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CNN Live At Daybreak
Update on Hurricane Jeanne; Hurricane Damage Across Florida; Latest Fighting in Iraq
Aired September 27, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Florida reels from the punch of another heavyweight storm and Jeanne may not be finished with its rampage.
It is Monday, September 27.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- three Iraqi National Guard members have been killed and three others injured in a car bombing today in Mosul. Four civilians were hurt when the bomb went off next to a National Guard vehicle. Another Guard member was killed by a bomb today in Ba'qubah.
Palestinian security sources say a Palestinian was killed by the Israeli Army in the Khan Younis Refugee Camp in southern Gaza. Israeli forces have been trying to stop mortar fire on nearby Israeli settlements.
And notices from various federal agencies go out today to all 50 states. The "Washington Post" reports on a so-called national election security planning bulletin. It warns law enforcement to be on alert for possible terrorist plots to disrupt November's election.
And like the three hurricanes before it, Jeanne has left its mark, more like a scar, on Florida. Jeanne is now a tropical storm. It's blamed for at least four deaths. The Category 3 hurricane roared ashore late Saturday close to where Hurricane Frances struck almost three weeks earlier. Along the east coast and central Florida, damage is extensive. This is the first time Florida has been hit by four hurricanes in the same year.
Florida's emergency officials say Jeanne hit with more force than Frances. President Bush has declared the entire state a disaster area.
Meteorologist Rob Marciano has the latest advisory on Jeanne. It was issued just a couple of minutes ago.
So bring us up to date -- Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Still a tropical storm, Carol. It's winds max sustained right now at 50 miles an hour. So that is -- that's been the case since this thing made landfall yesterday or the day before, actually, at 11:00 p.m. the thing has been slow to dissipate.
So we're going to, it's going to be with us still for quite some time.
Here's the Georgia radar. The center of it is about east of Tallahassee by about 40 miles and this red watch box indicates a tornado watch is up.
Here is the satellite imagery for you. Again, the winds sustained at 50 miles an hour. Its movement is to the north-northwest at 12. It will continue to dissipate as we go on through time. It just has no moisture source anymore as it continues its trek up through Georgia, into South Carolina, North Carolina and eventually towards Virginia and maybe getting a little bit of a piece of the Northeast, as well.
Bringing with it some heavy rains and some gusting winds. And everybody to the east of the center will see the heaviest rains, the heaviest winds and a threat for tornadoes. So be aware of that, eastern Georgia, eastern Carolinas.
Here's the wind field forecast. Notice tropical storm force winds will be with us through much of the day today and in through the early part of tomorrow, as the center of this thing makes its way just to the east of Atlanta and then in through parts of, it looks like western South Carolina, where they had a tremendous amount of flooding last go around from Ivan and Frances.
It looks like four to five, and in some spots, six inches of rain possible. And the closer it gets to the mountains, Carol, the bigger threat we have for flooding.
Also, power outages still a threat across parts of eastern Georgia and extreme northeast Florida.
Not quite done with Jeanne yet, but as is always the case, these things will continue to weaken as we go through the afternoon. But folks who live in the Southeast now will get a taste of yet another tropical system.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.
It could be months before storm weary Florida residents can pick up the pieces of their lives.
John Zarrella joined some of them as they took a look at the mess left behind by Jeanne.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SUE DAVIS, STUART, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Some of my furniture.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the span of three weeks, Mary Sue Davis has been victimized twice. DAVIS: Everything is totally gone. It was -- it had all fallen in here.
ZARRELLA: The eyes of two hurricanes, Frances and Jeanne, passed directly over her Stuart, Florida home. Frances did most of the damage. Her ceilings are nearly completely gone. Her furniture destroyed.
DAVIS: There's no way that you can replace these things ever.
ZARRELLA: It will be many months before this home is livable.
DAVIS: It would be anywhere from four to six months or longer before we would be back in our homes. That takes you through all the holidays. So you're going to have Thanksgiving dinner in an R.V. or a hotel room, Christmas.
ZARRELLA: Compounding Davis' problem, her insurance company has still not sent an adjuster to assess the losses from the first hurricane.
Barbara Motisi lives across the street. She's in the same boat.
BARBARA MOTISI, STUART, FLORIDA RESIDENT: I feel like they've giving me the runaround because when I call one number they say OK, you're supposed to call this number. So I call that number where the adjusters are supposed to be and they tell me that I was even assigned to an adjustor yet.
ZARRELLA: Motisi's home is unlivable, too. Mold covers the walls.
MOTISI: This is from the first one. Yes. No, I haven't had an adjuster here from the first storm yet.
ZARRELLA: Now, water from Jeanne that streamed through holes in the roof covers the floor. This entire subdivision is a mess. Tarps that covered roofs were ripped off by Jeanne, exposing gaping holes left behind by Frances. Debris piles never picked up after the first hurricane will now only get bigger.
John Zarrella, CNN, Stuart, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Let's look more closely at the impact of Jeanne in Florida. Late last night, officials from Florida's utility companies told us 1.8 million homes and businesses are without power. Curfews remain in effect in eight counties, most of them in central Florida. And once again the state's schools are affected. Twenty-one county school systems are closed today. And an insurance risk company estimates Jeanne has done $5 billion to $9 billion damage in Florida.
Coming up a bit later, we'll take you live to Florida's Gulf Coast. Our Sean Callebs will join us with a look at how one small city is handling Jeanne's arrival. That report comes your way in 10 minutes.
Also, Chad Myers is in Melbourne, Florida. We're going to get to him as soon as he gets his live shot up.
Jeanne devastated Haiti's northwestern coastline. The situation there remains desperate. Attempts to send in food and water is being hampered by rioting caused by thousands who have gone days without food. Jeanne struck there September 18. Flooding remains a problem. Jeanne killed at least 1,500 people and left 300,000 homeless, all of this in Haiti.
On to politics now and the race for the White House.
It's 36 days until election day and the presidential candidates are boning up on foreign policy and homeland security for their first debate on Thursday.
President Bush spent the weekend at his Texas ranch preparing for the face-off with John Kerry. Bush will take a break today for campaign appearances in southwestern Ohio.
Kerry is getting ready for a debate at the remote resort in Spring Green, Wisconsin. And later this morning, the senator is due to attend a town hall style meeting with local voters.
We all know from past presidential debates that style has often -- is often just as important as substance. And sometimes it's the body language that shapes the viewer's opinion -- everything from a wave to a salute to the thumbs up. And then there are those quirky mannerisms.
Political observers say President Bush must control his smirk. Some say he comes across as smug.
Senator Kerry, some say, seems to have no facial expression at all.
And for some voters, maybe it all comes down to who's got the best hair.
And that brings us to our e-mail Question of the Day -- bangs or brains, what influences voters the most? Drop us a line at daybreak@cnn.com, daybreak@cnn.com.
We want to have a little fun with this. Three newspapers over the weekend did stories on President Bush's hair versus John Kerry's hair. So we wondered, does that kind of stuff really make a difference as you watch the debates? Or are voters really looking for issues? Bangs or brains, what influences voters the most? Daybreak@cnn.com.
Another deadly day in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. That's where the U.S. military has been staging a series of air strikes.
Our Brent Sadler joins us now live from Baghdad to bring us up to date -- hello. BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello.
Good morning, Carol.
Yes, indeed, more air strikes against the stronghold of the fiery anti-U.S. cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, against his fighters and positions in Sadr City, a slum district of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Coalition forces are saying they attacked insurgent fighters, killing four, in a series of precision strikes. However, doctors inside the Imam Ali Hospital in Sadr City say that there were casualties among the civilian population.
This an ongoing debate between coalition forces who say they avoid civilian casualties and the hospitals inside these areas where military activity is going on reporting casualties among men, women and children.
Now, in terms of other violence, a very heavy day in various parts of the country. Various attacks, suicide bombs, roadside bombs and car bombs against mostly members of the Iraqi National Guard, this fledgling group, security group, that really has to build in strength over the next few months ahead of Iraqi elections planned for the end of January.
And these blasts killing a number of Guardsmen. Attacks against join checkpoints manned by coalition forces and the Iraqis.
So an up scaling, if you like, of attacks certainly over the past several days.
This part, say Iraqi officials here, of the beginning, possibly, of an offensive to clear out no go areas ahead of those elections -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent, Secretary of State Colin Powell said over the weekend that the rebellion there is intensifying.
How has the U.S. military reacted to that?
SADLER: Well, certainly we've heard Secretary of State Powell talking about an escalation of insurgent activity, terror activity. But also noticing not just in Sadr City, but also over the past few days, a series of sustained air strikes against the no go area of Fallujah. And certainly officials from both the coalition forces and the Iraqi government making no secret of the fact that one should expect a new offensive to take place against these no go areas in the coming weeks before these elections are planned in four months time.
In addition to that, we understand, they confirmed an hour ago from senior Iraqi government officials, that there is now under way in the Syrian capital, Damascus, top level talks between the U.S. military, the Iraqi national border guards and against -- with the Syrian government to work out a trilateral deal that will bring the Syrians on board with a plan led by the U.S. to plug up the porous Syrian-Iraqi border, where it's alleged by U.S. senior commanders on the ground here that as many as 30 to 50 foreign fighters are crossing freely from Syria into Iraq every month, accumulating over the period of the past 14 months into several hundred foreign fighters, channeling in here through Syria, as well as key planners and strategists in the insurgency against Iraq and its coalition allies.
This meeting crucially important in terms of the joint Iraqi-U.S. strategy to defeat the insurgency -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent Sadler reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Thank you.
An Iraqi National Guard general is being detained in Baghdad by U.S. troops. "USA Today" is reporting that Brigadier General Talib al-Lahibi was arrested Thursday in the Diyala Province. The Diyala Province is a Sunni Muslim area northeast of Baghdad. It's believed the general has been collaborating with insurgents.
Boots on the ground, but for how long? The "New York Times" reports the Army is considering cutting soldiers' tours of combat in zones like Iraq and Afghanistan from the current 12 months to six to nine months. Some officers fear it'll get harder to recruit and keep soldiers unless the combat zone tours are shortened. But others say the Army cannot meet its requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan unless soldiers spend 12 months in those combat zones.
In news across America now, the lead detective in the Scott Peterson case will be back on the stand when testimony resumes today. Prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case this week. So far, 160 witnesses have taken the stand during the 18-week trial.
A change has been made at the Air Force Academy. A sign that greets visitors to the campus used to say simply, "Bring Us Men." But after 40 years and numerous sexual assault allegations, a new sign has been commissioned. The new sign reads, "Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence In All We Do."
Mount St. Helens may be ready to erupt again. Seismologists say a swarm of hundreds of earthquakes at the volcano suggests something may be brewing. The last eruption at Mount St. Helens was in 1986. Fifty-seven people were killed when the mountain literally blew its top in 1980.
Another glimpse of destruction -- that's what people in Florida are getting this morning as they look at the damage done by Hurricane Jeanne. We'll have a live report for you from Florida at 18 minutes past.
And more fallout from the killing of a Hamas leader in Syria. The Palestinian militant group says Israel is to blame. We'll take you live to Jerusalem at 37 minutes past.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(STOCK MARKET REPORT)
COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:16 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
U.S. air strikes on Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood kill at least five people. Civilian women and children are also in the line of fire, with many left wounded.
In New York, round two of the legal battle over ground zero insurance payouts. Developer Larry Silverstein is seeking an additional billion dollars in damages. He contends the 9/11 attacks were separate incidents and he deserves two payouts. The earlier trial ruled the attacks were one incident and awarded Silverstein $3.5 billion.
In money news, Hurricane Ivan still being felt. Production problems caused by the storm are largely to blame for a $0.05 gallon jump in gas prices in the last two weeks.
In culture, the book of Bob has been written. Bob Dylan's memoirs are set to be released next month. Dylan says "Chronicles: Volume 1" is a truthful look at a misunderstood career.
In sports, a Sunday night game thanks to Hurricane Jeanne. The Miami Dolphins turned the ball over four times in the torrential rain and the Pittsburgh Steelers capitalized to win 13-3. The Dolphins dropped to 0 and 3 for the first time since 1969.
Let's head out live now to Melbourne, Florida, where Chad Myers is this morning -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
But remember, though, in 1972 they didn't lose a game. So, you know, you never know.
COSTELLO: That's a long time ago.
MYERS: Three years from now the Dolphins could really be, could be something.
Good morning.
Live from Melbourne, Florida now this morning.
The city picking up. The city doing a very good job this morning. We're seeing a lot of police patrolling. But at about midnight last night, the lights came on. I'm laying there in bed and going wait, I didn't leave the lights on. But obviously I did when the power went out the first time. Everybody had power today. Now, not the entire city, but this -- at least this city block that were here and then a couple city blocks back down toward the beach. The farther you get toward to the beach, the more damage there is. And even one of the thought processes here was let's put everybody that we need to in these shelters. The problem is one of the shelter roofs actually came off, one of the special needs folks, and that happened during the storm. And obviously they weren't too happy with that. Then they had to evacuate all of those 420 people out of that shelter during the middle of the storm.
It was a Category 3 as it made landfall. Really, the worst of the storm, Carol, is back down south of us, down where it was last time, around Barefoot Bay, around Palm Bay, down into Sebastian and all the way down into Vero Beach. We have video out of there. And later on today, as we wake up and the light comes up, you'll actually see some of that damage. You will see roof damage here in Melbourne, but you'll also see structural damage where they're, really they're, all the roof's structure is gone down there a little bit farther to the south, literally about 30 miles south of here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Chad, we'll get back to you.
Thank you.
Tropical Storm Jeanne cut clear across Florida, as you heard Chad say, from the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast. In its wake, hundreds of small cities and towns were pummeled by high winds and pounding rain.
One of those cities, Steinhatchee, Florida.
And that's where we find Sean Callebs -- good morning.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
During the weekend, Jeanne blew through here, over the past 12 or so hours. Power was off for most of the night. It kicked back on just a couple of hours ago. A real good soaking in this area last night.
And we've all seen the pictures of the palm trees swaying along Florida's coast, but this area right in the big bend of Florida also has a lot of live oak trees. If we can look straight up, you can get an idea. And once these limbs come down, they come down on power lines and thus the power comes down.
Now, this area is really kind of a sport fishing area. A number of people, including former President Jimmy Carter, come to this area to fish every year. Let's give you an idea. It's called Steinhatchee. Right back here is the Steinhatchee River. And look how high it is. You can see it is swollen all the way to the very top. Last night it was at least eight to 10 feet lower than it is now.
The winds were coming in from the north last night. But as the eye -- remnants of the eye passed over, the wind now coming in from the south. You can see the water blowing all the way up into the road in this area. This is actually called the Steinhatchee River. It flows down into a very ominously named Dead Man's Bay right into the end of the Gulf. We're told it's named that because there were a lot of shipwrecks there over the last century or so.
For as long as anyone can remember in this area, though, it really has just been kind of a vacation area. But this is one nook and cranny in the State of Florida that really hasn't been hit hard by the trifecta of hurricanes that came before Jeanne. Charley skirted the area. Frances did bring a lot of rain, knocked out power for a couple of days. And Ivan, just the very edge of it, caught this area.
So residents in this region were really worried last night. A lot of the homes built before 1970, of course, long before Hurricane Andrew and the tougher building codes in Florida. A lot of people were worried that roofs could be blown off, other damage. Still too early for emergency officials to get out and tell.
But there is a large marina about a half a mile down the road. We saw a lot of boats in there last night and we've all seen the damage that the high winds can do. We're going to go check that in a bit, Carol, and we'll check back with you later this morning.
COSTELLO: All right, well, I would say we'll look forward to it, but maybe we won't this morning.
Thank you.
Sean Callebs reporting live from Steinhatchee, Florida.
Is Washington's restless mountain getting ready to blow its top again? What scientists are saying about Mount St. Helens. That's coming your way next.
And our E-mail Question of the Morning -- bangs or brains, what influences voters the most? And we're talking about the coming debates. Is it the way a candidate looks, the way he speaks or is it the way he explains the issues? What influences voters the most? Daybreak@cnn.com.
You're watching DAYBREAK for Monday, September 27.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
COSTELLO: Well, we've been looking onto cnn.com.
Rob Marciano has come down from the forecast center.
Of course, Chad Myers is in Florida this morning.
And you're going to help me with the Web clicks this morning.
MARCIANO: OK.
What have we got?
COSTELLO: What have we got?
MARCIANO: What do we have?
COSTELLO: Well, we looked at our top 10 most clicked on stories and we came up with these three stories.
In entertainment news, you're very interested in Kevin Costner getting married.
MARCIANO: OK.
COSTELLO: He married a handbag designer in Aspen.
MARCIANO: Hasn't he been -- she looks familiar. He's been with her a while, no?
COSTELLO: Yes. He's been with her for, what, five or six years? He's 49 and she's 30. He's been dating her for five years. So she was 25 when they began dating. And it's been a beautiful relationship.
MARCIANO: Hey, if they -- I'm sure they have lots of stuff in common.
What are you laughing at, Carol?
COSTELLO: I'm sure they do.
MARCIANO: That's a handsome -- they're a handsome couple and they got married in Aspen, which is -- it's beautiful there.
COSTELLO: It's very beautiful.
MARCIANO: But also...
COSTELLO: At his place in Aspen.
MARCIANO: I've never been there.
COSTELLO: Me neither.
Another clicked on story of great interest to you was this Mount St. Helens story. And it looks like Mount St. Helens may erupt yet again.
MARCIANO: Really?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MARCIANO: I've been...
COSTELLO: A series of small earthquakes have been happening there and that could cause the mountain to blow.
MARCIANO: It's always perking up a little bit.
I climbed that thing.
COSTELLO: Did you really?
MARCIANO: Yes. After it blew. I would never have climbed it before it blew up, because it was way too tall.
COSTELLO: Was there still plenty of ash?
MARCIANO: Yes. It still kind of smoldered a little bit.
COSTELLO: It's fascinating, isn't it?
Another story you're very interested in on the Web this morning, "The Forgotten," the movie. It beat expectations at the box office. If you heard us on Friday, Tom O'Neill, our movie reviewer, gave it really horrible reviews. But evidently people went to see it in droves, because it was number one at the box office this weekend.
MARCIANO: Right on.
When was the last time you saw a movie?
COSTELLO: Not so long ago. I saw, what did I see the last time?
MARCIANO: It was a good one, though. It was so good you remember.
COSTELLO: No, it was "The Bourne Supremacy." It was a good one.
MARCIANO: Oh, with Matt Damon.
COSTELLO: Ha-ha.
Before you go back up to the forecast center, I do want to talk a little bit about Jeanne and its after effects.
MARCIANO: OK. Right now it's a tropical storm and it's -- it came ashore as a Category 3 storm. But what's weird is what's happened in Florida over the past six weeks, the four storms that came through. So we have a little graphic to show -- to highlight that.
First off, Charley came ashore at Sanibel Island on August 13. That came ashore as a Category 4 storm. It kind of exploded in intensity just before it hit the shoreline.
Then Frances came ashore in Sewall's Point on September 4. And that came ashore as a Category 2 storm, but as you remember, it was a very slow moving storm and a huge storm. So it devastated much of Florida because of that.
And then Ivan also came ashore as a major hurricane, a Category 3 storm, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. But that was so close to the Florida Panhandle that we consider it hitting Florida. And then it swung around as a little disturbance, came around the back side just north of Miami later on and then swung into Texas, which was completely unheard of. And then Jeanne hit Stuart, Florida just yesterday, or I suppose late, late the day before yesterday, right, pretty much right exactly where Frances came ashore. And Jeanne was a major hurricane.
The other note of historical perspective, we have never had a major hurricane, a Category 3 or higher, hit north of Palm Beach in the State of Florida. So it's been a historic season and yesterday...
COSTELLO: And it's not over yet.
MARCIANO: It's not over. So we're watching this tropical storm with winds of 50 miles an hour. Anybody who lives in the Southeast is going to be affected by this, and maybe even the Northeast, later on this week.
COSTELLO: All right, thanks, Rob.
We're going to be right back.
You stay right there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): For 10 years, Joseph Borg has been on a mission -- protect the citizens of Alabama against securities fraud and enforce aggressive penalties for violators. His mission is proving successful. The Alabama Securities Commission hasn't lost a criminal case in seven years and Borg and his staff have averaged almost 22 criminal convictions a year since 1996, one of the highest rates in the U.S. for a securities regulator.
Job satisfaction is the key to Borg's achievements.
JOSEPH BORG, DIRECTOR, ALABAMA SECURITIES COMMISSION: Make your goals. Decide what makes you happy. What is it that gives you a feeling of self-worth? If you can answer those questions and put your focus and your energy to accomplishing that goal, you will be successful.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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Aired September 27, 2004 - 05:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Florida reels from the punch of another heavyweight storm and Jeanne may not be finished with its rampage.
It is Monday, September 27.
This is DAYBREAK.
And good morning to you.
From the CNN Global Headquarters in Atlanta, I'm Carol Costello.
Now in the news -- three Iraqi National Guard members have been killed and three others injured in a car bombing today in Mosul. Four civilians were hurt when the bomb went off next to a National Guard vehicle. Another Guard member was killed by a bomb today in Ba'qubah.
Palestinian security sources say a Palestinian was killed by the Israeli Army in the Khan Younis Refugee Camp in southern Gaza. Israeli forces have been trying to stop mortar fire on nearby Israeli settlements.
And notices from various federal agencies go out today to all 50 states. The "Washington Post" reports on a so-called national election security planning bulletin. It warns law enforcement to be on alert for possible terrorist plots to disrupt November's election.
And like the three hurricanes before it, Jeanne has left its mark, more like a scar, on Florida. Jeanne is now a tropical storm. It's blamed for at least four deaths. The Category 3 hurricane roared ashore late Saturday close to where Hurricane Frances struck almost three weeks earlier. Along the east coast and central Florida, damage is extensive. This is the first time Florida has been hit by four hurricanes in the same year.
Florida's emergency officials say Jeanne hit with more force than Frances. President Bush has declared the entire state a disaster area.
Meteorologist Rob Marciano has the latest advisory on Jeanne. It was issued just a couple of minutes ago.
So bring us up to date -- Rob.
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Still a tropical storm, Carol. It's winds max sustained right now at 50 miles an hour. So that is -- that's been the case since this thing made landfall yesterday or the day before, actually, at 11:00 p.m. the thing has been slow to dissipate.
So we're going to, it's going to be with us still for quite some time.
Here's the Georgia radar. The center of it is about east of Tallahassee by about 40 miles and this red watch box indicates a tornado watch is up.
Here is the satellite imagery for you. Again, the winds sustained at 50 miles an hour. Its movement is to the north-northwest at 12. It will continue to dissipate as we go on through time. It just has no moisture source anymore as it continues its trek up through Georgia, into South Carolina, North Carolina and eventually towards Virginia and maybe getting a little bit of a piece of the Northeast, as well.
Bringing with it some heavy rains and some gusting winds. And everybody to the east of the center will see the heaviest rains, the heaviest winds and a threat for tornadoes. So be aware of that, eastern Georgia, eastern Carolinas.
Here's the wind field forecast. Notice tropical storm force winds will be with us through much of the day today and in through the early part of tomorrow, as the center of this thing makes its way just to the east of Atlanta and then in through parts of, it looks like western South Carolina, where they had a tremendous amount of flooding last go around from Ivan and Frances.
It looks like four to five, and in some spots, six inches of rain possible. And the closer it gets to the mountains, Carol, the bigger threat we have for flooding.
Also, power outages still a threat across parts of eastern Georgia and extreme northeast Florida.
Not quite done with Jeanne yet, but as is always the case, these things will continue to weaken as we go through the afternoon. But folks who live in the Southeast now will get a taste of yet another tropical system.
COSTELLO: All right, thank you, Rob.
It could be months before storm weary Florida residents can pick up the pieces of their lives.
John Zarrella joined some of them as they took a look at the mess left behind by Jeanne.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MARY SUE DAVIS, STUART, FLORIDA RESIDENT: Some of my furniture.
JOHN ZARRELLA, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In the span of three weeks, Mary Sue Davis has been victimized twice. DAVIS: Everything is totally gone. It was -- it had all fallen in here.
ZARRELLA: The eyes of two hurricanes, Frances and Jeanne, passed directly over her Stuart, Florida home. Frances did most of the damage. Her ceilings are nearly completely gone. Her furniture destroyed.
DAVIS: There's no way that you can replace these things ever.
ZARRELLA: It will be many months before this home is livable.
DAVIS: It would be anywhere from four to six months or longer before we would be back in our homes. That takes you through all the holidays. So you're going to have Thanksgiving dinner in an R.V. or a hotel room, Christmas.
ZARRELLA: Compounding Davis' problem, her insurance company has still not sent an adjuster to assess the losses from the first hurricane.
Barbara Motisi lives across the street. She's in the same boat.
BARBARA MOTISI, STUART, FLORIDA RESIDENT: I feel like they've giving me the runaround because when I call one number they say OK, you're supposed to call this number. So I call that number where the adjusters are supposed to be and they tell me that I was even assigned to an adjustor yet.
ZARRELLA: Motisi's home is unlivable, too. Mold covers the walls.
MOTISI: This is from the first one. Yes. No, I haven't had an adjuster here from the first storm yet.
ZARRELLA: Now, water from Jeanne that streamed through holes in the roof covers the floor. This entire subdivision is a mess. Tarps that covered roofs were ripped off by Jeanne, exposing gaping holes left behind by Frances. Debris piles never picked up after the first hurricane will now only get bigger.
John Zarrella, CNN, Stuart, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: Let's look more closely at the impact of Jeanne in Florida. Late last night, officials from Florida's utility companies told us 1.8 million homes and businesses are without power. Curfews remain in effect in eight counties, most of them in central Florida. And once again the state's schools are affected. Twenty-one county school systems are closed today. And an insurance risk company estimates Jeanne has done $5 billion to $9 billion damage in Florida.
Coming up a bit later, we'll take you live to Florida's Gulf Coast. Our Sean Callebs will join us with a look at how one small city is handling Jeanne's arrival. That report comes your way in 10 minutes.
Also, Chad Myers is in Melbourne, Florida. We're going to get to him as soon as he gets his live shot up.
Jeanne devastated Haiti's northwestern coastline. The situation there remains desperate. Attempts to send in food and water is being hampered by rioting caused by thousands who have gone days without food. Jeanne struck there September 18. Flooding remains a problem. Jeanne killed at least 1,500 people and left 300,000 homeless, all of this in Haiti.
On to politics now and the race for the White House.
It's 36 days until election day and the presidential candidates are boning up on foreign policy and homeland security for their first debate on Thursday.
President Bush spent the weekend at his Texas ranch preparing for the face-off with John Kerry. Bush will take a break today for campaign appearances in southwestern Ohio.
Kerry is getting ready for a debate at the remote resort in Spring Green, Wisconsin. And later this morning, the senator is due to attend a town hall style meeting with local voters.
We all know from past presidential debates that style has often -- is often just as important as substance. And sometimes it's the body language that shapes the viewer's opinion -- everything from a wave to a salute to the thumbs up. And then there are those quirky mannerisms.
Political observers say President Bush must control his smirk. Some say he comes across as smug.
Senator Kerry, some say, seems to have no facial expression at all.
And for some voters, maybe it all comes down to who's got the best hair.
And that brings us to our e-mail Question of the Day -- bangs or brains, what influences voters the most? Drop us a line at daybreak@cnn.com, daybreak@cnn.com.
We want to have a little fun with this. Three newspapers over the weekend did stories on President Bush's hair versus John Kerry's hair. So we wondered, does that kind of stuff really make a difference as you watch the debates? Or are voters really looking for issues? Bangs or brains, what influences voters the most? Daybreak@cnn.com.
Another deadly day in the Baghdad slum of Sadr City. That's where the U.S. military has been staging a series of air strikes.
Our Brent Sadler joins us now live from Baghdad to bring us up to date -- hello. BRENT SADLER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello.
Good morning, Carol.
Yes, indeed, more air strikes against the stronghold of the fiery anti-U.S. cleric, Muqtada al-Sadr, against his fighters and positions in Sadr City, a slum district of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad. Coalition forces are saying they attacked insurgent fighters, killing four, in a series of precision strikes. However, doctors inside the Imam Ali Hospital in Sadr City say that there were casualties among the civilian population.
This an ongoing debate between coalition forces who say they avoid civilian casualties and the hospitals inside these areas where military activity is going on reporting casualties among men, women and children.
Now, in terms of other violence, a very heavy day in various parts of the country. Various attacks, suicide bombs, roadside bombs and car bombs against mostly members of the Iraqi National Guard, this fledgling group, security group, that really has to build in strength over the next few months ahead of Iraqi elections planned for the end of January.
And these blasts killing a number of Guardsmen. Attacks against join checkpoints manned by coalition forces and the Iraqis.
So an up scaling, if you like, of attacks certainly over the past several days.
This part, say Iraqi officials here, of the beginning, possibly, of an offensive to clear out no go areas ahead of those elections -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent, Secretary of State Colin Powell said over the weekend that the rebellion there is intensifying.
How has the U.S. military reacted to that?
SADLER: Well, certainly we've heard Secretary of State Powell talking about an escalation of insurgent activity, terror activity. But also noticing not just in Sadr City, but also over the past few days, a series of sustained air strikes against the no go area of Fallujah. And certainly officials from both the coalition forces and the Iraqi government making no secret of the fact that one should expect a new offensive to take place against these no go areas in the coming weeks before these elections are planned in four months time.
In addition to that, we understand, they confirmed an hour ago from senior Iraqi government officials, that there is now under way in the Syrian capital, Damascus, top level talks between the U.S. military, the Iraqi national border guards and against -- with the Syrian government to work out a trilateral deal that will bring the Syrians on board with a plan led by the U.S. to plug up the porous Syrian-Iraqi border, where it's alleged by U.S. senior commanders on the ground here that as many as 30 to 50 foreign fighters are crossing freely from Syria into Iraq every month, accumulating over the period of the past 14 months into several hundred foreign fighters, channeling in here through Syria, as well as key planners and strategists in the insurgency against Iraq and its coalition allies.
This meeting crucially important in terms of the joint Iraqi-U.S. strategy to defeat the insurgency -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Brent Sadler reporting live from Baghdad this morning.
Thank you.
An Iraqi National Guard general is being detained in Baghdad by U.S. troops. "USA Today" is reporting that Brigadier General Talib al-Lahibi was arrested Thursday in the Diyala Province. The Diyala Province is a Sunni Muslim area northeast of Baghdad. It's believed the general has been collaborating with insurgents.
Boots on the ground, but for how long? The "New York Times" reports the Army is considering cutting soldiers' tours of combat in zones like Iraq and Afghanistan from the current 12 months to six to nine months. Some officers fear it'll get harder to recruit and keep soldiers unless the combat zone tours are shortened. But others say the Army cannot meet its requirements in Iraq and Afghanistan unless soldiers spend 12 months in those combat zones.
In news across America now, the lead detective in the Scott Peterson case will be back on the stand when testimony resumes today. Prosecutors are expected to wrap up their case this week. So far, 160 witnesses have taken the stand during the 18-week trial.
A change has been made at the Air Force Academy. A sign that greets visitors to the campus used to say simply, "Bring Us Men." But after 40 years and numerous sexual assault allegations, a new sign has been commissioned. The new sign reads, "Integrity First, Service Before Self, Excellence In All We Do."
Mount St. Helens may be ready to erupt again. Seismologists say a swarm of hundreds of earthquakes at the volcano suggests something may be brewing. The last eruption at Mount St. Helens was in 1986. Fifty-seven people were killed when the mountain literally blew its top in 1980.
Another glimpse of destruction -- that's what people in Florida are getting this morning as they look at the damage done by Hurricane Jeanne. We'll have a live report for you from Florida at 18 minutes past.
And more fallout from the killing of a Hamas leader in Syria. The Palestinian militant group says Israel is to blame. We'll take you live to Jerusalem at 37 minutes past.
But first, here's a look at what else is making news this Monday morning.
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COSTELLO: Your news, money, weather and sports.
It is 5:16 Eastern.
Here's what's all new this morning.
U.S. air strikes on Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood kill at least five people. Civilian women and children are also in the line of fire, with many left wounded.
In New York, round two of the legal battle over ground zero insurance payouts. Developer Larry Silverstein is seeking an additional billion dollars in damages. He contends the 9/11 attacks were separate incidents and he deserves two payouts. The earlier trial ruled the attacks were one incident and awarded Silverstein $3.5 billion.
In money news, Hurricane Ivan still being felt. Production problems caused by the storm are largely to blame for a $0.05 gallon jump in gas prices in the last two weeks.
In culture, the book of Bob has been written. Bob Dylan's memoirs are set to be released next month. Dylan says "Chronicles: Volume 1" is a truthful look at a misunderstood career.
In sports, a Sunday night game thanks to Hurricane Jeanne. The Miami Dolphins turned the ball over four times in the torrential rain and the Pittsburgh Steelers capitalized to win 13-3. The Dolphins dropped to 0 and 3 for the first time since 1969.
Let's head out live now to Melbourne, Florida, where Chad Myers is this morning -- good morning, Chad.
CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Good morning, Carol.
But remember, though, in 1972 they didn't lose a game. So, you know, you never know.
COSTELLO: That's a long time ago.
MYERS: Three years from now the Dolphins could really be, could be something.
Good morning.
Live from Melbourne, Florida now this morning.
The city picking up. The city doing a very good job this morning. We're seeing a lot of police patrolling. But at about midnight last night, the lights came on. I'm laying there in bed and going wait, I didn't leave the lights on. But obviously I did when the power went out the first time. Everybody had power today. Now, not the entire city, but this -- at least this city block that were here and then a couple city blocks back down toward the beach. The farther you get toward to the beach, the more damage there is. And even one of the thought processes here was let's put everybody that we need to in these shelters. The problem is one of the shelter roofs actually came off, one of the special needs folks, and that happened during the storm. And obviously they weren't too happy with that. Then they had to evacuate all of those 420 people out of that shelter during the middle of the storm.
It was a Category 3 as it made landfall. Really, the worst of the storm, Carol, is back down south of us, down where it was last time, around Barefoot Bay, around Palm Bay, down into Sebastian and all the way down into Vero Beach. We have video out of there. And later on today, as we wake up and the light comes up, you'll actually see some of that damage. You will see roof damage here in Melbourne, but you'll also see structural damage where they're, really they're, all the roof's structure is gone down there a little bit farther to the south, literally about 30 miles south of here -- Carol.
COSTELLO: All right, Chad, we'll get back to you.
Thank you.
Tropical Storm Jeanne cut clear across Florida, as you heard Chad say, from the Atlantic to the Gulf Coast. In its wake, hundreds of small cities and towns were pummeled by high winds and pounding rain.
One of those cities, Steinhatchee, Florida.
And that's where we find Sean Callebs -- good morning.
SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Carol.
During the weekend, Jeanne blew through here, over the past 12 or so hours. Power was off for most of the night. It kicked back on just a couple of hours ago. A real good soaking in this area last night.
And we've all seen the pictures of the palm trees swaying along Florida's coast, but this area right in the big bend of Florida also has a lot of live oak trees. If we can look straight up, you can get an idea. And once these limbs come down, they come down on power lines and thus the power comes down.
Now, this area is really kind of a sport fishing area. A number of people, including former President Jimmy Carter, come to this area to fish every year. Let's give you an idea. It's called Steinhatchee. Right back here is the Steinhatchee River. And look how high it is. You can see it is swollen all the way to the very top. Last night it was at least eight to 10 feet lower than it is now.
The winds were coming in from the north last night. But as the eye -- remnants of the eye passed over, the wind now coming in from the south. You can see the water blowing all the way up into the road in this area. This is actually called the Steinhatchee River. It flows down into a very ominously named Dead Man's Bay right into the end of the Gulf. We're told it's named that because there were a lot of shipwrecks there over the last century or so.
For as long as anyone can remember in this area, though, it really has just been kind of a vacation area. But this is one nook and cranny in the State of Florida that really hasn't been hit hard by the trifecta of hurricanes that came before Jeanne. Charley skirted the area. Frances did bring a lot of rain, knocked out power for a couple of days. And Ivan, just the very edge of it, caught this area.
So residents in this region were really worried last night. A lot of the homes built before 1970, of course, long before Hurricane Andrew and the tougher building codes in Florida. A lot of people were worried that roofs could be blown off, other damage. Still too early for emergency officials to get out and tell.
But there is a large marina about a half a mile down the road. We saw a lot of boats in there last night and we've all seen the damage that the high winds can do. We're going to go check that in a bit, Carol, and we'll check back with you later this morning.
COSTELLO: All right, well, I would say we'll look forward to it, but maybe we won't this morning.
Thank you.
Sean Callebs reporting live from Steinhatchee, Florida.
Is Washington's restless mountain getting ready to blow its top again? What scientists are saying about Mount St. Helens. That's coming your way next.
And our E-mail Question of the Morning -- bangs or brains, what influences voters the most? And we're talking about the coming debates. Is it the way a candidate looks, the way he speaks or is it the way he explains the issues? What influences voters the most? Daybreak@cnn.com.
You're watching DAYBREAK for Monday, September 27.
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COSTELLO: Well, we've been looking onto cnn.com.
Rob Marciano has come down from the forecast center.
Of course, Chad Myers is in Florida this morning.
And you're going to help me with the Web clicks this morning.
MARCIANO: OK.
What have we got?
COSTELLO: What have we got?
MARCIANO: What do we have?
COSTELLO: Well, we looked at our top 10 most clicked on stories and we came up with these three stories.
In entertainment news, you're very interested in Kevin Costner getting married.
MARCIANO: OK.
COSTELLO: He married a handbag designer in Aspen.
MARCIANO: Hasn't he been -- she looks familiar. He's been with her a while, no?
COSTELLO: Yes. He's been with her for, what, five or six years? He's 49 and she's 30. He's been dating her for five years. So she was 25 when they began dating. And it's been a beautiful relationship.
MARCIANO: Hey, if they -- I'm sure they have lots of stuff in common.
What are you laughing at, Carol?
COSTELLO: I'm sure they do.
MARCIANO: That's a handsome -- they're a handsome couple and they got married in Aspen, which is -- it's beautiful there.
COSTELLO: It's very beautiful.
MARCIANO: But also...
COSTELLO: At his place in Aspen.
MARCIANO: I've never been there.
COSTELLO: Me neither.
Another clicked on story of great interest to you was this Mount St. Helens story. And it looks like Mount St. Helens may erupt yet again.
MARCIANO: Really?
COSTELLO: Yes.
MARCIANO: I've been...
COSTELLO: A series of small earthquakes have been happening there and that could cause the mountain to blow.
MARCIANO: It's always perking up a little bit.
I climbed that thing.
COSTELLO: Did you really?
MARCIANO: Yes. After it blew. I would never have climbed it before it blew up, because it was way too tall.
COSTELLO: Was there still plenty of ash?
MARCIANO: Yes. It still kind of smoldered a little bit.
COSTELLO: It's fascinating, isn't it?
Another story you're very interested in on the Web this morning, "The Forgotten," the movie. It beat expectations at the box office. If you heard us on Friday, Tom O'Neill, our movie reviewer, gave it really horrible reviews. But evidently people went to see it in droves, because it was number one at the box office this weekend.
MARCIANO: Right on.
When was the last time you saw a movie?
COSTELLO: Not so long ago. I saw, what did I see the last time?
MARCIANO: It was a good one, though. It was so good you remember.
COSTELLO: No, it was "The Bourne Supremacy." It was a good one.
MARCIANO: Oh, with Matt Damon.
COSTELLO: Ha-ha.
Before you go back up to the forecast center, I do want to talk a little bit about Jeanne and its after effects.
MARCIANO: OK. Right now it's a tropical storm and it's -- it came ashore as a Category 3 storm. But what's weird is what's happened in Florida over the past six weeks, the four storms that came through. So we have a little graphic to show -- to highlight that.
First off, Charley came ashore at Sanibel Island on August 13. That came ashore as a Category 4 storm. It kind of exploded in intensity just before it hit the shoreline.
Then Frances came ashore in Sewall's Point on September 4. And that came ashore as a Category 2 storm, but as you remember, it was a very slow moving storm and a huge storm. So it devastated much of Florida because of that.
And then Ivan also came ashore as a major hurricane, a Category 3 storm, in Gulf Shores, Alabama. But that was so close to the Florida Panhandle that we consider it hitting Florida. And then it swung around as a little disturbance, came around the back side just north of Miami later on and then swung into Texas, which was completely unheard of. And then Jeanne hit Stuart, Florida just yesterday, or I suppose late, late the day before yesterday, right, pretty much right exactly where Frances came ashore. And Jeanne was a major hurricane.
The other note of historical perspective, we have never had a major hurricane, a Category 3 or higher, hit north of Palm Beach in the State of Florida. So it's been a historic season and yesterday...
COSTELLO: And it's not over yet.
MARCIANO: It's not over. So we're watching this tropical storm with winds of 50 miles an hour. Anybody who lives in the Southeast is going to be affected by this, and maybe even the Northeast, later on this week.
COSTELLO: All right, thanks, Rob.
We're going to be right back.
You stay right there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
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