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CNN Sunday Morning
Cleanup Under Way in Punta Gorda; Bush to Visit Florida Today
Aired August 15, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
The cleanup underway in Florida where it should return to the Sunshine State. We are going to show you how Florida is coping and where the storm is now It is 8 AM in Punta Gorda, Florida. From CNN Center here in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, and good morning to you. I'm Drew Griffin.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. It is Sunday August 15th.
Now in the news, President Bush is due in Florida today to see the devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. The killer storm has been blamed for at least 13 deaths in the state. Charley has been loosing steam since arriving yesterday in the Carolinas. It's now a weak tropical storm approaching Cape Cod. We'll have a live report from Punta Gorda. That's just ahead.
Also, even before Floridians can put Charley behind them, more trouble may be on the horizon. Daniel is now a hurricane and tropical storm Earl could become one by tomorrow. Both are still far out in the Atlantic, and at least several days posing any threats to any land.
In Baghdad Iraqi officials say one person was killed today by a mortar attack near the high security green zone, 17 others were wounded. The attack coincided with the opening session of the Iraqi National Conference. After a two week delay some 1500 Iraqi representatives gathered in the capital to begin choosing 100 advisers for the interim government.
The preceding was interrupted briefly by a coalition of Shiites demanding an end to the fighting in the Najaf.
Keeping you informed, CNN the most trusted name in news.
GRIFFIN: So much uncertainty for some many people in the wake of Hurricane Charley. Many in Florida face the difficult task of starting over from scratch. Crews still searching for victims and survivors there. But the downed power lines and debris making their progress slow. We know that 13 people are confirmed dead. Our Ed Lavandera is in Punta Gorda this morning -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, we're here in the main street of the Punta Gorda town, and we're starting to see a lot of activity. There had been a curfew in place until about 7 o'clock this morning. That has been lifted and we're starting to see a lot more activity here as the crews begin their work day.
We just had a couple of Coast Guard choppers fly over head. I've actually lost them as we started here Drew, so I apologize for that. But we've seen a lot more trucks starting to move in. As you can tell, there's a lot of debris that needs to be cleaned up in this town. This is Charlotte County, one of 16 counties in the state of Florida that will be qualifying for federal disaster relief money.
That has already been put in place. The mechanisms for that have already started pouring in, as we've seen trucks moving through here that will help rebuild the power lines and start cleaning up the homes. We also know that people have also been, for the first time over the last 24 hours or so, starting to get back into their homes and trying to see what is left, and what it is exactly that they need to clean up.
Of course, this area also preparing for a presidential visit this morning. President Bush will be arriving here shortly doing an aerial tour of the area as well as doing a ground tour here of the Punta Gorda area and will also be meeting with the Emergency Management officials that have been working on the ground here. Not just since Friday when this hurricane struck, but in the days before that planning the evacuation orders and everything that went into place and trying to protect as many people as possible.
Thirteen people statewide were killed by Hurricane Charley, four in Charlotte County in this area alone. Again, the officials say that all of those deaths can be directly attributed to the hurricane.
Now officials still haven't been able to tabulate exactly just how much total damage Hurricane Charley has caused, but you can rest assured that it will be in the tens of millions if not the hundreds of millions of dollars and there are still a lot of people without power and water and telephone service and this area is spotty. So, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done here today -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Ed, thanks.
Chad Myers is also in Punta Gorda and he decided to do -- he interviewed a couple that was riding the storm out and talked with them as they surveyed what's left of their condo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What did it sound like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a train going through. And we had...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything shook.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the whole building shook.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it was just devastating.
MYERS: Were you scared?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MYERS: I mean, obviously a very emotional time, but I mean, how long did it last?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, for me it felt like -- well, for five minutes -- five minutes, 10 minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was 15 to 20 minutes, real bad storm for maybe 10, 15 minutes.
MYERS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then when the storm passed through or tornado, whatever it was, and it subsided a little bit...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then the sun came out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then the sun came out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Two of the lucky ones there. Officials say many people are still missing.
NGUYEN: The three hospitals in Charlotte County sustained significant damage. That damage was so extensive patients had to be evacuated to other facilities along Florida's west coast. We want to find out how things stand today. For that we want to go to Danielle Dreher. She's public information director at Charlotte Regional Medical Center.
Good morning to you.
DANIELLE DREHER, CHARLOTTE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, tell us about the damage there at the hospitals. How extensive is it?
DREHER: Well, we're going back this morning. We had troops guarding it all night, thankfully, against looting, and we're going back this morning with some building contractors to assess the possible of reopening soon or if we're even going to be able to do that.
NGUYEN: So bad that you possibly may not even reopen all three hospitals?
DREHER: At this point it's so early we're not sure. Our hospital seems to be structurally sound. There was a lot of cosmetic damage obviously, but we're going to know more and be confirmed on that later this morning.
We're also going to have another briefing from the Emergency Contact Center this morning as well so, we'll know much more about our future on that. NGUYEN: Your crews there at the hospital obviously had some early warning. They transferred many of these patients to other hospitals. Kind of give us a behind the scenes look at what was happened at the time as Charley slammed into these hospitals.
DREHER: Well, I wasn't actually there. I was located at the emergency center so that I could relay information to them as I found it. I was sitting next to Wayne Salade (ph), the emergency commander. And once we saw on radar that it was coming our way I had about a half an hours notice to tell them what was going on. They had already had all the patients and staff on second and third floors interior hallways with the doors closed to any window rooms.
So, we had about a half an hour of just waiting, and once it hit I had lost all contact with them for about three hours. And then I was finally able to get a police escort over there so that I could help them, but for about three hour I wasn't sure what to expect.
NGUYEN: What a scary situation. As you look back in hindsight, any new measures you're going to put in place so that in the event anything like this happens again you're going to be a little more prepared?
DREHER: Actually we were very prepared. We started about a week before it happened. Being that we live in southwest Florida, we take these very seriously. We have patients under our care so we take it extra seriously. We had started our Code-7, Code Yellow, I'm sorry, Code Yellow disaster code early on.
About a week out started bringing linens, water, food, supplies in, started getting patients sent to sister hospitals inland and northward, and tried to cancel any elective surgeries in the next week at that point. And as the days grew nearer we just hunkered down and made final arrangements, checked all of our back up of oxygen and power generator sources, and just prayed.
NGUYEN: Exactly. All right, Daniel Dreher, public information director at Charlotte Regional Medical Center. We thank you for your time.
DREHER: Thank you.
Drew.
GRIFFIN: As we reported, President Bush at this hour in the air heading south planning to get a first hand look this morning at damage caused by Charley. We go to White House correspondent Elaine Quijano.
Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew. It was two days ago that President Bush declared Florida a major disaster area, paving the way for federal funding to help in the recovery efforts and the cleanup efforts going on there.
Now he will get the chance to survey the damage in Florida himself. The president left the White House here just a short time ago on route to Andrews Air Force Base and them moving on to Florida. On Friday, in addition to the disaster declaration, the president also offered his thoughts and prayers for those affected by Hurricane Charley even before the full extent of the damage was know.
Florida, a state where the president's brother Jeb sits as governor. The president is due to arrive in southwest Florida later this morning. He will take part in an aerial tour of the damage. He is also scheduled to meet with local authorities there on the ground in Charlotte County and receive a briefing from them on the damage, with the president making the decision to visit the hurricane ravaged areas. He will then return here to the White House.
Now as for his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, he is giving his full support, he says, to Governor Bush, the president's brother, as well as President Bush. He is also not planning a trip through tot he area. A spokeswoman for Senator Kerry saying that the campaign does not want to disrupt the recovery efforts or pull resources away from what is taking place there now -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you.
NGUYEN: Federal Emergency Management officials are working around the clock to get help to people cleaning up that mess in Florida. Denise Belgrave got a look at the operations first hand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPER)
DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA calls it he largest air operation ever from the continental United States. Tons of relief supplies are in route to Florida, bringing much needed help to areas hardest hit by Hurricane Charley.. .
FEMA has been tracking the storm for the past four days, so officials were ready when Florida asked for help
KEN BURRIS, FEMA REGIONAL DIRECTOR: We work with them closely to determine what their needs will be. They make the requests and then we work through removing those items that they requested from our territorial logistic centers and them move them to Florida.
BELGRAVE: Everything from supplies to manpower to logistics has been minutely planned at FEMA's disaster operations center. DC-17 cargo planes will carry pre-assembled shelter kits with blankets, cots, water and other essential relief supplies.
In addition, FEMA is sending what it calls initial response kits. They contain tarps and ladders, nails and generators and other things that residents will need immediacy to secure their homes. Two FEMA medical teams and two search and rescue teams are already on the ground, and 12 more are on the way.
Charley isn't the only emergency FEMA is responding to this week.
BURRIS: Right now we have 17 other disasters going on in this country, from floods to fires to anything else that you can probably imagine.
(on camera) Officials at FEMA say they were ready for Hurricane Charley, and they also say that they are ready for any other storms this hurricane season might bring.
Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And you want to stay close because FEMA's National Director Michael Brown joins us just ahead with an update of the agency's ongoing efforts in Florida.
GRIFFIN: The cameras love him, but while Tiger Woods captures much of the media's attention someone else stealing the show with the final major of the year. Plus it's Phelps, Phelps, Phelps, the Olympic swimmer's race with history We're going to tell you how he fared so far.
Also, battling addictions, a true fight to life over death. The subject of this morning's house call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta at 8:30 eastern.
CNN SUNDAY will be back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Checking out top stories this hour. President Bush set to announce a major troop reduction in deployment. Pentagon and administration officials say most of the troops are now posted in Europe and Asia. The move will not affect the troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.
One down, seven to go, swimmer Michael Phelps has given America its first Gold Medal in the Summer Olympics in Athens Greece. He's going for eight medals overall. American Natalie Coughlin has made it to the semifinals of her 100 meter back stroke.
Gutted buildings and lost lives, that's what residents of Punta Gorda are facing in the wake of Hurricane Charley. Charley killed at least 13 people across the state. It is now a tropical storm.
NGUYEN: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the scene in hurricane ravaged Florida. FEMA had tracked Charley's approach and had dispatched help and supplies even before the hurricane hit.
Joining us live from Ft. Myers Florida is FEMA director, Michael Brown. Good morning to you.
MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR. Good morning.
NGUYEN: Tell us a little bit about what FEMA is doing right now to assist those in need.
BROWN: Well, we're focused primarily on getting assistance as quickly as possible to all of the victims of this disaster, so our hearts go out to all of them. I also want to say thinks to all the first responders because, Betty, they're doing an incredible job of responding. We've got teams from all over the country here right now helping these folks.
NGUYEN: What kind of assistance are we talking about, basic necessities?
BROWN: Right now that's exactly what we're talking about. We're trying to get cots in here, meals ready to eat, shelter, blankets. We're getting all of the things, just the basics right now. So, these folks who are without homes have a place to sleep. Just the basic comforts they need right now. We're going to take care of that first.
NGUYEN: How many people are you looking to serve?
BROWN: Oh, we don't even know the number yet. But we're determined to serve everybody that needs it, whether they need medical help, whether they need just places to sleep, we're going to take care of every single one of them.
NGUYEN: And you have enough crews on scene to serve thousands if necessary?
BROWN, Yes we do. And in fact, I'm so proud of all of employees at FEMA. They have come from all over the country. As I landed this morning we just saw semi-trailer after semi-trailer with all of these supplies that have come in to help these individuals. And I can't wait to show the president that when he gets here, how FEMA has responded so well to this disaster.
NGUYEN: He'll be touring Ft. Myers today. Let's talk about the long term needs. What's being done about that because many folks have lost their homes, everything the own.
BROWN: They have, and what we're going to do is we're going to provide them with mortgage and rental assistance. We're going to provide them with some immediate places to live either near their home or someplace in the near vicinity. But we're going to make sure they have their housing needs taken care of.
And then we're going to start doing some long term recovery efforts. It's not only the individuals but the municipal governments. The state and local governments have suffered here, so we're going to help them rebuild that infrastructure also.
NGUYEN: Now this can be a long process. So for folks in need what kind of information do they need to bring to the table when they meet with FEMA's folks?
BROWN: They just need to make sure that we know how to get a hold of them. They can call that 800 number, 800-621-FEMA, 800-621- FEMA, get their information into the system and then we'll have the community response teams out trying to find them, locate them and then starting getting that assistance to them.
NGUYEN: Definitely a lot of need out there. FEMA Director Michael Brown, thank you.
BROWN: Thank you -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Here's a look at some other news across America. With Charley freest in our minds, what is next? Far out in the Atlantic the third hurricane of the season is Danielle, days away from any land. But also out there is tropical storm Earl. Now threatening islands in the eastern Caribbean Earl could become a hurricane as early as tomorrow.
In New Jersey the FBI reportedly investigating whether a former employee tried to blackmail Governor James McGreevey. Aides say the man accusing McGreevey of sexual harassment had pressured the governor to pay to settle things. Thursday McGreevey announced he's gay, had an extramarital affair and is resigning.
In northern California a wildfire has burned through the mountain community of French Gulch forcing nearly 125 residents to leave. The blaze broke out yesterday afternoon and quickly blew to more than 2500 acres. Fire officials say the blaze did destroy 22 structures including two businesses.
NGUYEN: Well, despite the 145 MPH winds, as you see here, some people still took a chance and headed into Hurricane Charley to shoot some video. We've got some remarkable pictures to show you, and the day after. We also have the latest on how the cleanup effort is going.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: We interviewed that fellow yesterday a hurricane hunter, he calls himself, who just goes into the eye of the storm and tries to capture that video.
NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on the day that Charley struck.
GRIFFIN: That is incredible stuff.
NGUYEN: That is dedication.
Well, heavy winds raked the historic town of Kitty Hawk yesterday, as Charley churned the North Carolina coast. The winds dropped trees and damaged several houses. Officials say it may have been a tornado at work.
And tot he south, more damage along the North Carolina coast.
GRIFFIN: The category-1 hurricane knocked out power at Wrightsville Beach, ripped off roofs at Ocean Isle. John Bachman (ph) of WTVD covered that storm.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Hurricane Charley whipped up trouble about lunch time. Strong wind knocked out power to Wrightsville Beach for hours. The storm packed an even bigger punch 40 miles down the coast at Ocean Isle.
CLYDE HUNT, HOMEOWNER: Just like opening a can of beans. It just peeled right back and blew over the top of the house out across the street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clyde Hunt watched from a house next door as wind ripped the roof off his house.
HUNT: It's a beautiful view of sorts, but I'd rather see the ceiling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says the gusts came out of nowhere at 80 miles and hour. His house was the hardest hit, but several homes in the area had damage. By early evening repair crews were already at work.
HUNT: We've enjoyed it down here for almost 40 years, and this is the first time we've really had major damage like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Wrightsville Beach right near Wilmington. They had winds at 82 miles an hour when that storm came over. That was John Bachman of WTVD.
NGUYEN: And Rob, what a difference a couple of days make.
(WEATHER REPORT)
NGUYEN: Pope John Paul makes an emotional visit to the shrine at Lourdes France, Sunday mass for the faithful. That is coming up. And also, you want to stay tuned to "HOUSE CALL" and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
GRIFFIN: Charley is just a tropical storm now. The former hurricane moving up the east coast off southern New England. It could be downgraded to just a tropical depression later today. Charley has killed 13 people in the widespread damage mostly in Florida.
Overseas, Pope John Paul II celebrated mass today at the famous French shrine, Our Lady of Lourdes. Worshipers believe the shrine has healing powers. In his remarks the ailing pontiff says he has special affection for the sick. He has been at Lourdes for two days.
Smoke rising over Baghdad. A series of mortar blasts there this morning. The explosions happened near the site of a national political conference. Iraqi officials say at least two people have died, 17 were hurt. The meeting to choose members of he interim government continues.
Keeping you informed, CNN the most trusted name in news. Weekend "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta beings right now.
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Aired August 15, 2004 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DREW GRIFFIN, CNN ANCHOR: The next hour of CNN SUNDAY MORNING begins right now.
The cleanup underway in Florida where it should return to the Sunshine State. We are going to show you how Florida is coping and where the storm is now It is 8 AM in Punta Gorda, Florida. From CNN Center here in Atlanta this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, and good morning to you. I'm Drew Griffin.
BETTY NGUYEN, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Betty Nguyen. It is Sunday August 15th.
Now in the news, President Bush is due in Florida today to see the devastation caused by Hurricane Charley. The killer storm has been blamed for at least 13 deaths in the state. Charley has been loosing steam since arriving yesterday in the Carolinas. It's now a weak tropical storm approaching Cape Cod. We'll have a live report from Punta Gorda. That's just ahead.
Also, even before Floridians can put Charley behind them, more trouble may be on the horizon. Daniel is now a hurricane and tropical storm Earl could become one by tomorrow. Both are still far out in the Atlantic, and at least several days posing any threats to any land.
In Baghdad Iraqi officials say one person was killed today by a mortar attack near the high security green zone, 17 others were wounded. The attack coincided with the opening session of the Iraqi National Conference. After a two week delay some 1500 Iraqi representatives gathered in the capital to begin choosing 100 advisers for the interim government.
The preceding was interrupted briefly by a coalition of Shiites demanding an end to the fighting in the Najaf.
Keeping you informed, CNN the most trusted name in news.
GRIFFIN: So much uncertainty for some many people in the wake of Hurricane Charley. Many in Florida face the difficult task of starting over from scratch. Crews still searching for victims and survivors there. But the downed power lines and debris making their progress slow. We know that 13 people are confirmed dead. Our Ed Lavandera is in Punta Gorda this morning -- Ed.
ED LAVANDERA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Drew, we're here in the main street of the Punta Gorda town, and we're starting to see a lot of activity. There had been a curfew in place until about 7 o'clock this morning. That has been lifted and we're starting to see a lot more activity here as the crews begin their work day.
We just had a couple of Coast Guard choppers fly over head. I've actually lost them as we started here Drew, so I apologize for that. But we've seen a lot more trucks starting to move in. As you can tell, there's a lot of debris that needs to be cleaned up in this town. This is Charlotte County, one of 16 counties in the state of Florida that will be qualifying for federal disaster relief money.
That has already been put in place. The mechanisms for that have already started pouring in, as we've seen trucks moving through here that will help rebuild the power lines and start cleaning up the homes. We also know that people have also been, for the first time over the last 24 hours or so, starting to get back into their homes and trying to see what is left, and what it is exactly that they need to clean up.
Of course, this area also preparing for a presidential visit this morning. President Bush will be arriving here shortly doing an aerial tour of the area as well as doing a ground tour here of the Punta Gorda area and will also be meeting with the Emergency Management officials that have been working on the ground here. Not just since Friday when this hurricane struck, but in the days before that planning the evacuation orders and everything that went into place and trying to protect as many people as possible.
Thirteen people statewide were killed by Hurricane Charley, four in Charlotte County in this area alone. Again, the officials say that all of those deaths can be directly attributed to the hurricane.
Now officials still haven't been able to tabulate exactly just how much total damage Hurricane Charley has caused, but you can rest assured that it will be in the tens of millions if not the hundreds of millions of dollars and there are still a lot of people without power and water and telephone service and this area is spotty. So, there's still a lot of work that needs to be done here today -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Ed, thanks.
Chad Myers is also in Punta Gorda and he decided to do -- he interviewed a couple that was riding the storm out and talked with them as they surveyed what's left of their condo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHAD MYERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: What did it sound like?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Like a train going through. And we had...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Everything shook.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, the whole building shook.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And it was just devastating.
MYERS: Were you scared?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
MYERS: I mean, obviously a very emotional time, but I mean, how long did it last?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, for me it felt like -- well, for five minutes -- five minutes, 10 minutes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was 15 to 20 minutes, real bad storm for maybe 10, 15 minutes.
MYERS: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And then when the storm passed through or tornado, whatever it was, and it subsided a little bit...
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Then the sun came out.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then the sun came out.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Two of the lucky ones there. Officials say many people are still missing.
NGUYEN: The three hospitals in Charlotte County sustained significant damage. That damage was so extensive patients had to be evacuated to other facilities along Florida's west coast. We want to find out how things stand today. For that we want to go to Danielle Dreher. She's public information director at Charlotte Regional Medical Center.
Good morning to you.
DANIELLE DREHER, CHARLOTTE REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTER: Good morning.
NGUYEN: Well, tell us about the damage there at the hospitals. How extensive is it?
DREHER: Well, we're going back this morning. We had troops guarding it all night, thankfully, against looting, and we're going back this morning with some building contractors to assess the possible of reopening soon or if we're even going to be able to do that.
NGUYEN: So bad that you possibly may not even reopen all three hospitals?
DREHER: At this point it's so early we're not sure. Our hospital seems to be structurally sound. There was a lot of cosmetic damage obviously, but we're going to know more and be confirmed on that later this morning.
We're also going to have another briefing from the Emergency Contact Center this morning as well so, we'll know much more about our future on that. NGUYEN: Your crews there at the hospital obviously had some early warning. They transferred many of these patients to other hospitals. Kind of give us a behind the scenes look at what was happened at the time as Charley slammed into these hospitals.
DREHER: Well, I wasn't actually there. I was located at the emergency center so that I could relay information to them as I found it. I was sitting next to Wayne Salade (ph), the emergency commander. And once we saw on radar that it was coming our way I had about a half an hours notice to tell them what was going on. They had already had all the patients and staff on second and third floors interior hallways with the doors closed to any window rooms.
So, we had about a half an hour of just waiting, and once it hit I had lost all contact with them for about three hours. And then I was finally able to get a police escort over there so that I could help them, but for about three hour I wasn't sure what to expect.
NGUYEN: What a scary situation. As you look back in hindsight, any new measures you're going to put in place so that in the event anything like this happens again you're going to be a little more prepared?
DREHER: Actually we were very prepared. We started about a week before it happened. Being that we live in southwest Florida, we take these very seriously. We have patients under our care so we take it extra seriously. We had started our Code-7, Code Yellow, I'm sorry, Code Yellow disaster code early on.
About a week out started bringing linens, water, food, supplies in, started getting patients sent to sister hospitals inland and northward, and tried to cancel any elective surgeries in the next week at that point. And as the days grew nearer we just hunkered down and made final arrangements, checked all of our back up of oxygen and power generator sources, and just prayed.
NGUYEN: Exactly. All right, Daniel Dreher, public information director at Charlotte Regional Medical Center. We thank you for your time.
DREHER: Thank you.
Drew.
GRIFFIN: As we reported, President Bush at this hour in the air heading south planning to get a first hand look this morning at damage caused by Charley. We go to White House correspondent Elaine Quijano.
Elaine.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Drew. It was two days ago that President Bush declared Florida a major disaster area, paving the way for federal funding to help in the recovery efforts and the cleanup efforts going on there.
Now he will get the chance to survey the damage in Florida himself. The president left the White House here just a short time ago on route to Andrews Air Force Base and them moving on to Florida. On Friday, in addition to the disaster declaration, the president also offered his thoughts and prayers for those affected by Hurricane Charley even before the full extent of the damage was know.
Florida, a state where the president's brother Jeb sits as governor. The president is due to arrive in southwest Florida later this morning. He will take part in an aerial tour of the damage. He is also scheduled to meet with local authorities there on the ground in Charlotte County and receive a briefing from them on the damage, with the president making the decision to visit the hurricane ravaged areas. He will then return here to the White House.
Now as for his Democratic challenger, John Kerry, he is giving his full support, he says, to Governor Bush, the president's brother, as well as President Bush. He is also not planning a trip through tot he area. A spokeswoman for Senator Kerry saying that the campaign does not want to disrupt the recovery efforts or pull resources away from what is taking place there now -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Elaine Quijano at the White House, thank you.
NGUYEN: Federal Emergency Management officials are working around the clock to get help to people cleaning up that mess in Florida. Denise Belgrave got a look at the operations first hand.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPER)
DENISE BELGRAVE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The Federal Emergency Management Agency or FEMA calls it he largest air operation ever from the continental United States. Tons of relief supplies are in route to Florida, bringing much needed help to areas hardest hit by Hurricane Charley.. .
FEMA has been tracking the storm for the past four days, so officials were ready when Florida asked for help
KEN BURRIS, FEMA REGIONAL DIRECTOR: We work with them closely to determine what their needs will be. They make the requests and then we work through removing those items that they requested from our territorial logistic centers and them move them to Florida.
BELGRAVE: Everything from supplies to manpower to logistics has been minutely planned at FEMA's disaster operations center. DC-17 cargo planes will carry pre-assembled shelter kits with blankets, cots, water and other essential relief supplies.
In addition, FEMA is sending what it calls initial response kits. They contain tarps and ladders, nails and generators and other things that residents will need immediacy to secure their homes. Two FEMA medical teams and two search and rescue teams are already on the ground, and 12 more are on the way.
Charley isn't the only emergency FEMA is responding to this week.
BURRIS: Right now we have 17 other disasters going on in this country, from floods to fires to anything else that you can probably imagine.
(on camera) Officials at FEMA say they were ready for Hurricane Charley, and they also say that they are ready for any other storms this hurricane season might bring.
Denise Belgrave, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NGUYEN: And you want to stay close because FEMA's National Director Michael Brown joins us just ahead with an update of the agency's ongoing efforts in Florida.
GRIFFIN: The cameras love him, but while Tiger Woods captures much of the media's attention someone else stealing the show with the final major of the year. Plus it's Phelps, Phelps, Phelps, the Olympic swimmer's race with history We're going to tell you how he fared so far.
Also, battling addictions, a true fight to life over death. The subject of this morning's house call with Dr. Sanjay Gupta at 8:30 eastern.
CNN SUNDAY will be back.
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GRIFFIN: Checking out top stories this hour. President Bush set to announce a major troop reduction in deployment. Pentagon and administration officials say most of the troops are now posted in Europe and Asia. The move will not affect the troops in Iraq or Afghanistan.
One down, seven to go, swimmer Michael Phelps has given America its first Gold Medal in the Summer Olympics in Athens Greece. He's going for eight medals overall. American Natalie Coughlin has made it to the semifinals of her 100 meter back stroke.
Gutted buildings and lost lives, that's what residents of Punta Gorda are facing in the wake of Hurricane Charley. Charley killed at least 13 people across the state. It is now a tropical storm.
NGUYEN: The Federal Emergency Management Agency is on the scene in hurricane ravaged Florida. FEMA had tracked Charley's approach and had dispatched help and supplies even before the hurricane hit.
Joining us live from Ft. Myers Florida is FEMA director, Michael Brown. Good morning to you.
MICHAEL BROWN, FEMA DIRECTOR. Good morning.
NGUYEN: Tell us a little bit about what FEMA is doing right now to assist those in need.
BROWN: Well, we're focused primarily on getting assistance as quickly as possible to all of the victims of this disaster, so our hearts go out to all of them. I also want to say thinks to all the first responders because, Betty, they're doing an incredible job of responding. We've got teams from all over the country here right now helping these folks.
NGUYEN: What kind of assistance are we talking about, basic necessities?
BROWN: Right now that's exactly what we're talking about. We're trying to get cots in here, meals ready to eat, shelter, blankets. We're getting all of the things, just the basics right now. So, these folks who are without homes have a place to sleep. Just the basic comforts they need right now. We're going to take care of that first.
NGUYEN: How many people are you looking to serve?
BROWN: Oh, we don't even know the number yet. But we're determined to serve everybody that needs it, whether they need medical help, whether they need just places to sleep, we're going to take care of every single one of them.
NGUYEN: And you have enough crews on scene to serve thousands if necessary?
BROWN, Yes we do. And in fact, I'm so proud of all of employees at FEMA. They have come from all over the country. As I landed this morning we just saw semi-trailer after semi-trailer with all of these supplies that have come in to help these individuals. And I can't wait to show the president that when he gets here, how FEMA has responded so well to this disaster.
NGUYEN: He'll be touring Ft. Myers today. Let's talk about the long term needs. What's being done about that because many folks have lost their homes, everything the own.
BROWN: They have, and what we're going to do is we're going to provide them with mortgage and rental assistance. We're going to provide them with some immediate places to live either near their home or someplace in the near vicinity. But we're going to make sure they have their housing needs taken care of.
And then we're going to start doing some long term recovery efforts. It's not only the individuals but the municipal governments. The state and local governments have suffered here, so we're going to help them rebuild that infrastructure also.
NGUYEN: Now this can be a long process. So for folks in need what kind of information do they need to bring to the table when they meet with FEMA's folks?
BROWN: They just need to make sure that we know how to get a hold of them. They can call that 800 number, 800-621-FEMA, 800-621- FEMA, get their information into the system and then we'll have the community response teams out trying to find them, locate them and then starting getting that assistance to them.
NGUYEN: Definitely a lot of need out there. FEMA Director Michael Brown, thank you.
BROWN: Thank you -- Drew.
GRIFFIN: Here's a look at some other news across America. With Charley freest in our minds, what is next? Far out in the Atlantic the third hurricane of the season is Danielle, days away from any land. But also out there is tropical storm Earl. Now threatening islands in the eastern Caribbean Earl could become a hurricane as early as tomorrow.
In New Jersey the FBI reportedly investigating whether a former employee tried to blackmail Governor James McGreevey. Aides say the man accusing McGreevey of sexual harassment had pressured the governor to pay to settle things. Thursday McGreevey announced he's gay, had an extramarital affair and is resigning.
In northern California a wildfire has burned through the mountain community of French Gulch forcing nearly 125 residents to leave. The blaze broke out yesterday afternoon and quickly blew to more than 2500 acres. Fire officials say the blaze did destroy 22 structures including two businesses.
NGUYEN: Well, despite the 145 MPH winds, as you see here, some people still took a chance and headed into Hurricane Charley to shoot some video. We've got some remarkable pictures to show you, and the day after. We also have the latest on how the cleanup effort is going.
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GRIFFIN: We interviewed that fellow yesterday a hurricane hunter, he calls himself, who just goes into the eye of the storm and tries to capture that video.
NGUYEN: (UNINTELLIGIBLE) on the day that Charley struck.
GRIFFIN: That is incredible stuff.
NGUYEN: That is dedication.
Well, heavy winds raked the historic town of Kitty Hawk yesterday, as Charley churned the North Carolina coast. The winds dropped trees and damaged several houses. Officials say it may have been a tornado at work.
And tot he south, more damage along the North Carolina coast.
GRIFFIN: The category-1 hurricane knocked out power at Wrightsville Beach, ripped off roofs at Ocean Isle. John Bachman (ph) of WTVD covered that storm.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE (voice-over): Hurricane Charley whipped up trouble about lunch time. Strong wind knocked out power to Wrightsville Beach for hours. The storm packed an even bigger punch 40 miles down the coast at Ocean Isle.
CLYDE HUNT, HOMEOWNER: Just like opening a can of beans. It just peeled right back and blew over the top of the house out across the street.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Clyde Hunt watched from a house next door as wind ripped the roof off his house.
HUNT: It's a beautiful view of sorts, but I'd rather see the ceiling.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He says the gusts came out of nowhere at 80 miles and hour. His house was the hardest hit, but several homes in the area had damage. By early evening repair crews were already at work.
HUNT: We've enjoyed it down here for almost 40 years, and this is the first time we've really had major damage like this.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GRIFFIN: Wrightsville Beach right near Wilmington. They had winds at 82 miles an hour when that storm came over. That was John Bachman of WTVD.
NGUYEN: And Rob, what a difference a couple of days make.
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NGUYEN: Pope John Paul makes an emotional visit to the shrine at Lourdes France, Sunday mass for the faithful. That is coming up. And also, you want to stay tuned to "HOUSE CALL" and Dr. Sanjay Gupta.
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GRIFFIN: Charley is just a tropical storm now. The former hurricane moving up the east coast off southern New England. It could be downgraded to just a tropical depression later today. Charley has killed 13 people in the widespread damage mostly in Florida.
Overseas, Pope John Paul II celebrated mass today at the famous French shrine, Our Lady of Lourdes. Worshipers believe the shrine has healing powers. In his remarks the ailing pontiff says he has special affection for the sick. He has been at Lourdes for two days.
Smoke rising over Baghdad. A series of mortar blasts there this morning. The explosions happened near the site of a national political conference. Iraqi officials say at least two people have died, 17 were hurt. The meeting to choose members of he interim government continues.
Keeping you informed, CNN the most trusted name in news. Weekend "HOUSE CALL" with Dr. Sanjay Gupta beings right now.
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