CNN World News - Oklahoma tornadoes - 1999-05-04 (early morning)

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] And today with Lou Waters and Natalie

[0:01] Allen, weekdays on CNN.

[0:17] This is CNN breaking news.

[0:22] Tornadoes rip through the central United

[0:25] States, leaving a path of death and

[0:27] devastation.

[0:29] Hello, I'm Michael Holmes at the CNN

[0:31] Center and welcome to our viewers in the

[0:32] United States and of course around the

[0:34] world. At least 35 people are dead after

[0:37] tornadoes touched down in the central

[0:39] United States. The worst of the

[0:41] tornadoes struck the state of Oklahoma

[0:43] with winds of more than 400 kilometers

[0:46] an hour. The vicious storms cut a 60-m

[0:49] or 90 kilometer path of destruction

[0:52] through the state. Several neighborhoods

[0:54] were hit by a twister for half an hour.

[0:57] Police say an estimated 1,000 homes were

[1:00] leveled in Oklahoma City alone. More

[1:03] tornadoes were later reported in the

[1:05] state of Kansas. Witnesses say the

[1:07] tornadoes were unlike anything they've

[1:09] seen before.

[1:12] >> There's just wind felt like I mean it

[1:13] you could hear the wind blowing. You

[1:15] could hear things bouncing off the top

[1:16] of the roof. It felt like I mean it was

[1:18] just going to blow over the whole

[1:19] school. It was terrible. It was awful.

[1:21] We were all down crouched under the

[1:23] chairs in the lecture center and it was

[1:26] so bad. You could hear the wind blowing.

[1:28] You could hear the tornado and you could

[1:29] hear everything just come and do it. And

[1:31] then our teachers came in and informed

[1:33] us of like that we need to Yeah. told us

[1:35] not to leave everybody to stay in there.

[1:37] And then we were all sitting in chairs.

[1:38] And then she told us to go to the floor.

[1:39] And then once you could start hearing

[1:42] that we started hearing more warnings on

[1:43] the weather, more severe. We were just

[1:46] all laid flat on the floor and we're

[1:47] covered up had people cover over us.

[1:51] >> And our viewers in Asia will leave us

[1:53] now. For them, Q&A Asia is up next.

[1:57] And for our other viewers, we continue

[1:58] our coverage of the deadly storms in the

[2:01] United States. And for more on the

[2:03] effect of the tornadoes, we're joined

[2:05] now by Bob Sans. He's a journalist with

[2:07] KKNG radio in Oklahoma City. Bob, thanks

[2:11] for being with us. It's difficult to

[2:12] imagine the scene. Paint a picture for

[2:14] us if you will.

[2:15] >> Michael, it's a scene tonight that u

[2:17] basically of a stunned city. I have been

[2:21] all over the the damage area. And you

[2:24] have to understand there's a lot of

[2:25] power out. We have like 60,000 people at

[2:27] least without power right now. Six major

[2:29] substations down. And for a lot of

[2:32] people, they can't get into their areas

[2:34] into their neighborhoods. Their homes

[2:36] may not even be damaged, but they can't

[2:38] get in there because of all the other

[2:39] damage that's going on. So there's lots

[2:41] of people who have no place to go. There

[2:43] have been many shelters open. Many

[2:45] churches have opened their doors to take

[2:46] people in. But what you keep finding are

[2:49] people who have stopped at whatever

[2:51] convenience store is still open. And I

[2:52] went by a couple of them in the Midwest

[2:54] City, Dell City area, which is a suburb

[2:56] of Oklahoma City. And there may have

[2:58] been 50 to 60 people sitting around the

[3:01] convenience store in their cars just

[3:03] staring out of the windows. I talked to

[3:05] a number of them and they said, "Well,

[3:06] there are shelters you could go to." And

[3:08] then, "Nah, no, I think I'll just sleep

[3:09] in the car tonight." It's like the car

[3:12] is the only thing that they can really

[3:13] latch on to that they know is theirs and

[3:16] they're going to have again tomorrow

[3:17] morning when the sun comes up. And when

[3:19] the sun comes up, the site is going to

[3:21] be unbelievable. I I I'm out of words to

[3:24] describe this because of the utter

[3:26] devastation. I mean, we have a path of

[3:29] destruction a mile to a mile and a half

[3:31] wide right through the southern part of

[3:33] our city. And you look at this and there

[3:36] are hundreds and hundreds of homes and

[3:38] there's it's just flat. There's nothing

[3:40] left. You wonder how anybody could get

[3:42] out of it. And at the moment, our death

[3:44] toll is at 24. and it may go higher, but

[3:47] right now this is a the city in shock

[3:49] once again. It's like it's taking

[3:50] another blow to the belly and a lot of

[3:53] people just really don't know what to do

[3:54] right now.

[3:56] >> And just updating the death toll, 24

[3:58] people dead in Oklahoma and 10 in

[4:00] Kansas, a total of 34. Bob, uh, most

[4:03] people, you included, have seen

[4:05] television footage of tornadoes and and

[4:07] even watching these amazing pictures of

[4:10] tornadoes, but try to give us a sense,

[4:12] if you will, of what the real thing was

[4:14] like for these people. What have they

[4:16] told you about uh about what happened?

[4:18] >> Michael, I've been chasing tornadoes as

[4:21] a journalist for 30 years in Oklahoma,

[4:24] and I can tell you I have never seen

[4:26] anything like this. Uh, and that's the

[4:29] that's the description that you hear

[4:30] over and over and over again. I've never

[4:33] seen anything like this. And these are

[4:34] people who are used to tornadoes. I

[4:36] mean, yes, uh, there, you know, you get

[4:38] nervous at that time of the year, and

[4:40] some people really are panicky about it,

[4:42] but most people in this state are

[4:44] familiar with what tornado season is all

[4:46] about, and they know what to expect.

[4:49] They've never seen anything like this

[4:50] before. This was the most amazingly huge

[4:53] and powerful tornado I have ever seen in

[4:55] 30 years of reporting. At one time, this

[4:58] particular cell that you're showing

[5:00] right now that has the the small tornado

[5:02] behind it, at one time there were five

[5:04] tornadoes, five vortexes coming out of

[5:07] that cloud. And it's just amazing.

[5:10] Again, the same thing you hear over and

[5:12] over again is, "I've never seen anything

[5:14] like this before. It was so powerful."

[5:18] >> Bob Sans of KKNG radio in Oklahoma City.

[5:21] Thanks very much for bringing us that

[5:22] perspective. Well, officials say there

[5:24] is no sign of these storms letting up.

[5:26] Meteorologist Dave Hennon is tracking

[5:29] their path at the CNN weather center.

[5:31] Dave joins us now. What's the latest

[5:33] there, Dave? Well, Michael, still

[5:35] looking at some severe weather on the

[5:37] ground right at this hour. We are

[5:39] watching some severe weather that

[5:41] continues to move towards Muscogee. That

[5:43] is located in Muscogee County. That's

[5:46] where the most intense thunderstorms are

[5:48] right now. Reports of a tornado on the

[5:50] ground heading for that general

[5:52] vicinity. So, we continue to see these

[5:54] supercells, as we call them, producing

[5:56] tornadoes and likely to continue to do

[5:58] so for the next several hours. Also, we

[6:02] currently have a tornado warning in

[6:04] effect in Oage County, which is located

[6:06] northwest of the greater Tulsa area. So,

[6:09] the storms have not quite made it

[6:11] through Tulsa yet. And further to the

[6:13] south as well, we are dealing with the

[6:15] potential for severe weather back right

[6:17] now through the Dallas Fort Worth

[6:19] Metroplex currently moving through. We

[6:21] have not seen uh in the last several

[6:23] moments anyway any tornado warnings for

[6:25] that particular area, but we would not

[6:27] be surprised to see that there is

[6:29] currently a tornado watchbox in effect.

[6:31] Let's show you where those are. They

[6:33] cover a fairly large area including uh

[6:36] from parts of Missouri back into Kansas.

[6:38] Remember the Kansas area was hard hit as

[6:40] well. It appears those storms have died

[6:42] down a bit. Most of the heavier weather

[6:44] right now uh towards Muscogee as we

[6:46] showed you and also into Tulsa and back

[6:48] towards the Metroplex. not be surprised

[6:51] to see these tornadoes continue to move

[6:53] eastward through the day. We do have uh

[6:55] from the Storm Prediction Center a

[6:56] moderate risk of severe weather. That's

[6:58] a pretty good risk of severe storms

[7:00] today. This includes all day by the way

[7:02] and in through the overnight hours

[7:04] tonight from southern sections of

[7:06] Missouri and back into Texas. And again

[7:08] today, the most serious of risks, a high

[7:11] risk of severe weather today. That means

[7:13] a pretty good coverage again of severe

[7:14] storms from Texas and extending up back

[7:17] in towards parts of Arkansas. So watch

[7:19] out later on today around Little Rock

[7:21] and back towards the Fort Smith,

[7:23] Arkansas area and extending back in

[7:26] through parts of Illinois. That is the

[7:27] area that we'll continue to watch on

[7:29] through the latter parts of the day.

[7:30] Michael.

[7:31] >> All right, Dave Hennon there at the CNN

[7:33] Weather Center will be keeping us

[7:34] keeping track of these tornadoes as they

[7:36] continue. Now joining us on the line is

[7:38] Julie Galooa. She's with the Red Cross

[7:40] in Kansas. Thanks for being with us,

[7:43] Miss Galooa. I wonder if you could start

[7:44] off by telling us about the situation

[7:46] there, what you've seen and how

[7:47] desperate it is for those uh who are

[7:49] trying to make it through the night in

[7:51] US time.

[7:52] >> Well, it is a very devastating situation

[7:55] here and the Red Cross is actively

[7:58] working to meet the basic emergency

[7:59] needs of those affected by the tornadoes

[8:01] that hit Witchah, Kansas and also

[8:03] Hayesville, Kansas. And we are working

[8:06] to meet the needs by opening three

[8:08] shelters, one in Witchah and two in

[8:11] Hazesville. And then the other thing

[8:13] that we are currently doing is we are

[8:14] accepting inquiries regarding the

[8:17] welfare of immediate family members. So

[8:19] we're encouraging those people who are

[8:21] concerned about their loved ones to call

[8:23] the local Red Cross here in Witchah,

[8:25] Kansas.

[8:26] >> Julie, we were speaking earlier to Bob

[8:28] Sans of KKNG radio in Oklahoma City and

[8:31] he spoke of people sitting around in

[8:32] cars just simply stunned at what had

[8:35] happened. What what have you seen? Can

[8:36] you give us a picture if you like of how

[8:39] people have reacted to this? Uh the only

[8:42] thing I have seen as far as reactions

[8:43] are what I've seen on TV and people just

[8:47] are in shock I believe and there's just

[8:49] a lot of dismay. There's a lot of

[8:51] concern. A lot of families have not been

[8:54] reunited at this point and that is one

[8:56] of our biggest concerns right now.

[8:58] >> How well equipped are you and other aid

[9:00] organizations as we look at more

[9:03] pictures of these tornadoes coming

[9:05] through? And just updating by the way

[9:06] the death toll at 36 in these tornadoes.

[9:10] How well equipped are you and other aid

[9:11] organizations in handling this sort of

[9:13] situation?

[9:14] >> We're very well equipped. Um we have

[9:17] already activated trained our local

[9:20] trained Red Cross volunteers and staff

[9:23] members. So we are responding adequately

[9:25] and yet preparing for future storms that

[9:28] may hit as well.

[9:29] >> And what have you heard is the latest in

[9:31] terms of injuries and damage in your

[9:34] part of Kansas? You know, we have no

[9:37] confirmed numbers, so I do not know the

[9:39] exact number of injuries at this time.

[9:42] >> All right. Uh that's Julie Galoo of the

[9:44] Red Cross in Kansas. And thank you very

[9:46] much for being with us on that. Well,

[9:48] the high winds and heavy rain sent many

[9:51] residents scrambling for shelter. Jim

[9:53] Patton reports.

[9:56] >> Like other motorists, we parked near an

[9:58] overpass. Possible shelter. As the mass

[10:00] moved closer, we tried to judge. Thought

[10:02] perhaps because of its size, it was a

[10:04] raincloud. When we realized our mistake,

[10:06] there was little choice but to race for

[10:08] our lives.

[10:10] >> Jim, get us out of

[10:17] it right there. We're out of it. Get us

[10:19] out of it.

[10:20] >> When it was over, we returned to the

[10:21] overpass we had considered for shelter.

[10:23] It had become a triage. At least three

[10:25] people seriously injured.

[10:28] >> Pressure on that wound. Put another

[10:30] towel on.

[10:31] >> Pressure on that wound.

[10:35] You okay, bro? Yeah. Yeah. Kind of hurt.

[10:38] >> One woman who had been holding on near

[10:39] her 11-year-old son was sucked away. Her

[10:42] remains found a half mile away from the

[10:44] overpass.

[10:45] >> Despite that one fatality, those that

[10:47] huddled under that overpass made the

[10:49] best decision they could at the time. If

[10:51] they had decided to stay in their cars,

[10:53] their fate might have been met like

[10:54] this. This is what's left of a Ford van.

[10:58] And for one young man who thought

[10:59] stormchasing would be fun on this night,

[11:02] an awakening.

[11:03] >> That was the scariest thing I've ever

[11:05] been through in my life. I I'm actually

[11:06] studying to be a meteorologist. So, I

[11:08] just came out here to I wanted I've

[11:10] never seen a tornado and I just came out

[11:11] here to see it and being in it was

[11:14] unreal.

[11:16] That was Jim Patton reporting there.

[11:18] Well, we'll take a short break now.

[11:19] Viewers in Europe and Africa will be

[11:21] rejoining CNN this morning. For viewers

[11:24] elsewhere, I'll be back in a moment with

[11:25] the latest on the situation in the

[11:27] Balkans, a look at international

[11:28] business and some of the other news from

[11:30] around the world. Do stay with us.

[11:35] >> This has been CNN breaking news.

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[12:40] CNN Today with Lou Waters and Natalie

[12:42] Allen. Weekdays on CNN

[13:01] and welcome back. Residents in the

[13:02] Yugoslav capital, Belgrade, say Monday

[13:05] night was one of the quietest since

[13:07] NATO's air campaign began more than 40

[13:09] days ago. But other towns were not so

[13:12] lucky. Yuguslav media say NATO air

[13:14] forces hit an oil refinery and a

[13:16] television building in the city of

[13:18] Novisad. Other targets reportedly were

[13:21] hit across the country, including

[13:23] bridges, roads, and airfields. These

[13:26] latest attacks come as Russian envoy

[13:28] Victor Chername Murdan met with United

[13:30] States President Bill Clinton in

[13:31] Washington. Chername Murdan urged the

[13:33] president to intensify diplomatic

[13:35] efforts to end the conflict over

[13:37] Serbia's Kosovo province. Mr. Clinton

[13:40] insists that Yugoslavia must however

[13:42] comply with conditions set by NATO for

[13:44] ending the crisis.

[13:47] We need to think of the circumstances

[13:48] and the conditions on which it could be.

[13:52] How we can make what terms or what?

[13:56] What parameters?

[14:00] This process requires

[14:04] detail negotiation discussion. There

[14:06] should be no

[14:09] because there is the stakes are very

[14:11] high

[14:14] of what is going on.

[14:17] >> We had words last October

[14:20] and and before where Mr. Mallovich made

[14:22] certain commitments and then they were

[14:23] abandoned. We have we have tried

[14:25] diplomacy. We have said uh that under

[14:29] the right circumstances we would be

[14:30] willing to have a bombing pause but we

[14:33] would need a acceptance of the basic

[14:35] principles and at least the beginning of

[14:37] withdrawal of Serb forces

[14:40] and I I don't believe that we should

[14:42] change that position.

[14:45] Meanwhile, the United States Senate is

[14:46] expected to vote Tuesday on a measure

[14:48] that would give President Clinton added

[14:50] authority to conduct military operations

[14:52] in Yugoslavia. It would allow him to use

[14:55] all necessary force to end the conflict

[14:58] and that includes a land offensive. Mr.

[15:00] Clinton does not support the measure and

[15:03] it is likely it will not survive the

[15:04] Senate vote.

[15:06] Well, thousands of refugees queued on

[15:08] the border of Macedonia Tuesday waiting

[15:10] to be admitted into the country. Refugee

[15:13] camps in countries neighboring Kosovo

[15:15] are struggling to deal with the influx

[15:17] of ethnic Albanians from the Serbian

[15:19] province. But one group of aid workers

[15:21] is raising the standard of refugee care.

[15:24] CNN's Jana Raph has the story from

[15:26] Kukes, Albania.

[15:29] >> This is the foundation of a link between

[15:32] Albania and the Arab world. It's a

[15:35] mosque going up at the camp built by the

[15:37] United Arab Emirates, the tiny rich Gulf

[15:41] state that's the only non-European

[15:44] country involved in housing refugees

[15:46] here.

[15:50] >> Most of ours are Muslim. Imam Afraim

[15:54] Barisha was a religious leader in the

[15:56] village he was expelled from.

[15:59] But the reason refugees wait in line to

[16:02] get in this camp over others is the

[16:04] accommodation.

[16:07] Just a little more than two weeks old,

[16:09] it's risen up from the mud to become

[16:11] what some UN officials refer to as the

[16:14] Hilton of camps. This is the UAE's first

[16:18] venture at a refugee camp. It wants to

[16:20] make sure it does it right. And it seems

[16:23] money is no object.

[16:25] >> It was open budget by Sh and uh Uh this

[16:29] what gives it, you know, a good uh

[16:31] support.

[16:32] >> What that means is they can spend as

[16:34] much money as they want to. To bring in

[16:37] supplies, they're building their own air

[16:39] strip for cargo planes, the first in

[16:42] northern Albania. The 200 bed medical

[16:45] unit is more advanced than the local

[16:47] hospital.

[16:49] And there are what would be luxuries in

[16:51] other temporary camps, hot meals, which

[16:54] the refugees say actually taste good.

[16:57] and new pajamas.

[17:00] Despite that, it's still a refugee camp.

[17:03] The UAE is promising to double the

[17:06] number of tents and build showers, a

[17:08] playground, and a school run by UNICEF.

[17:11] But right now, there's no running water

[17:15] and no privacy.

[17:18] Most cost of ours here couldn't find the

[17:20] UAE on a map.

[17:22] >> We tried to to push him to know only

[17:25] Emirat, only the Emirat. only they know

[17:27] you are Arab only that and sometimes

[17:28] they think we are from Europe also they

[17:30] don't know who we are

[17:32] >> most of the refugees don't really care

[17:34] who their hosts are they're just happy

[17:37] for the hospitality

[17:41] >> Jane Rath CNN in Kus Albania

[17:44] >> and coming up on world news a bold peace

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[19:52] Well, the Dow Jones Industrials hit a

[19:54] new record on Monday. Let's check more

[19:55] on that and how the Asian markets are

[19:57] responding in our Biz Asia Extra. As we

[20:00] said, the Dow industrials closed above

[20:02] 11,000 Monday, increasing by 20% since

[20:05] January. Markets in Asia are all

[20:08] rallying strongly in reaction, although

[20:10] the region's largest, Tokyo, is closed

[20:13] for a holiday. The hang in Hong Kong is

[20:15] up almost 2%. In Singapore, the Straits

[20:19] Times is up almost 2%

[20:21] and stocks in Seoul adding nearly 2%.

[20:26] In Germany, we're beginning to get an

[20:27] idea of how Europe's markets are going

[20:29] to react to the Dow's new record. The

[20:31] DAX in Frankfurt is up and running now.

[20:33] Let's have a look. It is up 52 points at

[20:36] 5435.

[20:38] KM is a stock to watch in Amsterdam. The

[20:40] Dutch national carrier plans to reduce

[20:43] the number of its shares by a quarter.

[20:46] Well, the good health of the United

[20:47] States economy is the reason behind the

[20:49] Dow's new record Monday. Recent economic

[20:52] reports showed that the United States is

[20:54] in a period of strong growth, but

[20:56] without signs of worrying inflation. By

[20:59] the closing bell, the Dow had closed

[21:00] above 11,000. As you've heard, it took

[21:02] just 24 trading days to get there from

[21:05] 10,000. The Dow rocketed 225 points to

[21:10] close at 11,04.

[21:13] But the NASDAQ composite couldn't keep

[21:15] up. Technology stocks pushed the Nasdaq

[21:18] down seven points. Microsoft lost nearly

[21:21] one and a half. Intel added nearly two.

[21:25] Goldman Sachs is set to change the

[21:27] course of its 130year history. The

[21:30] leading investment bank becomes a public

[21:32] company today for the first time ever.

[21:34] The $3.7 billion initial public offering

[21:37] will be the second largest ever and will

[21:40] be priced at $53 a share. In October,

[21:43] oil and gas giant Konico raised $4.4 4

[21:46] billion with its offering. That is the

[21:49] latest in financial news in our Biz Asia

[21:52] Extra. International headlines are after

[21:54] the break.

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[22:36] >> What if he loved her but she didn't love

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[22:46] >> How art wise is there art beautiful?

[22:51] >> William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night

[22:53] Stream. What fools these mortals make?

[22:56] >> Rated PG-13. Starts Friday, May 14th,

[22:58] only in theaters. Mortgage interest

[23:00] rates have been slashed to some of their

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[23:29] >> Go inside politics now for a full hour

[23:32] weekdays 5 Eastern on CNN.

[23:48] The United States has given its stamp of

[23:50] approval to propose peace talks between

[23:52] the Colombian government and Latin

[23:54] America's most powerful guerilla group.

[23:56] The peace initiative was set up over the

[23:58] weekend when President Andres Pastana

[24:00] met secretly with Manuel Marilander.

[24:03] Marilander is the head of the

[24:05] Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.

[24:07] The talks are scheduled to start on

[24:09] Thursday. The US says a negotiated

[24:12] settlement is the best way to end

[24:14] Colombia's 35-year conflict.

[24:17] An independence leader says there will

[24:19] be more bloodshed in East Teeour unless

[24:22] the United Nations controls security

[24:24] during a vote on whether the territory

[24:26] wants autonomy. Jose Ramos gave his

[24:29] warning in a letter to UN Secretary

[24:31] General Kofanan on Monday. Indonesian

[24:33] and Portuguese officials plan to

[24:35] finalize an agreement on Tuesday that

[24:38] sets up the August election. The meeting

[24:40] comes against a backdrop of new violence

[24:43] elsewhere in Indonesia. At least 17

[24:45] people were reportedly killed when

[24:47] Indonesian soldiers opened fire on

[24:49] villages in the northern province of

[24:51] Ache.

[24:52] Now with a check of international sports

[24:54] news and highlights is CNN's Dave

[24:56] Cotton.

[24:58] >> Well, the political tension surrounding

[25:00] Cuba's first ever baseball game against

[25:02] a major league team on US soil spilled

[25:05] over to the playing field on Monday

[25:06] night in Baltimore as a Cuban-American

[25:08] anti-Castro demonstrator ran onto the

[25:11] field. That is a no no. And the umpire

[25:14] strikes back. Ironically, it was a Cuban

[25:16] umpire Cesar Valdez who eventually

[25:19] wrestled the demonstrator to the ground.

[25:20] on the man, one of four protesters

[25:22] arrested for disturbances during the

[25:24] evening. As for the game, Cuba won it

[25:26] 12-6 with Andy Morales putting the game

[25:30] out of reach with a three-run blast in

[25:31] the ninth inning. The happy Cubans

[25:34] earning a split of the twoame exhibition

[25:36] after Baltimore won the first game in

[25:37] Havana in late March. In tennis, former

[25:40] French Open champion Michael Chang's

[25:42] struggles continued as he crashed in the

[25:44] first round of the German Open. Chang in

[25:47] the near court lost to Dutchman Shang

[25:49] Shalin who rallied to win it in three

[25:51] sets. The 42nd ranked Chang once ranked

[25:54] as high as second three years ago has

[25:56] advanced beyond the second round only

[25:58] once this year. He says his prolonged

[26:01] slump can no longer be blamed on

[26:03] injuries but rather just horrible play.

[26:05] South African Wayne Ferrer and American

[26:07] Jan Michael Gamble were among the other

[26:09] winners on opening day. In Rome, Russian

[26:12] starlet Anna Cornicova struggled in her

[26:14] first match in three weeks, but advanced

[26:16] when Italian Rita Grande retired with

[26:18] leg cramps in the third set. Martina

[26:20] Hingus and the Williams sisters each

[26:22] received first round buys. NBA for just

[26:25] the second time in 13 years, Serbian

[26:27] Vlatty Debbots and the Sacramento Kings

[26:29] have clinched a birth in the playoffs.

[26:31] Vlatty with 25 points Monday in Denver.

[26:34] And how about a little white chocolate,

[26:36] Jason Williams, the dish to Scott Pard

[26:38] for the dunk. And then Williams will hit

[26:40] the three-pointer. The Kings will be

[26:42] either the seventh or the eighth seed in

[26:44] the West when the playoffs begin this

[26:46] weekend.

[26:48] >> NHL playoffs are ahead on World Sports,

[26:50] but that is our look at international

[26:52] sports for now. I'm Dave Cotton.

[27:04] And here are the headlines now on World

[27:06] News. Tornadoes in the central United

[27:08] States have left at least 36 people

[27:11] dead. The tornadoes first ripped through

[27:13] the cities through cities in the state

[27:15] of Oklahoma on Monday. Separate funnel

[27:17] clouds touch down later in the state of

[27:19] Kansas. More than 2,000 homes have been

[27:22] destroyed. The severe weather in the

[27:24] region is expected to continue into

[27:27] Tuesday.

[27:29] United Nations Secretary General Kofan

[27:31] is scheduled to meet with Russia's envoy

[27:33] to the Balkans, Victor Cherna Merin, on

[27:35] Tuesday. They are expected to discuss

[27:37] NATO's bombing campaign in Yugoslavia.

[27:41] Annan says he doesn't see a quick

[27:43] diplomatic fix to the crisis. NATO jets

[27:46] struck an airport outside Belgrade and a

[27:48] television facility in Novisad on

[27:50] Monday. It was reported to be one of the

[27:52] quietest nights across Yugoslavia since

[27:54] the bombing campaign started.

[27:58] Stay with CNN for the latest on the

[28:00] storms in the United States and the

[28:02] crisis in the Balkans. I'm Michael

[28:03] Holmes. Here's

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