crash and this object just rolled right in front of our house, right out the front window. So I get up and look outside and I am trying to figure out what it is. Since I opened the door I go, oh, it is an engine part.

My first thought was that the plane had gone down. So I stepped outside and looked up and there were pieces of this honeycomb soundproofing insulation that goes around the engine that was just floating through the air like ash from a volcano. And it probably floated down for a good 3 or 4 minutes before it had all landed.

And that stuff is scattered all over the neighborhood. But --

(CROSSTALK) KLEMENTS: Yes, we were very lucky, 10 feet, a little closer, and it

would have gone right through our living room. It was a little overwhelming because I knew what it was but I really didn't piece it together why it was -- you know, why is this here, you know.

So I kind of went up to it and touched it a little bit and realized it was really heavy, I mean, really heavy. So I went out to talk to my next door neighbor and asked him what he had heard. And we came out and looked and it was just -- then, all of a sudden, people started coming out everywhere, who had heard the crash.

So it was probably, I don't know, a little while later when I realized it had actually landed on top of my truck.

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[02:05:00]

CURNOW: Well, if that sounds scary, imagine what it would have been like to be on the plane. One passenger said the trouble started when the jet reached about 10,000 feet.

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TRAVIS LOOCK, UNITED AIRLINES PASSENGER: There's a big boom and the kind of sound you don't want to hear when you're on an airplane. And I instantly put my shade up and I was pretty frightened to see that the engine on my side was missing.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Oh, wow.

LOOCK: So we were just glad we weren't over the ocean. Because that's where we were heading.

It was pretty calm, actually. But like I said, the noise we heard was just not a noise you ever hear on an airplane. We have turbulence all the time coming out of Colorado. But this was different.

And so there was -- you could sense the fear a little bit but everyone was very calm and there wasn't shouting or anything like that. Just wondering what was going on. And a lot of people couldn't see the engine on that side, right?

So I was a little more freaked out because I could see it and I knew that was not right. There was some cheering when we landed. So that was something you don't hear very often on a plane. But there was cheering. We didn't cheer a whole lot right away. The flight attendants -- I mean, the pilots were busy.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

LOOCK: So they were taking care of us. But we heard we will be landing in four minutes. Everyone was like OK, good, let's get us back on this ground. So yes, it was pretty calm. But nervewracking. You could see it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Well, I want to bring in former senior NTSB investigator and aviation security consultant Greg Feith. He joins us now from Golden, Colorado.

Hi, Greg, listening to all of these eyewitness account and video and photographs, what's your initial thoughts?

GREG FEITH, AVIATION SECURITY CONSULTANT: One of the first thing, Robyn, is that investigators are going to be collecting these pieces.

It is evident this was an uncontained engine failure. We have seen it in the past on a variety of different aircraft. With this it's fortunate that it happened right after take off and not five hours into the flight. With the debris being in an area that's acceptable by investigators, that'll provide evidence for them.

CURNOW: Just the video of that plane and what was left of that engine, kind of limping back to the airport. The pilot did an amazing job after this catastrophic event happened.

FEITH: Definitely with this particular flight crew and other flight crews, they are constantly being trained to handle situations like this. So they are prepared. Fortunately, they have those skills; we don't want to see them use it. But when they do have to use it in this instance, it is a prescribed procedure.

They did the right things. It was thorough and methodical. They're maintaining control over the airplane, assess the controllability of the airplane and determine the best course of action to get your plane back on the ground. It is evident they did it and did it safely.

CURNOW: Hats off to that crew. An engine should not pop off midflight and it was not just after takeoff, when sometimes planes are most stressed the most, it happened right afterwards.

FEITH: Well, they were still climbing so you are still at a maximum power setting. They were in a phase of flight where they were heavy, low and slow. So they have a lot of fuel on board and they're climbing to cruise attitude, so they are accelerating.

When this event took place, this is the worse time. This is the point of the flight where you have the most stresses on the engine. Investigators will be looking whether there a series of blades.

This engine has different kinds of blades and they'll look to see if those failed or some other mechanical part failed.

CURNOW: How much does the debris field tell you, how much will it tell you, the scope and the size of it. Certainly some great clues for investigations on the ground.

FEITH: Absolutely, Robyn. When you look at documenting the debris field, you can trace by trajectory the larger pieces and where they fell in relation to the flight path of the aircraft.

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FEITH: They'll have to try to find out if something they did not see, such as a flock of birds that they may have hit, that could have led to this event.

Or was this a true mechanical problem?

Where that debris is, the smallest piece of that debris could be the origin of this failure. So it is going to be important to get as much of the debris as possible. If people see it, don't touch it, call the local authorities because it could be something that you can hold in your hand that could be the origin of this failure.

CURNOW: These folks were supposed to going to Hawaii. When they get to Hawaii, they're going to have a much needed holiday there.

FEITH: Absolutely.

CURNOW: Greg Feith, thank you very much for talking to us. Appreciate you for sharing your expertise.

FEITH: Thank you, Robyn.

CURNOW: Cheers.

Coming up at CNN, some Texans are still without electricity and millions are now without water. A local mayor says he's lost his trust in Texas leader. But it's not just U.S. experiencing extreme weather. How climate change could hold the answer. Take a look at this picture.

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CURNOW: Welcome back.

So a major water crisis has developed in Texas, leading to long lines for bottled water. The deadly winter storm that hit much of the U.S. disrupted hundreds of public water systems and Saturday more than 14 million Texans were still without water and nearly 200,000 customers are without power across several states.

Community organizations and National Guard troops are helping to get food and water to those in need, as Omar Jimenez has more from Austin.

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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The water's not even bubbling.

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The lights may be on but across parts of Texas the water isn't. Drinking water still needed. UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There's a panic mode that we didn't have enough

drinking water. We would love showers but we'll get that when we get our water turned back on.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Texans waiting in long lines just to pick up cases of water, with nearly half the state under boil water advisories.

MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D), AUSTIN, TX: This is a community of people that are scared and upset and angry. We're eventually going to need some better answers. But right now we're just trying to get water to our neighbors.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): But it's not just drinking water. Some residents can't even flush the toilet without melting snow.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We relocated back to our house, five adults and two dogs, and we started harvesting snow because we also lost water at that point. Harvesting snow for toilet water.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): That lack of water making it difficult for those suffering from kidney failure. Some dialysis clinics have been forced to temporarily close, meaning patients have to go to the hospital to keep their kidneys from shutting down.

DR. PAUL NADER, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS DELL MEDICAL SCHOOL: So we've had double, sometimes triple coverages of physicians at all the hospitals. We cover many hospitals in Austin.

Ordinarily we finish most of our dialysis between about 8:00 and 5:00 or 6:00 at night for a regular day. We were working 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning, dialyzing patients in the hospital.

JIANG (voice-over): President Joe Biden approving a major disaster declaration for Texas, freeing up more help from FEMA.

REP. ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY): You know, when disaster strikes, this is not just an issue for Texans. This is an issue for our entire country. Disasters don't strike everyone equally.

When you already have so many families in the state and across the country that are on the brink, that can't even afford an emergency to begin with, when you have a disaster like this, it can just set people back for years.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): As residents wait for the water and power to come back, some still forced to use their cars for warmth. Others, if they're lucky, find shelter in a hotel.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The guests, frankly, it's been the equivalent of camping indoors.

JIMENEZ: And moving forward, officials here are going to start looking at what exactly went wrong over this past week. Among what they're investigating is that many customers here in Texas reported getting extremely high power bills, even amid this catastrophe. So Texas officials are investigating that.

On the water front, when could we see the water come back to Texas?

Well, in some places, we're well on our way. In Houston, for example, they've reached that minimum threshold for water pressure. Here in Austin, officials are optimistic they can get water citywide by the end of the weekend -- Omar Jimenez, CNN, Austin, Texas.

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CURNOW: A host of Texas officials have already come under fire for what they did or did not do to avert this disaster. Millions of people were without power for days and some local leaders telling CNN that this is the only latest failure by those in charge.

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MAYOR LARRY WALLACE JR. (R), MANOR, TX: Honestly I've lost all faith in senior leadership. They've proven time and time again over the last year and for us to have three declared natural disasters, COVID that went across all states, the threat on violence that Greg Abbott declared here and now the inclement weather.

I have only heard from council members and some mayors that I have built relationships with around here, my county commissioner and our brand new county judge. Everybody else is a lost hope.

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CURNOW: Well, Texas governor Greg Abbott initially blamed the power failure on renewable energy sources but experts dispute that. Abbott and other officials are facing heated questions about those misleading statements.

Scientists are confident that climate change is a big factor in some of the extreme weather we are seeing. Most any Texan will tell you this does happen but it's not normal. It was a rare treat until the state realized it was totally unprepared for this kind of weather.

Now some say a warming climate may have contributed to the extreme cold across the U.S. last week.

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CURNOW: And what made this last storm so historic is that cold air plunged further south than normal, about 4,000 miles further south from the North Pole. These extreme weather events aren't just happening in the U.S., take a look at this. These are camels on Saturday, in a blizzard in Saudi Arabia.

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CURNOW: Let's talk more about all of this with Katharine Hayhoe. She is an atmospheric scientist and director of the Climate Science Center at Texas Tech University. Great to have you on the show, I really want you to unpack for us why

a warming Arctic has an impact on Texas.

KATHARINE HAYHOE, DIRECTOR, CLIMATE SCIENCE CENTER, TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY: Well, first of all, in Texas, about every 10 years, there is a very severe cold wave with ice and snow that knocks out the power.

It happened in 1989. There was a very big one in 2011, there was a large one and, after every single one of these winter storm events, there was a commission, there were findings saying that the power grid was not prepared, the gas plants were not prepared, the gas lines were not prepared and they really should be winterized as they are winterized in other places further north.

But each time those recommendations were ignored. So the storm that happened in Texas this past week, it was not unprecedented and it was not something that has not happened before.

Now as the world warms, we know that our weather is getting weirder. We know that heat waves are becoming more intense and more frequent. We know that wildfires are burning greater area, from California to Alaska to Australia.

We know that hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are getting stronger and more damaging. We know that our really expensive weather and climate events are getting worse. And we know that today we are already woefully unprepared for those changes, as this week has just showed us.

CURNOW: It certainly has. Just explain to us what played out in terms of the atmosphere that led to these catastrophic scenes we saw in Texas.

HAYHOE: We get these terrible cold waves in Texas when there is an outbreak of cold Arctic air that makes all the way down to Texas. And this does happen on a fairly regular basis. Not all the time but enough that, if you lived here a while, you will have experienced it a couple of times.

Here is the connection with climate. The jet stream is powered by the temperature difference between the Arctic and the mid latitudes but the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the world.

And in fact, this past week, some parts of the Arctic were over 15 degrees Celsius, almost 25 degrees Fahrenheit, warmer than they would normally be at this time of the year.

So the jet stream slows down and begins to meander. And scientists are not sure yet, this is still at the cutting edge of scientific research, we don't have a long enough satellite record to be sure.

But there is some indication that as the Arctic warms much faster than the rest of the world, even though our winters are getting warmer, which they are, we can still be seeing these cold air outbreaks happening. So you would have warm, warm, warm, cold, warm, warm, warm, cold, as the world continues to get warmer.

CURNOW: So you call it global weirding, I understand, which is a pretty good description, because it has been wacky weather.

What do folks do about it?

Because this is about mitigation, about adaptation. I think somebody also said that it is about suffering. But it is a balance of how all of us are going to manage this global weird weather in the years or weeks or months ahead.

HAYHOE: Well, to complete the quote, we have these 3 choices, mitigation, adaptation or suffering. And the more mitigation we do, which means the more carbon emissions we reduce, the less adaptation is required and the less suffering there will be.

Adaptation means to look ahead down the road and see what is happening. We have to prepare for 500-year flood events to be happening every three years, as they have in some parts of Houston.

We have to prepare for hurricanes to be capable of dropping 50 inches of rain, as Hurricane Harvey did three years ago. The Midwest was in record flood conditions just two years ago. It is hard to remember that far back.

And we are seeing weather records being broken all over the world, as they normally do, both hot and cold. But our high temperature records have now been broken much more frequently.

So we can not only prepare based on the past, we must also prepare based on how things are changing so that, when we hit them in the future, we will be ready.

CURNOW: So I know that you advise cities and city managers, engineers, ecologists about these scenarios. If you look at the globe -- I mean, this is the kind of expectation in terms of weather that we all need to prepare for.

But what is clear from Texas is that, even knowing all of that, nothing was done.

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CURNOW: And then on top of that, we are hearing all of these reports of folks being charged crazy prices for their electrical bills. So ordinary folks are then going to have to pay for the ill-preparedness of the infrastructure of cities.

What do you make about that?

How can any of us, who are listening to you now, try and fathom and put this into our own daily lives, in terms of preparation?

HAYHOE: You are absolutely right, that is what is happening. So those who reap the benefits of failing to prepare to adequately winterize their equipment, because it would cost more up front, they are not the ones paying the greatest price.

As with any disaster, the poorest people, those living below the poverty line, those already vulnerable because of health conditions or other reasons, those are the people who are most affected by these disasters.

And as climate changes, we see that they're also the ones that are most affected, whether they live in a flood plain, because those are where the most affordable houses are, whether they are disproportionately affected by or exposed to air pollution, which a new study just found kills 8 million people around the world every year.

Air pollution from burning fossil fuels alone, the poorest and the most vulnerable are the first to suffer. And that is why preparing is a job for all of us. Cities, water districts, counties, states, provinces, departments, federal and governmental agencies, businesses, churches, places of worship, schools, everyone has a role to play.

And looking at their community and saying who is vulnerable and what can we do to prepare, to help?

CURNOW: Yes, it certainly is a lesson; what happened in Texas could happen anywhere. Our thoughts do go out to everybody.

And you are in Texas, how have you been?

HAYHOE: I have been incredibly fortunate to have the power on. But our university has had rolling blackouts and I have many colleagues that have been in dire situations over the past week.

CURNOW: Our thoughts and much love to you all, thank you.

Katharine Hayhoe, atmospheric scientist, thank you very much for being here and sharing your expertise.

If you would like to help the victims of the crisis in Texas, you will find a list of vetted organizations at cnn.com/impact.

Coming up here at CNN, anticoup protesters in Myanmar are refusing to back down, even after the bloodiest police crackdown yet. The latest on the fight for democracy. That is next.

Also, this shipment of COVID-19 vaccines will let Gaza finally begin their own vaccination program. Why it has been a long time coming. We have a live report.

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(MUSIC PLAYING) CURNOW: Welcome back to all of our viewers here in the United States

and around the world, thanks so much for joining me. I am Robyn Curnow. You are watching CNN.

We are seeing more prodemocracy protests in Myanmar. Thousands marching in defiance of the military generals who grabbed power three weeks ago. These follow the deadliest day of demonstrations so far. A volunteer emergency worker tells Reuters, two people were killed, 20 wounded on Saturday, when police opened fire on protesters in Mandalay.

Selina Wang is tracking this from Tokyo.

What can you tell us about what's happening on the ground right now?

SELINA WANG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Again, today, there are massive crowds in Yangon. You can see the people raising three fingers in defiance of military rule. And in northern Myanmar there is motorbike protest.

These protesters not backing down. Police opened fire on protesters on Monday and Saturday in Mandalay, leaving at least two dead and 20 injured. According to Reuters and AFP, they're citing emergency workers on the ground.

In a video that CNN has obtained, live rounds and tear gas were used. You can see people running away from police and taking shelter behind whatever they can find. In another video, a person is being taken away by medics.

This is all happening after a woman died on Friday from a fatal shot to the head. She's become a symbol of this movement -- Robyn.

CURNOW: Extreme bravery by these protesters. They continue to keep on challenging, pushing back.

How long can they sustain this?

WANG: The protests today marks 16th consecutive days of the contest and they are continuing despite increasing fear.

CNN has spoken to many protesters, who march during the day but then at night they're going into hiding, moving from house to house. Many have said they are terrified of being dragged from their beds during these early morning raids.

According to a Burmese human rights organization, more than 500 people have been arrested since February 1st. This includes civilians and activists, journalists, students, even monks and politicians. Take a listen to what this protester in Yangon had to say.

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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We protested peacefully but people had to die. The junta wasn't to stop us from coming out on the streets so they strongly respond to us. We, the people, won't accept their unfair oppression and we will continue to fight. (END VIDEO CLIP)

WANG: Robyn, many of these protesters feel that their future is at stake. Even though many of them are young people, many remember the days of brutal military rule. Now that they have tasted democracy, they're not easily giving it up.

CURNOW: Thank you so much, Selina Wang in Tokyo, thank you.

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CURNOW: Australian prime minister Scott Morrison is one of the first to get a shot there. He got the Pfizer BioNTech one. The country's mass vaccination program is supposed to start on Monday. health care workers, care home workers and airport staff will get first priority.

Palestinian officials say Gaza will begin its rollout on Monday after receiving its first vaccine shipment.

[02:35:00]

CURNOW: Sam Kiley joins me now from Jerusalem with more on that.

Hi, Sam.

SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: We are seeing for the first time the promise, at least, of vaccinations for the Gaza Strip, which has a population of over 2 million. It is surrendered by Israel on two sides, the sea on one, and it has a short border with Egypt.

Now there are Palestinian Authorities sending 2,000 vaccinations in via the Israeli crossing points. And on Monday, they're also expecting to get a delivery of some 20,000 doses or vaccinations from the United Arab Emirates, a donation from the UAE, which has criticism from the Palestinian leadership in the recent past over its plans to end existence of normalization in terms of diplomatic relations with Israel.

But nonetheless, this is a significant albeit tiny step forward for the Gaza population. It's anticipated that these vaccines will probably be used to vaccinate medical workers on the front line of a pandemic, which in Gaza and even in the West Bank, has not been as catastrophic as we have seen elsewhere.

But nonetheless, Gaza has got some 500-plus deaths from the pandemic, some 53,000 or more known infections of the COVID virus. And of course, it's very densely packed indeed and pretty much entirely dependent on foreign aid for its very survival.

So clearly, in terms of morale, at any rate, seeing the beginnings of this vaccinating campaign get underway in Gaza will be very good news for them.

Meanwhile, Israel today is beginning to lift quite a lot of its strictest lockdown regulations in the face of its own vaccination campaign, as it's been very successful indeed. But it's reaching kind of a plateau.

For that reason also the government is not going to be introducing the use of vaccination certificates for entry to places, such as gyms and public performances will be conditional on display of evidence you've had the coronavirus or you've been infected -- sorry -- inoculated successfully against it.

I think that's possibly (INAUDIBLE) use of actual vaccination certificates to try to effectively put pressure on those resisting vaccination to get it or get left out.

CURNOW: That's interesting, thanks for that. Sam Kiley, live in Jerusalem, thanks.

So it's quite a different story in the U.K. Its vaccine rollout seems to be ahead of schedule. The U.K. is moving up its target date for offering at least one dose to all adults to July 31st instead of the autumn.

Former U.S. President Donald Trump could be coming back to the political stage as soon as next week. But when he does, he might have to deal with some unhappy conservative voters. We have that story next.

Plus, this is what Senegal looks like because of a massive dust storm. We have the story ahead on CNN.

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CURNOW: We talk a lot these days about political division in the United States. But President Joe Biden is demonstrating that partisan friendships do exist. Arlette Saenz has the details.

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ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Biden made a surprise stop on Saturday to visit a longtime friend, former senator Bob Dole. He had announced earlier that he was recently diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. He'll begin treatment for that on Monday.

The president spent a little over an hour visiting With dole at the Watergate. The two men have a longtime relationship after serving decades together on Capitol Hill. Bob Dole is a Republican and Joe Biden a Democrat.

So the two forged this bipartisan relationship, sometimes being at odds with one another, but still forging that friendship during their time in the Senate. The president was asked how Bob Dole was doing. The president says he's doing well -- Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House. (END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Former U.S. president Trump said he would come back in some form after losing after his election bid. A source tells us he'll be speaking at the conservative political action conference. It will take place in Florida, next Sunday.

One of Mr. Trump's former campaign managers met with him at Mar-a-lago this week. Trump's baseless claim that the election was election was fraudulent is causing chaos in the Republican Party. Now a wealthy conservative is having second thoughts about the million of dollars he donated to the cause. Here's Randi Kaye.

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JOHN KING, CNN HOST AND CHIEF NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Joe Biden is on a trajectory to pass the president as soon as more votes come in.

RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As victory appeared to be slipping away from Donald Trump, post-Election Day, a wealthy conservative donor from North Carolina devised a plan to find out if the election was legitimate.

So, Fred Eshelman reached out to Texas-based "True the Vote," which promises on its website to protect election integrity. After a brief 20-minute phone call, on November 5th, Eshelman decided to donate. According to court documents, Eshelman said by phone, "I'm in for two," as in $2 million.

In the hours after Eshelman's millions were wired to " True the Vote," Catherine Engelbrecht, the Group's Founder issued a press release, promising significant tangible evidence that numerous illegal ballots have been cast and counted, in the 2020 general election and announced a fund in excess of $1 million to incentivize whistleblowers, as Mr. Eshelman had wanted.

KAYE (on camera): But as time went on, after Eshelman donated yet another $500,000, he was hardly impressed with the Group's progress.

He's now suing True the Vote and demanding his money back, saying in the lawsuit, that money was donated conditionally, based on promises made by True the Vote that it would investigate, litigate and expose suspected illegal balloting and fraud.

KAYE (voice-over): In a statement, Eshelman told us "True the Vote failed in every way, to make use of my directed donation to investigate and either prove or disprove election fraud, as agreed upon and failed to respond to my requests for information about how the funds were spent."

But James Bopp, the lawyer representing True the Vote, tells me that Eshelman is playing the "Innocent babe in the woods," adding there is nothing in all the emails, text messages and documents that shows he ever suggested he made this a conditional gift.

In True the Vote's response to the lawsuit, filed in court, the group also says there was no discussion that Eshelman could claim his gift back.

[02:45:00]

KAYE (voice-over): Still, Eshelman claims in his lawsuit that by November 13th, Bopp, the Group's attorney had only filed cookie-cutter lawsuits, making vague allegations of fraud, unsupported by any evidence in four states.

CATHERINE ENGELBRECHT, TRUE THE VOTE FOUNDER: We're doing a variety of things in Georgia. But our focus at the moment is like preemptive challenge of just 364,000 voters who appear to be ineligible.

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KAYE (voice-over): Meanwhile, less than a week after suing Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, accusing the states which Biden won of counting illegal votes, True the Vote dropped its lawsuits. Court records show by November 17th Eshelman e-mail the group's founder asking for an accounting of all the money spent and a refund of what was left.

When he says the group didn't comply, Eshelman's lawyer sent a final letter on November 23rd demanding the return of $2 million. Eshelman hasn't received a penny of his money back and that tangible evidence the group promised existed that could prove voter fraud, that has never come to light either -- Randi Kaye, CNN, Palm Beach County, Florida.

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CURNOW: In North Carolina, one woman lost everything when a fire broke out on New Year's Eve. We'll share you the story of one person going above and beyond to help.

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CURNOW (voice-over): Take a look at these pictures. They're from a dust storm this week in Senegal. It's blowing in from the Sahara Desert and disrupted the country's fishing industry. Officials say people should limit outdoor sporting activities in children, the elderly.

And those suffering from respiratory problems should stay inside. A cloud of this dust has also settled over much of Western Central Africa and is now headed toward parts of Europe.

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CURNOW: Horrible weather in Texas is bringing out some of the best in its people. Looking through these pictures I want you to take a look here. You would think these were taken by lifelong friends.

But this friendship started by accident on Valentine's Day. That's when delivery driver Chelsea Timmons lost control of her car amid the ice and snow. She crashed into a flower bed outside the home of Doug Condon (ph) and Nina Richardsons (ph).

Now the couple invited her into their home and Chelsea ended up staying five days. She baked them this coconut cake as a thank you.

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And when someone loses everything, sometimes all it takes is one other person to step up. Amara Walker now shares this incredible example of the power of one.

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AMARA WALKER, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): This New Year's Eve fire destroyed everything Betty Campbell owned.

BETTY CAMPBELL, FIRE VICTIM: It started at the air -- where the air conditioner is.

WALKER (voice-over): Even the urn containing her son's ashes are now gone. He died last year after contracting COVID-19.

CAPT. DENA ALI, NORTH CAROLINA FIRE DEPARTMENT: It was just heartbreaking to think that somebody has lost everything that they own.

WALKER (voice-over): When Captain Dena Ali and fellow firefighters from Firehouse 11 in Raleigh responded to the scene, she found the 76- year-old woman who had recently moved into the shed behind her sister's home, was more concerned about getting to work the next day.

ALI: And after she found out she lost everything, she asked me if I would see if I could find her car keys because she works two jobs and she still had to get to work the next day.

WALKER (voice-over): When Ali went home that night, she couldn't sleep. She worried about Campbell, where she would stay and how she'd make ends meet.

ALI: When I left, I just kind of felt a little defeated because my job is to help people.

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ALI: And I did not help her. We put water on the fire but everything she owned was destroyed. I couldn't get her off my mind. I worried for her. So I decided that I would just do a Facebook post. WALKER (voice-over): That Facebook post led to $4,000 in donations and

an electric stairlift for Campbell to use while she temporarily lives with her sister.

ALI: It wasn't just me. I had a whole community. Several firefighters from the Raleigh Fire Department donated money, several firefighters from across the country. My mom gave me money.

WALKER (voice-over): Serving others is in her blood. Ali, who previously worked as a police officer, is also involved in two non- profit organizations, one that honors fallen first responders across North Carolina and another that supports their mental health. To her, being a firefighter is more than a job.

ALI: We are fortunate we have the unique opportunity to meet people, meet them on their worst day. And when we realize that they need a little backup and we can help them, we can step up for them.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: But to go above and beyond as she did on a personal level by assisting this lady with a monetary value, it goes beyond what the scope of asked for in the Raleigh Fire Department.

WALKER (voice-over): In the male-dominated field, women make up just 4 percent of the Raleigh Fire Department and Ali's good deeds stand out. She'll be recognized with a letter of commendation and the opportunity to apply for promotion as battalion chief.

Until then, she's making sure Campbell is taken care of.

CAMPBELL: She's my angel.

WALKER (voice-over): She may have lost her son but, from the ashes, Campbell has gained a daughter.

CAMPBELL: We just clicked and I just loved her ever since that I took her as one of my daughters.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That's awesome.

CAMPBELL: And so she's my third daughter.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Nothing better than having a second mom.

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CURNOW: Just the kind of story we needed. Thanks to Amara Walker for bringing us that.

I'm Robyn Curnow here in Atlanta. I'll be back with more CNN in just a moment.