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CNN Live Saturday

Widespread Flooding In West Coast; New York City Quivers In Anticipation Of Huge New Year's Celebrations

Aired December 31, 2005 - 14:00   ET

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

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Unfolding this hour, caught on tape, a dramatic rescue in the dangerous floodwaters of Northern California.
Also, the prayers and hopes for a tiny Iraqi girl who is getting the chance for a new life. This hour her amazing journey is nearly complete.

And out with the old and in with the new. 2005 nearly history, we'll go live to New York's Times Square where thousands are preparing to ring in 2006. Welcome to CNN LIVE SUNDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. Those stories in a moment but first other stories now in the news.

Baghdad ends the year on a violent note with another American soldier among the dead. The U.S. military says the soldier died from wounds following a mortar attack on his patrol. This brings the number of U.S. troop deaths in Iraq to 2,178.

And Hong Kong rang in the New Year three hours ago with a fireworks show. Other New Year's Eve celebrations have already taken place in New Zealand and Australia. Security is tight in many world cities to guard against possible terror attacks and other violence.

Getting around could be miserable for people ringing in the new year in London. That's because rail workers there on London's Underground subway went on a 24-hour strike today. They're striking over a new work roster that they say will end up reducing safety levels on the tube.

A year plagued by dangerous and destructive weather isn't over yet. We begin this hour with the dramatic scene played out earlier on this New Year's Eve in Northern California. A woman trapped in her vehicle by floodwaters.

A swift water rescue team was called to the scene and the woman was pulled from her vehicle after she was trapped for about an hour and a half. After her rescue, she was taken to a hospital for treatment for exposure. That rescue was one of several reported today in northern California.

For more on this dramatic rescue and the dangerous situation out there in the San Francisco region, we turn now to Marin County spokeswoman Laura Armor, she's with us on the phone. And Laura, how commonplace is this kind of rescue scene this day, and this weekend as a whole? LAURA ARMOR, MARIN COUNTY SPOKESWOMAN (on phone): These kinds of floodings are not uncommon, and -- our rescue -- our open water rescue teams practice for this on a regular basis, so they're ready to handle it if and when it occurs.

FREDRICKA: The circumstances in this case, apparently there were flood warnings, as well as mudslide warnings but how far ahead did those warnings come ahead of an incident like this?

ARMOR: Yes, well the Marin County Sheriff's Department and the Public Works Department have been deployed since early yesterday, so we've had these swift water rescue teams in several parts of the county and the Sheriff's Department has had additional staff employed since early yesterday.

FREDRICKA: So, indeed, other rescues have been taking place, though, not just this one?

ARMOR: We don't have any information in from the field about the particular rescues. We do know that we have these crews deployed in Kentfield and Point Reyes and in Nevato.

FREDRICKA: As we looked at the videotape earlier and playing it again it's a dangerous situation not just for the victims but for the swift water rescue teams as well. Is that right?

ARMOR: Yes, that's true. That is true, and in fact, the preference is always to prevent this kind of situation, rather than to have to go in and rescue in the middle of it, but if it's required that we go in, we're prepared to do so.

WHITFIELD: But in a case like this, was it an issue of possibly flash floods that perhaps it really just came without warning for some of those folks who were in the cars or specifically that one woman?

ARMOR: We have several creeks in Marin that have overflowed its banks, their banks, and when these situations occur, and they occur at night, you can -- a driver can drive right into deep water and not even see it.

WHITFIELD: Wow! And so are you posting any kind of warnings or any precautions for people living in certain areas that perhaps they need to stay inside?

ARMOR: We are asking people, if possible, that they'll stay in their homes, because we still have high winds. We have a lot of debris, and possibly more with these high winds and we are expecting very high tides about now, they're supposed to breach in about five minutes so we are asking people that if they can, to stay inside and clean out the drains around their house, clean out their own gutters, and get prepared, because we're expecting another storm tomorrow afternoon.

WHITFIELD: All right. Laura Armor of the Marin County area, thank you so much, spokesperson for Marin County, thanks so much for being with us and good luck to you all as you continue to endure that bad weather this weekend.

California is getting a one-two punch this weekend. Two storms sweeping in from the Pacific are expected to send floodwaters higher in the state's wine country and around San Francisco. Mudslides are also a serious concern there and at least one home reportedly was destroyed.

And in Southern California forecasters say there is a potential for flash flooding as heavy rain falls there as well. For the latest, we check in with meteorologist Monica McNeal in the CNN Weather Center. Good to see you, Monica. And we heard from Laura Armor there, she says high tides are expected as well as more rain.

MONICA MCNEAL, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yeah and that spells even more trouble. And to comment on something that Mrs. Armor said, an indication, folks, of just how dangerous the situation is, it only takes two feet of water, that's just about at my kneecap to sweep away a car, two feet of water and two feet water -- of rushing water can completely move a large vehicle so you have to be careful. You just really never know how much water you're driving through so don't drive through it.

All right. Moving on to showing you what's going on as we look at our radar, you can certainly see a tremendous amount of rainfall continues to pummel the West Coast. At this point, we're looking at anywhere from two to four inches of additional rainfall. We've got another storm system to tell you about. That's going to be the one- two punch. We're enduring the storm system right now. There are flash flood watches up and down the Sierra Nevada.

As you can see right now, very heavy rain coming down right now across parts of Oakland. Things are starting to quiet down across Napa and certainly across San Francisco but you're certainly not out of the woods. As we look at the satellite here is the initial first storm that is pummeling parts of California.

Now as we walk over and show you across the Pacific you can certainly see yet another storm system. So this is going to be storm number two that's going to be moving in and bringing in even more rainfall. Wouldn't be surprised and certainly know are going to be delays in parts of san Francisco right now about a 30-minute delay about an hour ago the delays were up to an hour and a half.

So let's show you the big picture, and show you what's going on, on this New Year's Eve. You can certainly see on the east coast, things are not as bad. There's a snow system that's going to bring in a little snow to the northern part of the country, and then across the West Coast, that's where all the action is, and the higher plains across parts of Northern California, there is some snow, snow elevations at about 8,500 feet at this point so we'll keep monitoring all of this activity and let you know what happens. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: All right, well, through it all, still, Monica have a happy New Year.

MCNEAL: You, too. WHITFIELD: Thanks.

Well, this afternoon, we're expecting a three-month-old Iraqi girl known as Baby Noor to arrive in Atlanta. The infant is in urgent need of surgery to correct a potentially fatal birth defect. CNN's Christopher King joins us now from Hartsville-Jackson Airport in Atlanta with an update. The plane hasn't arrived yet, a military plane at that. How long before we might see it?

CHRISTOPHER KING, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fredricka, it's going to be about an hour and a half from now. And what a wonderful way to start the new year, another chance at life.

Little Baby Noor is going to arrive here for a critical operation that could save her life. Now, take a look over here. If you can see the traffic behind me, this is the ambulance that's going to take her directly to the hospital, where she has to go, doctor's orders. Doctors believe she has what appears to be a severe form of spina bifida, that's a potentially life threatening birth defect in which the spinal columns fails to close.

Now doctors in Iraq had given her 45 days to live. She's about three-months-old but doctors here at Children's Health Care of Atlanta believe she can be saved. Now, soldiers first found the little girl a while back when they raided her home in Iraq. One of those soldiers, Lieutenant Jeff Morgan emailed a friend here in Atlanta, Debbie Stone. She got the ball rolling here on the U.S. end.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBBIE STONE, CHURCH MEMBER: I think we, as American people, we have our money going towards the war, but I think that the important part is that we want to make a difference, and in the lives of Iraqi people.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KING: Now, the little girl is traveling with her father and grandmother. Doctors will evaluate Baby Noor to determine what can be done and what they should do to try to save her. Fredricka?

WHITFIELD: And Christopher, who we have any understanding as to why the mother didn't travel with the baby and why she decided to stay behind?

KING: Well, that's not entirely clear, but what's important is that the mother -- the father and the grandmother came over because of course they wanted to make sure that the baby gets the best possible treatment.

WHITFIELD: And I'm sure the doctors in Atlanta are assuring that she will. All right, Christopher, thank you so much.

Well, how difficult was it to make arrangements to airlift Baby Noor out of Iraq? We'll ask public affairs officer Major Jim Crawford. He's with the 1st Brigade 10th Mountain Division in Baghdad and he joins us by phone. Major, thanks so much for being with us. Glad you could join us and I know the family is really happy that you were able to make this arrangement, but just describe the challenges ahead of you, when you've got a military airlift operation, coupled with civilian medical treatment, how did you achieve this?

MAJ. JIM CRAWFORD, 1ST BRIGADE, 10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION: Good afternoon, Fredricka. And happy happy new year. It's still a couple hours away here in Iraq.

But yeah, the answer to your question, there really was no precedent to do this, at least not in our unit. These guys really didn't know where to start. I think the easy part was contacting the civilian care organizations in the States and it was no problem getting support in the state for this. The hard piece was, these are Iraqi civilians, and these soldiers, their main job is going out and patrolling every day, and trying to keep Iraq safe. We had to figure out how to get visas, how to get the family passports, how to do coordination to get them on the aircraft to get them back and that's not something the ordinary soldiers do, so these guys just went through an incredible amount of work and patience to get this family back.

WHITFIELD: Wow! It's incredible how one step led to another. Here you talk about the ground patrol that these military personnel were involved in. They go to a home they happen to be searching to look for insurgents but instead, is it true that a family member was actually trying to hand over the baby or show to these soldiers that, look, our baby needs medical care, and that's what got the ball rolling?

CRAWFORD: That's absolutely right. We were not raiding the house. Normally when we go and patrol, you go house to house, you ask people how is your electricity, and medical issues and that kind of thing, just to try to show a friendly face for U.S. troops, and this one particular house, you had a grandmother came rushing up to him with this baby and showed him, you know, the injury or the -- her back.

WHITFIELD: The defect, yes.

CRAWFORD: And a young medic saw that and took a photo of it, knew there was something wrong, he wasn't sure, and he got back to Camp Dervy (ph), he showed some of the doctors and they immediately identified what it was, and that's how they got it rolling I guess.

WHITFIELD: I understand the soldiers really developed a real personal attachment to this baby, this family as a whole, and Baby Boor is almost like their adopted child, isn't she?

CRAWFORD: Yeah, yes, she is. It was one company, about 130 infantry soldiers, you know, but the flipside of that, you know, they all have families as well. This is the Georgia Army National Guard unit, attached to us, and I think the one sergeant who was really involved in this, he was thinking of his two daughters and I've got two daughters myself. And a similar situation I would want them to do the same. I just think it touched their hearts, and you know, if this little girl didn't get medical help, she would die, and they just made it their primary mission to get her that help, whatever it took.

WHITFIELD: Well, Baby Noor has certainly touched the hearts of so many people, thanks to you all's effort. Major Jim Crawford of the 1st Brigade, 10th Mountain Division, public affairs officer, thank you so much. And of course ...

CRAWFORD: Thank you.

WHITFIELD: And of course, we're going to continue to follow the developments of Baby Noor as she continues to make her way to Atlanta, then we'll be coupled with a host family as well as the medical team and of course we'll be following the child's progress along the way.

Straight ahead, in some parts of the world, people are already celebrating the New Year. We'll get a live look at how New York is getting ready.

And later, a Florida teenager makes his way to, of all places, Baghdad. And guess what? Not even his parents knew about it. Find out how he did it when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: We're continuing to keep a close watch on the goings on in northern and central California, where the problem has been rain, too much rain, rising waters, and now possibly high tide. We'll continue to watch the developments there.

To arrive here in the United States it's already 2006 in parts of the world. This was the scene down under with fireworks lighting up the sky over the Sidney, Australia.

Similar scenes have played out in some big Asian cities, this was the scene as the New Year arrived in Hong Kong. One of the world's biggest New Year's Eve bashes takes place just hours from now in New York City. Up to a million people are expected to crowd into Times Square to welcome in 2006. CNN's Jason Carroll will be in there among them. I know you can't wait, Jason.

JASON CARROLL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, I can't. It's getting closer, isn't it, Fredricka. I want to show you something not too far from where we're standing, staging area, this is what's been happening, a number of New York's finest have been lining up, getting ready to go on duty for the evening. There are going to be thousands of police officers out in the street, in addition to that, the city is also going to have its counterterrorism unit, they're going to be out patrolling the rooftops, the subways, the streets as well.

Many of them are going to be down here in the Times Square area, and in fact, they're going to really have a tough job ahead of them. There is going to be about 750,000 people down here tonight for the celebration, coming out to see the likes of Mariah Carey, Mary J. Blige out here performing. We've been talking to some people who are already starting to come out and check things out. I have got Zack with me and his mother, Kelly (ph). they come to us from Linwood, New Jersey, not too far. What made you decide come out this year?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: He we wanted to be part of the excitement of New York City and we're happy to be here with all of the people and the lights and we can't wait to see the ball drop in person. This sour first time here.

CARROLL: I can see you've got your tiara on. You booked a hotel so you don't have to drive back and forth. Zack, what are you looking forward to seeing?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm looking forward to seeing the crystal ball drop at midnight.

CARROLL: Really, 13 years old and you just want to see that ball. You don't care about the music or anything else, just that ball?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm very interested in the music, too.

CARROLL: That's what I thought. That's what I thought. Much has been said about security in the area and things like that. I spoke to some tourists earlier who were somewhat concerned about security. Any thoughts in terms of that aspect of the evening?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel very safe here. There's hundreds and hundreds of New York's finest, NYPD, and it's the best city in the world and we have the best police officers in the world.

CARROLL: You got it.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we're just happy to be a part of it.

CARROLL: All right. No, worries there. Kelly and Zack, thanks very much for joining us. Hope to see you a little bit later on tonight. Again, Fredricka, 750,000 people are going to be out here tonight to say goodbye to '06 -- or say good-bye to '05 and say hello to '06.

WHITFIELD: I know folks can't wait. And of course, just like Zack, there, I know folks really can't wait to see the entertainment lineup. So is it one central stage where folks are going to see Mariah Carey and Mary J. Blige, James Brown, etc?

CARROLL: Oh, absolutely. There is going to be a main stage set up, so that's where the performances are going to be taking place. CNN will have a camera down there as well as the other networks. So anyone who is in the area -- they're also going to have Jumbotrons setup so if you can't get up to the main stage, maybe we can get a quick shot behind really fast, see that up there, that's what they're setting up, that's one of the Jumbotrons that they're setting up along Broadway so even if you're not up on the main stage you can still get a piece of its action.

WHITFIELD: All right. So everyone has a good seat in the house. All right. Jason Carroll, thanks so much.

Well, tonight you as well at home can ring in the new year with CNN's Anderson Cooper. He'll be live from Times Square and you'll hear an eclectic mix of that music that we already alluded to, from James Brown, Brooks and Dunn, the Bare Naked Ladies, Harry Connick, Jr. and more. Plus a look back at a turbulent year in news. CNN New Year's Eve with Anderson Cooper beginning tonight at 11:00 Eastern.

With 2006 just hours away, here in the United States many Americans are pledging to improve their lives in the year ahead. U.S. troops in Iraq are also making those New Year's resolutions. Here is what some of them had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFED MALE: Hi my name is Staff Sergeant Camato (ph), I'm from (inaudible) and my New Year's resolution is to make it home safe.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Staff Sergeant Garland (ph) from Mineral Buff, Georgia, north central Georgia and my New Year's resolution is just to make it back home and see my family.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My name is Sergeant Enias Medina (ph), and my new year's resolution is to be a better leader for my soldiers. So happy New Year.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

WHITFIELD: And now to the tale of one wayward American teenager who traveled to Iraq unbeknownst to his panicked parents. Farris Hassan arrived in Baghdad earlier this week. His family tells CNN he's now in Kuwait and will come home sometime next week. For all of the details on this bizarre story we turn to CNN's Christopher King.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A 16-year-old man high school student who doesn't speak any Arabic, it's unbelievable that he is still, that nothing happened to him.

KING (voice-over): Farris Hassan's odyssey begins December 11th when unbeknownst to anyone but two friends he flies from Miami to Amsterdam, then to Kuwait. His goal, Baghdad. The prep school junior has been fascinated by the war and deeply sympathetic with the suffering of the Iraqi people. Studying journalism in school, he decided he must see the situation for himself. From Kuwait City, Hassan takes a taxi to the Iraqi border December 13th, but it's closed ahead of elections so he goes back to Kuwait City, where he finally tells his parents of his plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He sent me an email saying "I am on my way to baghdad. Don't be worried, dad. Don't be worried."

KING: His father encourages his son to fly to Beirut instead where the boy stays more than a week with family friends. They help arrange for Hassan to achieve his goal and on Christmas Day, he flies to Baghdad. The friends in Beirut arranged for a driver to pick up him up and together they safely navigate the notoriously dangerous highway from the airport into town. Hassan checks into the Palestine Hotel, largely populated by westerners.

Hassan's parents were born in Iraq but left for the U.S. decades ago. He looks like he could blend in but the teen doesn't speak Arabic and with his sneakers and jeans, he's more suited for the mall than the war-ravaged streets of the Iraqi capital. On his second day there Hassan presents himself at the offices of the Associated Press, stunning journalists who work there.

PATRICK QUINN, ASSOCIATE PRESS: I recall telling Jason here that it was, I would have been less surprised if little green men had walked into the office, and he actually announced to us that he wanted to join us and become a journalist.

JASON STRAZIUSO, ASSOCIATED PRESS: He's curious and he's courageous. If he could just wait a couple more years.

KING: Hassan's mother says she's been extremely worried and she's eager to have her son safely home.

SHATHA ATIYA, FARRIS HASSAN'S MOTHER: As far as being punished for going to Iraq, I think he's going to lose some of his autonomy for a while. He's going to lose his passport, for sure.

KING: Christopher King, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WHITFIELD: Straight ahead here on CNN LIVE SATURDAY, the West Coast is facing a few weather challenges, to say the very least this weekend. We'll have an update on the forecast coming up. And in Mississippi will the wreckage from Hurricane Katrina ever be cleaned up? We'll find out how one family is coping.

BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm CNN meteorologist Bonnie Schneider with a look at your cold and flu report for today.

As we check out the map we'll show you where we've had reports of the flu so far this season. Regional activity reported out West that does include California and in the southwest into Arizona and New Mexico. You'll find sporadic outbreaks of the flu in many states, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, New York State and back up towards Minnesota and Wisconsin and the Dakotas. Some lucky places in the country have managed to stay healthy so far with no activity reported into Louisiana and Arkansas, and other states across the South and Midwest. That's a look at your flu report for today. Hope everyone stays healthy in 2006.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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