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CNN Live Saturday
Severe Weather; Tennessee Storms; Georgia Storms; Health Care For All; Privileged Or Predators?
Aired April 08, 2006 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Jonathan Freed in Gallatin, Tennessee, a town torn apart by a deadly twister. That story coming up.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Gary Tuchman in Marietta, Georgia. Most people in metropolitan Atlanta were sleeping when the bad weather came through here. It was a very frightening early morning. That story coming up, too.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: I'm Bonnie Schneider in the CNN Weather Center. We're still tracking severe weather tonight. Our tornado watches actually extend all the way till 9:00 this evening. And we have reports of an unconfirmed tornado in Laurens (ph), South Carolina, northeast of Myrtle Beach. So still some strong storms to contend with tonight.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. All that and more after this check of the headlines.
Shiite mourners filled the streets of Baghdad. The dead from that suicide bombing of a Shiite mosque are being buried. Eighty-one people were killed on Friday. A suicide bombing in Afghanistan, two Afghans died when a car bomb exploded at the gate of a NATO military base in the usually peaceful city of Heart.
And for the second straight day, Israel targets Palestinian militants. Israeli aircraft fired on a car in Gaza. The Israelis say the strike killed two members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade and left a third critically wounded.
And President Bush blames the top senate Democrat for stalling immigration reform. A compromise bill hit procedural road blocks yesterday. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid says he's shielding the bill from Republican plans to kill it by amendment.
Keeping you informed, CNN, the most trusted name in news.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN, your severe weather headquarters.
WHITFIELD: Trucks and RVs tossed around like Tonka toys. Homes and businesses destroyed. Lives lost. A band of severe weather pummeled the southeast over the past 24 hours. Dozens of tornadoes were reported but not all of them have been confirmed. The number of tornadoes to hit the U.S. is up dramatically this year compared to years past.
At least nine states are tallying up the damage today. Thousands of people are without power. Crews are trying to clear away debris and wreckage, but they say it could be a week before all electricity has been restored. We're bringing you extensive in-depth, live reports from the areas hardest hit. CNN's Jonathan Freed is on the scene in Gallatin, Tennessee. Our Gary Tuchman is in Marietta, Georgia. And our meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider, is in the Weather Center.
Let's get the latest now on the storms from Bonnie.
BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fredricka, we're still looking at two tornado watches that continue tonight. One has another hour to expire and that's the one further to the west, including the city of Tallahassee, Florida.
However, the one to the east, this is where I've been getting reports, numerous reports, of nickel and dime-sized hail coming into South Carolina. This tornado watch that stretches as far north as Columbia, South Carolina, and as far to the south as northern Florida. This goes until 9:00 tonight Eastern Time. So still through the evening hours the threat of severe weather and the possibility of tornadoes continues.
Now as we zoom into the region, I just want to show you Laurens, South Carolina, right here, northeast of Myrtle Beach. A law enforcement official reported the tornado but it has not been confirmed just yet. That was about an hour ago. So there's no tornado warnings in effect for Myrtle Beach or for Wilmington to the north in North Carolina. But we're still getting reports of these large pieces of hail coming down.
And as you can see over these lines that are developing now, just to the east of Albany, Georgia, moving through Douglas, that we're seeing this combination of this northeast pattern for these storms. So Savannah about to get hard hit with some very heavy downpours, frequent lightning strikes. Some of these storms have 488 lightning strikes per hour as we take a look at the system here. So it's really powerful and also the strong winds continue.
Reports of still thunderstorm wind damage are also coming in. We're getting those as well, where winds are gusting as high as 60, maybe even 70 miles per hour. So you don't need to have a tornado to get damage to homes and to property.
We're also seeing some heavy rain towards northern sections of South Carolina, on into North Carolina and still for Georgia. So tonight, Fredricka, we're still watching the threat of severe weather.
FREDRICKA: All right. Thank you so much, Bonnie.
On now to the hardest-hit state in Tennessee, and Gallatin. That's where we find our Jonathan Freed.
JONATHAN FREED, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, yesterday at this time, fear was running through this town. That's because it is exactly when a twister was tearing a path right there behind me.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREED, (voice over): For the second time in less than a week, tornadoes took lives in Tennessee. Three of the dead from this subdivision in Gallatin, about a half hour north of Nashville. Twisters plowed parallel tracks north and south of Nashville on Friday afternoon, destroying dozens of homes and injuring dozens more people. A block of auto dealerships, reduced to a junkyard in just minutes.
CHARLES RUSSELL, AUTO DEALERSHIP EMPLOYEE: So we came out and watched it and it hit an old house that was over here. And when it hit that house, it just got wider. And before we knew it, it was on top of us here.
FREED: Charles Russell works in a dealership garage. He says he and his colleagues had only seconds to try and save their own lives.
So you saw it coming from over here and then you ran back inside to one of the dealership buildings here?
RUSSELL: Into our service area.
FREED: The storm wrecked hundreds of cars, flipping them over, twisting metal. The wind, turning a 2x4 into a missile. And while that was happening outside, Charles Russell was inside, holding on for his life.
RUSSELL: I crouched down behind a big metal toolbox and I grabbed ahold to the bottom of it and it tore the roof off of where I was sitting at.
FREED: Were you scared?
RUSSELL: To death. It was worse than an earthquake.
FREED: You've been through an earthquake?
RUSSELL: Been through an earthquake. But when this stuff is happening, there is nowhere that you can go.
FREED: The day after, time to clear away lost inventory and take stock of what matters most.
Nobody was hurt?
RUSSELL: Nobody. The whole dealership. We're just thankful. We know that God is on our side.
FREED: You're a lucky man.
RUSSELL: We must be living right.
FREED: Lucky man.
Living right, but lives that will be far from normal for quite a while.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
FREED: Now, Fredricka, I had a chance to talk to some of the store owners around here. I can see one of them just over there behind our camera. And I was asking that gentleman if whether or not he was insured. If he had any concerns about that. And he kind of shrugged and said, yes, he is insured, but he's very anxious for Monday to come because that's when he's going to find out just how much of his losses are actually going to be covered.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, Jonathan, thank you very much, for Gallatin, Tennessee.
Well several injuries are reported in central and north Alabama. At least two people were hurt by falling trees brought down by strong winds from the storms. Severe weather is blamed for damaging a hotel and local high school in Haleyville, as well as homes and businesses from Huntsville to Birmingham. Hail the size of golf balls was reported in Limestone County.
Several homes and businesses near Atlanta, Georgia, were severely damaged. Authorities reported some of the worst damage in Cobb County. Many roads were closed as crews repaired down utility poles and our Gary Tuchman is there right now.
Gary.
GARY TUCHMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, when we cover tornadoes, most of the time we're in rural areas. It's rare that we're in areas that are densely populated. But Atlanta, Georgia, the ninth largest metropolitan area in the country, was under the gun early this morning when it was completely dark, 4:00 in the morning when people were sleeping, when a lot of people thought it wasn't going to be bad here because they heard the tornados were north of here in Tennessee. But as you can see, some parts of this area got it pretty bad.
We're on the corner of Fry's Gin Court (ph) and Fry's Gin Road (ph). This is a tax preparer's office that has been destroyed as a result of the weather that moved in here. We're not sure -- 100 percent sure yet it was a tornado. It may have been just very strong winds.
And they were intense winds. And I can tell you that because I live here only about 15 minutes away from here. And between 4:30 and 4:35 Eastern Time this morning, over a five minute span, it was like all hell broke loose. The hail balls were coming down, the winds felt like they were about to break the windows. And, fortunately, most of the Atlanta metropolitan area, and this is only about 30 minutes from downtown Atlanta, is OK.
But you can see, the tornado just kind of -- or the heavy winds just kind of came through a path. You can see the tree behind me came down, came through here, knocked down this office. And passed here there's also damage.
And with us right now is Nicole Hilley. Nicole is the owner of this tax business. One week away from tax deadline. Actually nine days away, because April 15th this year is on a Saturday. So you've got til April 17th to file, right?
NICOLE HILLEY: Of course, yes.
TUCHMAN: Nothing like cracking a joke when you go through this. But at least you weren't hurt, and that's really important. But your business is a total loss, right?
HILLEY: No. The business is a loss, but I can still work. I can work from my house or I can go to people's houses if I have to. I have great clients and they're -- they'll be good.
TUCHMAN: And the fact was, you were in your house, which wasn't damaged, not far from here. How did you find out? And what did you think when you came here and saw this devastation?
HILLEY: I have one tenant who had an office upstairs, Dan Ken's Auto Broker (ph), and they called me and said the office was gone. And I thought it was a joke. So when he -- when I realized it was serious, I got in the car and came immediately down here and saw the damage. And it really wasn't as bad as I thought.
TUCHMAN: Well, Nicole, you have a very good attitude. What's the name of your business?
HILLEY: The Advocate Express.
TUCHMAN: The Advocate Express. So if you're waiting for your tax returns from Nicole, it may be after April 15th, right?
HILLEY: Just a little.
TUCHMAN: Nicole, thank you very much for talking with us.
HILLEY: Thank you.
TUCHMAN: As we told you, the damage isn't extensive as far as the number of homes and businesses, but there are many homes in the area that have been heavily damage. Here in Marietta, which is in Cobb County, northwest of the city of Atlanta, and also in the city of Alpharetta, which is in Fulton County, to the northeast of Atlanta. So it was the northern parts of the Atlanta metropolitan area that were the hardest hit.
But it was businesses that got the most damaged. We haven't seen any houses that were completely destroyed. We have seen many businesses, including this one, that has been destroyed.
We've also seen a lot of power lines down. And the reason I mention that to you is because just a week and a half ago I was in Kansas, in Reno County, Kansas, covering tornadoes. Power lines went down and started at least 14 fires in the county. It's a real danger. It didn't happen here. But the best news is, there was nobody seriously injured.
Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: That is good news. And so, Gary, for a lot of folks who are without power, any forecast as to when the majority might be getting it again?
TUCHMAN: Well, most of the power's been put back on. But at its peak there were 44,000 customers here in the state of Georgia without power.
WHITFIELD: All right, Gary Tuchman, thanks so much, in Marietta, Georgia.
Our storm coverage continues. Straight ahead, we'll take you to Charlotte, Tennessee, another town that is picking up the pieces today after a night of severe storms.
Plus, the Katrina FEMA debacle continues. Why some New Orleans residents are saying about FEMA trailers, not in my backyard.
And Massachusetts is making everyone get health insurance. Is this the beginning of socialized medicine? You're watching CNN LIVE SATURDAY.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Do you think everyone should have health insurance? Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney does. He is expected to sign legislation that would require people to buy health insurance if they can afford it. If they can't, insurance will be subsidized on a sliding cost scale. Boston Bureau Chief Dan Lothian has this report, which first aired on AMERICAN MORNING.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): Massachusetts has its ivory towers and high-priced real estate, but it also has more than 500,000 people who have no medical insurance. Like home health aide Patrick Elliot.
PATRICK ELLIOT, HOME HEALTH AIDE: I need the health care. If I was to get sick today or tomorrow or to hurt or injure myself and I went to an emergency room, I couldn't pay that bill.
LOTHIAN: Elliot joined others at the state capitol in Boston this week rallying in support of a bill overwhelmingly approved that puts the state on the verge of offering nearly universal health care.
ELLIOT: I should have affordable health care and I need it. I'm not getting any younger. I'm getting older.
LOTHIAN: While other states have plans dramatically expanding health care coverage, Massachusetts wants to take it to the next level. Residents at poverty level or below would get free health care. Others struggling, uninsured families would pay on a sliding scale. And those currently insured could get a little relief on their premiums. But some small business owners who don't offer insurance worry that they'll be pushed over the edge.
BETTY ANN WASILUNAS, BUSINESS OWNER: I think it's out of this world. I think it's crazy.
LOTHIAN: That's because the new bill will force her to provide health insurance coverage or pay the state nearly $300 per employee per year.
WASILUNAS: All of this adds up at the end of the week on, you know, how much money is left to pay me.
LOTHIAN: Governor Mitt Romney, a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2008, says he'll take another look at the impact this could have on small business owners. However, he is expected to sign the bill. Closing the deal on what Romney described as an amazing bipartisanship effort.
GOV. MITT ROMNEY, (R) MASSACHUSETTS: It's a bit like the lining up of the moon and all the stars and the planets in a great gravitational pull.
LOTHIAN: The money for coverage will come from federal funding and existing state dollars. Experts say, depending on how it all works out, Massachusetts could become a model for other states.
Dan Lothian, CNN, Boston.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: The Massachusetts universal health care proposal has its critics. For more on the issue and some of the possible points of contention, Brandeis University Professor Stuart Altman joins us live from Raleigh, North Carolina. His research focuses on federal and state health policy.
Good afternoon, Professor Altman.
STUART ALTMAN, HEALTH POLICY RESEARCHER: Good afternoon.
WHITFIELD: So on the surface, is this a plan you see with universal, successful results?
ALTMAN: Well, I'm very optimistic. This is a very well put- together plan. Governor Romney deserves credit for pushing it. But it really combined with what he wanted with some pressures by the state at the democratic legislative level. So they've put together a plan that I think has a more than an 80 percent chance of working quite well.
WHITFIELD: Why Massachusetts? Why would it be the trail blazer here?
ALTMAN: Well, Massachusetts has certain unique characteristics. But in other cases, it's very similar to other states. Yes, there are -- we have about 500,000 uninsured, which is -- but it's a smaller percentage than in other states. We also have a very extensive free- care pool where there are millions of dollars that are currently being used to pay for the uninsured. And if those funds can be used to help people buy insurance, then we won't need to subsidize the hospitals as much so that people can have insurance and get care at an earlier stage so they don't wait until they're very sick. So there's certain aspects of Massachusetts that would allow it to push forward.
WHITFIELD: So you see other states watching very closely and perhaps even following the lead of Massachusetts if it does turn out to be relatively successful for everybody?
ALTMAN: I think so. I've been following this area of health care reform for 35 years. And what you need is a catalyst. We had that in the middle '70s. We had it again in the late '80s, early '90s. And we almost both times had true national health insurance. And I believe . . .
WHITFIELD: Well, what happened then? Why didn't it go through?
ALTMAN: Well, that's a good question. Ultimately there are forces that will fight against almost anything. And the one thing that makes me feel more optimistic about this than in the past is they have tried to combine aspects of the three areas that people most want to use to create a national health insurance. An employer compensation for those who are not covered, having individuals pay if -- and require them to cover themselves, and also have the government be part of it.
WHITFIELD: Well, you heard from that one small business owner in Dan Lothian's piece who say this is really going to bear an incredible burden on them and could, ultimately, put a lot of them out of business because they really just won't have enough money to go around to pay for everybody else's health insurance if it means those small businesses with 11 employees or less. So is it fair to have some of these small businesses bear such a huge burden?
ALTMAN: Well, first, I'm very sympathetic to small businesses that are really trying to make it. But, on the other hand, they are asking the larger corporations and others to pay for the health insurance of the workers and for the health care of their workers. I mean, we have documented cases, hundreds of cases, where a small business will have a worker. They won't insure them. That worker then gets sick, goes into the hospital. The hospital provides them with free care and then just tacks the bill on to everyone else that's insured.
WHITFIELD: OK.
ALTMAN: So I think fairness works more the other way. They should pay something.
WHITFIELD: Professor Stuart Altman of Brandeis University, thanks for joining us from Raleigh, North Carolina. Have a good weekend.
ALTMAN: Well, thank you.
WHITFIELD: Well, some may call it the sinister side of sports. Rape allegations at Duke University brings up a very large question, does celebrity status give players a free pass to do wrong?
And the day after in Iraq. Families mourn their loved ones and fan the flames of anger.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: An attorney goes on the offensive for a member of the Duke lacrosse team. The lawyer is telling reporters the woman who says she was raped at a team party is lying. But a police official says the case is being pursued as a possible sexual assault. The African-American accuser says she was hired to dance at the party. She says she suffered racial taunting and says three men raped her in a bathroom. DNA test results are pending. No charges have yet been filed.
Many college athletes live a different life from other students. In some cases, they're treated as celebrities with special perks and privileges. But does such treatment lead to athletes behaving badly? CNN's Tom Foreman takes a closer look in a story that first aired on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360."
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT, (voice over): In the world of sports, of teamwork, fair play, and effort, the accusation has never been proven. No one has definitively shown athletes are predisposed to improper sexual behavior or that competitive culture spurs sexual violence. But even when athletes are directly accused of such behavior, victims' advocates say sports figures are so admired, proving the charges is tough.
ALISON KISS, SECURITY ON CAMPUS INC.: And if a student is sexually assaulted by a high-profile athlete on her campus, I could definitely find it more difficult to report in that case and I would guess maybe nine times out of 10 she may not because of the ramifications.
FOREMAN: Research by the U.S. Department of Justice found so much sexual violence on campuses that college women are at a higher risk of sexual assault than their non-college-bound peers.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, touchdown, Rutgers.
FOREMAN: And a study by Rutgers University suggests nationwide athletes may help lead that trend, if only by their attitudes towards sex and their influence among students. That study found many male athletes routinely describe women through sexual slurs. Some struggle, turning on and off the violent behavior connected to their sports. And these athletes widely believe accidental rape is possible. That is to say, rape in an overheated moment for which they feel no one is to blame. Sarah McMahon was involved with that study. SARAH MCMAHON, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY: Sometimes alcohol was used to explain how that may happen. But there was a general kind of lack of accountability, lack of understanding of what consent means. And I believe that is connected to a sense of entitlement, that if you're not going to be held accountable, that you can kind of disassociate yourself from what actually happened.
FOREMAN: Rutgers has emerged as a national leader in the movement to change what many might consider a traditional jock mentality. And many other schools are following their lead.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most rapes are planned and motivated by aggression and dominance.
FOREMAN: Some high-profile athletes are now using their influence to promote social and sexual responsibility. Is it working? No one really knows. Just like no one knows if each sports sex scandal reveals rare and terrible behavior or something that is all too common.
Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And, remember, you can always get a fresh perspective on the day's top stories from Anderson Cooper, "AC 360" week nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on CNN.
Back now to our top story. Violent storms tear through the southeast, but where are they headed next? We'll check in with Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider.
Charlotte, Tennessee, was just one of the areas hardest hit. We'll take a close look at how much damage was done there. All still ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Here now are the latest developments "Now in the News."
For the second time in one week, deadly tornadoes tear through Tennessee. A dozen people are dead in the volunteer state from Friday's storms. Twenty-four Tennesseans died last Sunday from similar violent weather.
In Tehran, hard line Muslim students take to the streets to protest a possible U.S.-Iranian dialog on the situation in neighboring Iraq. The U.S. State Department says no meeting between Iran or American diplomats has been scheduled.
Brazil's first astronaut aboard the International Space Station is drawing fire in his homeland. Some Brazilians are angry over the reported $10 million cost for the trip. The astronaut says his trek will spur the nation's youngsters toward scientific discovery. One twister that tore through middle Tennessee was caught on tape by metro Davidson County authorities. This tornado was spotted in neighboring Sumner County. Here are some of the storms aftermaths, nine of Tennessee's 12 confirmed deaths were here in Sumner County. Eight of those fatalities were here in this subdivision, where survivors say they saw four funnel clouds overhead. A few hundred residents took refuge in a neighbor community college, which school officials say suffered severe damage.
A number of tornadoes touched down in Dixon County, Tennessee. Officials say 12 homes were destroyed and up to 50 other buildings were damaged. CNN's Amanda Rosseter filed this report from Charlotte, Tennessee.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
AMANDA ROSSETER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Here in Charlotte, Tennessee, about 40 miles due west of Nashville, the storms hit hard, and the damage is extensive. Homeowners here spent the morning assessing what's left and picking through the debris, and there is plenty of that. This man's trailer was demolished and he saw two funnel clouds crisscross just above him.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was like - it had trees in it, and a lot of debris and tin and stuff, and it was just like a -- and it wasn't dark. It was bright. It was like a light gray cloud. The one that came over. Now, the other one that came, it was dark. But this one that come over the house, here, you can see all the trees, it pulled trees up out of the ground. It was light. And it touched down right there.
ROSSETER: And at R.A. Duke's, a landmark and a favorite local store, nothing is left but an incredible story of survival from the family, as they headed to the basement with customers, the tornado picked up the store and took their mother with it. Miraculously, she survived.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It got here fast. And it come in down on top of us. My mother went flying. And bless his heart, Brian, I can't think of his last name right now -- grabbed her and -- if he hadn't grabbed her, she would have been dead. She would have been gone. They were swirling in the air and ended up underneath all this stuff right here. And it just sucked them up. We was going down -- we were down in the basement. He was right behind. Mother was coming. And all of a sudden, they were gone. The roof was gone.
ROSSETER: The Duke family says they will rebuild with the outpouring of help from this community. A community that tonight is in pieces. Amanda Rosseter, CNN, in Charlotte, Tennessee.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: Parts of the south are still not out of the woods so to speak with the possibility of more severe weather. Let's check in now with CNN meteorologist, Bonnie Schneider. BONNIE SCHNEIDER, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Fredricka, we still have a tornado watch for less than 30 minutes now, areas into western sections of the Florida Panhandle, including Tallahassee. However, the tornado watch to the east, including South Carolina, Georgia and Northern Florida, this goes until 9:00 tonight.
Here is the reason why. We are still getting reports of an unconfirmed tornado in the Loris area of South Carolina, north and east of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. At this point what we're also looking at are reports of very large hail in the South Carolina area, especially for Charleston, where we've had reports of penny and quarter-size hail. This powerful thunderstorm worked its way through North Charleston, that's where we had the reports of hail and heavy downpours and frequent lightning strikes as well. So, Fredricka, the threat of severe weather will continue into tonight.
WHTIFIELD: All right. Thanks so much for that warning, Bonnie.
Well, you know the acronym, NIMBY, not in my backyard. The adage applies even in the hurricane-ravaged Gulf Coast, where FEMA trailers aren't going over well with the well-heeled in New Orleans. CNN's Gulf Coast bureau chief Susan Roesgen takes a look at the controversy in a story you first saw on CNN's ANDERSON COOPER 360.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUSAN ROESGEN, CNN GULF COAST CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Ed Markle house came through Katrina pretty much OK, a Colonial brick manor in a private gated subdivision. It only lost a few shingles. But the hurricane has left him with something in the neighborhood that he and his neighbors don't want. And he can see it from the bedroom window.
ED MARKLE, HOMEOWNER: It looks just like the Guantanamo prison.
ROESGEN: Actually, it's a FEMA trailer park sitting right up against the mansions behind the concrete wall.
MARKLE: Would you like to live behind a -- a -- with a -- with a trailer park in your bathroom? Would you enjoy that? How else would you define destroying a neighborhood?
ROESGEN: When Ed and his neighbors got wind of the proposed trailer site last month, they complained to the city, and the city told FEMA to put the trailers someplace else.
(on camera): This is where the city said FEMA should put those trailers, about a mile away from the mansions. But FEMA managers say they didn't get that order until it was too late.
(voice-over): FEMA officials would not go on camera with CNN, but released a statement, saying, "To stop the development of this site, when we are 80 to 85 percent complete, will jeopardize our efforts to provide housing to displaced citizens in the aftermath of Katrina." In fact, no one has moved into the trailers yet, but the neighborhood is furious. And so is New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. He says FEMA consistently ignores what's best for the city.
RAY NAGIN (D), MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS: And I'm expressing my dissatisfaction, my outrage, and my demand that this foolishness stops.
ROESGEN: Flanked by city council members, the mayor says, that's it, no more FEMA trailer group sites anywhere in the city. And he wants every FEMA employee who has been dealing with the trailer sites in New Orleans kicked out.
DANATUS KING, PRESIDENT, NEW ORLEANS NAACP: Those are families.
ROESGEN: But the head of the local NAACP says the city is sending the wrong message to the 34 families who are supposed to live in these trailers and the wrong message to tens of thousands of New Orleans evacuees who would like to come home.
KING: That's selfish. It's un-Christian, and it's wrong. It's wrong. We ought to utilize every available inch of space that we have in this city to place trailers, every available inch of space, until we get all of our people back home in this city.
ROESGEN: Ed Markle and his neighbors say, there's plenty of space that's not right next door.
MARKLE: If it's something that we have to endure, it's something we will endure. But, in a situation when all you have to do is move the same facility across the street, or even down the street, why does one have to endure that?
ROESGEN: Susan Roesgen, CNN, New Orleans.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: And this program reminder, don't miss AC60 week nights at 10:00 p.m. Eastern, right here on CNN.
We continue to watch the severe weather conditions throughout the Southeast. Let's check in again with Bonnie Schneider.
SCHNEIDER: Fredicka, we just got this in. There's a tornado warning in South Carolina for Berkeley and Charleston County in South Carolina. The public reported a tornado near Daniel Island, nine miles southeast of Goose Creek. You can see that on the map. So it's to the northwest of the Charleston area. We've been tracking the severe weather through Charleston over the past hour. Some very strong thunderstorms moving through, and now we have reports of a confirmed tornado.
Now, areas that will be affected by this tornado include Huger (ph) and Awandow (ph) in South Carolina. So just be careful because it looks like the storm is moving pretty quickly to the east at 45 miles per hour. A lot of storm has passed through the North Charleston area, but we are getting reports of heavy wind, damaging downpours of rain and of course frequent lightning strikes associated with this strong super cell thunderstorm as it works its way through the Charleston, South Carolina, area.
The big picture calls for the tornado watch to continue tonight for Charleston, into Savannah and down through Jacksonville, until 9:00 p.m. Tallahassee, that's about to expire at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Once again the tornado warning for Berkeley and Charleston Counties in South Carolina. That will extend until 5:15 p.m. Eastern Time. Fredicka?
WHITFIELD: All right. Thank you very much, Bonnie.
There is a new way to treat hyperactive children, but it comes with its own controversy. We're asking Dr. Bill Lloyd about that patch. That's straight ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
WHITFIELD: Parents of hyperactive children may have a new pharmaceutical way to treat ADHD and other behavioral problems. It's a medicated patch recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration, but it's not without some controversy. Dr. Bill Lloyd join us live from Sacramento, California, this afternoon with more on the debate surrounding the so-called psychoactive drug. Hello to you.
DR. BILL LLOYD, MD, UC-DAVIS: Hi, Fredricka.
WHITFIELD: All right, so this patchworks very similar to what we've seen in, say, smoking, and even birth control. But not everyone likes the idea.
LLOYD: Well, the product is called Datrana (ph) and it has the same stimulant drugs that children are already using in the form of Ritalin and another drug called Concerta to treat that ADHD problem. You can only use the patch if you're a child between ages 6 and 12. And it only is supposed to be used if you failed oral therapy, that is pills or liquids. You don't start off using the patch.
WHITFIELD: So you have to have tried other things but those other things perhaps didn't work, or is it that the patch would be a little bit more convenient to use?
LLOYD: Well, if a child will take a medication, it's better than when the child is not taking the medication. Researchers know that children with ADHD do much better when they combine medical therapy with behavioral therapy. Neither works as well as when you use both of them together. So allowing a child to use this patch, and it would only be less than 12 hours a day, can give the child a steady dose of the medication to hopefully control their behaviors and allow them to interact better with other people.
WHITFIELD: So what perhaps are the potential dangers or why is it that not everybody applauds the idea of a patch?
LLOYD: Yeah, let's break it down. There are families who have had children who have used these stimulants and got in trouble. Maybe six or seven percent of children who use the drugs end up with complications. Trouble with sleeping and eating, and some develop different psychosis, and there have been reported suicide. There are other families who have had wonderful experiences and have regained their children because of the drugs and they have become functional at school, so you can see where the controversy is.
WHITFIELD: What about for adults, adults who are dealing with the same kinds of problems and might resort to this patch?
LLOYD: They calculate between a half and two-thirds of ADHD children become ADHD adults and there are probably a lot of people who are watching the program and ask themselves, maybe I have a little ADHD and I've just been able to get by through my life and it wasn't until I started a job, got married and had children, I started noticing some problems, maybe being a little inattentive, a little disorganized and not getting my taxes done in time. We may tend to think about it being a busy life, but there are adults with ADHD that are having a difficult difficulty time coping with daily responsibilities.
WHITFIELD: All right. So important, so interesting. Dr. Bill Lloyd, thanks so much.
LLOYD: We'll talk again soon.
WHITFIELD: All right, Carol Lin is here to carry on the baton into the next hour or two.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Oh my God.
WHITFIELD: And into the evening too.
LIN: I think I have ADHD. Talking to Dr. Bill Lloyd.
Coming up in the next couple of hours, did you see the story about the police officer standing right in front of a prison escapee questioning him? You think he would arrest him, no. We're going to show once again. But just in case you didn't see the story, you have to see it. Because it went down in a way you did not expect.
Also, a new phenomenon, a story we first reported on PAUL ZAHN NOW, but the phenomenon of battered husband, you think about it, the embarrassment and the shame and the inability to defend yourself, because what you are going to do. So we've got an exclusive story on that.
And so appropriate to the wild weather, Bob Villa at 6:00 is going to show us how do you build a house that's virtually hurricane proof. Really cool stuff. He had this like screen that had a regular window screen, but it could stop hurricane-force winds and it could take 100 per mile wind and slowed to it 4 miles per hour by the time it hit your deck.
WHITFIELD: Not something like your ordinary hurricane shutters but you're saying it's a step or two above? LIN: High tech.
WHITFIELD: Wow.
LIN: Isn't that neat?
WHITFIELD: You need this, cash.
LIN: There you go.
WHITFIELD: Expensive, not everyone can have them.
LIN: It's interesting that companies are coming up with the solutions, and Florida, very close to home for him so he wants to help.
WHITFIELD: And less than two months away before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season. Good timing. Thanks so much, Carol.
No parking, dramatic pictures of a garage implosion, and whereof all places, Florida. We were just talking about that.
We're going across America coming up next, plus this.
Oh, those Stones. And, guess what, they had themselves a very new audience. We'll take you to this very unique concert.
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WHITFIELD: It wasn't the best of weather days for the Masters Golf tournament in Augusta, Georgia. They've had to dodge quite a few raindrops, really big ones at the national, where they play and apparently now they're not playing, because it's all been suspended. Larry smith is joining us live from the front of the course. Larry?
LARRY SMITH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, hello, and great updates to all the finally, the sun trying to peek out. The rain has stopped and so the practice range is open, and play set to resume around 5:20 Eastern Time, that means a four hour, 20-minute rain delay and with 22 golfers yet to even tee off the third round, certainly a very long Sunday looms ahead. This is something we've become accustomed to, every early April, it seems, that the Masters and rain delay become synonymous with one another, seventh year in a row at the Masters has been interrupted by inclement weather.
Now at some point a quest for history will continue. Ben Crenshaw, the 54-year-old, two-time masters champion, he is five shots off the pace at one under par. He was even par on Friday. He is trying to become, again, 54 years old, by far, the oldest Masters champion ever.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEN CRENSHAW, GOLFER: I don't know where this week is going to lead, but, I've had so much fun playing this week. I've seen some great things happen. That's always nice, no matter what you're doing. So, but, you know, I'm just going to kind of see where this -- where it takes me this week.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think it's great. You know, Ben's obviously playing well, he obviously knows his way around the course. You know, he's had a lot of success here. And, you know, one of the best putters ever.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does anybody putt better than Ben? Do you know anybody that does better? He knows the greens better than anybody. He's won twice here and this is his favorite place, so I'm not surprised at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
SMITH: Well, 1982 Masters champion Fred Couples also is just three shots off at 46 years old, he, too, could become the oldest Masters champion. In all, in fact, seven golfers, age 40 or over, 40 or older, are within six shots of the lead. But, again, with so much golf to come, it could be a survival of the fittest come tomorrow. Chad Campbell is the leader, six under par and is a three-shot lead, but will he get to tee off today? We will see.
That's it. Third round play about to begin here at the 70th Masters.
WHITFIELD: Today is slipping. Not much left of this day. All right, Larry Smith, thanks so much.
We want to check in again with Bonnie Schneider, the weather just keeps getting worse.
SCHNEIDER: Unfortunately, Fredicka, we still have a tornado warning for Charleston and Berkeley Counties in South Carolina. That does include the city of Charleston. The public spotted a tornado just to the south of Goose Creek, so that's where we saw the spot or the location of the possible tornado. But the main thing to note is you're still watching out for very strong thunderstorms across much of the Charleston area, severe-thunderstorm warnings have been effect for a while, and we're going to continue to see the downpours of rain. We're also watching for the possibility of more tornadoes tonight. Not just for Charleston, but southward towards Savannah, where the weather has been severe as well, meaning we're seeing some very large hail into southeast Georgia, a quarter, nickel-size hail, and ping- pong ball size hail across much of southeast Georgia and the panhandle of Florida.
The tornado watch is in effect for another nine minutes, so just be careful if you are going to be heading out, we could still see tornadoes popping up in that region. Coming up at 5:00, I'll tell you what you can expect for the rest of tonight and the forecast for tomorrow. The good news, some improvements are ahead.
WHITFIELD: Well that's - yeah no kidding. Thanks allot, Bonnie.
News across America, now, wind and low humidity are fanning wildfires in Texas. One wildfire in Care County has charred about 1,100 acres and some 50 homes are threatened. Another fire has burned about 100 acres and it's threatening about five homes.
Boeing and Southwest Airlines are being sued over a runway accident at Chicago's Midway Airport. A southwest jet skidded off the runway during a snowstorm in last December. And the family of a six- year-old boy that died said Southwest was negligent, and they claim the Boeing jet had a problem with thrust reversers used to slow the plane.
And if you are heading to Orlando, don't plan on parking here, because it's gone now. An implosion earlier today. This area is to make room now for an expansion of the highway interchange. The Florida DOT, D-O-T, purchased the structure to make way for a new exit ramp specifically.
Well, it took many years to cut through the red tape, but the Rolling Stones have finally performed in China. The legendary rockers, who have entertained crowds all over the world, played to a packed house in Shanghai. CNN's Richard Quest was there, and filed this report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RICHARD QUEST, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Even for a veteran band, 40 years on the road, tonight was to be something special. At last, live, in Mainland China.
For two hours Jagger and the band sang, strutted, and did what the Rolling Stones do best, entertain. The audience, just 8,500 strong were made up of ex-pat Westerners, most locals couldn't afford the tickets and, anyway, have never heard of the Rolling Stones.
The concert was mainly a collection of classics, designed to whip up the audience. The Chinese authorities banned the Stones from singing several songs, deemed inappropriate for this communist country. As the Stones would say themselves, you can't always get what you want.
The group left the hall immediately after the show was over.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: How was it?
QUEST: For the locals who had been there, they'd never seen anything like it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I can't get no satisfaction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I never saw Rolling Stones, yeah. Rock 'n' roll.
QUEST (on camera): Did you enjoy the rolling stones?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, of course, I enjoyed it very much.
QUEST: Really?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, I was drawn (ph) to these concerts. (inaudible).
QUEST (voice-over): The rest of China will get to make up its own mind when the concert is broadcast on national television.
(on camera): And so the Rolling Stones have completed their first concert in Mainland China. And for Mick and the band, it's another notch on their musical belt. Richard Quest, CNN, Shanghai.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
WHITFIELD: They all got satisfaction.
Still much more ahead on CNN. Carol Lin is up next with more of CNN LIVE SATURDAY. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.
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