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American Morning
Irene Kills At Least 20; California Wildfire Grows To 4,755 Acres; California Wins Little League World Series; Devastating Floods in Vermont; Families Stranded in New York Mountains; Irene Hammers Outer Banks; Getting Back on Schedule; What Will Cheney Legacy Be?; Record Flooding Inundates New Jersey; Pan Am 103 Bomber Still Alive
Aired August 29, 2011 - 06:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Irene's extreme impact. I'm Christine Romans. Water rising, the death toll rising, millions without power. One of the most widespread emergency responses in history under way right now.
ALI VELSHI, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Ali Velshi, one of Irene's last stops dealt one of its hardest blows. Parts of Vermont completely unreachable as rivers start to roar. One official simply describing the aftermath as awful.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Cut off in Carolina. I'm Carol Costello. Thousands who ignored evacuation orders now stranded on the outer banks. Emergency supplies heading there by ferry today on this AMERICAN MORNING.
VELSHI: Good morning. It is Monday, August 29th. You lose track of it on these types of weekends when so much happens. There is a lot going on for a lot of people who say we missed -- we dodged the bullet of the hurricane. A lot of people who didn't dodge any bullets.
ROMANS: Whoever says that is not listening to the chainsaws humming in Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, all the way up and down the northeast coast.
COSTELLO: I think people thought it would be worse. We're lucky we dodged the bullet. I expected so much worse.
ROMANS: Nobody in western Jersey dodged the bullet when you look at the towns and when you look at the water still raging. I want to make sure everyone is clear there are still, you know, flood swollen rivers.
You might be thinking you're driving like normal this morning, but be very, very careful in the northeast because it's pretty dangerous out there. You have lots of lots of bridges that have closed or out. So don't think that you dodged it.
VELSHI: I strongly disagree with that evaluation, which I've been seeing from a lot of people. It's kind of ivory towers for those of us in New York to think we dodged. There are millions of power outages right now across the country as Christine says, record flooding, cutting off communities and some of them are far inland.
The storm is no longer a hurricane. It wasn't as of yesterday midday or so. It's not even a tropical storm now, but it rocked boats, flooded streets all the way through New England. And it is being blamed for at least 20 deaths across eight states.
Tell those families that they dodged a bullet. The cost of wind damage along could top $1 billion, but that doesn't begin to include the big one, which is flood damage or lost business, downed power lines proved deadly and caused a transformer to blow in North Carolina.
Four million left in the dark all the way up the east coast. Many don't have power yet. As Christine said, several towns in New Jersey and New Hampshire are under water. In Vermont, these pictures are dramatic, raging water, washed away bridges, knocked some of their homes right off of their foundations.
Search crews there are saying that they are afraid of what they could find when the water starts to go down. Right now, seven families say they are trapped in upstate New York's Catskill Mountains, no way out, after bridges crumbled around them.
Twenty three people include two pregnant women, seven toddlers and three infants. No power for them either. One dam upstate is also in danger, upstate New York, is in danger of breaking.
COSTELLO: For the latest forecast on the flooding and Vermont -- because they didn't order those evacuations. They didn't think anything would happen. So let's go to Rob Marciano. So what is happening in Vermont? What should they expect?
ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, they're not going to get any more rain that's the good thing, but their rivers in most cases are still rising, most of them will crest this afternoon or tonight, and that sort of terrain, they rise quickly as we've seen and also fall relatively quickly as well.
The rainfall amounts that we see here are tremendous for sure, but keep in mind a lot of these totals came in between 12 and 18 hours, that's a lot of rain over saturated ground in a short period of time.
Monroe, 9.26, Newark, almost 8 inches, LaGuardia seeing over 5 inches as well. New Hampshire and Vermont, you get just a little further north and west of the coastline and that's where the most rain fell and that's we're seeing the most damage.
Elizabeth County, New Hampshire, 6.6 inches, Plattsburgh, 6.35, and Millbury and Burlington, those some of the biggest and largest cities in Vermont, and that's we're seeing over 6 inches of rain, again 12 to 18 hours.
Check out some of the video coming in from the Catskill, Marketville, New York, seeing a tremendous amount of rainfall. These are mountainous areas. These small mountain towns will see creeks and rivers rise quickly and just barrel through town and take out everything in its path.
Vermont, the green mountain state, just incredible beauty there, and some of their treasured covered bridges wiped out. That is heartbreaking to see and that's not the only one that went. So this is the kind of thing that -- and there are towns in Vermont that got wiped out as well so tremendous amount of rainfall there.
All right, the flooding is going to continue today, but no more rain. Again, basically from north to south that's where you'll see the rivers crest in the hillier terrain across Vermont and Jersey, things crest tomorrow and then further down.
These are some of the gusts as far as winds go. It was, you know, we did have hurricane strength wind gusts in some spots including New York, LaGuardia got up to 67 miles an hour. The city itself in Manhattan a little bit more protected, saw less in the way of wind gusts.
As far as what we're looking at down the road, we are still in the middle of hurricane season, we're about to ramp as we go through the second week of September.
This is tropical depression number 12 if that develops into a storm it will be Klaudia. That's the one we're most concerned about although it is weeks away from the U.S. And you know, if I had to roll the dice with that one, maybe it's wishful thinking, hopefully it will be a fish storm but it's still miles away.
COSTELLO: I hope so. I was going to say, no, don't tell us about that yet.
MARCIANO: No immediate threat, guys.
ROMANS: All right, thanks, Rob.
North Carolina's outer banks were slammed so hard some areas are only accessible right now by chopper. The main highway washed out stranding 2,500 people who didn't leave. Our David Mattingly live in Colington, North Carolina. Good morning, David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Christine. In North Carolina, and Virginia alone, at least 11 people lost their lives because of this storm and authorities here only now beginning to get a full view of the damage that was left behind.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): A stunning view of the power of Hurricane Irene. North Carolina's Highway 12 chopped into pieces on Hatteras Island. The estimated 2,500 residents who stayed behind now stranded with no way to drive out.
BOBBY OUTEN: We're probably 24 hours away from being able to get there other than by helicopter.
MATTINGLY: Hit first, North Carolina felt Irene's strongest punch. Bringing what is described as epic flooding to waterfront communities along Alba Marl Sound. Houses and roads that weathered storms in the past were swamped like never before.
(on camera): Hurricane Isabel in 2003 was an incredibly destructive storm when it hit here, the winds were such that it actually blew this water in the Sound away from here. The water level was much lower. But this time when Irene hit, the exact opposite happened.
(voice-over): Entire neighborhoods were inundated in a matter of hours. One resident caught the flood on camera with winds whipping the water onshore. Just hours later, the waters receded, leaving a mess behind, and weeks of cleaning up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Part of living in the slice of paradise.
MATTINGLY: People in Virginia now cleaning up as well, 1.2 million without power from a full day of damaging winds and up to 10 inches of rain. Governor Bob McDonald is asking for patience.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to be a matter of days or perhaps longer before power is fully restored.
MATTINGLY: It is the second worst power outage in Virginia history. Two states that will remember Irene as a hurricane for the record books.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: And no estimates yet on how long it's going to take to repair that broken highway here on the outer banks. But officials now are not wasting any time. They're getting an emergency ferry under way to reconnect those islands and give access to the people who live there.
ROMANS: All right, David Mattingly. Thanks so much, David. Millions of people without power right now.
VELSHI: Yes, and some might be for days. You know, that is a whole lot less serious than a loss of life, but is it an inconvenience.
COSTELLO: When you live around trees and you have overhead power lines, you expect it, but hope it won't happen.
VELSHI: It's still not good. All right, this hour mass transit is slowly getting back to normal. New York City subway system shutdown for the first time ever due to a natural disaster. It has shutdown before, but for other reasons.
It's back up and running now with some exceptions this morning. But commuters should expect slower service, longer wait times, more crowded trains.
CNN's Jason Carroll is at Penn Station right now, usually one of the busiest places on any Monday morning. How is it looking there, Jason?
JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right. Usually it's very busy where I'm standing right now. It doesn't look that way right now. Take a look at where we're standing here. You see all these taxis that are lined up here, usually they're lined up here because there are a line of people waiting to hop inside and take the cab to their destination.
Obviously they've come in on trains, trains that obviously it's in question as to whether or not they will be running today. You know, this is really a transit culture when you think of a place like New York City.
The 2.6 billion use the transit system every year on an average and 7.5 million each day use the busses and trains. So when you have a situation when the system is shutdown, you can imagine it causes a lot of complications for a lot of people. Let's bring you up to date in terms of what's happening today.
We have the subway system that should be up and running as of now, but because the train service will be limited in some particular sections, you should expect some crowded trains and you should expect delays as well.
In terms of New Jersey transit, the trains are suspended. We were checking the Long Island railroad service. You should expect some service suspensions there as well. Good news for the area airports though, Ali.
As of 6:00 a.m., we are told that you should start seeing some of the airports opening. All of the major airports will be opening today, that includes, of course, LaGuardia, Newark and JFK. All the bridges and tunnels are open and cleared today.
Remember yesterday the Holland Tunnel flooded for a certain portion of time. But, obviously, this is a story about commuters. I want to bring in one commuter who stopped and decided to talk with us today. This is Ron Bo, he came in from Long Island. Your commute went pretty well.
RON BO, COMMUTER: Fine, no trouble at all.
CARROLL: No trouble at all. What did the train look like today, I mean, was it empty, crowded?
BO: It was empty, a little quiet today.
CARROLL: A little quiet, so obviously a lot of people maybe decided to take a three-day weekend.
BO: I think so.
CARROLL: Yes. So in terms of talking about the commute, if you weren't able to take the train what would have been your option?
BO: I would have drove in. CARROLL: You're one of the lucky people that have a car. But, Ali, you know being in New York City, so many people depend on the subway system and the train system that a lot of folks don't have cars.
You know, a lot of people when we were talking about the service suspensions today were saying they were questioning whether or not the system should have been shut down. What are some of your thoughts?
BO: It was pretty bad yesterday on Long Island. I could see why they shut it down. Branches, flooding, the whole bit.
CARROLL: And obviously still some suspensions on the LIRR today. So you're one of the lucky ones. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you can make it to work.
BO: Thank you.
CARROLL: Obviously, they're still going to be suspensions today, some people obviously decided not to come out because you know what it looks like right here at this time at 6:00, it's usually packed with people.
But look at this, not a lot of people around today. New York City's mayor said it's going to be a challenging day. I think that might be an understatement for some folks out here today.
VELSHI: That -- Ron, that is his name? He embodies New York practicalities. He had to come to work. The interesting thing about where you are, it's such a hub, if you come in and take the train from Long Island you go to Penn Station.
If you come in on Amtrak, from New Jersey or Pennsylvania, you go to Penn Station. So I guess those cabs are looking for those commuters who aren't coming in because we don't have Amtrak running properly. You know, we have Long Island railroad trains coming in, but it's a commuter hub.
CARROLL: Absolutely. Amtrak says that in terms of their service in the northeast, they are expecting their trains to be up and running, but I spoke to one guy out here trying to get to Washington, D.C., on Amtrak. He said Amtrak told him no way, system not working for those trying to get down to D.C.
So it's going to take a while for the system to reboot itself. So what you should be doing if you're on Amtrak, you're trying to get to a place like Philadelphia, Boston or Washington, you need to check before you come down to a place like Penn Station.
COSTELLO: Was that my husband, Jason? He's trying to get from Washington, D.C. to New York to D.C.
CARROLL: He should call.
COSTELLO: I will e-mail him now. VELSHI: You use Amtrak a lot, you know when you call who you get. Right, Julie?
ROMANS: I love Julie. Julie is helpful, I think.
VELSHI: I like Julie.
COSTELLO: Some man passed me the other day, buying loads of bottled water, he said, why is it that women are buying bottled water and men are buying booze.
ROMANS: That's a good question.
COSTELLO: I thought that was so funny. Met a lot of nice people, even though it sort of rained hard here in the heart of New York City.
Take look at this, this is the life guard headquarters in Long Beach, New York, on Long Island. You see it, it floated away. Waves slammed it up against the boardwalk as the storm moved through at high tide.
ROMANS: Wow. People in upstate New York are being told to head for higher ground after water started pouring over a dam. An empty car caught up in the current, empty we're told, tossed around like a toy in the water.
VELSHI: Storm reporters always look so tough facing against huge waves and strong winds. The reporter in this next clip, meets her match when hit by a wave from Irene, it's too much to handle.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Let's get out of here. Let's get out of here. Grab the mic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS: Come on and she left her photographer there. She threw her my crown phone and run.
VELSHI: You're my size and a wave hits you you're fine.
ROMANS: Cameraman told me first rule in a hurricane, never stand in the water. If you're on the beach, don't stand in the water.
COSTELLO: My first rule is never leave your photographer behind because you're going to have to work with that person later.
VELSHI: We have Susan Candiotti out, you know, in Long Island. I was worried. She could end up with Long Island Sound.
ROMANS: Is she standing in the water?
COSTELLO: She didn't run away like a little girl.
VELSHI: No. But you can say, when you're small and waves hit you -
COSTELLO: Would (INAUDIBLE)?
ROMANS: No, Sara Sidner would not have done that.
VELSHI: Come on. It's a lot of - you know?
COSTELLO: All right. I'll be nice now.
Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING, Hurricane Irene batters New Jersey. Thousands of families forced to flee their homes. The American Red Cross calling it one of the worst disasters they've seen in years. Red Cross spokesperson Daphne Heart will come your way next.
ROMANS: Also, the man convicted in the Pan Am 103 bombing in Lockerbie, Scotland, he hasn't been seen for nearly two years until now. CNN's Nic Robertson found him and takes us inside his home. A report you're only going to see on CNN, coming up.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Welcome back to AMERICAN MORNING.
Hurricane Irene hit cities up and down the East Coast. We've been receiving hundreds of your iReport videos, stunning images of the wild weather and the widespread damage. Jesse Stone of White River Junction, Vermont, right here documenting massive flooding in his area. He said this raging river is normally very slow, very peaceful, but on Sunday the rough waters nearly destroyed this covered bridge.
VELSHI: Check this out, Jeff Liroff captured a flash flood in Woodstock, Vermont. You can see propane tanks being carried by the powerful waters.
COSTELLO: And let's move on to Jersey City now. Adam Rice sent us this video. He took it at the height of the storm yesterday. That's the Hudson spilling on to the walkway along the river. There were some evacuations in this area.
We'll show you more iReports throughout the morning.
VELSHI: New this morning, he fled his country after an alleged assassination attempt. Now, the president of Yemen says he will return. President Ali Abdullah Saleh is in Saudi Arabia right now. He was severely injured in a bombing attack at his palace back in June. Saleh says he will not come back to Yemen until the investigation is complete. Opposition leaders say he's stalling. Saleh has agreed to step down from power at the end of the year.
And Irene didn't stop hundreds of people who trekked to D.C. to visit the newly opened Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial - National Memorial. The official dedication of the King Memorial was postponed Sunday because of the hurricane. The memorial features a 30-foot statue of King and an inscription wall with some of his most famous quotes. ROMANS: The blue skies. Sunday afternoon, blue skies.
VELSHI: Yes, yes. That's it.
COSTELLO: That's a beautiful memorial, too.
Now is your chance to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. The question for you this morning, what will Dick Cheney's legacy be? I ask you that because Mr. Cheney is starting a legacy building book tour. His book titled "In My Time." Cheney himself says heads are going to be exploding all over Washington. Maybe.
In an NBC "Today" show interview, Vice President Cheney was apologizing for nothing - certainly nothing (INAUDIBLE) practice of water boarding.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DICK CHENEY, FMR. VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: I would strongly support using it again if circumstances arose where we had a high value detainee and that was the only way we could get him to talk.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: According to the "New York Times", then Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, Cheney writes of her, naivete in dealing with North Korea, of Colin Powell, Cheney says Powell tried to undermine President Bush. That sent Powell, as Ralph Kramden would say, to the moon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COLIN POWELL, FMR. SECRETARY OF STATE: He says that I went out of my way not to present my positions to the president, but to take them outside of the administration. That's nonsense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Of George W. Bush, he called the president an outstanding leader, that's from Dick Cheney. If you think Cheney will be bowed by any of his critics, consider this, back in February when Ron Paul supporters dared to heckle Cheney at a Conservative gathering, Cheney seemed to relish it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHENEY: All right. Sit down and shut up.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: War criminal!
CHENEY: The usual spirited exercise or -
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: He loved it. So our "Talkback" today, what will Dick Cheney's legacy be? Facebook.com/AmericanMorning, Facebook.com/AmericanMorning. I'll read your comments later this hour.
VELSHI: That will be good. I'm looking forward to seeing the comments on that.
COSTELLO: Yes. Me, too.
VELSHI: Still to come, up and down the East Coast, mayors, governors, even President Obama went - made sure they were out in front of this hurricane. How'd they do driving the preparations? We're going to get some insights into that.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
VELSHI: "Minding Your Business" this morning.
And it's sort of business as usual for Wall Street today. A spokesman for the New York Stock Exchange says everything is in working order after Hurricane Irene and investors will now turn their attention to the labor market because the government jobs report comes out on Friday. We'll talk more about that this week.
Early estimates on the damage from Hurricane Irene, financially are starting to come in. The wind damage alone is expected to top a billion dollars, but that doesn't include flood damage, loss of productivity, loss of business. It also doesn't include the other side of the equation, the economic boost like spending before the storm, construction and overtime.
Irene could cause gas prices to drop. According to the latest Lundberg Survey, because folks were hunkered down, flights were canceled, that may have put a big enough dent in demand to cause prices to fall over the next two weeks.
New numbers today from the commerce department are expected to show Americans are still doing a better job of saving money that's according to the "Wall Street Journal" though thrift does have its downside. It also means that Americans are spending less and that's slowing economic growth down.
And soon Facebook is going to stop offering those on-line bargains like Groupon, the daily bargain. The decision comes just months after the social network first started offering discounts in a number of cities. Facebook didn't give a specific reason for ending the deals.
AMERICAN MORNING is right back after this break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROMANS: Good morning. It is 30 minutes past the hour on this AMERICAN MORNING, as we are still trying to work through what the damage is, the damage reports, and also hope that these swelling rivers aren't going to continue to be a real problem in the northeast. But certainly they are.
The threat far from over for millions in the Northeast. The storm is being blamed for at least 20 deaths now, all up and down the coast. Quite frankly, you've got governors still warning that we have a lot of water, we have downed power lines, we still have concerns about flash flooding as well, Carol.
COSTELLO: Yes. Flash floods, lots of flash flood watches after Irene. The biggest danger right now is in Vermont, the state suffering its worst flooding in eight decades. No evacuations were ordered ahead of Irene.
VELSHI: Yes, that's a problem. That's a good thing to keep in mind for everybody criticizing the preparations for this. Mass travel is getting back on track. Major airports, JFK and Newark here in the New York area, they've reopened to arriving flights, Philly is open. Departures will begin at noon.
Most New York City subways are running, started about a half ago. Some limited exceptions and commuters should expect slower service and more crowded trains.
ROMANS: All right. In New Jersey, the challenge right now is the record flooding. Irene was the first hurricane to make landfall in that state in more than 100 years. Rivers are swollen, thousands of homes and businesses have no power.
Our Poppy Harlow joins us now from Millburn, New Jersey.
And, Poppy, I'm telling you that New Jersey is soaked. It was soaked all spring and now this water has nowhere to go but into basements, businesses and streets.
POPPY HARLOW, CNNMONEY.COM: That's right. We saw it, Christine, firsthand all weekend long. Just unbelievable what Irene did to New Jersey, even inland parts. We're going to show you some video that's just astonishing of the flooding in near by Secaucus here in Millburn.
Governor Christie taking an aerial view, flying all around the state yesterday to see the damage. He warned of a major flooding incident in the next two days because as you've said, you got those swollen rivers and now, Governor Christie said you got dams at risk. This is a huge problem for people across New Jersey.
I want to bring you out here and show you the river here in Millburn. This river, if you can believe it or not, it crested. It came all the way over this, came into the street across into all the businesses here on main street, Christine. I spent the day in all these businesses, flooded basements.
I want you to take a look at all the damage it did to one restaurant in Millburn. Take a look.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: We're going to go seat basement. If we can look at the floor it's full of mud. You got a lot of sewage and grass and leaves that flew into these restaurants. This stuff can be -- go ahead and take us there -- can be cleaned up. But what Dana was telling me earlier, it's going to take about a month and a big concern is often times flood insurance doesn't cover basements. Can you imagine that? Wait until you see this basement and see what we're talking about.
All right. Look down here. Dana, how many feet down does that go?
DANA CROWE, STORE OWNER: Well, that's about 10, 11 feet.
HARLOW: So you 10 or 11 feet of water in there.
CROWE: Right up to the ceiling, yes. All the -- the office, all of the walk-ins, all the food is gone.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HARLOW: All the food is gone, his computers under there. Christine, this is a second blow for this town. Hurricane Floyd back in '99 decimated businesses here. Sixteen feet of water during Hurricane Floyd. It was worse then, but it's still pretty bad now.
And I got to tell you, Christine, all the residents here are livid because there is no drinking water here. There is no power in most of these homes.
I was just told by city officials that drinking water is going to be at least another 24 hours before it goes on because you had all the sewage treatment plants that were just flooded, Christine, and you got brown water all over the place here.
ROMANS: Yes. In Jersey, Floyd is a four-letter word, quite frankly, and a lot of people now saying that Irene, a lot of businesses, the inland flooding, you're right, Poppy, Irene is right up there in that category with them.
Thanks, Poppy.
HARLOW: Right.
COSTELLO: President Obama cut short his vacation to monitor Irene from Washington. And the president warned that while the storm has dissipated the disaster is still unfolding today.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BARACK OBAMA, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Many Americans are still at serious risk of power outages and flooding, which could get worse in the coming days as rivers swell past their banks. So, I want people to understand that this is not over.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The president exercising caution in the handling of Irene, joining governors and mayors from up and down the East Coast trying to avoid the political pitfalls they've seen in the handling of Katrina six years ago and the New York City blizzard last winter. Were they successful?
Ron Brownstein joins me to discuss. He's a CNN senior political analyst and editor and director of the "National Journal."
Welcome, Ron.
RON BROWNSTEIN, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL ANALYST: Good morning, Carol.
COSTELLO: We seem to have a checkered past when it comes to natural disasters -- as I mentioned, Katrina, the blizzard this past winter in New York City. Critics say the city was slow to react. This time around, we actually did see a lot of reaction from our public officials. But some are questioning whether this was overreaction. Is this the new normal?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, I think after Katrina, this is the new normal. I think every elected official, especially those in executive positions, are going to worry much less about being criticized for doing too much than being exposed for doing too little.
You know, most of what government does, most of what we report on is theoretical, abstract to most Americans. I mean, they're not really tangible. But there are moments when it simply becomes apparent whether or not you can run the thing that you were elected to run.
And, you know, it is a natural disaster, as often the case, and if an elected official is seen as wanting or failing in those moments, whether it was Michael Bloomberg with the snowstorm or I remember when I was growing up in New York, John Lindsay, couldn't clear the streets and Queens never recovered. And certainly, after Hurricane Katrina, President Bush's standing with the American public was never the same either.
So, I think from now on, particularly post-Katrina, that officials -- you're going to see this kind of very strong reaction and not a lot of concern about whether some people think it's too much.
COSTELLO: The language that was used was strong sometimes. For example, Governor Chris Christie, he did not mince words in his warnings on Friday. Listen.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. CHRIS CHRISTIE (R), NEW JERSEY: Get the hell off the beach in Asbury Park and get out. You're done. It's 4:30. You've maximized your tan.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: Tough words. He ended up evacuating 1 million from the Jersey Shore while Michael Bloomberg here in New York shut down all public transportation in the city such that impact people's businesses and their lives and their travel plans.
I mean, I know the storm could have been much worse but because it wasn't and officials used this strong language, took strong action, do they risk becoming sort of like the boy who cries wolf?
BROWNSTEIN: Well, you know, it's funny. You know, Michael Bloomberg had similar language about how people should not put the first responders in jeopardy by, you know, sticking around too long in dangerous areas. So, maybe it's the New York City -- you know, I grew up in New York -- so maybe it's the New York City kind of sharp elbow politics, people tell you what they think.
But I do -- I actually do think that post-Katrina, again, this is also part of the new normal. I think elected officials are not shy about saying to people look, you know, by acting irresponsibly, you're not only putting yourself in danger but you're putting others in danger who will have to come try to save you. And, you know, we don't want to put up with that.
It is, in fact, the storm was serious, though not as serious as it could have been and, you know, maybe in the media we trumpeted a bit too loud as well. But I do think that, you know, after what we saw in New Orleans, that you are going to see aggressive responses, because as I said, the fear of being seen as doing too little vastly outweighs the concern about being perceived as doing too much.
COSTELLO: OK. I want to touch on something before you have to go. Ron Paul, the libertarian and presidential contender, he called -- he attacked FEMA this weekend, calling it deeply flawed and wasteful. So, he's using FEMA as a punching bag, even though, even the Republican Governor Chris Christie praised FEMA for its actions during storm.
BROWNSTEIN: Yes. And FEMA has been getting good reviews in general. I mean, I think the officials in Joplin after the tornados have given it good responses.
Look, Ron Paul has a passionate but limited following and here come the e-mails. But I mean, this is the reason he is, you know, 10 percent of the Republican coalition and probably 2 percent or 3 percent or 4 percent of the American public overall except those views of very minimalist government, as someone said a government so small you could drown it in the bathtub.
I think most Americans view government the attempt to do collectively what we cannot do alone. And one of those is respond to natural disasters that are beyond the capacity of individuals and even individual communities to deal with. And I think most Americans at this moment, regardless of their ideology, expect the government to work. I mean, it's kind of the bare minimum of what they want from their government, that in a time of crisis, it's there to help people deal with it.
COSTELLO: Ron Brownstein, many thanks. Interesting conversation as always. Thank you for joining us.
BROWNSTEIN: Thank you.
VELSHI: Very good conversation. I thought he was quite astute. I think the criticism needs to be balanced between whether the preparation was overkill and whether coverage overkill. I think they're two separate issues. And happy to have the one about the coverage, but I think it's really Ivory Tower Monday morning quarterbacking for people who are saying --
ROMANS: Mayor Bloomberg was really criticized for not being prepared for the big storm in the winter.
VELSHI: Right.
ROMANS: And Katrina, like he says, in a post-Katrina world, politicians are really concerned about not being ready.
COSTELLO: Although I was say, there's an article in "The New York Times" that's very interesting. It quotes someone from the National Hurricane Center, forecaster there, saying that they sort of -- they got the track of the storm right, but as far as the way the storm was structured, they admit they got that wrong. But, you know, these things happen. It's Mother Nature.
VELSHI: I would rather skew that way than the other way. That's the only thing.
All right. Coming up on AMERICAN MORNING: CNN exclusive, Nic Robertson -- Nic Robertson, listen to what he did -- he tracked down the Lockerbie bomber in Libya, caught a glimpse of Abdel Baset al Megrahi on what his family says is his death bed. The video that you will only see on CNN -- coming up next.
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VELSHI: The Scottish government is defending its decision to release the Lockerbie bomber back to Libya. This comes a day after the National Transitional Council says it will not extradite Abdel Baset al Megrahi, convicted of the 1988 Pan Am 103 bombing above Scotland. Megrahi may be one of the last men alive who knows the secrets behind the devastating attack and who in Libya's government actually authorized it.
Now, in a CNN exclusive, senior international correspondent Nic Robertson was able to track Megrahi down.
Nic joins us now live from Tripoli.
Good morning, Nic.
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Ali.
We had an approximate idea of which district in Tripoli Megrahi was living in. We went to that neighborhood. We had a photograph of the house or what we believed was the house. We asked in some local stores if they knew where he lived. He sort of a mini celebrity in that neighborhood it turns out. We found the house, talked to neighbors, said the family was in, we continued to knock on the door, nothing prepared me for what I was going to see when I got inside.
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ROBERTSON (voice-over): We found Abdel Baset al Megrahi's villa in an up part of town. At least six security cameras and flood lights outside.
(on camera): This is Megrahi's house. This is where he's been living the last couple years. We're going to knock on the door. See if we can get any answer.
Hello?
(voice-over): For 15 minutes or so, nothing.
(on camera): I'm not sure if they've heard me. Let's try the last ditch means, shout over the wall. Hello? Hello? Hello?
(voice-over): Then all of a sudden someone comes. Nothing prepares me for what I see.
Megrahi apparently in a coma, his aging mother at his side.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We just give him oxygen and nobody give us the advice and some food by injection.
If you see, his body is weak.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): He'd been expected to die almost two years ago, but convicted Pan Am 103 bomber, Abdel Bassett al-Megrahi lives, only just. This wasn't the way he looked when he was released from a Scottish jail two years ago. He came home to a hero's welcome, freed on compassionate grounds because doctors said he'd be dead in three months.
Almost immediately, he began renovating this palatial house. Money, no object.
ROBERTSON (on-camera): It doesn't take long walking around this building before you begin to realize and looking at the marble here from these expensive fittings to realize it appears Megrahi was being paid of handsomely for all those years he spent in jail.
ROBERTSON (voice-over): In the two decades since the bomb exploded on board Pan Am 103 over Lockerbie, killing 270 passengers, crew and towns people, it seemed the secrets of the attack would die with the bombers. Megrahi always maintained he was innocent. Just a month ago, in a rare public sighting, Moammar Gadhafi had him literally wheeled out for a pro-government rally. I'm seeing him now for the first time in two years. He appears to be just a shelf, but the man he was, far sicker than he appeared before.
HAS he been able to see a doctor?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. There is no doctor. There is nobody to ask. We don't have any phone line to call anybody.
ROBERTSON: What's his situation right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He stop eating, and he, sometimes, is come in coma.
ROBERTSON: Coma? He is unconscious?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. We just sit next to him and --
ROBERTSON: All that's keeping him alive, they say, oxygen and a fluid strip. I ask about demands he return to jail in Scotland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My dad, he's still in the house. If you send him to Scotland, he will die by the way here or there.
ROBERTSON: Do you know how long he has left?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Nobody can know how long he will stay alive, nobody know.
ROBERTSON: It seems I've arrived too late. He's apparently in no state to talk, whatever secrets he has, may soon be gone.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON (on-camera): Now, some former government officials may also have details about who was responsible for the attack, but it may also implicate them if they were to spill the beans, so to speak. Megrahi always maintained his innocence, always said that he would prove it, and perhaps, if he had fingers to point, he could point at those officials who may themselves just prefer to remain silent.
So, perhaps, unless he has told his family or someone else those secrets, they may really go to the grave with him, Ali.
VELSHI: Nic, I mean, incredible to have seen that. And your video really does show a man who looks very sick. Did his family seem to want to exonerate him? Did they have those fingers, you say, that he might have had to point? Does his family seem equipped to do that or were they just telling you that they didn't feel he was guilty?
ROBERTSON: No. This is something that they've maintained for a long time. When Megrahi was in jail in Scotland, he spent many years, not only working on his appeal, but doing, he said, preparing to show that he was innocent when he was freed. His family, when he came back, have been isolated in a way by the regime, not allowed to talk to the media, not allowed to tell their own story. So, it does seem, and the fact that they were handsomely paid off, it seems that Gadhafi really just paid for his silence.
So, the family, when I saw them, you really got a sense that this is a family who are very nervous about the situation right now. They don't know what's coming. They do seem to be gathered in his room. This does seem to be a dying man. And really, what they have on their minds right now is that he is allowed to die in peace.
And that really was what came across, more than wanting to prove his innocence after everything that's been said for the past 20 or so years, just let this man die in peace. That's what came across from the family.
VELSHI: Definitely that's what it sounded like. All right. Nic, great job finding him. Thanks very much. Nic Robertson joining us from Libya.
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CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): Bit of breaking news to show you. These pictures just in to CNN. This is Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, and what you're seeing there is a home, and it's on fire right now. We're told firefighters can't reach the home because of floodwaters. We have no word on whether there were any injuries.
We don't know the cause of the fire, but we knew, though, that that house will probably burn to the ground because firefighters just can't get to it. We'll have an update for you as soon as we get it.
CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR (voice-over): The remnants of this storm are in Canada somewhere, dissipating over Canada.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROMANS (on-camera): But this will be a very troubling week, I would say, for people in especially Vermont, covered on all sides by land, is under water.
VELSHI: In fact, we just heard that pretty much every major roadway, every waterway in the state in Vermont is affected right now, 260 roads.
ROMANS: And that interior flooding in New Jersey that's preventing first responders from getting to a what could very well be a run of the mill issue really impeding things. So, we'll keep watching all of this.
It is 50 minutes after the hour. This morning's top stories are next.
COSTELLO (on-camera): Plus, former Vice President Dick Cheney out with a new book. He says it will cause heads to explode all over Washington, though, not everyone agrees. Some are angry about this book. We want to know what you think. What will Dick Cheney's legacy be? Your thoughts just ahead.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) ROMANS: It is 52 minutes past the hour. Here's what you need to know to start your day.
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ROMANS (voice-over): Irene pushing into New England and triggering unprecedented flash floods in Vermont. Officials telling hundreds to leave their homes there. It's the worst flooding that state has seen in generations.
The storm is no longer a hurricane or even a tropical storm. It is being blamed, though, for at least 20 deaths now across eight states. The cost of wind damage alone could top a billion dollars. Total costs anywhere from 7 to $20 billion.
Firefighters are struggling to put out a 5,000 acre wildfire in California. Over the weekend, an air tanker dumped fire retardant on the so-called motor fire in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Nearby residents have been evacuated.
In the Little League World Series, the boys from Huntington Beach, California are going home champions. They beat the team from Japan in their final out. Nick Pratto singling in the winning run with two outs the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth inning for a 2-1 victory.
It's official. Beyonce and hubby, Jay-Z, are expecting their first child. The pop star showed off her pregnant belly at last night's MTV VMAs. Beyone and Jay-Z married in April of 2008. Congratulations.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROMANS (on-camera): That's the news you need to know to start your day. AMERICAN MORNING back right after this.
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COSTELLO: OK. We asked you to talk back on one of the big stories of the day. We asked you this question, since Dick Cheney has this big book coming out, what will Dick Cheney's legacy be? And I must say, the AMERICAN MORNING audience, not really a big fan of Dick Cheney's. In fact, we could only find one remotely nice answer to our question.
This is from Kevin. This is just an example. He says, "Probably much like any other vice president. If he is remembered, it will be as a partner to the worst president in U.S. history."
This from Christopher -- this is the only nice comment we got -- "He kept America's faith after 9/11. Thank you, Mr. Cheney."
And this from Tobi, "Dick Cheney, philanthropist and you want to go hunting with. We're take to war both for the same reason."
Keep the conversation going. Facebook.com/americanmorning. I'll read more of your thoughts later.
VELSHI: Somebody out there has got to like Dick Cheney. Send in your comments.
COSTELLO: OK.
VELSHI: All right. Irene is moving out, but the threat is nowhere near over. Thousands are stick with no power. More than thousands. It could be millions with no power. The water is still rising in parts of the northeast. Vermont, most of that state is under water right now. The latest on the rescue effort coming up ahead.
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