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CNN Live Today

East Coast Flooding; Junk Vehicles Cluttering Streets of New Orleans; Gaza Incursion

Aired June 28, 2006 - 10:59   ET

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

DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: And good morning once again. I'm Daryn Kagan.
Let's take a look at what's happening on the second hour of CNN LIVE TODAY.

We begin with rising waters, frantic rescues, and new dangers this hour along the waterlogged Eastern Seaboard.

Leaks in a dam in Maryland prompted the evacuation of 1,200 homes early this morning. Three people are dead, two others are missing in the state.

The nation's capital is under a state of emergency. The declaration allows the mayor to call in help from the National Guard and it clears the way for emergency supplies and assistance.

And rising rivers are threatening to overwhelm bridges and dykes in northeastern Pennsylvania. Dozens of people had to be plucked from rooftops in at least two communities this morning.

A successful rescue turns to tragedy. The bodies of three young people were found early today in Myersville, Maryland.

This is what happened. The three were stranded in a car as waters rose all around them. A pickup truck came by and rescued them. But as they were riding away in the bed of the truck, it got caught away in a flashflood and the three were swept away.

The flooding is making a mess elsewhere. Officials warn of more trouble ahead.

Live pictures here from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in the northeastern part of the state. Three deaths are blamed on that storm. A Coast Guard helicopter made dozens of rooftop rescues.

Roads look like rivers in upstate New York. Homes are flooded. Some major highways are closed, and a mudslide is reported. Ten counties are under a state of emergency.

A lifelong Virginia Beach resident says he's never seen water this high, even during hurricanes. Water where it shouldn't be, as much as a foot covering some of the streets.

Chad Myers is watching all of this for us -- Chad. CHAD MYERS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: The good news, Daryn, is that most of the rain in most of the flooded areas done, moved away. A couple showers could come back today, but nothing that will put down an inch of rain, whatever it might be.

Here's where a lot of flooding is. Take the Susquehanna from -- you talked to the guy yesterday a little bit ago about the Susquehanna River here. As it comes out of Susquehanna County, and then back up into Binghamton, and then down through and through Scranton and Wilkes-Barre, that area is going to be inundated with the water. Even the flood stage at Wilkes-Barre will be 14 feet above that number.

Flood stage being 22 feet, they're going to go to 36 feet. So waters definitely coming up, even though the rain has stopped in some areas. You kind of have to realize that the water still has some time to go to maybe get to your area.

There could be some severe weather down across the Deep South today. Also, some severe weather through the great lakes. There could even be a couple of tornadoes today behind the entire first system, although that won't cause flooding there because the storms will be moving too quickly.

Ninety, Kansas City, 95 in Dallas, and 90 up into Denver today.

The storm is moving a little bit further to the east tomorrow. A couple showers push through. And although the roads and ground obviously saturated, not really soaking in very much. We're not going to see any additional flooding from it -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right, Chad. Thank you.

Big news out of the U.S. Supreme Court today. Looking at the redistricting case out of Texas. Upheld much of the redistricting plan that was pushed through by former House majority leader Tom DeLay, but it ruled that some of the boundaries, the new boundaries, failed to protect minority voting rights.

It was a fractured decision. The court ruled that state lawmakers may draw new maps as often as they like, not just once a decade, as some Texas Democrats were claiming.

More on that story ahead.

An ugly reminder of Katrina. Junk vehicles cluttering the streets of New Orleans. What's the holdup in hauling them off?

CNN's Sean Callebs takes a look for "THE SITUATION ROOM."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): One by one, the junk cars that have been a blight on the New Orleans landscape since Katrina are being hauled away. And for residents who had gazed daily at these mud-encrusted, flooded-out vehicles, it's about time.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, I think they can clean them up a little faster than they've done.

CALLEBS: For 10 months, empty promises from city leaders pledging to have the cars, trucks and boats hauled off. Now Mark Stafford's company, DRC, based in Mobile, Alabama, has a $33 million contract to do the job, and he's pledging to have the 26,000 cars abandoned in New Orleans out of here by the end of August.

MARK STAFFORD, DRC: It's a complete eye sore, and it's -- it's very demoralizing to drive down your neighborhood streets and see this day in and day out.

CALLEBS: Back in March, the city had a contract with a different company to remove the vehicles, but that fell apart after questions were raised about the company's ability to do the work. FEMA has funneled close to $60 million to the state to do the job. But officials say hooking them up and hauling them away isn't as easy as it sounds, because each vehicle, even though it's junk, still belongs to somebody.

CHUCK BROWN, DEPT. OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY: So it's really not an easy concept to have somebody's private property taken to a staging area without notifying them and allowing them a chance to claim that property.

CALLEBS: Right now DRC is hauling away about 300 cars a day but hopes to soon be removing close to 1,000 each day. That's what it will take, a thousand a day, to meet Stafford's August deadline.

(on camera): Police are going through tagging all of these vehicles since they are private property, basically saying enough is enough. If you want it, come and get it. If not, the final ride will be on the back of a tow truck to the junkyard.

Sean Callebs, CNN, in New Orleans.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And you can check more of Sean's reporting from the Gulf Coast with Wolf Blitzer in "THE SITUATION ROOM," afternoons at 4:00 Eastern and again in primetime at 7:00.

In the western U.S., fire crews are on the front lines of a tough battle. Wildfires have burned more than three million acres so far this year across the country, way up from one million acres this time last year.

At the Grand Canyon, this fire is only 20 percent contained there. But the tourists and park employees who were stuck on the canyon's remote north rim since Sunday have gotten out. They were stranded after officials were forced to close a highway as the fire got closer.

Let's go back to the flooding now in Pennsylvania. Bucks County, to be specific, and talk with John Dougherty, the emergency management director of that county.

Hello.

JOHN DOUGHERTY, DIRECTOR, EMERGENCY SERVICES, BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA: Hello.

KAGAN: What can you tell us about Bucks County?

DOUGHERTY: Well, so far, we've had flooding along the Perkiomen Creek up in the Perkasie-Sellersville Borough. They had to do some water rescues, getting people out of the apartment complex there. It's called the Covered Bridge Apartment Complex. We had to evacuate one of our local fire stations in Sellersville because the Perkiomen was taking over the firehouse.

KAGAN: Is that more because people made some bad choices, or just because the water came up too quickly?

DOUGHERTY: I think because the water came up so quickly so early in the morning.

KAGAN: And what's the outlook now for Bucks County?

DOUGHERTY: Well, right now the creeks are starting to go down, but the problem is going to be the Delaware River. It's already starting over its banks, and the projections are looking that it's going to be worse than our '05 April flood. And it may be approaching a record level here in Bucks.

KAGAN: And when do you expect it to hit that?

DOUGHERTY: They're saying it's going to hit the record level sometime around Thursday afternoon, late afternoon, evening.

KAGAN: And in preparation are you trying to clear people out?

DOUGHERTY: That's in the process now. Several communities have already started to evacuate people in the low-lying areas already.

KAGAN: Is there a place for them to go? Any shelters being set up?

DOUGHERTY: We have three shelters opened up in Bucks County. The one in the Perkasie area is the Methodist Church. Then the next one would be in Yardley. That's at the Penn Wood Crossing and middle school.

KAGAN: I want to bring in our severe weather expert, Chad Myers, as we look at these pictures and talk with John Dougherty from emergency services in Bucks County -- Chad.

MYERS: Hi, John. A question to you about New Hope. We are going with the flood stage right now at 14.1, where the -- that's about a -- about a foot and a half over where flood stage really is. But the river is going to crest at 21.1. So that's like eight feet over flood stage.

What does that do to New Hope? DOUGHERTY: That's going to be up on the main streets, start going across main streets. So there's a lot of the shops stuff on the river side are going to be under water. Some of the apartments that are right on the river bank already have water approaching their basement levels.

MYERS: Are there other towns along the Delaware that you are more concerned with?

DOUGHERTY: After that would be the Yardley, Upper Makefield area. That's the next heavily populated area that's going to be impacted. And in Yardley, usually the problem that happens is the Delaware Canal and the river meet, so that people get it from both sides coming at them.

MYERS: It's a beautiful part of the country. And a really great drive through there. I wish those people well.

Thank you, John -- Daryn.

DOUGHERTY: Thank you, sir.

KAGAN: Yes, Chad, thank you.

And thank you to John, too. Best of luck to those in Bucks County.

Thank you.

Rush to the ER. Maybe it's your father, your mother, your son, or your daughter, and you pushed into the waiting room? Maybe not. Details straight ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: We've been focusing a lot on flooding and looking at the state of Pennsylvania, but what about upstate New York? They're having problems there as well. Looking at live pictures on the right part of your screen from Binghamton, New York.

On the mayor -- let's get our words in order -- on the phone with me right now is the mayor of that town, Matthew T. Ryan.

Mr. Mayor, hello.

MAYOR MATTHEW T. RYAN, BINGHAMTON, NEW YORK: Hi. How are you this morning?

KAGAN: Well, I'm a lot drier than the looks of your town. I think maybe we're looking down the main drag. The water almost up to the McDonald's sign there.

RYAN: Yes, there's -- well, there's a lot of different areas up in this area. I'm not sure which picture you're referring to. I'm not watching right now. But there's -- in the city of Binghamton we have a pretty elaborate system of walls that were built by the corps of engineers. And basically those are what we're worried about.

We're up to -- right up to the level of the top of those right now. There's -- right now they're holding, and we're worried about what the cresting level might be.

Right now it's -- I'm standing outside a command post, and it's bright and sunny -- bright and sunny right now. So we hope the worst of the rain is over. But we're worried about that spike.

There's some different models coming in from our Department of Environmental Conservation, and one of them said they thought maybe the worst was over. Then another one has come through saying we could get a spike of five feet. If we get -- if we get a spike of five feet, we're definitely in trouble as far as flooding throughout the city.

KAGAN: And -- because you are worried that those walls won't hold?

RYAN: Well, they're pretty old, but there are a couple places we are paying attention to. But so far, so good.

KAGAN: So have you already had any evacuations?

RYAN: Yes. Since early this morning we started at 4:00 a.m. We have taken our flood maps and projected flooding areas for the lowest lying areas, and we've been moving people out of those areas.

As soon as we get some further confirmation about any type of spike -- and we're working right now on expanding the area of evacuation. Binghamton University is a big event center, and we're moving everybody there who has been evacuated.

KAGAN: Ah, but right now it sounds like more of a waiting game.

RYAN: Yes, it's a waiting game. It's a very nervous waiting game, because we might dodge a bullet, but we're certainly not over -- over this suspense. And we're crossing our fingers.

KAGAN: Well, we wish you well and wish you dry skies. How's that?

RYAN: Yes, we need those.

KAGAN: OK.

RYAN: It's been an incredible -- well, thank you.

KAGAN: OK. Hang in there.

Mayor Matthew T. Ryan from Binghamton, New York.

Well, all morning long we've been telling you about Israeli troops in Gaza. They're on the move this hour searching for an Israeli soldier held by Palestinian militants. Now there's word that the Hamas-led Palestinian government is calling for a prisoner swap, saying that Israel's Gaza offensive will not secure the soldier's release.

Our John Vause is in Gaza City to tell us more about this offer and how it's being received by the Israelis.

JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hello, Daryn.

Well, from the Hamas-led government, the first statement on this issue calling for a Palestinian swap of prisoners in exchange for the Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. This came from the Foreign Ministry a short time ago.

According to a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry, a prisoner exchange is natural -- is only natural logic and it will end this crisis. And according to the Foreign Ministry, they are saying that this military campaign under way now, mostly concentrated in the southern part of Gaza, will not recover their soldier.

We heard from the Israelis earlier on this issue of a prisoner exchange when the militant groups holding the soldier put forward demands for the release of all Palestinian women and children from the Israeli jails. It was dismissed out of hand by the Israeli prime minister, Ehud Olmert. It is likely he will have the same reaction to this statement being put out by the Palestinian Foreign Ministry -- Daryn.

KAGAN: So they have this Palestinian -- they have this Jewish soldier, but they also have a Jewish settler?

VAUSE: Yes, this is another dangerous complication for the Israelis as they go about -- another explosion here in Gaza City, Daryn. That's the second one in fairly quick succession. We are not entirely sure just what is happening.

It's happening somewhere around the central part of Gaza City. If we get more details we'll let you know.

But as far as the missing Jewish settler, he was -- he went missing on Sunday. He was reported missing by his parents. The Israelis are still not classifying him as a hostage, even though Palestinian militants have held up his identification papers at a press conference and have threatened to "butcher" him if Israeli forces are not withdrawn from Gaza immediately.

But Eliyahu Asheri is an 18-year-old settler. He comes from the West Bank. And this could be the complicating factor for the Israelis as they go about this military operation here in Gaza -- Daryn.

KAGAN: You just explained, John, what you know of those explosions behind you, but what about other military action taking place there in Gaza?

VAUSE: Well, apart from the third explosion which we've just heard in fairly quick succession, it has been a relatively quiet day. There's been a number of air strikes in the north and the south carried out by Israeli warplanes. One of them targeting a Hamas training ground near the town of Rafah, but so far relatively quiet. In fact, there's been no report of casualties from either side. And as of earlier today, the Israeli troops say they've encountered very little resistance from the Palestinian militants.

KAGAN: John Vause live from Gaza City.

John, thank you.

Well, they are praising progress in a war zone plagued with problems. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice today reaffirmed Washington's unswerving support for Afghan President Hamid Karzai.

Rice's visit to Kabul comes as violence escalates to its worst level since the Taliban was ousted five years ago. More than 1,000 people have been killed there this year. Reform is slow, and the Afghan president is at odds with neighboring Pakistan over the war on terror. Rice is trying to keep the focus on the enemy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CONDOLEEZZA RICE, SECRETARY OF STATE: The enemy, of course, is al Qaeda and the Taliban. And we, Afghanistan, and Pakistan, are going to unify all of our efforts as we have done over the last several years toward the goal of eliminating the threat from al Qaeda and the Taliban.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KAGAN: During Rice's visit to Afghanistan, a car bomb blew up prematurely near a U.S. military base near in the Zabul province. Two suicide bombers were killed but no Americans were hurt. Also, militants fired on German troops twice today, wounding three soldiers.

Some news from the business world. Fredricka Whitfield has those details for us -- Fred.

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, Daryn.

Well, just when a number of automakers are closing down U.S. plants, well, a Japanese automaker is opening one in Indiana. Honda Motor Company -- excuse me -- is announcing that it is about to build a $400 million auto assembly plant near Greensburg, Indiana, employing 2,000 workers, eventually, producing 200,000 vehicles annually.

Well, last May, the automaker said that it would open its sixth plant in the U.S. Ohio, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin were in the running. And now as part of this $1.8 billion global expansion plan, Honda says Greensburg, Indiana, gets the nod. The plant will be completed by 2008 -- Daryn.

KAGAN: All right. Thank you, Fred.

A madman and a machine bringing down the house. Rage and real estate collide coming up next.

And then he showed up for a job interview and ended up on live television. The mix-up made him a celebrity, but did he get the job?

The update on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Talk about a ticked off renter. Look at this renter's rage. An explanation maybe for this demolition east of London.

A neighbor says he watched a man use a backhoe to smash a police car and two others in the driveway, and then the suspect went for the house, crashing through the roof with the backhoe for about 10 minutes, reducing it to rubble. The homeowner said she recognized the suspect as someone who rents a trailer home from them. The 52-year- old suspect was arrested and taken to a hospital for treatment. He is said to have been calm throughout the whole rampage.

A story this morning from our "Whatever Happened to Him?" file. Talking about the guy who went for a job interview at the BBC and ended up on live television. The interview mix-up turned Guy Goma into an overnight celebrity, but did he get that original job?

The answer from our Jeanne Moos.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEANNE MOOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is one face you don't forget.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Guy Cunie (ph) is the editor of the technology Web site New Wiler (ph).

MOOS: Actually, he was Guy Goma, and he came to the BBC to interview for a job in information technology. They mixed him up with another guy named "Guy" and threw him on the air live being interviewed as an expert in trademark law.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Hello, good morning to you.

GUY GOMA: Good morning.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Were you surprised by this verdict today?

GOMA: I'm very surprised to see this verdict to come on me.

MOOS: Guy became an overnight global sensation. His deer in the headlines expression plays continuously on the Guy Goma fan site. He's even had poetry written about him. "He's obviously no choker at life's game of poker." And everyone asks the same question.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Did you get the job?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Have you got the job?

MOOS: Now we know, he didn't. Despite a petition with over 5,000 names on it at guygoma.com.

(on camera): The BBC won't say why Guy didn't get the IT job, but he has gotten lots of other things.

For instance, his very own entry in the online encyclopedia, Wikipedia. He's gotten his very own celebrity PR rep, he's appeared on a big time British comedy show. A company that supplies free-lance TV technicians hired him to do an online commercial.

Don't adjust your sound. Guy plays a hapless technician who forgot to put a mike at the end of his poll. The company said it took a lot of takes to recreate the famous expression, but will Guy ever find the right job? In the meantime he's auctioning off his lucky blue shirt for charity, the one he wore during the surprise guest appearance. Bidding is up to more than $190.

P.S., Guy notes, the shirts has been worn a couple of times. Actually, we've seen it practically every time Guy's been in the public eye. Fans have put Guy's expression to music, even his words. A group called The Sex Bishops has sexed up Guy's delivery.

Jeanne Moos, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KAGAN: And that is the face of the year.

Hey, maybe if we give Guy a hose we could take him out to the Grand Canyon, because a fire crew there could use some help. Crews on the scene there. Tourists were stuck, but they get to go home. We'll tell you more about that.

Keep it here on CNN, the most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAGAN: Well, a lot of flooding to deal with, especially in the state of Pennsylvania. Let's kind of go down the list of who is having trouble.

Officials warning more trouble ahead in the northeastern part of the state. Three deaths are blamed on the storm. A Coast Guard helicopter made dozens of rooftop rescues.

Roads are looking like rivers in upstate New York as well. Homes are flooded. Some major highways closed, and a mudslide is reported. Ten counties are under a stage of emergency.

A lifelong Virginia Beach resident says that he has never seen the water this high, even during hurricanes. Water where it shouldn't be, as much as a foot covering some streets.

Searchers are back out at a creek in Keymar, Maryland, this morning. They're looking for two teenagers who told their parents they were heading to the flooded Little Pike Creek (ph) last night, and they never came back. A bicycle and clothes have been found nearby.

Well, Chad Myers is keeping an eye on all of this, especially what kind of weather is headed into this region -- Chad.

MYERS: Well, Daryn, I guess what kind of weather is headed out of the region is probably some of the best news.

KAGAN: OK.

MYERS: And that is the rain. Some rain in the West. We'll get to that.

(WEATHER REPORT)

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