Hurricane Charley news reports (mostly CBS) - 2004-08-13 to 2004-08-16

Channel: malgent

Transcript

Language: English (original, YouTube automatic captions)

[0:00] And uh I was looking forward to learning

[0:02] as much from this uh hurricane as

[0:04] possible. If you're told to evacuate,

[0:06] you need to evacuate. The carport that I

[0:09] believe you see in the video is what we

[0:11] refer to as a shelter of last resort.

[0:13] >> Are you okay?

[0:14] >> I'm a professional stormchaser and

[0:16] extreme weather photographer. I've been

[0:18] studying hurricanes for uh several

[0:21] years. This was my 10th.

[0:22] >> Oh my god, HERE COMES ANOTHER ONE. IT'S

[0:24] BAD. It's bad.

[0:25] >> Reed admits what he does is dangerous.

[0:28] >> Hang on, Drake. Hang on.

[0:30] >> But says in the case of Charlie, he just

[0:32] got caught up by a fastm moving,

[0:34] unpredictable storm.

[0:36] >> Oh my god. Oh my god. Right now the time

[0:40] is roughly 4:37. We are watching a

[0:44] neighborhood disintegrate. This is

[0:46] Hurricane Charlie. For the past 5

[0:49] minutes or so, we have been experiencing

[0:51] winds in excess of 100 miles an hour. It

[0:53] is tearing off roof.

[1:02] Get behind it. It'll kill it. Category 4

[1:05] hurricane. I hope I'm recording.

[1:07] >> It's for the professionals. For the

[1:09] rest, don't try this at home.

[1:11] >> You ever want to know what it looks like

[1:13] inside a category 4 hurricane? This is

[1:16] it. I'm wondering IF WE GOT HIT BY a

[1:18] tornado. I don't know.

[1:20] >> Jim Reed says he works with professional

[1:22] meteorologists who track the storm for

[1:25] him. And of course, while he admits this

[1:27] is exciting,

[1:31] >> hang on. Hurricane Charlie showed no

[1:33] mercy. The bravest of stormchasers were

[1:35] stunned.

[1:36] >> Oh my god. Oh my god.

[1:39] >> At daybreak, the devastation left by

[1:41] Charlie was in plain sight. Aircraft

[1:43] turned upside down. Entire neighborhoods

[1:46] destroyed. And then there's the mounting

[1:48] human toll. The state is using these

[1:50] refrigerated trailers as mortuaries, a

[1:53] sign it's too early for estimates.

[1:55] >> They can't get the search and rescue

[1:56] teams out into every possible place to

[1:59] be able to quantify the number of

[2:01] deaths. Charlie unleashed much of its

[2:03] fury on Punta Gorda, leveling huge

[2:05] sections of the city's downtown, putting

[2:08] merchants like jewelry store owner Da

[2:10] Francois out of business.

[2:12] >> I wasn't prepared for

[2:14] >> You didn't think there would be a direct

[2:15] hit here?

[2:16] >> No. What's lost in all this destruction

[2:18] is not just how many people died. That

[2:20] will be known in time. It's why so many

[2:23] people decided to stay behind. It may be

[2:25] a case of human nature versus forces of

[2:28] nature. I mean, what do you think when

[2:30] you look up in in your home and you see

[2:31] the sky?

[2:34] >> I think where am I going to be tomorrow?

[2:36] >> Residents like Vicky Price tried to ride

[2:38] out Charlie listening to forecasts that

[2:40] showed the hurricane heading north.

[2:42] >> We thought it was going to hit up at

[2:43] Tampa. Vicki was working at this nursing

[2:45] home when the hurricane ripped off its

[2:47] roof while elderly residents were still

[2:49] inside. She believes state and local

[2:51] officials let her down.

[2:53] >> I think that we should have been told to

[2:54] evacuate.

[2:56] >> We even had trouble reaching emergency

[2:58] management.

[2:58] >> But there's a limit to our knowledge.

[3:00] Nature still has secrets we don't

[3:02] understand. And part of that are

[3:03] hurricanes that rapidly intensify and

[3:05] can turn quickly. The state's emergency

[3:06] management director says officials plan

[3:08] to investigate why so many people

[3:11] ignored or did not hear orders to

[3:13] evacuate.

[3:13] >> We activated the emergency alert system

[3:15] to notify people to turn locally to

[3:17] their stations that they had very little

[3:19] precious time now to act.

[3:21] >> If they give the alert, get the hell

[3:22] out. Don't stay.

[3:24] >> People in Puna Gorda paid a high price

[3:26] for playing the odds with Charlie. It's

[3:29] a gamble many here don't plan to take

[3:31] again.

[3:33] It may take days to determine what

[3:36] happened to the hundreds of people who

[3:37] are reported missing. With cell phone

[3:39] service interruptions and power outages,

[3:41] the communication is limited.

[3:48] On a day when many in Southwest Florida

[3:51] are wondering about tomorrow, Sandy and

[3:53] Don McGibbon say they're just thankful

[3:55] to be here today.

[3:57] >> You make packs with God, you know, just

[3:59] please, you know, let us let us be

[4:01] alive. For the longtime Pontagora

[4:03] residents, Friday the 13th ended up

[4:05] being a race against the clock.

[4:07] >> And then an hour later, it was a

[4:08] category 3. And a half hour later, it

[4:10] was category 4. And by then, it's too

[4:12] late to leave.

[4:13] >> Fearing their historic house would not

[4:15] hold, they scrambled to a neighbor's

[4:17] newer house.

[4:18] >> It's not our first rodeo. It's just the

[4:20] worst one.

[4:21] >> Survivors of many storms, the McGibbons

[4:23] held tight as Charlie toppled their

[4:26] town.

[4:26] >> Windows were blowing out, water's coming

[4:28] in. Um, the howling is just incredible.

[4:32] >> They emerged three hours later to find

[4:33] their street devastated and their home

[4:36] in shambble.

[4:37] >> If we had stayed here, somebody would

[4:39] have gotten hurt badly.

[4:41] >> Even the worst of the whatifs can't

[4:43] destroy what matters most.

[4:45] >> As I see friends, you know, friends that

[4:47] are just so glad to see you, you know,

[4:49] that, you know, you just think, wow,

[4:54] that's what that's what's important. For

[4:56] many surviving families here, that is

[4:58] the painful but welcome lesson.

[5:02] >> And you have to wonder how many of those

[5:04] families there are. Families just like

[5:05] the McGibbons who have come back to

[5:07] something at least and at least have

[5:09] each other.

[5:15] Carrying strong winds and a frightening

[5:17] reputation.

[5:18] >> It's getting worse about a second.

[5:21] >> Charlie made an early charge toward the

[5:23] coast. But it was not the same Charlie

[5:25] that devastated Florida. The hurricane

[5:28] did not recharge over the Atlantic. It

[5:31] sustained winds had dropped from 145 to

[5:35] 85 m an hour. Hurricane Charlie came

[5:39] ashore just before midday, making

[5:41] landfall for the second time in less

[5:43] than 24 hours. This time, ripping into

[5:47] the Carolas.

[5:49] Nearly 200,000 had been evacuated from

[5:52] beach towns hours before just in case. A

[5:55] handful of thrillsekers stayed behind to

[5:58] see it.

[5:58] >> You're witnessing an act of mother

[6:00] nature. This is God's strong hand. I

[6:02] just love it.

[6:03] >> One tried to surf it.

[6:05] >> I walked out there and got far enough

[6:06] and I stepped a couple more feet and it

[6:08] started taking my feet out in front of

[6:09] me. I don't feel like drowning today.

[6:12] >> But Charlie sped through too fast to do

[6:14] much harm. A few thousand people lost

[6:17] power, but no one was hurt. In a matter

[6:19] of hours, it was gone.

[6:21] >> This is not major damage. This is this

[6:23] is minor damage right now.

[6:26] >> Minor damage from a major storm, but

[6:29] here it's already a memory. Kelly

[6:32] Kobier, CBS News, Myrtle Beach, South

[6:35] Carolina.

[6:38] Severely weakened from the category 4

[6:41] that made landfall on Friday, the

[6:43] remnants of Hurricane Charlie are

[6:44] hugging the Atlantic coast into the

[6:46] Northeast. Farther south in Florida, a

[6:49] trail of destruction across the heart of

[6:51] the state.

[6:52] >> I didn't feel too good when I came up

[6:53] and saw my house.

[6:55] I had just looked like a bomb went off

[6:58] in there.

[6:58] >> While some residents are able to survey

[7:00] the wreckage, rescue efforts are

[7:01] underway to recover victims. More than a

[7:04] dozen have already been confirmed dead.

[7:06] All around us, we saw the unbelievable.

[7:08] This is the bottom of a mobile home.

[7:11] Okay, the storm picked it up and

[7:14] literally crushed it into the side of

[7:16] the mobile home next to it.

[7:19] Homes shattered by fierce winds are now

[7:22] construction sites where scraps are

[7:24] salvaged. Hundreds of thousands are

[7:26] without power and water as utility

[7:29] companies struggle to restore basic

[7:31] services. It's

[7:32] >> horrible here. It's just, you know, and

[7:34] they're talking about weeks and and you

[7:35] know, before we see power, it could be 3

[7:37] to 4 weeks. Water, you know, 3 weeks,

[7:38] maybe 2 weeks. It's I I can't even

[7:41] imagine.

[7:42] >> Meanwhile, the state's emergency

[7:43] response team is already delivering

[7:45] supplies and Governor Jeb Bush has

[7:47] declared Florida a disaster area.

[7:50] >> We live in paradise and this is the kind

[7:52] of the the balance to that that we have

[7:54] uh we have storms. In Charlie's wake,

[7:57] residents are trying to put their lives

[7:59] back together, knowing that the

[8:00] hurricane season is far from over.

[8:03] President Bush visited the area Sunday.

[8:05] Jennifer Donan, CBS News, Puntabort of

[8:08] Florida.

[8:14] The remnants of Hurricane Charlie are

[8:16] pushing out over the North Atlantic

[8:17] tonight, but the tally of the storm's

[8:19] wrath in Florida continues to add up.

[8:22] Officials say at least 16 were killed in

[8:24] the hurricane and overall damage

[8:26] estimates could top more than 20 billion

[8:28] dollars. The hardest hit spot was the

[8:30] town of Puna Gorta. Mark Stman is there

[8:32] with the latest. Mark, good evening.

[8:35] Good evening, Russ. Organized chaos.

[8:37] That's how I overheard one relief worker

[8:39] describe the relief effort here and it's

[8:41] a good description. This is an area of

[8:43] vast devastation from a storm that

[8:45] killed at least 16 people.

[8:48] Two days into this recovery, the

[8:50] calamity still dwarfs the response.

[8:53] Charlie's damage to insured property

[8:55] runs as high as 11 billion dollar and

[8:58] hundreds of people remain missing. In

[9:00] Lee County, 250,000 homes were damaged

[9:03] or destroyed. In Charlotte County,

[9:06] Charlie blew away 31 mobile home parks,

[9:09] including this one, where we found

[9:11] Mickey Goddard.

[9:12] >> This is going to be my last little place

[9:14] to live here, you know, and be safe.

[9:16] >> Crying in her total trailer. Just two

[9:18] months after learning she has cancer.

[9:21] >> I was born to die.

[9:26] >> Not bad.

[9:28] >> Everything I had.

[9:30] >> There are so many problems. These

[9:32] looters are after food. Every need has

[9:35] long lines with frustrated people like

[9:37] Judy TR. She wrote out Charlie cowering

[9:40] under a mattress. She says because

[9:42] nobody told her to evacuate.

[9:45] >> You got no warning. Not the warning of a

[9:47] four and that the eye was coming for us.

[9:49] Uh-huh.

[9:50] >> Even Charlotte County's local emergency

[9:52] officials are grumbling.

[9:54] >> By the time we knew that we were in

[9:56] trouble, serious trouble, it was way too

[10:00] late to evacuate.

[10:02] >> When Charlie hit, all Florida was under

[10:04] a statewide hurricane warning. But

[10:06] evacuations are county decisions. By

[10:09] last Thursday evening, part, but not

[10:11] all, of Charlotte County was under a

[10:12] mandatory evacuation order. The storm

[10:15] seemed headed further north. Then on

[10:18] Friday at 2:00, the National Hurricane

[10:20] Center startled Charlotte County.

[10:22] Charlie was shifting last minute and

[10:24] heading their way, not to Tampa Bay. At

[10:27] 3:45, Charlie crashed ashore Charlotte

[10:29] Countyy's Barrier Islands and moving for

[10:32] the mainland. By then, many people here

[10:34] say it was too late to leave. Hurricane

[10:37] forecasters say the warnings were out

[10:40] there for days. People knew we had a

[10:42] dangerous hurricane out there. Uh the

[10:44] word certainly got out. Mickey Godd's

[10:46] daughter thinks many people here heard

[10:48] the warning but simply didn't listen.

[10:51] >> Like we didn't think we were going to

[10:52] get as much as we got. And we're

[10:53] standing there in the kitchen watching

[10:54] the patio blow away, you know, and then

[10:56] it kind of hits you. We better go

[10:58] somewhere in a closet.

[11:00] >> For children, school's out for at least

[11:02] the next 10 days. Many of them will

[11:04] spend their time off helping their

[11:06] parents clean up the house on a scale

[11:08] they never imagined. Russ Straman in

[11:11] Punta, Florida. Thank you very much.

[11:19] >> For those returning to their homes and

[11:21] for rescue crews in Florida, today is

[11:23] another long day of assessing damage and

[11:25] searching for survivors. Kelly Kova has

[11:28] more on a mission that could take

[11:30] months.

[11:32] Two full days after Hurricane Charlie

[11:35] ambushed Southwest Florida, rescue crews

[11:37] are still making their way from home to

[11:39] home.

[11:40] >> We're just making a search at every

[11:42] every resident in the trailer park. Make

[11:44] sure nobody's, you know, still left.

[11:46] >> Hundreds of people remain unaccounted

[11:48] for. Most may have simply left at the

[11:50] last minute, but crews want to make sure

[11:52] no one is left behind. I got word this

[11:55] morning they did find one lady that was

[11:56] in her closet yesterday that she thought

[11:58] the storm was still going on. Now that

[12:00] they've survived the storm, people here

[12:02] are learning how to live in its

[12:03] aftermath. Power is slowly coming back

[12:06] on.

[12:06] >> You know, anybody has,

[12:08] >> but it's ice and water people want.

[12:11] >> Get a line going. Get a line going.

[12:12] >> Private relief groups are their best

[12:14] hope. This one drove hundreds of miles

[12:16] to deliver some badly needed nourishment

[12:18] for the body and the soul.

[12:20] >> I think it's incredible that, you know,

[12:22] in today's society, they say nobody

[12:24] cares. That's a lie. They care. They

[12:27] care. Look at them. They're here. But

[12:29] help came from next door, too. Al Ortiz

[12:32] lost half his roof, but he says his home

[12:34] can wait.

[12:35] >> Well, I started helping out while I was

[12:36] here. You know, there's some people that

[12:37] need help. There's older people that

[12:39] can't really carry stuff to their cars.

[12:41] So, you know, um basically the human

[12:43] spirit, people helping out each other.

[12:45] >> The hardest part has not been helping,

[12:47] but reaching people. Some roads here are

[12:50] still clogged with debris, and many

[12:52] people don't want to leave their homes,

[12:54] no matter how badly damaged. That's not

[12:57] the only challenge for the Red Cross.

[12:59] The agency expects to spend at least $31

[13:01] million and several months in Florida.

[13:04] For people not here in the disaster

[13:06] area, it's a story for a couple of days

[13:09] and then they move on. The people in

[13:12] this disaster, they don't move on in a

[13:14] couple of days. It takes weeks and

[13:16] months to sort things out. But already

[13:18] patients and provisions are in short

[13:20] supply in a recovery that is barely 2

[13:22] days old. Kelly Kobea, CBS News,

[13:25] Pontagora, Florida.

[13:28] >> President Bush went to Florida today to

[13:30] take a look at the damage Charlie left

[13:32] behind. Joey Chen reports on the

[13:34] president's trip and looks at the

[13:36] politics of a deadly storm.

[13:40] Even before many residents were allowed

[13:42] back into their own homes, President

[13:44] Bush headed to Punta Gorda for his own

[13:46] firstirhand look, getting a bird's eyee

[13:48] view from his helicopter, a quick

[13:50] briefing from his brother, the governor,

[13:52] and other local leaders, and consoling

[13:54] those who'd lost everything. Mr. Bush

[13:56] assured devastated residents that help

[13:59] is on the way.

[14:00] >> Government's job is to help people help

[14:02] rebuild their lives. And that's what's

[14:04] that's what's happening.

[14:06] Even before the storm hit, President

[14:08] declared four counties disaster areas to

[14:10] speed federal money to victims. But that

[14:13] quick response fueled suspicion that he

[14:14] is using disaster politics to help his

[14:17] campaign in one of the most critical

[14:19] battleground states. A notion the

[14:21] president dismissed today.

[14:22] >> If I didn't come, they just said he

[14:24] should have been here more rapidly.

[14:25] >> The president is trying not to repeat

[14:27] his father's mistakes. After Hurricane

[14:29] Andrew flattened parts of South Florida

[14:31] in 1992, state officials blamed the

[14:34] first President Bush for not answering

[14:36] their calls for help quickly enough and

[14:39] trying to make up for that by

[14:40] overcompensating later. A lesson the

[14:43] current president and political analysts

[14:45] have not forgotten.

[14:47] >> President Bush senior uh eventually put

[14:49] so much money into the state after

[14:51] Hurricane Andrew that he was accused of

[14:53] buying votes in that election. So he

[14:56] there is the potential that the

[14:57] president could flood so much money into

[14:59] Florida people would say that's

[15:00] political opportunism.

[15:02] >> There's still plenty of opportunity

[15:03] ahead for missteps in disaster politics.

[15:06] Charlie was just the first major storm

[15:08] in this hurricane season which will

[15:10] continue until just before the November

[15:12] elections. Joey Chen, CBS News,

[15:15] Washington.

[15:21] For Florida, it's the biggest disaster

[15:23] since Hurricane Andrew. For the Red

[15:25] Cross, they say they are feeding

[15:27] thousands a day in their biggest

[15:29] challenge since 911. The extent of the

[15:31] damage is still not known even as

[15:33] repairs are beginning. Mike Brown, the

[15:36] director of the Federal Emergency

[15:37] Management Agency, joins us now. Good

[15:39] morning.

[15:41] >> Good morning, Hannah.

[15:42] >> Mike, what's your top priority this

[15:43] morning?

[15:44] >> Yeah.

[15:45] uh life-saving, making certain that we

[15:47] meet all the basic needs of all the

[15:49] disaster victims, people that are

[15:51] without homes, shelter, food, clothing.

[15:53] We have to take care of those victims

[15:55] first.

[15:55] >> What are the most pressing needs right

[15:57] now? Things like food and water we hear

[15:58] people are in dire need of.

[16:01] >> Absolutely. Food and water. And as you

[16:03] can tell right now, I'm in the middle of

[16:04] a disaster medical assistance team tent

[16:06] so we can provide mass care to all the

[16:09] uh victims of this disaster. Hospitals

[16:11] are without power. Some emergency rooms

[16:13] have been destroyed. So, our primary key

[16:15] right now is to make certain we can get

[16:17] the health care and emergency care to

[16:19] these victims.

[16:20] >> Mike, the figures so far putting the

[16:21] damage at 11 billion. Uh, we hear that

[16:23] 16 are dead. How much worse do you

[16:25] expect those numbers to get when you're

[16:26] done assessing the damage?

[16:29] >> You know, I don't know, Hannah, and

[16:30] we're not going to really worry about

[16:32] those figures until we really get

[16:34] through the response and recovery

[16:35] effort. will eventually put uh damage

[16:38] assessors on the ground to start trying

[16:39] to get us a number, but right now we're

[16:42] focused on taking care of the needs of

[16:43] the victims.

[16:44] >> Such great concern for the retirees in

[16:46] the area. Many of their mobile homes

[16:48] were destroyed and many of them left

[16:49] with absolutely nothing uh in need of

[16:52] medical care, disoriented with this

[16:54] group in particular. How are you

[16:56] addressing their needs and how big a

[16:58] challenge did they present?

[17:00] >> Well, it is a big challenge, but I think

[17:01] we're going to be able to meet that. I'm

[17:03] going to send community response teams

[17:04] out into the neighborhoods, literally

[17:06] going doortodoor, crisis counselors,

[17:09] social workers, all to get out and find

[17:11] all of these individuals. Then we're

[17:13] going to make certain we're able to

[17:14] communicate with them in Spanish or

[17:16] English or whatever language they speak

[17:18] so that they can understand that we have

[17:19] the care for them and that we're going

[17:21] to try to help them get reoriented and

[17:23] get their feet back on the ground.

[17:25] >> Mike, we saw the president surveying the

[17:27] damage with his brother, the governor of

[17:28] Florida, yesterday. Some people are

[17:30] saying in an election year you are

[17:31] getting particularly expedient support.

[17:34] Is there any merit to that?

[17:37] >> No, there's not. I would say if you go

[17:39] back and look at all the disasters over

[17:40] the past three or four years, uh, in

[17:42] fact, over the past 12 years, FEMA has

[17:44] been very, very responsive. Uh, over the

[17:47] past couple of years, since my tenure in

[17:49] FEMA, we have really tried to

[17:50] preposition assets closer to disasters,

[17:53] make them more efficient, and do what we

[17:55] can to respond quickly. I think that's

[17:57] our mission. We're going to do that

[17:58] regardless of whether it's an election

[18:00] year or not. My job is to take care of

[18:01] these disaster victims.

[18:03] >> Um, and quickly, are there any real

[18:05] dangers that are existing now in the

[18:06] aftermath of the storm?

[18:08] >> There absolutely is. People need to

[18:10] really be cautious as they go back into

[18:12] their home. There's still down power

[18:14] lines. They need to be careful about not

[18:16] using tap water as they get into their

[18:18] homes. There's going to be damage and

[18:19] the, you know, wires dangling, uh,

[18:21] aluminum dangling, that sort of thing.

[18:23] They have to be very, very careful as

[18:25] they go back into their neighborhoods.

[18:27] All right, FEMA director Mike Brown,

[18:28] thank you so much and good luck.

[18:31] >> Thank you, Hannah.

[18:34] >> Well, thousands of people felt the wrath

[18:36] of of Hurricane Charlie and our own Jim

[18:39] Acasta was one of them. You actually

[18:41] rode out the storm. What was that like?

[18:43] >> Well, we did. We didn't intend to. Uh we

[18:46] were told in Tampa when we were covering

[18:48] the storm that all of a sudden,

[18:50] Hurricane Charlie had made this surprise

[18:52] right turn towards the Fort Myers area.

[18:54] We thought, well, we weren't going to

[18:55] have enough time. So, we started heading

[18:56] that way. We were driving through the

[18:58] rains and we thought, well, we might get

[18:59] close enough to at least feel part of it

[19:01] and be able to report what was

[19:03] happening. Well, as you look at the tape

[19:05] here, I mean, this is what it was

[19:07] looking like as we were driving down the

[19:08] interstate. I mean, obviously, there

[19:10] were rains, there were winds, that sort

[19:12] of thing. It was it was serious, but not

[19:14] too serious. But when we got to the

[19:16] hotel, that is when things started

[19:18] happening. And and honestly, we were

[19:20] inside the hotel preparing a report for

[19:22] the CBS Evening News when all of the

[19:25] sudden I saw an alert that the eye is

[19:27] coming through Port Charlotte, which is

[19:29] where we were.

[19:30] >> And so the the hurricane came right

[19:32] through the hotel. It caved in the

[19:34] backside of the hotel. Uh I saw a sofa.

[19:38] I'm not kidding here, Rene. I saw a sofa

[19:40] move 10 to 15 ft by itself inside the

[19:43] hotel. The guests were running for cover

[19:45] as you can see here.

[19:45] >> Where were you guys, Jim? Uh we were

[19:47] inside the hotel at the time. Our crew

[19:49] was outside and had to run inside

[19:52] because they were in danger at that

[19:54] point. Now you're looking here at some

[19:55] of the stormchaser video and I think

[19:57] this accurately depicts what we were

[19:59] going through at that time,

[20:01] >> but we were inside. Thank goodness these

[20:02] guys were outside. Obviously, this is

[20:05] stormchaser video. This is not video

[20:06] that we shot. Uh we did not intend to

[20:08] get into a situation like that. just

[20:10] found ourselves in this position because

[20:12] the storm as the forecasters were

[20:14] telling everybody this storm could

[20:16] change course and it did.

[20:17] >> Did you ever at any point feel that hey

[20:20] I could die covering this story?

[20:22] >> Well yeah I mean that thought did cross

[20:25] our mind. I mean there was one point

[20:26] where uh my producer uh Kate Ryel and I

[20:29] were you know diving under a table

[20:31] because we thought well this is this is

[20:33] about all that's going to keep the other

[20:35] two floors of the hotel from coming on

[20:36] on top of us. But we had a team there

[20:39] that was very experienced from our

[20:40] camera and audio crews to the satellite

[20:42] technician to our two producers Jason

[20:44] and Kate. It was a team effort that got

[20:46] that on the air and um we're still

[20:49] getting over it.

[20:49] >> Unbelievable. Yeah. All right. Well, you

[20:51] look no worse for the wear. Jim Aosta,

[20:53] thanks so much.

[20:58] >> This is just one of many scenes

[21:00] throughout the city. There's not a

[21:01] working stoplight here in town. Power

[21:03] lines everywhere. and you drive around

[21:05] and you it takes you a minute to sort of

[21:06] get your arms around this and realize,

[21:08] oh, that metal that's wrapped around

[21:10] this tree used to be someone's home.

[21:12] CBS's Melinda Murphy has been out

[21:14] talking to folks too who are trying to

[21:16] make the best of a really, really bad

[21:18] situation. So hard.

[21:19] >> That's true. And you know what's really

[21:20] struck me? We've been here all weekend

[21:21] and and you start talking to people and

[21:22] a lot of these people are senior

[21:24] citizens. So you can imagine rebuilding

[21:25] from something like this is really

[21:26] tough. But that's particularly true for

[21:28] anybody in their golden years like Ellen

[21:30] Simone.

[21:33] Well, you have to laugh, otherwise

[21:34] you'll cry, you know.

[21:35] >> But of course, Ellen has shed plenty of

[21:37] tears since Friday.

[21:39] >> Oh, I cried. I cried yesterday and I

[21:42] cried at 1:00 this morning when the rain

[21:44] came again because I knew what was

[21:46] happening.

[21:47] >> Truth. Ellen Simone's emotions are a bit

[21:49] all over the place. Kind of like her

[21:51] house.

[21:52] >> That's my roof up in the tree. That's my

[21:54] roof across the street. My roof and my

[21:56] sighting is all over town. And what is

[21:59] left on Ellen's own property of her

[22:00] historic Puna Gorta home is in total

[22:02] ruins outside.

[22:04] >> So that's the garage door right there.

[22:06] That long thing

[22:08] >> and inside this is curtains and

[22:12] computer stuff.

[22:14] >> 70 years worth of memories gone.

[22:17] >> So your husband made me cry again.

[22:20] >> Yeah. Eight years ago he died.

[22:22] >> Your husband passed away.

[22:23] >> Yeah.

[22:24] >> So going through this by yourself? Well,

[22:26] I got the kids.

[22:28] >> Six kids, in fact, some of whom came

[22:30] along with friends to help pack up her

[22:32] home and her Catholic bookstore.

[22:34] >> Unless you pick up the books and really

[22:36] look at them, you don't realize that

[22:38] they're

[22:39] >> Oh, they're all yucky. Yeah.

[22:41] >> Soggy books financed by her retirement

[22:43] money.

[22:44] >> It's a hurricane sale.

[22:45] >> Rebuilding with what is salvageable may

[22:47] not be all that safe. The ceiling is

[22:49] cracked and worse.

[22:50] >> It looks like the ceiling here is

[22:51] sagging. It is. Was it sagging before?

[22:54] >> No, it's holding water. But things like

[22:56] that don't really scare Ellen. Not much

[22:58] does after Friday.

[23:00] >> Just sounded like they were peeling.

[23:02] Somebody big was peeling off the top of

[23:05] a sardine can.

[23:06] >> Ellen was actually here during the

[23:08] storm.

[23:09] >> This wall was just shaking. It was like

[23:11] an earthquake. It It was It was

[23:13] wiggling. It It won't move now, but it

[23:16] was just like it was a piece of

[23:17] cardboard.

[23:18] >> Ellen hunkered down inside this hallway

[23:20] alone except for her cat who she was

[23:22] holding. You just do you just think, you

[23:25] know, maybe it's going to be the roof

[23:27] over my head, too. Maybe this isn't the

[23:29] safest place.

[23:30] >> Um,

[23:30] >> was there ever a point that you thought

[23:32] I should have left?

[23:32] >> Too late.

[23:33] >> Mhm.

[23:34] >> And did you ever think I might die here

[23:36] today?

[23:36] >> I thought that went through my mind.

[23:38] Yeah.

[23:38] >> So, when you walked out, you saw

[23:40] everything.

[23:40] >> Yeah. It's just terrible. You just don't

[23:42] know where to begin, what to do. You

[23:45] can't think. There's nothing you can do.

[23:47] There's nothing you can do.

[23:50] And, you know, Ellen's daughter actually

[23:51] lives in Port Charlotte. her roof was

[23:53] completely torn off their house, too.

[23:54] So, like many families, they were

[23:55] devastated by this, but they say by

[23:57] sticking together, they're going to be

[23:58] able to get through it.

[23:59] >> Honestly, that's really some one of the

[24:00] things I was thinking of was where do

[24:01] you begin? Where do you start when you

[24:03] see all of this devastation?

[24:04] >> I mean, Ellen said she walked out and

[24:06] she just said, "What do I do?" You know,

[24:08] and when you're 70, can you just imagine

[24:10] like all your stuff is gone and you

[24:12] don't have any income to really rebuild

[24:13] anything.

[24:14] >> Yeah. So tough. All right, Melinda

[24:15] Murphy, thanks.

[24:18] part of what we see all over Puna Gorda,

[24:21] Florida. These palm trees, too numerous

[24:23] to count that have been just ripped up

[24:25] by the roots. Some of them weighing

[24:26] thousands of pounds, no doubt. So the

[24:29] real next part of this story is the

[24:31] cleanup and the recovery and the search

[24:33] for survivors. And CBS's Kelly Kobier

[24:36] has more on that part of the story.

[24:37] >> A real daunting challenge, Renee, to be

[24:39] sure. Search and rescue teams will head

[24:41] out for a third straight day today. They

[24:44] are facing enormous challenges just

[24:47] because of the sheer volume of damage in

[24:49] this area. They did find one woman still

[24:52] hiding from the storm in her closet on

[24:55] Saturday, but nothing since.

[24:59] With the area's hundreds of mobile homes

[25:01] searched and cleared, rescue crews are

[25:03] moving to other neighborhoods. They

[25:05] still can't be sure they found everyone

[25:07] who was trapped in the storm. A few who

[25:10] stuck it out. It all went everything

[25:12] right on top of us.

[25:14] >> Have ended up here. For Mary Beth

[25:16] Chalmer's, the shelter is now home. Her

[25:18] husband lost his business. Their family

[25:21] lost their house.

[25:22] >> I'm staying at least a week or so

[25:24] because we have nowhere to go.

[25:26] >> The Red Cross expects to spend at least

[25:28] $30 million helping thousands down the

[25:30] long and expensive road to recovery. And

[25:33] there is also the emotional damage.

[25:36] What's the hardest thing to deal with in

[25:37] the first couple of days after the

[25:38] storm? I think the hardest thing is for

[25:41] people to come to grips with the fact

[25:43] that their lives have changed

[25:44] dramatically.

[25:45] >> Get a line going. Get a line going.

[25:47] >> Patients and provisions already are in

[25:49] short supply. Private relief groups from

[25:51] other states are trying to fill the

[25:53] void.

[25:53] >> People are just in shock. Their their

[25:55] emotions are wrecked.

[25:56] >> In today's society, they say nobody

[25:58] cares. That's a lie. They care. They

[26:01] care. Look at them. They're here.

[26:02] >> Help came from next door as well. Laura

[26:05] Lor packed up the family car with

[26:07] supplies for neighbors. and I don't mind

[26:09] stepping up, but there's only so much I

[26:11] can do.

[26:13] >> Well, she shouldn't have to do too much

[26:15] for too much longer. State and federal

[26:18] agencies have set up an enormous supply

[26:20] pipeline. They've opened the valve and

[26:22] and all sorts of supplies. Everything

[26:24] from CS and blankets to hammers and

[26:26] nails should be flowing into this area

[26:28] today. About a million people are still

[26:31] without power. It could be 2 weeks

[26:33] before electricity is completely

[26:35] restored. Rene,

[26:36] >> that's unthinkable. Yeah. All right.

[26:37] CBS's Kelly Kobier. Thanks.

[26:42] You know, a disaster like Hurricane

[26:44] Charlie brings out the good in almost

[26:46] everyone, but some of the real heroes in

[26:48] this situation were the folks that

[26:49] dropped almost everything at a moment's

[26:51] notice and hightailed it up here to help

[26:53] out. I'm talking about part of the

[26:55] search and rescue team from the Miami

[26:57] Dade Search and Rescue Unit. We spent

[26:59] some time with them yesterday and these

[27:00] folks know all too well the power of a

[27:02] hurricane.

[27:04] >> Please come. This is three-year-old

[27:06] Blae, a critical part of the Miami Dade

[27:09] search and rescue squad.

[27:11] Bla1 along with a 28 member team have

[27:14] been in Punta Gorda since Saturday,

[27:17] combing the rubble for possible

[27:18] survivors. The work is tedious because

[27:21] this is one of hundreds of neighborhoods

[27:23] to take a direct hit from Charlie. This

[27:26] is really hard work. It seems like

[27:28] you're battling the heat, the humidity,

[27:30] and and just the devastation. I mean,

[27:31] does it ever just get to be totally

[27:33] demoralizing for you?

[27:34] >> No. I mean, you know, this this business

[27:36] is a calling. And, you know, you do it

[27:38] cuz you want to do it?

[27:40] >> They're not sure how long they'll be

[27:41] here. It could be as few as 3 days or as

[27:44] many as 14, but ask them and they'll

[27:47] tell you they'll stay as long as it

[27:49] takes.

[27:50] >> We've had minimal sleep, but when you're

[27:53] here to help people out, you kind of

[27:55] forget that you need it.

[27:56] >> And they never know what might be around

[27:57] the corner. While we were on our way to

[27:59] search another site, we came upon this

[28:02] car, an elderly woman inside who had

[28:05] broken her wrist.

[28:08] >> They stopped and helped her, but there

[28:10] was still more work for Bla1 and the

[28:12] team.

[28:12] >> You going to get to work? They seem kind

[28:15] of anxious right now.

[28:16] >> Oh, yeah. They're they want to get back

[28:17] out and do some work.

[28:18] >> All in a day's work for a team that's

[28:20] dealing with the aftermath of Charlie,

[28:22] but remembers Andrew all too well. This

[28:26] is very bad uh from from what you know

[28:28] we've seen and we haven't seen at all.

[28:31] But I've seen worse disasters.

[28:33] >> Now the dogs are a really critical part

[28:35] of the search and rescue team effort

[28:37] because were it not for them, these guys

[28:39] would have to be in here um picking up

[28:40] this rubble a piece at a time. And I

[28:42] want to show you something interesting

[28:43] here. This orange marker right here.

[28:45] What this means is when they go into a

[28:47] structure, they mark one side of the X

[28:49] and the time that they went in. When

[28:51] they come out and it's cleared, they

[28:53] complete the X so the people know it's

[28:54] already been searched. There was no one

[28:56] in there. There was no one found.

[29:00] >> The people of Pontagorta, Florida are

[29:02] living in a weather war zone. There are

[29:04] whole communities that will never

[29:06] return.

[29:08] >> And homeowners now homeless and hungry.

[29:13] >> The National Guard is running a supply

[29:14] station where survivors can get the

[29:16] basics. What's it been like these last

[29:18] three days? Hell. Terrible. No.

[29:21] >> Since sunrise, they've lined up for ice,

[29:23] water, food.

[29:25] >> We have portag johns to to give out

[29:28] >> with the town hospital damaged and

[29:29] closed.

[29:30] >> So, when was the last time you had your

[29:32] IV treatment?

[29:32] >> A mash style emergency room is tending

[29:35] to the sick on a street corner.

[29:37] >> My wife has been taking IVs uh IV

[29:40] antibiotics.

[29:42] >> It may take more than a month to restore

[29:45] power to hundreds of thousands of

[29:46] residents.

[29:47] >> We pull up and you know, they're waving

[29:49] us through. So, there's no doubt they're

[29:51] happy to see us.

[29:51] >> A top priority is the region's booming

[29:54] retirement community. Elderly residents

[29:56] like 91-year-old Everett Cowan, who made

[29:58] it through Charlie, only to weather the

[30:01] posth hurricane heat.

[30:02] >> I'm anxious. I wished I knew when they

[30:04] get the

[30:06] electric hooked up again.

[30:08] >> Oh my god.

[30:09] >> Despite how it looked and sounded,

[30:11] Florida may well find a silver lining in

[30:13] those clouds of destruction. After

[30:15] initial reports of stacks of bodies,

[30:17] rescue crews are now astounded by what

[30:19] they're describing as a lower thanex

[30:21] expected number of deaths.

[30:23] >> Charlotte County went through a 145 mph

[30:26] category 4 hurricane

[30:28] and saw a miracle.

[30:30] >> Another miracle was this home. In a

[30:32] 100red years, it had survived six

[30:34] hurricanes. The owner wasn't counting on

[30:37] seven.

[30:38] >> We came around the corner and we burst

[30:39] into tears and our house was still here.

[30:42] Over the weekend, two tropical storms

[30:44] formed, then moved away from the US.

[30:46] Tonight, forecasters say the coast is

[30:49] clear.

[30:52] By boat, Rudy and Nancy Mosny hope to

[30:55] sneak past federal agents guarding

[30:57] Santael Island, where Charlie first came

[30:59] ashore, wrecked homes, and snapped so

[31:02] many trees and power lines. For now, all

[31:04] the island is considered dangerous and

[31:06] offlimits.

[31:07] >> We're not allowing any any resident.

[31:09] patrols with guns guard the only bridge

[31:11] onto this exclusive island and

[31:13] >> it's in pretty bad shape

[31:15] >> and the water that surrounds it. But

[31:17] like most of Santa's 6,000 residents,

[31:20] the Mosnes just want to know how bad is

[31:23] it.

[31:23] >> It's just a hassle

[31:25] >> and frustrating not being able to

[31:27] >> Yeah. Yeah. Not knowing what really is

[31:30] happening there. Everyone on the island

[31:32] was ordered off last Thursday and now no

[31:35] one can tell them when they'll be

[31:36] allowed back and many of them are angry.

[31:39] >> I don't think it's fair for you to

[31:41] restrict me from my property.

[31:43] >> There's danger there and that and public

[31:44] safety is absolutely first and foremost

[31:46] from all of us.

[31:47] >> But the Moses took their chances.

[31:50] >> Which one? Which house is yours?

[31:52] >> Patrols never saw this boat. So now the

[31:55] Mosny's see their house.

[31:58] Charlie chewed away some landscaping.

[32:01] But inside their waterfront home is

[32:03] virtually untouched.

[32:05] >> We were expecting 2 ft of water when a

[32:06] storm surge in here.

[32:08] >> 5 days of anxiety gone. And that's what

[32:11] all their neighbors want to know. Their

[32:13] share of Charlie's misery.

[32:16] Only emergency officials are getting

[32:18] through here. These guardsmen will stop

[32:19] everyone else at this toll booth for at

[32:21] least the next couple of days. Some

[32:23] residents say it's like martial law.

[32:25] They say they just want the chance to

[32:27] see what they've lost.