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Florida Expecting Hurricane Jeanne; Kerry Outlines Security Plan; Bush to Criticize Kerry for Allawi Comments; British Family Awaits Word on Kidnapped Man; Tropical Storm Devastates Haiti
Aired September 24, 2004 - 13:00 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: People fearing more flooding, power outages and damage, and they're taking no chances. They're boarding up homes, stocking up on supplies. A hurricane watch is in effect for hundreds of miles along the coast from Florida City to St. Augustine.
Let's go to CNN's Orelon Sidney, who's tracking Hurricane Jeanne in the weather center right now.
Orelon, what do you know?
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right. Orelon Sidney, thanks so much.
Well, parts of the gulf coast are suffering from Ivanitis. The former hurricane looped back across Florida and bombarded the Texas- Louisiana line last night with heavy rain. More rain is expected throughout the weekend, which could present big problems for Houston and other flood-prone areas.
Now, the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Democrat John Kerry opens a new front in his battle for the White House. The topic, terrorism.
CNN's Bob Franken is covering the Kerry campaign in Philadelphia. Hopefully, he can hear us.
Hi, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One thing we notice here is that John Kerry has a very effective audio system out here. Here being the University of Pennsylvania, where he's taking advantage of it in a rally to go down the litany of his positions on the various issues of the day.
But the focus earlier today at nearby Temple University was the one that's increasingly become the main thrust of the campaign, one that has to do with America's international relations.
This was a detailed speech, a seven-point plan, really just a repeat of the recommendations he's made before. A seven-point plan how he would handle the war in Iraq and the war on terror better, saying that the war on terror has been put down a little bit when the war in Iraq became a distraction. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president took his eye off the ball. This president took his eye off the real war on terror, which is against al Qaeda, against Osama bin Laden, against terrorists in 60 countries.
And he invaded a nation where there weren't any terrorists but there are today. And he did it in a way that rushed to war without a plan to win the peace, and that's irresponsible leadership and bad judgment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Now, after this event, Senator Kerry heads to his home in Boston. And then on the weekend he heads to Wisconsin, where he's going to go behind closed doors and work on preparations for next week's debate with the president. Expect to hear many of these same lines in that debate -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Bob Franken. Thanks so much.
Meanwhile, President Bush is making another visit to the swing state of Wisconsin, a state that went with Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election. In a bid to sway voters to his side, Mr. Bush is expected to step through a door that V.P. Dick Cheney opened yesterday.
CNN's Elaine Quijano with the Bush campaign in Jamesville.
Hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra.
That's right. President Bush is expected to step through that door in rather a forceful way, as you mentioned. Aides are saying that President Bush is going to hit very hard here in Wisconsin, hit back at Senator John Kerry for comments he made regarding the Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, saying that he had painted too rosy a picture of the situation on the ground in Iraq.
Now, President Bush making his way here to Jamesville for an event scheduled to take place here within the hour here in Jamesville, Wisconsin.
Aides are saying that the president will say it was inappropriate to say such things of a foreign leader, one who the administration sees as essential in fighting terrorism.
Already, Vice President Dick Cheney has attacked on this front, both yesterday, and then again today, at an appearance in Louisiana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ayad Allawi is our ally. He stands beside us in the war against terror. John Kerry is trying to tear him down and trash all the good that has been accomplished, and his words are destructive.
As Prime Minister Allawi said in his speech, and I quote, "When political leaders sound a siren of defeatism in the face of terrorism, it only encourages more violence," end quote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the Kerry camp insists that Senator Kerry was not criticizing Prime Minister Allawi. Instead, they say that Senator Kerry was trying to be factual.
And they continue to say that Bush administration has not been factual when it comes to portraying the events on the ground, the situation on the ground in Iraq, and they will continue to point out when they believe the president is not being forthcoming.
Meantime, here in Wisconsin, as you said, a key battleground state, one that the president lost in 2000 by just 5,700 votes. Bush campaign officials say that the president is making inroads here in this state and hopes to do some more of that work so he can, hopefully, tip the balance of votes his way in Wisconsin come November -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine, just a side note. The president may be talking about Iraq and education, but if you look at Jamesville and even Racine, Wisconsin, you've got two of the highest unemployment rates.
QUIJANO: Absolutely. And that is something that is certainly on this administration's radar, the idea of jobs. Over and over again you will hear the president talk about his plan to create jobs by helping to boost small businesses. Look for that theme again here today.
The national unemployment average is 5.4 percent. Here in Jamesville, it is somewhere closer to eight percent. So the president certainly very much aware that there is still work to be done to convince voters that, in fact he has the plan to create jobs to help boost the economy here locally -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano with the Bush campaign. Thank you.
More brazen attacks and kidnappings in Iraq. Militants fired a rocket into a busy street in Baghdad, killing at least four Iraqis and wounding 10 others. The militants were thought to be firing at a nearby police station.
Overnight, gunmen kidnapped two Egyptians. The kidnappers apparently seized the men from the Baghdad office after tying up guards who were standing watch outside. So far the captors have not made any demands.
Meantime, officials in Italy are casting doubts on claims that two Italian women kidnapped more than two weeks ago have been killed. Two groups, both linked to Ayman al-Zarqawi claim that they killed the women because Italy refused to meet demands to pull out of Iraq. Italy calls the claims unreliable.
Another agonizing day for the family of British hostage Kenneth Bigley as it awaiting word on his fate. The ordeal is difficult for Bigley's mother. She was rushed to the hospital after making this impassioned plea yesterday to her son's captors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH BIGLEY, MOTHER OF KENNETH BIGLEY: Would you please help my son?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. Take a breath. Come on, take a breath.
BIGLEY: He is only a working man who wants to support his family. Please show mercy to Ken and send him home to me alive. His family needs him, and I need him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: CNN's Robin Curnow now joins us by phone in Liverpool.
Robin, how is the family doing today?
ROBIN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's a desperate waiting game for the family. Kenneth Bigley was taken over a week ago. Of course, two of his colleagues in that week have been beheaded.
And the family, as we can hear from that plea from the mother, just absolutely devastated. But they are strong, because they're exhausting every option available to them, never mind how limited that is.
And what we've heard recently is that they've managed to convince the foreign office, British foreign office, to distribute 50,000 pamphlets in Baghdad. The family is making a personal plea in Arabic to Iraqis in Baghdad for information. And, really, they're trying everything they can to at least save their son, their husband, their brother.
PHILLIPS: Now Robin, I'm told you went actually went to a mosque there in Liverpool. What's the Arab community doing on that side of the world?
CURNOW: The Liverpool Muslim Association, during Friday's prayers today in Liverpool, came up with a very strong statement against the hostage takers, against Mr. Bigley's hostage takers. Basically, they said that Islam completely forbids any innocent individual to be targeted, to be harmed, oppressed, tortured or killed.
The Islamic community in England very, very concerned that these hostage takers are giving the wrong message about their religion. And they came out very much in support for the Bigley family, for the Liverpool community, as such. Very much concerned. Prayers across faiths for this man that really has captured the heart, not just of Britons but people around the world as we wait for some news out of Iraq -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And as we get it, we'll check in with you. Robin Curnow, thank you so much.
A half world away, American hostage Jack Hensley was remembered as a loving man and father at a candlelight vigil in suburban Atlanta. Hensley's friends and neighbors celebrated his life at the vigil last night. Hensley's family, which was not in attendance, received word Wednesday that he had been beheaded by his captors. The family plans to attend a church service tomorrow.
Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi continued his diplomatic visit to the U.S. today, first stopping to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, where a number of U.S. troops killed in his country are buried.
Also this morning, Allawi paid a visit to the Pentagon to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon officials. Allawi and Rumsfeld agree that free elections will proceed in Iraq as planned in January.
Dangerous desperation brewing in Haiti. We're talking about hungry and homeless hurricane victims: why feeding them isn't the only concern of international aid workers.
A bad Cat or just misunderstood? The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens denied entry into the United States. What he's doing now to change that.
Plus, the politics of Iraq. Will John Kerry's current campaign strategy win over undecided voters? I'll debate the issue with pundits from both ends of the political spectrum as LIVE FROM continues.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: They may be presumed dead. Those words from the United Nations spokesman in Haiti referring to more than 1,200 people still missing there. Flooding from Tropical Storm Jeanne destroyed entire towns, rather, in Haiti. While some aid is arriving, it's nowhere near enough.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Gonaives. We go straight to him with the latest -- Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Kyra.
We're at one of the main food distribution centers here in downtown Gonaives. And the scene is absolute pandemonium. I'm going to step away and let you look at the thousands of people that are gathering outside this distribution center. Many of them we talked to this morning say they haven't eaten since Tropical Storm Jeanne destroyed many of their homes over the weekend.
What they're queuing here for now, and many of the victims for many hours at this stage, is rations, basic rations of oil, of rice, of beans, seeds (ph) some corn. That will help keep their families going for the next few days.
But it's a very explosive situation out here now, Kyra. A lot of hunger there, a lot of desperate people. In the last few minutes, we've seen many suffering right now in this town. It is desperations. You factor in the extreme and humidity here, and people are getting very up in arms.
It seems to be survival of the fittest out there right now as these people make their way to the front of the crowd.
Now, we've been talking to aid officials also here on the ground, members of the United Nations, members of CARE International, members also of some of these independent organizations helping out here.
They say that yes, aid is getting through, both in the form of food and water driven in on tanker trucks. But the sheer scale of this disaster makes any relief effort small by comparison. Haitian officials say at least 300,000 people need emergency food aid because of the damage wreaked by the storm -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Talking 300,000 people, Karl. Who is it that's in there, trying to keep the peace? Is the military involved?
PENHAUL: What we can see here down below, you'll see within that crowd are some Argentinean troops. They're members of the United Nations stabilization force here in Iraq (sic).
But we haven't at any point seen any presence of Haitian authorities, Haitian security forces. And talking to one of the United Nations officials here, they have some very strong words to say about that. And they're blaming a lot of the chaos in the distribution on the Haitian government.
They say that the Haitian government simply hasn't met its commitment, simply hasn't lived up to the responsibility of trying to coordinate this, trying to sort it out. And so it is U.N. officials that are recognizing the relief effort is chaos, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Karl Penhaul from Gonaives, Haiti, thank you so much.
Well, Hurricane Jeanne, it has Floridians scrambling once again to weather proof their homes. We're going to have an update on the storm's path right after the break.
And still to come, it's a baseball record that has stood for 84 years. Find out how this Seattle Mariner could shatter it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, it's been a recurring nightmare for Florida, first Hurricane Charley, then Frances, then Ivan. It seemed that the beleaguered state might actually escape the wrath of Jeanne. But after the storm's deadly loop through the Caribbean, people from Miami to St. Augustine are boarding up and hunkering down yet again.
Do we want to take a better look at that satellite -- the satellite loop? I'm actually learn about this as I've been learning a lot about weather. Orelon Sidney trying to teach me about how the loops works.
Now we now as of about 5 p.m. yesterday, about 68,000 customers in parts of these areas were without electricity in Escambia County (ph), Florida, and approximately 25,000 had no power in Santa Rosa County as it started to move.
Then Ivan-related power outages also continue still in Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. We're talking about roughly 72,000 business and residential customers of electric cooperatives, Alabama Power Company, for example, and the city owned utilities -- companies in Alabama are -- still been, even without power even after a week that Ivan hit. People are still feeling those effects.
The storm initially left about 112,000 Georgia customers without power. A lot of us here in Atlanta felt that. But only a handful of clients remain without power right now in this state.
Ivan, as you know, slammed ashore as a hurricane about a week ago, starting on the Alabama coast, kind of spreading havoc from there to North Carolina.
Now, as we continue to watch the path there of the loop, we continue to show you more about what's happening as people are boarding up in Orlando.
George Estevez from WFTV has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE ESTEVEZ, WFTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joanna and Tom Wiley (ph) live a block from the beach. So during the last hurricane they took off in their motor home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can feel the motor home vibrating like it might tip over or something.
ESTEVEZ: But for Hurricane Jeanne, the couple is splitting up. Joanna is staying home and Tom is going on a planned trip overseas.
(on camera) So now you're leaving here right before a hurricane?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right before a hurricane. I'm deserting.
ESTEVEZ: Are you ever going to live this down?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never.
ESTEVEZ (voice-over): Over at the Merit Island (ph) racetrack, no sooner did more than 9,000 gallons of gas arrive, it disappeared.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm getting gas, filling up, being prepared.
ESTEVEZ: Registers at hardware stores provide a familiar sound for people on the coast, and these empty plywood shelves make for a well-known sight.
(on camera) You're putting up plywood again?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We're putting it back up again.
ESTEVEZ: Can you believe it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. But it's life, I guess.
ESTEVEZ (voice-over): Plywood won't help NASA, though. Workers at the vehicle assembly building where the space shuttles are stored are trying to repair 20,000 square feet of missing siding ripped off by Hurricane Frances.
The Wileys hope to have better luck this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, what else can happen?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, that was George Estevez from WFTV in Orlando.
Now, a lot could happen. Just look at the devastation being caused in Haiti. The death toll there is now more than 1,000. You heard from our Karl Penhaul.
Now, that storm is expected to hit Florida by Sunday. So what can people in the Sunshine State expect this time around? Ed Rappaport at the National Hurricane Center joins us live from Miami.
A lot of people asking, Ed, "Is it going to hit me? Is it going to hit me?" From state to state, even people here in Atlanta people are prepping again.
ED RAPPAPORT, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Yes, for the state of Florida, that's where the question is primarily at this stage. And at this point there is a hurricane watch up for much of the Florida east coast because of, and certainly the track. And because we think there will be a turn to the north just off or on the Florida south coast, so a track that goes something like this.
Of course, that does put everybody on at least the eastern part of the state of Florida at risk and perhaps even spreading inland, too.
PHILLIPS: Ed, when you look at the storms that have happened just in the few months and you're looking at Jeanne, what it's done thus far, is there any way that you could tell us right now, OK, Jeanne's going to be worse than Ivan or Charley or any of the -- or is it really hard to speculate?
RAPPAPORT: We don't want to speculate. But given that the worst of the weather is within, usually, 50 miles or so of where the center comes ashore, unless this comes ashore in the same place as one of the other hurricanes, this will be worse weather for that landfall point than they've had previously.
So at this point everybody has to prepare in the hurricane watch areas, as if the worst of the area was going to come to their region. And we can't tell you which county or couple counties will have the worst.
PHILLIPS: So Ed, is it true there's two more storms following Jeanne already?
RAPPAPORT: Well, we've had several other systems out in the Atlantic. There's -- we have two other systems now out there, Lisa and Karl. Those do not pose -- do not pose a threat, at least for a long time, really never for Karl.
But again, we're only about a week past the peak of the hurricane season. So we have almost all of the second half of the season still to go.
PHILLIPS: That's the positive side of things.
Now, when is the last -- when's the end of hurricane season?
RAPPAPORT: Well, officially, the end of hurricane season is the end of November, November 30. But that doesn't mean that we can't have hurricanes after that. In fact, last year there were two in December.
PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. All right. Ed Rappaport, National Hurricane Center, thanks for joining us there from Miami. We'll continue to follow up with you.
We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: U.S. warplanes pound more targets in the volatile Iraqi city of Fallujah. Planes struck two areas of that city, but there are no reports of casualties. Fallujah has been a stronghold for insurgents over the past few weeks. U.S. forces have targeted sites linked to the terror network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
A CBS News legend weighs in on the docudrama at his former network. Walter Cronkite says the scandal over questionable documents about President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service are embarrassing.
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Aired September 24, 2004 - 13:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, HOST: People fearing more flooding, power outages and damage, and they're taking no chances. They're boarding up homes, stocking up on supplies. A hurricane watch is in effect for hundreds of miles along the coast from Florida City to St. Augustine.
Let's go to CNN's Orelon Sidney, who's tracking Hurricane Jeanne in the weather center right now.
Orelon, what do you know?
(WEATHER REPORT)
PHILLIPS: All right. Orelon Sidney, thanks so much.
Well, parts of the gulf coast are suffering from Ivanitis. The former hurricane looped back across Florida and bombarded the Texas- Louisiana line last night with heavy rain. More rain is expected throughout the weekend, which could present big problems for Houston and other flood-prone areas.
Now, the upcoming U.S. presidential election.
Democrat John Kerry opens a new front in his battle for the White House. The topic, terrorism.
CNN's Bob Franken is covering the Kerry campaign in Philadelphia. Hopefully, he can hear us.
Hi, Bob.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: One thing we notice here is that John Kerry has a very effective audio system out here. Here being the University of Pennsylvania, where he's taking advantage of it in a rally to go down the litany of his positions on the various issues of the day.
But the focus earlier today at nearby Temple University was the one that's increasingly become the main thrust of the campaign, one that has to do with America's international relations.
This was a detailed speech, a seven-point plan, really just a repeat of the recommendations he's made before. A seven-point plan how he would handle the war in Iraq and the war on terror better, saying that the war on terror has been put down a little bit when the war in Iraq became a distraction. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. JOHN KERRY (D-MA), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: This president took his eye off the ball. This president took his eye off the real war on terror, which is against al Qaeda, against Osama bin Laden, against terrorists in 60 countries.
And he invaded a nation where there weren't any terrorists but there are today. And he did it in a way that rushed to war without a plan to win the peace, and that's irresponsible leadership and bad judgment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: Now, after this event, Senator Kerry heads to his home in Boston. And then on the weekend he heads to Wisconsin, where he's going to go behind closed doors and work on preparations for next week's debate with the president. Expect to hear many of these same lines in that debate -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: All right, Bob Franken. Thanks so much.
Meanwhile, President Bush is making another visit to the swing state of Wisconsin, a state that went with Al Gore in the 2000 presidential election. In a bid to sway voters to his side, Mr. Bush is expected to step through a door that V.P. Dick Cheney opened yesterday.
CNN's Elaine Quijano with the Bush campaign in Jamesville.
Hi, Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi there, Kyra.
That's right. President Bush is expected to step through that door in rather a forceful way, as you mentioned. Aides are saying that President Bush is going to hit very hard here in Wisconsin, hit back at Senator John Kerry for comments he made regarding the Iraqi interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, saying that he had painted too rosy a picture of the situation on the ground in Iraq.
Now, President Bush making his way here to Jamesville for an event scheduled to take place here within the hour here in Jamesville, Wisconsin.
Aides are saying that the president will say it was inappropriate to say such things of a foreign leader, one who the administration sees as essential in fighting terrorism.
Already, Vice President Dick Cheney has attacked on this front, both yesterday, and then again today, at an appearance in Louisiana.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Ayad Allawi is our ally. He stands beside us in the war against terror. John Kerry is trying to tear him down and trash all the good that has been accomplished, and his words are destructive.
As Prime Minister Allawi said in his speech, and I quote, "When political leaders sound a siren of defeatism in the face of terrorism, it only encourages more violence," end quote.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, the Kerry camp insists that Senator Kerry was not criticizing Prime Minister Allawi. Instead, they say that Senator Kerry was trying to be factual.
And they continue to say that Bush administration has not been factual when it comes to portraying the events on the ground, the situation on the ground in Iraq, and they will continue to point out when they believe the president is not being forthcoming.
Meantime, here in Wisconsin, as you said, a key battleground state, one that the president lost in 2000 by just 5,700 votes. Bush campaign officials say that the president is making inroads here in this state and hopes to do some more of that work so he can, hopefully, tip the balance of votes his way in Wisconsin come November -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine, just a side note. The president may be talking about Iraq and education, but if you look at Jamesville and even Racine, Wisconsin, you've got two of the highest unemployment rates.
QUIJANO: Absolutely. And that is something that is certainly on this administration's radar, the idea of jobs. Over and over again you will hear the president talk about his plan to create jobs by helping to boost small businesses. Look for that theme again here today.
The national unemployment average is 5.4 percent. Here in Jamesville, it is somewhere closer to eight percent. So the president certainly very much aware that there is still work to be done to convince voters that, in fact he has the plan to create jobs to help boost the economy here locally -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Elaine Quijano with the Bush campaign. Thank you.
More brazen attacks and kidnappings in Iraq. Militants fired a rocket into a busy street in Baghdad, killing at least four Iraqis and wounding 10 others. The militants were thought to be firing at a nearby police station.
Overnight, gunmen kidnapped two Egyptians. The kidnappers apparently seized the men from the Baghdad office after tying up guards who were standing watch outside. So far the captors have not made any demands.
Meantime, officials in Italy are casting doubts on claims that two Italian women kidnapped more than two weeks ago have been killed. Two groups, both linked to Ayman al-Zarqawi claim that they killed the women because Italy refused to meet demands to pull out of Iraq. Italy calls the claims unreliable.
Another agonizing day for the family of British hostage Kenneth Bigley as it awaiting word on his fate. The ordeal is difficult for Bigley's mother. She was rushed to the hospital after making this impassioned plea yesterday to her son's captors.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ELIZABETH BIGLEY, MOTHER OF KENNETH BIGLEY: Would you please help my son?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Come on. Take a breath. Come on, take a breath.
BIGLEY: He is only a working man who wants to support his family. Please show mercy to Ken and send him home to me alive. His family needs him, and I need him.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: CNN's Robin Curnow now joins us by phone in Liverpool.
Robin, how is the family doing today?
ROBIN CURNOW, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, it's a desperate waiting game for the family. Kenneth Bigley was taken over a week ago. Of course, two of his colleagues in that week have been beheaded.
And the family, as we can hear from that plea from the mother, just absolutely devastated. But they are strong, because they're exhausting every option available to them, never mind how limited that is.
And what we've heard recently is that they've managed to convince the foreign office, British foreign office, to distribute 50,000 pamphlets in Baghdad. The family is making a personal plea in Arabic to Iraqis in Baghdad for information. And, really, they're trying everything they can to at least save their son, their husband, their brother.
PHILLIPS: Now Robin, I'm told you went actually went to a mosque there in Liverpool. What's the Arab community doing on that side of the world?
CURNOW: The Liverpool Muslim Association, during Friday's prayers today in Liverpool, came up with a very strong statement against the hostage takers, against Mr. Bigley's hostage takers. Basically, they said that Islam completely forbids any innocent individual to be targeted, to be harmed, oppressed, tortured or killed.
The Islamic community in England very, very concerned that these hostage takers are giving the wrong message about their religion. And they came out very much in support for the Bigley family, for the Liverpool community, as such. Very much concerned. Prayers across faiths for this man that really has captured the heart, not just of Britons but people around the world as we wait for some news out of Iraq -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: And as we get it, we'll check in with you. Robin Curnow, thank you so much.
A half world away, American hostage Jack Hensley was remembered as a loving man and father at a candlelight vigil in suburban Atlanta. Hensley's friends and neighbors celebrated his life at the vigil last night. Hensley's family, which was not in attendance, received word Wednesday that he had been beheaded by his captors. The family plans to attend a church service tomorrow.
Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi continued his diplomatic visit to the U.S. today, first stopping to lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery, where a number of U.S. troops killed in his country are buried.
Also this morning, Allawi paid a visit to the Pentagon to meet with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and Pentagon officials. Allawi and Rumsfeld agree that free elections will proceed in Iraq as planned in January.
Dangerous desperation brewing in Haiti. We're talking about hungry and homeless hurricane victims: why feeding them isn't the only concern of international aid workers.
A bad Cat or just misunderstood? The singer formerly known as Cat Stevens denied entry into the United States. What he's doing now to change that.
Plus, the politics of Iraq. Will John Kerry's current campaign strategy win over undecided voters? I'll debate the issue with pundits from both ends of the political spectrum as LIVE FROM continues.
ANNOUNCER: You're watching LIVE FROM on CNN, the most trusted name in news.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: They may be presumed dead. Those words from the United Nations spokesman in Haiti referring to more than 1,200 people still missing there. Flooding from Tropical Storm Jeanne destroyed entire towns, rather, in Haiti. While some aid is arriving, it's nowhere near enough.
CNN's Karl Penhaul is in Gonaives. We go straight to him with the latest -- Karl.
KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, there, Kyra.
We're at one of the main food distribution centers here in downtown Gonaives. And the scene is absolute pandemonium. I'm going to step away and let you look at the thousands of people that are gathering outside this distribution center. Many of them we talked to this morning say they haven't eaten since Tropical Storm Jeanne destroyed many of their homes over the weekend.
What they're queuing here for now, and many of the victims for many hours at this stage, is rations, basic rations of oil, of rice, of beans, seeds (ph) some corn. That will help keep their families going for the next few days.
But it's a very explosive situation out here now, Kyra. A lot of hunger there, a lot of desperate people. In the last few minutes, we've seen many suffering right now in this town. It is desperations. You factor in the extreme and humidity here, and people are getting very up in arms.
It seems to be survival of the fittest out there right now as these people make their way to the front of the crowd.
Now, we've been talking to aid officials also here on the ground, members of the United Nations, members of CARE International, members also of some of these independent organizations helping out here.
They say that yes, aid is getting through, both in the form of food and water driven in on tanker trucks. But the sheer scale of this disaster makes any relief effort small by comparison. Haitian officials say at least 300,000 people need emergency food aid because of the damage wreaked by the storm -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Talking 300,000 people, Karl. Who is it that's in there, trying to keep the peace? Is the military involved?
PENHAUL: What we can see here down below, you'll see within that crowd are some Argentinean troops. They're members of the United Nations stabilization force here in Iraq (sic).
But we haven't at any point seen any presence of Haitian authorities, Haitian security forces. And talking to one of the United Nations officials here, they have some very strong words to say about that. And they're blaming a lot of the chaos in the distribution on the Haitian government.
They say that the Haitian government simply hasn't met its commitment, simply hasn't lived up to the responsibility of trying to coordinate this, trying to sort it out. And so it is U.N. officials that are recognizing the relief effort is chaos, Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Karl Penhaul from Gonaives, Haiti, thank you so much.
Well, Hurricane Jeanne, it has Floridians scrambling once again to weather proof their homes. We're going to have an update on the storm's path right after the break.
And still to come, it's a baseball record that has stood for 84 years. Find out how this Seattle Mariner could shatter it.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: Well, it's been a recurring nightmare for Florida, first Hurricane Charley, then Frances, then Ivan. It seemed that the beleaguered state might actually escape the wrath of Jeanne. But after the storm's deadly loop through the Caribbean, people from Miami to St. Augustine are boarding up and hunkering down yet again.
Do we want to take a better look at that satellite -- the satellite loop? I'm actually learn about this as I've been learning a lot about weather. Orelon Sidney trying to teach me about how the loops works.
Now we now as of about 5 p.m. yesterday, about 68,000 customers in parts of these areas were without electricity in Escambia County (ph), Florida, and approximately 25,000 had no power in Santa Rosa County as it started to move.
Then Ivan-related power outages also continue still in Alabama, Georgia and North Carolina. We're talking about roughly 72,000 business and residential customers of electric cooperatives, Alabama Power Company, for example, and the city owned utilities -- companies in Alabama are -- still been, even without power even after a week that Ivan hit. People are still feeling those effects.
The storm initially left about 112,000 Georgia customers without power. A lot of us here in Atlanta felt that. But only a handful of clients remain without power right now in this state.
Ivan, as you know, slammed ashore as a hurricane about a week ago, starting on the Alabama coast, kind of spreading havoc from there to North Carolina.
Now, as we continue to watch the path there of the loop, we continue to show you more about what's happening as people are boarding up in Orlando.
George Estevez from WFTV has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
GEORGE ESTEVEZ, WFTV CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Joanna and Tom Wiley (ph) live a block from the beach. So during the last hurricane they took off in their motor home.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You can feel the motor home vibrating like it might tip over or something.
ESTEVEZ: But for Hurricane Jeanne, the couple is splitting up. Joanna is staying home and Tom is going on a planned trip overseas.
(on camera) So now you're leaving here right before a hurricane?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Right before a hurricane. I'm deserting.
ESTEVEZ: Are you ever going to live this down?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never.
ESTEVEZ (voice-over): Over at the Merit Island (ph) racetrack, no sooner did more than 9,000 gallons of gas arrive, it disappeared.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm getting gas, filling up, being prepared.
ESTEVEZ: Registers at hardware stores provide a familiar sound for people on the coast, and these empty plywood shelves make for a well-known sight.
(on camera) You're putting up plywood again?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We're putting it back up again.
ESTEVEZ: Can you believe it?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. But it's life, I guess.
ESTEVEZ (voice-over): Plywood won't help NASA, though. Workers at the vehicle assembly building where the space shuttles are stored are trying to repair 20,000 square feet of missing siding ripped off by Hurricane Frances.
The Wileys hope to have better luck this time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, what else can happen?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PHILLIPS: Well, that was George Estevez from WFTV in Orlando.
Now, a lot could happen. Just look at the devastation being caused in Haiti. The death toll there is now more than 1,000. You heard from our Karl Penhaul.
Now, that storm is expected to hit Florida by Sunday. So what can people in the Sunshine State expect this time around? Ed Rappaport at the National Hurricane Center joins us live from Miami.
A lot of people asking, Ed, "Is it going to hit me? Is it going to hit me?" From state to state, even people here in Atlanta people are prepping again.
ED RAPPAPORT, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Yes, for the state of Florida, that's where the question is primarily at this stage. And at this point there is a hurricane watch up for much of the Florida east coast because of, and certainly the track. And because we think there will be a turn to the north just off or on the Florida south coast, so a track that goes something like this.
Of course, that does put everybody on at least the eastern part of the state of Florida at risk and perhaps even spreading inland, too.
PHILLIPS: Ed, when you look at the storms that have happened just in the few months and you're looking at Jeanne, what it's done thus far, is there any way that you could tell us right now, OK, Jeanne's going to be worse than Ivan or Charley or any of the -- or is it really hard to speculate?
RAPPAPORT: We don't want to speculate. But given that the worst of the weather is within, usually, 50 miles or so of where the center comes ashore, unless this comes ashore in the same place as one of the other hurricanes, this will be worse weather for that landfall point than they've had previously.
So at this point everybody has to prepare in the hurricane watch areas, as if the worst of the area was going to come to their region. And we can't tell you which county or couple counties will have the worst.
PHILLIPS: So Ed, is it true there's two more storms following Jeanne already?
RAPPAPORT: Well, we've had several other systems out in the Atlantic. There's -- we have two other systems now out there, Lisa and Karl. Those do not pose -- do not pose a threat, at least for a long time, really never for Karl.
But again, we're only about a week past the peak of the hurricane season. So we have almost all of the second half of the season still to go.
PHILLIPS: That's the positive side of things.
Now, when is the last -- when's the end of hurricane season?
RAPPAPORT: Well, officially, the end of hurricane season is the end of November, November 30. But that doesn't mean that we can't have hurricanes after that. In fact, last year there were two in December.
PHILLIPS: Oh, boy. All right. Ed Rappaport, National Hurricane Center, thanks for joining us there from Miami. We'll continue to follow up with you.
We're going to take a quick break. More LIVE FROM right after this.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
PHILLIPS: U.S. warplanes pound more targets in the volatile Iraqi city of Fallujah. Planes struck two areas of that city, but there are no reports of casualties. Fallujah has been a stronghold for insurgents over the past few weeks. U.S. forces have targeted sites linked to the terror network of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.
A CBS News legend weighs in on the docudrama at his former network. Walter Cronkite says the scandal over questionable documents about President Bush's Texas Air National Guard service are embarrassing.
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