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CNN Sunday Morning
Devastated by Tornadoes
Aired April 17, 2011 - 08:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
T.J. HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Hey there, everybody. From the CNN Center in Atlanta, Georgia, this is your CNN SUNDAY MORNING for April the 17th. I'm T.J. Holmes.
These severe storms have just caused a mess for the past three days in many parts of this country, made its way up the east coast, tore down homes, churches, ripped up signs, you name. Thousands of people without electricity this morning.
Our Jacqui Jeras is here with us. She'll explain in a moment why what we have been seeing is unusual.
Also, did you know Earth Day coming up this week? Do you know how big your carbon footprint is? Everybody is wondering how they can save the planet. Well, we're giving you very practical stuff, things can you do every day leading up to Earth Day on Friday. Not only try to save the planet but literally save you hundreds of dollars.
Also, would you believe another air traffic controller fell asleep on the job? Been suspended now. We'll tell you where this time.
But, let's start with the weather, shall we? More than 100 tornadoes we're talking about. That's what we've seen across the South and Eastern Seaboard, leaving behind a trail of death and destruction that goes from Oklahoma to Virginia.
Here are some of the first daylight pictures we are getting out of Raleigh, North Carolina, this morning, one of several cities badly damaged by those high winds and tornadoes. Emergency officials there say they had at least 60 tornadoes in that state.
Also, take a look at Sanford, North Carolina. One of the tornadoes we're seeing here, just one of a number that have been caught on camera here. This is the shopping center in Sanford. It was flattened. Luckily, no one seriously injured.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I just told everybody get down, cover up, get into cubby holes, get into a tight space, and make sure to get away from the windows is the best thing to do.
(END VIDEO CLIP) HOLMES: This storm system is now being blamed for at least 30 deaths in several states, 23 in North Carolina. CNN has just confirmed that 14 were killed in one particular county in North Carolina.
Now, let's turn to our Catherine Callaway. She's actually in North Carolina for us, just outside of Raleigh.
Give us an update here. It sounds like the number of deaths -- we're getting an update there?
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Well, we are still hearing in this area where we are this morning that there were three fatalities. We are in the Stony Brook trailer park in northeast Raleigh in Wake County, North Carolina. As you said, those tornadoes ripped through yesterday afternoon and devastated this trailer park behind us.
We want to show you some of the aerials that were shot after that storm system moved through. As you can see, the trailers, T.J., were literally tossed about like tin cans, knocking into each other, as you can see. Some were literally split in half -- debris and trees striking those trailers and splitting them as well.
We are hearing from the locale affiliates and from some of the neighbors here that the three fatalities here were all children, very young children. We were told by one affiliate that they were ages two, three and five. This is not confirmed but this is what everyone here on the ground is saying -- and that those young children had sought shelter in the bathtub of one of the trailer homes here in this park.
Also, as you mentioned, in Sanford, complete devastation of a shopping center there. A Lowes shopping center that was full -- it was a Saturday afternoon. Of course, it was full. Lots of people in there, many employees. Apparently, the manager of that store was responsible for bringing many of those employees to safety.
We did hear from the governor, Governor Beverly Purdue. She declared a state of emergency. She says this is the worst storm system she's seen move through the state since the 1980s.
As we've heard, the intensity and frequency of these storms very unusual, some 100 tornadoes since Thursday night. We're hearing that 62 of those tornadoes touched down in this state which would explain the high death toll that we are seeing.
No rhyme or reason, T.J., to these tornadoes. As you can see from the video, some of the trailers in this trailer park were relatively came out OK. Others completely devastated.
Now, we have the story of these three young children now who had sought shelter in the strongest room available in one of those trailers and again, it did not turn out as anyone would have hoped for. They just were not safe enough. We talked to a neighbor who said that his trailer park -- his trailer was destroyed. He actually had been at a birthday party down the street at a restaurant and they, of course, lost their home but all came out alive.
Back to you.
HOLMES: All right. Catherine with the update for us there, we appreciate you -- just outside of Raleigh there.
Keep these pictures up for a second, if you can there, Deidre, back in the back. I talk to my director here.
But I'm bringing in Jacqui Jeras as we look at these. I believe these are still live aerials we are getting from Bertie County there in North Carolina.
Daylight, Jacqui, we're getting here. Starting to get more an idea of this devastation. But also, you were getting updates. And they keep coming in to us and we're going to maybe even get some more about the number of deaths in North Carolina. What are we hearing here?
JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Yes. Those numbers are still preliminary, T.J. And people -- you know, we're still sorting through all the information that we have.
But the new stuff that just came in, that's the 14 confirmed dead in Bertie County, North Carolina. So, that is well to the north and east of Raleigh. It's kind of near the Virginia state line. So, it is a different tornado that killed those people than the one that we're talking about with Catherine in the Raleigh area.
So, in that -- we got that information from the National Weather Service, Askewville was the name of the town in Bertie County where those deaths happen.
There were also three people who died in Virginia, in Gloucester, from a tornado that occurred there. So, this wasn't just North Carolina, but certainly North Carolina took the brunt of the storms with more than 90 reports of tornadoes.
Now, keep in mind, you know, there may be multiple reports of the same tornado. So, the National Weather Service today is going to come out and take a look at these pictures. You're going to do aerial views like this to try to determine how many tornadoes moved through, how wide they were, how long the path of destruction was and how strong these tornadoes were.
But, you know, when you think of those numbers, it sounds astounding. But, they're actually kind of minimal compared to what we saw in terms of this outbreak. I mean, T.J., these were a lot of tornadoes in a place in the U.S. that doesn't get tornadoes all that often. Not ones like this that stay on the ground for a long period of time and cause this kind of destruction. There was a lot of warning on this, too. You know, the Storm Prediction Center issued what we call a PDS watch, or a particularly dangerous situation. So, that's the first clue where people are like, OK, I'm under a watch, conditions are possible, they're calling it a PDS, which means this is going to be particularly bad. And then the warning was issued on this tornado before it hit Sanford and there were probably -- I bet there was as much as 20 minutes warning before this tornado moved through the Raleigh area.
So, it just -- you know, it's a true testament that mobile homes are not a safe place to be in this type of weather and you really need to get underground if f you can. If not, you have to be in a sturdy building. Some of these pictures I've been seeing, you know, they're brick buildings that sustained some damage. So, this was definitely a very powerful tornado to be able to do something like this.
You know, it is unconfirmed, but I saw some reports from storm spotters yesterday, too, s this tornado moved through Raleigh, that it might have been as much as one mile wide. We'll wait for the official word on that when we get that later on today.
HOLMES: That's a monstrous storm.
JERAS: Yes, imagine. This is a major metropolitan area.
HOLMES: And it loose like you were speaking there, I think we're looking at one of those mobile home parks. We saw one of those --
JERAS: Yes.
HOLMES: Is this what I'm looking at, Jacqui? Is this were those --
JERAS: That's what it looks like to me. Yes.
HOLMES: And they're not even in their spots anymore. We saw one that was turned over. You see some vehicles there turned over.
JERAS: Yes.
HOLMES: And these are live pictures from our affiliate that was kind of going in and out, it looks like we might be losing the signal now. But there it is again.
But again, daylight giving us a better idea of just how wide this destruction is.
To our viewers, give you an update here. Again, we've seen deaths across several states, from Oklahoma, Arkansas, as well. It moved through Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia -- made its way over to South Carolina and North Carolina.
And it sounds like, Jacqui, North Carolina, as far as the death toll, is getting the brunt of this. Twenty-three, now, storm-related deaths confirmed in that state alone. And 14 are in Bertie County alone. Now, as we were watching this, Jacqui, you're explaining in and it seemed like maybe when we first started out with this outbreak in Oklahoma and Arkansas and, you know, Mississippi, and Alabama, those are states -- you know, we're used to getting that kind of stuff in the South and it didn't seem so historic -- from a historical perspective maybe, OK, this is an outbreak that happens in springtime.
But tell me about North Carolina now. This is just not what -- it just usually doesn't make its way over to North Carolina like that?
JERAS: Where all the dynamics came together, it wasn't all that typical. You know, the Carolinas will get tornadoes. For the most part, they tend to be smaller, weaker tornadoes, not these big monster super cells, you know, that could potentially have been as much as a mile wide. Our upper level air was really what was critical in this type of situation.
It was actually a small part of the country, but it was just so favorable and so ripe and that's why we saw such a concentrated thing. You know, it's the number of tornadoes that we had yesterday, T.J. It was the intensity of these tornadoes.
You know, you'll get a lot of high numbers of tornadoes in the Carolinas during hurricane season. Lot of times, hurricanes will produce tornadoes and so they're used to seeing that type of thing. But this is not something that North Carolina is used to.
1984 is kind what have this has been compared to, which was their historic outbreak. I think it was March 28th, of the top of my head when that happened. There were like some 20, 25 tornado reports. And we're going to, you know, probably be somewhere within that neighborhood probably -- once we get all the numbers in today.
HOLMES: And we're watching that picture -- again to our viewers, our affiliate there providing these live pictures from on high. But you see that mobile home park.
And, Jacqui, we talk about this. In every tornado, it seems that just that mobile home park is not the place to be. There are several of them certainly throughout the South, a lot of rural communities have these.
And it's just almost no safe place to be. You were mentioning that often, many of these are required to have some kind of shelter or some kind of storm shelter people can get to, but oftentimes, people don't make it to them.
We're not sure exactly where these deaths, if they were at mobile home parks or wherever else, but, still, the number speaks for itself -- at least 23 storm-related deaths in North Carolina.
Jacqui, thank you.
We're going to check in with Jacqui once again. We're keeping a close eye and getting more pictures. And again, the unfortunate updates that the death toll goes up from the severe storms and deadly tornadoes we have been watching over the past three days.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. My man, Ray D'Alessio from HLN Sports joining me.
Good to see you, as always, my man.
RAY D'ALESSIO, HLN SPORTS: Good to see you, too.
HOLMES: Kind of an interesting day yesterday. Was it not? In the NBA playoffs. It was also an interesting day in NASCAR. Talladega is always fun, isn't it?
ALESSIO: Talladega is always fun. And, of course, we have seen some wild and crazy crashes there over the year. This one yesterday involving Mike Wallace. Not one of the worst crashes I've seen at Talladega but I'm sure if you talked to Mike Wallace, he would beg to differ.
Look at this -- final lap. This was the final lap. Wallace getting airborne, flipped once and ends up back on his wheels. Now, check it out in slow motion.
Just watch all the metal flying of his car. Amazingly, somehow, he was able to keep it off the wall. But then you see Jason Ratcliff comes up, tagged from behind. Wallace gets airborne. These cars are made for safety, T.J. That's one thing that we know.
And there he goes. He's able to get back on the track and drive it to an 18th place finish.
(LAUGHTER)
D'ALESSIO: And of course, Toyota's Kyle Busch (ph), well, he wound up by winning this race.
HOLMES: Amazing what these guys are able do with these cars and control them. Also what do they go up? Two hundred-plus --
D'ALESSIO: Two hundred-plus, especially like when they're in the draft. And they're cutting through the air. But average probably like -- during that flip, probably 180 miles an hour.
HOLMES: That's unreal. He drove it and walked out of that. He's fine.
D'ALESSIO: He's fine.
HOLMES: If they can make every car on the road like that.
D'ALESSIO: You think they would. You think they would be able to do that because, of course, they take a lot of technology from these race tracks especially at Indianapolis and use them on street cars. But they're never going to be as safe as NASCAR's. HOLMES: All right. Take me to Miami. We're not necessarily talking about the game here. But a lot of people wanted to go to the game and see their beloved Heat.
D'ALESSIO: I've done some crazy things in my lifetime. Some things I can't talk about!
But, you know, there was a contest -- the Miami Heat had a contest where fans had to sit in their same seat for 48 hours straight. It started at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, ended yesterday at 11:00 a.m. They had to sit in the same seat for 48 hours straight. They had bathroom breaks every four hours for only five minutes. They were brought in food, but at the same time, while they're waiting all these food trucks were around them cooking up this food. So, you know it was driving them nuts.
And by 10:30 yesterday, there were still 35 people remaining.
HOLMES: Wow.
D'ALESSIO: And the object here, the winner would receive two lower bowl seats to all home playoff games this year.
HOLMES: Oh, wow.
D'ALESSIO: So, it was certainly worth it. A gentleman out of Miami won. And that's for the game itself.
Of course, now is when the real test begins for the Miami Heat. LeBron James saying that, you know, with the big three, anything less than an NBA title is not going to be great. So, of course -- and we saw him struggle a little bit yesterday against the Sixers, but they still pulled it off. It's going to be interesting to see how the rest of the series goes.
HOLMES: Just game one, but he's already promised seven championships in Miami. So, he needs to start somewhere. Good to see you, my man, as always.
D'ALESSIO: Thanks.
HOLMES: This is not a very good way to greet somebody, is it? Pretty big name, potential Republican candidate, showed up in Wisconsin and listen to the reaction.
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HOLMES: That's no way to welcome a guest! Is it?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Sixteen minutes past the hour now. We're giving you an update because we were just getting it about what was happening in North Carolina.
We got an update that at least 14 people were killed in a particular county. That brings the total of death toll now to 23 storm-related deaths in that state. One state official we had a little earlier with me, given me an update.
Mr. Sprayberry is back on the line with me once again.
Sir, I appreciate you hopping back on. I guess, what -- how much have you learned about what happened in your state just in the past hour or so since you and I last talked?
MIKE SPRAYBERRY, N.C. DIV. OF EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT (via telephone): Well, we're continuing to collect information as we do a situational analysis. So, we do know that there have been a number of fatalities in seven North Carolina counties presently. We're trying to confirm exactly those numbers with our county partners prior to giving out a fatality total. We're still in the response phase.
We have a lot of resources out on the field and -- but we have also begun to execute damage assessments. We sent teams out the door this morning at 7:30 and deployed them down range so they can begin the process of determining what types of damages we have and also what types of programs that we may be eligible for.
HOLMES: And sir, we -- are talking about Bertie County, one in particular that it appears there were at least 14 deaths. Give our viewers of idea who might not know -- maybe we can get a map up here in a moment as well. But give them an idea of what part of the state we're talking about that was hit so hard.
SPRAYBERRY: That's northeastern North Carolina and I would say a fairly rural county. We do have a couple of rivers up there and it's starting to get close to our sounds up in northeastern North Carolina. They did have -- they got hit last year by tropical storm Nicole and experienced some level of flooding. So, that's sort of a double whammy for them.
But again, it's a mainly rural area and they did get pretty hard with a lot of tornadic activity last night.
HOLMES: Sir, certainly avoid numbers here -- but are you still getting reports of possibly some missing and also getting reports of people injured?
SPRAYBERRY: Reports are still incoming, that's correct.
HOLMES: And some of these pictures we're looking at are just unbelievable. The -- have you been able to mobilize the way you need -- I know you knew the storm was coming and I know you all put a lot of things in place and now here we are. But you talked about federal help.
How much help are you guys going to need?
SPRAYBERRY: You know, as far as response resources, we don't need, you know, federal assistance. We positioned ourselves pretty well. We actually have mobilized six urban search and rescue task forces that actually have structural collapse components with rescue components. We've also mobilized five regional response teams for hazardous materials.
We've got things like law enforcement, fire, chainsaw teams, emergency medical services, Department Transportation and forestry out there. We're currently delivering tarps and water to our citizens.
So, the way we would look at it is if we're eligible for a disaster program and the recovery phase. But as far as the response phase, I think we're able to hold the line pretty well at the local and state level.
HOLMES: OK. And one more thing I want to ask here, sir. Something you may not have heard about. We were just getting some reports at least -- I'll ask you while I have you here that outside of Raleigh. There were three children ages two, three and five who possibly were killed in a mobile home park. Do you have any word or update on that?
SPRAYBERRY: We've heard those reports and we're currently investigating.
HOLMES: We're looking into it.
SPRAYBERRY: Sure.
HOLMES: Again, Mr. Sprayberry, sir, we appreciate you taking the time with us once again with the update. Thank you so much.
But again, so much has changed since I talked to Mr. Sprayberry last. The death toll there in his state has gone up to 23 now storm- related deaths. Fourteen of those took place in one particular county.
We continue to see these new pictures as daylight comes and many areas were hit once again last night. And it looks like -- look at that. North Carolina got the brunt of it last evening.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Twenty-two minutes past the hour. Nadia, I look forward to "Morning Passport." You've brought me wine on a number of occasions.
NADIA BILCHIK, CNN EDITORIAL PRODUCER: Yes, have a sip or two. It will definitely make the day go easier.
HOLMES: Well, we'll get into that later.
But Nadia Bilchik here with the "Morning Passport" this morning. Passover. Tomorrow, all right?
BILCHIK: Right. Tomorrow night, Passover.
HOLMES: We think we know Passover. We hear it. It comes every year.
But do we really know what we're talking about?
BILCHIK: Well, it is a celebration of the exodus, the freedom of the Israelite or Jewish slaves from Egypt. And where we got the name Passover was the tenth plague that God visited upon the Egyptian people.
So, Moses said -- this is the Old Testament -- to pharaoh, let my people go. Pharaoh said no, God visited the plagues. The tenth plague was that he would smite the first borne son of every family, that he passed over those of the Israelites or the Jews.
Then pharaoh relinquished and the Jews were allowed to leave. And then he changed his time, but it was too late for him, the Red Sea had parted, they gone through, by the time pharaoh's armies came through, the water had enveloped.
HOLMES: Classic story. People know that story.
BILCHIK: But during the Passover Seder, everything is very symbolic and things are celebrated. For example, you will have bitter herb to remember the bitterness of the experience of slavery.
And this is called chareset, and it's a very interesting mixture of nuts and apples and wine. And that is supposed to symbolize the cement, the mortar, of the many, many store houses and buildings that the slaves were forced to make.
And then you have a vegetable that is dipped into saltwater and the saltwater symbolizes the tears, the many tears that the slaves shed.
And then you have a shank bone which is the sacrificial paschal lamb eaten on the night of the exodus. Also, some believe -- there are many different interpretations -- it is the strong arm of God in helping to release the people.
You have an egg which again is about sacrifice but also an egg is round, so there's the sense of the continuity of life.
HOLMES: But the burnt used to explain --
BILCHIK: The idea is the burned part because of the sacrifice.
HOLMES: OK.
BILCHIK: Now, most important is the matza. You heard about matza. Now, matza is the unleavened bread eaten because when the slaves fled in such a hurry, there was no time for the bread to rise. Hence, unleavened bread.
And for the second day of Passover, everything you eat should not be able to rise. So, no flour, no rye, et cetera.
Now, interesting about the Passover Seder, too, is you're supposed to lean and be very comfortable. The idea --
HOLMES: Yes. That's the point that got me. I didn't know this.
BILCHIK: In fact, some people really sit very comfortably and lean because as a slave, you were so uncomfortable. So, part of being a liberated person is the level of comfort and you drink a lot of wine. There's a great deal of symbolism behind that.
HOLMES: A lot of wine.
BILCHIK: A lot of wine.
But when President Obama had his first Passover Seder, he was running for president. And Jews always say, "Next year in Jerusalem." And he said, "Next year in the White House," which is why he will be having a Passover Seder every year.
So, we say to our Jewish viewers a very happy and healthy Passover.
HOLMES: And now, people will have a better understanding. We know the story. It might jog the memory, but a lot of this -- a lot of people might not have been aware of, a lot of people of talk about Passover tomorrow. And Seders will be taking place, a lot of wine will be on the table.
BILCHIK: And really thinking about freedom in general and anybody who's still enslaved or still oppressed is the overall theme.
HOLMES: Theme everyone can take.
Nadia, this has been very informative for a lot of folks this morning. Thank you so much. We always appreciate Nadia in the "Morning Passport."
And to our viewers, we are keeping an eye, of course, on what we've been watching for the past three days here in this country, that nasty, nasty weather that's hit a number of states. New pictures we are getting in of some of the hardest hit areas and it appears North Carolina got the brunt of it last night.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right. We're getting close to the bottom of the hour here on this CNN SUNDAY MORNING.
And a sign of a Tea Party's growing political punch -- at least among conservative Republicans -- possible GOP presidential candidates were pressing the flesh at Tea Party rallies all over the country yesterday. Donald Trump delivered a fiery stump speech at a big Tea Party rally in south Florida, lashing out at President Obama and also repeated his criticism of former Republican President George Bush.
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DONALD TRUMP, CEO, TRUMP INTERNATIONAL: Hey, whether you like him or not, George Bush gave us Obama, and I'm not happy about it, OK? I'm not happy about it. We have a disaster on our hands. We have a man right now that almost certainly will go down as the worst president in the history of the United States.
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HOLMES: Sarah Palin spoke to hundreds of Tea Party faithful outside the capitol in Madison, Wisconsin. She ignored the snowstorm that was moving in and also kind of a hostile reception from some in the crowd.
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HOLMES: Now, Palin said the Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker is doing the right thing by demanding more concessions from public unions.
Also, Representative Michele Bachmann spoke at a Tea Party rally in South Carolina. She called President Obama's decision to intervene in Libya foolish and said the NATO mission could end up helping al Qaeda.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: All right, welcome back, everybody. Its 32 minutes past the hour.
Just to give you an update on what we've been watching over the past several days, and it looks like hopefully it could be over for the most part, at least the severe weather.
But these are some of the newest pictures that we are getting in. And in particular North Carolina hit and hit hard last night, an outbreak of tornadoes. We've been getting updates telling us that at least 23 people have been killed there in storm-related -- these are storm-related deaths we're calling them, 14 in at least one county. This adds to deaths we have seen from Oklahoma, Arkansas as well.
This is -- again, this started on Thursday but it made its way over Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, all of these places hit.
Jacqui Jeras is here with me this weekend, our meteorologist. Jacqui, we've been talking about what it has been doing over the past three days.
JERAS: Yes.
HOLMES: Is it done?
JERAS: It's done in terms of producing organized severe weather, so that's the good news. The bad news is it's still going to be a pretty lousy day for you in parts of the northeast. The storm system that's kind of run its course, it's weakened considerably and is bringing in some heavy rain showers. So we are a little concerned about flooding.
In addition to that, we've got some really strong winds behind this storm so we're going to be talking about wind gusts between 35 and maybe 50 miles per hour. And that's enough to cause some damage across parts of the northeast. So keep in mind, you know, for example, if its garbage day, you might want to -- you know tomorrow? Don't put them out early because it could all get blown around and any furniture you might have outside as well.
Look at those wind advisories from Detroit, stretching down through the Appalachians. So pretty big part of the country still dealing with that. The big picture for today are other concerns, is at the north side of the system T.J., really brought in some cold air. We're talking about snow. Yes, we saw almost a foot of snow in parts of the Dakotas early in the weekend.
So more snow expected there today across the intermountain west and fires have been a huge story in the last couple of weeks, particularly in northern parts of Texas and into Oklahoma. New Mexico, you're in on that fire danger threat today. So, just continued drought here, really dry humidity and those winds that continue to pick up with these storms move on through.
You know, T.J., this is the time of the year where we see storm systems roll in about two to three days. So every two to three days we can expect stormy weather and we think Tuesday will be our next best chance for seeing organized severe storms.
HOLMES: Yes.
JERAS: It could be pretty ugly across parts of the middle Mississippi Valley on Tuesday.
HOLMES: Yes. All right, Jacqui we appreciate the update, thank you so much. I appreciate you having you here this weekend.
JERAS: Sure.
HOLMES: Well, to our viewers now, we're going to turn to our "Faces of Faith" segment. And on our face (ph) today we're talking about free houses, in particular a free house. Somebody would surely like one, right? Well, a church in Ohio is giving one away. All you have to do is come to church next weekend for Easter services.
Tony Scott is the pastor of the church on Strayer (ph) in Toledo, Ohio who joins us from there. Pastor Scott, good to see you sir. Is this the some other time? Is this what it takes to get people to come to church these days?
TONY SCOTT, PASTOR, THE CHURCH ON STRAYER: Well, certainly we hope people come and enjoy the weekend services and the Easter services. But you know the house we think is just the very heart of Jesus. We think this is the kind of thing Jesus would be doing. HOLMES: Now -- and I want to make sure we're clear about the -- the motives here. Is it really to try to entice people to get in and then they will hear the message? Or were you just really trying to do something here that certainly could help -- help any family out?
SCOTT: Well, we have a project called the Noel Project at Christmas time. We invite in from across the central city 500-plus families and we give Christmas to them. It's just a huge thing, about 2,000 people. We give a bicycle to every family, so about 500 bicycles. We give groceries, toys, clothes. And we've been doing that for years.
So we're a very community-minded church. And this is just taking the Noel Project to the next level and giving away a house.
Yes, we want them to hear the message of Jesus Christ that's what really what this is all about. But you do remember, T.J. --
(CROSS TALK)
HOLMES: Yes.
SCOTT: -- that Jesus Christ gave 5,000 fish sandwiches away and there were probably 20,000 there because it says besides just the men there were women and children as well.
HOLMES: Well, Pastor Scott, how is this going to work next Sunday? They come to church and then what happen? Is there a raffle, is there -- tell how this thing work?
SCOTT: Well it's not a raffle but we -- we have eight services, we have two campuses, we have one here and we have one in Fremont, although it's about 45 miles away. We will have eight services over those three days. We start on Friday night with the Good Friday service we have two Saturday afternoon services one in 4:30 and one in 6:00 and then two Sunday morning 9:00, 11:00. And in between those services, actually we have a huge helicopter drop 95,000 Easter eggs dropped on our campus.
And then the people come in for the service and they will be given an application to fill out. Then we have a committee of people from the church and the community that will go to every single application, so every family will have an opportunity to win and so it surely not like a raffle, every family has and equal opportunity to win the prize.
HOLMES: Now but is anyone eligible, does it have to be -- I mean can anyone who had maybe didn't even come to your church before, maybe someone would like to come from out of town because they heard about this and would like to try to get this home. Is everybody eligible?
SCOTT: Everyone is eligible but you naturally live in the house in Toledo. We're going to build that house right here in Toledo, or in the Fremont area depending on which family is chosen. So it's (INAUDIBLE) of the Toledo, Fremont area, after all this is Holy Toledo, T.J. HOLMES: Holy Toledo, sir -- well, you mentioned there the house being built. When will it be ready for the family?
SCOTT: We hope that it will be ready for our summer celebration; we have a huge, joyful celebration here. I don't know if it's going to be possible to get it done by them. It's being done by volunteer labor. Everybody will be volunteering in the church and in the community and there have been a lot of people already contributing things like appliances, furniture.
So a part of this house will be furnished as well. And just a few strings attached. You must have a full time job. You must be gainfully employed. You must be able to afford the maintenance and the taxes on the house.
HOLMES: Yes.
SCOTT: You can't sell the house for five years. So, just a few little restrictions to make sure that this is a credible transaction between the church and the people and the people really get the house for the right motive.
HOLMES: Well, Pastor Scott, this is fascinating. We heard of churches doing giveaways before trying to get people in but this is a good one, this is not a raffle kind of a thing like you say. You're going to make sure you screen them out and make sure this goes to a family that really needs it.
So Pastor Scott, good luck next Sunday. We'll follow up with you, ok?
SCOTT: Thank you so much for having us, T.J.
HOLMES: All right, thanks so much.
Pastor Scott from Holy Toledo this morning.
And to our viewers if you want to explore more about your faith or other faiths, go to CNN's belief blog at CNN.com/belief.
And as you know, he has yet to announce he's running for president but Donald Trump is sure sounding like a candidate. So what's his deal? It's just one of the topics I need to talk to Candy Crowley about. You know it is my favorite part of the morning.
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HOLMES: All right, 40 minutes past the hour. That means you're just 20 minutes away from Candy Crowley. But I don't have to wait. My favorite part of the morning starts right now, Candy, good to see you, dear lady.
CANDY CROWLEY, CNN HOST, "STATE OF THE UNION": Good to see you.
HOLMES: There seems to be something wrong. It just doesn't seem right to be starting with Trump again with you. (CROSS TALK)
CROWLEY: Just one thing?
HOLMES: Yes. This Trump. I asked you this last week. I think is he just messing with us? And -- and here we go again, Candy. Do we have a better handle on what's going on with Donald Trump?
CROWLEY: I mean listen. He -- he clearly wants this buzz out here that he's thinking about a presidential race. You don't show up at the Tea Party at a Tea Party rally in Florida -- a very important place for all politicians, a very important group within the Republican Party -- without wanting people to buzz about it.
Again, I can tell you that the people around him say, yes, he really is serious. That he realizes that if he's going to do this he needs to do it now because of age, that this is the right time to do it. He truly believes that President Obama's doing a bad job steering the nation.
So there -- there are many people around him who will argue to you that he is completely serious. And yet, you know, I've heard discussion after discussion about he's playing with you, he's -- he just likes the limelight. And I think that's true, he does like the limelight and he is a showman.
And so I think both things can be true. I have yet to meet a politician that didn't like the limelight, much less a showman like -- like Donald Trump. So I just think it is hard to be inside his head and -- and try to figure out what he's actually thinking. I can tell you he is enjoying himself.
HOLMES: Yes. Well to get inside that head you've got to make it through that hair and -- I don't know how you do it -- no, everybody knows his classic hair there.
All right. Let's move on to something else. Let's go to the politics of last week, what was supposed to be the start of the grown- up conversation, right?
CROWLEY: Yes.
HOLMES: We've got to talk about debt ceiling. We've got to talk about the 2012 budget. And others said this was just the start of a fight and a lot of people are saying that President Obama is the one that kind of started this.
CROWLEY: Well listen, I think here's one thing we learn from this week. They went ahead and approved the deal that President Obama, Speaker Boehner and Senate Leader Reid put together. That got approved, that got signed. That's the 2011 budget. Why did they do that? Because the alternative is the government would have shut down.
So backed into a corner, they are able to come up with something they can live with but everybody usually comes out and says, oh, I hated this part and I hated that part. But in any case, the government stayed open.
So you know, extrapolating from this, I think any time you get them in a corner -- and the debt ceiling is going to do that. Because unless Congress raises the debt ceiling and allows the U.S. to borrow more than it's currently borrowing, the U.S. will default and that by all accounts would be disastrous. So they're going to get a debt ceiling bill at some point, they will raise the debt ceiling.
But then, the other thing it's very hard to see where they're going to find some kind of commonality. You mentioned the President's speech on Wednesday --
(CROSS TALK)
HOLMES: Yes.
CROWLEY: -- the Republicans just went wild on that. They said wait a second. You know, they got invited to the speech, they thought, it's probably ok, let's all get together. And the President said those words but then he went on to just blast the Republican debt reduction plan.
So it did look like the old Washington in the latter part of the week right after they got the deal in the last part of last week.
HOLMES: Yes, that was something else. It was really fascinating political theater to invite them, had them on the front row, and just let them have it.
CROWLEY: Right.
HOLMES: That was something else, Candy.
CROWLEY: Yes, yes.
HOLMES: We're looking forward to seeing you. We'll see you in about --
(CROSS TALK)
CROWLEY: Thank you sir.
HOLMES: -- 15 and a half minutes. But Candy, always a pleasure to talk to you in the morning and to our viewers, keep it right here. "STATE OF THE UNION" with Candy Crowley, just 15 minutes away, 9:00 a.m. Eastern and 6:00 a.m. Pacific right here. So stick around for that.
Also I want you to stick around for this -- city leaders in Washington, D.C., they are placing a pretty big bet. They are putting their money on online gambling. So what exactly are the odds that it will actually help D.C. dig out of debt? We're talking live next with the man behind the controversial move into Internet betting.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK) HOLMES: Well, their luck seems to have run out. The founders of three of the largest Internet pokers companies out there have been indicted on fraud and money laundering charges. In a sweeping 52-page indictment, the U.S. attorney in New York says the companies operated offshore and used fraudulent methods to get around U.S. gambling laws.
Authorities say the 11 defendants concocted elaborate criminal fraud scheme. They set up shell companies, tricked some banks and basically bribed others to keep billions of illegal gambling profits flowing.
Despite those indictments, Washington, D.C. -- check this out -- using Internet betting for its own good. The city is about to become the nation's first jurisdiction to allow online gambling. D.C. lawmakers plan to use money from the operation to cover mounting financial problems.
City leaders say online gambling already exists, albeit illegally maybe sometimes. But this move gives them a chance to regulate the practice. Online betting expected to bring in up to $14 million over the next few years.
Joining me now from Washington is the man who came up with this idea, Councilman Michael Brown. Mr. Brown, good to have you here. Tell us, is this what it's come to? That things are so bad financially for so many states and municipalities that you have to go this route?
COUNCILMAN MICHAEL BROWN, WASHINGTON D.C.: Well, as you mentioned in your preamble, T.J. -- first of all, you kind of said everything I needed to say, you got all my talking points and everything. But what's interesting, as you know, most states, these kind of activities are already occurring and they're just going unregulated. So we're going to try to take care of the regulation, consumer protection and yes, raising revenue for the District of Columbia.
As you know, T.J., most jurisdictions are going through some tough times. Usually when you have to make those kind of cuts they usually come on the backs of the poorest folks in our cities. And that was just unacceptable for us so we're trying to figure out other methods outside of the box and be innovative as possible to raise some of those revenues.
HOLMES: Well, on that approach, you say some of these cuts are made on the backs of some those less fortunate. There is an argument, sir, that this could hurt those folks -- those same folks as well. Online gambling, many will tell you, it is dangerous, it's addictive and someone could just sit there and charge up and spend and whatever else and people will be affected. Do you really want to be in the gambling business?
BROWN: Well, first of all, I call it -- just so you know, T.J. -- I call it gaming, not gambling.
HOLMES: Ok. Tomato --- tomato, but come on now, this is gambling.
BROWN: But the bottom line is, T.J., we're going to put as many controls in as possible to make sure folks have all the kind of resources they need for the protections of their own personal well- being. So we're going to do everything we can. But T.J., we're having to balance and make tough decisions and some of those tough decisions we just again refuse to watch these cuts really impact the survival of people here in our cities as opposed to trying to raise revenue and at the same time putting all the controls in for the consumer protection aspects of it.
HOLMES: And sir is this really a long-term viable solution that could help out or this could just be a quick fix to bring in a few dollars?
BROWN: No, I think this is a long term solution. If you look at other states around the country -- correct me if I'm wrong -- I think 45 of the 50 states have some form of lottery or gaming in their states because they're trying to figure out again how to raise revenue. People are going to play. So the question is how do you regulate it responsibly, how do you have the consumer protections and how does it raise revenue at the same time.
So we're pretty pleased about it and keep in mind, T.J., next time you come to D.C., bring your laptop. You can come as long as you -- you can play as long as you're in the borders of the District of Columbia.
HOLMES: Ok, I'll keep that in mind the next time I'm in D.C. But I prefer my betting out in Vegas.
Mr. Brown, we had some breaking news this morning. I wish I would have had more time with you but is it all right if we stay in touch with you and bring you back when some of these things start to get implemented?
BROWN: Absolutely and that will happen later this summer and throughout the fall.
HOLMES: Well, we will see you then. It is a date, sir. We appreciate you. Thank you so much for your time. Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
BROWN: Thank you T.J.
HOLMES: All right. Quick break here, folks. We're right back.
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HOLMES: All right. This is some info you need, folks. It is not just about saving the planet, it is about saving you some money. Earth Day is Friday. You can get a head start though. I asked eco- living and earth loving Laura Turner Seydel for some pointers on how to be more environmentally friendly.
Here is how. She says you can go green this week and be greener by Friday.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Earth Day on Friday. People can start on Sunday though and do something every day to be greener. What can they start doing on Sunday and do right now, they can get up in their homes and be greener?
LAURA TURNER SEYDEL, ECO-LIVING EXPERT: Well, they can start by getting a smart programmable thermostat. A lot of houses might already have one. But you have it, set it so that it knows when you're sleeping or when you're away at work. You can save a tremendous amount of energy that way.
And it is really recommended that you keep your thermostat in the winter down to about 68. Then in the summer, we keep it at about 75. You save a ton of money for every degree that you can turn your thermostat.
HOLMES: On Monday, what do you have for them? What can they do?
SEYDEL: Well, they can go to their home improvement store and spend anywhere between $50 and $200 to get a composter. It allows you to take your kitchen residuals, spin the bin around the barrel and in 30 to 60 days you have compost that you can amend (ph) your gardens with and there are no chemicals and the fruits and vegetables taste great.
HOLMES: Let's move on to Tuesday. What else can people do trying to get to a greener Friday?
SEYDEL: What you want to do is look for green cleaning supplies. If you want to spend pennies on the dollar, you can go back to what our parents and grandparents do. And the major ingredients in some of these products that you're buying off the shelf that are already premade -- vinegar, lemon, baking soda. You use, reuse the same plastic spray bottle. You pour your little ingredients in there, mix it with water and, you know, voila.
HOLMES: Move on to Wednesday. What can we do on this day to be greener?
SEYDEL: I'm an ice hockey mom and a soccer mom. But I would go out to their soccer games and still do. I just see the trash cans -- there are no recycling bins -- just overflowing with water bottles. What we decided to do is to get those wonderful pitchers you can get at any grocery store that filter the water. And then your kids have their reusable bottles and they just fill it up on the way out the door and it saves you hundreds of dollars because you're not buying bottled water.
HOLMES: Now we move on to the next day. This one's getting serious. People like night showers now.
SEYDEL: Start by taking shorter showers.
HOLMES: Shorter showers, of course.
SEYDEL: Turn the water off when you brush your teeth. You can save up to five gallons of water a day; simple and easy things that don't cost anything and will save you money. There are low-flow showerheads. We bought one for $15. And the return on investment is like two weeks. You save so much water.
HOLMES: We get to Friday. We get to actual Earth Day. This might be the simplest thing of all.
SEYDEL: I bet that this would be a really good one for you. The number one use of energy -- or number two, between your heating and cooling, is lighting. Now they have other alternatives that use a lot less electricity, the newest being LED technology. They're 90 percent more efficient than the bulbs you're using. So you see that reflect on your bill. You're going to save 90 percent more energy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Good luck going green. In a moment, an update for you on these deadly storms we've been seeing the past three days.
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HOLMES: And a reminder to our viewers, keeping a close eye on what's happening with the storms. We got the update, at least 23 people killed in North Carolina. Stay with CNN throughout the day for the latest there.
Right now, Candy Crowley.
