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CNN Live Sunday

Tropical Storm Alberto Tracking Towards Florida; Mississippi Town after Katrina Devastation; Teenager's Message of Hope to Classmates; Mexico Beat Iran in World Cup Game

Aired June 11, 2006 - 19:29   ET

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

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Here's what's happening right now in the news. We have our first official tropical storm and it's name is Alberto. It is tracking towards Florida's west coast and meteorologist Jacqui Jeras has the latest on Alberto in less than a minute. Now Alberto spent the last 24 hours dumping more than 20 inches of rain on Cuba. And amazingly, nobody was hurt.
Abu Musab al Zarqawi's followers say they will press on, even without their leader. A message on the militant Web site, an Islamic Web site, makes vague promises of revenge for his death.

And a new account of the alleged civilian massacre in Haditha, Iraq. The ranking U.S. marine sergeant on the mission says the civilians were killed inadvertently. He also says the marines followed proper protocol.

A national survey shows gas prices have stayed pretty flat over the last three weeks. The national average for a gallon of self-serve regular now is still $2.93.

Alberto, the first-named tropical storm of the season is tracking towards Florida tonight. Most of Florida's west coast is now under a tropical storm watch. So, let's get the very latest from meteorologist Jacqui Jeras -- Jacqui.

JACQUI JERAS, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Well, Carol, the storm is making some progress. It's heading a little farther up to the north. And we're expecting it to start a northeasterly turn within the next 24 hours. We've already been feeling how plenty of the affects across south Florida, and starting to push in towards central Florida.

We've also had some of these bands extend way up to the north, and even some thunderstorm wind damage up around St. Augustine and also a little bit around Ocala. Nothing major at this time. But these thunderstorms due to Alberto here, are bringing in wind gusts around 45 miles per hour. So, we need to prepare and get ready for the storm.

And that's why the Hurricane Center has issued a tropical storm watch that you mentioned, from Steinhatchee extending all the way down to Bonita Beach. That means 36 hours or less before we really begin to feel the affects of this.

There you the can see kind of a really unbalanced storm. It's still having a real tough time getting organized. So the air, especially here into the western and northern gulf, is very, very dry. So, that is really making it difficult for Alberto to gain any additional strength, despite the water temperatures, which have been so very, very warm.

The forecast track has slowed down a little bit from yesterday. So if you're just joining us and haven't been keeping track between now and then, the forecast track is bringing it in, probably not until Tuesday now. There you can see the location on Monday. We're making that turn to the north and to the east.

Though the computer model forecasts, I might want to mention, are not all blended together. Some of them still bringing into the north central gulf. Some into the western gulf. But the good consensus of models bringing it in here towards the Big Bend area. And that will be sometimes on Tuesday. And then heading up towards the Carolinas. But then it should becoming extra tropical.

While this seems like devastating news to hurricane-weary Florida, believe it or not, there are actually some benefits to the storm moving through. This is a drought-ridden area, and they really could use some rain.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

(Voice-over): When most people think of weather in the southeast over the past year, images like this come to mind -- wind, rain, floods and storm surge from Dennis, Katrina, Rita and Wilma. In actuality, it looks like this. Dry, brittle ground covers much of the Gulf Coast. The drought dates back to before last year's record hurricane season. And what those storms left behind is making matters worse.

BARRY KEIM, CLIMATOLOGIST: With the debris from homes and cleanup, I mean, there's debris everywhere. And it's exceptionally dry. And it's highly vulnerable. And all it's going to take is just a spark to get this stuff going.

JERAS: Wildfires have been ignited from Texas to the Florida panhandle. Last week, several fires raged in southern Mississippi. One of them burned nearly 2,000 acres in the Desoto National Forest, just north of Gulfport and Biloxi. In addition to the forest damage, Louisiana state climatologist, Barry Keim, says agriculture has taken a big hit.

KEIM: Hurricane Rita pushed a pretty big storm surge up into southwestern Louisiana and inundated a lot of the fields, especially ones that are used for race and crawfish production. And as a result, there still is salt in those soils. And it's actually halting some of the production in these areas.

JERAS: It's not all bad news. The dry conditions have some positive effects. Wheat and some other grains actually thrive in dry weather. And for roofers, builders and cleanup crews across the ravaged hurricane zone, no rain means continuous work.

(END VIDEO TAPE) ' (On camera): And hurricane season certainly can bring in some of those beneficial rains, as long as it's a weak tropical storm or a weak hurricane. It can be a drought-buster, Carol. And this might be just what central parts of Florida could use.

LIN: All right. Those firefighters will be thankful. Thanks, Jacqui.

Well clearly, Hurricane Katrina is history. But there is still so much rebuilding to do along the Gulf. But some cities are caught up in an unbelievable amount of red tape. Sean Callebs has that story. His report first seen on "ANDERSON COOPER 360."

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

SEAN CALLEBS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's obvious Waveland, Mississippi, nine months after Katrina hit, is still a mess. The city is broke and broken.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's real frustrating. Can you fix a leak here, and you fix a leak over here.

CALLEBS: There's more than $100 million in FEMA aid money just sitting there waiting for Waveland. But naturally there's a catch. And everyone here, like Roy and Mimi Lassis (ph) is caught.

ROY LASSIS (ph): I am ready to rebuild my house.

CALLEBS: But they can't, because Wavelands water, sewer and other utilities are in such pathetic shape.

MIMI LASSIS (ph): You don't see any progress yet. I'd like to see something started.

CALLEBS: All government entities -- feds, states and county -- agree it will cost well over $100 million to fix Waveland. And federal funds are earmarked for the town. But get this -- Waveland can't get a penny until it raises 10 percent in matching funds, which would be well over $10 million. Mayor Tommy Longo says his town doesn't have the money.

TOMMY LONGO, MAYOR, WAVELAND, MISSISSIPPI: It's impossible. At this point, 95 percent of our commercial structures were substantially destroyed. So our economic base, our lifeline, financial life line is destroyed.

CALLEBS: So he stews, recounting the litany of assurances from government leaders who promised to make Waveland whole again. FEMA officials say they empathize with Waveland. But a spokesman says the agency works under strict guidelines and, by law, cannot dole out money to rebuild until Waveland has 10 percent of the needed funds. Ridiculous, says the mayor.

LONGO: One of the things that scare me dearly is that there's a lot of focus on the lessons that they've learned, and a lot of focus on the upcoming hurricane season, yet we're still sitting here 95 percent substantially destroyed trying to find a way to fix this puzzle.

DWIGHT HASKELL (ph): It's just non-stop.

CALLEBS: Right now, Dwight Haskell (ph) is one of only four people in the Public Works Department.

HASKELL (ph): Go out to 6079 Cutoff Road.

CALLEBS: He says the idea of hooking up new commercial properties to water and sewer lines is laughable. And why? Leaky water lines and broken down sewer systems.

(On camera): So basically your day is getting up, running around from thing to thing to thing, patching and trying to keep everything working.

HASKELL (ph): Basically.

CALLEBS: So the town limps along in limbo.

MIMI LASSIS (ph): We're trying our best to keep a positive attitude. That's all I can say. And it's hard sometimes.

CALLEBS: Residents and the town caught in a brutal catch-22 with no solution in sight, knowing only that they face a very uncertain future. Sean Callebs, CNN, Waveland, Mississippi.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: That story from "ANDERSON COOPER 360." And starting tomorrow, Anderson reports from the West Coast, keeping them honest on local issues -- everything from high-speed chases to bilingual education. All this week at 10:00 p.m. Eastern.

In case you missed it, let's check some of the highlights from the Sunday morning talk shows. The death of al Qaeda in Iraq leader, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi topped most shows. On "CNN's LATE EDITION," Iraq's national security adviser said Wednesday's attack yielded valuable information.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOWAFFAQ AL-RUBAIE, IRAQI NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: We found a lot of material in that place. We found diaries. We found telephone numbers. We found computers. And we found -- there was a database in that computer. And there's a lot of information carrying -- Zarqawi used to carry with him. So, it was very, very useful, not only to capture Zarqawi and get him out of the way of the Iraqi people -- because he's the number one enemy of the Iraqi people. It was the value of the information we got with him.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: The former U.S. administrator in Iraq, Paul Bremer, told ABC's "This Week," that al-Zarqawi's elimination could have a ripple effect among his followers. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL BREMER, FORMER U.S. IRAQ ADMINISTRATOR: This will increase internal tensions inside al Qaeda, because it seems that one of his colleagues informed on him. And terrorist groups are secretive to the point of paranoia. And this sets off very big tensions inside the group. And we've seen -- and that's the third effect. When that happens, the operational effectiveness of the group, at least in the short run, tends to be deteriorated.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LIN: Remember, CNN brings you the headlines from the Sunday talk show circuit, every Sunday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.

Rebels cut off her hand when she was only 5 years old. Now, she's living in the U.S. and telling her story. It's one of inspiration. This incredible girl is going to join me in just a few minutes.

SHANON COOK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, I'm Shanon Cook with the world headlines. A safe landing for this airliner in South Korea. But there it is. But how did it lose its nose in the air? Details when we return.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Now, the astounding story of a 13-year-old girl who has seen and experienced the unimaginable -- human atrocities in her home country of Sierra Leone in Western Africa. Rebels cut off Damba Koroma's hand. And when her mother tried to help her, they cut off her hand, too. Well, Damba is safe now in the United States. But taunting by other children convinced her to speak out about the nightmares of her past. Here's CNN's Jim Clancy.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DAMBA KOROMA, SIERRA LEONE REFUGEE: Hi. My name is Damba Koroma, and I was born...

JIM CLANCY, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Damba Koroma appeared on Hammond Middle School's televised morning announcements. The 13-year-old student explained to the entire school how she had come from Sierra Leone to the United States, and how much she loved her new friends and family. But mostly, she wanted to explain once and for all, why she didn't have a hand.

KOROMA: I had a very good life, until a rebel war broke out in my country, in Sierra Leone, in 1992. I was a little girl then. Never knew a school.

CLANCY: The story Damba told was about rebels who terrorized her West African homeland and made children commit atrocities under the slogan, "We want peace." What Revolutionary United Front leader, Foday Sankoh, really wanted was power, not peace -- power and control of Sierra Leone's diamonds. He was prepared to do anything to get it. Former rebels explained it simply.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: To make war very fearful.

CLANCY: To make war fearful. Fearful doesn't nearly describe it. In towns and villages, they rounded up innocents and picked out victims to kill or maim. The purpose was to terrorize everyone into supporting Foday Sankoh. One day, they came to Damba Koroma's village.

KOROMA: The leader killed one of my uncles. Then, a rebel called me up and told me to lie down. And -- on the ground. I did as he -- I did as he commanded. Then he said that I was going to be an example of what -- an example of what they were going to do to the rest of the people. He cut off my arm with a machete and then ordered my mother and the others to do the same.

CLANCY: Damba showed her schoolmates a photo of her and her mother, days later in a clinic, both with bandaged arms and missing hands. Damba Koroma was only 5 years old.

The man behind the atrocities, Foday Sankoh, died during his war crimes trial in Sierra Leone. The man who supported him, the former Liberian president, Charles Taylor, is in custody and faces a similar trial. The victims, those who weren't killed, face a lifetime as amputees -- a lifetime remembering one of the cruelest wars using the most vicious tactics ever seen. Damba Koroma saw it all. But the message she carried to her classmates wasn't about cruelty. It was about hope.

KOROMA: I want to say don't give up. Because you never know what will happen in your future. Keep dreaming and keep hoping that there's always something in life for you.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Damba Koroma and her principal, Chris Clark, join us now from Washington. Welcome to both of you.

Damba, your story and your courage, just breathtaking. And so amazing. Why did you feel such a need to tell your story?

KOROMA: Well, I was kind of tired of telling my story over and over to kids. And also tired of the looks that I was getting. So I thought it was a good idea to tell the story to the whole school. Instead of telling it piece by piece to everybody who asked me the same question.

LIN: Because kids can be so cruel, can't they? I mean, they had no idea. They would call you a pirate. It was just ridiculous. So you decided to make this film with the help of the librarian. And after the broadcast, what was the reaction?

KOROMA: Well, there were a lot of kids who came up to me and gave their sympathy and said they were sad for me. And I really appreciated that. And also some people who I didn't know, who I never knew or never saw, also came up to me and gave their sympathy to me. And I really appreciated that.

LIN: When you were recounting your story, I could see that you would sometimes take a breath and stop, and then, continue on. Was it difficult for you to talk about it? Is it difficult for you to recount what happened?

KOROMA: Yes, it was.

LIN: So what made you go forward? What did you want these kids to understand about you and where you came from?

KOROMA: Well, I wanted them to understand that where I came from, it's not like a place -- it's not like I was really proud of what happened to me. But what -- the message I really wanted to get across to them was, that there's all this hope for them. And there's all this hope for them to carry on no matter what happens.

LIN: I could see that, in your face as a 5-year-old. You're lying in this hospital bed with your mother -- the two of you with your bandaged arms. And, look, you're looking at the camera, and you're smiling. Do you remember that moment?

KOROMA: Yes, I do.

LIN: How could you smile? What was it inside of you and your mother that could make that moment happen?

KOROMA: Hope.

LIN: Hope.

Chris Clark, you must be so proud of Damba. What did you find the most surprising about this film?

CHRIS CLARK, DAMBA'S PRINCIPAL: Well, the student reaction was, I think, what we expected. There was -- you could hear a pin drop. It was just total silence while the school watched the video that morning. And then, lots of questions afterwards. They wanted to know more about the war, more about the outcome of the war, how Damba had gotten here. I think what Damba represents for us, though, is just so much grace and resiliency. She could be a victim. But she chooses to not be. Instead, she chooses to be a straight-A student. She's the anchor on our morning news show. She just represents hope and grace and resiliency to all of us every day. The adults and the children.

LIN: And Damba, you wear short sleeves to school?

KOROMA: Yes, I do.

LIN: Is that a short-sleeved dress that you're wearing right now?

KOROMA: Yes.

LIN: You have a lot of pride in yourself. And you're capable of doing just about anything, with one hand? KOROMA: Yes, I am.

LIN: You sent your story to Oprah Winfrey. Have you heard back?

KOROMA: Not yet.

LIN: What do you hope to tell her audience?

KOROMA: Her audience?

LIN: Yeah.

KOROMA: Well -- Can you repeat the question, please.

LIN: Well, I'm just -- When you hear from Oprah, you give us a call, okay. And Oprah, if you're watching out there, this little girl is waiting to hear from you. She's got an amazing story to tell.

Damba Koroma, thank you so much for joining us. Chris Clark, thank you very much for inspiring your students.

KOROMA: Thanks for having us.

CLARK: Thank you.

LIN: Iran took on Mexico at the World Cup today. But some of the action in Germany was off the field. Shanon Cook has more details and other news from around the world. Shanon.

COOK: Ok, Carol. Thanks very much.

The match itself went pretty much according to form, I should point out. Mexico scored twice in the last 15 minutes to beat Iran 3- 1. But it was on the sidelines that politics took over. About 1,000 people demonstrated in Nuremberg, Germany. They were actually protesting against Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's public denial of the Holocaust and also his statements about wiping Israel off the map.

Ok, let's take you to South Korea, now, where an airliner made a miraculous landing without its nose. Look at that. The plane encountered a nasty storm in the air. Large hailstones actually took off the nose and also shattered the cockpit's front windows. The pilot said he had to look out little side windows when landing the plane. Luckily, no one was hurt. And there were about 200 passengers on board. I'm sure they were most relieved to get off that plane.

And in the Middle East, take a look at this. Even a sumo is no match for the Dead Sea. These Japanese wrestlers bobbed up and down in the super salty water. The water is so rich in salt and minerals, it actually keeps you afloat. This dip was part of the sumos' visit to Israel. It was intended to boost ties between Japan and the Jewish state. Carol, it looked like a day at the spa really.

LIN: Yes. I floated in that Dead Sea. But I never expected to see a sumo wrestler out there, so it was quite a picture, Shanon. Thank you. COOK: Thank you.

LIN: Well, it's been called an online playbook for terrorists. Still ahead, what happens when the Internet falls into the wrong hands?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

LIN: Bomb-making recipes, terror plans and words of hate -- all just a click away. Terrorists don't have to hide in the shadows to get their message out these days. They're all over the Internet. Now, in this week's leading edge, Daniel Sieberg reports on the borderless front in the war on terror.

(BEGIN VIDEO TAPE)

DANIEL SIEBERG, CNN TECHNOLOGY CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Don't let the smiley faces and inspirational music fool you. The messages and images are disturbing and immediate. Mere minutes after news of his death, countless Abu Musab al-Zarqawi supporters embraced his passionate use of the Internet. In one case, a man writes he'd sacrifice his mother, his father and himself to carry on al-Zarqawi's. He says he's envious of what al-Zarqawi has now, presumably martyrdom.

NED MORAN, TERRORISM RESEARCH CENTER: I can't imagine that his death will tamper down the use of the Internet. I think it's proven to be a very valuable tool for al Qaeda, the core organization, as well as its disparate vanguard outposts that are out in the world.

SIEBERG: Al-Zarqawi is widely acknowledged as the terrorist leader to most fully capitalize on the global and instantaneous nature of the Internet. His followers weren't far behind. Sharing Jihadist messages, vicious anti-American sentiment, macho poses symbolizing power. But video resonates the most. Twenty-six-year-old American contractor, Nicholas Berg, was kidnapped in Iraq two years ago. Online video of his beheading made a dramatic impact for very different reasons.

MORAN: So what we saw on the Nick Berg video was one video designed to hit multiple target audiences. On the one hand, the video struck fear within the western world, America in particular. But on the other hand, it could also be used to rally support for his cause among potential recruits.

SIEBERG: Few doubt that it's actually al-Zarqawi in the video. Regardless, the clip was downloaded millions of times after it was posted in May 2004, circumnavigating traditional media outlets.

(On camera): Zarqawi also brazenly started a monthly Internet magazine, called Sarwat al-Sanam (ph), which translates to tip of the camel hump. It's full of religious justification, al Qaeda propaganda and fighting tips.

(Voice-over): The Internet's ease of use means anyone can find or create these emotionally charged websites to inspire acts of terrorism in the real world. MORAN: We're starting to see a convergence of the two, where individual cells are going to the Internet, getting the bomb-making recipes, getting ideological justification and religious inspiration online, and then getting operational plans as well, and moving to the offline world.

SIEBERG: Consider it a borderless front of the war on terror. Daniel Sieberg, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEO TAPE)

LIN: Up next, "CNN PRESENTS: The World's Most Wanted" -- Inside al Qaeda, and into the minds of the terror network's top leaders. That's in just a few minutes. You're watching CNN. The most trusted name in news.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

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