[Kyra Phillips, Cnn Anchor:] Hello, everyone. I'm Kyra Phillips at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta. Gathering strength. Floridians brace for Alberto as hurricane warnings are issued. And President Bush holds a strategy session with top aides as violence erupts once again in Iraq. And can you imagine holding the same job for almost 50 years? A one-on-one interview with the longest-serving senator in U.S. history. The second hour of LIVE FROM starts right now. Stay alert and don't ignore the warnings. Those warnings from Florida's governor, who has declared a state of emergency ahead of Tropical Storm Alberto. At the moment it's headed straight for the Nature Coast.
[Craig Fugate, Director, Emergency Management:] This is not an area of the coast that takes days to evacuate. It takes hours, but people have to act. And I think that's been the governor's message. It's not culture preparedness, it's enough let's talk about it. It means people actually have to change behavior and do something, and this will be the time to do something if those evacuation orders are called for.
[Phillips:] CNN's Susan Candiotti is watching and waiting in Clearwater Beach. Susan, it appears a lot of rain is heading your way already.
[Susan Candiotti, Cnn National Correspondent:] Yes, but we see people carrying on as usual here. Traffic seems to be fairly steady, as steady as the rain is. There is a concern, obviously, that hurricane season has arrived. And hopefully many people have prepared. Everyone should be prepared by now with batteries and the like and nonperishable food items. I can tell you that Florida Governor Jeb Bush so far has told the Department of Homeland Security he does not yet need their help, but FEMA, perhaps in an effort to provide perhaps a better performance than last year, is letting us know that they are standing ready at the National Hurricane Center, they are at Florida's Emergency Management Center, they are standing ready to act as they are needed. There are liaisons working closely with Florida officials just in case their help is needed, and they are ready to move in. The Coast Guard, for example, had made preliminary sorties flights in and out to make sure that they are equipped, as they always are to go in and help people as is necessary. And over on the pier behind me you can perhaps get a peek at the Gulf of Mexico. Really, the water is fairly calm right now. You don't see any any high waves. That's because the wind hasn't really picked up here. Again, it's just very wet, rainy and miserable. We are expecting up to 10 inches of rain, and people are prepared for inland flooding. A few communities providing sandbags to residents who need them be prepared for whatever lies ahead -Kyra.
[Phillips:] All right. Susan Candiotti. Thank you so much. And we are expecting a 3:00 p.m. live new conference with Governor Jeb Bush. We'll take that live as soon as it happens. And CNN will be checking in with our affiliates around the region as we track this storm. One of them is Bay News 9. Reporter Chuck Johnson joins us once again from Hernando County, where all those sandbaggers have started working. Hey, Chuck.
[Chuck Johnson, Reporter, Bay News 9:] Hi, Kyra. We're about 45 minutes of where Susan reported from on Clearwater Beach, here on Hernando Beach. And folks are getting ready. Folks who live in the low-lying areas getting ready for the flooding. Here we have Marianne Gamby from Weeki Wachee. She's already got about eight sandbags in her trunk. The folks here at the Hernando County Hernando Beach Volunteer Fire Department are helping. We just had Public Works Department bring about two more dump truckloads of sand in here. And as you can see, a lot of folks are taking care of their business, trying to protect what they have at home. Joining me now is Chris Coleeto with the Hernando Volunteer Fire Department. Tell me how it's been going here this morning, Chris.
[Unidentified Male:] Oh, about today we've had about 45 to 50 people coming to pick up sandbags. And they fill them themselves. You know, we've got plenty of bags, you know. We just got more sand, as you said. Basically, what they're getting sandbags for is for the low-lying areas of the county, and also, you know, the high tide's coming in. With all this rain, you know, it's starting to really pile up on the streets.
[Johnson:] All right. Thank you, Chris. Well, as you know, a lot of folks here in Hernando County live in low-lying areas. We're expecting a lot of rain over the next 24 hours and especially some winds, as well. So these folks here are doing their best to try to protect what they have at home from the pending flooding that we expect here in Hernando County Kyra.
[Phillips:] All right. Chuck Johnson, we'll keep talking. Thanks so much. Now, Alberto is not a hurricane yet, but it likely will be by the time it comes ashore. Meteorologist Jacqui Jeras tracking everything as it moves from our weather center there. Jacqui, the main threat is all the rain right now, right?
[Jacqui Jeras, Cnn Meteorologist:] Yes. Really, the rain is the main threat.
[Jeras:] Believe it or not, use your imagination a little bit. Hurricane season might be just what parts of Florida need. 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, Lsu:] With the debris from homes and cleanup, I mean, it's just debris everywhere, and it's exceptionally dry and it's highly vulnerable. And all it's going to take is, you know, 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 rice and crawfish production. And as a result, there still is salt in those soils, and it's actually halting some of the production in those 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. And we are expecting about five to 10 inches of rain fall across central and northern parts of Florida in the path of Alberto. Of course, Kyra, we don't always want five to 10 all at one time, but this will make a significant impact in helping the drought across parts of the state.
[Phillips:] All right, Jacqui. Thanks so much. That weather also already making an impact, specifically in Davis Island, Florida. We've been reporting on this plane crash right off the runway at Peter O. Knight Airport. We do have a Bay News 9 reporter on the scene. We'll take you there live for more details. We know that one person is reported dead, one, possibly two, survivors. CNN is your hurricane headquarters. Check out your online guide to hurricanes, including how they form and which storms make the list of the top 10 worst hurricanes ever. Just go to CNN.comhurricanes. Well, while our eyes are turning to the first named storm of this hurricane season, there have also been deployments out of Iraq today, recording a replacement name for Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. LIVE FROM has that story for you next.