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Live From...

Nasty Nor'Easter; After the Storm; Death Toll of U.S. Soldiers in Iraq Hits Grim Milestone

Aired October 25, 2005 - 14:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: First she battered Florida, now she's got her eye on an already soaked New England. A live report on Hurricane Wilma's next target.
Plus, she changed the course of American history by refusing to give up her seat. We're remembering civil rights icon Rosa Parks.

And in Iraq, a sober milestone is reached. The U.S. military death toll hits 2,000. We're remembering the names today, not the numbers.

From the CNN Center in Atlanta, I'm Kyra Phillips. This hour of CNN's LIVE FROM starts right now.

Long gone but a lingering threat, Hurricane Wilma still remarkably a Category 2 more than 24 hours after exiting the east coast of Florida. It won't hit land again, forecasters think, but it's adding to the misery, the moisture, the energy of a Nor'easter that's walloping the Jersey coast and parts of New England. Waves as high as 20 feet are swallowing shorelines, while gale-force winds knocked down power lines.

None of that, of course, compare with the horrors that Wilma wrought on much of south Florida, especially southeast Florida. Being spared Wilma's head-on landfall makes the devastation in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties all the more shocking. Damage estimates range as high as $10 billion. It could be weeks before electricity is restored to all six million people who lost it.

Air travel is still a non-starter, especially in Opa-locka, just north of Miami. Wilma's winds pushed planes into planes and didn't do the hangars much good either.

A few hundred miles to the north, the rain is cold, the winds are high, the sea is angry as Nor'easter season starts early.

CNN's Dan Lothian's spending a raw day on Cape Cod -- Dan.

DAN LOTHIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kyra, you know, Nor'easters are nothing new to New England, but what is different this time is that the storm is so intense, and that it is more about rain and water, and hard rain and wind, rather than any snowfall. Now, this rain and this wind continue to pound we're where we're at in Chatham, which is the southeast corner of Cape Cod, creating some problems here. Some minor flooding, street flooding. We've seen some telephone lines down, some power lines down. Across the state, though, some 17,000 to 20,000 people are currently without power.

The good thing about this, though, is that everyone was able to prepare. There was plenty of warning. So the fishermen were able to go out and make sure that their boats were secured, but some of the private boat owners were waiting to the very last minute.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CAPT. TIM DOW, YACHT MANAGER: This is my personal boat. So it's last to get taken care of. We just put some anchors out to hold it off the pier. The winds are so strong, it only weighs about 500 pounds, so it's trying to roll it under the pier.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LOTHIAN: I think what's interesting about this is that you kind of expect that as you go throughout the day, that, yes, it will continue to pound this area, but perhaps it would slack off a bit, that it wouldn't be so intense. But it seems like every hour when we come for these updates that it just keeps getting a lot stronger, a lot more intense.

This wind blowing the rain sideways, pelting you. It feels like someone is using a sandblaster.

Now, I got off the phone a few minutes ago with someone from the Steamship Authority. They operate the ferry services from Cape Cod area over to the islands, like Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard. And they told me the situation is simply too dangerous. So all of the ferry services to the island have now been suspended.

Back to you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Dan Lothian. We'll continue to check in with you.

We're also checking in now on this live picture out of Miami, Florida. As you can see, a number of residents there coming to get water and other supplies. This shot coming to us via WPLG and WSVN, sharing a helicopter today.

Pretty -- you can see the numbers there. Well, actually, they're pulling away from that shot. But you could see just family after family -- here we go. Here's tape that we took just moments ago. You can see the stacks of ice and water being handed out to residents, of course dealing with hurricane Wilma.

Well, our meteorologist Bonnie Schneider also dealing with the hurricane. She's keeping a close eye on both Wilma and the Nor'easter. She's in the CNN weather center.

(WEATHER REPORT) PHILLIPS: Well, cleaning up and breathing a sigh of relief just a day after Hurricane Wilma came ashore near Naples, Florida. The city's mayor says that his community weathered the storm surprisingly well. Still, there's a lot of work to do, though.

CNN's Jeanne Meserve joins us now from Naples. She joins us live.

Quite a different picture from when we saw you the past couple of days -- Jeanne.

JEANNE MESERVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right. Thank goodness. Sun is out, a little cool, but not bad for considering what we've been through.

You'll see behind me a downed tree. Those are all over the city. An incredible amount of vegetation was destroyed by this storm.

The big buildings seem to have come through pretty well. We took a mile up -- mile-long walk up and down the beach looking at some of the high-rise condominiums. You saw a few windows out, a few shutters down, awnings down. But really nothing massive that we saw.

We did go to another part of town, though. We went to a mobile home park and drove through there. There the destruction looked much more extensive.

You saw carports down, roofs that had been ripped off, insulation all over the ground. We spoke to one resident, Gloria Ludwig. She said she hardly recognized her place when she got back to it.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GLORIA LUDWIG, NAPLES, FLORIDA, RESIDENT: I couldn't even recognize my own place. I thought I was on the wrong street. But, what are you going to do? You know? You can't stop Mother Nature.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MESERVE: And Mother Nature really took her toll on the utilities around here. Still problems with water and water pressure. Apparently when some of those trees came up, they took pipes with them.

Also problems with electricity. Large parts of the city still without power.

When we took a drive around shortly, there were some long lines at the few businesses that were open, especially gas stations and fast-food places. People anxious to get some hot meals.

Back to you, Daryn (sic).

PHILLIPS: All right, Jeanne. Thank you so much.

Well, President Bush plans to head to south Florida on Thursday. He's already issued a major disaster declaration for the state, where as we mentioned, ensured damage estimates range from $6 billion to $10 billion. Six million people are still without power, and thousands of people are crowding stores in search of bottled water and generators.

Florida attorney general Charlie Crist joins us now live from Fort Lauderdale with more on immediate recovery efforts.

Sir, before we talk about those immediate recovery efforts, I know that, unfortunately, you've had to track the fraud, and I know you're going after those individuals. What's the main complaint right now?

CHARLIE CRIST, FLORIDA ATTORNEY GENERAL: Well, the main complaint right now, we've got about 60 of them. The main complaint is about the price of gasoline. That's sort of a general complaint anyway.

But what we look for is whether or not there was a spike in the price after Governor Bush has declared a state of emergency. It that happens, if it goes up in gross disparity as to what it was before, then that's price gouging per se under Florida law.

Other cases that we've heard about are dealing with generators, too. We've had a complaint about some in south Florida that they're trying to be sold for about $1,300 when they ordinarily would go for about $700. Clearly, that would be a price gouging violation. We've got our investigators on it and tracking that down.

I've got to tell you, though, in terms of what it is this year compared to last year, much less in terms of the price gouging complaints that we've had, we had literally thousands last year. This year we've had, as I say, about 60 complaints as it relates to Hurricane Wilma. So I think the deterrent effect is starting to have a compounding effect on those people who are attempting to even price gouge Floridians.

We prosecute these cases. We do so aggressively. We try to get on it as quickly as we can so that those people understand that there are serious consequences to violating the law in our state. We're going to prosecute them and we're going to protect our people.

PHILLIPS: What about charity, Charlie? Are you seeing any fake charities on Web sites or being posted in the area? I know that was a big problem in Louisiana.

CRIST: Well, it was a problem in Louisiana that stemmed out of actually an operator in Jacksonville, Florida. We were able to shut that down with our cyber crime unit. We got wind of that very quickly.

Some guy put up this Web site. It was purporting to give charity to those who needed help after Katrina. It turned out that it wasn't that at all. So we followed suit on him, fortunately even before anybody had given one of the contributions to someone that wasn't going to help anybody except the perpetrator. So we haven't heard that in the wake of this storm yet. Our cyber unit, though, is on it. And if that even starts to show up, we'll shut it down, hopefully before it becomes a problem at all.

PHILLIPS: So it sounds like the main problem, it's gas and generators. So what do you do right now for those that need to fill up the tank or need to go get a generator? Are generators available, first of all? Where should they go?

And second of all, are there certain gas stations you can recommend? Or do you really just not know what you're up against until you pull in and fill up?

CRIST: Well, we're not really sure about the gas situation now in terms of where the gas is available and where it is not available. A lot of the stations here in south Florida are closed, and the recommendation is not to be out on the roads, not to be driving around. It's really not safe or smart to be doing so, as Governor Bush has already told our people, and I think following that lead is very important.

As it relates to the generators, any of the typical stores that you would be able get them at before, Home Depot, some of the others, you can still get them there. You just want to make sure that people aren't trying to gouge you in the process.

And if anybody thinks they're trying to be gouged, they ought to call the attorney general's office. Our fraud hot line is up. It's 1-866-9-NO-SCAM. We were want to protect our people. They've been victimized once. We don't want to have them be victims yet a second time by somebody who is trying to take financial advantage of them.

PHILLIPS: Is it fair to even throw out a price of what those generators should cost, Charlie?

CRIST: Well, it depends on the horsepower, if you will, of the generator. So it's on a case-by-case basis, just like anything else, Kyra. And we want to make sure that people are not taken advantage of.

If they think that the price being charged is too much compared to what they may have heard previously, please call the attorney general's office. They're not expected to be experts in it. They've got other things they're concentrating on, making sure that they're safe, that their family is safe, that they have food and water and the necessities that they need in order to continue to function appropriately.

We have over 500 lawyers in the Florida AG Office. It makes us the largest law firm in the state. We're there to fight for the people, to protect them, and let them use us for that. That's why they pay their taxes.

PHILLIPS: What about contractors?

CRIST: Well, contractors is another important issue. We recommend that people utilize common sense. Obviously, a lot of repair work is going to be done.

You know, people may have lost tiles from their roofs, they have trees down in their yards, they've got to get tree removal done. The first and best advice we give anybody is, use somebody that you've used before, that you already have trust and confidence in.

If you can't find somebody to do the job that you need, because they're obviously going to be very busy -- frankly, a lot are still busy up in the Gulf Coast -- go to the Better Business Bureau of your local Chamber of Commerce. They can give you advice about who's reputable and maybe who you shouldn't use.

Obviously you want to get somebody who's got the proper licensing, and then that's always the best way to go. But utilize common sense, basic common sense. Try to use somebody that you already know is good in the field that you need help in the most.

PHILLIPS: Attorney General Charlie Crist, thank you so much.

CRIST: Thank you, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: More frustration now for tourists whose Cancun vacation was ruined by Hurricane Wilma. Hundreds are still outside of that Mexican airport waiting for one of the promised flights out.

Twenty-seven flights were scheduled to leave the airport this morning. But so far, no flights have been seen taking off. And officials haven't said why the delay.

On Monday, Mexican President Vicente Fox said that getting the tourists home was one of his top priorities.

Straight ahead, this area is red hot, the pictures may look out of this world, but they're right here on Earth. We're going to tell you where, and what it is.

And as the special prosecutor is winding down his case in the CIA leak, will the vice president's chief of staff find himself in hot water? We'll take a look at the man behind Dick Cheney.

She sat down so other others could stand up. Remembering the life of civil rights icon Rosa Parks.

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PHILLIPS: In Iraq it's official. The country has a new constitution. Election officials say that nearly 79 percent of Iraqis who went to the polls voted for it. That vote, though, was sharply divided along ethnic lines. And the biggest support came from Shiites and Kurds, while the minority Sunni population largely rejected that document. Voters go back to the polls in mid-December to choose a new parliament.

And the passing of Iraqis draft constitution comes at a steep price for the United States. Two thousand American troops have now died in Iraq since the start of the war. The vast majority killed in combat. That overall number is based on CNN's tally of figures provided by the U.S. military.

CNN's Tom Foreman looks at the political and social impact of the rising death toll right here at home.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Two years and seven months, that's how long American soldiers have been dying in Iraq at a rate of two a day. The worst times have seen 90 insurgent attacks every 24 hours.

Now the death toll is at 2,000. A sobering mark for a public growing weary of war.

MICHAEL O'HANLON, BROOKINGS INSTITUTE: But I think in the scheme of things, they're going to be much less worried about this number and much more worried about whether they have a strategy to produce success in Iraq. And frankly, that's the one we should all be nervous about, because it's not yet clear that they do.

UNIDENTIFIED GROUP (SINGING): Spending all our cash on a war that's a lie...

FOREMAN: Public dissatisfaction has assuredly risen with the body count. Last month, polls showed support for the war at its lowest point. So the Pentagon is now talking more about the number of deaths among the enemy.

Military leaders suggest there is no political strategy behind that, but the White House is making open maneuvers to boost morale.

GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And so long as I'm the president, we're never going to back down. We're never going to give in.

FOREMAN: War protesters are carefully saying that 2,000 dead should not be played for political advantage. But public impatience with the war is encouraging their movement.

KEVIN MARTIN, PEACE ACTION: Translating that into effective political action, though, is the most important thing. And we think that the target has to be Congress for that.

FOREMAN (on camera): So how do you do that?

MARTIN: Every single candidate for Congress next year has to be made to tell what they're going to do to get the troops home and get us out of Iraq.

FOREMAN (voice over): Of course they've been trying to make that happen from the start. They thought when the death toll reached 1,000 a year ago the public would cry out. It didn't happen.

(on camera): So, will this milestone in fatalities be a tipping point? Will it change the course of the war? Hard to say. It's difficult to contemplate the idea of 2,000 young Americans dead, but it really could be so much worse.

(voice over): In World War II, in the Battle of the Bulge alone, 10,000 Americans died -- 10,000. Still, there are signs.

Many Americans have supported the effort in Iraq and believed in its causes. But polls say most want out of it now. After all, 147 members of the U.S. military died in the first Gulf War. Thirteen times as many have already died in the second.

Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PHILLIPS: And for his part, President Bush is again calling for more sacrifice in Iraq, vowing that U.S. troops will continue fighting there until complete victory is achieved. The president did not mention the 2,000 dead milestone today in a speech to military wives. Instead, he said the way to honor those American servicemen and women who died in Iraq is to keep fighting until democracy is firmly in place.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BUSH: We meet at critical time for our military and our nation. At this our hour, Americans in uniform are deployed around the world to defend our freedom and our security in the first war of the 21st century. They're carrying out dangerous missions with skill and courage and compassion. I hope you know this, but the entire nation is proud of the men and women who wear our uniform.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Now a face, not just a number. After September 11, 23-year-old Army Specialist Josh Kynoch was inspired to enlist in the army. After one tour of duty in Iraq, he told his father he had to go back, he felt compelled to serve.

This young soldier had only 13 weeks left in his tour, second tour of duty, but an IED took his life on October 1. Josh leaves behind his parents, his wife Sarah and his 6-month-old daughter Savannah.

As we remember Joshua Kynoch, we also remember the other 1,999 men and women that have died fighting in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Every single soldier, sailor, airman or Marine that has been killed in action is just as important as the first person to die and will be just as important as the next man or woman to die in this war against terrorism.

These men and women were not just warriors. They were fathers, mothers, daughters and sons. They paid the ultimate sacrifice for freedom, and we should never forget their names, their faces or their mission.

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