Trapped in Home, Killed by Flooding
BLITZER: They started preparing for this Democratic convention here in Charlotte, North Carolina, back in April of 2011. Now, three days next week, this arena, the Time Warner Cable Arena, will be filled with lots and lots of Democrats as the president of the United States and the vice president of the United States accept their party's nomination for president and vice president. We'll be here, we're already here. In fact, these are the first shots you're seeing from inside this arena. Much more on the political story coming up. There's other news we're following as well including flash flood warnings. They are still in effect in three states because of the remnants of hurricane Isaac. This storm devastated small towns in Louisiana. And CNN's Brian Todd spent the day in the town where two people died trapped in their home by rising floodwaters -- Brian.</s>BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Wolf, you can see behind me just how devastated this town is. This was once a street. That was a street. And you can see what happened to this building right here. It was in this town where the first reported fatalities from Isaac occurred. We got access to that house only with an airboat. And we realized as soon as we got there the odds were stacked heavily against those who stayed. (voice-over): It's still almost unapproachable and dangerous. We have to navigate around seeping natural gas and downed power lines just to get near it. This house is where the first two reported fatalities from Isaac occurred. A couple trapped inside. Urban Treuil, the fire chief here, knew them and had to pull their bodies out. (on camera): Do you think this couple ever had a chance to get out once the water started flowing in here?</s>CHIEF URBAN TREUIL, BRAITHWAITE, LOUISIANA FIRE DEPT.: The water came up so fast, we had a lot of emergency personnel that had a rough time getting out. So an elderly couple needing assistance would have been very, very tough to do.</s>TODD (voice-over): There may have been one opening, maybe. (on camera): The couple was found floating in the kitchen of this house. The kitchen is around the other side of the house. We can't access that right now. What we're told is that the water levels at the time rescuers got here were about eight feet higher than they were now up to the attic vent right there. If the couple could have gotten to that, possibly they could have gotten out. (voice-over): Treuil declined to identify the couple by name. He says emergency officials got word to as many people as possible when the levee near here was overtopped. One of the neighbors tried to get the couple to leave, and they wouldn't. Now, the only creatures that can inhabit this town are either amphibious or have to ride what's floating. As we move around by airboat, we see homes that are flooded, buckled. Chief Treuil says one house floated about a mile from its foundation. Bobby Landry and seven others in his family stayed through the storm too. He lost one house to hurricane Katrina and then moved here and remodeled this one. Now this -- he and his family had to climb out windows as the water rose toward the second floor.</s>BOBBY LANDRY, BRAITHWAITE, LOUISIANA RESIDENT: I feel empty. It hurts.</s>TODD (on camera): Bobby, do you want to come back and live here?</s>LANDRY: This is great living right here. On this side of the river right here, the people in this community are all tight, close. Unfortunately, there's not enough of us to be worried about.</s>TODD (voice-over): An exhausted fire chief is worried about more potential losses.</s>TREUIL: It's not something I want to see and I hope that's the last ones we do see. We're still checking a few other residents along that area here. And we're hoping that everybody made it out.</s>TODD (on camera): When I asked the Chief Treuil if this town will ever recover from this, he said he thinks so. But he also said since the storm happened, they have talked to several resident who have packed up and never coming back. The chief is also reeling from this. He lost his home and this store and gas station, which was his business -- Wolf.</s>BLITZER: What a story. What a sad, sad story indeed. Brian Todd on the scene for us --thank you. More on the story coming up later as well. Other news we're following including the stock markets, they're reacting to the Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke's latest hint that he's ready to take some controversial action to stimulate the U.S. economy.