Ida's Arrival; Tropical Storm Track; Memorial at Fort Hood; D.C. Sniper Execution; High School Hostage Situation; Remembering the Victims
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, John and Kiran. That's right. Here's what we're working on today. Late-season tropical storm makes land. Ida's heavy rains could bring flooding to the southeast and travel delays beyond. Plus, remembering the victims of the Fort Hood shootings. President Obama attends today's memorial service as we learn more about the suspect. And scary subway scene. A woman falls on to the tracks as a train comes barreling into the station. We'll tell you more about that, too. Good morning, everybody, I'm Heidi Collins in New York, and you are in the CNN NEWSROOM. Well, it lost some punch, but tropical storm Ida is still delivering a weather smackdown to the U.S. Gulf Coast this morning. The storm made landfall near Mobile, Alabama just before dawn. Here's what it left in nearby Destin, Florida. These images captured by CNN iReporter Jan Mull. So, Jan, thank you for those. Big storms are not unusual for Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, or Florida. All four states preemptively declaring states of emergency before the storm. Across much of Florida's western panhandle high winds downing a few power lines and trees. And we're hearing some about sporadic electrical outages and localized flooding, too, especially in some of those low-lying coastal areas. It is not over yet. The situation could get worse with expected storm surge. In Pensacola, water levels could be 3 to 5 feet higher than normal. So let's find out how things are looking down there right now. CNN's Rob Marciano just had to head to the beach for his field duty this morning. Wow, we can barely see you, Rob. It's definitely no picnic there. Ida, though, is not the category 1 and 2 hurricane it once was, so is that any consolation for the people on where you are?</s>ROB MARCIANO, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Well, it certainly is. I think the people here were preparing for a hurricane, even though pretty much everyone couldn't believe their eyes. They know the history of November tropical systems, and that is, there aren't many of them. And certainly aren't many of them that make landfall. The last hurricane to make landfall in the United States was back in 1985. Last tropical storm, back in 1988. So it did increase in intensity to a tropical storm. That was sort of expected. And then the storm surge that we saw here in Pensacola, also expected, which means not terribly bad. Along the Alabama coastline up towards Pensacola, we saw about a 3 to 4 foot above average tide. And now when you get to where I'm standing right here, and since then the tide, the astronomical tides have receded. So even though we have onshore winds right now, which would push the water onshore, we've got the moon pulling the water offshore. So that's a good thing. There's been a little bit of beach erosion. There have been some sporadic power outages because of the winds that have been gusting over 40, 50 miles an hour at times, but not terribly widespread. About 2,000 or so as far as power outages are concerned. A couple of local roads are under water, but generally speaking, most roads and all bridges are open. The Coast Guard has shut down all ports along the Florida panhandle to the Mississippi coastline until tropical storm Ida winds down. Now conditions have actually gotten a little bit worse here. You can see the waves pounding along the pier. Waves 10, 15, and in some cases 20 feet high. Since even though the storm has weakened, because it's getting closer to us now after making landfall a couple of hours ago, the winds have been steady, if not steadily increasing. So I think it will be a good 12 to 24 hours before things begin to wind down here along the Florida panhandle as this storm makes that right turn that I'm sure Jacqui Jeras will describe for you. But, Heidi, as far as the damage here is concerned, four inches of rain, about three of that came in about four to five hours. So tremendous amount of heavy rain...</s>COLLINS: Wow.</s>MARCIANO: ... last night just leading to localized flooding. But as you can see right now, most of the rain is north and east of the system, and right now we're about parallel with the storm, which is about 30 or 40 miles to my west. That's the latest from here. An unusual situation.</s>COLLINS: Yes.</s>MARCIANO: And you think back to just two weeks ago, Heidi, we had a major snowstorm across the high plains in the Midwest. And now we're still talking about tropical storms rolling into the United States.</s>COLLINS: Yes.</s>MARCIANO: So certainly some interesting weather to say the least the last two weeks.</s>COLLINS: Yes. Really weird, too. But, boy, those waves are definitely looking big behind you. So we'll keep our eye on that and of course come back to you anytime we should need to do that this morning. Rob Marciano, thanks so much. Appreciate it, Pensacola, Florida, this morning. Want to get you a little bit more now where the remnants of Tropical Storm Ida are tracking. For that, meteorologist Jacqui Jeras is standing by in the Severe Weather Center this morning. So, hi, Jacqui.</s>JACQUI JERAS, AMS METEOROLOGIST: Hey.</s>COLLINS: This storm is going to make its way north at some point, is what we're expecting, right?</s>JERAS: Well, eventually but it's going to take a trip to the east first. Kind of a complicated pattern that we're going to be seeing, but basically Ida is going to get absorbed in a cold front and it's almost going to take a nor'easter kind of pattern. In the meantime, we're still kind of starting that northeasterly turn a little bit. We did have landfall earlier today at Dolphin Island. Right now it's over Mobile Bay, but we are going to be seeing landfall once again. It's really hard to pinpoint because our system has become so disorganized and it's really hard to find the center. And you're going to have to rely on things like wind profiles to help figure that all out. Maximum sustained winds, 45 miles per hour. It will continue to weaken. Rainfall, certainly the big story. And check out that big swath here of those rain bands. We're expecting to see anywhere between about three to six inches of rainfall. Pretty widespread. Our winds so far, you could really hear it gusting, couldn't you, from where Rob was? There you can see our sustained winds have been in the 10 to 20-mile-per-hour range in this area. But gusts certainly still reaching along the 30 to 40-mile-per-hour range or so. I want to show you. There you can see the flood warnings, winds and watches which are in effect at this hour. We just kind of want to show you that track and all of this rain. This is not just a coastal storm. Watch how this moves through Charlotte and to Raleigh and eventually into the mid-Atlantic states. We could see some rain in places like Washington, D.C. from this storm and some very windy travel conditions -- Heidi?</s>COLLINS: All right. Jacqui Jeras, we will continue to stay up to snuff on all of this with you as well. We're getting a little bit of news coming in, Jacqui, so we'll check back with you later on.</s>JERAS: OK.</s>COLLINS: Thank you. At any moment now, the president and first lady will leave the White House and head to Fort Hood, Texas. There, they'll meet with survivors of last week's shooting rampage and attend a memorial service for the 13 men and women who were killed. CNN's David Mattingly is at Fort Hood right outside the gates where the memorial will actually be taking place this morning. David, good morning to you. Sure to be a very, very emotional day today.</s>DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Heidi. Already, a very powerful moment this morning. Every morning here at the post, as they do every day, there's revelry, the soldiers stop and salute as the flag is raised. But since the tragedy of last Thursday, after the flag is raised, it is then slowly lowered to half-staff. A constant reminder of the 13 people who lost their lives in that shooting rampage. And the president and Mrs. Obama due here. They're going to be meeting with the victims and some of the wounded that are still in the hospital -- that will be private -- before the president speaks to a very large gathering here. It's supposed to be, we're told, a traditional type of program for this memorial service. But in scope, it is very large and the emotions in play are still very raw here at Fort Hood. We're getting some indication of what type of emotions and how strong they are from some of the services that have been held in small -- in hometowns of the victims all throughout the country. Just last night, there was a candlelight vigil, this in Kiel, Wisconsin. And this one was for Sergeant Amy Krueger. She was 29 years old. She joined the Army after 9/11. She was part of the 467th Medical Company. Her story like others lost in this shooting, we have been telling -- we have been hearing that she is -- was committed to duty. We're hearing about her enthusiasm for service and of course, how much she will be missed.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I love you, Krugels, I miss you so much, and thank you for being the best friend that anybody could have ever asked for.</s>UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We all love you very much and we'll miss you every minute of every day. We are proud of the sacrifice you have given to our country and all of us that are here tonight. You are the definition of a true American hero. We salute you.</s>UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'll personally miss seeing her and hearing her say, hey, Uncle Bob. Amy -- Kreugs, this world is definitely a lesser place without you in it and you'll be forever remembered and loved.</s>MATTINGLY: And thousands expected for the services here, Heidi. This is a very big challenge to the military. Everyone here so used to having to deal with losses on the field of battle. This one hitting very close to home, affecting people in ways they hadn't counted on.</s>COLLINS: Absolutely. All right, David Mattingly, we're going to make sure we stay up to speed on all of this as well. In fact, want to make sure we let you know. You can join us for our special coverage, "MEMORIAL AT FORT HOOD." It will begin at 1:30 Eastern, 10:30 Pacific. If you're away from your TV, you can always watch the full memorial coverage on CNN.com/live. Now let's take a moment to turn to the investigation. Investigators say Major Nidal Malik Hasan will be charged by the U.S. military rather than in a civilian court. They say it appears he acted alone and without any outside direction. He did, however, communicate with a radical cleric overseas as many as 20 times. They say those communications appeared innocent. Nearly one year ago, the FBI began looking at the accused gunman before deciding he did not pose a threat. Well, now the FBI is turning the microscope on itself. Director Robert Muller has ordered an internal review of the bureau's handling of that information. Twelve hours. That's all the time John Allen Muhammad may have left. The mastermind of the D.C. sniper attacks is set to be executed tonight. CNN's Jeanne Meserve is at the prison in Jarrett, Virginia where three weeks of terror went on. You remember it all too well, right, Jeanne?</s>JEANNE MESERVE, CNN HOMELAND SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: I do, Heidi. It was 23 days, 16 shootings, 10 people dead. A terrifying time in the greater Washington area. And tonight, John Allen Muhammad is scheduled to pay for those sins with his life. Shortly before 9:00 Eastern, he'll be taken into the death chamber here at the Greensville Correctional Center. IVs will be put in both arms and he will be given a lethal injection. But before that happens, he's going to have a visit from his first wife, Carol Williams, and their son, Lindbergh. Carol Williams says she's been getting about two letters a week from John Muhammad. Last night Larry King read one of those letters on his program. Here's a bit of it.</s>LARRY KING, HOST, "LARRY KING LIVE": "Carol," he writes, "you need to be here in Virginia on the night of November 9, '09 so that you can be at this prison at 8:30 a.m. on November 10, '09, so that you can see me at 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. And then take an hour and a half break and then see me again for a contact visit from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. "Carol, I miss my family for the past eight years. I don't want to be missed the day that these devils murder my innocent black</s>MESERVE: And yesterday the Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Muhammad's lawyer. They argued that he should not be executed because he is mentally ill, still pending a clemency appeal that's before Virginia's governor, Timothy Kaine. Back to you, Heidi.</s>COLLINS: And Jeanne, what is the reaction to his impending execution?</s>MESERVE: Well, they run the gamut. Earlier this morning, Charles Ramsey, who was the police chief in Washington, D.C. at the time, was interviewed. And he said, if he had the opportunity, he'd like to be the one to administer the death penalty to John Muhammad. He said he's absolutely deserving. Many victims' families believe the same way. However, there is a different point of view. His lawyers, of course, believe that he's mentally ill. And also, we spoke to Reverend Al Archer. He ran a mission out on the west coast where John Muhammad stayed first with his three children, with his wife, Mildred Muhammad, and then later with Lee Boyd Malvo. Archer was very suspicious of what he saw Muhammad doing with Malvo, but he feels also that he's mentally ill, that he should not be executed. He's very upset to see this happening tonight. Heidi, back to you.</s>COLLINS: All right. CNN's Jeanne Meserve. Jeanne, thanks so much. And just as we are talking about the D.C. sniper, we want to get this breaking news to you out of New York state. In fact, a hostage is apparently being held at a high school. We want to go ahead and get Gregg Pulver on the phone now. He is the Pine Plains town supervisor, actually on the scene of what's going on to find out exactly the latest here. Gregg, if you can hear me OK, our understanding is that at Stissing Mountain High School there, there's apparently a hostage that is being held by a gunman inside the school and is it true that you believe it could be the principal of that high school?</s>GREGG PULVER, PINE PLAINS, NY TOWN SUPERVISOR (via phone): Yes. We are -- we are being told that it's an administrator. At this point, we're also being told it is a principal. There are two principals, so we are unclear which one at this point. We do believe, though, it may be the high school principal.</s>COLLINS: This happened, I believe, after kids came to school, is that correct? Where is everybody else in the high school at this time?</s>PULVER: The school is under lockdown. They have the gunman contained to a single room. He is being monitored. They have been in communication by phone with him. As I said, they are considering this a hostage situation. They are trying to negotiate and they are keeping the students under lockdown until they have -- you know, until they're confident of an evacuation plan.</s>COLLINS: Yes.</s>PULVER: We are asking all parents to go to the Stissing House parking lot in the center of town. It's a restaurant. That's way if there is a -- that way when they're released or can be a reunification in a single spot. So that's where people should go for updates, parents, and hopefully we see this as a good outcome and...</s>COLLINS: Well, Gregg, I have to ask you. Boy, as you hear information like that, I'm considering if parents are listening at home right now, this is two hours from New York City, I understand. The children are in an area that is completely separate from where this is going on? I mean, they have been isolated, in a way?</s>PULVER: They have him isolated. The students are in their classrooms.</s>COLLINS: OK.</s>PULVER: Are locked down. You know, there are police in the building. They are safe, at this point in time. And we have no reason to believe that they will not become safe. You know, as this comes to a conclusion. So they are -- you know the police -- we have the state police MRT, the Mobile Response Team. We have the Duchess County Sheriff's SWAT team, as well as -- you know, you can imagine, a lot, a lot of police here at this point.</s>COLLINS: Absolutely. Is there any idea on who the gunman is? Are we talking about a student possibly?</s>PULVER: No, it seems like an adult. I hate -- I don't want to use the term "parent," because we don't know if the person has any kids in the school. At this point, it is an adult. It is not a student.</s>COLLINS: OK. And just to give a little bit of detail here, we're talking about -- about 500 kids, about 100 staff members, so that's 600 people or so that are in the building, potentially, at this time, right?</s>PULVER: Correct.</s>COLLINS: All right. And so you're working on the evacuation plan and probably most encouraging, and I just want to make sure we point that out, once again, is that the gunman is in contact and so they are negotiating with him as we speak?</s>PULVER: That is my understanding. That they have been in contact with him. That they are currently negotiating a peaceful end to this.</s>COLLINS: Of course.</s>COLLINS: We all pray. We all pray for that, obviously.</s>COLLINS: Absolutely. Well, Gregg, we're going to stay in touch with you, because we want to make sure that we continue to get all the latest information out about this pretty scary situation. One of two principals being held hostage by a gunman inside of Stissing Mountain High School. This area is Pine Plains, New York. And Gregg Pulver, Pine Plains town supervisor, was just talking with us. Gregg, thanks so much. Again, this area is about two hours north of New York City. We will absolutely monitor the situation and bring you anymore details just as soon as we get them here. Right now, though, if you would like to do something to help the victims at Fort Hood, Texas, but just aren't sure how, Josh Levs is here to give us some ideas on what you can do. Good morning to you, Josh.</s>JOSH LEVS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Heidi. Absolutely. We do have a list of places that will help you reach out to help those affected by the tragedy at Fort Hood. And we'll show you exactly where to go, coming right up.