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CNN Sunday Morning

Tornado Destroys Oklahoma Town; U.S. Aid Finally Trickles Into Myanmar

Aired May 11, 2008 - 07:00   ET

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

BETTY NGUYEN, CO-HOST: From the CNN Center here in Atlanta, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING. Happy Mother's Day on this May 11th. I'm Betty Nguyen.
T.J. HOLMES, CO-HOST: And good morning to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes in the severe weather center where we are tracking a destructive storm system this morning.

A live picture this morning for you out of Picher, Oklahoma. This town has been torn apart by a tornado. More than 100 people are hurt, several people missing this morning as well.

NGUYEN: US aid is trickling into Myanmar more than a week after a devastating cyclone. And right now, the aircraft carrier, USS Essex is steaming towards to the region with humanitarian supplies.

HOLMES: But we do want to start with those deadly storms. They are now threatening the southeast. Parts of Oklahoma and Missouri littered with debris this morning. Tornadoes and strong thunderstorms are being blamed for 19 deaths. But that number could rise. Seven people killed in northeast Oklahoma, meanwhile, in Missouri 12 victims in three counties.

Here's now a look at what it looked like in southwestern Missouri. Ten of the fatalities come from one community near where this video was shot. This is where it's seen Tornadoes cut a 12-mile path through this area, emergency workers spent part of the night assisting through the debris. They were looking for victims, and certainly, hoping to find survivors as well.

NGUYEN: All right. I want to talk about the same story though, but in northeast Oklahoma. Look at this live picture. Not much left. These pictures from Picher, Oklahoma where seven people were killed, 150 injured, and many more may still be missing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: How many homes just on top of your head?

LT. GEORGE BROWN, OKLAHOMA HIGHWAY PATROL: You know, we've been told that the residential area of Picher is about 300 to 350 homes. My estimation from the north side is at least half that. So, I'm not yet been able to go on the other side and get an eye on that damage yet, but the complete north and east side of Picher is pretty much demolished. (END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: All right. Take a look at this video. You can see the destruction that he's talking about -- cars, trucks just tossed about, trees splintered, homes wrecked. Firefighters from surrounding towns helped search through that rubble overnight. Oklahoma's governor says a major emergency operation is underway and he is going to tour the area today.

Plus, this is the scene a little further south in Oklahoma. Homes and businesses badly damaged, but no reported deaths.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we freaked out. So, my husband slammed the van in reverse and we started reversing, and then we stopped and watched it go through and we got here and it hit the trailer and I ran up here looking and yelling and screaming for my dad. So, I thought he was still here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: Residents are assisting through the damage this morning.

HOLMES: All right. Here now in the weather center, Karen Maginnis, keeping an eye on all this stuff. We got some colorful maps which is not a good thing.

Ever since I've been over here, you have been circling and writing. And watches and warning stuff is puffing this morning.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: It certainly has. We've got a number of tornado warnings. They're Doppler-indicated tornado warnings. And we have a number of watches also out for much of the southeast.

I want to go ahead and show you a picture out of Picher, Oklahoma. You heard there were fatalities out of that area. A live picture right now -- look at the devastation. We saw this extreme line of embedded super cells that moved across that region.

I want to go to the big board right now and show you what's going on. Most of this is occurring now in Georgia and also into South Carolina. This has been quite a ferocious line that has moved through fairly quickly. It's moving off towards the east of between 60 and 65 miles an hour.

What were you looking at? It was central Georgia. Atlanta looks to be out of the clear just in the last couple of frames but we did see that fierce lightning and roads were very dangerous. Right now, that tornado watch goes until 10:00 a.m. -- that is for Georgia. Portions of Alabama --9:00 a.m., their local time. But that's getting whittled away as we speak.

Further to the south, we also have another tornado watch. It goes until 1:00 p.m. Do we have warnings that have been issued for a number of these areas? Yes. They have been Doppler radar indicated. We don't have any reports of specific tornadoes that have been reported on the ground, but this morning it has been very volatile and this is the severe risk area that we're looking at for extreme weather.

In this area from North Carolina through much of South Carolina and then across much of Georgia, we could expect large hail, deadly lightning. It's quite fierce. Also, the potential for tornadoes. In the outlying areas where you see the orange, that's where we're looking at a slighter risk.

Now, I'll be back in just about 15 minutes, we'll bring you another update and show you the latest of what's going on -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Karen, thank you for the update. We will see you here shortly.

Tornadoes also ripped across southeast Arkansas last night. A house and a store flattened. Number of cars flipped. Several people had to be rescued after flying debris trapped them inside some buildings. No serious injuries to be reported here just yet. The winds crumpled sheet metal like papers, snapped trees, and almost 4,000 people have lost power.

Also, high winds hit a nursing home head on; we're told those inside just barely escaped.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We got the residence out just in the nick of time. By the time we got the last resident out, the door flew open and the glass was every where. The lights went out and we just ducked. We couldn't do nothing. We were just scared -- scared. I was scared to death.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: And there's so much damage that the nursing home has to find other places for the residents to stay.

But it has been a particularly tough weather year for Arkansas. Tornadoes killed 13 people there February 5th; killed seven on May 2nd, yes, that was just a week ago.

Baptist Minister Steven Stephens lost his church in Damascus, lost his home as well and last weekend's twister.

Sir, I can believe you're having to join us once again here on CNN to talk about tornadoes hitting your area. What was it like this time around?

STEVEN STEPHENS, PASTOR, SOUTHSIDE BAPTIST CHURCH (through phone): Well, we were in Little Rock and we were purchasing items that we had lost in the first tornado and we heard reports of tornadoes hitting in our area, and we just couldn't believe it was possibly happening again. HOLMES: Sir, how has your members of your congregation been affected a second time around where some that were spared in last week's storms, were they not so lucky this time around?

STEPHENS: Well, as we got into the area, we don't feel a tornado touched down here but there was some straight line winds that did knock some shingles off some buildings. There was some wind damage. But we were spared, really, a direct hit by anything last night, but the community of Bee Branch, which you just talked about, they were hit pretty severely.

But we were all right pretty much. Just a lot of straight line winds and just lot of possibly reliving what we went through before. We're OK.

HOLMES: Well, sir, people there in Arkansas know, I grew up in Arkansas, we all know that tornadoes, severe weather is just a part of it. Nobody, though, is used to and accustomed to getting hit and getting, I guess, back-to-back storms like this, if you will. Tell me just what your thoughts are about two near misses, of course, a hit last week, of course, lives were spared, but you had a lot of damage, a church was lost, your home was lost. I mean, just tell me your thoughts on just back-to-back weekends being targeted like this by this type of severe weather.

STEPHENS: Well, my wife and I, we were almost in tears, saying surely it can't happen again. We were just concerned about losing everything that we had just got together, setting up housekeeping and in the little community of Bee Branch, when we just heard about it, that's what we heard over the news that a tornado went through the south side area, hit the school and the community of Bee Branch. When we got up here we found that there were some wind damage but it wasn't anything like before. But just the idea that possibly going through it again, we just couldn't imagine that.

HOLMES: And, sir, to wrap up here, your congregation. Tell me, of course, you had to minister to them after last week's storms, after deaths, after so much destruction, and here they are again...

STEPHENS: Yes.

HOLMES: To having to do it again. I guess, what are the words you put together and to comfort people? You yourself could use some comforting right about now, you and your family. But still, tell me how are you going to go about? What is going to be the message to your congregation now?

STEPHENS: Well, of course, we don't have our sanctuary and our house of worship to meet in. We'll meet in a local school auditorium.

But we're just going to try our best to get back to doing the things the church does and worshipping, but also ministering to the people around us, and it's going to be just a message of, hopefully, encouragement and realizing now that there are other people that we can sympathize with because they're going through what we went through last week. So we're going to do our best, instead of absorbing all the help, we're going to do our best to try and help others. And that's what we do as a church.

HOLMES: Well, Pastor Stevens, that is a wonderful message to hear. We can hear it in your voice. You and your family, your congregation and your community there has been through a lot. We appreciate you taking the time with us. And we certainly hope that we can talk to you sometime soon down the road under happier times. But thank you so much, Pastor Stephens.

STEPHENS: Thank you. Bye.

HOLMES: And we will continue to follow this story and the storms and, of course, we have severe weather happening still in the southeastern part of this country, as you can see in our map down there. Karen Maginnis is on that for us. She'll continue to update us about the watches and warnings -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. T.J., I'm here at our international desk where you see people are working very hard at this hour to try to get information to us, specifically about Myanmar and the situation there, because there are new developments that we want to tell you about this morning.

The U.N. has been able to get several trucks into the region, full of aid. Now, the first U.S. flight filled with shelter equipment is supposed to arrive there on Monday. It will be turned over to Myanmar's military government though, and CNN has learned that the U.S. hopes to send two more planes by Tuesday.

But right now, state radio says there are 22,000 dead. But the U.N. and aid ages say that number is probably closer to 100,000. As many as 1 million people were left homeless.

And CNN's Sara Sidner is in Bangkok this morning. She's keeping an eye on the situation there. What do you know about the aid coming into Myanmar from where you're standing, Sara?

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, first of all we're in actually Pattaya, Thailand. We're close to a military base. We spent the day on a Thai military base where the U.S. military is being able to have its operations there as it gets ready to go into Myanmar.

What we spent the day doing is seeing exactly what items will end up in the C-130 which can take in about 42,000 pounds of goods into Myanmar and then drop them off. We saw things like, like you said, shelter equipment, things like plastic sheeting, nails. They are bringing in 12,000 pounds of water. They're bringing in thousands of blankets. Those were the things the military government in Myanmar had actually requested the U.S. military is obliging.

They are making this point though. There are conditions as to how this aid will get to the people, and the conditions are that the U.S. military has agreed with Myanmar that it will fly in to Yangon airport. It will drop-off these items and let the military junta in Myanmar take over from there and distribute these items. And that, of course, has been a point of contention between many international aid agencies as well as other foreign governments wondering if that aid is actually getting to the people who need it most.

But, this is really, according to the military, also a trust building mission. Hoping that when they bring this in and hand these items over, that the military junta in Myanmar will see that the U.S. is serious about simply helping the people who have dealt with a real terrible situation, a deadly one for sure and more deaths are expected if more aid isn't delivered to the people who need it most.

We also know that there are other flights that have been approved. We were told today that two more flights will go out on Tuesday if everything stays the same, the Myanmar government has approved two more U.S. flights into Myanmar and that's the latest from here in Pattaya, Thailand -- Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, Sara, you say it's a trust issue and indeed it is. But the U.S. is also moving forward, because I understand, a U.S. aircraft carrier is headed that way?

SIDNER: USS Essex is (INAUDIBLE) and it's headed towards Myanmar. It's about two to three days out. And again, it's an aid mission and they're really trying to make that point that look we are going because we want to help the people of Myanmar. We want to be able to use all of our forces to help Myanmar out, to help the people of Myanmar out, trying to really get the government to understand that in Myanmar.

And that is the latest and the hope here in Pattaya, Thailand -- Betty.

NGUYEN: All right. Sara Sidner joining us live. Thank you, Sara for that -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Betty. Thank you. And we know you out there, a lot of you want to help. And at CNN.com, we have a special page on the devastation in Myanmar, complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help for that region. It's the chance for you to Impact Your World. Again, go to CNN.com/impact.

We need to let you know that we are continuing to follow that severe weather that's hitting parts of the country, the southeast, specifically, right now in the U.S. after 19 were killed in some parts of the country and storms last night. That storm system is still moving, still has some parts of the country under the gun, a lot of watches and warnings puffing.

Our Karen Maginnis is in the weather center. She's keeping an eye on it. We'll continue to get the updates from her.

Also: It's Mother's Day and yes it's Mother's Day in Iraq as well. After (INAUDIBLE), the manicures, pedicures and facials -- female troops get a chance to pamper themselves. We'll talk with the woman behind "Spa for a Day" campaign.

Also: It's official. The president's daughter has tied the knot. As you can see from this video we have down, yes. It's happening down in there. NGUYEN: It's some kind of a ceremony.

HOLMES: Yes, obviously we weren't allowed in. But hey, we got these great shots here, Betty. We have more on this very private ceremony right after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN: Your severe weather headquarters.

MAGINNIS: Well, good morning, everyone. We start the day out with quite a bit of activity. It's focused primarily across central and southern Georgia with the outbreak of severe weather. Right now, there's a tornado warning across Jenkins County in southern Georgia, also, Screven County. Those were at southeastern Georgia. They go until 8:00 o'clock. So, we've got just less than 45 minutes.

We've got this embedded line of severe thunderstorms moving off towards the east between 60 and about 60 miles an hour. There you can see on your screen the tornado warning and the counties that are involved but also with the tornado warnings, we also have the severe thunderstorm warning that goes until 8:15. What this means, a tornado warning means that the Doppler radar has indicated there's some rotation.

We don't have any reports of anything on the ground. But, T.J., we keep everybody informed on this. Back to you and Betty right now.

HOLMES: All right, Karen. We appreciate you this morning. A lot going on in the weather center.

NGUYEN: A lot going on elsewhere, too, because just married. Can we hear the music or something? There we go.

First daughter Jenna Bush and her long time boyfriend, Henry Hager tied the knot during a sunset ceremony yesterday.

HOLMES: And we are told because we don't know. We weren't allowed in. That it was a relatively low key affair. Elaine Quijano is in Crawford, Texas, with as much of a scoop as we can get.

Good morning to you, Elaine.

ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, T. J. and Betty.

Well, you know, this event was essentially, hermetically sealed off from the media, so I want to let you know, we're still waiting on some sort of official read out. But the word from the White House that Henry and Jenna have said "I do" came down about 9:30 Eastern Time, 8:30 local time, about an hour before the ceremony itself was slated to begin. And as expected, no real details released. It was just basically one line saying Jenna and Henry have said "I do."

Now, just about an hour or so, before the ceremony itself, we saw various buses including that one, I believe, up there pulling up to the checkpoint at the Bush Ranch. That was carrying the attendants, the wedding party attendants. That one, you see the "T" there, the "Super T," that's the entertainment, very important that they get in, of course, the Tyrone Smith Revue, a 10-piece band. And then finally, we've got the caravan of guests. The extended Bush family here coming through the checkpoint, the extended Bush family and friends, as well, coming through on four buses.

Very difficult, of course, to get any kind of visuals but let me sort of paint a picture for you here. Jenna and Henry exchanged their wedding vows before a Texas limestone cross and altar. There was dinner and dancing underneath that tent there. I know it's hard to see but certainly you can be assured there's plenty of music coming out of that tent.

It's a very interesting perspective to see that shot, you can't tell just how vast the Bush Ranch, but it's 1,600 acres, a gorgeous sunset wedding there. You saw the sunset, that video taken just a little bit after, I believe, the ceremony itself, but certainly, a lot of music could be heard. I think that we heard the strains of celebration among other songs there. But as they pull back enough, you can see just how far away we were.

Again, this is an event we're not really expecting to get any real video of, but the White House is promising a photo at some point today and President Bush and Mrs. Bush are expected to comment on camera to reporters about all of this, including some Mother's Day greetings as well. They're planning to leave Texas for Washington about midday and we hope to have a little bit more information on how everything went last night at that point -- T.J. and Betty.

NGUYEN: Well, it looks like it went off without a hitch. No major problems in the weather department for that ceremony. Little question though here for you. Where do they go now? Where are they honeymooning, you know?

QUIJANO: You know, there are rumors that perhaps they might be off to Europe, but the White House would not comment on that yesterday. We know that, of course, there's already a house that's been purchased in Baltimore.

Jenna Bush is going to be going on her book tour. She has a book, "Ana's Story." Also, she'll be returning to her teaching, we understand, and there will be living, hopefully, they hope an anonymous, relatively anonymous life in a neighborhood in Baltimore. But...

NGUYEN: Sure they will.

QUIJANO: Certainly, they wanted to maintain their privacy, because, another thing as they feel very rooted, Jenna and her father, of course, they're very rooted to this area. It is a beautiful area, I have to tell you. We went out for a drive yesterday and I saw that vantage point that you saw over there, just a spectacular breathtaking view, certainly very easy to see why she wanted this as a setting for her ceremony. NGUYEN: No doubt. All right, Elaine Quijano, thank you.

HOLMES: And also this morning, a major emergency operation underway right now.

NGUYEN: Responding to the deadly storms in Oklahoma and Missouri. And just minutes as we hope to take you to Picher, Oklahoma, where people are still missing at this hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Well, on the campaign trail today, Hillary Clinton superdelegate lead shrink to just one.

HOLMES: As Barack Obama picked up the support of four party leaders over the past couple of days. Senator Clinton meanwhile picked up the votes of two superdelegates but she lost one to Senator Obama. So that brings Clinton's superdelegate totals to 273 and Obama at 272.

We get the latest now on the race from CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser. He is with the Election Express in Charleston, West Virginia.

Paul, everything else about this race has been close. We might as well have the superdelegate race as close as one now.

PAUL STEINHAUSER, CNN DEPUTY POLITICAL DIRECTOR: Exactly. You know, it could come down the superdelegates. It probably will because neither Clinton nor Obama is probably going to clinch the 2,025 delegates needed to win the Democratic convention by the end of primary process on June 3rd. So, it's going to come down to these superdelegates, these Democratic-elected governors, members of Congress, party officials to put one of these candidates over top.

Barack Obama was asked about his superdelegate status and how he's moving close to Hillary Clinton. He was asked about it yesterday in Oregon and here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's an encouraging sign that our campaign is making progress and that superdelegates are moving in our direction. That they think I can be a strong candidate in the general election, that they are looking forward to resolving this contest as soon as we can, so we can pivot and start talking about John McCain and the general election, and our positive unified vision for where we want to take the country.

So, you know, ultimately, though, you know, what I'm going to be spending most of my time doing is looking for the support not of superdelegates but of voters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEINHAUSER: And we've also learned that come Tuesday, he's going to be reaching out to voters in Missouri. And this is interesting because Missouri has already had its primary. But Missouri is one of those so-called battleground states to both Democrats and Republicans would dearly love to have come November. So, T.J., maybe Barack Obama is already looking ahead to the general election.

HOLMES: Well, there is no question if he's focusing on Missouri. He is definitely making a switch in turning to general election mode. Put things in perspective for our viewers, for people out there about West Virginia Tuesday's primary. We keep hearing how big of a lead Hillary Clinton has there. Just how relevance is it?

STEINHAUSER: She's got a huge lead here, first of all. I mean, over 40 points in some of the public opinion surveys out here, but only 28 delegates at stake in this state. And with the demographics being very working class, you know, she is expected to do very well. Barack Obama is only going to spend one event here on Monday. He's really not spending a lot of time in the state.

So, a big win for her probably on Tuesday but it won't, in the end, do that much for her campaign. The odds are still pretty long for her. She's here today with daughter Chelsea. They're spending Mother's Day together, campaigning right here in West Virginia, T.J.

HOLMES: All right, Paul Steinhauser, for us there in West Virginia as well. Paul, we appreciate you. We'll see you a little later on.

And as Paul is mentioning there, West Virginia that primary is up next for the Democrats. And be sure you joined the best political team on television for complete coverage Tuesday, starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN: Your home for politics.

NGUYEN: We want to get you more on those deadly storms. Nineteen people killed in two states, that being Missouri and Oklahoma, as twisters touched down yesterday. We've been talking about the severe weather.

So, let's take you now to Oklahoma -- Picher, Oklahoma, to be exact. That's one of the hardest hit areas. And with the Emergency Management Office there, we have Michelann Ooten.

Michelann, thanks for being with us today. I'm looking at the damage behind you, my goodness. Did you see this tornado as it came through your town?

MICHELANN OOTEN, OKLA. DEPT. OF EMERG. MANAGEMENT: Well, I wasn't here at that time. I reported in here late last night. But certainly the sunlight coming in, this is the story this morning for a lot of people. This is their first glimpse at the full weight of the damage here.

NGUYEN: I understand there's been seven people reported dead in your county there of Ottawa, Oklahoma. What do you know about the missing and the injured? OOTEN: Well, we do have some missing. We don't know exactly how many at this point, but we're continuing to get reports from, of course, loved ones and friends who can't account for their family members. So, we're continuing to receive those reports and we'll continue to work those reports today. But we do have search and rescue teams that arrived here this morning and they'll be out assisting the local officials, as we do, and even more comprehensive search today.

NGUYEN: So, you don't know at this hour, how many people are missing, but you definitely had calls in of people saying -- you know what, I can't find my loved one?

OOTEN: Exactly. People who called in and said they were able to see their loved one shortly before the tornado hit and now they can't locate that person. And additionally, we have about 150 people who were injured in this tornado yesterday. I think about 30 of those remain in the hospital.

NGUYEN: One hundred fifty injured, at least seven killed at this hour, and unknown number of people missing. And just looking at the debris behind you, I mean, you work with Emergency Management Office, you deal with disasters and crisis situations. I'm sure that you've been through many of the areas that you're looking at today. Do you even recognize?

OOTEN: This is a tough one. This is really difficult to see. People's lives strewn about and to know how many people lost their lives here.

NGUYEN: How about you, do you live in that town? Have you sustained any damage at your home?

OOTEN: I don't live here. But I do know, there are so many homes behind me and as you can see, in some cases there's a little bit of shingle damage. In other cases, the entire roof is gone. In other cases, we've got a collapsed home and still in a few other situations, you have nothing left but the slab of that home.

NGUYEN: Talk to me about where you are since we're not familiar with that. Where you're standing, what used to be behind you and how much damage there is, you know, as far as you can see from your vantage point?

OOTEN: Well, I'm basically in the middle of a 20 square block area. Excuse me. 20 mile square block area here that basically is destroyed. You have so many homes here that are just flattened. You have cars that have been strewn about and you certainly have just a lot of people who are displaced at this point. We have shelters set up in nearby Mayama (ph) and you know, a lot of people I know took advantage of those last night. But those people will be venturing back in here today to see what's left of their livelihood.

NGUYEN: And just from that picture, it doesn't look like there's much. What devastation caused by this storm. Obviously a death as well. Thank you for your time today. I know you have a lot of work ahead of you. And best of luck to the people searching for family members. We appreciate your time.

OOTEN: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Michelann Ooten from the Oklahoma Emergency Management Agency. Thank you.

T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: And we will continue to talk about this storm. The storm damage throughout the morning. We will also be talking a bit about mother's day. Our Josh Levs joins us now and the presidential candidates. You know what, they don't miss an opportunity. Even Mother's day, they're on it.

JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Oh, yes. There's some Mother's Day messaging going on the campaign trail today. I'm going to show you how some of these candidates are harnessing the holiday to make political points. Coming up right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: We are continuing to follow severe weather. A lot of it still popping, watches and warnings around the southeast and part of the country. But also that storm system just tore a deadly path across several other states. One of those states being Missouri where several deaths have been confirmed. We want to turn now to Gary Roark who is with the Newton County Emergency Management Agency. With us now, Mr. Roark, we appreciate your time this morning. Give us the updated numbers right now that you have of deaths and also injuries, if you can there in Newton County?

VOICE OF GARY ROARK, NEWTON COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Right now we have 11 that have been confirmed as dead in the tornado. As far as injuries, no really good information on that right now. We're still gathering information as it goes along. But I think we've got all the victims transported to the hospital. But, searchers will be back out again this morning, making a double, triple check of the area to make sure we got everybody.

HOLMES: Yes, I think I heard you right that you think at least that you have everybody accounted for?

ROARK: That's correct at the present time. But you never know when something this or maybe some that were missed and just don't know about it.

HOLMES: Sir, give us an idea. We're looking at some pictures here. I mean, that's your community. Give us an idea of just how bad it is. How much destruction is there in that county?

ROARK: Well, along the path that it took, and it was sometimes up to about close to a mile in width and the reports we're getting in is pretty much complete devastation. Homes were completely destroyed. And just not much left of any of them.

HOLMES: Is it spread out there as well or really concentrated in one town or two? ROARK: No. It didn't hit any towns except a small town in the eastern part of the county. It's a very small town. Most of the houses there were destroyed from the reports we got so far. The rest of the area is pretty much in the rural area, across the middle part of our county.

HOLMES: And sir, the victims, we know these 11 you say are dead now. Were these, I guess, do you know if they were, I guess families? Were they in homes? Were these people hit by debris? Do you have any idea of really how these people perished?

ROARK: Really don't have a good handle on it yet. We do know that some were in cars that were caught in the tornado as it came through. Some were in homes. But as far as breakdown of numbers, we don't have that yet.

HOLMES: All right. Again, Mr. Roark, again from the Newton County Emergency Management Agency saying he has got complete devastation and destruction there in his county. Mr. Roark, we appreciate your time. We know you got a busy, busy morning and day and really several days and weeks ahead more than likely. But we appreciate you updating us and our viewers this morning and good luck to you.

ROARK: Thank you very much.

NGUYEN: Well, on a day like this especially in those areas that it's hard to celebrate mother's day. But for those of you who are lucky enough, you're probably helping your mom enjoy a little R&R today. Moms serving overseas can really use some of that. Now, thanks to two sisters, they are getting a spa day. That's right. Petty Officer First Class Sarah Langdon joins me from Baghdad and her sister, Michelle Pasco in Baltimore, Maryland. Happy Mother's day to you both.

MICHELLE PASKO, HOMEFORMOTHERSDAY.ORG: Thank you very much.

PETTY OFFICER 1ST CLASS SARAH LANGDON, U.S. NAVY: Thank you.

NGUYEN: Oh, this is such a wonderful day for you two, especially and we'll get to that in a moment. But let me start with you, Michelle, because a spa day. What would make you decide to organize a spa day in Iraq?

PASKO: Well, I was inspired by my sister's mother's day last year. She was deployed and away from her children last year. And she organized a spa of her own in the barber shop. And had everyone bring their things and it was a great success and really boosted morale. So I decided to do the same thing for her when I found out that she'd be away for another mother's day. This time she would be in Baghdad and I decided I would send spa to her.

NGUYEN: And we're talking manicure, pedicure kits, all that fun stuff. Michelle or Sarah I should say I see a smile on your face. Happy mother's day. How did the spa worked and how many women were you able to treat today/ LANGDON: Well, thank you very much. I think we actually saw about more than 60 people. We had about 10 volunteers. And we had a great turn out. Everybody had a really good time. And all of them got everything, whether it was a pedicure, manicure and a facial and we even had some women doing makeup for them after the fact. And they were able to take a goodie bag with them full of other spa products, too. So, I think they had a really good time.

NGUYEN: you know, it sounds like such a small thing but it really does matter, especially during times of war. It matters when it comes to morale. How special is something like this on a day when many women over there would just rather be with their children?

LANGDON: Well, it makes a really big difference because they work very hard as it is. They've been away from their families, some of them for 15 months. and they are putting in long hours. They're doing a really good job out here. and it just shows them how much we appreciate what they are doing and how much their families and friends back in the United States appreciate what they are doing and although it's not the same as spending time with your family or waking up Sunday morning for a nice big breakfast or what have you, it really meant a big deal to them. They were able to sit down, relax, socialize with other women. Talk about their children and what they are doing and I think it really meant a lot to them. We had a lot of good feedback from it.

NGUYEN: Oh, no doubt. And just looking from the pictures, you see the smiles on the faces of so many women. It does make a difference. Michelle, I know this is a special mother's day for you. Because you're actually able to see and hear your sister. So, I'm going to step out of the picture for just a moment and let you two catch up because this is your time to chat and talk about the kids and all the wonderful things that you've been able to do as you've been apart. So go right at it.

PASKO: I'm so glad it went well. So, it was good, huh?

LANGDON: Oh, it was wonderful. Yes, it was. They had a really good time and they were so grateful.

PASKO: That's wonderful. Oh, we just - I mean, we're so appreciative of everything that you do over there and it was the least we could do over here was to make your mother's day a little more special. And I'm so glad that it went well for you. That's great. I know you miss your girls so much.

LANGDON: We really appreciate it very much.

PASKO: I do. I do. I know. I'm going to talk to them later on tonight.

LANGDON: Oh, good. I'm sure they are watching you right now as well.

NGUYEN: You two are so cute, I mean, really. I've been eavesdropping on a private conversation. OK, Sarah, since it is mother's day and we're running out of time I want you to get an opportunity at least say something to your children on this special day. So go right ahead.

LANGDON: OK. To my beautiful daughters, Reagan and Sidney, I miss you very, very much. I wish I could be with you. But I'm so proud of what good girls you're being and I'll see you in a few months. I love you very much.

NGUYEN: Sarah, do you think you'll be home for next mother's day?

LANGDON: Oh, I better be.

NGUYEN: I know they want you to be. Specialist Sarah Langdon and Michelle, do you have something to say quickly?

PASKO: I was just thinking, I hope she's here because then maybe she can help me organize -

NGUYEN: Another spa day.

PASKO: -- home for mother's day and spend another spa day.

LANGDON: Oh, we can do this again next year.

PASKO: It'll always be your project.

NGUYEN: Ladies, thank you so much. And again Happy Mother's day to you both.

PASKO: Thank you. Thank you very much.

LANGDON: Thank you.

PASKO: Happy mother's day, Sarah.

LANGDON: Happy mother's day to you too, Mich.

PASKO: I love you.

LANGDON: I love you too.

NGUYEN: So sweet. Thank you ladies.

HOLMES: Oh, my goodness.

NGUYEN: And as we honor our troops, we are asking you, do you have personal stories of loved ones lost in war? Share your memories at ireport.com. Send us your stories, photos, your video, your letters, anything that you have because we want to share some of them when we mark Memorial Day. So, just go to ireport.com to get started.

HOLMES: That is very nice to be able to do and to see and to make everybody feel good on mother's day. I'm so glad we're able to do that this morning. NGUYEN: ... to connect those two together. And they have such great attitude. I mean, it's not just about celebrating it yourself but it's about spreading that joy and love with others.

HOLMES: It is. All right. And stay here. A quick break. We'll come back and talk about some of the severe weather going around the country right now.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: All right. Good morning, everyone. Meteorologist Karen Maginnis in the severe weather center. A lot to tell you about. We've got a very vigorous weather system that is plowing across the southeast. Right now, south central, southeastern Georgia feeling the effects, the worst effects from the line of severe storms. I outlined this area. This is Dublin, just to the northwest of Dublin which lies across the interstate.

Here's Macon, Georgia, and then we go down towards Dublin. We had a report of a possible tornado there. One person reported injury but they may have a number of other injuries. And they have been confirmed. We don't know the extent of the damage other than some injuries and trees down and that was that strong line that moved through maybe just about 45 minutes ago.

Now I'm going to point you towards America, Georgia. Here's America. And we think that this is probably this particular cell that produced what on Doppler radar may have indicated a possible tornado. So I've kind of circled this area indicating that the cell has moved across that region and that near America, Georgia. I want to show you what happened yesterday. This is about 5:00 local time. Now, this is Google Earth. You see all the numerous reports of tornadoes. This has kind of been the ground zero area that we've been telling you about, right around Picher, extending on over towards Newton County, and you can see a number of tornadoes here. But in fact, we may have had one parent storm, perhaps one tornado. And typically what happens is a tornado touched down, do their damage, go back up and then touch down again or you may have little secondary systems that develop off of that. But this was the area, this is Missouri, and we're looking over here towards Oklahoma, those two are the hardest hit areas and they have actually increased another, another fatality associated with a tornado that occurred in Newton County now. We'll keep you updated. T.J. and Betty, we've got a lot to tell you about for this morning and the rest of the morning. We'll keep you updated.

NGUYEN: It is a busy day, thank you. And of course, we're going to continue to follow the storms all morning long. Plus working to get a live report from some of these areas right here which have been devastated by the tornadoes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Sorry, mom and dad, just because your kid gets that college diploma that doesn't necessarily mean that he or she has learned everything like how to payback student loans.

NGUYEN: This is true. And Ali Velshi has some tips on this week's "Right on your money."

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ALI VELSHI, CNN, SENIOR BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Graduation is close for many college seniors and the prospect of paying off college loans can be daunting.

HILARY KRAMER, AOL MONEY COACH: The most important objective is to pay down your loans. You want to make sure you don't have that interest that's compounding. One of the ways to do it is just apply as much money as possible to pay off the loan, to pay off the principal. You can also consolidate. Look for a credible organization, credit card company or bank that will allow you to do that.

VELSHI: If your student loans are with one lender, you are required to consolidate with that lender. But if you have loans with more than one lender you have more options. Check out the Federal Direct Consolidation Information Center at www.loanconsolidation.ed.gov. And whether you consolidate or not, be sure to keep up with your payments.

KRAMER: The key is not to have anything hanging over your head. Because if you get behind in any of your debt payment, it will affect your long term credit rating which means you will ultimately pay more when you go for a mortgage or a loan for a car.

VELSHI: And that's this week's "Right on your Money."

HOLMES: All right. And we are continuing to keep an eye on the storm system that's moving across the country, really some folks in the southeast right now under the gun, that same storm system really spawning some devastating tornadoes in the Midwest. We are keeping an eye on all that this morning.

NGUYEN: Yes. As you can see right there, the damage is just overwhelming. The survivors are telling their stories and we have what you need to know. So keep it here.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

MAGINNIS: And good morning, everyone. We're still tracking the severe weather. We have had a fatality now reported in Georgia as a line of severe storms has moved across the state. Looks like Atlanta is pretty much in the clear right now but down the interstate here's Macon and we follow the interstate 16 all the way down towards the coast and in the middle here is what I've circled as Dublin, Georgia. It's in this area, in Lawrence County, we had a report of a fatality, three injuries from what is believed to have been a tornado that touched down within the past hour. We'll keep you updated on all the severe weather this morning.

HOLMES: It's a delicate balance between religion and politics. Evangelicals have most often been associated with the political right but some in that group are looking for a better relationship with democrats. CNN's Tom Foreman explains on today's "Faces of Faith." (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The religious right, the combat infantry of the Reagan revolution, the battle over abortion law and gay marriage wants a change. At least these evangelicals do. They are declaring they are tired of divisive politics, tired of watching political in fighting trump all the good they could be doing.

OS GUINNESS, EVANGELICAL LEADER: Our proposal is to join forces with all those who support a civil public square. A vision of public life in which people of all faiths and of course that means no faith are free to enter and engage public life on the basis of their faith.

FOREMAN: For democrats, the timing is good. The party has been pushing to overcome a faith gap that may feel has hurt them with church-going voters. Now, candidates are appearing in more religious settings and conversations.

SEN. BARACK OBAMA (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: What I try to do is as best I can, be an instrument of his will.

SEN. HILLARY CLINTON (D), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I, obviously, was fortunate enough to be able to rely on and be grounded in my faith which has been an anchor for me throughout my entire life.

FOREMAN: Mara Vanderslice is part of the effort.

MARA VANDERSLICE, COMMON GOOD STRATEGIES: What we've done wrong is sort of -- say we just want a separation of church and state and only speak about religion in terms of sort of separation.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Thank you father.

FOREMAN; Evangelicals are now leading public support for many issues dear to democrats. Global campaigns against AIDS, hunger, poverty. Many democrats can see that according to the ethics and public policy centers Michael

MICHAEL CROMARTIE, ETHICS & PUBLIC POLICY CENTER: I think they're religious people, obviously in the democratic party who said, you know, we need to stop toning down how our faith related to public policy issues whether it's the environment or there are some questions of the economy or war in peace and we need to start framing our concerns in religious language. So that it might appeal to religious believers in America.

FOREMAN: Some staunchly conservative evangelicals are critical of the manifesto, they are proud of the games they have made through conservative republican ties and if democrats wand their support, some political analysts say that Dems will have to give something more, accepting at least some limits on some types of abortion, for example. But backers of the manifesto insist this is about Christians doing good in god's name and that goal not politics must guide all their alliances. Tom Foreman, CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE) HOLMES: From the CNN Center, this is CNN SUNDAY MORNING, May 11th. It's Mother's Day. It's 8:00 a.m. at CNN headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. It's 7:00 p.m. in the heartland. Hello to you all. I'm T.J. Holmes.

NGUYEN: Hello, everybody. I'm Betty Nguyen here in the severe weather center. We are watching a line of storms, a deadly line of storms as the search is on this morning for survivors and those still missing. We will have the latest on that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And we freaked out. So, my husband slammed the van in reverse and we started reversing, and then we stopped and watched it go through and we got here and it hit the trailer and I ran up here looking and yelling and screaming for my dad. So, I thought he was still here.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NGUYEN: There is much damage throughout the Midwest and that same system is still on the move.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm thinking, "Oh, my God this might be the last time I hear my son's voice on the phone."

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Can you imagine? A phone call no mother would want to hear.

ANNOUNCER: You're watching CNN: Your severe weather headquarters.

NGUYEN: I want to tell you about this. Another body has been found in the rubble today as we talk about this line of storms -- the 20th victim of the storms that slammed through the Midwest today. We want to give you a look at the damage. Take a look at this video that we're about to show you right now.

Tornadoes cut a 20-mile path through the area around Oklahoma and the Missouri border. Emergency crews are still searching in several communities looking for victims and survivors. Right now, we have 13 reported deaths in southwest Missouri and seven in northeast Oklahoma.

HOLMES: Tornadoes also ripped across southeast Arkansas last night. A house, a store flattened, also, a number of cars flipped, several people had to be rescued after flying debris trapped them inside buildings. No major injuries reported however.

The winds crumbled sheet metal like paper, trees were snapped. Also, 4,000 people lost power. High winds also hit a nursing home head on. We're told those inside barely got out of there. There's so much damage, the nursing home is having to find other places for those residents to stay.

NGUYEN: And here's the deal. We are still not in the clear this morning. As you can see, I'm here with Karen Maginnis. We've been working feverishly because we understand, aside from those 20 deaths in Oklahoma and Missouri, there's been one reported in Georgia as well.

KAREN MAGINNIS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Absolutely it has and it happened during the early morning hours. Within the past hour, as a matter of fact in Lawrence County, Georgia, we have a report of one person killed. I'm going to show you that area coming up in just one second. But we're not out of the clear just yet. We've got the intense line of thunderstorms moving across the central and southern portions of the state.

Let's take you to the big board and we'll show you what's going on. All of this is part of a complex weather system that's making its way toward the east. Now, Atlanta is still under that tornado watch. And we also have portions of Florida and into southern Georgia that are also under that tornado watch.

I want to zoom in across this region and show you what's going on. And as we take a look at what is happening for Atlanta, extending on down the interstate, we are looking at an area right around Macon, Georgia, where they have seen intense line of thunderstorms moving across that region. And this is the system that did produce the super cell that did produce the tornado right around Dublin, Georgia.

Now, we go down the interstate. Here is Dublin, Georgia -- there's the squall line that moved across Dublin within the past hour or so and produced the tornado there. We have reports of damage, mostly trees down and this moved through very quickly. Most of these cells are moving toward the east, to the east-southeast at just about 60, just 65 miles an hour. I want to move over near Americus because Americus has been hit very hard with these intense thunderstorms. Also Cordele, which is following along just well to the south of Atlanta, but these storms are very intense with lots of lightning and lots of rainfall and the potential for tornadic activity.

I want to show you just the vicinity of that Dublin, Georgia area. Here is Atlanta, you go towards Macon, that's in this vicinity, and here is Dublin. A small down on the way, midway between Macon towards the beach, the coastal sections of Georgia, and this is a tiny town that has already reported one fatality and three reports of injuries, some damage around the area as the system moves towards the southeastern portion of the state, also into coastal sections of South Carolina as well.

We talked about yesterday areas in the Midwest that were walloped with the intense line of storms, the same system, especially across northeastern Oklahoma; Newton County was one of those areas that Betty mentioned. But we'll keep you updated as the system continues to develop -- Betty and T.J.

NGUYEN: Absolutely. And right now, we want to take our viewers to Oklahoma -- Picher, Oklahoma, to be exact. And we're looking at some pictures right now of what is left from the storms that blew through. You have, obviously, some animals, pets, that are just lost at this hour. Seven people killed in this particularly county, 150 injured, and unknown amount of people missing.

And with us, providing us with this live shot is Mike Priest, he is a freelance journalist. And in fact, he is one of the few journalists who have been able to get into this particular area.

So, Mike, if you will tell me, where you are, where we're getting this live picture from and explain to us what used to be here because right now everything is in shambles.

MIKE PRIEST, PHOTOJOURNALIST: Well, Betty, yes, it is. You can see some people's pets have been left behind and they're actually fighting over some food. One group of dogs had some meat they had found in some of the debris. We were escorted in before light this morning by the Oklahoma state police. And then, of course, there's no power, it's completely dark.

And when we got in here, turned our lights on, this is what we found, just total devastation. Houses wiped all the way down to the foundation, you can see what used to be a house in the driveway, that was the garage. The storm was incredibly, incredibly strong right through here.

NGUYEN: They talk about seven dead. Any in this particular area or was there enough warning that most of the folks in this neighborhood that we're looking at right now were able to get out safely?

PRIEST: I don't know the particulars on this exact neighborhood, but there certainly could have been some fatalities in this area. As you can see, the houses are, you know, pretty well-flattened.

NGUYEN: There are 115...

PRIEST: Over here...

NGUYEN: I was going to say 150 people injured. And we know this morning, a search is on for the missing. Have you seen people come through this particular neighborhood in search of those who may still be trapped under the rubble?

PRIEST: Yes, we did actually. We had a state trooper that came through this very street right here about an hour ago. He didn't find any people, but he did warn us of some pit bulls that were hiding under a bed back in here. So, we've been keeping on eye on those dogs.

NGUYEN: Yes, as we look at this picture, just kind of take us around. Our viewers are not going to be able to see you because you are manning this camera. So, if you would, just walk us through this neighborhood, kind of describe what used to be here, and you know, what it's going to take, obviously a lot, to get this neighborhood back up and running. PRIEST: Yes, that's true. We're right on the edge, you can see back over this way that you can see where the edge of the total damage is. There's a partial structure still standing there. But then here in the foreground, you can see the foundation and see where this house has been completely leveled.

This hole right here, that I'm showing you now, is where this tree right over here came from, if I can get the shot. There we go. That tree that you see there in the people's living room came from this hole right here.

NGUYEN: Just picked it up and moved it. I see a person standing there with a red jacket on. Is that a homeowner who has come back to survey the damage?

PRIEST: No. That's another camera crew.

NGUYEN: OK. All right. You know, usually in storms like this, especially tornadoes, you see the most amazing things. I remember covering one where there was a picture that was embedded into the side of a tree. And just to think of the force that would have caused something like that.

What are some of the things that you're able to see and that this really kind of stuck out to you because as a journalist, as a freelancer, I'm sure you've covered a number of storms, especially there in Oklahoma, it is tornado alley, what about this really sticks out in your mind?

PRIEST: I'm sorry, I had something else going on in my ear at that moment.

NGUYEN: That's OK.

PRIEST: Well, the -- as you can see, there's a hot water tank over here at the base of this tree. And it has sheet metal up in the tree wrapped around it, probably from right here the most interesting thing that I can show you is this dresser in this house over here still has items on the dresser.

NGUYEN: Wow.

PRIEST: And yet the house around it is almost completely gone. And over to the right behind this daybed, you can see a cabinet that still has linens and whatnot in it, and then, no house around it.

NGUYEN: That is quite remarkable. I mean, there's really no rhyme or reason as to why certain things remain intact and others do not in a forceful tornado like this. Are people going to be allowed back into the area today? Have you gotten any guidance on that, Mike?

PRIEST: No, they haven't told us that yet. They're going to have a press conference in a little bit and give us some more details on when people will be allowed back in to search for their items that have been thrown about. NGUYEN: And I know, as a freelance journalist, I mentioned this a little bit earlier, I don't know if you were able to hear me, but I imagine you've been able to cover a number of storms especially there in Oklahoma being tornado alley. Have you seen anything this bad?

PRIEST: Well, some of this area compares to the May 3rd tornado of 1999 in Oklahoma City, where you just have total, nothing left but a slab foundation and everything is wiped clean. And there are some spots here that are like that, there's just a foundation, I don't even know what kind of home stood on that spot originally.

NGUYEN: Yes, the damage is definitely extensive. OK, Mike Priest, freelance journalist joining us from Picher, Oklahoma, where, we understand, in that particular county, at this hour, seven are dead, 150 injured, and there's still an unknown number of people missing this morning. So, obviously, there's a lot to still be done as people try to recover from the tornado that blew through.

I want to get you now to our severe weather center because Meteorologist Karen Maginnis has been working the radar; she's been working all the information that's coming in.

And I understand, you have some new information to bring us.

MAGINNIS: Yes, we told you about how this intense line of storms that moved across Atlanta, produced some damage around some of the southern bedroom communities of Atlanta, then moved past Aiken, produced what is believed to be a tornado right around Dublin, that as you travel towards the southeast, well to the southeast of Macon.

And now, we are seeing reports, a tornado warning that was issued for Screven County about 45 minutes ago. They are saying now that still Doppler radar indicated tornado, however, they are also saying that in the central portion of the county, which is located across southeastern, south central sections of Georgia, they are saying now that this possible embedded super cell, this possible tornado has produced quite a few injuries, reports of injuries, also widespread and significant damage reported with this line of storms that is moving across the area.

This is also added to this. There have been reports of hail, downed trees, downed power lines. And they are asking folks to send in their reports, if possible, if safe, from this what looks to be a potential tornado in Screven County, Georgia, where they have injuries reported and where there is damage. So, still quite a bit to tell you about this morning that has impacted the area all the way from northern Georgia to central Georgia and now across the southern portion of the state. One reported fatality right around Dublin, Georgia.

Betty, back to you.

NGUYEN: And that brings the total, I believe if the number is correct here, to 20 in all from Oklahoma, Missouri, and Georgia, 21 people now killed because of this line of storms that have blown through. Of course, we are watching the radar very closely and we'll bring you the latest. We are keeping an eye on these storms, still moving through the southeast. So, it is not over yet. And we will take you live throughout many portions of the areas that were damaged by the storm coming up right here on CNN SUNDAY MORNING.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Take a look at the radar right now because we are following this line of storms, a deadly line of storms. In fact, 21 people dead in Oklahoma, Missouri, and Georgia, in total. And we are watching it as it moves through the southeast this morning. It is not over yet. We will have the latest on this extreme weather coming up.

HOLMES: All right. Betty, I have made my way over here to the international desk, certainly a busy place this morning. This is where producers, editors working on stories from all over the world. Certainly a place that's they've had their eye on Myanmar, really, for the past week. Certainly, that work continues this morning.

And we're getting word that in Myanmar and the people there who have suffer so greatly from that cyclone could be getting some more U.S. aid.

CNN's Sara Sidner is on this story for us. She's joining us this morning from Thailand.

I guess this is good news, good to hear that more U.S. aid has been approved by the government there in Myanmar?

SIDNER: Yes, the U.S. government has really been doing lots of negotiations with the Myanmar government hoping that they can bring in more aid. They have many, many things to offer and they're re hoping that they can get it in as soon as possible because that is what the people of Myanmar need.

Today, we spent the day in Uttatau (ph), Thailand on the Thai military base. Basically the U.S. is having its operations there, they are loading pallets with thousands of pounds of items. Most of the items they're sending in are building materials like nails, plastic sheeting for shelter. But also, they're bringing with them 12,000 pounds of water.

Obviously, water is a huge issue in Myanmar right now. People do not have drinking water. And disease can easily be spread by people drinking dirty water. So, that's going to be a huge issue.

What they're hoping though is, on Monday the first flight is expected to leave here in the afternoon, and then, they've been approved for two more planeloads, the C-130s that can put on 42,000 pounds of weight inside. They're hoping to get two more flights out on Tuesday. The Myanmar government has approved that.

But right now, the marines and the army and the navy as well as well as the air force, they're all preparing for that first flight that will happen tomorrow. But to them, this is great news because they're hoping that this will also be a mission not just of humanitarian mission but also a mission that builds trust between the U.S. and the Myanmar military government -- hoping that maybe as time goes on, as fast as possible, of course, that aid workers will also be let in because aid workers have a certain expertise. They're used to dealing with huge disasters, these enormous problems in countries like Myanmar. And they really say they need to get on the ground to be able to assess the situation and do their best for the people who are suffering the most -- T.J.

HOLMES: All right. And Sara, just quickly, can you tell us, there were reports that the military there, the military junta in Myanmar was confiscating, was taking some of the aid that was coming in for themselves and taking it and distributing it on their own.

Does the U.S. have concerns about that? Do they just want to get the supplies there, if the military junta takes it and distributes it, fine? Do they just want to get the aid there? Do they have any concerns about what's going to happen to the aid once it gets on the ground?

SIDNER: You bring up a good point, T.J. And yes, there are concerns about what happens to the aid once it gets to the ground. But as I said earlier, this is really a mission of trust. And what I mean by that is, the U.S. military has agreed to go in with their C- 130 simply drop off the items that they bring in, let that be in the hands of the military junta saying -- look you can go ahead and distribute it the way you wish, but we're hoping that you will understand our side that we'd like to have some of our members of USAID on the ground to help assess the situation because they are the ones that really have the expertise in dealing with these major disasters.

So, right now, T.J., it is a mission of trust, hoping to build that trust because there is concern about what is actually happening to some of the aid that is landing in Myanmar being taken off by the ruling military junta -- T.J.

HOLMES: Well, it is baby steps at a time. We do not need baby steps, but it's something right there. Sarah Sidner for us there in Thailand, thank you so much for the report.

And: A lot of people out there, we know you'd like to help out. We have a way for you to do that. You can go to our Web site: CNN.com, we have a special page on the devastation in Myanmar, complete with links to aid agencies that are organizing help there in the region. A chance for you to Impact Your World and let us be your guide.

Again, keeping an eye on things here from the international desk.

Also: The severe weather center is a very busy place this morning. We've got 21 people dead in three states with severe weather that has happened over the past 24 hours. Also, southeast parts of the country are still under the gun right now with severe weather. We have an eye on it all. Stay here. We're right back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

NGUYEN: Let's take you out on the campaign trail this morning because Barack Obama closes in on Hillary Clinton, virtually erasing her lead among superdelegates.

CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, joins me now from the Election Express, inside the bus this morning because of the bad weather outside. He's in Charleston, West Virginia.

Paul, as we get a nice look around, those are good digs you got going on inside the Election Express. But, when it comes to politics and the issues, especially superdelegates, because there's still a lot of them up for grabs, so, give us the numbers. What's the latest count?

STEINHAUSER: Yes, not too shabby inside this bus, huh? But you're right, there is two battles going on among the Democrats. There's a battle for voters and there's a battle for the superdelegates. Those are those Democratic-elected governors, members of Congress and party officials, about 800 of them. They get to vote for either Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama; they're free to do whatever they want.

Hillary Clinton used to have a large lead -- a very large lead in superdelegates who have endorsed her over him. But now, there's been a steady flow of superdelegates to Barack Obama over the last few months, a lot just over the last couple of days. Now, Hillary Clinton only leads Barack Obama by one superdelegate, 273 to 272. And they're still about, you know, 200 to 250 who still undecided or undeclared. It's really getting tight, you now.

Barack Obama was asked about his pickup of these superdelegates. Here's what he had to say.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. BARACK OBAMA, (D-IL) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: I think it's an encouraging sign that our campaign is making progress, and the superdelegates are moving in our direction, that they think I can be a strong candidate in the general election, that they are looking forward to resolving this contest as soon as we can, so we can pivot and start talking about John McCain and the general election, and our positive, unified vision for where we want to take the country. So, you know, ultimately though, you know, what I'm going to be spending most of my time doing is looking for the support not of superdelegates, but of voters.

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STEINHAUSER: And some of the votes he'll be looking for are going to be in Missouri on Tuesday. It's interesting when West Virginia is voting here on Tuesday. Barack Obama is going to have a campaign event in Missouri, that's a state that has already voted in the primaries. It's what we called a battleground state. It's one of those states both Republicans and Democrats would really love to have come November. So, it looks like maybe Barack Obama is already looking ahead to the general election, Betty.

NGUYEN: Right. So, they are separated by just one superdelegate, according to our count. Does that mean though -- OK, it's Mother's Day -- but Hillary Clinton really can't afford to take a day off?

STEINHAUSER: No. She's not taking a day off. She's coming right here to West Virginia today with daughter Chelsea. They're going to be campaigning across the state. This state again, it votes on Tuesday, 28 delegates at stake. Hillary Clinton is way up in the polls here. It's a state that's really tailored made for her. She was talking though, about her daughter and maybe making history.

And here's what she had to say.

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SEN. HILLARY CLINTON, (D-NY) PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It is a joy for me to think about all of the wisdom that has been passed down. And it would be exciting to have the first mother in the White House.

(APPLAUSE AND CHEERS)

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STEINHAUSER: So, Hillary Clinton and her daughter Chelsea spending today in West Virginia. Barack Obama is here tomorrow and, of course, the state votes on Tuesday, Betty.

NGUYEN: So, Barack Obama taking Mother's Day off.

OK. CNN deputy political director, Paul Steinhauser, as always, we do appreciate you. Thanks.

HOLMES: And as we talking about there, West Virginia is up next for the Democrats. And you can join the best political team on television for complete coverage Tuesday, starting at 7:00 p.m. Eastern only right here on CNN: Your home for politics.

NGUYEN: Well, bad weather through the night in the Midwest, also, in the southeast today. We're going to bring you the latest on the deaths, the damage, and the fears

HOLMES: Yes, and a lot of that severe weather is now targeting Georgia and South Carolina. Stay here.