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The Situation Room

Carolina Coast Under Assault by Hurricane Ophelia; Interview With North Carolina Governor Mike Easley; Toxic Air in New Orleans; 150 Killed in Baghdad Attacks

Aired September 14, 2005 - 15:00   ET

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

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Wolf Blitzer. And you're in THE SITUATION ROOM, where news and information arrive at one place simultaneously. Standing by, CNN reporters across the U.S. and around the world to bring you the day's top stories.
Happening now, it's 3:00 p.m. along the Carolina coast, under assault right now by Hurricane Ophelia. It's a beating that could last actually for days.

It's 2:00 p.m. Central Time in New Orleans, where there's word of new fallout from Katrina. That would be high levels of toxins in the air right now.

And it's 11:00 p.m. in Baghdad, the end of another very, very deadly day, more than 150 people killed in a wave of attacks. Hundreds of people are injured. We will take you there live.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

"Mission Critical" now along the Carolina coast, as well as the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Ophelia is hammering a large area with wind and rain. The storm has picked up strength and sustained winds are now at 85 miles an hour. And the National Hurricane Center says some areas could see as much as 15 inches of rain.

Six North Carolina counties are now under mandatory evacuation orders. Eight more counties are encouraging people to simply leave; 350 National Guard troops have been activated for storm response, along with 250 FEMA staffers. These are live pictures coming in from the North Carolina coast right now. You see the surf. You see the pounding. It's only going to get worse.

And back along the Gulf Coast, government air quality tests in New Orleans show high levels of some toxins, although none yet over federal limits. One particular toxin, isobutylene, can irritate the eyes and nose. That's been a common complaint among relief workers in the city.

And Katrina's aftermath now by the numbers. Six hundred and fifty-six, that's the latest number of confirmed fatalities. And that includes 423 in Louisiana, 218 in Mississippi. Recovery efforts continuing throughout New Orleans right now.

Major progress is described in resettling evacuees. As of today, more than 4,100 people are in Houston shelters. That's down from a high of 27,000 on September 4.

New numbers revealing the disaster's tremendous impact on children. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children says it's received now more than 2,000 reports of kids separated from their parents. And state officials in Louisiana are reporting 186,000 public school students displaced. We will have much more on the Katrina disaster coming up in a few moments.

First, though, Ophelia. It's a slow-moving Category 1 hurricane that's battering North Carolina right now. These are live pictures coming in from Atlantic Beach. That's near Morehead City. And while Ophelia isn't nearly as powerful as Katrina, it's posing a different kind of danger. This storm is barely moving at all, meaning it's a prolonged assault, some areas facing up to 48 hours of Ophelia's pounding wind and rain.

Reporter Dave Faherty from our affiliate WSOC is out in the thick of things right now. He's joining us now live from Wrightsville Beach. Dave, what's the latest there now?

DAVE FAHERTY, WSOC REPORTER: Well, here we are getting hurricane- force winds at times. We have had wind gusts here in the neighborhood of 80 miles per hour.

But I think it's the rain that's the big concern going into the afternoon and evening hours. There are some areas along the coast that have already received over a foot of rain. Now, everybody in this area remembers Hurricane Floyd, which hit back in 1999. That storm dumped 19 inches of rain and brought widespread flooding to the area.

Here, along the coast, if you look behind me, you can see, this storm is really whipping up the surf. Off in the distance, we have got waves 10 to 15 feet high. But the surf is coming in right now. High tide is expected to hit in about an hour from now. A lot of concern about beach erosion here. Everyone here that I have talked to is hoping that this storm will be just north of Wrightsville Beach when that high tide hits, so that the winds will shift around from the west and be pushing offshore.

In fact, we're noticing that ever so slightly. It feels like it's coming out of the northwest right now.

Reporting live from Wrightsville Beach, I'm Dave Faherty. Now back to you.

BLITZER: Dave, if you can hear me, how close is that surf to where you are right now? From the picture, it looks like it's literally right behind you. But how close are you to the water?

FAHERTY: Yes. Normally, on a normal day, this deck area -- and I'm at a big hotel here along the beach -- this deck area, I would be about 50 yards from that surf. That surf is coming right up against the sand dunes. At times, it's actually spraying up on to the sand dunes. In fact, I drove around earlier just to see if we have had any wash-over. And that's what the police are out now checking, to see if there's been any wash-over, water going up underneath buildings. So far, I have not seen that, although we have had quite a few power outages.

The hotel right -- that I'm staying at right here lost power about three hours ago.

BLITZER: Is the area basically evacuated where you are, Dave?

FAHERTY: It was a voluntary evacuation two days ago, when they thought this storm was going to start hitting this area. The hotel actually put out a notice letting everybody know that it was a voluntary evacuation. South of where I'm at, in Brunswick County, which is also along the coast, they did had some mandatory evacuations for those outer islands there over concern mainly that the bridges there, that they wouldn't be able to get people out if conditions became very bad.

BLITZER: Unfortunately, North Carolina, Dave, as you well know, often gets hurricanes or tropical storms. Are people taking this one a little bit more seriously in the aftermath of Katrina?

FAHERTY: Yes, it's a question I asked over and over. We got down here Sunday. And I asked that of several people. You know, hey, are you taking this thing more seriously? And they -- everybody said yes.

But, you know, I really didn't see it in their actions down here. Looking down the beach, there's only a handful of places that actually boarded up. I think a lot of folks here are -- you know, are very used to these tropical systems and hurricanes. They know when to get out. A system like this, with a small Cat 1, they felt they could ride it out.

And I think folks here along the Wrightsville Beach area, they are going to be all right. It's the folks inland, I think that's where you're going to see some of the problems in the low-lying areas. We have already heard reports of some bridges washing out because of the flooding there.

And the rain just -- oh, man, it just keeps coming down, coming sideways at times. And since I'm right -- excuse me -- since I'm right along the beach here, the sand that's not packed down by that high surf, boy, it gets flying. It just hits you right in the side of the face.

BLITZER: Have you ever covered one of these hurricanes before, Dave?

FAHERTY: Yes, I have. In fact, two years ago, I was out here. I covered Hurricane Isabel. I was up in -- up on the Outer Banks, up near Nags Head. And I thought that storm was pretty bad. It was a Cat 2. We had some very strong winds, actually had some flooding there on the Outer Banks. And when the storm passed by and you got those winds coming back out of the west, it actually cut a portion of the land there and kind of cut the Outer Banks in half almost.

BLITZER: I know -- it looks awful from where we are. How much longer are you going to be able to stay out there, given the nature of that storm? FAHERTY: Well, because it's a Category 1, we're actually able to stay up a lot longer than you normally could.

We have one of those big satellite trucks and we have it wedged around the backside of the building. It can withstand winds of about 75 miles per hour. Because of the spot we have it in, we have been able to stay up and stay live throughout the morning, throughout the afternoon. If the winds got any stronger, if it was like a strong Category 1 or 2, we'd have to get out of this and take -- take cover elsewhere.

BLITZER: What's the forecast for Wrightsville Beach, which is the southern part of North Carolina, not far from the South Carolina border? What's the forecast for where you are?

FAHERTY: Heavy rain throughout the afternoon is what I'm hearing. And, also, these winds are going to continue into tonight. We're just going to have to see.

You know, we have already noticed, just driving around a lot, of stuff, like shingles coming off roofs, minor damage so far. We will have to see, when that wind shifts around to the west, whether or not we get more damage. I can tell you, earlier today, I was out. And, on the other side of the island here, there were a lot of folks who were running down to their boats because -- whoa. Hold on a second. That was just a real big gust right there.

There were a lot of folks heading down to their boats, because the boats that were left in the water were bouncing in the surf and actually bouncing up on to the docks. They went out when we had tropical-force winds this morning, winds in the neighborhood of 50, 60 miles per hour, trying to tie those boats down. But it was just crazy. I asked those folks, I said, I can't believe you are out here doing this. And they said, hey, man, that's my boat. I want to make sure that I have it when this storm gets through this area.

BLITZER: What do you estimate, Dave -- and I don't want you to be in any danger. If you feel this is getting too dangerous, let us know and we will end this. You'll go inside that hotel where you are staying.

But what do you estimate the winds are, at what level right now?

FAHERTY: Right now, I would say we're probably getting some gusts 50, 60 miles per hour out here occasionally, sustained winds -- and this is just an estimate. I don't have any gauges out here right this second. Sustained winds definitely in the 40-mile-per-hour range right now. Like I said earlier, probably an hour-and-a-half ago, we had a gust up near 80 miles per hour out here.

BLITZER: Dave, stand by for a minute. Easy for me to say, but stand by.

Our meteorologist, Jacqui Jeras, has some additional information on winds and other issues involving Ophelia. Jacqui, update us and update Dave. JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Wolf, we have been getting reports in the last hour-and-a-half there that the wind gusts have exceeded hurricane strength, around 75 to even 80 miles per hour. So, he's in some of the worst of the conditions right now.

But also keep in mind, we're kind of getting lucky, in the sense that, over here, this is where the worst of the winds generally are in a storm like this. But they are kind of wrapping around. And you can see, they are kind of on the edge of the eye wall. And it's really been very unrelenting. It's been pounding them all day yesterday, all day today. And it looks like they're going to continue to get rain for probably at least another 12 to 24 hours, Wolf.

BLITZER: That's amazing, that this hurricane is going to be that slow moving, Jacqui, that for 12 hours, an additional 12 hours, it's going to be pounding, like we're seeing with Dave.

JERAS: Well, these conditions will improve once the eye wall pulls a little bit further up to the north and to the east. So -- but they will still get some steady rain. And that's why this is such a flood threat. It's because they've already seen anywhere between about five and eight inches of rainfall. Another four to eight on top of that is expected.

BLITZER: All right, Jacqui, stand by.

Dave Faherty our affiliate WSOC is on the scene for us in Wrightsville Beach. That's in North Carolina, the southern part of the state. Did you hear Jacqui Jeras and what she said, Dave?

FAHERTY: Yes. That's -- that's definitely not good news for this area. Wrightsville Beach, right now, I haven't seen any flooding just from driving around about an hour, hour-and-a-half ago. I have not seen it here on Wrightsville Beach. But, like I told you, I'm hearing that there is flooding inland, around the Wilmington area. I heard that there was a bridge washed out. And, you know, it's hard to get reports right now, because we're out on this beach.

The power is knocked out. It's hard to get cell service out here right now. So, it's difficult to confirm a lot of those reports. But I did hear for sure that they got over 12 inches. Now, they have set up some shelters in the Wilmington area. I know of at least two areas that were set up overnight at two elementary schools. I talked to the emergency management person, who is over -- emergency management in New Hanover County, the county that I'm in right now. And he told me that they had more than 100 people stay at that shelter last night.

I'd expect, with the conditions staying the way they are right now, that we are going to see a lot more people heading to those shelters tonight, especially if there's flooding inland.

BLITZER: That's probably good advice.

I don't know if your photographer, your cameraman or camerawoman, can hear me, Dave, if he or she can, maybe they could pan out and show a little bit -- a wider area, so that we can see what's happening there.

FAHERTY: I'm not sure if he can -- I'm going to try to wave him out here. I don't know if he can hear us or not. If he can, I'm going to try to gesture him to take that camera off the tripod and come out here. He's a big fellow. His name is Carl (ph). And...

BLITZER: Well, don't do -- don't do anything dangerous, if -- I don't want it to leave the tripod if it's -- if he's going to be jostled at all. I don't want to be any -- only if he could pan wide maybe. But tell him to stay on the tripod.

FAHERTY: OK. Well, you know, he is 6'5'', 240. He runs 240. He could handle it if he wants to. He could -- I just don't think he can hear me right now.

BLITZER: All right. Never mind, then. I don't want to do anything that's going to endanger him or the equipment and certainly -- and certainly not you.

(CROSSTALK)

FAHERTY: If you give me 30 seconds -- just give me 30 seconds. I can get him to come outside and show you a couple of the things real quick.

BLITZER: All right.

FAHERTY: I'm going to have to meander around here a little bit, but I can get him to come outside and show you some stuff looking down the beach. It's pretty amazing to see this rain, sheets of rain just going quickly down the shoreline here.

Now, I'm quite a distance from the photographer, but I'm going to walk up and try to get him to take that camera right off the tripod. There's actually some flooding right around the hotel. Let me see if I can get him.

Hey, Carl, Carl, can you take that -- we're live right now. Can you take the camera off just for a second? Take the camera right off the tripod, Carl. He's taking it off right now.

Carl, what I want you to do, after you get that camera off -- he's like protected in a garage area. And I don't know how much cable he has. Come on out here, Carl. Yes, he's coming out right now.

CNN wants to see a couple of shots looking down the coast here. Can you show them the wave action, first off? You can see, we have got 10- to 15-foot waves. They are crashing from the north towards the south right now. And we're about an hour away from high tide. And you can see how high that surf is getting there along the coast. Something else that I don't know -- Carl, how much -- how much cable do you have? Do you got a little -- can you walk out a little bit here?

BLITZER: Yes, tell him to be careful. I don't want him to damage the equipment, Dave.

(CROSSTALK)

FAHERTY: No, no, he's not -- he can't come out further than that. That's about as far as he can come out.

BLITZER: Yes.

FAHERTY: But as you can see -- Carl, look over there just real quick. You can see that -- look at that wind just whipping that rain -- rain right there, as it hits that, looks like a pool house right there. It's just coming right off the other buildings there, coming down extremely hard here along the coast.

And like you've been saying, you know, your meteorologist was saying that we're expecting this another eight hours here, even as the eye moves north of here.

BLITZER: Dave, stand by for a minute. And we can get you readjusted there. Your photographer can wipe off his lens as well, go back inside, put the camera back on the tripod. We're going to get right back to Dave Faherty of our affiliate WSOC.

Just north of him -- he's in Wrightsville Beach -- our own Kareen Wynter is standing by in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina. Kareen, what's it like where you are?

KAREEN WYNTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're seeing an incredible example of beach erosion behind me. We're going to give you a great shot of what we're seeing on the ground here in terms of all the waves. It's moving much more inland, as compared to, for example, the pictures out here an hour ago. And if you look further out, you see nothing but crashing waves along that pier. The breakers, you can just see all of that movement.

Now, what's remarkable, believe it or not, despite these extreme conditions, there are people out. They were a short time ago on the pier taking pictures, checking out the action. And this is not what officials want to see right now. In fact, they say it's very urgent and they are actually urging people to evacuate while they can.

BLITZER: Kareen, have you covered a hurricane before in your career?

WYNTER: I have, Wolf. I covered Hurricane Katrina, a Category 4. It was a monster. This is a Category 1. You hate to say, well, this is nothing compared to it. You never want to get cocky in covering these types of storms and weather-related phenomena.

But, on this scale, hey, people here should be taking it seriously. And that's the message emergency workers I spoke with earlier this morning are trying to get out. People are very, very complacent when it comes to moving. In fact, there's a mandatory evacuation order in effect for nonresidents, a voluntary one for residents.

And there was, if you can believe this, Wolf, a man out in the waters a short time ago. The sheriff had to summon him back in. The water was up to his neck. And so, people out here, according to some of the officials we have been talking to, are just not taking it as seriously as they should.

BLITZER: All right, Kareen, stand by. Be careful over there. Kareen Wynter on the scene for us in Atlantic Beach, North Carolina.

We are going to get back to her. We are going to get back to Dave Faherty of our affiliate WSOC.

We're covering the story extensively, Hurricane Ophelia, the governor of North Carolina standing by, Mike Easley. He'll join us when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: We're back here in THE SITUATION ROOM. We're watching Hurricane Ophelia now. I want to show you some live pictures we're getting in, live pictures. Hurricane Ophelia, that's now pounding North Carolina.

As this hurricane plots a potentially perilous path, the governor of North Carolina, Mike Easley, is watching all of this very, very carefully. He's telling his residents, especially the low-lying, flood-prone areas, get out; leave now.

The governor is joining us now live. Governor, thanks very much for joining us. North Carolina, no stranger to hurricanes. What about this one? How bad is it?

GOV. MIKE EASLEY (D), NORTH CAROLINA: Well, this one is getting worse as we go forward. We thought it was going to pick up in forward speed. It's only moving about seven miles per hour. The problem with that is, it gives more time to create a larger storm surge, which we think now is going to be nine to 11 feet. And it also gives more time for rain to fall. It looks like we're going to get somewhere around 12 inches of rainfall.

So, given the two of those things, we know we're going to see some flooding. And we need people to evacuate, if they've been told to.

BLITZER: Is it too late at this point to evacuate? If they haven't gotten out now, is it too late?

EASLEY: Yes, a good question. In the southern part of the state, if they haven't gotten out, it's too late. But as you go forward, up in the Atlantic Beach area, Cape Lookout, up into Cape Hatteras and the Outer Banks, you have plenty of time to evacuate, also, inland, plenty of time to evacuate. And we can get you out. We have 61 shelters open. And there's plenty of time left.

The problem is, once this storm comes through, it's going to be a long time before it leaves. So, if you lose power, you probably won't get it back for a day or so.

BLITZER: We have heard a lot about evacuation, unfortunately, in the aftermath of Katrina. Are you sending buses, four-wheel drive vehicles in to help those individuals who don't have cars or can't get out, the elderly, the sick, to get out of hospitals, nursing homes? Are you taking those steps right now?

EASLEY: We're doing that with special needs. That's a high priority for us. We have four staging areas and strike teams with the North Carolina National Guard, as well as with the state highway patrol. And they have the high-water vehicles, so that they can go in and get people out, if they need assistance.

But, once the high winds come, it's going to be difficult for us to get them out if they don't come on and go with us now. But, yes, we do have swift water rescue teams, urban search-and-rescue teams in place to get the people out who need the help. And we have 61 shelters we can put them in. So, there's no excuse for anybody to stay behind if they don't have to.

BLITZER: You are the commander, in effect, of the National Guard in North Carolina. What, if anything, have you done with those troops?

EASLEY: Well, we have put them in four staging areas. And we're moving another one right now into the southern part of the state. We have 360 of them in place.

Each strike team has 15 high-water vehicles. We have a number of Black Hawk helicopters in place. And, partnering with the federal government, we have others on standby that we can bring in. And they are doing a number of other things, such as the disaster relief, putting in place the water, the ice, the non-perishables. Those are the type of things you have to do way in advance. We have them in place and we feel prepared for this.

BLITZER: One final question, Governor, before I let you go. What, if anything, are you doing differently now because of the heightened sensitivity to hurricanes that the whole nation, indeed the whole world, has felt as a result of Katrina?

EASLEY: Yes. Well, we didn't prepare any differently. We're following the same model that we always have. The one thing we are doing is trying to remind people who saw the other hurricanes, this can happen to you. Don't think it won't happen. This is going to be a lot of flooding. It can happen to your home. It can happen to you. And you need to listen to your local officials when they tell you to evacuate. Let's get out of here now. We can fix the property later.

BLITZER: And is FEMA cooperating with you?

EASLEY: Yes. We have always had good working relationships with FEMA, probably because we have so many storms. We're all on a first- name basis.

Michael Chertoff has called several times. They have 250 people down here now. So, we're ready to go as soon as the storm gets through, to start damage assessment on Friday.

BLITZER: Governor, good luck to you. Good luck to all the residents of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, wherever this Hurricane Ophelia might endanger. Appreciate it very much.

EASLEY: Thank you, Wolf.

BLITZER: Governor Mike Easley is the governor of North Carolina.

Let's check in with Jack Cafferty. He's standing by in New York. Jack, it just looks like this hurricane season is not over yet.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Boy, it sure isn't. I'm glad there that -- that we didn't lose that cameraman.

You notice, he was set up inside, out of the -- out of the wind and out of the rain. The reporters out there are getting beaten, buffeted and blasted around. The cameraman set up in a safe, dry place there.

(CROSSTALK)

BLITZER: That's smart. That's very smart.

CAFFERTY: Absolutely. Well, here we go again, Wolf, on the issue of the Pledge of Allegiance. A couple of hours ago, a district court judge in San Francisco ruled that reciting the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional. This is the second time a challenge has been brought to court about the pledge. The first one was tossed out on a technicality. I will explain that in a second.

A religious rights group has vowed to appeal today's ruling. They'll go to the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, 9th Circuit in California. And, eventually, this will probably wind its way all the way to the Supreme Court. The phrase that's in -- at issue in this case is the phrase "under God," "one nation under God."

The original case was brought by a California atheist, a guy named Michael Newdow, who didn't want his daughter to be coerced into an affirmation of God by being required to say the Pledge of Allegiance. That case got tossed because he at the time was not technically in custody of that child. So, they threw that one out. He brought the same case again on behalf of some other parents who have children in the same public school system who feel the same way he did.

So, the question is, should the Pledge of Allegiance be banned in public schools in this country? CaffertyFile@CNN.com.

I remember this case before. I was doing the morning program on CNN, I believe, and we had Mr. Newdow on. And he was quite adamant in his feelings that his daughter should not be required to participate. I don't know what's wrong with just telling the kid not to say the pledge. When I was in school, I don't remember anybody threatening me with a beating if I refused to say the Pledge of Allegiance. You can just stand there and be quiet.

But as controversial as it is, the kind of stuff we will probably get a lot of pretty heated e-mail here in the "Cafferty File."

BLITZER: All right, Jack, we will look forward to that. Jack Cafferty is in New York.

Our legal, senior legal analyst, Jeff Toobin is here with more on this story. You've had a chance, actually, to read this decision.

JEFFREY TOOBIN, CNN SR. LEGAL ANALYST: I have. It's back to the future with this case.

So here it is, a 30-page opinion from a senior district court judge in Sacramento. And he said the 9th Circuit opinion of three years ago was binding on him. He says, the 9th Circuit. They are my bosses. They think "under God" is unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court threw it out on procedural grounds, as Jack said. They didn't reach the merits of the case. So, as far as he's concerned, the law of the 9th Circuit, which includes California, is, Pledge of Allegiance using the words "under God" is unconstitutional. He does not issue any sort of stay. He doesn't say that they must stop reciting it immediately. So, the status quo remains intact. But this will certainly go to the 9th Circuit and probably back to the Supreme Court.

BLITZER: So, it's still going to be playing itself out and may eventually wind back at the Supreme Court. And there could be a new chief justice who will consider it, which suggests that the hearings today, the confirmation hearings, take on a little bit more significance.

TOOBIN: When I got this opinion, Judge Roberts was answering questions about the issue of standing, which was the precise issue that this court decided this case for the first time on. So, you can be virtually certain that one of the first big cases that the new chief justice, as we expect he will be, will get is the Pledge of Allegiance case.

BLITZER: Jeff Toobin, we are going to talk with you extensively. Thanks very much.

A sensitive issue we're also following, Hurricane Ophelia. It's off North Carolina's coast right now. You've been looking at our live pictures coming in from the coast. We're going to go back to North Carolina. We will also go live to the National Hurricane Center for the latest forecast.

Also, we're watching dirty water, very dirty water. We will find out how new test results will affect plans to get residents back into New Orleans.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLITZER: Getting live pictures coming in from Hurricane Ophelia, off the coast of North Carolina right now. It's nowhere near the strength of Hurricane Katrina, but still, slow-moving Hurricane Ophelia has forecasters very concerned as it edges closer and closer and closer and closer to the North Carolina coast. This storm is already making itself, its presence, felt along that coast.

Let's get the latest. Max Mayfield is the director of the National Hurricane Center. He's joining us. What is the latest, Mr. Mayfield?

MAX MAYFIELD, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER: Wolf, it's a strong Category 1 hurricane, and we don't want to focus just on the center, which is about 70 miles southwest or 60 miles southwest of Cape Lookout. The strongest winds are in this eye wall here. It's a very broad eye, extending well out away from that eye.

So we're going to have hurricane conditions spread across the eastern parts of the North Carolina, especially the Outer Banks area there. We're very concerned with the storm surge, flooding. I think the folks in the Outer Banks have the drill down by now here. Five to six feet of storm surge, with the ray-vacs (ph) on top of that.

But we want to learn some lessons from previous hurricanes, like Isabel. The rivers here, the Neuse River, the Pamlico River here, we could see nine to possibly up to 11 feet of storm surge, pushing well up that river, as long as that flow is on shore in that area.

BLITZER: So where will it be the worst? The southern part of the state, the middle part of the state, the northern part? And what about South Carolina and Virginia?

MAYFIELD: Well, I think South Carolina is going to be in pretty good shape here. The heaviest rains and the winds -- in fact, perhaps I can show you on this graphic here. The red swathe here represents our area of hurricane-force winds, which is really going to be just the extreme eastern portion of North Carolina, primarily the Outer Banks.

But we've learned you don't have to have hurricane force winds to cause trees to fall down and power outages. So the tropical storm- force winds will extend much farther inland here, where the blue line is, the heaviest rainfall. And I'm sure we're going to get some isolated amounts of up to 15 inches -- we've been saying that since yesterday morning -- along the path of the core of the hurricane.

Again, this is eastern North Carolina that we're talking about. If people are just careful, there's no reason to have loss of life in this hurricane.

BLITZER: I remember Hurricane Floyd. It had a lot of flooding connected with it. Do we expect a lot of flooding this time?

MAYFIELD: We will in some areas. But it's going to be the extreme eastern portion of North Carolina. The National Weather Service has a great program that -- it's called "Turn Around, Don't Drown." If people can't see that road out in front of them, please don't drive there.

BLITZER: And at this point -- this is a question I asked the governor -- if people have not yet evacuated some of these areas, what's your recommendation? Stay put or try to still get out? MAYFIELD: It really depends on the location there. That's a localized thing, with all the rivers and the Outer Banks of North Carolina. The best thing to do is listen to the advice of the local officials.

BLITZER: Dr. Mayfield, reporting, helping us better understand what's going on from the National Hurricane Center. Mr. Mayfield, we'll check back with you. Thanks for all your excellent work and please thank your entire team for us.

MAYFIELD: Thank you, sir.

BLITZER: And for -- on behalf of the entire nation, as well.

Hurricane Ophelia, we're tracking that right now. But we want to also watch what's happening in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. In New Orleans right now, the Environmental Protection Agency is testing the floodwaters.

CNN's Jeff Koinange is on the scene for us. He's joining us with the latest. Where exactly are you, Jeff?

JEFF KOINANGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, we're in a place called Chantilly. That's in northern New Orleans. In fact, the University of New Orleans, right here to my left. That lake you see back there, that used to be the main street of this area here. It's called Elysian Fields, pardon me. And there's a Burger King right there. There's a gas station right there. But all you can see, Wolf, is a lake.

Coming back to those EPA results, Wolf, we've got to point out from the start, they are preliminary. But according to officials on the ground, they say they're not as bad as people expected. They're expecting a lot worse results. But again, very, very preliminary in areas that are easily accessible. They found some contents of lead, some contents of E. coli, some toxins in some waters, but not as bad as predicted.

Wolf, let's take a little walk around. And when we talk about areas that are not too easy to access, you see the folks here behind me, the U.S. Coast Guard, along with a team from California called Task Force 3. They've been out here day in, day out, rescuing people from homes all around this area. And it's been a tough job, Wolf. Sixteen days of trying to rescue people. These folks haven't tired at all. They've done a fantastic job.

But let's take a look at how terrible this situation is right here, Wolf. This Hurricane Katrina must have done so much damage. Look at that street down there. Just take a look at that street, the devastation that's going to go on here.

The clean-up that's going to be involved in cleaning up this mess is going to take months, if not years. This water hasn't even drained. Sixteen days earlier, look what the hurricane did over here -- uprooted trees, uprooted lives, uprooted an entire city, Wolf. It's going to take so much longer than most people predicted to clean up this particular part of town. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. We're going to back to you. Jeff Koinange is on the scene for us. We see the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. Jeff Koinange reporting for us from New Orleans.

CNN's Ali Velshi is on assignment right now. Here's, though, the "Bottom Line" in the hour's important business news. The Labor Department says it's earmarking $12 million for training Katrina recovery workers. The money is going on -- going to continue in grants to Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and Texas. It will fund training in fields including construction, energy, transportation, and security.

Let's take a closer look at the markets right now. The markets, the -- we're watching right now, the Dow Jones Industrials, we're taking a look at 10,543. The markets -- that's unclear whether that's up or down. It's down, we're told, almost 54 points. The NASDAQ down almost 20 points. The S & P down 3.77.

Coming up, execution-style shootings, suicide bombings and drive- by shootings. It's been an awful -- a very bloody day in Baghdad. We'll tell you about a string of attacks that have left more than 150 people dead.

And, there now could be four major airlines filing bankruptcy in this country. We'll tell you which airlines are the latest to be considering Chapter 11.

Much more from THE SITUATION ROOM, right after this.

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BLITZER: It's now being described as a strong Category 1 hurricane. That would be Hurricane Ophelia. That's battering the coast of North Carolina right now. We're getting these live pictures in from Atlantic Beach. You can see the surf. You can see what's going on. These are tape pictures right here.

This hurricane -- that's the radar. You can see Wilmington. The southern part of the state is clearly facing the brunt of it right now. These are pictures coming in that we're getting different feeds from, throughout the North Carolina area. This is a powerful hurricane Category 1. We're watching it very closely for you. We're going to go back there live and get some more information.

We're also watching Hurricane Katrina. Some of the victims are returning to their homes today, and then they are going online with their photos and their horror stories.

Our Internet reporters, Jacki Schechner and Abbi Tatton are checking the situation online. Ladies, what are we picking up?

JACKI SCHECHNER, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Well, we start with Laurel, who is from Slidell, Louisiana. She had evacuated to her sister's with her husband and her children. She went back to Slidell on Monday. She said nothing could prepare her for the overall amount of destruction and specifically, the smell, she said primarily from the household garbage that has yet to be removed.

She went to the FEMA supply station and blogged about her experiences. Their water is still not potable. She got ice, meals ready to eat. The other thing she needed in terms of supplies are the blue tarps you can see on the houses in this picture. That's what people are using to protect themselves from the elements at this point. There is a list. There are not enough. She says, I hope it doesn't rain before she gets off that list.

The other thing she said, she was told from her insurance adjuster, try not to repair it until we can get out and take a look at it. So she's got a lot of things that she's dealing with now that she's gone back home that she didn't expect to encounter.

ABBI TATTON, CNN INTERNET CORRESPONDENT: Along the Mississippi Gulf Coast, an impressive account of the before, during and after of the storm can be found at dancingwithkatrina.blogspot.com, run by two reporters for "The Sun Herald," Mike Keller and Josh Norman.

They have been documenting different towns and they've been in Pass Christian in Mississippi where they say for the first time in a week, yesterday residents were allowed to return to search for their belongings, and needless to say, not many people found much. A woman searching through her house here, two brothers looking through their mother's house for belongings.

The pictures are amazing. If you can see this one to the right is a white picket fence that used to guard this home, which is now across the water from that house. Piles and piles of debris along the road. All through this site, Josh Norman apologizes for all the pictures of the debris, Wolf, but he's just saying it's so incredible that he had to put up photo after photo at this site, dancingwithkatrina.blogspot.com. Wolf.

BLITZER: All right. Thank you Abbi and Jacki. We're going to get back to you with more of this situation online.

Ahead here, in THE SITUATION ROOM, your e-mail about the Pledge of Allegiance. A new federal court ruling just out this afternoon. Should the Pledge of Allegiance be banned in public schools? We'll have the latest on that.

And we're also watching the latest on Hurricane Ophelia. We won't stay away from that for every long. We'll be right back.

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BLITZER: Simply awful, what's going on in Baghdad right now -- bloodshed there, horrific bloodshed. More than a dozen explosions ripping through the Iraqi capital today, killing more than 150 people and wounding more than 300.

CNN's Jennifer Eccleston is joining us now live from Baghdad with more on this horrible, horrible story. Update our viewers, Jennifer. What happened? JENNIFER ECCLESTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Wolf, a string of deadly attacks across Baghdad, a day marked by relentless bloodshed, mainly against the Baghdad Shiite community. Suicide car bombers targeting two Shiite neighborhoods, one in northwestern Baghdad, killing four, dozens wounded.

But the most deadly was this morning, a suicide bomb attack involving a minivan. According to police, that bus exploded near a meeting point for day laborers in Kadhimiya, a Shiite neighborhood in central Baghdad. Witnesses say when that van pulled up, the driver called to the workers to his vehicle, then detonated his bomb. Over 100 have been killed and more than 200 wounded.

And the Iraqi civilians bearing the brunt of today's violence, but there's also been military and police violence. They were targeted by suicide attacks. Two car bombs targeting the Iraqi army, six dead there. Seven U.S. military convoys attacked today and 10 soldiers injured.

BLITZER: What a horrible day. Jennifer Eccleston reporting for us from Baghdad. Jennifer, thank you very much. Please be careful over there. We'll continue to watch what's happening in Iraq.

We're also watching what's happening here in the United States. A controversial decision, very controversial, over the Pledge of Allegiance. Coming up, a federal judge says the words "one nation under God" have no place in public schools. What do you think? Jack Cafferty has been reading your e-mail. He's standing by the join us.

And Americans are using some choice words to sum up how they feel about ever-rising gas prices. Now they use a new word -- decrease. We'll tell you what's happening. Stay with us.

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BLITZER: "One nation under God," very controversial words in the Pledge of Allegiance, at least according to one federal judge who has been reviewing this issue. Jack Cafferty is reviewing it as well, as well as your e-mail. Update our viewers, Jack. What's going on?

CAFFERTY: A couple of hours ago, a district judge in San Francisco ruled that saying the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools is unconstitutional, because of the phrase "under God". The case originally was brought by an atheist in Sacramento on behalf of his daughter, got to the Supreme Court before it was tossed on a technicality. A religious rights group is vowing to appeal today's ruling, and it's likely that this case will also find its way to the high court.

The question this hour is, should the Pledge of Allegiance be banned in public schools?

Francis in Aransas Pass, Texas, writes, "We don't have to ban the Pledge, just take out the phrase 'under God'. They weren't in the Pledge when I was in school. I graduated in 1951. I doubt that you said the Pledge with 'under God' in it either." I'm just heartened to get a letter from somebody on this program that's older than I am.

Jeffrey in Austin, Texas, "Make it an optional exercise before the start of the school day. Both sides should be happy with that."

Betsy in Tulsa, Oklahoma, "You've got to be kidding. If someone doesn't like the Pledge, they don't have to say it. Better yet, there are plenty of other countries where they could go live."

Jose writes, "I am a high school student. I don't say the Pledge as a protest against the situation in Iraq. However, I don't believe we should remove it from schools. I know plenty of people who are atheists and they just don't say 'under God'."

And John writes, "Just take out 'under God'. How would the Christian right feel if it was 'under Allah'? They'd probably be rallying to change it. Individual belief is the issue here. Our Constitution actually has something in it about freedom of religion, and sometimes I wonder if anyone has read it."

BLITZER: Did you get a lot of e-mail on this question, Jack?

CAFFERTY: Oh, yes, indeed. Lots and lots. I think I mentioned earlier, when we asked the question about -- we did this the first time this guy brought this lawsuit. It was a year or so ago. And it was all over the newspapers, and he made the rounds of the television shows, and was interviewed in a lot of places. And we got a ton of e- mail on the morning program, and not nearly as many people watch that as watch this. So, yes, we got a bunch of e-mail.

And it's, you know, however, the Pledge was changed. You are probably not old enough to remember this, Wolf. But in the '50s, it was added by President Eisenhower, the phrase "under God". It used to just read "one nation, indivisible with liberty and justice for all". Then they stuck in the phrase "under God". And it's been fine until a year or so ago when this guy said, you know what, I have an issue with that.

We'll see. It'll be interesting to see what the high court decides. My guess is they will rule that it's unconstitutional to require public school kids to say this, although I personally have no problem with it.

BLITZER: Well, I said it every day when I was in elementary, junior high school. Like you, I went to public school. So I remember what it was like.

CAFFERTY: And at least one of us turned out all right.

BLITZER: Which one is unclear. Thanks very much, Jack. OK. Check back with you in a moment or two.

Here at CNN, your Hurricane Headquarters, we're following Hurricane Ophelia's every move along the Carolina coast. Right now we'll check in with the Weather Center for the latest on the storm's path, and we'll go live to the Outer Banks to see Ophelia in action. The rains, the winds and the damage.

Plus -- Mike Brown took the fall at FEMA. But did the buck stop with Homeland Security Chief Michael Chertoff? New questions of blame. That's coming up.

You're in THE SITUATION ROOM.

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BLITZER: Hurricane Ophelia is already pounding the Carolina coast. We're watching it very, very closely. We're going to have a complete report in just a moment. All the latest information. We're going to go live to the coast of North Carolina. These are live pictures you are seeing right now coming in from the coast.

First, though, it's almost time for the markets to close and the closing bell.

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BLITZER: Thanks very much. Gerri Willis reporting for us from New York.

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