Obama Heads to Staten Island
COSTELLO: Right now, President Obama is on his way to get a firsthand look at Sandy's destruction in New York City. He'll also meet with families who are still trying to recover. Yesterday, the President talked about the superstorm and he also talked about climate change. .</s>OBAMA: There have been an extraordinarily large number of severe weather events here in north America, but also around the globe. And I am a firm believer that climate change is real, that it is impacted by human behavior, and carbon emissions. And as a consequence, I think we've got an obligation to future generations to do something about it.</s>COSTELLO: He says he's going to sit down with a whole bunch of experts and try to come up with ways to protect our planet. Victor Blackwell is in Staten Island; Victor, good morning. I don't suppose people who have like damaged homes from Superstorm Sandy are thinking much about climate change at the moment though.</s>VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: No. Maybe that conversation will come, Carol, but not today. They're talking about the people who have died in this community. They're talking about this, their businesses and their homes that have been destroyed by this storm. They're also talking about what's happening over here, the area set up for relief, for food, for clothes, for heat. They're also talking about the President's visit. And this is what the President will see. He'll see the relief workers. He'll see the firefighters. He'll see what people here have been dealing with for now going into the third week. We're actually hearing from some people that the President's visit is bittersweet in a way. They want him to come, but do not come just with hugs and kind words.</s>MIKE HOFFMAN, STATEN ISLAND RESIDENT: It's bittersweet. It's going to create a lot of traffic. It's going to impede a lot of the work we're trying to do here. But at the same time, he wants to address the issue. He can do a flyover in a helicopter and look at the issue. If you're going to come here, come here with a couple of truckloads of volunteers. Get some guys that are ready to get their hands dirty and let's help the people of the area.</s>BLACKWELL: That was Mike Hoffman. He is actually volunteering to assign volunteers to go and help people gut out their homes and help them rebuild. And he says all of the politicians and all the officials who come, it's great to have them here to keep attention on this area and on Jersey and the Rockaway area, but come with help. Come with something to help Staten Island start to rebuild. The President will be here late morning, early afternoon. And the President has said that he will support this area and give the resources that the people here need to start to rebuild. Mike Hoffman thinks it could take six months, a year do that -- Carol.</s>COSTELLO: Victor Blackwell reporting live from Staten Island this morning. It's got everything. Daniel Day-Lewis playing Abraham Lincoln in a Steven Spielberg film. But is the new Lincoln flick a recipe for success?